My martial arts have no bottlenecks.

Chapter 71 Turmoil

Liang Cheng found a secluded cave on the shady side of the reef island, barely big enough to take in, with sea vines hanging down to cover the entrance.

He tore off his seawater-soaked robe, revealing a three-inch-long sword wound deep enough to expose bone. The edges of the wound were bluish-black, and wisps of cold air were seeping out from it.

Mysterious Yin Sword Qi.

He tore off a relatively clean strip of cloth from the inner lining, dipped it in seawater to clean the wound, and the salt water stung terribly. He then re-bandaged the wound with wound medicine.

After doing all that, he felt a little scared.

The Bronze Armor Realm cultivator possessed a strong and resilient physique, which blocked most of the penetrating force of the sword energy. Otherwise, that sword would have pierced his heart. Fortunately, his foundation was solid and his hard skills were excellent. With the Broken Wave Technique combined with the Qi and Blood Pill, he should be fine.

"I must get back to the Martial Arts Academy as soon as possible..." he muttered through gritted teeth.

However, it is still a hundred miles by sea from here to Linwu City. We don't know if the Black Tide has sent people to set up checkpoints to search. If we take the sea route, we might as well walk into a trap.

Liang Cheng turned his gaze to the other side of Sanwankou. Although taking the overland route would add more than two hundred miles to the journey, it would be more concealed and safer.

He sat cross-legged and regulated his breathing for an hour. When it got dark and his injuries stabilized, he broke off some sea vines and wove them into a simple backpack. He wrapped the Zhengxian knife in a damp cloth and put it on his back. He also grabbed a handful of shellfish and stuffed them into his bosom.

Taking advantage of the darkness, we swam ashore.

……

On the eighteenth day of the first lunar month, news of the destruction of Chen Bainian's caravan and the disappearance of Liang Cheng finally reached the Martial Academy.

Martial Arts Academy, Mingxin Pavilion.

Lu Bingchen slammed his hand on the rosewood table, shattering it: "Investigate! A thorough investigation is essential!"

The usually amiable teacher was now bristling with anger, his eyes blazing with fury: "Eighteen years old, a disciple of the Heavenly Hall, possessing the Bronze Armor Realm's hard skills, and having slain He Jiuyou in battle! How many years has the Martial Academy not seen such a talent? And he's been defeated by pirates?!"

Chief Enforcement Officer Yan Song said in a deep voice, "The Kuroshio pirates have always only raided the coast. This time, they deliberately set up an ambush deep into Sanwankou when Liang Cheng was returning. This is not normal."

"It seems someone tipped us off and secretly orchestrated this," Lü Bingchen sneered. "The Xu family? The Martial Arts Hall? Or is there someone else in the city who can't stand to see our Martial Academy produce another True Qi Realm cultivator?"

He looked at Yan Song: "Chief Yan, I want to personally lead the team to search northwards along Sanwankou. We need to find them alive or dead."

"Okay, I'll arrange it right away!"

Yan Song wasted no time and went straight out to gather his men.

Lu Bingchen then addressed the other two deacons: "Issue an order from the Martial Academy, offering a reward of 10,000 contribution points for clues about Liang Cheng. Anyone who conceals information or obstructs the investigation will be considered an enemy of the Martial Academy!"

10,000 points!

The two stewards exchanged a glance and both saw the surprise in each other's eyes; this was already the standard for a true disciple.

Master Lü was truly enraged this time.

……

City Lord's Mansion.

Shen Wenyuan barged directly into the office of the Military Equipment Department's Treasury.

Wu Zhenshan was checking the account books when he saw Shen Wenyuan enter. He didn't even lift his eyelids: "Special Envoy Shen, you seem to be in a good mood today."

"Treasurer Wu," Shen Wenyuan said calmly as he sat down opposite him, "Are you aware of the Black Tide pirates' ambush of a merchant ship at Sanwankou, which killed Liang Cheng, a disciple of the Martial Academy's Heavenly Abode?"

Wu Zhenshan suddenly paused, his pen in hand: "The pirates' rebellion is under the jurisdiction of the Zhenhai Division. Special Envoy Shen has asked the wrong person."

"Is that so? You have an old grudge against Liang Cheng, and because of me, you've probably considered him a thorn in your side for a long time, haven't you?"

Wu Zhenshan's expression changed.

"That's just sophistry," he said coldly. "If Special Envoy Shen wants to frame me, he should produce irrefutable evidence. Otherwise, don't blame me for not showing any camaraderie."

Shen Wenyuan couldn't help but laugh. "Treasurer Wu, you'd better watch yourself."

"Special Envoy Shen, please calm down and don't make false accusations."

……

Martial Arts Academy, Dormitory.

Li Mu was wiping his longsword when the door was kicked open with a bang.

Three disciples of the Earth House barged in. The leader was a young man with triangular eyes who was a member of the Fishing Gang. He used to be polite to Li Muke, but now he was full of arrogance.

