Chapter Seven: The Golden Beam Spans the Sea, Trouble Befalls the Lu Estate

Black God kicked up its hooves and galloped wildly, unable to suppress a neigh of pure excitement.

For it, opportunities to gallop with its master on its back were rare. Most of the time, it was Qiu Tong who took it out for exercise—a feeling that was entirely different.

Black God did not remember who its parents were, nor did it particularly care; it only cared about its master.

It remembered that when it was very young and first came to its master, Lu Wu, the master would massage it and feed it every day. He also used a strange method to vibrate its internal organs and bones. At first, it was uncomfortable, but once it adapted, it felt wonderful—a deep, marrow-penetrating comfort.

Especially after it grew up, whenever its master rode on its back, a peculiar energy would flow from him into its body, permeating its skin, muscles, organs, and bones. It felt sublime.

If allowed to run at full tilt, this energy would circulate even faster, feeling like thousands of tiny hands massaging it from within. It made Black God feel as if it could run with its master on its back for an entire lifetime without ever growing tired.

Unfortunately, its master was far too lazy, and such opportunities were few and far between. Today, at last, there was another chance.

Lu Wu patted Black God’s neck, signaling it to calm its excitement. It was only about ten miles from Wutong Manor to the Lu Estate; this distance was hardly enough for Black God to really stretch its legs.

If the five girls, including Qiu Tong, could barely be considered Lu Wu’s disciples, then this Black God was Lu Wu’s experimental subject. Lu Wu was not yet insane enough to use five young girls to test the foundation-building techniques he had created.

In this world, the primordial energy of heaven and earth was far less active than in his previous life.

In that previous world, some were born with the ability to sense this energy, allowing them to draw it into their bodies and begin cultivation directly from the Qi-refining stage—these individuals were said to possess "spiritual roots."

In this world, however, the primordial energy was stable and dense. No one could move it with their mind alone; one had to start by tempering their own internal energy, and only then could they use that energy to draw in the primordial energy of heaven and earth to step into the realm of Qi-refining.

The Lu family was wealthy. While books and knowledge were expensive and top-tier martial arts techniques difficult to collect, common martial arts, the subtle theories of the various philosophical schools, and the simple methods of mystic practitioners were not hard to acquire.

Lu Wu had browsed through them casually. Drawing upon his experience as a "Heavenly Demon from Beyond" and a sentient artifact spirit, he combined the basics of "Iron Shirt" hard-body training with the most common health-preserving internal arts of this world to create an effortless foundation-building technique called "Golden Beam Supporting the Sea."

The first step of this technique was called "Casting the Golden Beam," which viewed the entire skeletal structure as pillars, aiming to forge a body of golden bones and jade marrow.

This technique only required subtle adjustments to the growth of the bones as the body developed, naturally resulting in a physique of golden bones and jade marrow. The process required no effort at all; one only needed to lie down, eat well, and sleep.

This was because this was not originally a martial art for humans, but a technique for casting artifact embryos through biological growth. The flagstaff of the "Capital Myriad Ghost Banner" was made from a thousand-year-old Nine-Nether Ghost Locust tree; its growth process had been micro-managed in exactly this way. Once fully grown, it served as a superior base material, allowing one to immediately begin inscribing restrictions, making it ten times more powerful than a flagstaff refined through conventional means.

Of course, this only applied to a monster like him, whose mental power was extraordinarily gifted from birth. How could ordinary people possibly have the ability to adjust the growth of their own bones?

Average people had to rely on "Thunderous Sound Body Cleansing" to exert external influence on their bone growth. This method also had some effect on Lu Wu, helping to accelerate the clearing of blood vessels between his organs and skin, stimulating changes in their microscopic structure.

Standard, authentic "Iron Shirt" training went from the outside in—skin to organs, then organs to marrow—a process fraught with danger and hardship, leaving behind countless hidden injuries. And that was only if one possessed the true techniques; common versions of "Iron Shirt" were reduced to mere impact training, where the nerves on the skin’s surface were simply beaten into necrosis so that one no longer felt pain.

