Chapter 31: Red Whale Gang!

The Red Whale Gang was based in Tianshui Prefecture, under Ruyi County.

The Great Jing River of Tianshui Prefecture ran through the entire Ruyi County, right next to the canal of Qingzhou.

The Red Whale Gang grew powerful by running a water transport business.

They were not only famous in the jianghu but also had official backing.

One day, a young man in a green robe arrived in Tianshui City. He had a handsome face and a tall, slender figure.

He led a tall horse and carried a small beast that looked like a wolf or dog. It had jet-black fur and a crimson vertical mark on its brow.

As he walked, he exuded an air of confidence and composure.

At the city gate, several men in red attire perked up when they saw the young man. They quickly approached and said, “Are you Young Master Lu Changsheng?”

“Our young master ordered us to wait here for you, Young Master Lu.”

The three men came forward and spoke respectfully.

“Oh? Is your young master Li Feiyu?”

This young man was indeed Lu Changsheng, who had come to find Li Feiyu of the Red Whale Gang.

Seeing the ‘Red Whale Gang’ embroidery on their clothes, he immediately guessed that Li Feiyu had sent people to meet him.

“That’s right, our young master is indeed Li Feiyu,” one of them replied.

At this moment, someone brought over a luxurious carriage and invited Lu Changsheng to get in.

Seeing this, Lu Changsheng nodded slightly. He handed the horse’s reins to someone nearby, and got into the carriage with the Nine Abyss Mastiff in his arms.

“Young Master Lu, please make yourself comfortable. It will take about half an hour to reach the Red Whale Gang’s headquarters,” the driver said.

“Mm,” Lu Changsheng responded.

Then, the carriage began to move steadily.

About half an hour later, the carriage stopped and a voice announced, “Young Master Lu, we’ve arrived at the Red Whale Gang.”

Lu Changsheng lifted the curtain and stepped out of the carriage. In front of him was a vast river.

On the river was an enormous oval-shaped red ship, as big as a whale, resting quietly on the water’s surface.

Under the clear blue sky, sunlight shone down on a red flag at the top of the giant ship.

The flag bore two blood-red characters: ‘Red Whale’!

“Is this the Red Whale Gang’s headquarters?” Lu Changsheng asked.

It was his first time seeing such an impressive ship. It was even larger than the aircraft carriers he’d seen in his previous life.

On the deck of the giant ship was a nine-story building. Around it were thick iron chains as wide as water barrels, anchoring the ship to the riverbank.

“That’s right, this is our Red Whale Gang’s headquarters, the Red Whale!”

“Young Master Lu, please,” one of the men introduced, then led Lu Changsheng towards the giant ship.

Along the walkway between the ship and the dock, gang members stood guard.

However, they had only taken a few steps when Li Feiyu, having received news of Lu Changsheng’s arrival, came out to welcome him.

Beside him was a man in his forties, tall and imposing, wearing a crimson outfit and bearing a stern expression.

The gang members guarding the path bowed as they passed.

“Greetings, Boss.”

“Greetings, Boss.”

“Greetings, Boss.”

“Changsheng,” Li Feiyu called out as he quickly approached Lu Changsheng.

He looked curiously at the wolf-like creature in Lu Changsheng’s arms.

He wondered where Lu Changsheng had gotten a Demon beast cub but didn’t ask.

Instead, he pointed to the stern-faced middle-aged man beside him and introduced, “Changsheng, this is my father. He came along to meet you when he heard you were coming.”

“Dad, this is my good friend, Lu Changsheng,” Li Feiyu said, introducing them to each other.

After returning home, his father had been supportive when he heard about his son becoming a son-in-law in a cultivation clan.

For martial artists in the jianghu, becoming a cultivator meant becoming superior to others!

What did it matter if he was a son-in-law?

A true man knows when to be flexible and when to stand firm!

Upon hearing that a fellow cultivator friend was coming to visit, he had come along to welcome him.

In the mortal world, cultivators held an extraordinary status.

Even the weakest among them was still a cultivator!

“Greetings, Uncle Li,” Lu Changsheng said with a smile, cupping his hands towards the imposing man whose eyes sparkled with intelligence.

Then, he took out five bottles of pills from his robes and said, “I didn’t prepare any special gifts. Please accept these small tokens, Uncle.”

“Young friend Lu, you’re too kind. There’s no need for gifts when you’re just visiting,” Li Tianyang said.

“I’ve already had a feast prepared. Please, come in.”

Li Tianyang accepted the gifts without refusing, his voice deep and somewhat magnetic.

He was very polite, showing no airs of a gang leader as he gestured and led the way.

“Is that a Demon beast? Where did you get it?” Li Feiyu finally asked about the small beast in Lu Changsheng’s arms.

“I saw it at a gathering of rogue cultivators. I thought it was nice, so I bought it to guard the house and keep the kids company in the future,” Lu Changsheng casually made up a story.

“Guard the house? Keep company?” Li Feiyu was a bit speechless hearing Lu Changsheng’s simple explanation.

