Chapter 87.1: Whoever Holds the Blade Makes the Rules (I)

Three days later, Lu Changsheng arrived in Zhanhai City. He stepped through the city gates dressed in black, with a long saber strapped across his back.

Zhanhai City was the prefectural capital of Zhanhai Prefecture, built along the coast where the sea winds never seemed to rest. Trade flourished here, wealth being moved through the streets as freely as the tides. The entire city thrummed with a prosperity that was impossible to ignore.

In Zhanhai City, Lu Changsheng decided not to use the identity of Zhuang Shisan. Using this identity too often for every little thing was bound to draw suspicion, so he came up with a new one—Dao Shier.

Unlike the burly figure Zhuang Shisan usually presented, Dao Shier looked much closer to Lu Changsheng’s true age. His features were sharper, his build leaner, and he radiated an icy aura that made passersby instinctively keep their distance. Dao Shier was meant to be a saberman, so Lu Changsheng replaced his sword accordingly. Regardless, as a martial artist well-versed in various techniques, weapons were of little consequence to him.

Although the name Dao Shier sounded similar to Zhuang Shisan, there was no real connection between them. As long as he did not use the Silken Thread Sword or anything else unique to Zhuang Shisan, no one would ever link the two identities together. In the jianghu, aliases like Jian San, Dao Jiu, or Qiang Shiwu were everywhere. They were so common that no one would remember.[1]

Upon entering Zhanhai City, Lu Changsheng quickly realized it was likely ten times more wealthy than Nanyang City. The streets were filled with people wearing garments of every conceivable style. Among them, many were maritime merchants said to have sailed in from distant oceans. They bought freely throughout the city, filled their ships to the brim with goods, and then set sail once more across the vast seas to sell the goods in their own lands for staggering profits.

The Da Yu Dynasty had long maintained an open stance toward maritime trade, and Zhanhai City benefited greatly from it. Though the dynasty itself appeared to be weakening, with chaos arising in various regions, Zhanhai City showed no sign of decline. The city bustled on, seemingly untouched by the unrest beyond its shores.

As Lu Changsheng walked along the streets, he noticed that most maritime merchants were accompanied by servants and guards. He could not quite read those guards, but knew that they felt different from the martial artists he was familiar with.

I suppose anyone capable of escorting the merchants safely across the open seas cannot be ordinary.

Lu Changsheng moved on from his observations and quickly arrived at an inn. He checked in, ate his fill, and rested for the night. By the next morning, refreshed and full of energy, he left the city and made his way toward the seaside.

The sunlight by the shore was fierce, and the sea breeze carried a trace of heat mixed with the salty stench of the ocean. Lu Changsheng stood on the beach and gazed out at the boundless sea stretching into the distance. However, he was not here to admire the view. He was here to comprehend the Intent of the Threefold Waves.

The Threefold Waves drew its essence from the ocean itself, imitating the consecutive crashes of waves. But that day, the sea lay calm and tranquil, its surface smooth and unbroken, not a single wave in sight.

𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Whatever, I'll just wait a while. The sea can't remain calm forever.

Lu Changsheng was in no hurry. He sat cross-legged on the sand and stared at the distant horizon, remaining motionless beneath the scorching sun. From afar, his stillness seemed strange, even unnatural, and it soon caught the attention of people from the docks not far from the beach. From time to time, curious glances were cast in his direction.

"Look over there. That man has been sitting cross-legged on the beach without moving. It's been a few hours," one said in a low voice.

"He does look strange, but judging by his clothes, he's probably a martial artist from the jianghu," another chimed in. "Those people are eccentric and temperamental, so it's best not to disturb him."

"A martial artist? Could he be cultivating some divine art?" a third person wondered out loud.

More and more people looked toward Lu Changsheng, but with his icy aura, not a single one dared to approach. Furthermore, in Zhanhai City, disputes and killings involving martial artists were common enough that no one was foolish enough to provoke one without good reason.

Lu Changsheng paid no attention to their stares and continued to wait in silence. Eventually, the waves finally came.

