There were still two other martial halls in Pingyang Town. With the Shuimu Cult bearing down menacingly, they ought to lend a hand.
After a moment's contemplation, the people present exchanged glances.
"Better not. The fewer people who know about this, the better," Xiang Changsong suggested. "Besides, even if both of those hall masters joined forces, they still wouldn't be a match for Third Senior Brother alone. They wouldn't be much help anyway. When the time comes and we find the mountain ghost's whereabouts, we can have them come out to clean up."
Hu Qi frowned. "If the Shuimu Cult truly intends to refine the Fetal Pearl Pill again, then naturally, the stronger and better the quality of the host, the better the result. Master Yang isn't here, so our martial hall might bear the brunt of it. Isn't there a risk in keeping them in the dark?"
"But if we inform them, who's to say there aren't informants planted in their halls? That might prompt the Shuimu Cult to act ahead of schedule, leaving us scrambling to respond. Learning their plan in advance is currently our advantage."
Both Hu Qi and Xiang Changsong sank into thought.
It was truly thorny.
Listening to the two senior brothers' debate, Liang Qu felt that the matter was tricky indeed. There were risks whether they spoke up or kept silent.
After a while, Hu Qi spoke again. "Going by what Mistress said, if the mountain ghost in Yixing was drawn out purely by the River God Sacrifice, how do we explain the one at Fahua Temple? We never managed to catch that mountain ghost, and looking at it now, perhaps someone from the Shuimu Cult took care of it before us.
"I had assumed Lu Shaohui looked that way because a baby mountain ghost had hatched from him. Now, there's no way to be sure whether that state was fabricated after removing the fetal pellet, or if a mountain ghost truly did hatch."
"Is it possible that the Shuimu Cult doesn't actually have that much control over the mountain ghosts?" Xiang Changsong asked. "Could they also be playing with fire? Or perhaps the number of mountain ghosts has grown so massive that a few oversights slipped through?"
"We have too little information."
"Yeah. I think the urgent priority right now is to inform Senior Brother Xu and Senior Brother Lu, and see what they think."
Liang Qu stood up and offered, "Then shall I go find Senior Brother Lu, while Senior Brother Xiang goes to find Senior Brother Xu?"
Hu Qi looked up at the sky. Dusk had already fallen, and he nodded. "Then I'll stay and hold the fort at the martial hall. Remember to keep a low profile and don't let anyone see you."
"Understood."
The two nodded. Just as Liang Qu was about to step through the moon gate, Hu Qi suddenly called out to him.
"Junior Brother, have you already broken through the gate?"
"Yes, the day before yesterday."
"A few days faster than I expected. Your talent truly is extraordinary, Junior Brother; you definitely possess a destiny pattern."
A destiny pattern again.
Liang Qu vaguely recalled that when he first fused with the marsh spirit, it had mentioned obtaining its destiny pattern.
In that sense, he did indeed possess one.
"Since you've broken through, don't just train behind closed doors from now on. It's dangerous outside these days, so stay at the martial hall, practice your fighting methods more, and I'll teach you a martial art."
A martial art.
Liang Qu knew about this; it was recorded in *Reflections on Cultivating Nature and Life*. Martial arts were mainly divided into three grades—high, medium, and low—each with three ranks.
Unlike cultivation arts, martial arts were techniques—superb displays of skill that channeled qi to unleash the same punch, palm strike, or arrow with several times its normal power.
With his current level of qi and blood, he could barely execute low-grade martial arts. Hu Qi likely figured that Liang Qu wouldn't be able to break through the flesh gate anytime soon, and thus thought to teach him a martial art to boost his combat strength as much as possible.
"Your injury this time reminded me of something," Hu Qi said solemnly. "Once this matter is over, you should head to Changchun Medical Clinic to learn some medicine. You don't need to master it deeply, but you must know how to identify basic herbs and set broken bones. When traveling abroad, these skills are vital.
"Everyone hits a dead end sooner or later, and in hard times, even simple herbs are beyond precious. Furthermore, no matter how miraculous an elixir is, it can only aid recovery; it won't automatically snap fractured bones back into place. If you have no one to help you and take medicine rashly, the bone might heal crookedly, making recovery even harder."
