*Snick.*
The tip of the sword pierced the woman's fair neck.
Yet Lu Changsheng halted.
A single drop of blood seeped from the fair skin of her neck, dripping onto the ground.
Lu Changsheng asked calmly, "Who is she?"
Seeing this, Long Fei let out a long sigh of relief.
He quickly explained, "She is... Liu Hongluan.
"Hongluan, why did you come?"
Liu Hongluan seemed truly shaken, remaining completely silent.
Lu Changsheng appeared to understand.
Sheathing his sword, he stepped aside.
Liu Hongluan threw herself into Long Fei's arms, sobbing, "I... I heard you were injured and being hunted, so I came to Wushan City to find you.
"Just now, when I saw you return, I wanted to surprise you. I never expected..."
She did not finish.
A lingering terror gripped her; even thinking about it now made her heart palpitate.
That razor-sharp blade had made her feel as though she had brushed past the gates of death.
Long Fei hurriedly comforted her, "It was all a misunderstanding just now.
"Come, let me introduce you. This is Brother Lu. Earlier, I was pursued one after another by Lin Tan and Shen Lun, hanging by a thread.
"Fortunately, Brother Lu stepped in, allowing me to escape disaster. He went through the trouble of bringing me back, but neither of us expected you to be in the courtyard, which led to this misunderstanding."
Having heard the full account, Liu Hongluan understood.
Moreover, she was not an unreasonable woman. Even though she had nearly died by Lu Changsheng's sword moments ago, she still bowed respectfully and said, "Thank you, Hero Lu, for saving Brother Fei."
Lu Changsheng nodded, offering no words.
He naturally saw through the nature of Long Fei and Liu Hongluan's relationship at a glance.
Still, he felt a bit puzzled—didn't Long Fei already have a wife and daughter?
Was this Liu Hongluan a confidante or a lover?
As if reading Lu Changsheng's thoughts, Long Fei coughed softly and said, "Brother Lu, Hongluan has treated me well and remained by my side through thick and thin. As for my first wife, she fell ill and passed away years ago..."
Lu Changsheng was enlightened.
Even so, people of the jianghu did not dwell on trivialities, and such matters were of little consequence.
Afterward, they entered the house.
Long Fei's injuries were not particularly grave, but he would still need to rest and recuperate for a considerable time.
Lu Changsheng had come to Wushan City for his martial training; he needed to find an intensely cold place, ideally somewhere frozen with ice.
When it came to coldness, the depths of Mount Wu were undoubtedly the most frigid.
Remembering that Long Fei had once hunted down the You brothers deep into Mount Wu, Lu Changsheng asked, "Brother Long, is there an exceptionally cold place in the depths of Mount Wu? Ideally somewhere frozen with solid ice."
Long Fei pondered carefully before nodding. "When I pursued the You brothers, I tracked them all the way into the depths of Mount Wu.
"There is a river deep inside. Because the weather was so frigid, the river froze solid. In fact, not only the river, but the entire surrounding area was coated in a layer of crystalline ice, resembling an icy mountain from afar."
Lu Changsheng's spirits lifted.
Cultivating the Cold Ice Tempering Bone Technique in such a place would surely yield remarkable results.
"There is no time to lose. I will take my leave now and head for the frozen mountain Brother Long spoke of."
Lu Changsheng rose to bid farewell.
"Brother Lu, why the rush? We hit it off right from the start; why not stay for a few more days?"
Lu Changsheng shook his head. "I came solely for martial training, and that frozen mountain suits my training environment perfectly. With Miss Hongluan here to look after you, Brother Long, my mind is at ease."
Hearing this, a faint blush touched Liu Hongluan's face.
Even so, she spoke up: "Brother Fei, Mount Wu is vast, and it won't be easy for Hero Lu to find the frozen mountain. Your body is too weak right now to travel, so why not draw a map?
"With a map, Hero Lu won't have to take unnecessary detours."
Both Lu Changsheng's and Long Fei's eyes lit up.
"A map? That is indeed a great idea.
