Three days later, clad in black robes, wearing a cold and aloof expression, and carrying a long saber across his back, Lu Changsheng strode into Zhanhai City.
Zhanhai City was the prefectural capital of Zhanhai Prefecture. Situated along the coast, it boasted flourishing commerce and exceptional prosperity.
Lu Changsheng had completely changed his disguise and attire.
For this trip to Zhanhai City, he had adopted a brand-new face that appeared much closer to his actual age. Lean in build, his entire body emanated a frigid aura that warned strangers to keep their distance.
He had not even brought a sword, carrying a saber instead to pass as a bladesman.
With the various martial arts Lu Changsheng had mastered, saber or sword made no practical difference to him.
He did not intend to use the identity of "Zhuang Thirteen" in Zhanhai Prefecture.
After all, using it too often would inevitably allow someone to notice clues.
He had also given himself an alias: "Dao Twelve."
Although Dao Twelve and Zhuang Thirteen sounded similar, there was certainly no connection between them.
Lu Changsheng would not even use the Silken Thread Sword lightly.
In the jianghu, people taking names like Sword Three, Dao Nine, or Spear Fifteen were a dime a dozen; adopting such an alias was merely going with the flow.
Upon entering the city, Lu Changsheng discovered that Zhanhai City was easily ten times more prosperous than Nanyang City—it was bustling beyond belief, packed with people in all sorts of attire.
Many of them were maritime merchants who were said to have sailed from far across the ocean. Wealthy and rolling in money, the moment they arrived in Zhanhai City, they went on massive purchasing sprees, filling multiple large vessels before crossing the vast seas to sell their goods back in their own realms for immense profits.
The Great Fish Dynasty maintained an open stance toward maritime trade, which only fueled Zhanhai City's ever-growing prosperity.
Though the dynasty seemed to be crumbling and unable to maintain control over its territories, the turmoil appeared not to have affected Zhanhai City in the slightest.
Walking along the streets, Lu Changsheng watched foreign merchants strolling through the city accompanied by servants and guards.
He could not quite gauge those guards; they seemed somewhat different from the martial artists of the Great Fish Dynasty.
Still, anyone capable of escorting merchants across the vast ocean was hardly ordinary.
Lu Changsheng had no interest in testing them.
He checked into an inn, ate and drank his fill, and rested for the night.
The next morning, feeling invigorated, Lu Changsheng headed down to the seashore alone.
The sun hung blazing over the coast, and the sea breeze carried a hint of dry heat and a briny tang.
Lu Changsheng gazed out at the distant ocean, boundless and stretching to the horizon.
Yet he was not here for the scenery; he had come to comprehend the martial conception of Triple Waves.
Triple Waves primarily mimicked the surge of ocean billows.
Yet where were the waves now?
Looking out from the sandy shore, the sea was calm and still, devoid of waves.
*No matter. I can wait a little longer. The ocean can't stay calm forever.*
Lu Changsheng was in no hurry.
He simply sat cross-legged on the sand, paying no mind to the scorching sun, remaining utterly motionless as he quietly watched the distant sea.
His behavior appeared rather bizarre to onlookers.
Not far down the beach lay the harbor docks.
People bustled to and fro on the pier, and from time to time, curious gazes drifted toward Lu Changsheng.
"Look over there. There's an odd fellow sitting cross-legged on the beach without moving an inch. I swear he's been there for at least a couple of hours."
"Strange indeed, but judging by his attire, he must be a jianghu martial artist. Those martial artists are an eccentric bunch—whatever you do, don't go bothering him."
"A martial artist? Could he be cultivating some divine art?"
Many directed their gazes toward Lu Changsheng, yet not a single person dared draw near.
After all, Lu Changsheng currently carried an icy demeanor that warned strangers away; who would court trouble by approaching him?
In Zhanhai City, martial artists causing brawls and bloodshed were by no means rare.
No one wanted to provoke a martial artist for no reason.
Lu Changsheng ignored the stares around him.
He waited in silence.
