Chapter 66: Chapter 66: Purity (Middle)
’The Entry Level for the *Pharmacist Buddha’s Glazed Body* requires an understanding of the Purity of Mind, and mastering the *Purifying Light Saber* requires an epiphany in Buddhist Teachings.
If I can’t overcome this bottleneck, it will be difficult for my power to make a fundamental leap...’
Fu Juemin ran his hand over the edge of the short saber, a light swirling in the depths of his eyes.
The *Purifying Light Saber* wasn’t the issue. The main problem was the *Pharmacist Buddha’s Glazed Body*. He needed a Centennial Mire Lotus Seed to reach the Entry Level, and he had already used two seeds in two attempts at the Medicated Bath. Now, only one remained.
In other words, if Fu Juemin’s third attempt failed, he had no idea when he would get another chance.
This made Fu Juemin anxious, but his reason told him that at a critical moment like this, impatience was the last thing he needed.
The contradiction left him feeling as if a ball of foul air were lodged in his chest—he couldn’t swallow it down, nor could he cough it up.
"Young Master."
A servant hurried into the training room, leaned in close to Fu Juemin, and reported in a low voice, "Huang Fang, your Eight Trigrams Saber instructor, says he won’t be coming back."
Fu Juemin frowned slightly. "Did he say why?"
"He said your skill with the saber has far surpassed his own. He feels there’s nothing more he can teach you and would be too ashamed to continue."
"It’s not for some other reason?"
The servant shook his head. "He said it wasn’t."
Fu Juemin’s eyes flickered. After a moment, he said coolly, "Fine. I understand.
Give him an extra ten silver coins for today’s lesson."
"Yes, sir."
The servant withdrew. Fu Juemin picked up a nearby towel, wiped away his sweat, threw on his clothes, and walked out of the training room.
He strolled to the garden. It was now November, and the trees were bare. Even with dedicated caretakers, the Fu Family’s garden was an ashen gray, a pale shadow of its former glory.
After walking for a while, Fu Juemin only grew more frustrated. He called for Cao Tian, deciding to go out for a while.
The butler, Uncle Chen, had a car prepared immediately. Once Fu Juemin was settled in his seat, the driver looked in the rearview mirror and asked, "Young Master, where to?"
Fu Juemin thought for a moment before finally saying, "To the pier."
...
「Luan River Pier.」
In late autumn, the river had lost its summer turbidity, its waters now clear, green, and chillingly cold.
The surface rippled with fine, fish-scale-like waves as a small steam freighter, spewing clouds of coal smoke, slowly docked.
Fu Juemin stood on the bank. His eyes seemed to be gazing at the distant river and the laborers bustling back and forth, shouldering heavy sacks between the ship and the shore. In truth, his entire consciousness was focused on the waters below.
He activated Yao Ling, his Perception spreading out silently like an invisible spider’s web.
A myriad of sounds flooded his ears, and he filtered through them layer by layer. In addition to Yao Ling, Fu Juemin was also trying to use his pure Demon Fiend instinct to sense the water monkey’s presence.
Gradually, he seemed to "hear" something.
A bone-deep chill slowly crept up his spine, and a dark, blurry scene formed in his mind.
Turbid black water, weeds tangled with silt like strands of black hair... filth, decay...
Slowly, Fu Juemin seemed to "see" a strange figure curled up somewhere in the darkness, seemingly deep in slumber.
He kept pushing aside the murk before his "eyes," trying to draw closer.
Bit by bit...
The very instant Fu Juemin was about to "see" the sleeping figure’s form clearly, a pair of wicked, ghostly green eyes, like burning will-o’-the-wisps, snapped open in the gloom and glared viciously at him!
"Young Master Fu!"
The shout pulled Fu Juemin back to reality. His shoulders trembled as he was violently wrenched from that delicate state of perception.
Turning around, Fu Juemin saw a man standing a few steps away, smiling and cupping his fist in greeting.
He was a young man in his late twenties with a well-proportioned build, high cheekbones, and long, narrow eyes. His features carried an air of innate callousness and severity.
He wore a deep maroon long-robe, and a large jade thumb ring was on his left thumb, a deliberate attempt to appear more mature and steady.
"Wu Pozhou?"
Fu Juemin’s eyes flickered as he looked at the young man before him.
"I am."
The young man smiled. "I often hear my adoptive father mention the great name of Young Master Fu, Fu Lingjun. Seeing you today, I can see you are truly extraordinary."
As Fu Juemin sized up Wu Pozhou, Wu Pozhou was likewise observing the young master of the Fu Family.
Though his words were complimentary, flashes of shock occasionally flickered in the depths of his eyes.
The man before him was handsome, with a powerful build. Though he wore a Western suit and stood casually, an intangible yet heavy pressure washed over Wu Pozhou in waves, like a rising tide.
