Chapter 104: Watertight Li Fuzhou

Outside Yu State City, at the foot of a deep mountain.

Shui Zhongyue felt an intense headache, as if his head was about to explode.

“What on earth is going on? Why has this young doctor been pushing the grinding stone next to the millstone all afternoon, making such strange noises?”

He rubbed his head with both hands, frowning slightly as he looked at An Jing in the distance conversing with a hunter, “I always feel there’s something odd about this young doctor.”

He felt that something was not quite right, but he couldn’t pinpoint what it was. His entire brain felt foggy and heavy.

“Could it be the signs of deviating into madness due to the consecutive failures in breaking through the First Grade shackles recently?” Shui Zhongyue murmured to himself with a sinking heart.

Further away, beside the houses.

A donkey was pulling a grinding stone, occasionally making cheerful noises.

No need to say, Shui Zhongyue had been observing this donkey all afternoon until An Jing returned from Jiang Sanjia’s house, which brought Shui Zhongyue back to his senses.

“These medicinal herbs total eight hundred and seventy-two copper coins, take care of it.”

An Jing handed over the copper coins to the hunter with a big smile.

“Thank you, Doctor An, thank you so much.”

The hunter extended his calloused hands to receive the copper coins and then began to thank him repeatedly.

You should know that when other medicine shops came to purchase herbs in the past, they would press down the prices extremely low, but Doctor An from Jishi Hall never haggled over prices, nor did he ever defer or default on payments.

“Ghost Valley Enchantment…”

An Jing picked up the hemp sack from the ground, then glanced at Shui Zhongyue in the distance out of the corner of his eye, his lips curling into a faint smile.

…….

In Yu State City, at Jishi Hall.

The autumn wind was gentle, and the sunlight was pleasant, warming this old city.

Under the red walls and grey tiles, the streets were bustling with people, and the painted boats on the Yu State River floated on the sparkling lake surface with the breeze.

An Jing, carrying a medical kit on his back and a snakeskin bag filled with herbs, made his way home.

He had now firmly stabilized his cultivation at the First Grade Earth Flower Realm. To reach the pinnacle of the First Grade Earth Flower, he still needed a large amount of precious essence. An Jing did not intend to make a move shortly but instead focused on consolidating his current cultivation.

After all, the upcoming battle on Three Temple Mountain would surely stir up a new storm, and acting rashly might expose him to hidden dangers, resulting in more loss than gain.

“The first issue to resolve is still Li Fuzhou.”

As An Jing walked in the direction of Jishi Hall, he passed by a river wharf and immediately noticed Tan Yun hammering clothes with a mallet. Little Black obediently squatted by her side, wagging his tail continuously.

“What identity does that swordsman hold, and why can he draw the Evil Suppressing Sword? Is there a chance for him to join our Demon Sect in the future?”

Tan Yun stared at the sparkling water in front of her but was still thinking about what Li Fuzhou had said that morning.

The more she thought about it, the more curious she became about that swordsman.

Just then, Little Black ran to Tan Yun’s side, extending its pink tongue to lick her embroidered shoes.

Tan Yun pointed the mallet in her hand fiercely at Little Black and said, “Scram, if you dare to lick my shoes again, I’ll make you into sweet and sour meat.”

“Howl… woof.”

Little Black cocked its head, looking at Tan Yun with big watery eyes.

“The saying goes, if a dog meats roils a few times in the pot, even immortals won’t sit still.”

Just at that moment, a voice came from behind.

“Madam, have you come back?”

Upon hearing this, Tan Yun turned her head and saw An Jing standing not far away with a hearty smile.

“Woof, woof!” “Howl… woof!”

Little Black seemed to understand and barked at An Jing excitedly.

“I’m back. I saw you washing clothes, so I came over to check how you were doing and if you were seriously working or just lazing about again,” said An Jing with a smile.

“I’m working for free for you, and you don’t even pay me,” Tan Yun retorted with a slight pout and turned back to continue pounding her laundry.

While she was in the Demon Sect, she seldom lacked silver, but after coming to Yu State City, Zhao Qingmei had cut off all her monetary expenditures.

Besides not worrying about food and drink, she truly had no silver to her name.

An Jing raised an eyebrow subtly, “Do you really want silver?”

“Of course,” Tan Yun replied without turning back.

“What do you need silver for?”

“A new Yulan Square just opened in the east of the city. Their pastries are said to be very tasty.”