At last, the waves arrived.
Out in the placid depths of the distant sea, a surge formed unbidden at some unseen moment.
Countless masses of seawater seemed to hoist the wave upward as it rolled toward the shore in a grand, sweeping tide.
Witnessing real ocean waves for the first time left Lu Changsheng deeply shaken.
Even in his past life, having never lived near the coast, he had never truly laid eyes upon the ocean, let alone its surging waves.
Though he might have seen the sea and its billows through videos and the like, how could that ever compare to witnessing it in person?
Now, Lu Changsheng was seeing it with his own eyes.
Not only was his heart stirred, but he also faintly began projecting the sight into the principles of Triple Waves.
Wave after wave crashing forward—did that not mirror the technique's progression of each wave rising higher than the last?
*Crash!*
The billows surged in, and a massive wave drenched Lu Changsheng from head to toe.
The icy seawater brought with it a damp, salty tang.
Lu Changsheng quietly immersed himself in the sensation.
*Whoosh.*
He opened his eyes.
Dusk had already fallen; he had stayed on the beach for an entire day.
As for his comprehension, he had indeed gained something, yet it still felt insufficient.
*No rush. Comprehending a martial conception cannot be achieved in a single day. I'll return tomorrow.*
With that, Lu Changsheng rose and departed from the shore.
The beach lay some distance from his inn. By now, night had settled in, though a crescent moon hung in the sky, keeping the surroundings from becoming pitch-black.
"Wuu..."
"H-help! Help me!"
Suddenly, Lu Changsheng heard a clumsy, awkward cry for help.
The accent was exceedingly stiff, sounding unlike anyone from the Great Fish Dynasty.
Lu Changsheng looked toward a corner not far off. A woman dressed clearly as a foreign merchant, along with two men, was being seized and dragged away by a band of people.
The woman struggled violently, only to be struck hard across the face several times by her captors, causing her cheek to swell instantly.
These were foreign merchants.
Foreign merchants were a common sight in Zhanhai City, yet incidents targeting them were equally frequent.
The local authorities in Zhanhai City turned a blind eye to such matters.
That was precisely why foreign merchants hired so many guards.
Lu Changsheng caught sight of the foreign woman.
Her eyes were filled with panic, desperate hope, and pleading.
Yet Lu Changsheng remained unmoved.
His persona as "Dao Twelve" was that of a pure jianghu martial artist.
Matters that did not concern him were best left alone.
If others did not provoke him, he would not cross them!
Dao Twelve possessed no chivalrous heart; all he pursued was the martial path.
Therefore, drawing his blade to right an injustice along the road was not something Dao Twelve would do.
Acting as though he had seen nothing, Lu Changsheng prepared to walk right past them.
However, when the black-clothed men spotted him, their gazes turned hostile.
"Big Brother, what should we do? A martial artist is passing by, and he saw us."
The martial artist addressed as "Big Brother" was evidently the leader of the black-clothed band.
His gaze was cold and piercing. After sweeping his eyes over Lu Changsheng, he said in a low voice, "The faction backing this foreign hag is quite powerful. We can't let those foreign merchants learn it was us."
"So kill him!"
They had no intention of leaving any witnesses alive.
Even if the man was merely a passerby.
"Yes, Big Brother."
Several black-clothed men executed movement techniques, swiftly flanking forward to bar Lu Changsheng's path.
Lu Changsheng frowned slightly and said in a frigid tone, "Travelers in the jianghu each walk their own path. I have no wish to meddle in your affairs. Step aside, please."
"Heh, saying you don't want to meddle means you saw anyway."
"Some things aren't settled just because you don't want to get involved. Simply seeing it is your misfortune."
"And you call yourself a jianghu man? In the jianghu, whoever holds a blade in hand is in the right! In your next life, remember not to wander the jianghu!"
The black-clothed men stepped forward at once, drawing gleaming broadsabers with blatant killing intent.
Lu Changsheng's expression did not waver in the slightest. Looking at the men, he said coldly, "Indeed, this is what the jianghu is truly like."
"You're right: whoever holds a blade is in the right. And as it happens, I have a blade too!"
*Clang!*
The moment Lu Changsheng finished speaking, the saber on his back flashed from its scabbard.
An unadorned, simple saber technique cut a streak of brilliant light through the dark night.
*Slash!*
The heads of the men standing before him flew into the air, blood spraying forth.
*Thud, thud!*
Several corpses collapsed onto the ground.
This sudden turn of events stunned the remaining men in black.
Expressionless, Lu Changsheng turned and walked toward the men holding the foreign merchants, dragging his blade along.
The group instantly grew restless.
The leader of the black-clothed men appeared somewhat surprised as well. It seemed they had kicked an iron plate; this cold-faced martial artist was no simple opponent.
Even so, such occurrences were common.
Walk by the river long enough, and your shoes were bound to get wet.
As seasoned veterans of the jianghu, they encountered such incidents from time to time.
After all, experts emerged constantly in the jianghu; who could ever predict whom they might provoke?
Thus, the leader spoke up immediately: "Sir, we were reckless just now. We are willing to apologize and make amends to you."
"Here are three thousand taels in banknotes, offered as an apology!"
The man backed down without hesitation.
When kicking an iron plate in the jianghu, failing to yield meant death.
He was thoroughly experienced in handling such matters.
As for the few comrades who had just died, that was their own misfortune—they deserved it.
Avenge them? Out of the question.
Lu Changsheng glanced at the leader without halting his stride, speaking coldly: "What your companion said earlier was quite true: in the jianghu, whoever holds a blade is in the right!"
"If no one offends me, I offend no one; if anyone offends me, I will surely kill!"
"Running into me is simply your misfortune. Besides, once I kill you, your belongings will naturally belong to me."
Lu Changsheng had no intention of sparing these people.
"Hmph, does Your Excellency truly believe you have us cornered?"
"We merely wished to avoid complications and creating too much commotion. Since you are bent on seeking death, we shall grant your wish!"
The leader's gaze hardened, his body radiating chilling murderous intent.
He waved his hand.
*Swish! Swish! Swish!*
Three martial artists stepped forward from the crowd at once.
Even the leader himself lunged toward Lu Changsheng with ferocity.
All four unleashed their auras.
Refining Organs martial artists!
All four were unexpectedly in the Refining Organs realm.
They did not act lightly, but once they moved, they struck with thunderous momentum to execute Lu Changsheng on the spot.
There were not so many fools in the jianghu who would march forward one by one to die.
Four Refining Organs martial artists struck together without the slightest hesitation.
"You are too slow."
Gripping his saber, Lu Changsheng did not employ any elaborate forms or stances; he merely delivered a single slash toward each of the four men.
The only notable aspect of the strikes was their speed!
Four slashes were executed, yet to the onlookers, it seemed as if only a single stroke had been made.
*Flash!*
The next instant, the saber light vanished as quickly as it had appeared.
The four Refining Organs martial artists froze, their raised blades unable even to descend.
Four heavy thuds echoed.
All four collapsed to the ground, dead.
"What?!"
Seeing the four Refining Organs martial artists killed in an instant, the remaining men in black were overcome with sheer terror.
"Run!"
The remaining ten or so men scrambled to flee.
Yet Lu Changsheng leaped thirty feet in a single bound, closing the distance instantly. A flash of saber light danced through their ranks.
Those ten-odd men collapsed in pools of blood.
Lu Changsheng crouched down, wiped the blood from his blade against a corpse's clothes, and sheathed his weapon.
He searched through the bodies for a while.
He found nothing out of the ordinary, though he did turn up a substantial amount of silver and banknotes, totaling around five thousand taels.
This was more than enough to cover his expenses for this journey.
Just as Lu Changsheng was about to leave, the foreign merchants behind him, particularly the woman, hurriedly chased after him.
In these parts, foreign women were often called "foreign hags," an epithet laden with a certain contempt.
