Eternal Life: Talent Grows with Age-Chapter 93 - 91: Martial Artist Council Gathers

Lu Chang’sheng mused, "Tomorrow, have someone send word over to the Chen Mansion. Tell them to have those two watch themselves. If there’s a next time, then the Chen Family will have no reason to stay in Black Mountain Prefecture."

Zhao Qing and Zhao Xinghua were both shrewd—if the matriarch and her eldest brother relaxed even a bit, the two would surely chip away at the previous impact over time.

"You didn’t say it, I was going to do it anyway. I’ve noticed that your elder brother’s been restless lately. Word is, he’s even been seen at the brothel. Zhao Xinghua was his old flame, after all. With that layer of history, it’s hard for him to hold himself back."

"No doubt Zhao Xinghua thinks the same." Lu Chang’sheng shook his head inwardly. As for his brother frequenting brothels, there wasn’t much he could say about it.

When you’re warm and well-fed, carnal desire follows. Once you’ve got money, temptation comes all too easy.

And with Great Yuan not looking down on brothels—in fact, some even take pride in visiting—Lu Haozi managing to restrain himself all these years was no small feat.

"As long as Ma Xiaocao’s got no issue with it, let him do as he pleases,"

Lu Chang’sheng said.

"What opinion could she possibly have? Xiaocao didn’t come from a good family—she’s mentioned to me more than once, marrying into this house is a blessing a hundred lifetimes couldn’t earn. When she came back to Zhao Family Village a few years ago, everybody envied her. Some of the local girls even slipped her silver coins hoping she’d talk to Lu Haozi about taking them as concubines. Even Xiaocao’s mother told her Lu Haozi should take a few more; that way, she could have it a little easier!"

These days, a woman with no background who marries into money and power—if her husband never takes a concubine, people are bound to talk shit about her.

Lu Chang’sheng shot her a fierce glare; he knew exactly what she was hinting at.

"Don’t even think about taking concubines for now. There’s war going on outside, it could come to the Prefecture City any day. And for those of us who practice Martial Arts, we need to keep a tight rein on such things."

Li Nangua softly hummed, though she didn’t look too pleased, deep down she was pretty happy.

After all, everyone’s got their selfishness—if she could have Lu Chang’sheng all to herself, why wouldn’t she be glad?

She just didn’t want others gossiping, letting it get to Chang’sheng and mess with his mood.

Five days later.

A light, misty rain was falling.

In front of an unremarkable courtyard in West Gate Marketplace, a nervous peddler happened by carrying his wares, only to spot two men walking toward him. He jumped in fright—their faces were calm, even carried a hint of a smile, but there was an air of menace about them that made him uneasy. His shoulder pole slipped down, one end hitting the ground.

He hurriedly bent down, picked it up, and hurried off, thinking, "Who the hell are those two? More terrifying than the Black Mountain Army soldiers."

Glancing back, the two men stood in the rain, watching him.

One of them glared, and the peddler broke into a run, vanishing from sight in seconds.

"That battlefield aura is the real deal—spooking ordinary folks like this is too damn effective!" The one on the left grinned.

"No need to use an ox-knife to kill a chicken! If your men saw you doing that, they’d roast you for sure."

The guy on the right was steadier, shaking his head in disdain.

The two came up to the courtyard door and knocked.

A voice sounded from inside: "The master’s not home—who goes there?"

The man on the left replied, "The master is home—five men entering the yard!"

The door creaked open, and a smiling face appeared.

"Whoever came up with that code phrase had zero poetic sense. If you ask me, Chang’sheng should do it—he’s the Top Scholar!"

"Ha! That code’s from the Gang Leader. What brings you two here this year?"

The door-opener grinned. He was known as Lao Wu, a core member who’d clawed his way up from the bottom. Every year when the Martial Artist Council convened, he stood guard with the others.

The two who’d just entered sighed helplessly. "Everyone needs a break, or how are we supposed to fight that last big battle?"