“Aren’t you trying to lose weight?” An Jing glanced at Tan Yun’s enviable curves.

Ever since he heard the term ‘surging waves,’ he could no longer associate it with the sea.

“Tell me, do only ugly and fat people need to lose weight?” Tan Yun said to An Jing.

“That’s the principle.”

“So, Husband, are you saying I’m ugly?”

“Actually, not ugly.”

An Jing shook his head. Although Tan Yun might not be considered a stunning beauty, she was lively and cute, with quite an attractive appearance.

“Right, that’s why I don’t need to lose any weight,” Tan Yun said with a chuckle, “I’ve thought it through. Maybe I’ll consider it again next spring.”

Women!

An Jing took a closer look at Tan Yun and casually asked, “Tan Yun, you always call Li Fuzhou ‘Third Uncle.’ What exactly is he to you?”

Tan Yun replied irritably, “He’s my Third Uncle, of course. Do you even need to ask?”

An Jing raised an eyebrow. “No, I mean, are you related to him? I see you’re always so scared of him.”

An Jing had always assumed that Tan Yun’s grandfather and Li Fuzhou were brothers, with Li Fuzhou being the third oldest, which was why he was called Third Uncle. But now it seemed the matter was not that simple.

“Who am I afraid of?”

Upon hearing this, Tan Yun turned her head to look at the young doctor behind her and, waving the mallet in her hand, said, “Tan Yun fears neither the heavens nor the earth.”

Do you think I am blind?

Normally, when Tan Yun saw Li Fuzhou, she acted like a mouse who had seen a cat—all this, he had seen with his own eyes.

An Jing did not want to haggle over this matter with her. Nodding repeatedly, he said, “Right, right, right, you’re not afraid. But are you related to Third Uncle or not?”

“You don’t believe me?” After hearing this, Tan Yun looked around and then raised her eyebrows.

This young doctor seems to look down on her?

Although she acted as docile as a rabbit in front of Li Fuzhou and Zhao Qingmei, in the Demon Sect she was somebody important. As Li Fuzhou’s only disciple, who would dare not show her a little respect?

“I do believe you,”

An Jing opened and closed his mouth, helplessly saying, “Every word you say is true – how could I not believe it? I just wanted to…”

“You just don’t believe it.”

Tan Yun interrupted An Jing’s words and said haughtily, “My demeanor is all out of respect for Third Uncle, you get that?”

He felt that Tan Yun was a total tsundere; even faced with death, she would maintain her haughty attitude right to the end.

An Jing took a deep breath and asked undisturbed, “You said before that you’ve been in the manor since you were young. If you’re not related by blood or marriage, why do you respect him so much?”

Zhao Qingmei had mentioned that Li Fuzhou had only been in charge of the accounts for about a year. Tan Yun’s interaction time with Li Fuzhou logically shouldn’t have been long, yet from her words, she seemed very familiar with Li Fuzhou.

“Why…”

When Tan Yun heard An Jing’s question, her movements paused, and she couldn’t help but fall into reminiscence.

……

Ten years ago, in Lingnan Dao.

Thousands of miles covered with flying snow, the cold wind sharp as a knife, the earth a desolate expanse.

In the silent and bitterly cold forest, the sound of footsteps crushing the snow could be heard, light as a whisper.

Following the sound, one could see a six- or seven-year-old girl. She was dressed in very thin clothes, patched all over. Her little face was red with cold as she kept blowing on her little hands for warmth.

When she stretched out her small hands, the shocking sight were the cracks from the cold.

On the ground was a small bundle of twigs.

Little Tan Yun had already been on the mountain for nearly two hours, but today she had only managed to gather such a small amount of twigs.

“This batch of twigs can only be exchanged for one bun…”

She bit her lip, carefully bundling up the twigs, then hugged them tightly to her chest as she started to walk down the mountain.

The mountain path was rough and difficult to traverse, especially in the depths of winter. Although it was just a small mountain, her tiny body was almost submerged in the snowstorm.

“Mother is waiting for me to go back, I must let her eat a bun today.”

The howling wind seemed to numb her ears completely.

Not knowing how long she had walked, little Tan Yun felt her hands and feet go numb. At last, she saw the tooth trader at the foot of the mountain.

“Uncle Zhu…”

Little Tan Yun’s eyes brightened, and she called out loudly, but her voice was drowned out by the wind and snow.

