My cells devour all worlds.

Is everything alright?

Lu Sheng wasn't very convinced.

This matter has gone by a bit too smoothly.

Could it be that the people in the imperial court have already obtained the Xuan Shui True Scripture and therefore do not want to create any further complications?

Whether he believed it or not, Lu Sheng did not notice any changes in Linjiang Prefecture in the following days.

Apart from the fact that the Canglang Gang is gone.

It was as if nothing had really happened.

"Am I just overthinking it?"

After finishing his night of cultivation, Lu Sheng couldn't help but think about the peaceful life he had lived these past few days.

That's good, it just so happens that his filth training is getting better and better. In another ten days or half a month, he should be able to complete the filth training stage.

Reaching the so-called perfect state of Iron Wall Kung Fu.

At that time, his skin and flesh will be as smooth as leather, his bones and muscles as strong as iron, his internal organs as powerful as a furnace, and his internal strength and external power will be such that his blood and qi will flow like mercury.

He has no weaknesses or vulnerabilities whatsoever.

According to Yue Shan, he was a master of external martial arts.

Compared to the innate grandmasters who cultivate internal energy, they each have their own strengths and weaknesses, and it is impossible to say which is stronger or weaker.

Although Yue Shan said that was the ultimate goal for those who practiced external martial arts, Lu Sheng knew that it was merely the threshold for cultivating the method of mental focus.

In his spare time these days, Lu Sheng has been studying the chapters on the Zhenyue Gong's method of preserving intention during his cultivation.

However, they couldn't figure it out at all.

Unlike the previous chapters on external and internal training, this book is easy to understand and provides step-by-step examples.

The last chapter, on the method of focusing the mind, is only a few hundred words long and is quite mysterious, shrouded in mystery, and somewhat difficult to understand.

What about sayings like "When a single thought arises, immense power arises spontaneously," "To guard without guarding, to contend without contending," and "A mountain is not a mountain, a peak is not a peak"...?

Not a single word in the entire text teaches you how to cultivate yourself or how to begin; instead, it reads more like a few doggerel poems describing mountains.

Understanding the text itself isn't difficult.

It's nothing more than having him imagine himself as a mountain, with his spine as the pillar of heaven, his dantian as the root of the earth, and his qi and blood as rivers, and so on.

But then?

Is it enough to just imagine it?

This is what Lu Sheng found abstract.

If one could overpower a master of innate cultivation simply by imagining it, then what would be the point of cultivation or taking any powerful medicine?

The more I think about it, the more unlikely the final method of focusing the mind seems.

Lu Sheng wasn't in a hurry to deny it, after all, he hadn't actually started trying it yet.

Maybe.

But he didn't have high hopes.

If it were really that simple, then only the ancestor of the Chen family had mastered it.

Other external martial arts training methods simply don't include this step.

Lu Shengdu suspected that this might have been written by the Chen family ancestors to amuse their descendants.

So he made two preparations. If that didn't work, he planned to visit the sects that Fairy Lanyue had mentioned.

I'd like to borrow some teachings from the masters of several schools.

If external skills don't work, he can practice internal skills; eventually, he'll succeed.

Just these days, after what happened a few days ago, Shen Qingshu regained his confidence and went to the martial arts training ground every day to exchange martial arts techniques with the bodyguards.

No one bothered him.

Lu Sheng was living a very comfortable life.

A few more days passed.

Su Wanqing returned to Linjiang Prefecture with a merchant caravan, and life went back to normal.

Aside from practicing martial arts, Shen Qingshu would drag Lu Sheng to find Su Wanqing.

After their last escort mission, Shen Qingshu and Su Wanqing became much closer.

There's no longer a need for Su Qi to send messages to create chance encounters.

Instead, Shen Qingshu took the initiative to invite Su Wanqing out to watch plays, listen to storytelling, go boating, and taste new pastries and delicacies.

I always get a response.

After returning from another day of sightseeing, Lu Sheng was certain that he had been overthinking things.

Nothing happened for more than ten days, so it seems the court really had no such intention.

He's almost finished his training, probably in the next few days.

That way, I can travel north with peace of mind and borrow martial arts techniques from the nearby Zhenwu Pavilion.

Just then, several fast horses rushed out of the escort agency and passed right beside the two men.

"Young Master Lu, Head镖师 (Young Master Lu)."

Shen Qingshu responded, then looked at the beaming crowd with a puzzled expression. "What's making you all so happy today?"

