Heaven rewards diligence; he fought his way through chaos to become a saint.

Chapter 140 Lu Budao

Summer has arrived, and the scorching sun makes the air sweltering.

Ye Ci descended the mountain under the scorching sun.

He felt that Xiao Hua was probably no worse than Shi Zhuo, and perhaps it was because Master Yang left that he wasted some of his time.

Fortunately.

Otherwise, if he's worse than that kid, that would be terrible.

He walked very fast, mainly because the Yanqing Sect was located on the edge of the inner city. In no time, he crossed the inner city boundary, and the surrounding area became much more lively.

The road was bustling with pedestrians, and the noise was several times more lively and noisy than in the mountains. It was hot and noisy everywhere.

Passing by "Zuiyuelou", is the place where Yan Qian invited me to dinner.

This street was quite bustling, and women were seeking respite from the heat along the streets and alleyways. In the early summer heat, the beauties all wore light gauze skirts with thin sleeves and graceful hems. Delicate pearl flowers hung by their temples, and their skin was as white as jade, making them beautiful and charming.

Ye Ci couldn't help but glance to the side, only then noticing a tall pavilion next to Zuiyue Tower, from which came the sounds of string and wind instruments.

That day, I was so focused on looking at Yan Qian that I didn't notice there was a brothel there.

Upstairs, a woman leaned against the railing, her light gauze dress barely accentuating her slender figure. The thin fabric did not conceal her curves, her eyes were gentle and her posture graceful. She moved about with light steps, exuding natural charm.

This attracted the attention of the street thugs and passersby, who whispered their comments and praises.

"Have you heard? Miss Jiang Wanyao from the capital is coming to our Wucheng! All these women are dressed up in their finest clothes, trying to outdo Jiang Wanyao."

As soon as she finished speaking, several men immediately surrounded her, their voices rising involuntarily: "Jiang Wanyao? That famous courtesan from the capital? Why would she come to our place? In this sweltering heat, to suffer like this?"

'

The speaker was a vendor dressed in shorts and carrying a basket. He wiped the sweat from his brow and lowered his voice, but couldn't hide the excitement in his eyes. He slapped his thigh and said, "That's right! She's as beautiful as a fairy, and she's proficient in all the arts, especially the pipa. It's said that she can attract all the birds to her!"

"I heard they'll be staying in Wucheng for half a month to perform on stage. They'll be playing the zither at Zuiyue Tower then, and we'll come join the fun!"

"Hmph, no matter how talented she is, she's still just a courtesan."

A swordsman standing nearby scoffed, "In the end, she's just selling herself somewhere else. I bet she wants to be the most beautiful courtesan at the Red Sleeve Pavilion."

Hongxiu Pavilion is a tall building next to Zuiyue Tower.

"What do you know!"

The vendor immediately retorted, raising his voice even higher: "Miss Jiang is no ordinary courtesan. She is virtuous and self-disciplined, selling her art but not her body. Even powerful officials in the court have to wait for her to play a piece before they can ask her to. I heard that last time a prince tried to force her to be his concubine, she directly cut her wrists with the strings of her pipa to show her resolve. In the end, the prince could only slink away in disgrace. Such integrity is unmatched by ordinary women!"

Ye Ci raised an eyebrow slightly, but did not stop, only listening to a few words of gossip.

He had no interest in the fame and beauty of courtesans in this world, nor in things like the phoenix paying homage to a hundred birds or noble character.

It's just a publicity stunt.

When Zhang Guan first entered the city, some people said he was a good official.

Those who end up in brothels all have expectations in their hearts, so how can they speak of integrity?

As he was thinking this, a person walked quickly towards him.

"Master Ye, I never expected to run into you here. I almost got lost and made a wasted trip."

Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be Steward Chen and Wang Ya.

"Why are you here?"

Seeing that the two men were empty-handed, it didn't seem like they were there to deliver cultivation supplies to him. Besides, Yan Zhan had just come by a few days ago, so he wasn't lacking in cultivation supplies.

Manager Chen said, "Let's talk as we walk."

