Chapter Seventeen: This Is the World of Martial Arts

“Do you see? You never know what will happen in the next moment, nor whether it will be good or bad. This is the world of rivers and lakes!”

Shi Qinhu departed, personally escorted by Shi Yanwu across the water to the Thunder Gate sect's ship. Shi Yanwu, now forty-five, had traveled to the Central Plains in his youth alongside Lu Hai and married late, but unlike Lu Hai, who had only one son, he had more. Besides Qinhu, his eldest son, Shi Bohu, was also on the verge of mastering the refining of internal strength. Although his progress wasn’t as swift as Qinhu’s, he was more than capable of inheriting the family business. Having his more gifted younger son study under a martial master was, to him, the best possible choice.

Ma Buti also left, riding the ship that had brought him to Blackstone Island. Although Lei Hongtao had ordered him to handle the matter with Wan Gu Xiao, he simply delegated it to Lu Hai and took the people of Dragon Mulberry Island back home. For him, discussing Lei Hongtao’s appearance and warning on Blackstone Island with his elder brother Ma Buting was far more important. As for Wan Gu Xiao, he no longer cared, and when pursuing him earlier, he had discreetly planted a method on Wan Gu Xiao; if the man surfaced again, Ma Buti was confident he’d have nowhere to run.

On the dock, watching the two boats fade into the distance, Lu Hai glanced at the dazed Lu Sheng beside him, and spoke with meaning.

“In this world, there are many sudden dangers, and equally many unexpected opportunities. This time, though Blackstone Island faced a crisis because of Wan Gu Xiao, we also gained the attention of a martial master. Not only was the danger resolved, but through a series of chance events, Qinhu became a disciple of a martial master.”

“Such an opportunity—even in nearly fifty years of life, I have never seen its like!”

Gazing after the departing ships, Lu Hai sighed again. Though there were often tales in the martial world of masters accepting talented disciples, few had witnessed it firsthand. Martial masters were rare and always occupied with their own matters. For ordinary folk, not only was it difficult to see them, but even if they did, unless one possessed a congenital body or a close connection, the master would have little interest in assessing their talents.

Moreover, most martial masters came from established powers with their own fixed processes for selecting disciples. Although Lu Hai was forty-nine and had traveled the Central Plains several times, he had never seen a master personally accept a disciple outside their sect.

While he surmised that Qinhu’s acceptance had other contributing factors, Lu Hai couldn’t help but recall his own adventures with Shi Yanwu years ago. Back then, the two had journeyed through the Central Plains seeking the opportunity to become martial artists. After several years, both gained experience and strength, but still fell far short of achieving that goal.

Later, when Lu Hai’s mother—Shi Yanwu’s aunt—fell gravely ill, and after offending others in the Central Plains, the two were forced to return home. On Blackstone Island, Lu Hai inherited his father's legacy and soon advanced to martial artist, then, after learning medical arts and several exchanges in the Central Plains, became a physician, gaining some renown across dozens of nearby islands and elevating the family’s status.

In contrast, though more talented, Shi Yanwu’s fortunes were not as favorable as Lu Hai’s. Even after receiving guidance from Lu Hai, he couldn’t break through. Only four years ago, spurred by the loss of Dragon Mulberry Island, did he throw himself into arduous training and finally sense the vital energy needed to advance. Had it not been for that, their gap would be even wider.

Now, the next generation—one had just inherited the family legacy, while the other had been picked by a master from the Thunder Gate sect. Who could say which would achieve more?

“In this world, talent is only the foundation. Without it, there is nothing, but to truly accomplish something, opportunity is indispensable.”

“Though Qinhu is gifted, without today’s opportunity, reaching martial artist would be his limit, just like your Uncle Yanwu. Now, with the guidance of a master—even if only as a nominal disciple—becoming a martial artist will not be so difficult; even reaching the rank of great martial artist is possible; and if he gains some insight on this path, perhaps even the gates of the martial master’s realm could open for him…”

“This is what it means to have an opportunity in the world of rivers and lakes!” Lu Hai said to Lu Sheng.

---

“Yes, that’s Qinhu’s opportunity. I hope he achieves something great in the future,” Lu Sheng replied, snapping out of his reverie.

Earlier, when the sounds of “hmm” and “hah” echoed from the sky, Lu Sheng had just mastered the moves of the Rolling Stone Palm and used its perfection to elevate the Hunyuan Palm to the first stage, condensing Hunyuan force within his body.

Hearing the thunderous noise from above and seeing someone arrive on an eagle, he stopped cultivating in alarm. Then, on Lu Hai’s instruction, he and several senior brothers fetched anti-intoxication medicine from the storeroom and distributed it, witnessing the series of events that had just transpired.

Because he was always mentioned alongside Shi Qinhu, some well-meaning people recommended him to Lei Hongtao when the latter was accepting disciples. But Lei Hongtao, a martial master, had already stretched himself to take a disciple on this small island, and had no intention to take another.

Thus, Lei Hongtao glanced at Lu Sheng, saw that he had just begun to condense force, and refused without hesitation, then left with Lei Xuan’er.

The reason Lu Hai had spoken at length was because he noticed Lu Sheng seemed lost, suspecting he was disappointed at not being chosen, and sought to comfort him.

In truth, Lu Sheng possessed the transmission of Hunyuan skill as recorded in his wishful jade, and could constantly comprehend its true meaning. He was far from being discouraged by a martial master’s lack of interest. If he appeared distracted, it was not because of Qinhu, but because his [Origin] data had changed:

“[Origin]
Fortune: 9
Merit: 25
Karma: 17
Other: 0”

In a short time, merit had diminished slightly without increase, but karma had suddenly risen by six. Though he could see the source in detail, he truly didn’t understand why people harbored such animosity toward him, granting him six points of karma.

“Father, do the people in the fortress resent me greatly?” Lu Sheng wondered, knowing that karma arose from others’ negative emotions toward him.

“Oh? Why do you ask?” Lu Hai replied. He’d been busy repelling the snake tide and hadn’t noticed happenings around Lu Sheng.

“I just distributed medicine and helped bandage wounds, but no one thanked me!” Lu Sheng explained. Indeed, none had thanked him, and some seemed resentful, even muttering ill words.

Lu Hai recalled the scene, activated his internal energy, and listened carefully to the crowd’s comments, then mused:

“They probably believe that, because of you, we rescued Wan Gu Xiao from the sea and brought him to Blackstone Island, leading to today’s disaster.”

“But this is simply everyone misplacing their anger due to the danger. In a few days, once they realize Wan Gu Xiao had long planned to come here, they won’t blame you anymore.”

“Moreover, thanks to the martial master’s arrival, our losses in the snake tide were minimal, and we even gained much. Once things are sorted, they might even thank you.”

“Will it really be so?” Lu Sheng asked, doubting as he saw his karma rise by another point.

“It will! In the world of rivers and lakes, opportunity is unpredictable, and people’s hearts even more so. But as long as you bring benefit to everyone, regardless of the process, someone will always be grateful.”

Lu Hai comforted Lu Sheng as they returned to the fortress. As a martial artist and a physician, his status on Blackstone Island was unmatched. A little resentment meant nothing to the Lu family; in a few days, it would all dissipate.