"Li Mu, it's time to pay this month's roommate assistance fee."

Li Mu's grip on his sword tightened involuntarily: "Senior Brother Zhang, didn't you say it was exempt when Senior Brother Liang was here?"

"Senior Brother Liang?" The man with the triangular eyes sneered. "Which Senior Brother Liang? Oh, you mean Liang Cheng, who might have already fed the fish? He's dead, and you're still dreaming?"

The two people behind him burst into laughter.

Li Mu gritted his teeth, pulled out a jade token containing thirty contribution points from his pocket, and handed it over. The man with the triangular eyes snatched it away, saying, "Only thirty? Not enough! It's increased this month, fifty!"

"you--"

"What? You're not satisfied?" The man with the triangular eyes took a step closer. "If you're not satisfied, go to the sea and complain to your Senior Brother Liang!"

Li Mu gripped the sword hilt tightly, his nails digging into his palms, and finally pulled out another twenty.

The three of them walked away.

He once thought the fishing gang was a sanctuary, but now he sees it clearly—it's just another form of survival of the fittest. Brother Liang is right.

The only way to master martial arts is through self-improvement.

……

The earthen dwelling, the cloud-shrouded swan in the quiet room.

Yun Jinghong wiped the longsword again and again.

A nautical chart lay open on the table, with the location of the Three Bays Pass circled in vermilion ink. He stared at the red circle, then suddenly sheathed his sword, pushed open the door, and went out.

He went to the Foreign Affairs Hall to receive his assignment. When he heard people discussing Liang Cheng's disappearance, he ignored them and left directly.

Liang Cheng, how could he be dead?

I haven't beaten him even once yet, he'll definitely come back.

……

Tianshe, Lu Qingzhou's secluded courtyard.

Lu Qingzhou sat on a stone bench, his tea already cold. In front of him was a letter, delivered by the Wang family this morning. The letter no longer mentioned recruiting Liang Cheng, but instead inquired whether the Lu family was interested in several warehouses along the coast.

Such is the fickleness of human nature.

"Junior Brother Liang..." Lu Qingzhou closed his eyes. How could someone like that die so easily at sea?

He suddenly got up and walked outside the courtyard.

There are some things he has to investigate himself.

……

The Qiao residence, in the back garden.

When Qiao Zhi heard the news, she was trying on a new hairpin in front of a bronze mirror. After the maid finished speaking tremblingly, she paused, and a stunned face was reflected in the bronze mirror.

A moment later, she suddenly burst into laughter, laughing louder and louder, bending over backwards, until tears streamed down her face.

"Dead? He just died like that?" She wiped away tears of laughter from the corners of her eyes. "Good, very good! Let him not help the Qiao family, let him pretend to be high and mighty, and now? His bones are gone, fed to the fish!"

Uncle Wang whispered, "Miss, be careful what you say. Liang Cheng is, after all, a disciple of the Martial Academy's Heavenly Hall, and the Martial Academy is thoroughly investigating this matter..."

"Investigate? Investigate what?" Qiao Zhi sneered. "He's provoked pirates; he can only blame his own bad luck for not being able to bear the reputation!"

She slammed the hairpin onto the dressing table, and the jade hairpin broke with a crack.

He went to see the old man in person, but he wasn't given any face at all. Good riddance!

……

Xu Mansion.

Xu Zhang handed a letter to Xu Feng.

"Treasurer Wu told our Xu family to behave themselves recently and not to run into trouble. Our share of refined iron will double in the second half of the year."

Xu Feng nodded.

"It's best to keep a low profile for now. Those lunatics at the Martial Academy are not to be trifled with. Once things calm down, everything will be fine."

"Zhi'er, did you hear me? Stay in the manor during this time and don't go anywhere."

Xu Zhi looked helpless, but he knew the importance of the matter and nodded.

……

Liang Cheng traveled by land for four days, hiding during the day and going out at night, specifically taking desolate mountain paths. When thirsty, he drank from streams, and when hungry, he ate wild fruits by the roadside.

They would not enter any village they encountered, and they would hide from any people they saw.

Along the way, the Xuan Yin Sword Qi in his body flared up three times. When it flared up, his meridians felt like they were being pierced by ice needles. He used the Broken Wave Technique to forcefully suppress it with his Qi and Blood, and with the addition of Qi and Blood Pills, he managed to lock the cold Qi outside his lungs and internal organs.

The sword wound on his back had already scabbed over. With his powerful physique at the Bronze Armor Realm, the external wound had basically healed and was no longer a problem, but the internal injury was difficult to heal.

The 22nd day of the first lunar month, at dusk.

He finally arrived outside Linwu City.

He bought a cartload of firewood from a woodcutter, smeared his face with charcoal ash, hunched his back and shrunk his shoulders, disguising himself as an ordinary old farmer, and pushed the cart through the city gate.

Liang Cheng lowered his head and pushed the cart into the dark alley.

He looked up at the back mountain of the martial arts academy.

That was Elder Huang's alchemy room.