She gritted her teeth and, taking small steps, finally ran up to the tooth trader, and asked cautiously, “Uncle Zhu, this is the firewood I chopped today, do you think it’s okay?”

His companion frowned and said coldly, “Little girl, is this what you call firewood? Clearly, you’ve just picked up some damp twigs.”

Upon hearing this, little Tan Yun’s heart dropped into an abyss, and she felt a chill within.

“I… I… I only picked these…”

“At such a young age, and you’ve already learned to swindle?” The companion snorted, “Off with you, go away. These damp twigs aren’t worth a penny, and we don’t have time to waste on a little girl like you.”

“I… I…”

Hearing this, little Tan Yun’s eyes reddened, and she was so anxious that she could not utter a single word.

The tooth trader named Uncle Zhu waved his hand and took out ten copper coins from his pocket, saying, “I’ll take the firewood you chopped, here’s ten copper coins.”

“Hey, Zhu Houyou, you are giving ten copper coins for these twigs? Have you lost your mind?”

“Really, have you taken a fancy to this little girl’s bedridden mother?”

“Don’t mention it, although her mother is sickly, she indeed looks quite good.”

……..

Seeing this, several people around laughed.

“Shut your mouths!”

Zhu Houyou frowned and said, “This little girl is about to freeze to death, all for a few copper coins. She’s only six years old. Do none of you have any conscience? Can you really stand by and watch her die right before your eyes without feeling anything?”

Tan Yun stood still, not daring to breathe.

The crowd was silenced by Zhu Houyou’s words. After a while, one of them laughed self-deprecatingly, “Conscience? Our conscience was eaten by dogs a long time ago.”

“Yes, she doesn’t have it easy. In these times, do we have it any easier?”

“This damn cursed world!” someone muttered sadly.

In times of chaos, human life is as cheap as grass.

It seems like just a sentence, but one who hasn’t experienced it can hardly imagine its cruelty.

To compare human life with worthless grass.

“Take it.”

Zhu Houyou placed ten copper coins in Tan Yun’s hands, then glanced at her chapped hands and couldn’t help feeling a pang, “Does it hurt?”

She was still just a six-year-old child.

“It doesn’t hurt.”

Clutching the hot copper coins tightly, Tan Yun shook her head and trembled, “Uncle Zhu, I will repay you, I will definitely return these ten copper coins to you.”

Zhu Houyou smiled, he didn’t need the gratitude of this six-year-old girl, “Go on, your mother is waiting for you.”

Clutching the ten copper coins, Tan Yun bowed to Zhu Houyou and then ran towards the distance.

“Old Zhu, you…”

“It’s just one less meal tonight, that’s all.”

Seeing this, his companions sighed and said no more.

Tan Yun ran all the way, her heart filled with ecstasy.

Ten copper coins!

That could buy five buns!

Today, she and her mother could have a full meal.

About half an hour later, Tan Yun finally arrived at the bun shop in the town, panting heavily.

“Buns, delicious and big buns!”

“How fragrant!”

Tan Yun smelled the fragrance and felt her stomach growling instantly, almost wishing she could bite off her tongue.

“I need to hurry back, mother is waiting for me.”

With that thought, Tan Yun stretched tiptoe and carefully placed the ten copper coins next to the steamer, “Boss, give me five buns.”

“Little girl, five buns cost fifteen copper coins,” the bun shop owner frowned upon seeing the coins on the counter.

“Isn’t it two copper coins each?” Tan Yun asked anxiously, “The day before yesterday it was two copper coins each, I bought some…”

“Currently, we are at war with Zhao Country and the Southern Barbarians, and with the flood and epidemic in Yun Hua Dao and Jiangnan Dao this year, there just isn’t enough grain. Two copper coins each was yesterday’s price. Now it’s three copper coins each,” the bun shop owner sighed.

“Then… then give me three, please,” Tan Yun bit her lip and said.

“All right, that will be nine copper coins, and you have one left,” the bun shop owner said as he handed the paper containing the buns to Tan Yun.

“Thank you.”

Tan Yun picked up the paper and hurried home.

“Oh, be careful, don’t drop them,” the bun shop owner called out as he watched the slender figure, then shook his head, “That poor little girl.”

The icy wind howled through the frozen land.

Tan Yun trudged on, panting hard and desperately running home.

After passing the sparsely populated market, she finally arrived at a row of small, dilapidated houses.

