The next day, with Liang Hu's help, Lu Chang'sheng found a basic spot to stay near the Traveler's Inn.
Worried that Lu knew nothing about this place and might stumble into trouble—and drag him down with it—Liang Hu shared quite a bit of local info.
Like, on the street, some child beggars—people say there are folks here who do the 'life-harvesting and ear-chopping' business. Don't be fooled if someone looks weak, even crippled; cross the wrong one and you might wind up a corpse in a ditch the next day.
Also, the busboys in that inn? Turns out, some of them are relatives of local gang members.
These days, any spot that can make money has a line of people watching it; if there's even one or two openings, you're stupidly lucky.
"Here's a phrase for you: keep your eyes wide and your mouth shut. Think three times before you act! Guys who let their blood boil at the drop of a hat—well, the grass on their graves is three feet tall by now!"
Liang Hu walked them to the door of a side room.
This was the place he'd found for them. Five copper coins a day—not paid to Liang Hu, but to the Three Red Gang.
"One more thing: in Black Mountain Prefecture, there are two kinds of people you absolutely do not cross. First, scholars. Second, Martial Artists!"
"Scholars? You mean like students studying under a master?" Wang Heihou asked quickly.
"Him?" Liang Hu curled his lip in a wry, mocking smile. But since Lu's business touched on some of his shadier dealings, he kept quiet for now.
"Scholars here means people from the Jixia Academy! As for what that is, I don't really know. All I'm saying is—if you hear that name, run as far and as fast as you can!"
"So basically you mean officials, right?" Lu Chang'sheng spoke up.
"Put it that way if you want." Liang Hu hadn't thought of it before; he was just repeating what he'd heard elsewhere. But when Lu said it, he thought it made sense.
"And as for Martial Artists? They're not quite as terrifying, but when one of them gets pissed—it's always bloody."
"Those are all from the gangs, huh?" Wang Heihou said, trying to sound clever, echoing Lu's 'officials' idea.
Instead, Liang Hu just snorted. "You wish it was that simple."
He didn't say more, just gave Lu Chang'sheng a look.
Lu felt a little helpless. Liang Hu was probably still hung up about last night.
But, for now, Lu knew better than to push it—better to let Liang Hu keep his pride.
"Please, Master Liang, just spell it out for us."
Liang Hu's eyes flashed with satisfaction. "A Martial Artist is a Martial Artist—anyone who's trained in the arts counts! A gang is just one variety. You've got big family Protector Institutes, martial arts apprentices, even that bum you see lying in the street—could be one of them!"
"I get the others, but how does a bum count?" Wang Heihou muttered.
"How do you know if a guy on the street isn't a Martial Artist?" Liang Hu snorted. "What if it's someone pretending to be one?"
"You have to realize, gangs fight openly and behind the scenes for turf. That guy lying in the street might actually be a boss! If they snap, they'll kill right there in broad daylight. Even the Black Mountain Army can't touch them then!"
Liang Hu's words had the group so spooked they couldn't even stand steady.
"This Prefecture City's really that lawless?" Lu Chang'sheng muttered.
"Lawless? If it wasn't, you might as well stay home instead!" Liang Hu chuckled darkly and turned to leave. At the door, he called back, "Don't forget! Every third of the month, you pay your rent to Steward Li at the Traveler's Inn!"
"Right! Thank you, Master!"
Lu Chang'sheng walked to the door to see him off.
"No need to act so polite, is there? Everybody knows that guy's no friend of ours," Wang Heihou grumbled, confused by Lu's behavior.
Lu Chang'sheng smiled. "Etiquette says a lot about where you stand. If you can't manage basic manners, people will always keep their guard up around you."
"That's exhausting. I still like that Li—" Wang Heihou started, but Lu Chang'sheng cut him off right away.
"Don't mention that person. Unless you want trouble coming to our door."
He wore a serious look, glancing around at the others.
"The Prefecture City's nothing like our village. If we want to get anywhere here, first thing is: shut up. Maybe in a year or two, when you've got a lay of the land, you can talk more!"
Seeing how serious he was, the three nodded repeatedly.
"So what do we do now?" asked Wang Heihou.
"Wait until we check things out a bit first. For now, don't go into the inner city," Lu Chang'sheng said.
He glanced around. Seeing that they all listened, he finally felt a bit relieved.
Being new here, nothing's more dangerous than being reckless.
That Li Long was a bandit—probably wanted by the authorities. If anyone overheard his name, trouble wouldn't be far behind.
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The brutal cold set in much earlier than expected.
Yesterday was just chilly; today, it felt downright freezing.
At least it wasn't snowing, and the wind had died down.
Lu Chang'sheng practiced archery behind the house.
He'd lost a lot of training time these last few days, progress had seriously slowed. Luckily, it'd only been three or five days—no big deal in the grand scheme.
"This Golden Finger of mine—really need to find somewhere peaceful to use it…"
Too bad, in this world, that's a tall order.
Wang Heihou and Niu Dazhuang weren't back yet. They were both sturdier and hustled around more easily.
Li Nangua stayed indoors, practicing her writing with a wooden stick.
She was a quick learner. Lu figured her skills were top tier—just maybe a notch below his own.
A blast of icy wind hit him and made his whole body shudder. The arrow flew from his hand and stuck in the wall, a good few meters off target.
"No way I'll make it to fifty-five with this health," Lu muttered, glancing down at the glowing screen. He almost jumped in surprise.
"Name: Lu Chang'sheng"
"Age: 10/54"
"Root Bone: 2/10 [Genius (Can be switched—Reading & Literacy)]"
······
"Lost more life…"
He took a deep breath, steadying his nerves.
"Bad news—or maybe good, because now I know: my lifespan shrinks as my health worsens. So my top priority… find a martial art that actually rebuilds my body!"
Just then, Wang Heihou's voice sounded from the front of the house.
Turning around, Lu saw Wang Heihou and Niu Dazhuang come in.
"Chang'sheng, I asked around—trying to become a Martial Artist here is nearly impossible!"
"All the city's Martial Arts Halls want at least ten taels of silver before they'll even consider letting you in. And even then, nothing's guaranteed. No other options, either."
"What about the gangs?"
"No go. They're not exactly desperate for guys like us."
Wang Heihou looked defeated. Just to get the info, he'd paid out two copper coins—otherwise, nobody would've even bothered telling him.
Now he finally understood just how vital money is in this city.
Niu Dazhuang clearly wasn't as shrewd as Wang. He'd just wandered around and didn't learn a thing—except…
"I think I saw that Liang Hu just now!"
Lu Chang'sheng's eyes lit up as he asked Niu Dazhuang where exactly he'd seen him.
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