Top-Tier Perception Starts From Basic Fist Techniques-Chapter 80: Strange Black Insects

Finally... I’m back.

As Lu Changsheng stepped into the courtyard of Miaoshou Garden, the familiar sights and scents washed over him like a warm welcome home.

His journey to Yan City had been more than worthwhile. The gains were significant, especially the Four-Eyed Toad. It had strengthened him far more than he had expected, leaving his foundation noticeably stronger.

He allowed himself one full day of rest. On the second morning, life returned to its usual rhythm. He rose early, just as he always did, and set out toward Miaoren Hall.

As he walked through Miaoshou Garden, he noticed something unusual. All the apprentices and apothecaries he passed seemed to be in remarkably good spirits, their expressions brighter than usual.

"Good morning, Physician Lu."

"Heading to Miaoren Hall, Physician Lu?"

"Wonderful day, isn't it Physician Lu?"

And it wasn't just them. Even regular people on the street would greet him. This made Lu Changsheng realize how much his life in Miaoshou Garden had changed.

Just two years ago, he had been an unknown apprentice, often overlooked and rarely remembered. Now, he was a physician with a modest reputation, recognized for his medical techniques and for his inheriting Wu Jing's teachings. In troubled times such as these, it was worth remembering a skilled physician, especially one who could heal.

Lu Changsheng smiled. Even if I stopped practicing martial arts, I could get by with just healing people...

But his smile faded before he could entertain the thought any further. No. In this age of chaos, martial strength still reigns supreme.

With that thought lingering in his mind, Lu Changsheng arrived at Miaoren Hall. The moment Zhang Huan spotted him, his eyes lit up. Without a word, he hurried off into one of the corridors and returned with a freshly brewed pot of tea, setting it down with a flourish as if Lu Changsheng's presence alone had brightened his morning.

"Physician Lu, you’ve finally returned. Auntie Zhang from next door has been talking about you for days now," Zhang Huan said with a grin.

"Auntie Zhang? Is she feeling unwell again? Tell her to come over at once. I'll take a look."

Zhang Huan nodded, and hurried off again.

Lu Changsheng knew Auntie Zhang well. In fact, being particularly skilled in treating women's ailments, he had gained quite a few regular patients, Auntie Zhang being one of them.

Before long, Auntie Zhang arrived, waving her hand enthusiastically as she approached Lu Changsheng.

"Oh my, Physician Lu, you're finally back," she said cheerfully. "I didn't know who else to turn to with this old problem of mine."

Lu Changsheng checked her pulse, asked a few routine questions, and quickly determined that it was nothing serious. He wrote out a prescription and handed it to her.

Auntie Zhang took the prescription, but she seemed hesitant to leave, her fingers tightening slightly around the paper.

"Uh, is something else troubling you, Auntie Zhang?" Lu Changsheng asked.

She responded with a smile and lowered her voice. "Physician Lu, I heard you're not from around here?"

Many people already knew about Lu Changsheng’s background, so this question didn't catch him off guard.

"I wandered around when I was young. To tell the truth, I no longer remember where exactly I'm from. Eventually, I entered Miaoshou Garden as an apprentice and slowly worked my way to becoming a physician."

Lu Changsheng paused. Then, in a gentle, encouraging tone, he said, "Auntie Zhang, if you have something to say, please speak it freely."

At that, her smile widened. "Alright, then I'll be direct. I have a distant relative who recently moved to Nanyang City to do business. They have a daughter. She's well-read, sensible, capable, and very pretty. She's grown into quite a fine young lady. They’re new to the city and don’t know many people here, so they have asked me to help...

"I thought about it, and Physician Lu, you seem just right. Sure, you may not have much of a background, but you're steady, clever, and you're a physician of Miaoshou Garden. On top of that, Physician Wu Jing himself has accepted you as his disciple. I imagine my relatives would be more than willing for you to be her match. So, what do you say? If you were to agree, I'll see that this is put into motion at once."

So she's come to play matchmaker.

Lu Changsheng was initially taken aback by her proposal, but on a second thought, he realized that such a topic was bound to come up for someone his age.

