Lu Qingshan grabbed the pearl with both his hands. The cold almost caused him to drop it initially, but the other four elemental Inner Force methods fueled his Black Fury inner flame even further. It was still cold, but became much more bearable.

  This was probably an artifact. It was damaged — full of miniature cracks on one side and a small hole on the other. But Lu Qingshan could tell it once competed with a real artifact at one point, because the energy it gave off could compare with the artifact he had once seen on the forested mountains. That fire pillar was similar.

  Still, it was noticeably less powerful than any one of the flying swords. Lu Qingshan carried the thing in his hands while continuing to search for any clues about its existence. Fortunately, he found something. A plaque preserved on the receptacle.

  Cold Abyss Pearl, it read. According to the description, this was an artifact built using water-based materials and contained yin energy for their disciple’s cultivation. These ruins was the resting place for a small cultivation sect called the Yin Tides Island.

  It was the shining capstone of their era. For many years after building this artifact, the Yin Tides Island managed to expand their controlled areas with greater strength of Qi Refinement cultivators. Multiple records of sect leaders thanked their ancestors for giving them a chance to produce mid-Qi Refinement elders.

  But then the story cut off at the end. Whatever had caused this sect to fall had not been recorded in time. And with the artifact now in this damaged state, its former glory had long disappeared.

  Still, any scrap of immortal remnants would likely prove useful to his sect. Lu Qingshan refused to let something like this rot away in a hole. He took it with him as he swam back through the tunnels and out of the crevice.

  Along the way back, he spotted a high area where the water lapped the cave ceiling. He swam up there. Then he chanted the Insect Harmony Mantra for a heartbeat before the water pushed him back under again.

  It was as he thought. Down here, his spiritual connections weren’t affected. Which meant the Cold Abyss Pearl did not have that effect — it was someone else. Or something else.

  A signal to the Seven Mysteries Gate had been sent out. He didn’t know if it’d work. His mind raced to find a solution to the mysterious force attacking him above the river. Trying to activate the Cold Abyss Pearl failed. Maybe it was too damaged or he needed spiritual qi to make it work.

  There was probably no other way than to simply confront the threat.

  Resurfacing, Lu Qingshan swam towards the shore, not even waiting for the Seven Mysteries Gate’s boat to return. But as the sun fell and the time for the boat to arrive had long passed, only a sea of fog surrounded his body. Lu Qingshan attempted to recite the Insect Harmony Mantra and reconnect with his flies. This time, the connection had disappeared entirely.

  Lu Qingshan knew something was very wrong. A boat appeared in the distance. It was definitely not one of his own. But the chill grew greater on his skin, and it was becoming increasingly uncomfortable to stay in the water.

  The boat — adorned with red lanterns, a pleasure boat — stopped right beside him. A rope was thrown down from the deck, and Lu Qingshan glimpsed a pretty lady dressed in red. He was forced to climb up.

  “Greetings, traveler,” she said. “Do you need rest?”

  Her voice was soft like music. Lu Qingshan felt relaxed, as if everything would be safe. Then an inner fire jolted him out of his stupor. “Yes,” he muttered, keeping his head low and taking care to not expose his awakening.

  He followed her inside the pleasure boat. Eerily, everything was silent. Other than his footsteps and the sound of his breath. Her movements were too quiet.

  Were these ghosts? Lu Qingshan’s blood ran even colder. Fortunately, the Black Fury Inner Force seemed able to contain them. For now.

  Lu Qingshan risked a glance upwards to see nobody else around. He tried to recall things that might help.

  There had once been a story of a pleasure boat disappearing while cruising down the river. The Gongsun family’s young master had been slighted by a courtesan two nights prior. It was just a rumor, but many believed he was the cause. With a major tragic event, all the people dumped in the river waters over the years, and the yin qi leaking from the Cold Abyss Pearl, it was no wonder a ghost would appear here.

  His inner flame began to burn madly. Five elements formed a cycle and Lu Qingshan even activated the Heavenly Demon Disintegration Technique. Fueled by the force generated from his primordial qi as well, the hot flames seared the woman in front of him into nothingness.

  Lu Qingshan frowned, staring at his surroundings for any changes. A huge sense of vertigo struck him, but his primordial qi roared to life and kept him alert. The ship seemed to shimmer right before his eyes.

  Then it disappeared. Faded away in an instant. Lu Qingshan found himself falling into the water with a splash.

  He chanted the Insect Harmony Mantra and discovered his connections returned. He immediately sent his Bloodseeker Fly swarms in a frenzy around the river. But they didn’t end up encountering anything in the area. There was simply too much space for his flies to cover, so the ghost ship must’ve fled far away.

  Lu Qingshan ran his fingers through his wet hair. The Seven Mysteries Gate boat arrived a while later.

  “Sect master, where were you?” Li Fanghua asked. “We couldn’t find you at all. The Bloodsense Bug you left us was confused and kept leading us in many different directions.”

  “I may have encountered a ghost,” Lu Qingshan said.

  They stared at him. “Are you sure?”

  Lu Qingshan nodded. “Why do you look so confused? We saw demons and Qi Refiners. A ghost shouldn’t be surprising, especially when they too have stories about them.”

  “It’s just…you look unharmed. Was the ghost that weak?”

  A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  “It was.” Lu Qingshan took out the Cold Abyss Pearl from his pockets. “Take a look at this damaged artifact,” he said to a curious Qin Ye and Li Fanghua. “This Cold Abyss Pearl was crafted from water-element materials and helped contain yin qi. The leaking energy was likely the source of the ghost.”

  “I’ll see what I can learn,” Qin Ye promised. “Li Fanghua, feel free to continue your cultivation.”

  “It’ll take me a while even with the earthworm’s help. I’ll help you study it,” she offered.

  Qin Ye smiled and nodded. He then returned to controlling the wind to blow the ship towards the shore. Now that they had secured the treasure from the ruins, it was time to go.

  “Who wants to come with me to the ghost market’s forest?” Lu Qingshan asked. “I’ve already mentioned this a few months ago. Have you all come to a decision? Keep in mind the dangers told by the white mask — even I’m not sure of getting out alive.”

  “We’ll be going,” Qin Ye said confidently. “Right, Li Fanghua?”

  She nodded. “I’ve spent a lot of time with my mother and father in the past few weeks. I’m ready to face whatever comes.”

  “I want to see what hidden herbs I can and the medicines I could make with them. I’ll be going as well,” Liu Yingting said.

  “My friends will want to stay in the city. They’re tired of traveling.” Jin Teng looked down at rapidly moving waters around him. “Feng Ranran, you can stay here and rest. I know you like your peace.”

  She shook her head. “I’ll follow,” she whispered.

  “Someone needs to stay behind.” Lu Qingshan looked at Miao Mei, who had been deep in thought. “I’d like to spend more time with my apprentices,” she said. “I suppose I could be the one to stay.”

  “We should get you to the Viscera Tempering stage before we leave,” Lu Qingshan stated. “Wu Ruoling, what about you? And Meng Zhang?”

  “I am willing to go to the forest,” Meng Zhang said. “There might be clues in there about the ghost market.”

  The swordswoman didn’t respond. She continued thinking all the way until the boat came to a stop in the Stone Axe Gang‘s territory. Finally, she said, “I need some more time to make a decision. When you’re ready to go, I’ll have my answer.”

  “Best of luck,” Lu Qingshan said to her. She silently slipped away in the direction of the noble quarters. Probably to discuss something with her family.

  It was alright. She had plenty of time. There were still many things to handle in the city to make sure everything remained in order while he was gone.

  Lu Qingshan began pouring resources to get Wu Ruoling the secret medicine she needed to attain Viscera Tempering in the shortest amount of time. He was tempted to raid a few major forces’ stockpiles, but withheld his desires. To push the city deeper into chaos was a bad decision when he would be leaving soon.

  Then there were the two gangs he needed to deal with. He first followed Meng Zhang to the Wang brothers’ hideout. Lu Qingshan had asked for their names as well — Wang Chun, Wang Xia, and Wang Qiu.

  “Good to see you,” the largest of the brothers — Wang Chun — said. He carried the same axe in his hands from years ago. “Who’s this?”