Wu Pozhou was a martial artist himself. He had often heard the gang’s Red Sticks, who were sent to the Fu Family as sparring partners, endlessly praise how powerful the young master was and how astonishing his Talent was.
He had assumed they were just singing his praises because they were on the Fu Family’s payroll, but seeing the man in person, he realized their words were no exaggeration at all.
’This is no dissolute playboy, as the street rumors claim. This is a young Tiger, lying dormant in a grand mansion, its ferocity just beginning to surface!’
’Indeed, how could formidable men like Fu Guosheng and Fu Guoping possibly raise a mediocre, incompetent heir.’
"Is the Water Demon at the bottom of this river still around?"
Fu Juemin asked, gesturing toward the river.
Wu Pozhou answered after a moment of thought, "It’s hard to say. Things have been quiet since the river ceremony.
Perhaps because winter is approaching and the water is getting colder, it hasn’t caused any trouble for a while..."
Fu Juemin nodded and turned his gaze to the distant river, saying nothing for a long time.
Wu Pozhou didn’t dare break the silence. Here at the pier, he was the Gang Leader of the Black Shark Gang, commanding a thousand men. Yet standing beside Fu Juemin, he felt like a mere attendant, completely overshadowed in both status and presence.
The feeling was unsettling, but there was no escaping it.
Suddenly, Fu Juemin spoke out of the blue. "Gang Leader Wu, have you ever thought about avenging your father?"
Wu Pozhou was taken aback, unsure of Fu Juemin’s meaning. After a moment, he replied, "Of course I have. But the Water Demon is cunning and its methods are unfathomable. Even Second Master can’t do anything about it.
I may be full of courage, but I have no way to use it."
"When you were sacrificing livestock to it, did you ever consider using poison?"
Fu Juemin asked, turning his head slightly.
Wu Pozhou gave a bitter smile. "Of course we thought of it. We even tried.
But that Water Demon has a discerning palate. It can taste the difference in the essence and blood of a poisoned animal.
What’s more, if it ever eats a poisoned animal, it’s guaranteed to come ashore that very night to kill someone. It’s extremely vindictive. After a few attempts, we didn’t dare try again."
"What if we were to lure it out of the water, gather enough men, trap it with iron nets and steel cables, and then blast it with gunpowder.
Could we kill it then?"
Fu Juemin asked pensively.
Wu Pozhou considered this for a moment, then shook his head. "It might be feasible, but only if you could lure it far enough onto land. The moment it gets back in the water, all our efforts would be for naught."
"I understand."
Fu Juemin nodded and slowly turned around. "If I need Gang Leader Wu’s assistance in the future, I will call on you again."
"I am at Young Master Fu’s disposal at any time."
Wu Pozhou cupped his fist respectfully.
"Take care, Young Master Fu."
Wu Pozhou led a group of Black Shark Gang members and stood under the gateway of the Luan River Pier. He waited until the car was completely out of sight before finally relaxing his formal, deferential posture.
Watching the car disappear in a cloud of dust, the Master standing beside Wu Pozhou, who had visited the Fu Family several times, couldn’t help but sigh. "That young master of the Fu Family certainly is something else. Right now, Governor Song’s son, Song Lin, is trying every trick in the book to go after the Fu Family, yet he still has the time to worry about the Water Demon at this pier..."
"Who knows."
Wu Pozhou replied casually.
Seeing Wu Pozhou’s unconcerned expression, the Master hesitated for a moment before he could no longer hold back. He said in a low voice, "Gang Leader, now that the Fu Family is being targeted by the Songs, we should be making our own plans.
When the Elder Gang Leader passed away suddenly, relying on the Fu Family’s influence to secure your position as Gang Leader was an excellent strategy.
But now the Fu Family can barely protect itself. If we don’t distance ourselves from them soon, I fear we’ll be dragged down with them...
I know you value loyalty, Master. Since you took the Fu Family’s Second Master as your adoptive father, you’re surely unwilling to act like a petty villain.
But then again, the Elder Gang Leader died because of the Fu Family in the first place. When you get right down to it, they’re the ones who owe you. You’ve done so much for them these past few months; any debt you might have had is more than repaid...
And to be blunt, even if you don’t care about your own safety, you should at least think about everyone in the Black Shark Gang.
You can’t sacrifice the lives of several thousand of our brothers for the sake of the Fu Family, can you?..."
Listening to his Master’s earnest persuasion, Wu Pozhou’s eyes flickered, and his brow gradually furrowed.
He turned his head to look at the muddy, churning waves in the distance and remained silent for a long time.
After a moment, Wu Pozhou finally spoke in a low voice, "Don’t worry, Master.
I will make the necessary plans for this matter ahead of time..."
The Master let out a soft sigh of relief, his expression a mixture of complexity and gratification as he nodded.
