Hongfu Restaurant.
Zhu Ju arrived, having been invited.
The Government Office was hosting a banquet to honor the heroes who had crushed the Seven Workshops of Flower Street a few days prior. Many guests had gathered for the occasion.
"Young Master Zhu."
Shenn Hu, now dressed in dapper attire, pulled Zhu Ju aside with a smile.
"Let me introduce you to a friend. This is Ghostfoot Old Xiang of the Caoo Gang. I guarantee you, this guy is every bit as strong as I am."
Ghost Foot Xiang Zhongyuan!
The leader of the Caoo Gang!
The man was a legend in Yue City. The docks and the fish market were his personal fortress, utterly impenetrable to outsiders.
In terms of resources and power, the Caoo Gang was in no way inferior to the century-old Wuh and Zhao Noble Families.
The disciples of the Caoo Gang had been the main force in conquering Flower Street just last night!
"Gang Leader Xiang."
Zhu Ju cupped his hands in greeting.
"I've heard so much about you!"
Xiang Zhongyuan was unassuming in appearance, tall and lean with long, powerful legs. He walked with a commanding, tiger-like stride.
"Young Master Zhu, I've heard great things about you," Xiang Zhongyuan said with a broad grin.
"The Caoo Gang has some connections on the water. If your cloth business needs to ship by river in the future, I hope you'll consider giving me some business."
"You're too kind, Gang Leader Xiang." Zhu Ju shook his head.
"My business has always wanted to work with the Caoo Gang, but we've never been able to find an in. I'll have to rely on your help in the future, Gang Leader Xiang."
"Of course, of course!" Xiang Zhongyuan laughed heartily.
"That's what I admire about you, Young Master Zhu. You make friends everywhere and don't try to hog all the profits for yourself. That's how you get big and strong."
"A single flower doesn't make a spring. In business, there's no need to fight to the death. Cooperation for mutual benefit is the only way to build something that lasts." Zhu Ju gestured for them to proceed.
"Let's talk inside."
"Yes, yes, let's chat inside!" Xiang Zhongyuan put an arm around Shenn Hu.
"I heard that after taking Baixiu last night, you paid another visit to Miaoting Workshop. I hear the haul was quite impressive, eh, Shenn Hu?"
"Hmm..." Shenn Hu pursed his lips.
"Someone asked me to find a few things there."
"You look like an honest man, but you're the most secretive one I know. Always holding things back, even from old friends." Xiang Zhongyuan shook his head, his gaze shifting.
"By the way, do you know who those people are?"
In a corner of the tavern, a dozen or so men occupied two large, square tables. They sat in silence, swords and sabers at their sides, radiating a grim aura that stood in stark contrast to the lively clamor elsewhere.
"The Profound Armor Army."
Shenn Hu lowered his voice.
"They're here from the Capital City, under orders from the Third Prince."
'The Profound Armor Army?'
Zhu Ju's mind began to churn.
'Last night, over two hundred fully armored men had charged into Flower Street to help the Government Office suppress the followers of the Red Blood Sect.'
'All of them cultivated Qi Blood Martial Arts. With their armor, even those only at the Qi Blood manipulation realm were equivalent to over two hundred Blood Coagulation Martial Artists.'
'Even someone as skilled as Dugu Ming had been stalled for a moment by just three Profound Armor Army soldiers.'
'If a hundred of them swarmed at once, forget a Body Tempering Martial Artist—even a Gui Cang Martial Grandmaster would be doomed if surrounded.'
"The Capital City?"
Xiang Zhongyuan mused aloud.
"It seems Lord Fang doesn't trust the local garrison. To think he'd transfer troops all the way from the Capital City."
"The Third Prince..."
"Is that the one who's a contender for the throne?"
"He is," Shenn Hu nodded, his voice dropping to a whisper.
"Watch your words, Brother Xiang. The Crown Prince has only lost favor; he still resides in the Eastern Palace. Besides, these matters have nothing to do with people like us."
"True enough." Xiang Zhongyuan shrugged.
"The Imperial Court is a world away..."
"Young Master Zhu," a hearty voice called out from the side.
"I must thank you for saving me!"
The man who approached had sharp brows and eyes as bright as stars. He was exceptionally handsome, carrying himself with the graceful, otherworldly air of an immortal stepped out of a painting.
Even Zhu Ju, who considered himself reasonably good-looking, felt plain in comparison.
"Hero Ye."
Zhu Ju cupped his hands.
"As they say, fortune favors the virtuous. Even without our help, a man like you would have been fine last night, Hero Ye."
Ye Liuyun.
He was the hero who had been trapped in the Red Blood Sect's stronghold last night. Well-known in the Martial World, he hailed from a prominent Martial Arts Family and was known as one of the Seven-Star Swordsmen.
Hmm...
'He's a Gui Cang Grandmaster!'
Zhu Ju had been shocked when he'd first learned this; after all, Ye Liuyun wasn't even thirty years old.
'No wonder the Red Blood Sect targeted such a young Gui Cang Grandmaster. They must have wanted to use the Blood-Stealing Curse to steal his Cultivation and Talent.'
"Honestly, you..."
Flower Fist Fu Huanlian appeared at his side, shaking her head.
"A Gui Cang Grandmaster, getting ambushed by a few Blood Coagulation Martial Artists. You're far too inexperienced in the ways of the Martial World."
