"Is it an illusion? Or is it not an illusion?"

Lusheng narrowed his eyes and suppressed the thoughts in his mind.

"It's nothing." He straightened his back and calmly responded.

"Young Master... Master Xu and the others were such good people, such good officials, how could they...?"

Tears welled up in Xiaochuo's eyes as she was about to start crying again.

Lusheng silently looked at the corpses all over the Xu family's floor.

The corpses were all bluish-gray in color, with strangulation marks around their necks.

The prefect took a few glances and hurriedly left, handing over full authority over the case to the Chief Catcher of the prison office.

The other bureaucrats in charge of investigating the case were also discussing the case details with the Chief Catcher.

"Young Master, the old master wants you to go over." A servant ran over and quietly said to Lusheng.

As he spoke, he cast a rather regretful look at the Xu family corpses on the ground.

"I'll go over right away." Lusheng looked at the servant. "Aren't you afraid?"

"I am afraid..." This 18 or 19 year old servant had a mature air that belied his age.

"But I fled here as a refugee from the famine in Jurong Country to the east. There are corpses all over there, and some families have even resorted to cannibalism. After seeing so many horrors... sigh..."

He sighed, then quickly lowered his head when he realized the person he was chatting with wasn't his usual friend.

"You've seen a lot? Are there many similar strange happenings in Jurong Country to the east as well?"

Lusheng asked casually.

The servant fell silent.

"Many."

Lusheng's heart tightened.

But his feet didn't stop, and he quickly arrived in front of his father in this life, Lu Fang.

Lu Fang, given name Quanan, sobriquet Gold Ingot Elder.

The Lus' money was quite famous throughout Jiu Lian City. The impending marriage alliance between the Lu family and Xu family was also already well known throughout the city, with some even coming from Zihua City to the west to offer congratulatory gifts.

But now, things had become like this.

Lu Quanan's face was extremely ugly at this time, with deep exhaustion and worry showing in his eyes.

"Discuss what happened yesterday thoroughly with Chief Catcher Zhao."

He stepped aside to make way for a bearded man walking closer.

Lusheng's mind kept echoing the words he had heard Xu Daoran say yesterday. He felt the water ghost case must be related to the Xus' deaths.

Thus, he recounted word for word his conversation with Xu Daoran yesterday.

He didn't hide anything.

Chief Catcher Zhao's brows were tightly furrowed, showing no clues.

Seeing there was nothing else to ask, Lusheng took his leave.

As he was leaving, the yamen's people started collecting the corpses.

Lusheng stood on the side watching for a while. When he saw Xu Daoran's body being directly lifted onto a stretcher, he sighed and walked closer to a catcher, asking:

"Brother, does the Xu family have any surviving members left?"

He thought that if the Xu family had any survivors, he would take care of them on their behalf. Perhaps he could gain some useful information from them.

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"There's no one left... they're all gone, even their in-laws and children were implicated." The catcher shook his head and said softly. "Maybe there's some distant relatives in Zihua City."

Lusheng secretly stuffed a broken silver coin to him, then left with Xiaochuo to get on his family's carriage.

The carriages left one after another to return home.

But the tragic sight of the Xu family was still in everyone's minds.

When the family returned home, Lu Fang convened a family meeting as the head of household, announcing the dissolution of the engagement with the Xu family. He told the women to comfort Yiyi more before returning to his room to rest, depressed.

The household's young masters either went to the city's wine houses, brothels, or music houses to numb themselves after the shock.

The women went to the nearby Red Lotus Temple to burn incense and pray for safety and peace.

It would be best if they could get a protective talisman from the Red Lotus Daoist to guard the household against evil spirits.

The entire Lu household was filled with unease.

Lusheng didn't go out to fool around.

He brought Xiaochuo straight to the family library.

The library was extremely quiet.

He pushed open the door. Inside was a fat woman cleaning and dusting the bookshelves.

The vermillion bookshelves, furniture, and the darkened light coming through the window gave the room a somewhat gloomy vibe.

Lusheng entered, circled around a round carved floral screen blocking the entrance, and smelled the faint wooden aroma in the room.

"You guys can leave first. I'll read some books here to rest."

He ordered.

"Yes."

Xiaochuo obediently responded, then left with the fat cleaning lady.

