Chapter Three: Fierce as Song

Lu Han’s inner courtyard.

“Heh… Shattering Star Palm!” A flash of white light burst from the right hand of a young man as he struck the wooden stake in the courtyard with his palm.

Crack—the stake splintered into pieces.

“I’ve finally managed to grasp the basics of the Shattering Star Palm… It’s just that the Profound Water Art only lets me unleash two palms before I run out of inner strength. If only I had a Profound-grade cultivation method.” The youth sighed helplessly.

Profound-grade cultivation methods.

There were only four Profound-grade methods in all of Maple Leaf City. The three great clans each possessed a basic Profound-grade method, held tightly in the hands of their patriarchs. The last was the intermediate Profound-grade Black Flood Dragon Upheaval, owned by the City Lord Wen Hao. For this reason, the City Lord’s Mansion had always stood above any of the three clans.

The three great clans. The Lu Clan, to which Lu Han belonged, controlled the west side of the city and its shops, and mainly dealt in herbs and silk. The Lie Clan ruled the southern sector, specializing in weapon production. The Li Clan in the north ran restaurants and silk businesses. In truth, there had only been two great clans in Maple Leaf City in the past—the Lu and Li Clans, both with histories stretching back over a thousand years. The Lie Clan had arrived only two or three centuries ago, but had risen swiftly and joined the ranks of the three great clans. In recent years, the Li Clan often tried to push the Lies aside, leading to frequent friction between them.

The City Lord’s Mansion was by the east gate, but the most bustling spot there was not the mansion itself, but the Treasure Pavilion.

“In Maple Leaf City, whatever you can buy, you can buy at the Treasure Pavilion; whatever you can’t buy in the city, you can still find at the Treasure Pavilion—if you can afford the price.” These were the words of the pavilion’s master, Qian Santong. Every six months, the Treasure Pavilion held an auction—treasures, pills, martial techniques, cultivation methods, weapons…

Lu Han’s Profound Water Art had come from one such auction.

Lu Han let out a deep breath, restoring a bit of his inner strength.

“Han, Han…” A woman’s voice called from outside.

A woman in a pale blue palace dress came into the inner courtyard. Her hair was coiled in an elegant knot, pinned with a bright silver hairpin. White peonies were embroidered on her long blue skirt, and her features bore a striking resemblance to Lu Han’s.

“Han, I was at your grandfather’s for a few days, and you’ve already reached the sixth level of Post-Heaven! My son is remarkable! I wasn’t by your side for such an important moment as Crossing the Dragon Gate—you won’t blame your mother, will you?” The woman’s voice grew tinged with guilt as she spoke. This was Lu Han’s mother—Meng Wan’er.

Meng Wan’er hailed from the Meng Clan, a second-rate family in the neighboring city of Tianlan, and was the current clan leader’s younger sister. In his youth, Lu Tianhong, Lu Han’s father, loved adventure and made several life-and-death friends. Meng Nuo, the head of the Meng Clan, was one of them.

During a visit to the Meng Clan in Tianlan, Lu Tianhong happened to meet Meng Wan’er and was instantly captivated. With Meng Nuo’s encouragement—and since Meng Wan’er also saw Lu Tianhong as a man worthy of lifelong trust—the two quickly fell in love…

“Mother, what are you saying? Grandfather was in trouble, of course you had to go. I was about to break through, and Father had to stay for the clan. Otherwise, the three of us would have gone together. Is Grandfather all right now?” Lu Han asked.

“Your grandfather was too eager to break through to Profound Lord, tried before his innate energy had fully transformed into Profound Qi, and it caused the Profound Qi to run amok. It was dangerous, but he pulled through. In a way, it was a blessing in disguise—he feels he’s about to break through, and so he’s gone into seclusion. I hurried back because I was worried about you.” Meng Wan’er’s face was first shadowed with worry, but as she looked at Lu Han, a smile returned. Truly, a mother’s deepest care is always for her child.

Attempting to break through before fully transforming innate energy into Profound Qi? Grandfather, you really are reckless! Lu Han shook his head.

Breaking through from Post-Heaven to Innate meant transforming inner strength into innate force. Reaching Profound Lord required, after attaining the ninth level of Innate, turning that force into Profound Qi, then making the leap in one go.

A Profound Lord was a formidable figure in any region.

Beyond Profound Lord came the Earth King Realm.

It was called “Earth King” because, upon reaching it, one became a king among mortals.

At the Earth King level, Profound Qi became so condensed it could form Profound Wings, allowing one to soar through the skies.