“Mother, I’m back… Ah!”

Tan Yun called out, but because she was running too fast, she tripped over a piece of broken stone on the ground.

She fell to the ground, clutching the paper tightly, but the buns inside rolled out onto the ground.

“My buns, my buns…”

Tan Yun, ignoring the pain, quickly got up to pick up the buns that had fallen to the ground.

However, the buns had rolled through snow and mud and were stained with dirt.

Seeing this, Tan Yun’s nose twitched, but she bit her lip hard, holding back the tears swirling in her eyes.

“It’s okay, I’ll just tear a bit off, the rest is still clean,” she reasoned.

Tan Yun, with her frostbitten hands, carefully peeled the muddy parts off the buns.

It took about enough time to burn half an incense stick for her to remove all the mud from the buns, ensuring they were clean.

The wind cut like a knife. Not only did Tan Yun feel bone-chilling cold, but a fire seemed to rise in her stomach, bending her over and spreading throughout her body. Choking on a surge in her throat and looking at the mud-stained bun skins, she struggled to hold it down.

In the end, she swallowed hard and stuffed all the bun skins and mud stains into her mouth.

With each chew, there was the soft fragrance of the bun skins, mixed with the astringent taste of the mud, but she ate with great satisfaction.

After eating, she felt even hungrier. She couldn’t help looking at the buns wrapped in the oil paper, then swallowed again and quickly picked up the oil paper to run towards the two thatched cottages not far away.

“Mother, I’m back, I brought back three buns today.”

Little Tan Yun exclaimed with excitement.

But there was no response from inside the house; every other time she came back, her mother would always respond with, “It’s good that you’re back.”

Little Tan Yun, holding the oil paper, approached the inside of the room.

She saw the room, empty on all four sides, with only a bed inside.

On the bed lay a woman with a pale face, her eyes closed as if in meditation, holding in one hand an “East Wing Record.”

The “East Wing Record” was very worn, as if it had been flipped through countless times.

“Mother, stop sleeping, I brought three big buns.”

Little Tan Yun walked up to the woman and whispered.

The room was quiet, and the woman did not respond to her.

“Bun. This is a bun. Uncle Zhu gave me ten copper coins; I bought them. I didn’t steal them…”

“Mother, please wake up.”

Little Tan Yun quickly stretched out her hand that was rough from being on the ground, “Mother, Yun’er’s hand hurts, blow on it…”

Every time she got a skin wound in the past, the woman would gently blow on it for her.

The woman on the bed was motionless and didn’t respond at all.

A tremor ran through Little Tan Yun’s heart, and she could no longer hold back, bursting into tears.

In the empty and shabby house, there was only her heart-wrenching crying.

Little Tan Yun cried until she was out of strength, stunned in place for a long time, before she finally took out the buns from the oil paper.

“Mother, eat the bun quickly, after eating this bun you won’t be hungry, and you won’t be sleepy anymore.”

“Mother, eat the bun, please wake up.”

“Wuuu… Mother, Yun’er won’t let you teach me writing anymore, I won’t make you angry again, please wake up, wake up…”

Little Tan Yun cried bitterly over the body, then devoid of energy, she continued sobbing and lay on the corpse motionless.

At that moment, a poignant sigh came from outside the door.

“She has already left.”

Little Tan Yun turned around to look and saw a middle-aged scholar standing at the door, handsome in appearance, with sharp brows and piercing eyes, though his expression was somewhat desolate.

“Sir, save my mother, I have buns…”

“I cannot save the dead. All I can do is to ensure she rests in peace.”

……

On the river dock.

An Jing looked at Tan Yun who had been silent, and said, “Tan Yun, how did you enter the residence?”

Tan Yun came back to her senses and said, “When I was six years old, my mother was unwell and didn’t survive that winter. I was seen by a passing steward and brought into the residence…”

As Tan Yun spoke, her expression couldn’t help but lower.

Six years old?

Upon hearing this, An Jing’s eyebrows slightly raised, asking, “What about your father?”

Tan Yun calmly said, “My mother told me he died before I was born.”

As she said this, Tan Yun’s face still showed no emotion, even as she kept pounding the clothes with her mallet.

“Do you still feel sad now?” An Jing paused before speaking.

“Sad? What’s there to be sad about?”

Tan Yun paused in her movements, then looked at the glaring sunlight and said, “My mother definitely wouldn’t want me to be sad and crying all day, so I’m not going to be sad.”

