Chapter 97.2: Charging the Army Formation Alone; Shattering the City Gate Amid Ten Thousand Troops! (II)

Upon reaching the next town, Lu Changsheng bought a horse and then headed all the way toward Zhanhai Prefecture.

Lu Changsheng had long planned to go to Zhanhai Prefecture. Only Zhanhai Prefecture could facilitate further improvement of his Wave Intent. As for Nanyang Prefecture, he would not return there for now, but he would go back to take a look when he had the chance in the future.

Compared to Nanyang Prefecture, Zhanhai Prefecture was undoubtedly far more prosperous. Moreover, maritime trade in Zhanhai Prefecture thrived, attracting rare treasures from all directions.

Whether it was martial arts or rare items, Zhanhai Prefecture had them all. If Lu Changsheng wanted his Dao of Martial Arts to advance any further, Zhanhai Prefecture was definitely the best place to do so.

Lu Changsheng did not encounter much trouble along the way, and several days later, he finally arrived at Zhanhai Prefecture.

The world was in chaos, and refugees were everywhere. Even Qianjiang Prefecture was taken over by bandits, and war was erupting across the land. Despite that, Zhanhai Prefecture remained prosperous with hardly any refugees at all.

The reason was simple—Zhanhai Prefecture thrived on maritime trade. Even without farming, ordinary people could still make a living by hauling cargo at the docks or doing miscellaneous work. Life was hard, but they weren’t starving yet.

This time, Lu Changsheng did not disguise himself as Dao Shi’er. He appeared in his original identity. If he wanted to gain a foothold in Zhanhai City or truly become a part of it, he needed a legitimate identity to stand on.

Zhanhai City had sects, but those sects generally recruited people at a very young age and trained them from childhood. Only then could those disciples develop a sense of belonging and loyalty to the sect. Someone of Lu Changsheng’s age would not be accepted, so he couldn’t join a sect.

As for joining merchant associations or noble families, that was even less suitable. How could merchant associations or noble families help him in his martial cultivation?

Lu Changsheng had finished practicing all sixty-eight martial techniques. If he wanted to improve his Perception, relying on black-market martial techniques alone was no longer practical. He needed to find a legitimate avenue through which he could learn a wider range of martial techniques.

Sects were the best choice, yet Lu Changsheng could not enter a sect. Noble families and merchant associations did not possess much martial arts. The authorities were even more impossible.

The authorities and jianghu were essentially two separate paths that did not interfere with each other. Even if the authorities had martial arts, he would still need to go through a background check, undergo various examinations, and earn merit through service to join them—an exceedingly troublesome process.

After pondering things carefully, Lu Changsheng realized that he didn’t have many options left.

Gangs! Lu Changsheng thought of a special kind of force within Zhanhai City.

As a hub of maritime trade, Zhanhai City enjoyed flourishing commerce. The docks in particular were immensely lucrative. As a result, several gangs rose to prominence. These gangs boasted numerous experts, with powerful networks that were deeply intertwined with each other. Their martial strength was especially formidable, not inferior to sects in the slightest.

Zhanhai City had three major gangs—the Four Seas Gang, the Three Flood Dragon Gang, and the Blood Oath Gang. Among the three, the Four Seas Gang was unquestionably the largest.

Lu Changsheng did not hesitate for long and chose the foremost gang. However, he did not plan to join the Four Seas Gang as a martial artist, but rather as a physician. The difference between gangs and sects lay in the fact that gangs could accept outsiders as members.

Moreover, they needed people from all walks of life, not just martial artists. Physicians could also join gangs, and good physicians were even highly sought after.

Having made up his mind, Lu Changsheng headed straight for the Four Seas Gang.

The headquarters of the Four Seas Gang was located on the most prosperous street in Zhanhai City, and Lu Changsheng easily found it. There were several guards at the entrance.

Lu Changsheng directly said, “I’m a physician. Can I join the Four Seas Gang?”

“A physician?” A trace of a smile appeared on the faces of the guards. Physicians were always respected everywhere. “Of course, you can! However, physicians must be assessed. Come with me!”

Lu Changsheng followed the guard and entered the Four Seas Gang. The Four Seas Gang had a large group of physicians. As a gang constantly embroiled in fighting and killing, the Four Seas Gang naturally had many injured and ill members.

As a result, the Four Seas Gang had a large number of physicians and had even created a Medical Hall.

Lu Changsheng was brought to the Medical Hall. An elderly physician sized him up, and his brows arched slightly. “You look so young. Are you really a physician?”

In fact, Lu Changsheng’s only disadvantage was his age. Physicians were usually trained by masters through hands-on instruction. Generally, most would only achieve something at twenty-seven or twenty-eight, or even in their thirties.

As for Lu Changsheng, he was not even twenty yet. The physician’s reaction was no surprise.

“I studied under the renowned physician Wu Jing of Nanyang,” Lu Changsheng said, revealing his background. Since he had appeared in Zhanhai City under his real name, his background was hardly a secret. Even if he chose not to mention it, anyone willing to spend some time could investigate him and uncover the truth.

