CHAPTER 40: CHAPTER 40: THE STRUGGLE BETWEEN THE SNAKE AND THE CRANE, THE IMAGINED TRUTH_1

Nine twenty-five PM.

Lu Yuan lay on the massage bed, bare-chested and in his underwear.

Soft, unidentifiable music played by his ears, and the faint scent of sandalwood lingered in his nostrils.

PITTER-PATTER.

He was quickly messaging his mom, Zheng Qiuling, on his phone, informing her that he might return after ten o’clock.

After sending the message, Lu Yuan tossed his phone aside and lay down to enjoy the rare "Coach Level" massage.

The masseur attending to Lu Yuan this time was a small, thin middle-aged man. He was quiet and reserved, yet his technique surpassed that of the previous master. His pressure was perfectly applied, and he targeted areas with greater precision.

However, the most significant difference from last time... was the essential oil they used... oh, no, the medicinal oil.

Lu Yuan remembered that when he had used Cheng Peng’s, he was given a pale, fragrant medicinal oil.

This time, it was black.

It was thicker and had a slightly pungent odor, not as pleasant as the previous one.

The sensation on his skin was different too.

First, it was fiery hot, then it turned cool, penetrating deep beneath the skin with an effect that lasted a long time.

Is this the auxiliary secret medicine from the Origin Martial Arts Hall... from the Crane Sect of the Heaven Water Sect? Lu Yuan wondered silently.

This time, however, Lu Yuan didn’t fall asleep.

After the half-hour massage, he rested for a short while longer before getting up to take a shower.

The effects of the "Coach Level" massage were indeed remarkable.

By the time Lu Yuan had showered and walked out of the Origin Martial Arts Hall, he felt that at least half the soreness in his body had vanished.

He estimated he wouldn’t even have to wait until tomorrow.

He would likely be almost fully recovered by tonight.

They say the more ancient a martial arts school’s lineage, the more adept they are at healing injuries. Martial arts sects inevitably face challenges from outsiders, engage in duels, and their disciples risk injury during daily practice. Without a unique set of healing methods, even the most powerful martial arts sect would struggle to endure...

Lu Yuan couldn’t recall where he had read that passage.

Reflecting on it now, it seemed very sensible.

The last bus arrived late.

It was quite crowded.

Most passengers were weary-looking office workers, clutching briefcases or carrying laptop bags, the fatigue of overtime etched on their faces.

Seeing them, Lu Yuan felt as if he were looking at his past self.

After a sweeping, sympathetic glance at them, Lu Yuan found a seat near the back door of the bus.

Outside the window, the city lights were sparse.

In the night sky, a beautiful, round moon like a silver platter hung high.

Lu Yuan suddenly remembered the flock of crows he had seen the previous night when he left the Mosa Fight Club.

Perhaps it was a coincidence.

Just then, a black silhouette shot past his eyes.

He heard the sound of flapping wings and quickly turned to look, but it was gone. He couldn’t tell if it had been a crow.

Lu Yuan took out his phone and did a quick internet search.

An online encyclopedia said that crows are highly social creatures and are usually active during the day. However, due to the bright city lights at night, seeing them then wasn’t particularly unusual.

So, was it a normal phenomenon?

Lu Yuan thought for a moment, then couldn’t resist searching for "Heaven Water Crane Sect" online.

"Could not find the content you are looking for."

Uh...

Undeterred, Lu Yuan deleted the words "Crane Sect" and directly searched for "Heaven Water Sect".

This time, numerous results appeared.

"...Sum Nation Martial Arts Association Chairman and Heaven Water Sect Master, Cai Huazhang, invited to attend the martial arts exchange conference between the two countries..."

"...Warm congratulations to Heaven Water Sect disciple Huo Ning for winning runner-up in the 37th ’Eagle Cup’ National Martial Arts Competition..."

"...Martial Arts sects participating in this event include the Heaven Water Sect, Transverse Mountain Sect, Black Sand Sect..."

