Eternal Life: Talent Grows with Age-Chapter 115 - 103: The White Ape in Distress

Lu Chang’sheng had scored big this time. Dozens of Pile Skills seemed to have undergone some kind of secret transformation, and his Five Treasures True Qi, which had already reached perfection, now showed signs of advancing even further.

"Just one more step, and I’ll reach the Innate realm!"

Lu Chang’sheng thought to himself.

"Tomorrow’s the day of the Martial Artist Council meeting. I wonder if anyone will actually show up this time."

Ever since war broke out in Black Mountain Prefecture, these Council gatherings hadn’t had much to do with him.

Still, a few days after each meeting, someone would swing by to pass him a message—though lately, they kept getting later and later.

The Council was rooted in Black Mountain Prefecture, and now that war had engulfed the place, their news just couldn’t get out very easily.

"Guess I’ll go check it out!"

He glanced at the exotic beast, the White Ape, lurking nearby, then grabbed his spear and leapt into the woods, vanishing from sight.

The White Ape sensed his gaze and gave him a casual look, the violence in its eyes fading just a bit.

······

Qingshui Town.

After chasing off a bunch of street punks pretending to own the place, Lu Chang’sheng settled in a small courtyard.

Two days had passed, and still, no one had come.

He sighed quietly and was about to leave when, all of a sudden, someone knocked at the door.

"Anyone in there?"

"How many of you?"

"Five of us—may we enter?"

The code matched. Lu Chang’sheng hurried over and opened the door. Outside stood a travel-worn man, who let out a long, weary breath.

Spotting Lu Chang’sheng, the man grumbled about the rough journey. In the end, he said to Lu Chang’sheng, "You’ve picked a good spot to avoid the war, but you’ll have a hell of a time coming back. Getting out is easy—coming back, not so much."

A strange look flashed in Lu Chang’sheng’s eyes. He asked, "Which prefecture are you from?"

Judging by the man’s bearing, he was probably a Protector Institute guy from a powerful family, so Lu Chang’sheng decided to probe a little. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

"I’m nobody important. I’m a Protector Institute man from the Hua Mansion in Liyang Prefecture. Someone sent me to deliver a message."

A complicated look passed over the man’s face.

Lu Chang’sheng’s expression grew more serious and his heart sank.

He’d figured the guy was just some normal recruit the other Council members had picked up over the years. He hadn’t expected this at all.

Was the situation really this bad?

Lu Chang’sheng then pressed for more details, and his gut feeling that things were off grew stronger by the minute.

This guy was a mere Protector Institute hire for a regular big family in Liyang Prefecture. Originally he’d joined the rebel army and was tasked with attacking Black Mountain Prefecture. But during a tug-of-war in the outer city, Black Mountain’s vanguard scattered their forces, and he was nearly killed. The lead officer spared him, with one condition—deliver a message here.

"That officer wanted me to pass on this message: ’Father’s health is failing. If you care, return quickly!’"

Lu Chang’sheng nodded and asked him about the state of things in Black Mountain Prefecture.

He learned that the rebels, together with Liyang Prefecture, had already seized the outer city and were now assaulting the inner city.

The inner city’s defenses were built for war—easy to defend, hard to crack. Xu Yuan had been prepared, which explained their long resistance.

"What about the two prefectures bordering us?"

Of the three prefectures neighboring Black Mountain, excluding Liyang, the other two were supposed to send reinforcements.

But now, they’d ignored Black Mountain’s siege for four whole years.

Unbelievable.

"The other two prefectures are swamped with their own problems—no spare troops to send here," the man said as he stood up. "If there’s nothing else, I’ll take my leave!"

"Alright!" Lu Chang’sheng saw him out, waited for the guy to disappear down the road, then turned and closed the door. An icy look crept across his face.

"This guy tried his best to hide it, but every time I brought up the rebels, he hesitated—he’s definitely with them. No way he’s just some unwilling bystander."

"So, trekking all this way probably isn’t about gratitude—it’s about..."

"Making a name for himself!"

Lu Chang’sheng vaulted over the wall and trailed the man’s route. Now that he’d reached the peak of the True Qi Realm, he could move as heavy as a great bell or as light as drifting willow fluff.

In a moment, he spotted the man arriving at the edge of town, knocking on the door of another courtyard, and walking right in.

"Well? Did you find him?"

"Found him. The guy’s Essence, Qi, and Spirit are top-notch—I’d say his cultivation’s way up there. In Black Mountain Prefecture, people like that definitely rank above the ordinary. If he’s moved out here, he probably brought a pile of cash." Greed flickered in the traveler’s eyes.

"Good. If he’s really a big fish, when we get back, you’ll get credit for it. Before long, you’ll be a camp head for sure." A burly, sharp-eyed man named Captain Long gave a hearty laugh.

"Captain Long, I don’t get it—is it really worth chasing people this far?" the traveler asked, seeing the big man smile, clearly confused.

"Ha! That’s what you don’t understand. Every prefecture city is ruled by the top brass. The moment war hits, they always find ways to get their families out. If we can catch some of the bigwigs’ loved ones, and then send word to the stubborn holdouts in the inner city, what do you think they’ll do?"

He clapped the fellow’s shoulder. "That’s exactly how we took Liyang Prefecture."

Before the man could show any shock, Captain Long called inside, "Gazi, take some guys and follow that fellow—see if he’s got any more companions. The guy’s careful, even uses different drop points for passing messages in each town."

They’d already spent more than ten days here, grilling every resident in town. Too bad, none of them matched the profile they were after.