“Wu Jing, the renowned physician of Nanyang? So you are Elder Wu’s distinguished disciple,” replied the physician of the Medical Hall with understanding. Wu Jing was a renowned physician, so most physicians had heard of him before.

“Since you’re Elder Wu’s disciple, your medical skills must certainly be good. However, the required assessment cannot be skipped.”

With that, the physician of the Medical Hall began arranging Lu Changsheng’s assessment. For physicians, assessments naturally fell into two main categories—diagnosing illnesses and treating injuries.

For the Four Seas Gang, treating injuries was even more important than diagnosing illnesses. Lu Changsheng happened to be most proficient in bone treatment. After a thorough examination, the physician of the Medical Hall could not help but praise him repeatedly.

“You’re indeed worthy of being Elder Wu’s disciple. To possess such medical skill at such a young age is truly remarkable! Physician Lu, you have passed the assessment of our Medical Hall.

“Our Medical Hall is divided into four ranks: master healers, renowned physicians, senior physicians, and ordinary physicians. Your medical skills are excellent and seem almost on par with those of renowned physicians, but our rules dictate promotion by merit.

“Thus, you must start as an ordinary physician. However, with enough merit and with some outstanding medical achievements, you can become a senior physician or even a renowned physician.”

After understanding the rules of the Medical Hall, Lu Changsheng nodded. The so-called merit was actually a system used throughout the entire Four Seas Gang.

From ordinary members up to the gang leader and elders, all operated under the merit system. It was said that this system was jointly established by the four founding elders of the Four Seas Gang.

It was precisely because of this system that the Four Seas Gang remained standing firm for a hundred years and had even grown into the largest gang in all of Zhanhai City.

Soon, Lu Changsheng officially became an ordinary physician of the Medical Hall of the Four Seas Gang. The Medical Hall also assigned two apprentices to him. One was named Lu Yang, and the other was named Zhang Xuan.

Lu Yang was taciturn and steady, though rather dull. On the other hand, Zhang Xuan was socially adept, smooth in dealings, and quite clever. Regardless of their personalities, both were extremely happy to become apprentices to a physician of the Medical Hall, as this meant their status within the Four Seas Gang had risen.

Moreover, apprentices were bound to the physicians who had accepted them. An apprentice’s success reflected on the physician, and their failures implicated the physician as well.

For that reason, if a physician was dissatisfied with an apprentice, the apprentice could be dismissed directly. In the Four Seas Gang, apprentices who were directly dismissed were essentially killed. It was cruel, but this was how gangs operated.

“Greetings, Physician Lu!”

The two apprentices kowtowed respectfully. Lu Changsheng held their life in his hands.

“Mmhm. I’m going to start seeing patients tomorrow. You don’t need to be too restrained. Just do your respective tasks properly,” Lu Changsheng spoke casually.

“Yes, Physician.”

Lu Changsheng had a separate courtyard within the Four Seas Gang. Clearly, the gang placed considerable importance on physicians.

The next day, Lu Changsheng arrived at the Medical Hall and began seeing patients. After waiting an entire morning, however, only four or five people came.

This wouldn’t do! According to the Medical Hall’s system, curing a patient meant earning a certain amount of merit, and both injuries and illnesses were graded by severity. The few patients Lu Changsheng had received were all of the lowest tier. Their conditions amounted to little more than superficial wounds. He even had a patient with just a case of the common cold.

By the end of the morning, the merit he had earned was pitifully small. Without merit, it was impossible make progress within the Four Seas Gang.

Throughout the whole morning, Lu Yang did not speak a word. He remained like a sealed gourd, quietly handling miscellaneous chores, unless Lu Changsheng gave him instructions. On the other hand, Zhang Xuan looked anxious. He looked eager to speak but was hesitating about it.

“Zhang Xuan, is there anything you want to say?” Lu Changsheng asked.

Zhang Xuan immediately replied, “Physician Lu, you have just arrived, and the people of the Four Seas Gang have yet to learn about your medical skills. I heard that you studied under the renowned physician Wu Jing. That’s excellent publicity. Why don’t we go out and spread the word for you?”

Zhang Xuan was clearly quick-witted. In just one day, he had already inquired into Lu Changsheng’s background. Even the finest wine could go unnoticed if hidden away in a deep alley, and it was particularly true for someone like Lu Changsheng, a new ordinary physician.

Without knowing how to maneuver in this system, there was no telling how long he would be able to hold on.

Lu Changsheng didn’t wish to endure hardship for too long. He also wanted to earn merit as quickly as possible. The more merit he accumulated, the more martial techniques he could exchange for within the Four Seas Gang.

“All right.” Lu Changsheng nodded. “Zhang Xuan, Lu Yang, you two go spread the word together.”

With that, Zhang Xuan pulled Lu Yang along to promote him outside. When the promotions started, more patients visited, but such days lasted only a few days before trouble arose.

Today, Zhang Xuan and Lu Yang appeared before Lu Changsheng with bruised faces and swollen noses.

“Hm?” Lu Changsheng asked. “Who did that to you?”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep