A player on Mount Hua starts by obtaining the Prism color entry.

Chapter 104 Gathering Qi Flowers, A Conspiracy Unfolds

[Complete the achievement: Gather Qi Flowers, reward with a Homestead upgrade, which can be linked to the Sect Leader's entry]

Lu Ming checked and found that he could build a new building, the "Wind and News Platform," and upgrade the teleportation array in his homestead. The teleportation array could be bound to Mount Hua, Mount Heng, and his homestead, making it convenient for him and his partner in the homestead to travel freely. Moreover, he could set a corresponding anchor point in each city for quick travel.

The Rumor-Busting Platform is quite interesting, as it's a hub for news that moves at the slightest provocation. Besides receiving personal messages via carrier pigeon, you can spend silver to purchase intelligence here, once a day. You can also spend silver to obtain disseminated information, such as information revealing that Wu Hua and Nangong Ling, two bastards with some Japanese ancestry, are plotting to usurp power and pave the way for an invasion of the Central Plains.

The news may be a mix of truth and falsehood, but if it involves the Beggars' Sect, the most powerful gang in the world, and the renowned Shaolin Temple, the level of attention it generates is predictable. A tall tree catches the wind, and there's never a shortage of ambitious individuals trying to take a piece of their flesh.

He had just upgraded the Rumor Platform when he received a message from Old Yue. He was to go to the capital as the young master of the Huashan Sect to attend Madam Jin's 80th birthday celebration, while he would lead the sect's disciples to the capital on official business.

This is quite intriguing. Why was he allowed to attend the birthday celebration when they were both in the capital?

Just as they were about to buy the information, Lin Xian'er's coquettish voice came: "It's all your fault! We were kicked off the mountain. Your ability to cause trouble is no less than your two friends'!"

Chu Liuxiang and Lu Xiaofeng lowered their heads in tacit agreement; they were still preparing to drag Lu Ming into the mess.

Lu Ming unceremoniously grabbed Yingying's slender waist and pulled her into his arms: "Now we can roam the martial world together, right? I have a new piece of music coming out soon, do you want to listen?"

Everyone strained to listen; Lu Ming's song "The Flowers Are Too Fragrant" was simply too beautiful, resonating with countless young ladies and chivalrous heroes. It was even being sung in the capital, demonstrating its immense popularity.

Lin Xian'er blinked, ignoring the other's mischievous large hands. She wrapped her arms around his neck, her eyes curving into crescents, and her soft, fragrant whispers were enough to ignite her desires. What a vixen!

"What song is it?"

Lu Ming, without batting an eye, said, "After seeing Miss Xian'er and experiencing the ups and downs of Hengshan, I felt compelled to say this. If you don't like it, feel free to laugh; I'm quite thick-skinned. But we need to get to Lao Xiang's boat first, and then head to the capital on the way."

Lin Xian'er covered her mouth and giggled, her expressive eyes brimming with charm and playfulness, transforming her from a stunning beauty into a curious older sister next door: "Really? If you go to the capital, you might not have a moment's rest! You cured the Seventh Young Master of the Hua family's eye ailment, restoring his sight. You fought to a draw with Qiao Feng in Hengyang, seemingly curing Uncle Yu's disability, and you even solved the supposedly incurable problem of the Heavenly One Divine Water. Countless people are seeking your treatment!"

No secrets stay hidden forever. The news that Chu Liuxiang's confidante, who was poisoned by the Heavenly Divine Water, is now alive and well again will spread like wildfire. All of this will bring Lu Ming immense prestige, but also trouble!

He's not afraid of people seeking his help; he's afraid of no one asking. Patients have to pay a consultation fee, and if you have the means, he'll set the price for any treasures, medicines, or even martial arts manuals you want!

As for troubles, life is full of them; we'll just have to deal with them as they come.

The group arrived outside a small town near Wudang Mountain. A treasure ship was moored on the river. It was grand in appearance and made of the finest wood. It was crafted by the Lu Ban Divine Axe Sect and was easy to operate. Moreover, it could even sail on the open sea without any problems.

