Lu Qingshan kept pace with the disguised Marquis Zhou as they traversed the pleasure boat’s interior. Red lanterns gave way to regular oil lamps fastened onto the boat’s sides. There was a door deep within this section, which the Marquis led him to enter.

  A familiar masculine voice emerged, finally confirming the man’s identity. “We should be safe here,” Marquis Zhou said. He didn’t change back his appearance though. “Speak.”

  “What are you doing here?” Lu Qingshan asked. “One of my men saw you fleeing the city. What happened?”

  “There are forces in this world beyond your comprehension. I was only able to glimpse some of their power after spending almost all my effort researching them everywhere I went.”

  “Your military feats…they were all to excavate the details behind these forces?”

  The Marquis nodded. “Each place was different. Some installed them in positions of power, while others only had traces of their presence. There were many degrees of infiltration into the populace. But there are patterns that emerge from their actions. Inexplicable mysteries that can easily be solved with one common factor.”

  Lu Qingshan stared at the Marquis. He was wondering how much information he should reveal in turn, then decided to be sincere in this conversation. “Immortals,” he simply said.

  The Marquis’ eyes widened. “You know about them too? Right, I should’ve known — any Innate realm expert still alive must either have immortals as their backers or the knowledge on how to avoid them. You don’t look like the first one, as they’d never let someone like you rise, with your martial strength.”

  Lu Qingshan caught those words like a fish on a hook. Finally he had a reason as to why he had no martial peers. “Innate realm experts are suppressed, I take it.”

  “They are. I was only able to acquire my opportunity by securing powerful elixirs in private and practicing martial arts without anyone knowing about my use of a body double. As you should know by now.”

  “Your disguise method must’ve helped, I suppose?”

  The Marquis did a twirl. “Naturally. It took a lot of effort though, raising them as a loyal servant. But it was worth it. They performed the tasks I was to perform while I trained my martial arts.”

  “Have there been other Grandmasters you’ve encountered?”

  “No,” the Marquis said, looking grim. “I made sure to avoid them. No use targeting them as they all had their immortal masters. The patterns I sensed were around every Innate realm expert publicly known, and they never met a good end.”

  “Dead? From natural or unnatural causes?”

  “Depends on the kingdom. Most of the time, unnatural. There were some natural deaths that appeared normal on the surface, but I managed to uncover the truth behind them. After the first three, I didn’t bother tracking other experts anymore.”

  That prevented Lu Qingshan from recruiting other Innate realm experts for his sect even though they existed. His only choice was Marquis Zhou. But this expert had many other desires and joining a sect would likely be last on the list.

  Still it was worth a try. After some thought, Lu Qingshan asked, “want to cooperate? There’s not many of us martial artists who know about immortals. You can join my sect — our goals align with yours as well.”

  “Yes to the cooperation. No to joining you directly. I still have many things to do in this city,” the Marquis muttered. “I can help in many other ways though. What do you need done?”

  “Your technique. Are you willing to trade for it?”

  “Not a chance,” the Marquis said, tensing up. “I don’t trust you enough yet. I’m sorry. But this technique can cause a lot of damage.”

  “That’s fine,” Lu Qingshan said. “I’m not one to snatch techniques from people who are not my enemies. Especially not from those I aim to make a friend.”

  “Thank you. I’ll tell you my story in the future if you prove yourself trustworthy. Right now I have a purpose, a goal to fulfill.”

  “Is this why you’ve been staying inside this city even while being chased?”

  The Marquis nodded. “I was sold out. By the very kingdom who raised me. They probably thought I was growing too strong for their liking even if I’d hidden my true power. This kingdom does not treat quasi-Innate realm experts well.”

  “I can see that. It’s the only reason I’m speaking to you, because my goal is to tear them from their thrones. In my sect, you can pursue the vengeance you desire.”

  The Marquis hesitated. “I can’t… to be honest, I’ve heard that before. In the middle of some of my campaigns, I came across someone who I believed was a supreme expert, who had a chance at making a difference. Their goal matched yours, but they’re dead now.”

  Lu Qingshan wanted to say he was different. But that was not very convincing. Only by witnessing him slaughter an actual immortal cultivator — like his current sect — could prestige be born. He decided to change subjects.

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  It was time to get to the point. “Since we’ve agreed to cooperate, I will tell you this: one of the immortal cultivators in the city is dead. There are others I’ve identified. The Song family has one, and another that should’ve been here is now missing from the city. They may return.”

  “Really?” The Marquis’ eyes widened.

  “I need help keeping people away from this area of the river. How much influence do you have as Lady Zhou?”

  “Not a lot. But Lady Zhou is not my only disguise, just one I use most of the time since it’s so unexpected.” The Marquis thought it over for a moment. “I will see to it that the river is blocked off from as many sides as possible. The information you’ve provided is very helpful.”

  “Good. Do you need any help taking control?”

  “No. I’ve long had some control in this gang after I arrived. But thank you. Once you return to your boat outside, I should have the means to provide support.”

  Lu Qingshan left the room and returned from where he came. A few of the people began whispering about his identity. They had seen him enter alone with the revered Lady Zhou who had just requested a break.

