Chapter 33: Entering Mount Wu; Blood Replacement Complete!

Chi!

The tip of the sword had pierced the woman's neck, drawing a drop of blood that trickled down her pale skin and dripped to the ground.

"Who is she?" asked Lu Changsheng, holding his sword steady.

Long Fei exhaled in relief and quickly said, "She's... Liu Hongluan."

"Hongluan, why did you come here?" he asked, turning to her.

Liu Hongluan remained silent, appearing utterly terrified. Lu Changsheng seemed to understand the situation. He sheathed his sword and stepped aside.

In the next instant, Liu Hongluan threw herself into Long Fei's arms and choked out, "I... I heard you were wounded and were being hunted, so I came to Mount Wu City to find you. When I saw you return just now, I thought of giving you a surprise, but I never expected..."

Her voice faded, the rest left unsaid. A chill of dread still lingered within her, her heart quivering as though Lu Changsheng's blade were still pressed against her neck. She felt as if she had walked the very edge between life and death.

𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

Long Fei hurried to comfort her. "It was all just a misunderstanding. Come, let me introduce you. This is Brother Lu. I was being hunted by Lin Tan and Shen Lun, already on the brink of death. Fortunately, Brother Lu intervened and saved me. He even escorted me back. I didn't expect you to be in the courtyard, which led to this incident."

Liu Hongluan nodded slightly, feeling more at ease. Though she had been one step of losing her life, she was not unreasonable. She turned to Lu Changsheng and bowed.

"Thank you, Great Hero Lu, for saving Brother Fei."

Lu Changsheng gave a slight nod but remained silent. The relationship between Long Fei and Liu Hongluan was already plain to see. Still, a hint of doubt lingered in his heart. Long Fei was supposed to have a wife and daughter, so he couldn't help but wonder what place Liu Hongluan held in Long Fei's life.

Long Fei appeared to have read Lu Changsheng’s thoughts. He gave a light cough and said, "Brother Lu, Hongluan has always treated me well and never abandoned me. As for my first wife, she actually fell ill and passed away years ago..."

Lu Changsheng understood at once. In the jianghu, such matters were taken lightly; they were of no real consequence.

Afterward, the three of them entered the house together. Although Long Fei's injuries no longer posed a threat on his life, he nonetheless required lots of rest.

Lu Changsheng had come to Mount Wu intending to practice martial arts. What he sought was a place of cold, ideally one with plenty of ice. The thought of such a place reminded him that Long Fei had once chased the You brothers into the depths of Mount Wu.

"Brother Long, is there somewhere deep within Mount Wu City that is extremely cold? Preferably a place sealed in ice?"

After giving it some thought, Long Fei nodded. "When I chased the You brothers, the pursuit carried me far into the depths of Mount Wu. There, I came upon a river frozen solid. In fact, the entire area was coated in a layer of ice. From afar, it all looked like a towering iceberg."

A spark lit in Lu Changsheng's eyes. Such a place would serve as an ideal environment to cultivate the Cold Bone Tempering.

Without hesitation, he declared, "Time waits for no one. I shall take my leave and head for that iceberg."

With that, Lu Changsheng rose to take his leave.

Long Fei tried to dissuade him. "Why such haste, Brother Lu? We've struck a bond as if we've known each other for years. Why not stay a few more days?"

Lu Changsheng shook his head. "The purpose of my journey here is training, and that iceberg offers precisely the conditions I require. With Miss Hongluan by your side to care for you, I can leave without worry."

At those words, a faint blush touched Liu Hongluan's cheeks. Still, she spoke up softly. "Brother Fei, Mount Wu is vast. It would be difficult for Great Hero Lu to find the iceberg by himself. Since you're too weak to travel now, why not draw him a map instead? With it, he can avoid unnecessary detours."

Lu Changsheng and Long Fei both brightened at the suggestion.

"A map? That's indeed a good idea," Long Fei acknowledged. "But I’ve always struggled with writing and drawing. I could never manage a map like that."

He had a helpless look on his face.

Liu Hongluan smiled gently. "Don't worry, Brother Fei. I can help. You describe it carefully, and I will sketch it."

Though doubtful, Long Fei began to slowly describe the terrain deep within Mount Wu City. As he explained, Liu Hongluan swiftly drew the brush across the paper. With each stroke, the map took form—vivid, lifelike, and clearly the work of someone trained by a master.

After nearly two hours, Liu Hongluan blew gently across the paper and smiled. "It's done. Great Hero Lu, take a look. If there are any problems, I can make adjustments."

Lu Changsheng examined the map, and sure enough, it proved exceptionally detailed. With this, finding the iceberg wouldn't be difficult.

He folded the map away and said, "Thank you, Miss Hongluan. No adjustments are needed."

He then turned to Long Fei. "Well then, Brother Long, I shall take my leave."

With that said, Lu Changsheng turned and left the small courtyard.

However, he did not set out immediately. Instead, he went into the city to purchase everything he would need on his journey. He knew that once he entered the depths of Mount Wu to train with the Cold Bone Tempering, he would not be able to leave for quite some time. Thus, ample supplies were required.

After buying extensively, he loaded everything onto a horse and made his way out of Mount Wu City at a steady pace. The mountain itself was only twenty li from the city. From a distance, the endless stretch of Mount Wu already loomed before him.

The journey passed without incident, and he soon reached the mountain’s outskirts. Even before entering the mountain range, the temperature had dropped noticeably. After unloading the supplies, he strokes the horse's mane with a faint smile.

"The depths of Mount Wu are far too cold for you, so this is as far as you go. You've worked hard along the way, so now I'll set you free."

After receiving a firm pat on its back, the horse galloped away gaily, quickly vanishing from sight. Lu Changsheng promptly picked up his supplies, not even thinking about the cost of renting that horse, and walked into the vast mountain range.

The rolling peaks of Mount Wu stretched endlessly, and the deeper the path wound, the colder the air became. Guided by the map Liu Hongluan had drawn, Lu Changsheng managed to stay on track the entire way. Even so, night had already fallen by the time a faint outline of an iceberg appeared ahead.

"I'm finally here!"

The iceberg rose before him, its magnificence heightened by the frosty silence. What had seemed an ordinary mountain from afar had become a frozen mass, buried beneath a layer of snow. After searching for a while, Lu Changsheng discovered a cave hidden within its base.

He quickly settled inside. The ample supplies he had brought would last him for a while, so the bone-piercing cold was of no concern. With his preparations complete, he allowed his heart to settle and began his cultivation.

A sense of calm gradually settled over Lu Changsheng's heart as he began tempering his bones within the iceberg. In his earlier attempts with the Cold Bone Tempering, it always felt like something was missing, as though the true essence eluded his grasp no matter how hard he tried.

Now, engulfed by the bone-chilling cold and surrounded by walls of ice, enlightenment struck Lu Changsheng like a blessing. In that moment, he comprehended the true essence of the Cold Bone Tempering. From that point forward, the efficiency of his tempering increased severalfold.

Time slipped by unnoticed; before he knew it, a month had passed.

Thump, thump, thump!

Lu Changsheng's heart pounded violently. Blood surged through his veins in a torrent; it sounded like a roaring river in flood. His entire frame was enveloped by a dense aura of blood qi, its density utterly incredible. Even the blood qi of a supreme Organ Refinement martial artist was paltry compared to his own.

Shua!

Lu Changsheng opened his eyes. "Blood Replacement complete!"

A strange brilliance flickered across his gaze as the realization sank in. The process of replacing his blood was completed, yet the Marrow Transformation had not yet begun.

Where did he stand now? Perhaps he had taken half a step into the Divine Strength Realm?