Lusheng stood alone in the library, looking at the rows of bookshelves with a slight sigh.

He started searching shelf by shelf.

Soon, he found some local records and gazetteers.

Then he took out all these books and started reading through them one by one.

Relying on the dim light coming through the window, he quickly finished reading one booklet.

[A number of strange occurrences and cases spanning 119 years are listed]

...

As he read record after record of major and minor cases and happenings, Lusheng grew increasingly uneasy.

He felt this world, filled with dangers around every corner, was simply astounding that the people here had not collapsed or gone insane, and could still live normal lives.

He moved his chair and picked up his flint stones to light the candle stand on the table.

The yellow candlelight illuminated his face, casting it in alternating brightness and shadow.

"If this world really is as dangerous as I guessed, what do I need to protect myself? What can I use to keep myself safe?"

He asked himself this.

After thinking for a while at the table, Lusheng slowly got up, blew out the candle stand, and returned all the books on the table to their original places.

Then he pushed the door open and exited.

Xiaochuo was dozing off leaning on the door. She was startled awake by Lusheng's sudden emergence. But she quickly reacted.

"Young Master, you're done reading?"

"Mm, where's Elder Zhao now? Do you know?" Lusheng casually asked.

There were many people surnamed Zhao and of an old age in the Lu household, but there was only one person who everyone called Elder Zhao.

That was Uncle Zhao whom Lu Fang called Cousin Zhao, the Lu family's top expert and most formidable martial arts master — Zhao the Black Tiger.

"Um... Elder Zhao is usually at the martial arena training his tendons and bones and instructing the household guards at this time." Xiaochuo was on good terms with the other servants, so her information was quite updated.

"Let's go find him."

Lusheng thought carefully for some time. He knew Elder Zhao was likely the most accessible person he could rely on to gain the power to protect himself.

Following the small paths in the residence, Lusheng quickly passed through two living areas to arrive at the rear of the massive compound.

In a large parade ground, an elderly man with graying hair was leading over a dozen guards in practicing fist and footwork.

The morning sun shone down. The tragic events from the morning were starting to fade from memory.

Martial arts master Zhao the Black Tiger wore short garments for fighting, with a black top and gray pants. On his back he carried a thick broad saber that he was never without.

Lusheng waited at the side and watched.

After Zhao the Black Tiger trained the guards for a while, he had them partner up to spar with each other. Then he walked over to where Lusheng was standing. He had noticed Lusheng early on.

"Eldest Young Master, how do you have time today to come to the training yard? Is there something you need this old man's help with?"

Zhao the Black Tiger's standing in the household was about the same as the old master.

The other martial arts masters were also quite prestigious, more interacting with the young masters and misses on equal footing.

Lusheng looked at the guards still practicing fist techniques not too far away.

"Elder Zhao, I want to practice martial arts."

His words caused Zhao the Black Tiger's smile to freeze on his face.

"Winner Boy, you aren't joking around with this old man are you?"

"I'm serious." Lusheng shook his head.

He had thought for a long time. The only place he could most easily gain the power to protect himself right now was to first learn martial arts from the family's martial arts masters.

The family's martial arts master Zhao the Black Tiger's saber techniques were unmatched in all of Jiu Lian City, with scarcely a few others who could rival him.

Zhao the Black Tiger looked closely at Lusheng and shook his head.

"If Winner Boy truly wants to learn martial arts, this old man's skills are not unwilling to pass on to you. It's just... you're too old now, your body's frame is set, so you won't be able cultivate many of techniques to mastery.

If you can't cultivate these skills to mastery, their power will be greatly reduced..."

"That's fine. Elder Zhao, just go ahead and teach me."

Lusheng said seriously.

Zhao the Black thoughtfully stroked his beard, speaking heavily,

"I know you were stimulated by the Xu family's atrocious case this morning and want to learn martial arts to protect yourself.

But I will clearly tell you, even the greatest masters of the jianghu are powerless against those freakish and bizarre happenings."

"...I understand...."

Lusheng nodded.

"I just want to do the best I can to ease my worries."

"As long as Winner Boy understands." Zhao the Black Tiger thought for a bit, then took out a small booklet from his clothes wrapped in layers of yellow cloth.

He carefully and slowly revealed the small book at the very center.

Written on the booklet cover in large words were:

'Black Tiger Bladework'