As the group headed towards the Shen residence, Wang Ya spoke first, asking, "How is Elder Ye's cultivation progressing? Are there any signs of him breaking through to the next stage?"

Before Ye Ci could answer, Steward Chen couldn't wait to speak up: "Previously, our family had some conflicts with other families at the dock over berths. Master Shen always wanted to make money peacefully, but who knew that the other party not only didn't appreciate it, but also intensified their provocations against us."

"Old Wang and I are no match for them. Even if we run into them, we can only swallow our anger."

"The Yan family said they had introduced several famous martial arts masters to Miss, and that she could choose one to represent the Shen family to meet them, but Miss thought it was too expensive."

After listening to Manager Chen's explanation, Ye Ci finally understood.

A Wu family, relying on a guest elder who had reached the Dan level, took the lead in suppressing the Shen family. They repeatedly demanded that the Shen family find someone to fight, but the Shen family did not accept the challenge.

Although Yan Qian introduced several martial arts instructors to Shen Yixi, they all asked for more than 100,000 taels of silver. Shen Yixi said that 100,000 taels of silver was not easy to earn, and a little calculation would show the gains and losses, so she decided to continue to be patient.

In this respect, Ye Ci thought the girl was very smart, because if it costs 100,000 taels of silver to hire someone to do something once, would it cost 100,000 taels of silver every time someone came to her repeatedly?

If this continues, won't it drag the Shen family down?

Moreover, the Shen family had already suffered losses because of leaving Songjiang, and they were still supporting him. If he were targeted like this by others, it would affect his cultivation resources sooner or later.

"Did you come to me so I could ask you to spar with my master?"

Ye Ci's first thought was that the family patrons of the merchants in Wucheng must be quite powerful, and Yan Shengwan should be able to handle them.

However, he felt that his master might not necessarily take action, after all, he was the sect leader of a sect.

Upon hearing this, Manager Chen was also taken aback. He exchanged a glance with Wang Ya, and they both understood the meaning in each other's eyes.

This servant of ours really doesn't care about anything on a daily basis, and doesn't even understand many of the rules and customs of Wucheng.

How could someone like Yan Shengwan possibly fight for the sake of a small family?

Manager Chen continued, "Miss Chen asked the two of us to visit you, firstly to ask if you show any signs of breaking through to the next level, so she can decide whether to ask someone to buy you the 'Breakthrough Pill' needed to break through."

At this point, he deliberately added, "She doesn't want you to neglect your cultivation because of elixirs."

Wang Ya interjected, "Secondly, the Shen family is loading goods today, intending to sell some locally abundant medicinal herbs elsewhere. However, the Wu family is deliberately provoking us. So, Miss, you would like me to ask you if you can represent the Shen family in the fight."

Ever since Ye Ci killed Duan Wu and Zhang Guan, Wang Ya felt that Ye Ci was extraordinary. He had seen Ye Ci fight and knew that he could unleash the power of the illusory core, so he might not be unable to win.

"Should I go and exchange punches?"

Ye Ci chuckled softly. This girl really thinks highly of me!

"Yes, the other party's Dan-level martial arts master is named Lu Hanhai. He used to be an inner disciple of a small sect. Later, he got old and had no hope of being promoted to elder, so he became a retainer of the Wu family."

"However, this person also practices the 'Thick Earth Suppressing Mountain Technique' of the three major sects, and his skill is quite formidable. He is considered a formidable expert among those who have reached the Core Formation stage."

Manager Chen recounted Lu Hanhai's background in detail.

This person was at the first level of the Core Formation stage, but unfortunately, due to his innate talent, he failed to break through the bottleneck several times. Originally, Core Formation martial artists were considered pillars of their small sects, but unfortunately, that sect gradually became larger, so he eventually...

None of them became elders.

However, he was quite prestigious at the dock, with extensive experience in boxing matches, and was known as "Lu the Unbreakable".

First level of the Core Formation stage?!

Upon hearing this, Ye Ci frowned: "Lu Budao, why not Lu Bubai?"

A mere cultivator at the first level of the Core Formation stage dares to use such a name —

"He has lost before, but he's not afraid of losing face; he can fight again next time," Wang Ya said.

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