"Hehe, Chief Escort Zhao has succeeded! Chief Escort Zhao has broken through to the first-class level! The head escort said he'll be hosting a grand banquet at the escort agency in three days to invite all the martial arts practitioners from Linjiang Prefecture to celebrate..."

"Wow, that's great! Go ahead, go ahead."

……

Linjiang Prefecture, Su Family.

Su Wanqing was summoned to Su Wenyuan early in the morning.

Su Wenyuan first dismissed his attendants, then said in a deep voice, "Wan'er, from today onwards, you are forbidden from having any further dealings with Shen Qingshu of the Changfeng Escort Agency."

"what?"

Su Wanqing looked up, puzzled. "Father, why? But... but what happened? Young Master Shen..."

Her father had previously intended to match her with Shen Qingshu, so why has he suddenly changed his mind and become so serious?

"Don't ask any more questions!"

Su Wenyuan interrupted Su Wanqing, his tone suddenly turning stern: "Just remember this: the Su family and Changfeng Escort Agency have nothing to do with each other from now on. There is absolutely no possibility between you and him!"

Seemingly realizing his outburst, his tone softened, "You need to understand, I'm doing this for your own good, and even more so for the sake of the entire Su family!"

Su Wanqing had never seen her father act this way before, and it was easy to tell from his words that the situation was urgent.

Thinking back to when she first returned and heard about the destruction of the Canglang Gang, Su Wanqing felt a jolt and couldn't help but ask:

"Father, is something bad about the Changfeng Escort Agency?"

Su Wenyuan did not answer, but the wrinkles between his brows deepened.

"Father! Have you forgotten how your daughter returned safely? If it weren't for Uncle Shen's help all these years..."

"Enough! I entrusted them with the shipment; it's what they were supposed to do!"

"Father, do you even believe that yourself? Why did the butterfly among the flowers and willows disappear without a trace come looking for your daughter? Others may not know, but don't you know?"

Because her mother died at the hands of martial arts practitioners, her father harbored a deep hatred for them.

Therefore, wherever Jiang Wenyuan went, he would use various methods to severely crack down on those unruly江湖人士 (jianghu figures).

This resulted in him making many enemies.

Whenever they went out, they had to be accompanied by guards, otherwise they were extremely vulnerable to retaliation.

Upon hearing this, Su Wenyuan took a deep breath and exhaled heavily, "How could I not know? It's just... it's just that the Changfeng Escort Agency is involved in... no one can save them!"

He closed his eyes, sighed, and remained silent for a long time.

When he opened his eyes again, they were clear. "Alright, you may leave. Without my order, you are not to step out of the courtyard from now on, and you are not to communicate with anyone."

"Father……"

Su Wanqing wanted to say something more, but Su Wenyuan didn't give her a chance at all and just waved his hand.

"Guards, take the young lady back to her room. Without my permission, she is not allowed to leave the room or have any contact with anyone."

As they were talking, several guards and maids who had been waiting entered from outside the courtyard and forcibly took Su Wanqing away.

I just arrived at the gate of the courtyard.

Xiao Huan ran over, glaring at the two rough old women who were holding Su Wanqing, "How could you treat Miss so rudely? Let her go right now!"

The two rough-looking old women ignored Xiao Huan and only released Su Wanqing after they entered the courtyard.

Then he said, "Please listen to Master's instructions, Miss, and don't make things difficult for us."

After saying that, he left the courtyard.

The two guards stood on the left and right, acting as door gods.

Xiao Huan looked completely bewildered. "Miss, what's wrong?"

Su Wanqing pulled Xiao Huan into the room and whispered, "Something's happened. Changfeng Escort Agency might be in danger."

"Huh? Then isn't Young Master Shen in danger? Why..." Xiao Huan opened her mouth wide, somewhat puzzled.

"Xiao Huan, could you go out and tell Young Master Shen?"

Although it seemed impossible, Su Wanqing wanted to give it a try.

"Xiao Huan, give it a try."

Although Xiao Huan was a little confused, she still walked towards the courtyard gate.

She returned to the room shortly after, her face contorted with distress: "Miss, no matter what Xiao Huan says, the guards won't let me go out. They even told me not to think about it anymore, because there are guards watching not only at the gate but also everywhere outside the courtyard."

Su Wanqing couldn't help but look in the direction where Su Wenyuan was.

Father, how are you any different from the gangsters you despise by doing this?

She grabbed a pair of scissors.

"Miss!"