Chapter 39: Return to Miaoshou Garden; Upheaval at Gao Fortress!

Lu Changsheng sped ahead as though flying, quickly leaving Mount Wu behind. Just as he emerged from the mountain woods, a familiar figure came into view at the edge of the trees.

Clatter, clatter, clatter...

The rhythmic beat of hooves echoed across the clearing. The very horse he had released earlier was still lingering there, and when it saw him, it neighed with delight and galloped toward him.

"

Hm

? Little horse, you didn't leave? You stayed here waiting for me?" he asked with a faint smile.

The horse affectionately rubbed its head against his palm. Lu Changsheng had often heard that horses understood humans, and now he was convinced it was true.

Lu Changsheng chuckled. "Since we've met again, I reckon it's fate that brought us back together. When we get back, I'll buy you outright. From then on, you shall follow me and ride the jianghu at my side!"

A surge of boldness rose within Lu Changsheng. Although he had merely rented this horse for the journey, he could easily purchase it now; with his current wealth, the price of a steed meant nothing to him.

Lu Changsheng vaulted into the saddle, gave the horse a pat on the back, and said, "Let's go home!"

The horse surged forward at once, its hooves pounding against the earth and kicking up a trail of dust as it carried Lu Changsheng away. The journey back to Miaoshou Garden took three days.

"At last, I'm back."

The two months away had felt like a proper journey through the jianghu, one that had given Lu Changsheng valuable experience and broadened his horizons. After all that fighting and arduous training, this place felt infinitely comforting to Lu Changsheng; he finally felt like he was home.

After a night's rest, he went to the herbal medicine shop early the next morning. Wu Jing, his master, was already there.

"Master, due to circumstances, my return was delayed by a month," Lu Changsheng said with a respectful bow.

Wu Jing glanced at him and replied, "It's good you've returned. Now that you're back, I can ease my burden. From today onward, you will be receiving patients yourself."

Lu Changsheng was startled. "B-But Master, I've only been learning under you for a few months..."

"Doesn't matter," Wu Jing cut him off. "With your talent, a few months are more than enough. Besides, it's winter now. Many people are getting sick, and I can't tend to everyone by myself. You'll try first, and if something is unclear, I shall help."

Lu Changsheng understood that his master was giving him an opportunity to accumulate experience. The responsibility carried some risk, but with Wu Jing overseeing everything, it was unlikely that any serious problems would occur. With that in mind, Lu Changsheng argued no further.

"Thank you, Master."

The herbal medicine shop was spacious enough to add another table. Wu Jing even assigned him an apprentice for assistance—Zhang Huan, who had actually been under Wu Jing far longer than Lu Changsheng. Originally assigned to Wu Jing, he now had to serve under Lu Changsheng instead.

Zhang Huan was shrewd enough to see that Lu Changsheng had a bright future ahead of him, and by staying close to him, Zhang Huan might raise his own standing. For that reason, he worked diligently, running errands and handling all tasks with utmost earnestness.

Soon, under Zhang Huan's assistance, Lu Changsheng received his first patient—a middle-aged man suffering from a seasonal cold, coughing ceaselessly. Such ailments were common in winter.

None of the patients Wu Jing assigned to him had complex or dangerous complications; they were all simple cases meant purely for practice and experience.

Lu Changsheng examined the man’s tongue, inquired about his symptoms in detail, checked his pulse, and finally prescribed a formula before sending him to collect the medicine.

Wu Jing watched in silence and gave a subtle nod. Lu Changsheng appeared to have no difficulty treating ordinary ailments.

The day had quickly passed by. Wu Jing had long since left the shop, for his age no longer allowed him to labor for long hours. Most of the patients were left in Lu Changsheng's care, which left him quite satisfied. With so many patients, he would quickly accumulate lots of experience. Within only a few months, he would likely be able to manage consultations on his own and stand as a true physician.

Zhang Huan, on the other hand, had been attentive all throughout the day. Now, he poured Lu Changsheng a warm cup of tea.

"Zhang Huan, thank you for your hard work," Lu Changsheng said with a smile.

"Master Lu, what are you saying? You're the physician, I'm just an apprentice. Assisting you is just my responsibility."