The "Magic-Modified Iron Shirt" that Lu Wu passed on to his five maids could be called the "Golden Bone and Jade Marrow Iron Shirt." It was a simplified, post-natal version of "Casting the Golden Beam." It focused on strengthening the internal organs' Qi and blood as the body grew, then clearing the meridians from the inside out to infuse Qi and blood into the muscles and hair, eliminating the need for any physical beatings.

***

The Lu Estate.

The Lu Estate was located on the east side of Baishi Town and occupied about fifteen acres, most of which had already been lost.

However, the lost areas were mostly the rear gardens, ponds, and other landscaping. The core of the estate—the main entrance and central courtyard—had high walls that were easy to defend and difficult to attack, well-stocked with powerful bows and heavy crossbows. With the loyal estate guards and warriors fighting to the death, casualties remained low for the time being.

The Lu and Lin families had been on good terms for generations. The Lin family served in the military; whenever their soldiers were wounded or disabled in battle and faced a bleak future, the Lu family would take them in and provide for them at the Lin family's request.

Over the years, the Lu family’s private militia had grown in strength, and their business had expanded significantly, while the Lin family gained a sterling reputation in the military, which was greatly beneficial for promotions.

"Master, we cannot keep going like this. Please, make plans early," Jiao Heng urged, holding a round shield to protect Lu Jinhe as he peered out from the upper floor.

Jiao Heng was one of the leaders of the Lu Estate’s guards and had served in the Dinghe Army, participating in two great wars between the Wu and Chu states.

The battle did not seem particularly intense at the moment. The Lu family had fifteen heavy crossbows, countless bows, blades, and spears, and over three hundred battle-hardened guards. Although the besiegers included about fifty armored soldiers and over four hundred infantry, they were holding their own, currently locked in a standoff across the defensive walls.

"If we can hold out through today and wait for the imperial court to stabilize, I have my own ways to pull strings," Lu Jinhe said, stroking his long beard.

In truth, he had no confidence, but he could not admit as much.

The soldiers besieging the estate were likely subordinates of Lu Guang, the Commandant of the Archers—one of the five commandants of Songjing—not mere rebels. A short while ago, Lin Ji had sent word that the struggle for the succession had failed. Lu Jinhe had still held onto a shred of hope; the Lu family were merely merchants, and their involvement wasn't that deep—they had only provided some money and intelligence.

But within moments, a large army had arrived to surround the estate, leaving him with no way to escape.

With Prince Jiu having ascended the throne, the situation was settled. The new king wouldn't want to turn Songjing into a ruin. As long as they could survive today, there would be room for negotiation. At worst, he would kneel, kowtow, and pay more money. He didn't believe the King of Wu wouldn't need wealth upon his coronation.

The connections the Lu family had built over the years were not a joke; even among Prince Jiu’s subordinates, there were friends of the Lu family.

Prince Yuan had truly been a trap. As the third son of the late King of Wu, he had possessed a circle of experts, yet he had been killed by an assassin at such a critical moment—how could he not have been more careful? It was simply unbelievable!

"We can't hold them. They are currently just testing our numbers and equipment. Once they bring up the siege shields and the battering ram to push over the walls, this handful of men won't be able to stop them," Jiao Heng sighed.

The Lu Estate was at the foot of Songjing; while it had been built with some defenses against bandits, it was never intended to be a fortress. These walls were more than enough to deal with thieves and pickpockets, but against soldiers equipped with siege gear, they were a joke.

Moreover, most of the guards in the Lu Estate practiced martial arts suited for wandering swordsmen—good for shooting arrows or throwing knives from a distance, but facing armored soldiers in close combat was nothing short of suicide.

As the two spoke, a medium-sized battering ram appeared at the end of the long street.