  He paid them no attention. Some of the young masters tried to block his path. But Lu Qingshan was already walking above deck and off the boat. As soon as he met eyes with Li Fanghua, he chanted the Insect Harmony Mantra to call the other elders back.

  Qin Ye was the only one to have a flushed face. It was clear he wanted to speak about his experiences, but Lu Qingshan silenced him with a hand. “Tell me about what you’ve discovered,” he asked everybody, staring at Liu Yingting first.

  “Not much. Other than that the Southern Rat Gang owns this pleasure boat, they also take lots of donations from the local young masters visiting.”

  “We don't need to come into conflict with them. A friend is working to take control over the gang, and they’re willing to help us block off the river.”

  “That means we can search much faster. Good,” Liu Yingting said. “Most of my findings were on how to destroy one of these boats. They’re cramped, and with all the sights, scents, and sounds, infiltration and poison seem to be easy. From there, we can target obvious structural weaknesses.”

  Wu Ruoling spoke next. “I thought I would be seeing combat, not this.”

  “Sorry.”

  “I understand. But I too spent my time here searching for who I could kill. There weren’t many people I recognized from the noble quarters that would even frequent one of these pleasure boats.”

  Jin Teng and Feng Ranran both shook their heads in unison. “Lots of wealthy people are here,” Jin Teng said. “It won’t be pretty if we start a conflict.”

  “The women here are beautiful,” Qin Ye immediately said once it was his turn.

  Lu Qingshan simply stared at him.

  “Sorry,” Qin Ye muttered sheepishly.

  “Just remember the boat structures in case my friend is unable to truly take over the gang. Control over these rivers might prove useful in the future,” Lu Qingshan said. He stood back up. “We’ll head back for now.”

  They would be waiting for Marquis Zhou to make a move. In the meantime, Lu Qingshan decided on his martial arts practice plan for the future. The Turtle Breath Inner Force could be cultivated in the water. Meanwhile on land, he could practice the Black Fury Inner Force with the help of the Berserk Bug now that there were less people around.

  It didn't take him long to find success. Within the month, Lu Qingshan had narrowed down the available spots to a singular location inside the territory controlled by Marquis Zhou. He delved into the crevice for a few breaths of time and discovered it went far deeper than the others.

  Lu Qingshan glanced at the stone slab out of habit before he went down. The Black Fury Inner Force was moments away from a breakthrough. It was better to take a break here.

  He resurfaced, taking a deep breath, and then began to drive the Black Fury Inner Force through his body. A black flame began to boil the water around him. And the numbers on the stone slab ticked upwards.

  Then an extremely cold sensation jolted him out of his practice. Lu Qingshan slowly looked around. There was nothing around him but cold water. He almost thought he had been dreaming, until he took a glance at the stone slab. The Black Fury Inner Force had jumped in proficiency.

  But the expected warmth from practicing the martial arts technique was unusually nonexistent. Instead, there was a chill in the air that nipped at his skin, even though the sky had been warm and sunny this morning. He recited the Insect Harmony Mantra but found his connections to his faraway Bloodseeker Fly swarms dimmer than before. Odd.

  Lu Qingshan knew that something was definitely wrong. But who was attacking him to have an effect on his spiritual connections? Suspecting something mysterious, he dove back down to the river floor, not giving the attacker any signs that he knew anything.

  Entering the crevice and following the path was not too difficult. His mind was still occupied with what was waiting for him above the water. Lu Qingshan slowly swam through the cave, continuing to dispel the cold in his bones with the Black Fury Inner Force.

  Fortunately, this was enough to push it to the fourth level by the time Lu Qingshan arrived at the river ruins mentioned by the Furious Whale Gang leader. Ringed stones decorated the underwater cavern. Some of the walls appeared to have carvings in them like murals, but erosion had worn them down to the point they were unrecognizable.

  He did glimpse a gargantuan whale creature at the top of the cavern wall right before a small door-like opening appeared in front of him. The whale was imprinted deep into the stone. Though the edges were frayed, he understood it was the whale depicted in the Giant Whale Breathing Method.

  As he expected, the room was empty when he swam through. An unlocked slab was on the floor — about the same size as the manual for the technique. This was where the gang’s leader had stopped.

  But there were still many doors to swim through. And the waters were becoming colder than ever. If Lu Qingshan didn’t have the Black Fury Inner Force at the fourth level, he estimated he’d have to turn back.

  Along the way, most of the rooms were ruined. It was fairly obvious at first glance which places contained hidden treasures behind the walls. But when he excavated them with his fist, they were simply perishables, probably for cultivating the Giant Whale Breathing Method. Five of the rooms contained unknown herbs or secret medicine bottles he failed to recognize. The others had rusted armaments just lying on the floor.

  When Lu Qingshan approached the last room, he didn't see another door-like opening at the opposite side. Standing on a receptacle in the center of the room was a large, round pearl, cracked in many places, from which a bitter cold seeped into his body. He forced the Black Fury Inner Force's flames to roar to life, and only then was he able to approach.