Living in the Lu Family, did they need a dog to guard the house? And who would buy a Demon beast as a playmate for children? Wouldn’t it be dangerous for the kids?

He continued, “If you don’t have a beast-taming method, won’t it be hard to control its wild nature when it grows up?”

Having spent three years with the Lu Family, he naturally knew some information about cultivation.

Demon beast cubs weren’t as docile as domesticated pets.

“The seller said it’s just an ordinary canine Demon beast with a gentle temperament, similar to common cats and dogs. It should become obedient after being raised for a while,” Lu Changsheng continued to make things up.

This Nine Abyss Mastiff was obtained through his system’s lottery, so there was no issue of it being difficult to tame.

As its master, Lu Changsheng had 100% absolute loyalty from his pet. There was no need for any beast-taming methods or techniques to control it.

“That’s good then,” Li Feiyu said, not questioning further.

He could only tell that the Nine Abyss Mastiff was a canine Demon beast, but couldn’t identify its specific type or rank.

Besides, as a cub, it didn’t show any wild or fierce nature.

They entered the Red Whale, where a banquet had already been prepared.

After eating, Lu Changsheng went to rest.

He hadn’t rested much on the journey from Bull Head Mountain and was quite tired.

After all, he was only a cultivator at the third level of Qi Condensation.

Though his energy was abundant, it was still limited.

After the banquet, Li Zhengyang remembered the gifts Lu Changsheng had given him and took them out to examine.

Looking at the pills in the bottles, his pupils contracted sharply.

He carefully poured the pills into his hand, scrutinized them closely, sniffed them, and exclaimed in shock:

“This bottle contains Marrow Cleansing Pills, which can help cleanse the marrow and improve one’s martial arts aptitude!”

“This bottle has Innate Realm Pills, which can increase the chances of breaking through to the Innate Realm!”

“This bottle contains Great Recovery Pills, which can heal any internal or external injury!”

“This bottle has Spirit Nurturing Pills, which can increase one’s power by several decades worth!”

“This bottle contains Five Spirit Detoxification Pills, which can neutralize hundreds of deadly poisons!”

“This… this…”

Li Zhengyang looked at the five bottles of pills in his hand, his usually stern face full of shock.

As the leader of the Red Whale Gang and a prominent figure in the prefecture, he was very knowledgeable.

He recognized these five types of pills at a glance.

They were all sacred medicines in the martial arts world!

While they might not cause bloody battles, each pill would make countless people in the jianghu go crazy and risk their lives for it.

Yet now, Lu Changsheng had casually taken out five bottles as a welcome gift. How could he not be shocked?

“Dad, what’s wrong?” Li Feiyu, seeing his father’s expression, came over to ask.

“These are what your friend gave me,” Li Zhengyang took a deep breath and showed the pills to his son.

“These are… Marrow Cleansing Pills, Innate Realm Pills, Great Recovery Pills, Spirit Nurturing Pills, and Five Spirit Detoxification Pills.”

Li Feiyu’s eyes narrowed as he recognized the five types of pills.

As both a martial artist and a cultivator, he not only recognized these five types of pills but also knew that many precious pills in the mortal world were actually low-Tier pills made by cultivators.

However, for cultivators, these were basic, non-ranked pills.

In the mortal world, for martial artists, they were invaluable, miraculous medicines!

“Yes, your friend is really generous,” Li Zhengyang nodded, sighing in admiration.

He had only heard a brief introduction about Lu Changsheng from Li Feiyu before.

He only knew that, like his son, Lu Changsheng was a cultivator.

This visit was to ask the Red Whale Gang to help take care of his family in the mortal world. He didn’t know much else.

Now, seeing these five bottles of pills and recalling Lu Changsheng’s composed and confident demeanor earlier, he felt that Lu Changsheng was extraordinary, not an ordinary cultivator.

“Your dad has been judging people for many years. This friend of yours is exceptional. You should maintain a deep friendship with him.”

“As for these pills, they’re too precious. You should return them later,” Li Zhengyang put away the pills and handed them to his son.

Although he was tempted by the pills, he felt they were too valuable to accept.

After all, they were given as a gift because of his son’s friendship, and his son would have to reciprocate in the future.

“Dad, my relationship with Changsheng is good. You can keep them without worry,” Li Feiyu said.

“If you feel uncomfortable, you can compensate Changsheng’s parents and family in the future.”

Thinking about how he hadn’t brought any good gifts when he returned home, he felt a bit ashamed.

This was because in the Lu Family, he only had two Spirit Stones per month, living quite frugally with no extra Spirit Stones to spend.

“As for Lu Changsheng, tell him not to worry at all.”

“As long as our Red Whale Gang exists, we’ll ensure his parents and family live in wealth and comfort!”

“Even if our Red Whale Gang were to fall, we’d still do our utmost to protect his parents and family!”

Li Zhengyang said firmly, his voice deep and resolute.

Even if an ordinary cultivator asked him to look after their family, he would agree.

Because this was a connection to the world of cultivation!

To be able to form a relationship with a cultivator.

Moreover, Lu Changsheng seemed extraordinary and was a good friend of his son.