The three-deck passenger ship rumbled to life. With a slight shudder, it began to pull away from the pier.
Lu Yun stood at the bow, quietly staring back toward the pier. He only let out a long breath when the brightly lit structure had shrunk into the distance.
Realizing the uncanny foreigner wasn’t in pursuit, Lu Yun raised his right arm and slowly pushed up his sleeve.
In the light of the oil lamps hanging around the deck, the three gruesome, bloody holes in his forearm had stopped bleeding.
The charred black tissue around the edges was slowly flaking away, revealing fresh flesh budding underneath. The wounds were already beginning to heal at a rapid pace.
Lu Yun stared at the three wounds, making a quick mental calculation.
’With the healing power from the 3rd Floor of my *Hard Qigong*, "Golden Bulwark," it’ll still take about seven days for this injury to fully recover.’
’Sigh... I’m still not strong enough. I have to break through to the rank of Grandmaster of Divine Intent as soon as possible.’
Then, Lu Yun looked away from his arm and pulled two items from his pants pocket.
One was the Immortal Flesh, wrapped tightly in silk cloth. The other was a neatly folded official certificate.
The cover bore the emblem of the Yun Port City Divine Land Martial Arts Demonstration. Inside was his identification.
Lu Yun, Consultant to the Yun Port City Martial Arts Demonstration.
’The inspections to enter Yanjing City will be strict, but this certificate should be enough to handle anything.’
「Inside the passenger ship, in the lounge next to the wheelhouse.」
The Qingli Gang’s captain, Brother Chen, and three of his stewards were gathered around a small table.
On the table sat a few saucers of peanuts and a jug of cloudy wine, but no one was in the mood to eat or drink.
The ship had been sailing on the river for seven days now, and the men still felt like they were living in a dream.
"Brother Chen, do you think... our Gang Leader is really dead?"
one of the younger stewards couldn’t resist asking again. He had lost count of how many times he’d asked over the past seven days.
Brother Chen didn’t answer. He just picked up his cup, downed a mouthful of wine, and then said, "Hmph. What’s the point of dwelling on it?"
Another steward leaned back in his chair with his legs crossed, a look of nonchalance on his face. "That old guy killed the Gang Leader with ease. That makes him a true powerhouse."
"Which means he could kill us just as easily. Why overthink it? Let’s just quietly get him where he’s going, and then we’ll be free of this mess."
Just then, the last steward, a young and impetuous man named He You, leaned in closer and lowered his voice. "Brother Chen, I’ve been watching that old geezer for seven days! I know his routine inside and out!"
"He goes out on deck every day and just sits there for hours. His back is to the cabins, his view is wide open, and there’s no cover anywhere around him..."
"If we catch him off guard, we can take him out with a gun! We bring his body back to the gang and say we avenged the Gang Leader..."
"The Gang Leader may be dead, but someone’s got to fill the power vacuum. Maybe we could even become Hall Masters!"
"I’m sick and tired of working on this boat! I want to be like those Hall Masters, fooling around with women and living the high life every day!"
He grew more agitated as he spoke, as if he could already picture himself in a Hall Master’s seat with a woman on each arm.
Listening to this impassioned "grand vision," Brother Chen’s brow furrowed. He set down his cup and said in a low voice, "He You, where is all this ambition coming from?"
The other steward chimed in to persuade him. "Yeah, He You, don’t do anything stupid. That old man is unfathomable. The most important thing is to finish this trip safely!"
At this, He You scoffed. "Unfathomable? What, you think he’s a Grandmaster of Huajin or something?"
He stood up and took a couple of paces, full of confidence. "Think about it. What kind of person is a Grandmaster of Huajin? They’re the type to found their own martial schools, to become overlords of entire regions!"
"Would a big shot like that need to borrow a ship from our Qingli Gang?"
"The way I see it, he’s just like the Gang Leader—a Martial Artist at the Peak of Anjin. He just got lucky because our leader was drunk, that’s all!"
"Even someone at the Peak of Anjin is made of flesh and blood. If he’s not paying attention, he can die to a foreign-made bullet just like anyone else!"
A brief silence fell over the lounge. Brother Chen looked at him, his lips moving as if to speak, but ultimately, he said nothing.
The night wind off the river was cool. Lu Yun lay motionless in a wicker chair on the deck.
It was a habit he’d adopted since the ship set sail. By day, he would sit on deck and observe his surroundings. By night, he would lie just like this with his eyes closed, seeming to be asleep, yet also awake.
’Even though the ship has sailed deep into the Hongjiang, with nothing but endless darkness on both banks, who’s to say that foreigner won’t come chasing after me in a boat?’
’You can only rely on yourself. Better safe than sorry. I can’t trust these Qingli Gang men.’
’Case in point, there’s someone courting death right now, getting ideas about me.’
He You had been watching from the shadows behind Lu Yun for nearly an hour, his hands clutching a Mauser pistol.
This was his only chance to change his life. He didn’t want to waste his entire existence on this broken-down ship like some good-for-nothing.
He wanted to be a Hall Master. He wanted to be like those big shots, screwing women, living the high life, and commanding so much respect that everyone would have to bow their heads and call him "Master"!
’This is it!’
He You stared at the motionless figure, slowly raised the pistol, and aimed the muzzle at the head resting against the back of the wicker chair.
A distance of about eight meters. He could make a shot like this with his eyes closed.
Faced with this chance to make a name for himself, He You’s finger began to slowly squeeze the trigger.
BANG! A gunshot shattered the silence of the passenger ship!
He You froze, staring blankly at the pistol in his hand. ’What the fuck? I haven’t fired yet!’

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