Chapter 45: Martial Brothers’ Reunion
Lu Changfeng returned to the Martial Arts Hall.
There, he saw an elderly man with two boys dressed as apprentices checking things out in front of the hall.
"Can I help you with something?" Lu Changfeng asked.
The elderly man bowed to Lu Changfeng. "Are you the master of this Martial Arts Hall?"
"I’m the physician from Yicao Hall, right across the street. I came to pay my new neighbor a visit!"
Lu Changfeng remembered now. There was indeed a medical hall across from his Martial Arts Hall.
Although Five Horses Street was known as the "Martial Arts Hall street," that was just because most of Jiangzhou’s Martial Arts Halls were concentrated there.
It didn’t mean Five Horses Street *only* had Martial Arts Halls.
Besides Martial Arts Halls, there were also medical halls, restaurants, blacksmiths, and various other shops on Five Horses Street.
"Oh, I see. It’s a pleasure to meet you. Please, come in and have a seat!"
Lu Changfeng led the old physician into the Martial Arts Hall.
After introducing him to Chunzhu, Lu Changfeng brewed some tea in the main hall and hosted his neighbor.
After some conversation, Lu Changfeng learned that the physician from Yicao Hall was named Wei Chun. He had practiced medicine for decades and had been running Yicao Hall on Five Horses Street for over ten years.
"Master Lu, you certainly opened this Martial Arts Hall quietly. I only found out there was a new hall across the street when my apprentices told me, haha."
Lu Changfeng smiled faintly. "We’re new to the area and prefer not to make a big scene. It’s better to keep a low profile."
"Well then, I wish you great success, Master Lu!"
"You’re too kind, Old Wei. Feel free to come over and practice some Tai Chi when you have time!"
"I certainly will!"
Wei Chun left behind some common liniments for bruises and sprains as a welcoming gift, then departed with his apprentices.
Lu Changfeng had Hei Niu see them out.
After seeing Wei Chun off, Lu Changfeng took out the massive, two-hundred-jin long saber he’d had forged at a Jiangzhou blacksmith and began practicing the Fengtian Forging Body Saber Skill.
After running through the forms once, he also took a moment to guide Chunzhu and Hei Niu in their cultivation of the Le Mountain Angry Vajra.
Lu Changfeng still planned to use the Le Mountain Angry Vajra as the Changle Martial Arts Hall’s primary Blood Forging Technique.
In addition, Lu Changfeng would also teach the hall’s disciples his personally created Storm Sword Technique.
After Lu Changfeng’s own modifications, the Storm Sword Technique was now considered among the most elite of Blood Forging Martial Arts—more than enough to serve as the hall’s signature technique.
The next day came quickly.
Lu Changfeng was up early, practicing the Fengtian Forging Body Saber Skill.
After receiving the complete legacy of the Fengtian Saber Technique, Lu Changfeng’s mind was filled with a great deal of new knowledge about the Fengtian Forging Body Saber Skill.
His training speed increased dramatically.
’Before long, I should be able to break through to the Third Layer!’
’Once I finish the Third Layer, I’ll break through to the unprecedented Blood Forging Seventh Layer!’
Drenched in sweat, he took a quick shower and then headed out to the training grounds.
Lu Changfeng had subscribed to several newspapers.
A delivery boy had brought them to the Martial Arts Hall just as the sky began to lighten.
Lu Changfeng first found his copy of the *Jiangzhou Anecdotes*.
The most prominent story was a piece on public works—the rerouting of a canal in some district of Jiangzhou.
After a quick glance, he found his ad.
**Changle Martial Arts Hall** welcomes new students! Tuition: Only twenty taels for six months! Limited-time offer: thirty-five taels for a full year!
Master Lu Changfeng, a Blood Forging Realm Martial Artist, is an expert in his self-created Swordsmanship with superb Sword Dao Cultivation!
’Not a bad spot for the ad,’ Lu Changfeng thought, nodding in satisfaction.
Zhao Xingtian appeared at his side out of nowhere. "Mornin’!"
After a quick greeting, he snatched one of Lu Changfeng’s newspapers and left the Martial Arts Hall.
"Hei Niu, do you have any idea what he’s been up to lately?"
Ever since moving into the Martial Arts Hall, Zhao Xingtian had been disappearing frequently. He would often be gone for two or three days at a time, returning covered in the scent of perfume.
Hei Niu, who was bare-chested and in the middle of practicing his Blood Forging Technique, flushed an even deeper shade of red.
"Elder Zhao... he seems to be going to the Misty Rain Tower. I think so, anyway."
’Misty Rain Tower?’
’The grandest pleasure house in all of Jiangzhou, perhaps even the entire Jiangnan Prefecture, located on Lake Heart Island in Jiangzhou City.’
’Rumor had it that there were thousands, if not tens of thousands, of courtesans inside, offering a wide variety of entertainment. A true paradise for men.’
’The Misty Rain Tower was famous for its "Four Beauties of the Tower," each said to possess unique charms that could captivate any man in the world.’
He shook his head. What Zhao Xingtian did was none of his business. As long as he was back in a few days when the replication interface refreshed, allowing Lu Changfeng to get his copy, everything was fine.
Ever since their conversation under the night sky in Xing City, Lu Changfeng had sensed some of Zhao Xingtian’s inner conflict.
This actually put him more at ease. All they had to do was maintain their mutually beneficial relationship.
Zhao Xingtian was using him to stabilize his mental state, allowing him to quickly perfect his Jade Bone.
And Lu Changfeng, in turn, was copying Zhao Xingtian’s Upper A-Class Root Bone, striving to one day fuse it into a Heroic Root Bone.
Ever since witnessing the Root Bone and Talent of the Giant Elephant Woman in the Crystal Coffin at the bottom of Fengtian Lake, Lu Changfeng’s once-relaxed attitude of simply pursuing Longevity through Martial Arts had been replaced by a pressing sense of crisis.
’How many beings like the Giant Elephant Woman are out there?’
’Why was she in that deep slumber?’
’What Realm had her Martial Arts Cultivation truly reached?’
’Are there others like her in the Song Country?’
Perhaps once he reached the higher echelons of the Martial Arts Realm in Jiangzhou, he would learn more of the secrets of the martial path.
His first visitor wasn’t a prospective disciple, but an old acquaintance.
His Second Senior Brother, Zhou Feng!
"You’ve been well, I hope, Junior Brother!"
Zhou Feng had changed a great deal. His entire bearing was composed and self-assured. ’His Martial Arts Cultivation... he’s already broken through to the Tendon Transformation Realm!’
"I knew you were in Jiangzhou!" Lu Changfeng said with a laugh.
When he had placed the newspaper ad, Lu Changfeng had figured that Zhou Feng might come to see him if he saw it.
Lu Changfeng personally led Zhou Feng into the main hall.
"Changfeng, you’ve done a nice job with the place," Zhou Feng began. "I have to say, I’m surprised you’re still using the ’Changle Martial Arts Hall’ name."
Lu Changfeng poured Zhou Feng a cup of tea. "Well, it’s to carry on our master’s legacy, isn’t it? Besides, I’m not very good at naming things, and I think ’Changle’ has a nice ring to it."
The two martial brothers talked for a long while.
Lu Changfeng learned what Zhou Feng had been through over the past few years.
After their master died, Zhou Feng had chosen to come to Jiangnan Prefecture to make his way.
Just like Lu Changfeng, he had chosen to come directly to Jiangzhou, the Prefecture City of Jiangnan.
When he first arrived in Jiangzhou, Zhou Feng bought a small courtyard. Thanks to the Exotic Beast Meat provided by his Celestial Silkworm Seed, his cultivation progressed by leaps and bounds.
Eventually, Zhou Feng successfully broke through to the Blood Forging Sixth Layer.
After a period of secluded cultivation, he used the Tendon Transformation Skill their master had provided to open eighteen meridians, form a complete cycle, and condense Inner Strength within his body, becoming a Tendon Transformation Martial Artist!
After becoming a Tendon Transformation Martial Artist, Zhou Feng used his own funds to purchase a property and establish a Martial Arts Hall.
Zhou Feng had a passion for Sabersmanship.
He named his school the Round Saber Martial Arts Hall. After operating for over half a year, he already had more than twenty disciples and had successfully established a foothold in Jiangzhou.
The Round Saber Martial Arts Hall was also on Five Horses Street, but the street was vast, sprawling across main thoroughfares and side roads, so it was perfectly normal that Lu Changfeng hadn’t run into him.
Furthermore, Zhou Feng had also met the love of his life. They were already discussing marriage and planned to pick an auspicious day to wed in a few months.
Lu Changfeng couldn’t help but sigh with admiration. His Second Senior Brother had truly succeeded in both his career and his personal life.
After they caught up for a while, Zhou Feng started offering Lu Changfeng some advice.
"Changfeng, if you want the Martial Arts Hall to thrive, just placing ads isn’t going to be enough."
"Especially since you haven’t broken through to the Tendon Transformation Realm. I know your Swordsmanship is exceptional, of course—you’ve even comprehended Sword Intent."
"But other people don’t know that. As a master who’s still in the Blood Forging Realm, you have to enter the Martial Arts Hall tournament. You need to fight and make a name for yourself!"
"Do that, and business will naturally start booming!"