No one would question the craftsmanship of the Lu Ban Divine Axe Sect. The sect was small in number and its martial arts skills weren't particularly high, yet it enjoyed the deep trust of various sects and even collaborated with royal families from different countries. Their expertise ranged from creating rare and precious objects to constructing imperial tombs.

To put it bluntly, aside from modern things like artificial satellites, airplanes, and missiles, which they couldn't make, they could make anything in ancient times.

After boarding, Song Tian'er went to prepare the meal; cooking was her forte. Li Hongxiu was in charge of entertaining the female guests and serving drinks to Chu Liuxiang to his friends. Only Su Rongrong was handling the important matters; she was responsible for gathering information and analyzing intelligence.

After pouring the wine, Chu Liuxiang drank it first as a sign of respect: "Brother Ming, I am deeply grateful and cannot express my thanks. If it weren't for your superb medical skills, I would probably have regretted it for the rest of my life."

Lu Ming waved his hand, picked up his wine glass, smelled it, and his eyes lit up: "Stop rambling. It's my bad luck to know you two frenemy friends. Sigh, actually, my favorite brother is Brother Li Xunhuan!"

Lu Xiaofeng shushed him and downed his drink in one gulp: "Ah, right, right, he gave you Li Garden and your cousin, so of course he's the elder brother. Luckily I don't have any sisters, otherwise I'd be your good elder brother too!"

The three exchanged a smile, clinked glasses, and drank, everything understood without a word.

Lu Ming never felt there was anything wrong with following Long Xiaoyun's old path. Taking the villain's path and leaving the villain with nowhere to go—how could the word "exhilarating" compare to that? It would at least be comparable to fighting Yue Lingshan for three hundred rounds.

Chu Liuxiang put down his wine cup. Sometimes there's not much difference between good friends and good brothers. The closer their relationship became, the more he joked, "Luckily, Brother Ming only likes people a few years older than him. If it were someone in their twenties or thirties, I probably wouldn't be interested!"

Lu Ming suddenly remembered Chu Liuxiang's background: the crown prince of Annam, whose mother, Shi Fenghuang, was also a ruthless and alluring beauty. He coughed lightly, suppressing any inappropriate thoughts, otherwise it would really become a situation where I call you brother and you call me dad, and we each have our own roles!

"Alright, stop talking nonsense. You two have been harboring ill intentions from the very beginning. What are you planning this time? Let me make this clear first: Master wants me to attend Madam Jin's birthday celebration at Wanfu Wanshou Garden on behalf of the Huashan Sect. I have a feeling something's off about this, like there's some kind of conspiracy."

These two are fearless, yet incredibly curious. It seems they haven't faced many setbacks since their debut; people who like to cause trouble usually don't fare well, but they're still alive and well, which is enough to prove their abilities.

Lu Xiaofeng nodded, stroking his beard, which was as long as his eyebrows: "Old Xiang and I think so too. This is too unusual. Even martial arts figures from the Southern Song Dynasty have received invitations. Although the Jin family has produced many talented individuals, in the Great Wei, Southern Song, and Dali..."

The Western Xia had official positions and influence, but this was the first time they had done something so grand and ostentatious.

Chu Liuxiang picked up the thread and continued his analysis: "That's right, the most important thing is that the royal family is involved this time. The Dragon Guard Manor helped with the preparations, the Eastern Depot was responsible for assistance, and the Six Doors were also doing odd jobs behind the scenes. With such a grand scale, coupled with the recent moves by the imperial court to recruit various sects, there's a lot of shady stuff and conspiracy going on here."

"Most importantly, Nangong Ling and Wuhua have already been recruited by the Dragon Guard Manor! They're both notorious, yet they were recruited by the reputable Dragon Guard Manor. Furthermore, that Iron-Blooded Marquis has recently gone mad, showing great hostility towards the Qing court and advocating sending troops to attack, as if he's determined to obtain something!"

Determined to win?

Lu Ming looked at the ten Heavenly Fragrance Cardamom pods in his bag. These were gathered from the back mountain. They were originally found at the Hengshan Sect, given to him by Yang Ling, also known as the Mute Granny. She said that she had obtained them by chance while traveling in the Southern Frontier before she gave birth to Yilin.