Way of the Devil

‘I shouldn’t delay this. I’ll depart tomorrow. It’s a great opportunity to take a look at this world.’ Lu Sheng made the decision in his heart.

That night, he ordered the servants to prepare his rations for the road. Then, he packed his luggage, and retired early.

Early the next morning, Jia Lin had come over to play again. When she found out that Lu Sheng was intending to go on a trip, she wanted to join him as well.

Lu Sheng had been training his body lately. Jia Lin, who lived nearby, frequently paid him visits, and looked after him. She took care of many of the manor’s matters in an orderly fashion.

The first place where Lu Sheng wanted to go was a small city in the Sunset County known as Vitas City.

According to Luo Di’s letter, there should be a man named Veron there. He was an elite of the Inti Free-killing Style. Although he was only mentioned in passing, Lu Sheng had remembered him.

This was because the style which Veron practiced was said to be on par with the Gelailo Sword Style.

It was only natural to assume that he would have similar pills kept in stock.

The real objective for Lu Sheng’s trip was to obtain the different kinds of medicine.

According to Luo Di’s words, those who practiced the sword would also try out different medicine to see their effect on their bodies as well. If he was not receptive to Black Thorn, or the effects were not significant, he could try Veron’s Red Bramble.

Luo Di had saved Veron’s life before, so Lu Sheng could make a request of him that he would not be able to turn down.

Coincidentally, Lu Sheng’s body had grown accustomed to Black Thorn’s stimulation. Perhaps he would be able to achieve some breakthrough with another medicine.

************

Vitas City.

The scorching sun was mercilessly spreading light and heat from the boundless blue skies.

The air in the city seemed contorted, and blurry heat waves steamed from the ground’s surface. When the wind blew into one’s eyes and nostrils, it was dry and hot.

Lu Sheng and Jia Lin were fully covered in a white muslin cloth which was meant to reflect the sun’s rays.

Servants followed behind them. Ever since they arrived, they kept admiring this unique city.

Even though the weather was hot, the sides of the streets were still full of pedestrians. The middle of the street was dotted with the refuse of the animals which pulled the carts along the way. Under the hot sun, the pungent smell filled the air.

Jia Lin had a petite build with pronounced chest. She swayed as she walked, and thus attracted quite the attention. Many men who dressed like military officers could not refrain from running their eyes over her, whether intentionally or not.

There were some who wanted to hit on her, but when they saw the big, tall, and muscular Lu Sheng beside her, they knew their place and quickly backed away.

“I’ve never been so far away from home.” Jia Lin’s big eyes darted everywhere with curiosity.

Lu Sheng walked behind her with a calm expression.

“It’s just that the land is bigger, and there are more people and houses here. It’s not much of a difference.”

“There’s so many differences, yet you say there’s none,” said Jia Lin, feeling speechless. When she saw a peddler selling trinkets, she hastily went over to have a look.

The two of them were children of manor lords. They were not short on funds. The manor lords who were able to stand on their own in this region were not pushovers.

This was especially true of Luo Di since he was a formidable warrior who surpassed human limits.

While Jia Lin picked the trinkets, Lu Sheng scanned their surroundings. He and Jia Lin had arrived here last night. After settling their accommodation, he had sent someone to look for the man called Veron.

He remembered that the person had a shop on this street.

“Move away!”

“Don’t block the road!”

“Scram! You vile white pig!”

Suddenly, there were faint echoes of insults being hurled from afar. A group of yellow-skinned men in white shirts and dark yellow trousers pushed their way through the crowd as they insulted them and walked where Lu Sheng was.

“It’s the Yellow Trouble! Those shorties from the east!”

“Let’s get away quickly! We don’t want to bump into them!”

“Dammit! Isn’t anyone going to put a stop to them?”

Lu Sheng could roughly pick up the muffled conversations around him.

He looked in the direction of the group. These men had muscular build, but were on the short side. Their skin was of a faint yellowish tone, while their faces had eastern features. They carried short swords on their backs.

When Lu Sheng suddenly saw a group of people with the same skin tone as himself, he initially felt as sense of familiarity. However, when he saw that this group was walking down the street like they owned it, and nobody on the streets dared to stand up to them, he could not help but feel helpless.

“Ah Sang…” Jia Lin seemed to be frightened as well. She returned to his side and grasped his hand lightly.

“It’s alright. Don’t be afraid,” Lu Sheng said softly. She pulled her into a wood carver shop.

The group of white-clothed yellow-skinned men quickly passed by the shop, hurling insults as they went.

Lu Sheng and Jia Lin went into the shop, and immediately noticed the shopkeeper who was dozing off lazily at the door.

“You’re… Luo Sang?” The shopkeeper was a young man. His physique was buff and balanced, while his muscles appeared streamlined and strong.

However, he was still a tad tiny compared to Lu Sheng.

The shopkeeper roused himself and stood up, apparently a bit surprised.

“I’ve recognized you right away. You’re exactly how your father looked like when he was young! Strong young lad!” He slapped Lu Sheng’s shoulder hard.

“Uncle Veron?” Lu Sheng asked with a smile.

“Yes, Veron’s the name. Your father has mentioned something to me before this. Are you here to test the medicine? I’ve prepared it for you already.” Veron laughed. “Follow me!”

He did not seem to regard Lu Sheng as an outsider. He had the servants and Jia Lin rest in his shop, and brought Lu Sheng out from the back door. They arrived at the store which was full of wood carvings.