Lao Wu paused, his expression turning serious.

Standing before him were Zhao Hu and Wei Feng.

These days, one held the Ninth Grade Official Status, the other was a Ninth Grade Captain.

They’d spent years out there fighting rebel armies; their return meant a major battle was looming.

"Has Chang’sheng arrived?"

Just then, the code phrase sounded outside. Moments later, Lu Chang’sheng pushed the door open and stepped inside, Li Nangua following behind him.

"Looks like everyone’s here! Let’s get started."

Lu Chang’sheng swept his eyes over the group in the room.

Everyone present was a true core member of the Martial Artist Council—only they got to attend these gatherings. The next tier held around a hundred, and below that, while still involved, it didn’t count as full membership—about twenty people in total.

Among them, some held high posts in big gangs, others served with major families. Some, like Niu Dazhuang, worked in Martial Arts Halls, or were involved in various trades.

For example, Lao Wu was a prodigy at the Martial Arts Hall, his Root Bone in martial training rivaled even Niu Dazhuang’s. He’d been discovered and gradually rose to become a council core.

"We only hold a core meeting when there’s real business, so I’ll just come out with it."

With a dozen excited eyes on him, Lu Chang’sheng produced several ledger books.

"These are True Qi Martial Arts. They’re a good fit for the Pile Skill you’re all practicing right now."

Lu Chang’sheng laid out the pros and cons, including the Divine Power Stake and the later Five Treasures True Skill, emphasizing how key they were for advancing to the Innate Realm.

With his clout these days, he could pull strings for entry to the Martial Artist Institute—but not for this group here.

The Institute had rules—over twenty, and you were out. These folks were all at least 25, same age as Lu Chang’sheng.

At once, everyone hesitated.

Human nature’s what it is—everyone wants the best, nobody wants to shut down their own hopes.

Most of them eventually opted to take up the True Qi Martial Arts.

All these martial arts were things Lu Chang’sheng had gotten after consulting with Hong Yuan.

To Hong Yuan, as long as it wasn’t the Five Treasures True Skill being shared, the rest didn’t matter much.

Of course, they had to keep it from spreading. Otherwise, the consequences would be extreme.

"Forget it—our Martial Dao talent is average. If we hold out any longer, once our vitality fades, we might not even have this shot at it!"

Zhao Hu laughed aloud, snatched a True Qi Martial Art, and headed into a side room.

The rest soon made up their minds.

Don’t be fooled into thinking Lu Chang’sheng could hand out True Qi Martial Arts like candy—for most here, only about half could even touch such skills. And the quality was far inferior to the ones he was now passing out, plus getting them required a hefty price.

That’s why they’d rather wait on Lu Chang’sheng.

"With my official status now, I can get my hands on some regular True Qi Martial Arts, but it’s a pain and the quality sucks. These are more than enough!" Wei Feng grinned.

"We all owe you for this, Chang’sheng. If you ever need something, just say the word—we’ll do whatever we can to help!"

Lu Chang’sheng smiled, "Mutual support—every time you pass along news from outside, that’s the biggest favor you do me!"

The Martial Artist Council was still delivering steady profits—even if Lu Mansion didn’t have a huge portfolio, through council-linked ventures, Lu Chang’sheng controlled assets rivaling those of mid-level powers.

Most crucial were the endless streams of information.

In these circles, knowing what’s going on counts for more than anything.

"This is what you asked me to find, but this stuff’s kind of weird!" A middle-aged man produced two items.

Everyone leaned in for a look.

They’d all previously received instructions from Lu Chang’sheng to track down odd objects left behind by strange events.

Supposedly, it was about immortals.

Lu Chang’sheng wasn’t hiding it from them.

Better to be open—if he kept secrets, folks would stash things for themselves and look into it on their own. Openness was best.

For him, as long as he could find an immortal, it didn’t matter how he got there.