The once calm sea stirred, and great waves surged forward, crashing heavily onto the shore. It was the first time Lu Changsheng had ever seen ocean waves in person. The sight was shocking, but also awe-inspiring. In his previous life, he had only seen such scenes through videos, but no image could capture the weight, the force, or the presence of the sea as it revealed itself now.

His eyes followed the waves as they rose and fell, trying to comprehend the Intent of the Threefold Waves. Even when a towering wave crashed down and drenched him from head to toe, Lu Changsheng stood firmly in place, utterly absorbed, as though the world around him no longer existed.

Whoosh...

Hours passed by, and when Lu Changsheng opened his eyes, the sky had already darkened. He had gained some insights, yet it still did not feel like enough.

It's fine. No way to fully grasp the Threefold Waves in one day. I'll head back to the inn now and come back tomorrow.

With that thought, Lu Changsheng rose to his feet and headed back toward the inn, guided only by the pale light of the crescent moon. But before he could go far, a strange, awkward cry reached his ears.

"

Ahh

... help... help!"

The accent was clearly not of the Da Yu Dynasty.

Lu Changsheng turned toward the sound. In a nearby corner, a woman dressed as a maritime merchant, along with two men, was being dragged away by a group of men dressed in black. The woman struggled fiercely, only to be struck across the face several times.

Lu Changsheng watched as the woman's cheeks swelled under the blows.

Foreign merchants...

There were many foreign merchants in Zhanhai City, but unfortunately, they were often targeted and attacked. The local authorities often turned a blind eye to such incidents, which was precisely why foreign merchants hired guards, hoping to protect themselves in a city that offered them little mercy.

The woman's eyes met Lu Changsheng's. Panic flickered in them, followed by hope, then an unmistakable plea. But Lu Changsheng, staying true to the persona of Dao Shier, remained unmoved.

Dao Shier was a martial artist of the jianghu who did not care for matters unrelated to him. If others did not provoke him, he would not provoke them. He was not driven by chivalry, nor would he draw his blade simply because he witnessed injustice. What he pursued was the martial path, and the martial path alone.

Thus, Lu Changsheng looked away and tried walking around them, but the moment he moved, the men in black took notice and locked onto him with sharp and hostile gazes.

"Hey, Big Brother, what should we do? I think that martial artist saw us," one of them whispered.

Big Brother was clearly the leader. His gaze was cold and sharp as it swept over Lu Changsheng. After thinking for a moment, he spoke in a low voice. "That foreign hag has powerful forces backing her. We must not leave any witnesses, even if they are just a passerby. Kill him."

"Yes, Big Brother," the others replied.

Several men moved simultaneously, using their movement techniques to close the distance and block Lu Changsheng's path.

Lu Changsheng frowned. "Those of the jianghu should walk their own paths," he said coldly. "I have no interest in your affairs. Step aside."

"

Hehe.

You say you want nothing to do with this, which means you saw what we were doing," one of the men sneered.

"There are some things you cannot avoid just by pretending they do not concern you," another added. "Once you see them, your luck runs out."

"You call yourself a man of the jianghu," a third said, his blade already half drawn. "Then you should understand this. In the jianghu, whoever holds the blade makes the rules. Remember this in your next life. Don't step into the jianghu unless you are prepared for it."

Several of them approached at once, blades flashing as their desire to kill surged.

Lu Changsheng's expression did not change. He glanced at them calmly and said, "You're right. This is the jianghu, and whoever holds the blade makes the rules. And well, I happen to have a blade too."

Schwing...

As the last word left Lu Changsheng's mouth, his saber was already in motion. It slid free of its sheath, and a cold flash of steel cut through the darkness.

Splurt!

1. Dao Shier literally means

Saber Twelve

. In the martial world, names following the pattern of

weapon + number

are extremely common. Jian San means

Sword Three

, Dao Jiu means

Saber Nine

, and Qiang Shiwu means

Spear Fifteen

. Because Dao Shier shares the same structure as these other codenames, they are easily forgotten and rarely associated with any specific individual. ☜