Way of the Devil

‘Red Decks pleasure boat…’

That name flashed in Lu Sheng’s mind like a bolt of lightning.

He made his horse slow down and paused for a moment, his face dark. Only when he saw that some in the entourage had caught sight of him did he slowly approach.

As he neared, Lu Quanan hurriedly led a group of men out to welcome him.

“Sheng’er! Why have you come? Your hair?” Seeing Lu Sheng’s current appearance, he was stumped.

Lu Sheng flipped himself off the horse.

“It’s a long story, let’s not talk about the hair first. Dad, Second Mother, Uncle Zhao, I came from Mountain-Edge City. Why have you stopped here? Also, who hung up those red lanterns?”

He pointed at the red lanterns that hung on the horse carriages in a seemingly flippant manner.

“No idea, we’re checking it out now. Previously, they were the ordinary yellow hide lanterns. It was only when we were on our way that someone abruptly noticed that the lanterns had actually been switched,” Lu Quanan explained seriously, hints of worry and anxiety clearly seen on his face. “It’s a good timing that you’re here, Sheng’er, help us take a look.”

Lu Sheng looked around at the people nearby. Everyone from back home was here; Second Mother, Third Mother, Uncle Zhao, as well as Fourth Mother, Fifth Mother and Little Aunt, who were scurrying over from afar. Other than those from his household, there was also a large number of extended relatives and distant family members, including his biological mother’s household, as well as a few other related ones. Just those from the Lu Family alone numbered more than twenty.

“Brother Sheng, thank goodness you’re here. Chenxin has disappeared; you must help me search for him, you must find him!” Third Mother was Lu Chenxin’s biological mother, Wang Yanyu. Presently, her face was ashen and her eyes swollen red. Clearly, she had been crying.

“Don’t worry Third Mother, I’ll try my best,” Lu Sheng nodded.

Although his family was shocked by his present looks, they did not pay it much attention in this crucial time. Now that Lu Sheng had come, they felt much safer.

Previously in Nine Links City, it was Brother Sheng who had settled the matter. Now, Brother Sheng would also definitely have a way out. Everyone looked at him with looks of anticipation and trust.

Lu Sheng headed straight for the carriage team, standing next to the horse carriage that was now vacated. Quite a number of soldiers stood by the side; one of them, a slightly rotund, dark-skinned man was staring fixedly at the carriage in trepidation. He clutched onto his waist-blade, eyes fixed on the horse carriage.

“So it’s Brother Sheng! You’ve come! That’s good news for us. Here, take a look: the scratch on the original lantern is still here, and the words on it are one and the same,” this fatso was none other than Brother Song. His mood was already dour after having lost three brothers. Now this had to crop up.

Lu Sheng nodded as he examined the red lanterns hanging at the carriage in detail.

“Who sat in this carriage previously?” He asked in a low tone.

“It was Third Young Master Lu Chenxin and Fourth Young Master Lu Tianyang, as well as Zhang Xiuxiu’s family,” Brother Song swiftly replied in a whisper.

“When did Chenxin go missing?” The more Lu Sheng looked at this lantern, the more it seemed like the type he saw on the pleasure boats from before.

“He was missing from way back in the abandoned village,” Brother Song quickly answered.

“Abandoned village…” Lu Sheng’s gaze swept across the surroundings. His eyes gradually grew cold with understanding. “Continue forward towards Mountain-Edge City and don’t make any stops. I want to see for myself just which trifling deity dares to mess with my Lu Family,” he called out in his old Dad’s direction.

Lu Quanan nodded back at him vigorously.

“Go! Everyone get on board, and take those red lanterns down. Continue ahead!”

“Wait! Leave this carriage behind, let’s not use it anymore,” Lu Sheng held back Zhang Xiuxiu’s family and Lu Tianyang, who were about to board it.

Their faces turned pale. Clearly, they all understood that these red lanterns were probably a sign of some trouble.

“Big Bro, will anything happen to us…” Lu Tianyang shuffled over to Lu Sheng’s side and asked.