Though he was an orphan, he was now a physician known throughout the region. Considering that he was young, capable, and earning a comfortable living, he counted as an eligible bachelor who had both skill and prospects. In Nanyang City, such qualities were more than respectable. If not for the fact that he had no parents nor family to speak of, someone would have come knocking on his door long ago.

"I appreciate it, Auntie Zhang." Lu Changsheng smiled but shook his head gently. "But I’m still young. I'm in no rush."

The truth was, he had never spared a thought for such matters. If he were ever to marry, he would not choose an ordinary woman. After all, on the surface, he was a physician, but in reality, he was a martial artist of the Divine Strength Realm.

Leaving aside the troubles and entanglements of the jianghu, his body alone was already different from that of a normal person. If he were to force such a union, he would have to restrain himself at all times. A moment of carelessness, a touch too much force, and it could cost a life.

If Lu Changsheng were ever to consider marriage seriously, his partner would have to be a martial artist as well, ideally one at the Divine Strength Realm or higher.

"Why not think it over a little more, Physician Lu?" Auntie Zhang pressed. "My relatives aren’t in a hurry either. If you change your mind, you can look for me anytime."

With that, she gathered her medicine and left without another word.

***

In the following days, Lu Changsheng enjoyed a rare stretch of peace. Time slipped by quietly, and in the blink of an eye, an entire month had passed.

He was carefully practicing the Divine Dragon Transformation with the ancient rock resin.

Buzz.

In an instant, enlightenment struck, and he activated the Divine Dragon Transformation. His body trembled violently, far more intensely than before. His blood qi surged, doubling without any delay.

Whoosh!

Lu Changsheng snapped his eyes open and immediately suppressed the changes within his body, stopping the transformation before it could go any further.

The Second Transformation... I've finally done it!

At last, Lu Changsheng had mastered the Second Transformation. This was no ordinary breakthrough. The Second Transformation granted a complete doubling of his physical faculties It was a comprehensive enhancement, strengthening everything at once: power, defense, endurance, and more.

The moment he activated the Second Transformation, his base strength would leap from forty cauldrons straight to eighty.

He proceeded to summon his status panel to examine his current condition.

[Status Panel]

Host: Lu Changsheng

Perception: 645 (Hidden Dragon in the Abyss)

[Skills]

Celestial Treasure-Refinement: First Layer

Threefold Waves: Second Wave

Blood Crystal: Advanced Mastery

Ninefold Carp-Dragon Ascension: First Stage

Divine Dragon Transformation: Second Transformation

Nine-Syllable Thunder Chant: Perfection (Incomplete)

Lu Changsheng's Perception had continued to rise steadily. No matter where he was, he never allowed himself to slack off. Every day, he practiced his martial techniques without fail. The progress was never dramatic, but it nevertheless kept accumulating, little by little over time.

Through this period of hard cultivation, he had also pushed the Blood Crystal Secret Technique to Advanced Mastery, not far from Perfection.

However, the most striking change lay in the Divine Dragon Transformation. Advancing from the First Transformation to the Second was nothing short of extraordinary. For a Divine Strength Realm secret technique, every step forward brought a transformation so profound it felt as though his entire body was reforged anew.

"The ancient rock resin is almost finished. I'll have to make another trip to the Blood Fiend Sect."

Lu Changsheng glanced at what remained of the ancient rock resin. At most, it would last for a few more days of cultivation. If he wanted to push the Divine Dragon Transformation to the Third Transformation, the ancient rock resin he had left was nowhere near enough.

Lu Changsheng wanted to acquire more right away, but he could not do so in broad daylight. The last time he obtained ancient rock resin, he had done so under the identity of Zhuang Shisan, and Zhuang Shisan was not someone who ought to appear in broad daylight. The risk was too great. If he was not careful, someone could link Zhuang Shisan and the ancient rock resin back to him, and things would become very troublesome very quickly.

Thus, he waited. When night fell, he assumed Zhuang Shisan's appearance once more and left Miaoshou Garden without a sound, heading toward the fortress of the Blood Fiend Sect. Being familiar with this route, the journey was bound to be swift.

