"Who was that monk?" Lu Changsheng asked Li Hongzhuang.
"That monk was Master Luo Tian," Li Hongzhuang murmured through gritted teeth. "He's one of the four martial artists retained by the Cui Clan. He's just an alcoholic lecher who kills for sport—nothing like a real monk.
"His Vajra Palm is incredibly powerful, and among Organ Refinement martial artists, he's considered quite skilled. He's the guy the Cui Clan sends out when they need something handled away from the public eye."
Lu Changsheng nodded. "Let's find a place to stay first."
"I've already bought a courtyard," Li Hongzhuang replied. She had prepared for this long before.
They went straight to a small courtyard not far from the Cui Clan, with a clear view of their residence. After they settled in and rested for a while, Lu Changsheng asked, "Miss Li, do we know how many skilled martial artists we're up against?"
"Of course," she replied. "The Cui Clan has thirteen Organ Refinement martial artists in total. Nine are members of the family, and four are retainers. Among them, three within the family and two retainers are peak Organ Refinement martial artists."
Lu Changsheng nodded. What she was saying matched the information he had gathered beforehand.
"Five peak Organ Refinement martial artists," he murmured, frowning slightly. "I wonder how strong they really are."
It wasn’t that he doubted his own strength; he was simply cautious. After all, this was the Cui Clan's territory, and anything could happen here.
Li Hongzhuang went on, "I've traded blows with the two peak Organ Refinement martial artists retained by the Cui Clan. They're a little weaker than Zhao Qilei. As for the family's three peak Organ Refinement martial artists, I've never even met them, so I can't say how strong they really are. But I would wager to say that even the strongest among them is probably not much above Zhao Qilei.
"In any case, what matters now is learning where the Cui Clan keeps the Marrow Transformation Pills. Since they caught me trying to sneak in last time, they're on high alert now. This attempt is bound to be even more difficult."
Understandably, there was some hesitation on her part. After all, the Cui Clan had already taken a loss last time, and they were unlikely to make the same mistake again. Another break-in could end badly.
"Infiltrate the Cui residence? There's no need," Lu Changsheng said. "The Marrow Transformation Pills are one of the Cui Clan's deepest secrets. Very few know they have these pills, so even if you slip inside, it won't be easy to find.
"Besides, as you said, they'll be on guard now. Searching blindly would be like looking for a needle in a haystack. We need someone who knows where the pills are so we can force them to tell us. Do you have anyone in mind?"
Li Hongzhuang fell into thought. She had once considered capturing someone from the Cui Clan, but the Marrow Transformation Pills were a closely guarded secret. Only the family's inner circle knew about them, and that circle was really just the nine Organ Refinement martial artists within the Cui Clan.
"Those who know about the pills are basically all Organ Refinement martial artists," she said, frowning. "They rarely leave the estate, always staying close to protect the Cui Clan. The Patriarch appears in public often, but he is always surrounded by skilled martial artists. Getting close to him is nearly impossible."
"You mentioned earlier that Master Luo Tian handles matters the Cui Clan can't take care of publicly," Lu Changsheng said. "Could he be someone who knows about the pills?"
"Master Luo Tian?” Li Hongzhuang paused, sifting through her memories. Then her eyes brightened slightly. "Actually, he is. He's the oldest of the four martial artists retained by the Cui Clan and has a close relationship with them.
"And when they were gathering ingredients for the Marrow Transformation Pills, his name came up several times in my investigation. That means he was directly involved in acquiring the materials, so he likely knows about the pills themselves."
She continued, "Master Luo Tian is often out and about indulging himself in alcohol and women, so tracking his movements isn't difficult. But he's cautious and rarely strays far from the Cui residence. With his strength, defeating and forcing him to talk won't be easy."
Li Hongzhuang turned her gaze toward Lu Changsheng. She knew that this man, Shisan, was a supreme Organ Refinement expert. And considering he had killed Zhao Qilei, taking down Master Luo Tian wouldn't be challenging for him at all.
"Alright then, our target's set. We'll go after Master Luo Tian," Lu Changsheng said. "Miss Li, we find him, leave the rest to me."
