Under cover of night, Lu Changsheng arrived at Li Hongzhuang's small courtyard.
Yet he did not barge in rashly, instead observing his surroundings first.
Inside, the small courtyard was shrouded in pitch darkness, seemingly deserted.
After observing for a while and confirming no one was keeping watch, he vaulted over the wall and dropped swiftly into the courtyard.
*Squeak.*
The door opened.
Li Hongzhuang said softly, "Brother Thirteen, you're finally here."
Once inside the room, she lit a candle.
Lu Changsheng saw that Li Hongzhuang's face was somewhat pale and her expression weary.
"Your wounds haven't healed yet?" Lu Changsheng asked.
Li Hongzhuang shook her head. "My wounds have already healed. It's just that Zhao Qilei is dead, and the Zhao clan believes I was the one who killed him. They've been investigating my whereabouts like madmen. If not for my disguises, I'm afraid they would have found me by now."
The Zhao clan was a local tyrant in Nanyang City. No matter how secretly Li Hongzhuang hid, given enough time, the Zhao clan would track her down. Fortunately, she had actually not been in Nanyang City recently, having gone elsewhere instead. Otherwise, the Zhao clan really might have found her.
"The Zhao clan..." Lu Changsheng furrowed his brow.
In truth, Zhao Qilei had been killed by him, and the Zhao clan martial artists before that had also died by his hand. However, it had all stemmed from Li Hongzhuang, so the Zhao clan naturally settled the score on her head, sparing Lu Changsheng any trouble. Otherwise, had the Zhao clan investigated thoroughly, they might truly have uncovered Lu Changsheng's identity.
"Only six of the Seven Sons of the Zhao clan remain now. Should we just get rid of the remaining six?" Lu Changsheng suddenly spoke up.
"Uh..."
Li Hongzhuang was taken aback.
The Zhao clan was one of the premier major powers in Nanyang City. Yet in Lu Changsheng's mouth, they seemed like something he could wipe out at will.
"Forget it. Right now, our top priority is to go to the Cui clan to seize the Marrow Transformation Pill. It's best not to invite unnecessary trouble before that." Li Hongzhuang shook her head.
Nanyang City was merely a temporary stop for her. If she managed to obtain a Marrow Transformation Pill this time, she would not return to Nanyang City anyway, making the Zhao clan's influence negligible.
"Alright."
Lu Changsheng said no more.
"When do we set out?"
"Early tomorrow morning, at the woods outside the city."
After discussing the details for a while, Lu Changsheng returned to Miaoshou Garden.
*Going to Jubei City might take ten to fifteen days, so I need to explain the situation at Miaoren Hall.*
Lu Changsheng retired to rest early.
The night passed without incident.
The next morning, Lu Changsheng went early to Miaoren Hall and found Wang Ruhai.
"Physician Wang, over the next few days, I will be leaving Nanyang City for a while and will likely return in about ten to fifteen days. During this period, I must ask Physician Wang to bear with the extra burden here at Miaoren Hall."
Lu Changsheng explained the situation to Wang Ruhai.
Wang Ruhai hurriedly rose and said, "Think nothing of it. If you have business, Physician Lu, go ahead and attend to it—no need to rush. With me here at Miaoren Hall, nothing will go awry."
"Then I will trouble Physician Wang."
Lu Changsheng had partnered with Wang Ruhai for some time and gotten along well with him. For a small matter like this, Wang Ruhai naturally agreed without hesitation.
And so, Lu Changsheng returned to his courtyard.
In the courtyard was a horse—the one he had rented when traveling to Wushan City previously. It was a mare with a gentle disposition and a keen sense of human intent, so Lu Changsheng had simply bought her outright without spending much silver.
"Girl, you get to stretch your legs this time."
Lu Changsheng patted the mare's head. Seeming to understand, she pranced her hooves happily.
*Clop, clop, clop.*
Hooves kicking up dust, Lu Changsheng rode on horseback and sped toward the outskirts of the city.
Before long, horse and rider reached the woods outside the city.
On the official road outside the woods, travelers passed by in twos and threes.
Lu Changsheng swept his gaze around and then furrowed his brow.
He did not see Li Hongzhuang.
Just then, a middle-aged woman carrying a vegetable basket walked toward Lu Changsheng. She had a large dark mole on her face and a sallow complexion, appearing quite ugly.
"Brother Thirteen," the middle-aged woman suddenly spoke.
