Chapter 22: You Seem to be in Need of Help!

The black market was bustling, heat and noise rising with the press of the crowd.

Lu Changsheng headed straight for the stall of that woman.

"

Hmm...?

She's not here?"

The spot where her stall had stood was now deserted. As far as Lu Changsheng knew, that vendor came to the black market almost every day, so her absence was puzzling.

Lu Changsheng asked around discreetly, inquiring after her whereabouts.

"Oh, that woman? Yeah, she got herself into trouble," one martial artist explained. "A few days ago, she had a conflict with Zhao Ruxiao, the direct heir of the Zhao Clan from Nanyang Prefecture, and she killed him. Of course, the Zhao Clan was enraged and sent their men to hunt her down. I reckon she's gone into hiding."

Lu Changsheng nodded slightly. He was familiar with the Zhao Clan. They were a major power in Nanyang Prefecture, much like the Zheng Clan. The latter had built its wealth through trade and medicine, whereas the Zhao Clan thrived on martial might, running escort agencies and martial artists' guilds. In terms of sheer martial strength, they far surpassed Miaoshou Garden.

For that woman to slay the heir of the Zhao Clan was no different from striking a hornet's nest. In Nanyang City, she would never again find a place to stand.

"What a pity..." Lu Changsheng shook his head. Given how smoothly his previous dealings with her had gone, the news was disappointing. He certainly hadn't expected that woman to land herself in such trouble. After provoking the Zhao Clan, it was unlikely she would ever return to the black market.

Lu Changsheng wandered the marketplace for a while longer, pausing at stalls that displayed martial techniques and arts. After inspecting what was available and making a few inquiries, he was even more disappointed. He only found second-tier techniques, and nearly all of them he had already practiced. As for martial arts, they were limited to the Blood Strengthening Stage. He couldn't find a single Bone Tempering technique.

Lu Changsheng scoffed at the irony. Before, he used to worry about not having enough silver taels to purchase manuals. And now, with ample wealth at his disposal, he couldn't find anything worth buying.

It seems that third-tier techniques are not widely available in the market. And when it comes to martial arts, once you get into the Bone Tempering Stage, it's nearly impossible to find anything...

Lu Changsheng realized the reason he had been able to find martial techniques and arts so easily before was that they were of lower levels. It seemed that once the level rose even slightly, manuals became extremely difficult to obtain.

He thought again of the vendor. Surely she had third-tier martial techniques in her possession, probably even Bone Tempering or Organ Refinement arts. It was truly regrettable that he could no longer do business with her.

Lu Changsheng wandered the market for a bit longer, but as he failed to find anything of interest, he finally decided to leave, utterly disappointed. He had spent roughly two hours in the market, and now it was midnight. Aside from the bustling black market in the south, the streets of Nanyang City were silent, most of its people already deep in slumber.

As he stepped out of the market, something caught his eye. In the distance, he faintly spotted several shadowy figures lurking in a corner. It was clear they were not watching him but waiting for someone else.

Lu Changsheng paid them no mind. He simply turned and walked away. The black market was a chaotic place, where all kinds of people mingled, and bloodshed was a daily occurrence. Whoever those shadowy figures were waiting for, it had nothing to do with him.

Shing!

Suddenly, the sound of weapons being drawn rang in his ears. At the same time, a veiled woman in red was stopped by figures stepping out of the shadows.

"Li Hongzhuang, you're finally here. Our master ordered us to wait here for you, and we’ve been guarding this spot for days."

"The Zhao Clan?"

Without a second thought, Li Hongzhuang turned to flee, but seven or eight martial artists leapt from all sides, surrounding her. Beneath her veil, her expression grew grim. Each of them was a Bone Tempering martial artist.

The Zhao Clan was naturally enraged over the death of their leader, so they had dispatched experts to get revenge. Li Hongzhuang was by no means weak, but faced with so many Bone Tempering martial artists, her chances were terribly slim.

"Enough. If the Zhao Clan wants my life, then come and take it!"