“Not if you listen to my instructions,” Lu Sheng glared at him.

He had never held the Three Bachelors of the Lu Family in high regard. He was already showing him face by responding.

Lu Tianyang boarded the carriage sulking.

The carriage team once again continued on their way. However, each and every one of them was on high alert, keeping a close eye out for the surroundings and the road.

The carriage wheels rolled on in a lull, producing dull sounds of friction as they crashed against the uneven path.

Lu Sheng paid close attention to the surroundings and all that was happening.

As they moved along, he suddenly felt something amiss.

“STOP!!!” He raised his hand abruptly.

Swiftly following suit, Lu Quanan gestured for all to come to a stop.

Lu Sheng gradually turned his head. That abandoned horse carriage with the red lanterns was actually still closely following behind the carriage team. The bright-red lanterns were extremely eye-catching, though the horses did not make a single sound. It was as if there was still a coachman guiding them.

Very soon, the rest of the people also noticed this strange phenomenon. A sudden fearful scream from one of them pierced the air, but it was immediately stifled. Someone reprimanded that person.

An atmosphere of alarm and panic slowly washed over the entire entourage.

“What are you scared of!” Lu Sheng scoffed coldly. “Tie this carriage to that big tree by the side. We’ll continue on our way. I reckon this old horse is familiar with humans and won’t leave us alone.”

“Yes, there are indeed such occurrences. I’ve seen such things happen before in the pugilistic world,” Uncle Zhao quickly explained with a smile.

The soldiers were rather afraid, but under Brother Song’s chiding, they stepped forward to tie that horse carriage with red lanterns to an old withered tree by the side.

The carriage team trudged on and continued forward.

They proceeded for about the time it takes for tealeaves to seep. This time, everyone glanced back incessantly, fearful that the carriage would still be trailing behind them.

Clearly, the previous scene had scared them out of their wits.

After travelling for about an hour, they gradually let their guards down.

“Look in front!” Suddenly, a soldier yelled.

Immediately, everyone looked forward.

On the left of the main path before them, the carriage, which they had tied up earlier, stood still and silent.

Light still glowed quietly from the red lanterns hanging off the carriage.

Subconsciously, the entire carriage team came to a halt. Everyone’s breathing paused as they stared dumbstruck at the carriage with red lanterns.

Lu Quanan took out his handkerchief and wiped the cold sweat off his face. Though he too looked frightened, he fought hard to retain his composure in order to assure those around him who were falling into panic.

Lu Sheng glared at the horse carriage coldly.

“Clang!” He unsheathed his saber and strode towards the horse carriage with red lanterns.

“All of you leave first. I’ll catch up with you!”

“Sheng’er!” Lu Quanan called out. “Be careful!”

“Mm,” without even a turn of his head, Lu Sheng waved his hand at them, signaling them to leave immediately. He stayed behind alone, his gaze never once leaving the horse carriage.

With the sound of turning wheels, the carriage team left, leaving the unflinching Lu Sheng standing still on the main path.

He licked his lips, held onto his saber and slowly walked towards the carriage.

“Aren’t you looking for me? I’ve come. Right here,” he chuckled. “Aren’t you seeking revenge for that female ghost aboard the pleasure boat?

Tsk tsk tsk… a pity. You didn’t get to see how I skinned her alive. Then I gouged out her eyes, and cut off her nose and ears.”

Lu Sheng laughed eccentrically.

“That woman actually rebuked me for doing that to her. So, with my saber, I hacked her into two halves, from top to toe. She thought that she wouldn’t die. But all I had to do was to set her ablaze with my inner Qi. Just a few seconds and she was a goner. HAHAHAHA…”

Before his laughter could fade, the horse carriage shook on its own, as if somebody had pushed open its door violently from the inside.

“What’s wrong? Angry now? After that, I cut her head off, thinking that I’d bring it back to use as a piss pot. But in the end, she couldn’t even endure that last saber strike and… exploded?” Lu Sheng said sinisterly.