  “My sect master. We’ll be leaving somewhere to investigate the ghost market. I am convinced they might have had a hand in his death.”

  The other two brothers walked into the room. “Do you need us to follow?” They didn’t ask any other questions. Lu Qingshan noticed they were all at the Marrow Tempering stage — a good sign.

  “No. It’s too dangerous. If we all die, it’ll be up to you to carry on our legacy.”

  The three brothers gave him a solemn look. “Good luck,” they said in unison. “We’ll keep handling the territory as usual. Do you want us to build up a stockpile while we wait for your return?”

  “No, feel free to use them on yourselves. Just make sure to maintain the alliance with the Azure Wind Gang. They’re going to be a part of the sect as well.”

  “Consider this a formal introduction to the Seven Mysteries Gate,” Lu Qingshan said. “Your current status is of a valued auxiliary force. We’ve already acquired enough secret medicines from you the past few years. If we do return, we might recruit disciples from your stock as a priority.”

  “So that’s why you always advocated for the Azure Wind Gang. They were so different from how we usually operate,” Wang Qiu muttered.

  “We can do that,” Wang Chun affirmed. “Always did like working with them. They’re friendly, knowledgeable, and reliable.”

  “Good.” Meng Zhang turned and gave his sect master a nod.

  Lu Qingshan nodded back, leaving the room. His role here was done. Now was time to explain their circumstances to the Azure Wind Gang.

  Over there, Qin Ye and Li Fanghua were already waiting. Mostly he would be the one doing the taking while they confirmed the Azure Wind Gang was speaking truths.

  Lu Qingshan entered the meeting room first. The entire leadership council was already there, minus the three who died in the chaos. But their portraits remained on their seats.

  “Greetings,” he started. “I’m the sect master of the Seven Mysteries Gate. Meng Zhang, the expert you’ve been working with, is one of my elders.”

  The woman seated in the back nodded. “I’m Chen Bingxue. Leader of the Azure Wind Group.”

  “The Azure Wind Group? You want to change your name?”

  “Yes,” the man beside her said. Their vice-leader. “I’m Tang Jian. We’ve been discussing a name change for a while now — gang is too hostile a name for what we’ve been doing. We eventually want to open up recruitment and start growing into an orthodox sect in the future.”

  “Big dreams,” Lu Qingshan said. “I have no problems with what you do as long as my plans for the city remain viable. All I need you to do is maintain control, and your path sounds like a good choice. But will it affect your relationship with the Stone Axe Gang?”

  “It won’t,” Chen Bingxue said. “After they’ve been treating the commoners in their territory better, our group stopped having disagreements with them. I assume you were behind their change of mind?”

  “Yes,” Lu Qingshan confirmed.

  “Good. I refuse to work under a tyrant. Your care of the commoners aligns with our personal beliefs. We’d be happy to continue working towards your goals.”

  Lu Qingshan glanced at Qin Ye and Li Fanghua. They remained calm, their faces neutral. The signal of a spoken lie had not appeared.

  He said, “I’m happy to hear that. I’ll give you the same status I gave to the Stone Axe Gang — a valued auxiliary force that has already paid off their dues to us. In the future, we’ll offer different things for your service, and a chance to join our sect once we get a greater foothold.”

  Lu Qingshan looked around the room. There were nods and smiles in most of the faces, and the few who remained solemn didn’t speak up against his words. His presence alone was quite intimidating. Even though he hadn’t revealed the true level of his martial arts, they could tell he was a force to be reckoned with.

  “Maybe in the future, people will be clamoring to join our sect and not yours,” Chen Bingxue said with an easygoing smile.

  Lu Qingshan laughed. “I hope so,” he said. “I deeply encourage you to try your hardest — friendly competition can help everyone grow. All in favor? I won’t force any of you to stay.”

  Nobody said anything as they all looked at one another. Each of them shook their heads. "We're happy with the terms," Tang Jian said.

  "Thank you. Best of luck then." Lu Qingshan left the room with a smile.

  Qin Ye and Li Fanghua looked happy too once they returned to their hiding spot.

  "I sensed no lies," Li Fanghua said. "They're trustworthy."

  Lu Qingshan felt a weight lift off his back.