This time, however, Lu Changsheng did not head straight for the mountain behind the fortress. Instead, he stopped at the front gate of the fortress. As Zhuang Shisan was a famed hero now, he could not risk damaging his reputation by callously taking things without permission. As long as the Blood Fiend Sect was willing to sell, he would pay the silver required. After all, silver was not something he lacked.

"Zhuang... Great Hero Zhuang!"

The moment Lu Changsheng appeared at the gate, the Blood Fiend Sect guards stiffened in shock. One of them even looked ready to bolt back inside.

"Stop!" Lu Changsheng shouted.

The two guards froze where they stood and dared not move. Carefully, they asked, "Great Hero Zhuang, what brings you here?"

Outside, people spoke of Zhuang Shisan as a righteous hero, a man of justice who despised evil. But to the Blood Fiend Sect, Zhuang Shisan was nothing short of a volatile threat.

The last time Zhuang Shisan was here, he had nearly wiped out the entire sect singlehandedly. Seeing him again was enough to make their knees weak. They knew well that they had committed evils in the past. They were exactly the kind of people Zhuang Shisan targeted. How could they not be afraid?

"Relax, I'm just here to buy some ancient rock resin."

"Ancient rock resin?"

The two guards exchanged a glance, then let out a breath of relief. "Great Hero Zhuang, if ancient rock resin is all you seek, then please come inside."

"Oh? I thought you weren't willing to sell it," Lu Changsheng remarked with mild surprise.

"Uh... Well, after what happened last time, the Blood Fiend Sect began cooperating with the major forces of Nanyang Prefecture. We were also specifically instructed that if you ever wanted ancient rock resin, we were to sell it to you."

Ah, I see.

So after being beaten into submission, the Blood Fiend Sect no longer dared to refuse.

"Alright. Lead the way."

To Lu Changsheng, purchasing the resin was certainly the better option, as it saved him the trouble of mining it himself in the mountains. Extracting large quantities of ancient rock resin was a time-consuming and laborious process, hardly worth the effort when silver could solve the problem.

Once inside the Blood Fiend Sect, Lu Changsheng noticed large piles of ancient rock resin stacked everywhere. Even at night, people were still busy at work producing Ancient Rock Incense.

Lu Changsheng was led into the reception hall, and before long, a middle-aged man came to greet him.

"Greetings, Great Hero Zhuang. I am Lu Qi, Vice Chairman of the Ancient Rock Incense Merchant Association," the man said with a respectful bow.

Vice Chairman? This piqued Lu Changsheng's interest. "Is this not the Blood Fiend Sect? Why is a merchant association's vice chairman here? Are you also a member of the sect?"

"Great Hero Zhuang, this is indeed the fortress of the Blood Fiend Sect," Lu Qi replied smoothly, "but I am not part of the sect. The Ancient Rock Incense Merchant Association was jointly established by the Blood Fiend Sect and the major forces of Nanyang Prefecture. Our main business is the production and sale of Ancient Rock Incense. Anything related to it is handled entirely by the association."

"I see." Lu Changsheng nodded, then asked, "Where is the new sect master of the Blood Fiend Sect?"

Lu Qi hesitated, a trace of awkwardness flickering across his face. "Great Hero Zhuang... the new sect master has other matters to attend to. He asked me to receive you in his stead."

"Is that so?"

The new sect master likely did not dare appear before him. After all, Zhuang Shisan had nearly destroyed the Blood Fiend Sect with his own hands. Strictly speaking, the Blood Fiend Sect and Zhuang Shisan shared a blood feud, even if the current Blood Fiend Sect was markedly different from what it had once been.

Sensing Lu Changsheng's doubts, Lu Qi tried to lighten the tension with flattery. "Great Hero Zhuang, please do not take offense. Your reputation is simply too great. The sect master truly does not dare stand before you. However, when it comes to ancient rock resin and Ancient Rock Incense, I have full authority to make decisions."

"Very well," Lu Changsheng said. "I want to buy one hundred jin of ancient rock resin. What will it cost?"