The moment she spoke, Lu Changsheng's gaze sharpened.
"Miss Li, is that you?"
Lu Changsheng was somewhat astonished.
Li Hongzhuang was originally a slender, beautiful woman whose very appearance left a deep impression at a glance.
Yet what about this middle-aged woman before him?
Her figure was bloated, and her face was unsightly beyond words.
"Brother Thirteen, it's merely the art of disguise and costume changing—a minor trick of the trade. We are going to Jubei City, where the Cui clan's influence is immense. We can't simply stroll in as we are; we must disguise ourselves."
Lu Changsheng nodded. "But I don't know how to disguise myself."
"Then I will lend Brother Lu a hand."
"Thank you for the trouble, Miss Li."
Li Hongzhuang glanced around, then led Lu Changsheng quietly into the dense woods.
Deep in the trees, Li Hongzhuang began disguising Lu Changsheng.
Lu Changsheng cooperated fully, and after roughly two hours, Li Hongzhuang was drenched in sweat from exhaustion.
"Brother Thirteen, it's done. Take a look and see how it is."
Li Hongzhuang produced a mirror.
Lu Changsheng opened his eyes and saw a bearded, burly fellow in the mirror.
Not only had his facial features changed, but even his build had become stout and imposing. Stuffing had been padded into his clothes, and the garments themselves had been swapped.
This was the costume change.
Combined with the facial disguise, it transformed Lu Changsheng into an entirely different person. Even those closest to him would likely fail to recognize him.
"Miss Li's art of disguise and costume changing is truly miraculous. I wonder if you might teach me?"
Lu Changsheng felt tempted.
Disguise techniques! They were extraordinarily practical.
Virtually an indispensable tool for wandering the martial world.
If he mastered disguise techniques, he wouldn't need to wear night clothes and mask his face all day long.
"Of course. Disguise is merely an auxiliary trick, but it requires accumulating experience over a long period. Once this matter is settled, how about I teach it to Brother Thirteen?"
Lu Changsheng nodded.
Afterward, the two walked out of the woods.
Mounting their horses, they quickly galloped away, kicking up a trail of dust.
Nothing troublesome occurred along the way.
Neither of them was in a desperate rush, taking three full days to reach Jubei City.
This was Lu Changsheng's first time in Jubei City.
Upon entering the city, his eyes immediately fell upon an enormous stone stele.
Li Hongzhuang explained, "This stone stele is the symbol of Jubei City, with a history spanning several centuries. Rumor has it that a wealthy merchant in the city hired over a hundred skilled artisans to carve such a monument. The engravings depict the living scenes of common folk in Jubei City centuries ago, vividly lifelike. Later, through various wars and turmoil, parts of the stele were damaged, but more than half of it was preserved and became the city's emblem. Even the entire city was subsequently renamed Jubei City."
Lu Changsheng nodded.
He specifically walked up to the giant stele and saw that it was weathered by wind and frost, some of the carvings already blurring. Yet one could still discern scenes of ordinary folk going about their daily lives.
To Jubei City, this stone stele was truly an invaluable treasure!
At that moment, a burly foreign monk with a string of massive prayer beads hanging around his neck came barreling through the crowd.
The foreign monk sneered maliciously. "Liu Sanlang, the Patriarch graciously invited you as a guest, yet you don't know what's good for you! You can't blame Lord Buddha here for being impolite!"
"Vajra Great Mudra!"
The monk struck out with a palm.
*Boom!*
A terrifying blast of qi energy instantly slammed into a fleeing man ahead.
The man shuddered as if struck by a battering ram.
*Spurt!*
He coughed up a mouthful of blood, stumbled forward a few more steps, and collapsed to the ground.
The surrounding crowd scattered in panic.
The foreign monk strode over step by step, looked down at the man on the ground, and sneered, "Liu Sanlang, why bother? The Patriarch invited you—if you had just gone obediently, why would Lord Buddha here have needed to strike and make you look so undignified?"
"Save... save me..."
Sprawled on the ground, Liu Sanlang reached out and grabbed a foot.
The monk followed his gaze.
Standing there were a burly man and an ugly middle-aged woman.
"Master, please carry on," the burly man said, taking a few steps back to distance himself from Liu Sanlang on the ground.
"Hahaha! Liu Sanlang, no one in Jubei City can save you!"
The foreign monk grabbed Liu Sanlang off the ground, turned around, and strode away.
Chapter 54