But there was almost no information related to the words "Crane Sect".

Lu Yuan scrolled down, page after page.

Only on the fifth page did he find a faint clue.

"...Ever since the Heaven Water Sect’s Snake-Crane conflict over twenty years ago..."

This was from an article discussing the history of the Heaven Water Sect. Only this short opening line was visible in the preview.

Lu Yuan tried to click on it but received a "The link was dead" message.

Damn it! Lu Yuan flipped further through the pages but found no other useful information. He could only put down his phone reluctantly.

The Snake-Crane conflict?

So, the Heaven Water Sect, besides the Crane Sect represented by Origin Martial Arts Hall, also has a Snake Sect? And now, the ones in charge of the Heaven Water Sect, basking in glory, are the people from the Snake Sect?

Lu Yuan’s mind, sharp with its ten points of intelligence, began to race.

Combining plot elements from various novels he had read in his past and current lives, he quickly concocted a "dramatic and convoluted" yet "plausible" storyline.

The conflict between the Snake and Crane Sects... they lost the contest for the leadership of the Heaven Water Sect... fell into despair, feared retaliation from the Snake Sect—that they’d be wiped out—so they went into hiding, came to Burnt Rock City, and changed their name to the Origin Martial Arts Hall...

The more Lu Yuan thought about it, the more convinced he became that this was the truth.

The Snake Sect. The name alone made them sound like bad guys. They probably used all sorts of schemes and dirty tricks to win their esteemed position during the conflict between the Crane and Snake Sects.

Revive the Crane Sect! It is our solemn duty!

For some reason, this slogan popped into Lu Yuan’s head.

But it lasted only a second before he dismissed it!

Get real. I’m not even a formal disciple of the Crane Sect yet.

If I do end up joining the Crane Sect, this whole ’avenging grievances and settling scores’ business... they better keep me far away from it.

As Lu Yuan was thinking, his phone chimed. DING DONG.

He picked it up and saw it was an automated news alert from Burnt Rock City Evening News.

"...Recently, two more suspected missing persons cases have occurred in our city, one in Fawn Garden... Citizens are urged to be cautious when going out at night. If anything happens, please contact the police immediately..."

Lu Yuan’s eyes flickered.

More missing people.

Looking at the incident locations... both cases this time seem to have occurred in the eastern part of the city.

Lu Yuan couldn’t help but think of the crying woman he had seen at the entrance of the martial arts hall and the Fly Shuttle he had glimpsed on the sports field that afternoon.

I hope it’s the so-called ’higher-ups’ intervening, so this matter can be resolved quickly... Lu Yuan sighed softly.

The case was escalating, and its reach was spreading wider. Lu Yuan feared that sooner or later, it would affect someone close to him.

That was the last thing he wanted to happen.

He then browsed a few of Burnt Rock City’s larger public forums.

He discovered that he wasn’t the only eyewitness when the floating Fly Shuttle passed by in the afternoon.

Many people had even taken photos.

As for the Fly Shuttle’s origin and destination, opinions varied wildly.

Lu Yuan continued scrolling through the posts, and before he knew it, he had arrived at his stop.

「...」

"Mom, shall I bring you down a bowl of noodles?"

"No, you go and finish your homework. Look how late it is! Are you planning to sleep tonight or not?"

"Oh." Lu Yuan pulled back from the window, his shoulders slumping a bit as he sat down at his desk with a resigned expression.

Homework still had to be done.

But for Lu Yuan, the amount of homework assigned by the school was child’s play.

Half an hour at most to get it all done.

Lu Yuan took out all his homework and spread it on the desk before him.

He was about to activate [Absolute Focus] to finish his homework as quickly as possible and then practice some Martial Arts.

Suddenly, as he looked at his character panel, a thought popped into his mind—

I still have one skill point. Maybe... I should upgrade [Absolute Focus] another level?