"Ten taels of silver per jin," Lu Qi answered.

Lu Changsheng recalled the price of Ancient Rock Incense and found the figure reasonable enough.

"I'll take a hundred jin then," he said, handing over silver notes worth one thousand taels to Lu Qi.

"Please wait a moment, Great Hero Zhuang," said Lu Qi before retreating to issue orders.

While waiting, Lu Changsheng decided to wander through the fortress. Looking around, he realized that the traces of the Blood Fiend Sect had already grown faint. Everywhere he looked, there were people from the Ancient Rock Incense Merchant Association going about their work. The sect itself seemed to only exist in name.

He found this rather amusing. Long ago, this place had been the Gao Fortress. Later, it became the Blood Fiend Sect. And now, little by little, it was turning into the Ancient Rock Incense Merchant Association. The passage of time is indeed relentless.

Soon, the hundred jin of ancient rock resin was secured. Lu Changsheng wasted no time and left the Blood Fiend Sect at once. Even under the cover of night, his senses were sharp and his vision clear. Darkness posed no obstacle to him.

As he made his way swiftly back toward Nanyang City, Lu Changsheng suddenly came to a stop. He frowned as he covered his nose.

What's that stench?

A foul odor hung in the air, so vile it made his stomach churn. He scanned his surroundings and spotted a ditch beside the forest ahead. He walked over and, looking down, saw three shriveled corpses in the ditch. It was as if every drop of blood had been drained from their bodies.

A powerful stench rose from them, not just the smell of decay, but something far more peculiar. It was an acrid, nauseating odor that stirred in Lu Changsheng a visceral revulsion.

He followed the ditch farther upstream. Before long, he discovered more bodies. These were fresher, likely dead for less than a day. They had the same shriveled look.

He crouched and examined one of the corpses closely. Some injuries resembled claw marks from wild beasts, but the majority of the wounds suggested death by a terrifying force. Regardless, the one thing they had in common was they were all drained of blood.

Suddenly, movement caught Lu Changsheng’s eye.

What's that?

Lu Changsheng's gaze fixed on one body. Something inside it seemed to be moving.

Squelch!

Without warning, the corpse just exploded. Dried flesh scattered as a black streak shot straight toward Lu Changsheng's, but he caught it midair. As a Divine Strength martial artist, he had no issues reacting to something like that.

Crrr...

His palm stung. As he opened it, he noticed a tiny cut, but there was something else, far more sinister. Embedded in his flesh was a black insect, no larger than an ant, wriggling as it burrowed deeper into his palm.

Lu Changsheng was taken aback. He had undergone marrow transformation and blood replacement four times, making his physical defenses formidable. How could such a tiny creature pierce his skin so easily?

Nonetheless, he did not panic.

"Get off me."

The flesh and blood of a Divine Strength martial artist were fused with their consciousness. As such, Lu Changsheng could control every single part of his body with his mind.

With a single thought, Lu Changsheng mobilized the muscles and blood in his palm. His flesh contracted violently, forcibly squeezing the black insect back out. Then his blood and muscle wrapped around it tightly, leaving it no room to escape. He clenched his hand and felt the insect burst in his fist.

This thing has a very hard shell. I've never seen anything like this before. What in the world is it?

His brow furrowed. As a physician, he was familiar with countless strange insects and parasites, yet this black insect was a mystery to him.

Even though he could kill the insect as a Divine Strength martial artist, the fact that its shell was hard enough to pierce his skin left him a little surprised. If such a creature burrowed itself in a normal person's body, it could ravage it unstopped. Even an Organ Refinement martial artist would likely die.

He shook his head and continued walking. It was not long before he discovered even more corpses. Inside them, countless black insects were feeding greedily on what remained of their blood.

This time, he took out a porcelain vial from his robes. Then, with a series of precise movements, he captured dozens of the black insects.

I'll ask around about these bugs tomorrow, he thought to himself as he carefully tucked the now full vial away.

Lu Changsheng looked at the bodies across the ground once more, countless insects still wriggling grotesquely beneath the skin. He felt there was something sinister about this.