Profound Qi forming wings—such was the mark of a king of the land, for their battles were no longer confined to the earth.

Currently, the highest cultivation known in Maple Leaf City was City Lord Wen Hao’s second level of Profound Lord. The city had yet to see an Earth King. It was said that an Earth King could split a river with a wave of his hand.

“Earth Kings probably only exist in the Great Xia Empire or the Sky Gang Sect,” Lu Han murmured.

“My lady, my lady… Miss Lie has arrived.” Outside, the maid Xing’er called.

“Han, go out and greet her,” Meng Wan’er said, turning to Lu Han.

“Mother, that’s not necessary. That girl is probably already almost here…” Lu Han’s face twitched.

“Han, how could you kno—” Meng Wan’er began to ask.

“Auntie, hello! Lu Han, Lu Han…” A girl’s voice rang out.

The girl entered with lotus-like steps, first greeting Meng Wan’er, then coming before Lu Han with her hands clasped behind her back. She wore a red dress; though only fourteen or fifteen, she already possessed a budding beauty, with dark eyes and long lashes fluttering like dragonfly wings. If she was so lovely now, she would surely be a peerless beauty in the future. Yet there was a faint crease between her brows, as if something weighed on her mind.

This was Lie Ruge, daughter of Lie Xiong, head of the Lie Clan—their eldest young lady.

When Lie Ruge was seven, Lu Han had once saved her life. Since then, she’d often clung to him, frequently visiting the Lu household. She hadn’t come these past two months, and Lu Han had been planning to visit her family himself.

“Xing’er, didn’t the master just say he needed to see me?” Meng Wan’er’s voice called out, deliberately louder than before.

“Ah? Oh… yes, yes. The master asked for you, my lady, said it was urgent.” Xing’er, startled at first, quickly covered her mouth and smiled.

Meng Wan’er left the inner courtyard with Xing’er.

A while passed.

“Lu Han, congratulations on breaking through to the sixth level of Post-Heaven. From now on, the sea is wide, and you are free to leap like a fish!” Lie Ruge lifted her head and smiled, though the smile was strained.

Lu Han didn’t notice how forced her smile had been.

“You little imp, I still don’t know your current strength. You reached the sixth level at thirteen—two years have passed, so you’re at least at the eighth level now, right?” Lu Han replied with a wry grin.

Lie Ruge shook her head.

Lu Han sensed something was off. In the past, whenever she visited, she would chatter endlessly—about someone jumping into Misty Heart Lake, about a murder at the Li Clan restaurant, and so on. Especially when the topic was her own breakthrough—every time, she’d hold her head high like a little phoenix, full of pride. Why was she so subdued today?

His brows knitted. “Did someone bully you? Tell me, I’ll help you.”

Lie Ruge shook her head again.

Suddenly, she rushed forward, threw her arms around Lu Han, and burst into tears.

Lu Han was at a loss—he hadn’t seen her cry since she was seven.

“What’s wrong? Don’t cry. Tell me what happened. Remember, I promised to protect you. Whatever it is, you can tell me.” He patted her shoulder gently.

“Lu Han… I’ll only tell you this, so you mustn’t repeat it to anyone,” Lie Ruge said as her sobs subsided. Lu Han went to the courtyard gate and closed it.

It turned out that two months ago, Lie Xiong, head of the Lie Clan, had returned from a trip with a deathly pallor and collapsed, poisoned. Over the past two months, the Lie family had tried every antidote they could obtain, but none worked. Even Master He, a second-grade pill master from the Treasure Pavilion, had been unable to help. Lie Xiong remained unconscious. Though the Lie family’s basic Profound-grade method, True Flame Scripture, offered some resistance to poison, it could last at most six months—if no cure was found in that time, Lie Xiong would… In other words, the Lie Clan had only four months left to find a cure.

So that was it—Lu Han suddenly understood.

Lie Xiong was a ninth-level Innate expert. In Maple Leaf City, apart from the few Profound Lords, he was unmatched. If the Li Clan learned of his condition, they would surely take advantage.

“Lu Han, I wanted to come sooner, but my family wouldn’t allow it. Grandfather feared I’d let the secret slip and bring harm to our clan, so he kept me at home. I sneaked out today—after all, you’re not an outsider.” Lie Ruge’s cheeks flushed red at her last words, and she lowered her head, twisting her skirt in embarrassment.

Lu Han fell silent for a moment.

“This fool! She’s made it so clear, and he still doesn’t get it!” Lie Ruge thought resentfully.