Pleased with Zhang Huan, Lu Changsheng asked curiously, "Have medicinal herbs gone up in price lately? I've noticed that some common herbs are a bit more expensive."

Zhang Huan nodded. "Master Lu, you were away for two months, so you wouldn't know. You must be familiar with the Gao Fortress outside the city, right? About a month ago, the lord of the fortress died under strange circumstances. Not long after, a group calling themselves the Blood Fiend Sect showed and took control of the place.

"Now, Gao Fortress has been renamed under the Blood Fiend Sect. They act with great arrogance, using their strength to collect tolls from every merchant and caravan. Still, the tolls are not high, and some factions in the city seem unwilling to provoke them, so they just suck it up. Our Miaoshou Garden caravans had also been charged a fee, which was why herb prices had risen slightly."

Lu Changsheng's eyes glimmered at those words. He immediately recalled the five mysterious martial artists he had slain. Perhaps they had been members of that Blood Fiend Sect. In any case, what concerned him the most was whether that sect knew he had taken the Blood Replacement Bead for himself and killed five of their men.

Back in his courtyard, he continued to dwell on the matter.

Whether or not they know it was me, I should avoid leaving Miaoshou Garden for the time being.

With silver in hand and martial arts to cultivate, he could train in peace within Miaoshou Garden's walls. Sure enough, his life soon settled back into a steady rhythm. Each day, he received patients to build medical experience, and in his spare time he devoted himself to martial training.

The days, though each one busy, passed quietly. In the blink of an eye, more than a month had gone by, and no one from the Blood Fiend Sect had come searching for him. He could allow himself to lower his guard, at least slightly.

One day, while tempering his organs as usual, a line of text suddenly appeared before his eyes.

Silken Thread Organ Refinement: Perfection. Perception +5.

Lu Changsheng was not surprised. By his estimate, it was about time the art reached Perfection. He immediately invoked his status panel.

[Status Panel]

Host: Lu Changsheng

Perception: 536 (Hidden Dragon in the Abyss)

[Skills]

Silken Thread Organ Refinement: Fifth Layer, Perfection

Nine-Character Thunder Chant: Perfection (Incomplete)

"With the Silken Thread Organ Refinement at Perfection, I can now start training a second Organ Refinement art. With my mastery of Nine-Character Thunder Chant at Perfection, I don't need overly complex methods to support the process."

Lu Changsheng still had two Organ Refinement arts ready to practice at any time. He did not lack those arts, but he was running out of martial techniques to train in. Over this period, he had trained in forty more techniques, perfecting ten every ten days on average. Most were of the third tier, with only a handful at the fourth.

As a result, his Perception had now exceeded 500—nearly five times that of an ordinary person. Though the number itself did not sound overwhelming, in practice, the difference was like heaven and earth.

He had once purchased eighty-six martial techniques, and now only three remained. Within a few days, he would likely bring them to Perfection, after which he would have nothing left to practice. Naturally, the growth of his Perception would slow dramatically.

Lu Changsheng had once wondered whether his exceptional Perception might allow him to create martial techniques of his own, perfect them to further increase his Perception, and then use that heightened Perception to create even more techniques, forming a perfect cycle of growth. However, upon attempting it, he realized that such a feat was simply impossible.

The creation of martial techniques required inspiration. The only reason he had been able to create Deathflash in the first place was a sudden spark of insight at the perfect moment. Inspiration was an elusive thing, something that couldn't be summoned at will. Without it, one could still create techniques through long years of accumulation, but the process would be slow, taking years—if not decades. Naturally, no one would be inclined to spend years just to devise one technique.

Low-tier martial techniques were even more difficult. The simpler the art, the more complete it already was. For example, the Basic Sword, Basic Saber, and Basic Fist were foundational forms that had been polished over centuries, leaving little room for improvement. No matter how high Lu Changsheng's Perception rose, elevating those forms was impossible. Therefore, if he wanted martial techniques, he needed another approach.

"Seems like I'll need to pay another visit to the black market. Even without Li Hongzhuang, others may still be selling martial techniques."

With that, Lu Changsheng made up his mind. The market was a chaotic place where all kinds of people gathered. However, it had been months since the incident with Li Hongzhuang, and with her gone, someone else was bound to have taken her place.