With that, Li Hongzhuang drew her saber. As one born of the jianghu, she had always known this day would come.

Just as the standoff reached its peak, faint footsteps echoed through the still night.

Tap, tap, tap.

The steps were steady and deliberate, approaching one measured pace at a time. The Zhao Clansmen exchanged uneasy glances, their eyes turning toward the dimly lit street. A silhouette slowly came into view.

The figure was clad in black, his face concealed by a conical straw hat. He approached them leisurely, and at a glance, he seemed unarmed.

"It seems you’re in some trouble," said the man in black, casting his gaze on Li Hongzhuang.

A shudder passed through her, as she realized who this mysterious man was.

"It's you..."

Indeed, it was the big spender.

Lu Changsheng hadn't intended to get involved in this, but upon hearing the woman's familiar voice, he had turned back.

"You're in quite the pickle," he remarked, eyeing the Zhao Clansmen.

The leader, Zhao Li, felt a sudden chill in his chest. He couldn't explain it, but his instincts were telling him that the man in black was extremely dangerous. Just one look was enough to make him feel uneasy.

Regardless, as a martial artist of the Zhao Clan, he couldn't afford to show weakness. He stepped forward, fixing his glare on the man.

"Li Hongzhuang here has killed the Zhao heir. This is between our clan and her. It's a blood feud that will inevitably end in death. This doesn't concern you, so I advise you to walk away."

Zhao Li emphasized the clan’s name, attempting to intimidate Lu Changsheng. In Nanyang Prefecture, their reputation carried significant weight.

However, Lu Changshen remained firmly in place, showing no intention of leaving.

Seeing how indifferent he was, Zhao Li's expression darkened. "So, you truly mean to make yourself an enemy of the Zhao Clan?"

"An enemy of the Zhao Clan?" Lu Changsheng's eyes glinted. "No. Precisely because I do not wish to be an enemy of your clan, I will simply kill all of you. If none of you make it back alive to report on this, the Zhao Clan will never know about me. So there will be no enmity, right?"

At that, Zhao Li’s expression changed drastically.

Whoosh.

Lu Changsheng's figure blurred, vanishing from sight. Zhao Li instinctively raised his saber to guard his chest.

A streak of white light flashed past, and Zhao Li felt a sharp sting in his throat.

Clang!

His saber slipped from his hands and clattered to the ground. He clutched his throat with both hands, but blood still spurted out and soaked his body.

Thud!

Zhao Li toppled to the ground, shuddering before going limp. Just like that, a Bone Tempering realm martial artist had been felled with a single strike.

It wasn't just Zhao Li who met such an abrupt end.

When Lu Changsheng struck, he committed himself fully. His figure flickered like a ghost as he surged behind each of the Zhao martial artists. His dagger gleamed in the night as it cut through flesh.

Everything happened so fast that Li Hongzhuang couldn't register any of it.

In the blink of an eye, more than a dozen corpses littered the ground, the stench of blood thick in the air. Lu Changsheng stood calmly before Li Hongzhuang, not a single drop of crimson staining his clothes.

"So there's that," he said rather indifferently.

Li Hongzhuang glanced at the corpses strewn across the ground, then back at Lu Changsheng. Although this man had just saved her, a faint shiver of dread stirred in her heart.

"Thank you..." she said in a shaky voice.

"I take it you're short on money?" Lu Changsheng asked evenly. Why else would she risk returning to the black market while being hunted down?

Li Hongzhuang bit down and admitted, "Indeed. Truth be told, I'm in desperate need of silver taels."

She paused before asking, "You didn’t help me for no reason, did you? Tell me, what do you want?"

Lu Changsheng went straight to the point. "I need Bone Tempering as well as Organ Refinement martial arts. I also need a lot of techniques."

"Martial arts, martial techniques..." Li Hongzhuang hesitated, then clenched her teeth. "Sure, if you've got enough silver taels. Follow me then..."

Lu Changsheng nodded firmly and followed behind Li Hongzhuang. Together, they swiftly vanished into the night.