Inside the carriage, a young lady dressed entirely in red sat still, her face as white as a sheet of paper. Holding a big red lantern in her hand, she sat without a twitch on the seat.

“Ka… ka…”

The lady’s neck began turning, causing a strange sound of friction.

Her head turned to face Lu Sheng, who was laughing eccentrically; she stared at him with deadpan eyes.

“You knew that woman, didn’t you?” Lu Sheng gripped his saber hilt with both hands, his body arched in preparation. His eyes grew dark and cold. “So you’ve come to avenge her death?”

“CHI!”

The lady in red vanished from within the carriage in an instant. When she appeared again, she was behind Lu Sheng.

With a light wave of the lantern in her hand, it swung towards the back of Lu Sheng’s neck silently.

Lu Sheng responded with a backhand slash.

“SLASH!”

Scorching waves of intense heat emanated from the cold, silver saber gleam. Ultimate Crimson Mantra accelerated to maximum speed, rapidly gushing into his saber’s blade as it slashed violently across the lady in red.

To Lu Sheng’s surprise, however, his saber strike landed on thin air.

The saber blade passed through the lady’s body unobstructed, as if she were a mere mirage.

‘What’s going on!?’ Without time for further thought, Lu Sheng saw the red lantern slamming squarely into his chest.

“BOOM!!!”

Lu Sheng felt as if an object weighing hundreds of kilograms had just rammed into him at high speed. His whole body was pushed back by more than ten paces, his legs leaving two long trails on the ground, almost colliding into the horse carriage.

Lu Sheng’s face flashed red. Holding onto the edge of the carriage, he poured inner Qi into his saber blade and slashed towards his front forcefully again.

“SLASH!”

Once again, the saber blade passed through the lantern lady who had just appeared before him. Her red lantern slammed into Lu Sheng’s left shoulder.

Slammed off balance, Lu Sheng stumbled several steps—only to see the lady appearing suddenly in front of him before he could steady himself.

“BOOM!”

Another hit. Fortunately, this hit landed on the side of his saber which barely blocked it. Still, the immense force of the collision pushed him off his feet onto the ground.

‘Teleportation? No! That’s not it. She’s just so fast that it looks like teleportation to me!’ Lu Sheng felt a burning pain on the two spots on his body where he had been hit. The pain was accompanied by a mild numbness and itch. Clearly, he had been poisoned.

Yin-Yang Jade Crane Skill hurriedly gushed to his wounds, resisting the possible infection and toxin.

Swiftly, he flipped himself upright again and looked from left to right. The lady was nowhere to be seen, and neither could Lu Sheng sense any trace of her movement.

‘She moves extremely fast, but still, she makes sounds,’ Lu Sheng listened in utter concentration. Despite being hit twice, he was not gravely wounded due to his hard body skill and activation of inner Qi.

His eyes were peeled on his surroundings, the carriage right by his side. It was clearly empty inside. Only the two red lanterns hung there, rocking about.

‘Where’s she gone to?’

Lu Sheng’s eyes narrowed.

“CHI!”

Without warning, two red silk ribbons shot out from within the carriage, twisting around his neck from behind him with huge strength and force, attempting to wring his neck.

Lu Sheng’s face turned red as beetroot. Clutching onto the ribbons, Lu Sheng summoned his inner Qi. Intense heat generated by Ultimate Crimson Mantra quickly burned through the ribbons.

“RIP.”

He ripped the ribbons apart and rolled forward, putting as much distance between himself and the carriage as possible.

He had only just picked himself up when yet another red lantern came smashing in his direction.

“BANG!”

A mouthful of dirty blood gushed up from Lu Sheng’s throat and seeped out of the corners of his mouth. He was forced back a few consecutive steps. His entire body felt as if it were on fire, with boiling hot inner Qi circling all over his saber and his arms.

Looking to his left and right, he couldn’t see a single soul.

“What? That’s it?” Mockingly, he pointed to his forehead, “Come, hit here.”