"Alas!" Ye Liuyun sighed, his expression complex.
"No matter how powerful one's Martial Arts... how can they compare to the wickedness of the human heart?"
Zhu Ju's gaze swept over the two of them, and he grew suspicious. 'There seems to be some romantic tension between these two Gui Cang Grandmasters. Could there be some kind of love affair going on?'
'It wouldn't be surprising. They were close in age, after all.'
"Hero Ye," Xiang Zhongyuan said, his voice trembling with excitement.
"Do you remember me? I visited the Ye Family Manor with my master ten years ago to pay respects to Elder Ye."
"Gang Leader Xiang," Ye Liuyun replied politely.
"I've heard great things about you."
Shenn Hu smirked to himself on the side.
'He and Xiang Zhongyuan were considered top figures in Yue City, but in the greater Martial World, they were nothing special.'
'If he had to make an analogy...'
'The two of them were just local powerhouses, second-rate figures in the Martial World at best. Their names were well-known in Yue City, but practically unheard of beyond its walls.'
'But renowned Gui Cang Grandmasters like Seven-Star Sword Ye Liuyun and Flower Fist Fu Huanlian were true first-rate experts. Anyone who was anyone in the Martial World had heard their names.'
'And above them...'
'...were the absolute top-tier powerhouses of the era, like Old Sir Ye of the Ye Family, the Sect Leader of the Red Blood Sect, and the High Monk of Jinlun Temple.'
'And as for being second-rate...'
'...in reality, he and Xiang Zhongyuan weren't even considered strong among those in the Body Tempering Realm. The Cultivation Techniques they practiced were far too common. If this were some novel with Ye Liuyun as the hero, they'd be nothing more than background characters, barely worth a mention.'
THUD!
A dull thud made the group freeze.
"Young Master Zhu."
A beautiful young woman was kneeling before Zhu Ju, her head bowed to the floor.
"You avenged my sister and saved my life. I have no way to repay your kindness, except to serve you as your handmaiden for the rest of my days."
"I beg you, Young Master, please allow me to do so!"
As she spoke, she knocked her head heavily against the floorboards, the impacts echoing with a series of dull thuds.
"Miss Qin."
Zhu Ju took a step back.
"What are you doing? Please, get up."
"Young Master Zhu," Qin Lingwei said, clenching her jaw.
"Please, take me in."
"Haha..." Shenn Hu burst out laughing at the scene.
"Brother Zhu, the fair lady has made her intentions clear. How can you be so cruel? You've come this far as a good man, you might as well see it through and take her in."
"Indeed," Xiang Zhongyuan nodded.
"Young Master Zhu always seems to be on his own. It's only right that you have someone to look after you."
The others who witnessed the scene simply smiled without saying a word.
Saving a life, only to have the beautiful maiden offer herself in return—it was the stuff of storybooks, a romantic tale that would make for fine conversation.
Seeing that Qin Lingwei wouldn't stop bowing, Zhu Ju's expression hardened. There wasn't a trace of pleasure in his eyes, only a flicker of wariness. He shrugged and said slowly,
"Fine. If you wish to stay, you may stay. But get up first."
"Yes." Qin Lingwei rose to her feet. With a red, swollen forehead, she took her place behind Zhu Ju like a personal handmaiden.
"Everyone!"
Just then, Lord Fang finally made his appearance.
"With the help of the Red Blood Demon People, the Seven Workshops of Flower Street have plagued Yue City for many years! Thanks to all of your efforts, we were able to annihilate them in one fell swoop."
"On behalf of the people of Yue City, and all those who have suffered with no one to turn to for all these years, I thank you."
"Thank you!"
He raised his wine bowl and downed it in one gulp.
"You're too kind, Lord Fang! We are citizens of Yue City as well and have long been displeased with Flower Street. We were only able to crush them this time thanks to your tireless efforts."
"We should be the ones thanking you, Lord Fang!"
"Hear, hear!"
"..."
The crowd nodded in agreement, their shouts of assent unceasing.
"Young Master Zhu."
Amid the revelry, Shenn Hu pulled Zhu Ju into a corner and spoke in a low voice.
"Did you notice who's missing today?"
"Who?" Zhu Ju scanned the room, a flicker in his eyes.
"The Wuh Family?"
"Exactly." Shenn Hu nodded.
"I went to Miaoting Workshop yesterday and found some things. It's highly likely the Wuh Family is in collusion with the Red Blood Sect."
"The fact that no one from the Wuh Family showed up today seems to confirm it."
Zhu Ju understood Shenn Hu's implication perfectly. He couldn't help but take a deep breath, lowering his head to ask in a hushed tone,
"The Wuh Family has members serving as officials in the Imperial Court, plus a web of connections through classmates, colleagues, and relatives. Can they really be taken down?"
"Colluding with the Red Blood Sect is a crime punishable by the execution of one's entire clan," Shenn Hu grinned.
"If this is true, all those connections will be scrambling to distance themselves from the Wuh Family. They won't dare to interfere."
"The Wuh Family..."
His voice trembled as he spoke.
"...they possess a complete Qi and Blood Martial Arts Technique!"
Zhu Ju looked up just in time to see Xiang Zhongyuan glance over from a short distance away. Their eyes met for a fleeting moment, and then several figures slipped away from the banquet unnoticed.
'The Wuh Family...'
'...it seems many people have already set their sights on them!'