Chapter 181 - 121: A Bout Between Master and Apprentice

Chapter 181: Chapter 121: A Bout Between Master and Apprentice

Once the butler had left, Lu Jing’an opened the envelope.

It was made of ordinary paper, its edges yellowed with age.

Lu Jing’an drew out the neatly folded sheets of paper from within.

There were six sheets in total. The paper was thin and brittle, and he could feel the fine texture of its fibers as his fingers brushed against it.

The handwriting was scrawled and uneven, every stroke revealing a stiff, laborious effort.

It looked as if a right-handed person had forced themself to write with their left; the strokes were sluggish, and the turns were marked by trembling pauses.

However, the faint, ethereal fragrance wafting from the paper instantly made Lu Jing’an catch his breath.

It was Wen Ling’s unique scent.

A cool scent, laced with a sweetness like plum blossoms, yet also like moss after a rain—a subtle fragrance that burrowed deep into one’s memory.

Lu Jing’an knew it all too well.

Lu Jing’an composed himself and returned his focus to the script.

The letter’s contents were the very secrets of the Blood Cultivators that Lu Jing’an had been dedicating all his efforts to uncovering.

The six pages were covered in dense script.

From the ancient origins of the Blood Cultivators to the history of their westward expansion across the sea.

It detailed the bizarre nature of their Cultivation Techniques and the various manifestations of their abilities.

It even laid out their weaknesses and taboos, both overt and hidden, analyzing every aspect in meticulous detail.

Compared to the vague and guarded explanations from the Hu Family’s Mr. Xu,

the contents of this letter were a hundred times more detailed.

It likely contained many key details that not even the Hu Family was aware of.

Lu Jing’an read extremely slowly, word by word.

By the final page, the script had grown even more twisted and messy, almost losing its form entirely.

Lu Jing’an could almost see her, the young woman who always wore simple, elegant qipaos.

He could picture her furrowing her brow, painstakingly writing with her left hand.

When her wrist grew sore and began to tremble, she might have let out a soft hiss of pain.

She would set down her pen, rub her slender wrist, her lips unconsciously forming a slight pout.

She would murmur a few complaints under her breath, only to stubbornly pick up the pen once more.

Thousands of words, every single one of them written with her left hand.

Something shifted in his chest, a gentle, insistent pressure.

Lu Jing’an closed his eyes for a moment, then carefully folded the letter back along its original creases.

He slid it reverently back into the envelope and tucked it into an inner pocket, close to his chest.

"Jing’an, who wrote the letter?" Lu Huaiqian’s question came from the head of the room.

Lu Jing’an looked up to meet his father’s probing gaze and answered vaguely, "A friend."

Not wanting to elaborate, Lu Jing’an changed the subject. "Father, what did the Hu Family say?

Did they agree to our terms?"

It had been three days since Mr. Xu returned to the Provincial City; there should have been a response by now.

Lu Huaiqian nodded, his knuckles tapping lightly on the Huanghuali wood armrest of his chair. "They agreed.

The check for the military funds is from Huili Bank, cashable on sight.

Mr. Xu returns today and will bring it with him."

An almost imperceptible frown crossed Lu Jing’an’s face. "Mr. Xu is coming back? To join our operation?"

"Minister Hu’s intention is that since our Lu Family is responsible for the rearguard—a grave responsibility—Mr. Xu, with his broad knowledge, can provide assistance," Lu Huaiqian explained.

Upon hearing this, Lu Huaisan, who was sitting to one side, scoffed.

He slammed his teacup down on the table with a sharp CLACK. "Bullshit!

What assistance? It’s obvious they don’t trust our Lu Family, so they’re sticking a Military Supervisor on us to keep watch!"

Lu Jing’an asked, "Father, do you know anything specific about this Mr. Xu?"

Lu Huaiqian shook his head. "I’m not sure either. In fact, that was the first time I had ever met this Mr. Xu."

Lu Jing’an’s frown deepened.

With a great battle imminent, having an outsider of completely unknown depth in their ranks was a definite liability.

’The Hu Family wouldn’t dare send him to be a Military Supervisor alone unless he had some formidable backing.

But when we met, I didn’t sense any Energy fluctuations from him at all.

He seemed as ordinary as any scribe you might find in these chaotic times.’

Refusing him was out of the question; after all, the man was delivering their payment.

Lu Jing’an temporarily pushed his doubts to the back of his mind.

There were more pressing matters to attend to. The countless arrangements that followed were far too complex to allow him to get bogged down by this one issue.

Besides, now that the man was on Lu Family turf...

’Even a dragon must coil and a tiger must lie low. They would find a way to keep him in check.’

The men discussed the details of personnel arrangements, resource allocation, and their marching route for a while longer before finally dispersing.

The specific arrangements would be handled by Lu Huaiqian and his brother. For Lu Jing’an, the most important thing right now was still to increase his own strength.

He was on the verge of reaching the Great Success stage with his Six Harmonies Fist; he couldn’t afford to waste a single second.

Taking Chen Xuan with him, Lu Jing’an returned to the training hall in the rear courtyard, shed his long robes, and changed into a set of black Martial Attire.

Lu Jing’an took the envelope from his inner pocket and handed it to Chen Xuan. "Master, take a look at this.

It’s about the Blood Cultivators, and it’s far more detailed than what Mr. Xu told us. It should be useful."

With that, Lu Jing’an said no more.

He walked to the center of the training hall, sank his waist and dropped his hips, and assumed the opening stance of the Six Harmonies Fist.

In an instant, the air howled with the force of his fists as his figure blurred in motion.

The ferocity of the Mountain-Breaking Fist, the suppleness of the Flowing Cloud Fist, the swiftness of the Thunder Shock Fist, the biting cold of the Ice Condensing Fist.

The intent of the four Fist Skills followed his will, and his True Qi transitioned between them seamlessly.

Four completely different types of Power and Attributes flowed and alternated at his fingertips.

An ordinary Martial Artist, if faced with such a display, would be instantly overwhelmed and unable to defend themself.

Years ago, the Boxing Champion had relied on his bare fists to carve out a place for himself from the sea of blood and mountains of corpses left by the Eight Great Heroes.

What he had relied on was precisely this unpredictable, unceasing power of the Six Harmonies Fist.

After finishing a full set, Lu Jing’an’s body was steaming with heat.

His forehead and temples were covered in fine beads of sweat, yet his comprehension of the Fist Skill had deepened another level.

Lu Jing’an slowly relaxed his stance. Orchid, who had been waiting at the side, had already prepared a warm towel and now stepped forward quietly to offer it to him.

Lu Jing’an took it, wiped his hands and face, then handed the towel back and walked over to Chen Xuan.