After all, high and low across the Great Fish Dynasty generally looked down upon these foreign merchants.
"Benefactor, please wait!"
The woman caught up to Lu Changsheng and asked anxiously, "May I know how to address my benefactor? You saved my life, and I wish to repay you."
The foreign woman was very direct.
People of her culture were candid and expressive; if someone helped them, they would certainly repay the debt.
Especially in her moment of deepest despair, seeing Lu Changsheng suddenly appear had been like finding sweet rain in a desert.
"I did not act to help you. They brought death upon themselves. There is no need to thank me."
Having said his piece, Lu Changsheng strode away, moving so swiftly that the woman could not keep up no matter how hard she tried.
"Sophie, let's head back quickly. It's too dangerous here."
Several other foreign merchants rushed over to persuade her.
Sophie held an extraordinary status; being rescued this time was a stroke of luck, but what about next time?
"All right, let's go back."
Sophie took a long, deep look in the direction where Lu Changsheng had vanished, then quickly departed alongside her companions.
As for the corpses strewn across the ground, no one paid them any mind.
In Zhanhai City, skirmishes broke out and people died every day. Even when the authorities discovered bodies, they simply hauled them away to dispose of them hastily.
Lu Changsheng returned to his inn.
He did not take the incident on the road to heart.
Mere Refining Organs martial artists meant nothing to him.
What truly occupied his mind was the comprehension he had pursued by the seaside during the day.
*Triple Waves requires comprehending the martial conception of surging billows. Though I gained some insight today, it is still not enough.*
*I must return to the shore tomorrow.*
Thus, the following day, Lu Changsheng went to the seashore once more, continuing his contemplation of the wave conception.
One day, two days, three days...
For three full days, Lu Changsheng remained by the seaside pondering the martial conception of the waves.
He could already sense that the third tier of Triple Waves was within arm's reach, ready to break through at any moment.
Yet he constantly felt as though he lacked one final spark, leaving him unable to make that breakthrough.
Just then, several fishermen were chatting nearby.
"The wind and waves were terrifying yesterday—swells several zhang high! I nearly couldn't make it back."
"Sigh, what we fear most on the sea are massive waves. Once huge billows rise, our little boats can't withstand them at all; a single wave could smash us to splinters."
"Forget it. With the rough seas lately, I'm going to wait a few days before heading out again."
The fishermen were discussing the rough seas.
Out on the open water, the greatest danger was the tempestuous waves.
With towering waves and rushing winds, a fisherman's skiff could be reduced to shattered debris in an instant, burying them in the depths of the sea.
"Waves several zhang high..."
Lu Changsheng snapped his head up to gaze at the ocean.
He understood.
The reason he had been unable to break through to the third tier of Triple Waves was simple.
The waves he had seen were too small!
True towering billows—even colossal waves—could only be witnessed out on the open sea.
He had to venture out to sea!
With that thought, Lu Changsheng walked straight toward the fishermen and asked directly, "When you head out to fish, could you take me along?"
"You want to go out to sea?"
The fishermen shook their heads. "No, we risk our lives every time we go fishing. How could we bring a passenger?"
"Indeed, and besides, we won't be heading out anytime soon."
Lu Changsheng frowned slightly.
He glanced at their fishing boats; they were indeed on the smaller side and far from safe.
Even with his astonishing strength, if he were cast adrift in the vast ocean, he would have nowhere to exert his abilities.
"If you truly wish to go to sea, your safest bet is to board a large vessel."
"Especially those foreign merchants' great ships—they're far safer than our fishing boats."
"Aye, those foreign merchants travel tens of thousands of li and cross vast oceans to reach our Zhanhai City. How many waters must they traverse, and how many storms must they weather? Sailing on their ships is bound to be the safest."
Lu Changsheng looked in the direction the fisherman pointed.
At the docks, colossal vessels were moored—the massive ships of the foreign merchants.
"Thank you."
Lu Changsheng produced a few copper coins, tossed them to the fishermen, and then glided lightly toward the docks.
Chapter 87