"However, I've always had a headache when it comes to brush and ink, let alone painting. I'm afraid I cannot draw this map..."
Long Fei sounded rather helpless.
Liu Hongluan smiled faintly. "Brother Fei, if you cannot draw it, I can help you.
"Describe it in detail, and I'll do the painting."
Though somewhat doubtful, Long Fei proceeded to slowly describe the terrain in the depths of Mount Wu.
As he described it, Liu Hongluan swiftly drafted a map.
Moreover, the map was remarkably lifelike; one could tell at a glance that she had studied under a master and possessed extraordinary skill.
About two hours later, Liu Hongluan blew on the wet ink and said with a smile, "Fortunately, I didn't fail the task. The map is finished. Hero Lu, please take a look and see if there are any doubts; we can still make adjustments."
Lu Changsheng took the map and examined it; it was exceptionally detailed.
With it, locating the frozen mountain would be an easy matter.
He carefully stowed the map away.
"Thank you, Miss Hongluan. There is no need for adjustments.
"Brother Long, farewell."
With that, Lu Changsheng turned and left the small courtyard.
However, he did not set out immediately. Instead, he went into the city and began purchasing supplies in bulk.
He knew that once he ventured into the depths of Mount Wu to cultivate the Cold Ice Tempering Bone Technique, he would not be able to leave anytime soon.
That meant he had to prepare ample supplies.
After buying a large amount of goods and loading them onto a horse, Lu Changsheng slowly departed Wushan City.
Mount Wu was merely twenty li from Wushan City, not very far at all.
From a distance, Lu Changsheng could see the undulating, endless expanse of the mountain range.
Meeting no trouble along the way, he arrived smoothly at the outskirts of Mount Wu.
Even though he was only at the outer perimeter, the temperature was already noticeably lower.
Lu Changsheng unloaded the heavy supplies from the horse, gently stroked its mane, and said with a smile, "Horse, it's far too cold in the depths of Mount Wu for you to go.
"You've worked hard on this journey, so I might as well set you free."
Lu Changsheng gave the horse's back a firm pat.
At once, the horse galloped away cheerfully, soon vanishing from his sight.
Although it had been rented, the cost meant little to him anyway.
Then, carrying the heavy supplies himself, Lu Changsheng plunged into Mount Wu.
The mountain ridges rolled on endlessly, growing colder the deeper he went.
Guided by the map Liu Hongluan had drawn, Lu Changsheng took virtually no wrong turns.
Even so, it was already dark by the time he caught a faint glimpse of an icy mountain ahead.
"Finally here!"
Looking at the icy mountain before him, Lu Changsheng found it truly magnificent.
It had originally been an ordinary mountain, but blanketed by snow, it had gradually turned into a mountain of ice.
After searching around, he actually managed to find a cave.
He moved in; with the provisions he had bought beforehand, he had no fear of the cold.
This time, Lu Changsheng had brought plenty of dry rations.
They would sustain him on this icy mountain for a long time.
Gradually calming his mind, Lu Changsheng began tempering his bones amidst the icy mountain.
Previously, whenever he practiced the Cold Ice Tempering Bone Technique, he had always felt something was missing.
It was as though he could never quite grasp its true essence.
Now, immersed in this icy mountain, surrounded by biting cold and solid ice everywhere, inspiration struck him like a flash of sudden insight, and he instantly comprehended the true meaning of the technique.
From that point on, the efficiency of his bone tempering doubled.
In the blink of an eye, a month passed.
*Thump, thump, thump.*
Lu Changsheng's heart pounded violently.
The blood within his body surged rapidly, even producing a rushing sound like a roaring river.
His entire body seemed shrouded in a dense aura of qi and blood.
The sheer potency of this qi and blood was simply staggering.
Even the qi and blood of a top Refining Organs martial artist would pale in comparison to his at this moment.
*Whoosh.*
Lu Changsheng opened his eyes.
"The blood exchange is complete!"
A strange glint flashed in his eyes.
His "blood exchange" was finished, yet the "marrow transformation" had not even begun.
So what was he now? A half-step Divine Strength Realm?
Chapter 33