"No problem. But what if Master Luo Tian doesn’t know where the Marrow Transformation Pills are?" Li Hongzhuang asked.
"If he doesn't know, we kill him and move on to the next," Lu Changsheng replied calmly, his voice filled with confidence and dominance. "If the next one doesn't know, we kill them too. The Cui Clan has many people; someone among them must know where the pills are."
To Lu Changsheng, the Cui Clan meant nothing. If killing one of them didn't get him an answer, then he would kill two. If killing two still didn't work, he would kill three. Just like that, he would keep going until he got an answer. His will was relentless and absolute.
Hearing this, Li Hongzhuang felt delighted. With Shisan this decisive, retrieving the pills suddenly seemed quite manageable.
"Alright. You rest for a while," she said. "I'll go out and find where Master Luo Tian is."
Lu Changsheng nodded. He turned to rest as Li Hongzhuang changed her disguise and slipped out to investigate.
***
Three days had passed in a flash.
At this moment, night had descended, and a crescent moon hung high in the sky.
Disguised once again, Li Hongzhuang and Lu Changsheng stood before a grand establishment known as the Chamber of Red Delights.[1]
"The Chamber of Red Delights is the largest brothel in Jubei City," Li Hongzhuang explained. "It's secretly run by the Cui Clan and serves as one of their many sources of income. It’s close to their estate, and Master Luo Tian often comes here to indulge himself. He usually visits every three days, and tonight should be one of those nights."
Lu Changsheng remained silent, waiting patiently.
Soon, Master Luo Tian appeared. As a familiar patron of the establishment, he walked in without hesitation, booked a private room, and summoned his favorite courtesans.
"Brother Shisan, this place is very close to the Cui residence," Li Hongzhuang warned softly. "We have at most fifteen minutes before we need to leave."
"It's just one monk. We won't need fifteen minutes," Lu Changsheng said as he strode boldly towards the Chamber of Red Delights. "Come, this will only take a moment."
***
Inside a lavishly decorated room of the Chamber of Red Delights, Master Luo Tian had summoned three girls to serve him. The table overflowed with fine food and wine, and his drunken laughter echoed through the room. None of them noticed the faint shadow lingering just outside the door.
Knock, knock, knock.
"Who is it?" Luo Tian asked, annoyed.
"Wine delivery for our honored guest."
"Get lost! This master is tending to his needs. Don’t disturb me!" Luo Tian scowled. After restraining himself for three days, he had no interest in more wine.
Bang!
The door burst open. A dark figure lunged straight toward Luo Tian as a flash of sword-light glinted faintly in the air.
Without hesitation, Luo Tian seized two of the women beside him and hurled them toward the intruder. Then, instead of retreating, he charged forward, using their bodies as cover while striking out with a fierce palm.
Buzz!
Luo Tian unleashed his Vajra Palm, and a massive phantom of a palm, blood-crimson in hue, surged forth, pressing down on the intruder—Lu Changsheng.
Despite seeing Luo Tian charge forward, the two women about to crash into his sword, and the phantom palm descending, Lu Changsheng remained calm. He sheathed his sword and slammed his left fist forward.
Bang!
Fist and palm collided.
Luo Tian's face twisted in fury, then shifted to shock and pain. A tremendous force erupted from Lu Changsheng's fist, flooding into his palm like a raging tide.
"What—" Luo Tian’s eyes widened in disbelief.
Crack!
As his arm snapped, Luo Tian was flung backward, hitting the ground with a pained scream.
"A peak Organ Refinement martial artist?!"
1. The Chamber of Red Delights in Chinese is 怡红楼 (Yí Hóng Lóu). Yí means pleasure or delight, Hóng means red and symbolizes beauty, prosperity, popularity, and Lóu means building or a structure. In this novel, it seems to be a borrowed term from the classic 18th-century novel Dream of the Red Chamber (红楼梦 / Hóng Lóu Mèng). In Dream of the Red Chamber, the "Red Chamber" refers to the boudoirs or chambers of beautiful young ladies. This phrase later became a literary shorthand for the world of beautiful young women. ☜