“As I expected, you didn’t choose to run away,” Veron remarked with emotion as he looked at Lu Sheng.

“Running won’t solve anything.” Lu Sheng nodded.

“Yes. Just like me… Back then, if it weren’t for your father…” Veron shook his head, and said nothing more.

He pushed a wooden bucket over and lifted the lid. He produced a black vial from it.

The vial was as thick as a bowl’s mouth. He removed the cover, and had Lu Sheng take a look. The content was an extremely black, thick liquid. It carried a stench of burnt plastic.

“This is what’s left of the stock solution I’ve made before. You can have it all. It’s enough to last a dozen years for a dozen men… I prepared it when I was intending to open up a dojo and accept disciples. Alas…” Veron displayed a helpless expression.

“So this is the Red Bramble…” Lu Sheng received the vial. He gave it a light shake as he felt its heavy weight.

“Take it, take it all. I won’t have any use for it anyway.” Veron smiled desolately.

He lowered his head and fished out a cigarette from his pocket. He did not light it. He merely placed it in his mouth and took a deep breath.

“Finally, Luo Sang, as an old man who almost died because he was too stubborn to listen to your father’s advice, I have one for you.”

Lu Sheng nodded slightly with a straight face, and responded, “Please tell me.”

Veron was silent for a while. He took a few more puffs with the unlit cigar before speaking up slowly. “Never fight the monsters head on. Don’t believe blindly in your own strength. You must remember to never fight the monsters head on, under any circumstances. The skills we learned were meant to be used against humans. The reason why the monsters are called monsters is because they’re undefeatable.”

He lifted his left leg slowly. To Lu Sheng’s surprise, it was a prosthetic limb.

“See, this is the price I’ve paid.”

“I’ll remember that.” Lu Sheng nodded as he entertained some thoughts.

“Also, if you’re making good progress on the medicine and want to try more kinds of medicine, you can go to Banba Academy in Muskmallow City. The pharmacology professor Kekeanda will help you. Tell him that I’ve sent you. He’s my best friend,” Veron added.

“Alright. Thank you very much, Veron.” Lu Sheng expressed his genuine gratitude.

“Call me uncle, you brat,” Veron chided him with a smile.

….

When they left the wood carving shop, Veron even had one of his workers entertain them.

They decided to spend a few days sightseeing around the city. These several days also provided a good opportunity for Lu sheng to try out Red Bramble’s effects on himself.

Because he was not in his manor and Jia Lin was beside him, Lu Sheng figured that he had better not consume the medicine in large amounts. Hence, he tried only a small amount of the medicine.

The results showed that this new medicine was effective—as expected.

However, the amount which Veron gave him was too little. It was surely enough for ordinary men, but it was nowhere near enough for Lu Sheng.

When Lu Sheng returned to ask for the formula, Veron gave it to him freely.

In truth, the medicine was not the most precious thing. The truly crucial thing was the training method that could aid in eliminating the toxins of the medicine. If a person took the medicine without carrying out the training methods, it was the same as a gradual suicide.

However, what moved Lu Sheng was that Veron subsequently gave him the manual of the training method as well.

In his words, it was fine as long as he did not leak it to outsiders.

After all, Luo Sang’s father was Luo Di, and they were in the same circle. They knew everything about each other, and Luo Di had saved his life once.

Veron said that these were only small tokens of his appreciation. If he needed more help in the future, Lu Sheng would just have to ask.

After Lu Sheng obtained the formula, he did not return immediately. Instead, he went straight toward the Banba Academy, which Veron had mentioned.

Lu Sheng had the servants send Jia Lin back home, and hopped on a caravan toward Muskmallow City alone.

Since he wanted to search, he might as well search for more medicines and formulas.

**************

Southwest region of the Dong He Empire. Forest of Elma.

In the dense dark green forest which was full of life, there was a patch of low-lying ground covered in fountain grass. A squadron of soldiers wielding spears, short swords, and shields was scattered among the trees as they stood sentry.

A big and tall man covered in the Imperial Army’s standard officer leather armor was slowly making his way toward a seated hooded figure at the edge of the low-lying grounds.

There was a fierce-looking knife scar at the edge of the man’s eye. His exposed neck was also covered in dark red scars in sixes and sevens.

“That place is making a move again… They’ve killed four from the White Eagle…” The man’s body was shaking slightly. It seemed as if he was excited and frightened at the same time. He noticed that the hooded person shook slightly when he said this. Hence, he continued, “I’ve been told that you’ve survived the death scene?”

The forest went silent.

The knife scar man waited for the other person’s reply patiently. However, his slightly shaking hands revealed his current emotions.

“General Urus, are you about to face the death scene as well?” the hooded person croaked.

The knife scar man pursed his lips tightly, and made no reply.

After a long while, the hooded person spoke up slowly again. “This time, many will be facing the death scene. Even with the forces you have here, you weren’t able to find a crucial way to avoid the death scene, so what can I do? Even if you killed me, I won’t be able to help you break free from this.”

“The power of that place can’t be opposed…”

Urus reined in his anger.

“Even Doctor Edward, who was once known as the light of Dong He, has died… After all these years… After all these years… I was on my guard every single moment against the monsters that could come and kill me at any time. Even though I’ve managed to run away from all the hunts and am alert at all times, this time, it’s different! This is the death scene! The death scene!”

The hooded person fell silent as well.

“When I survived the death scene back then, it was by a stroke of luck. The only thing that I want to tell you is this: do not run.”

“Do not run?” General Urus repeated what he had just heard.