Afraid that his junior brother might dismiss it as unimportant, Hu Qi deliberately offered these two examples.
Liang Qu knew Hu Qi was right, but he couldn't help feeling the burdens on his shoulders grow heavier.
He felt like a child whose parents had signed him up for several extracurricular classes all at once. The kicker was that it really was for his own good, so he couldn't refuse to learn.
Reading, studying martial arts, studying medicine... After this incident with the Shuimu Cult, Liang Qu even felt he ought to learn more about history and secret lore, lest he be left completely in the dark whenever trouble arose.
This was precisely the difference between an unorthodox practitioner and one from an established heritage. A disciple with a proper martial heritage might not necessarily beat an unorthodox brawler in a scrap, but they would certainly be more well-rounded, possess broader knowledge, and stand a far greater chance of surviving when cornered.
"Alright, that's all. I just wanted to let you know. Go quickly and come right back."
"Alright."
Liang Qu turned and stepped out of the moon gate. Passing through the corridor and arriving at the martial hall's entrance, he suddenly remembered something.
*Shoot, I haven't asked for leave from the academy!*
Today wasn't a rest day!
He had stood the academy up!
He had originally planned to return to the academy for classes after the River God Sacrifice at noon, but who could have foreseen so much happening? It had slipped his mind entirely, and he hadn't even asked anyone to send word on his behalf.
Night had already fallen, so the academy was surely empty. He would just have to find a chance to apologize tomorrow.
***
Inside Lu Gang's compound.
Led by the gatekeeper, Liang Qu stepped inside with light, cautious footsteps. He wasn't sure why he was doing so; it was purely an instinctual reaction.
Though it was dark, it was barely past seven in the evening, a quarter past the Xu hour. Winter simply brought an early nightfall.
Ordinarily, the clanging of ironwork would echo from Senior Brother Lu's home, but today there wasn't a single sound.
Upon entering the room, he saw several large iron furnaces had already gone dark. Only the large red furnace in the center, reserved for Senior Brother Lu's personal use, remained tended by two burly men. Senior Brother Lu leaned to one side, eyes closed as he rested.
Almost the instant the air stirred as Liang Qu entered the room, Lu Gang opened his eyes and looked toward the doorway. "Junior Brother Liang?"
"Senior Brother Lu." Liang Qu bowed. Seeing the setup, he could tell Senior Brother Lu had exerted immense effort over his spear these past few days.
"You need something?"
Liang Qu glanced around. "Could we speak somewhere else, Senior Brother?"
"Come on. To the quiet room."
Inside the quiet room, Liang Qu recounted everything that had happened to him today, including the exchanges between Yang Manor and the martial hall.
Lu Gang furrowed his brow.
"The Shuimu Cult... I know a bit about them. I thought they had been wiped out completely, but to think they're still around. It just so happens I have a moment free. Come, let's head to the martial hall."
They arrived back at the martial hall.
Hu Qi greeted Lu Gang, and the three of them waited together for Xiang Changsong and Xu Zishuai.
After waiting for nearly three-quarters of an hour, two figures finally hurried out of the corridor.
"Sorry, sorry! Late, I'm late!" Xu Zishuai apologized repeatedly the moment he stepped in. Liang Qu caught a faint whiff of rouge.
"Where were you out carousing this time?"
Lu Gang frowned. Though he asked Xu Zishuai, his gaze was fixed on Xiang Changsong.
Xu Zishuai shot Xiang Changsong a threatening look, but Xiang Changsong merely smiled helplessly. "Surely you already know the answer, Senior Brother Lu?"
Lu Gang let out a resigned sigh. "Our junior brothers are right here, so I won't scold you. In any case, use your own judgment. If you frequent those places too much and end up weak in the arms and limp in the legs, don't say I didn't warn you."
"Heh, Senior Brother Lu, don't underestimate me." Xu Zishuai straightened his posture and dusted off the front flap of his robe, about to launch into a grand boast.
"Alright, stop clowning around. Down to business. Do you know about the Shuimu Cult?" As the eldest and most powerful disciple present, Lu Gang naturally assumed leadership.
Xu Zishuai's expression turned serious. "Regarding the Shuimu Cult, I actually have an idea."
Chapter 71