The mild sunlight spilled down, casting a gentle glow on her delicate face, adding a bit of softness.

As if struck by a thought, Tan Yun looked at An Jing curiously, “Master, why are you asking me so many questions today?”

In the past although the master was strange, always saying odd things, he never asked so many questions.

“Nothing, I’m just taking an interest in you,” An Jing said with an awkward smile.

“Taking an interest in me? You never cared about me before.”

Tan Yun thought of something, her eyes moving quickly, “Master, you’re not here because of that young lad Han Wenxin, are you?”

“How could that be? How would you have grown up if I didn’t care about you?”

An Jing gave Tan Yun an exasperated look at her full bust, saying, “Enough, you’re almost done washing the clothes, let’s go back.”

It appears Tan Yun and Li Fuzhou didn’t have a special relationship, but that’s understandable. Li Fuzhou, that old fox, probably wouldn’t fancy a ‘beauty without brains’ like Tan Yun.

“Understood, master.”

Tan Yun nodded her head, then picked up the wooden basin and followed behind An Jing.

“It seems I need to have a good talk with Han Wenxin, that kid. Ever since Zhou Xianming left, I haven’t really practiced any boxing or martial skills,” Tan Yun murmured to himself as he watched An Jing’s retreating figure.

“Hurry up, have you turned into a statue?” An Jing couldn’t help calling out when he saw Tan Yun standing motionless.

“I’m coming, I’m coming.” Tan Yun quickly followed, laughing, “Son-in-law, actually, when I think about it, you’ve been pretty nice to me. You’re also fun to talk to.”

The young doctor wasn’t particularly capable on ordinary days, only knowing how to treat and heal people, but he not only bought himself some pastries, he could also cheer one up…

“Of course.” An Jing didn’t even turn his head back as he replied, “I have a few good points about me, being a ladies’ man might be one of them.”

“Son-in-law, I want to repay you,” Tan Yun said earnestly.

“Repay? How do you plan to repay?”

“Now it’s autumn, the crabs are really fatty. I heard from a teahouse worker that a new batch of crabs has arrived, and they’re not too expensive…”

“Are you trying to repay me, or take revenge on me?”

……

Lijiang City.

Recently, with the autumn examinations happening in Lijiang City, throngs of scholars from Jiangnan Dao gather here, making the city even livelier and noisier.

Especially at night on the lakes of Lijiang City, heavily made-up women stand at the prows of boats, beckoning scholars with their handkerchiefs. The middle of the lake is filled with people toasting and changing seats, the sounds of cheerful singing and dancing all around.

Among them, a delicate painted pleasure boat slowly drifted over, with crisp and pleasing voices wafting into the ears.

At this moment, a middle-aged scholar tried to board the pleasure boat, only to be blocked by the old madam at the boat’s head.

The two of them tugged back and forth, the old madam with a scowl on her face, while the middle-aged scholar continued to smile apologetically.

This was not just anyone; it was Zhou Xianming.

Finally, seemingly impatient, the old madam pushed Zhou Xianming’s hand away and barked angrily, “You’re dreaming in broad daylight!”

“Dreaming… in broad daylight!?”

As soon as these words came out, countless people around turned to look, their eyes filled with surprise.

Even Zhou Xianming’s face turned red with embarrassment, and he awkwardly retreated from the boat.

Watching Zhou Xianming’s retreating figure, the old madam sneered, “You can’t see these wealthy young masters boarding the boat with their fortunes, dressed in brocades, used to fine dining. With your gaunt face and mean appearance, you don’t even have the decency to take a look at yourself in a puddle of urine. You’re neither here nor there, dreaming of eating swan meat. Better snap out of it early…”

Zhou Xianming dared not look back, afraid that the old madam would summon a few brutes to beat him up, but he kept muttering to himself.

“…Insisting on five hundred copper coins, wouldn’t three hundred copper coins for half an hour be fine? No sense of doing business at all, this old madam won’t eat four dishes in her entire life.”

Zhou Xianming had been in Lijiang City for quite some days, and the few taels of silver he had borrowed from Zhao Qingmei and Han Wenxin, despite his ‘frugality,’ had mostly been spent. Now he only had five hundred copper coins left, which he needed to save for the boat fare back to Yu State City after tomorrow’s announcement of examination results.

“Sigh.”

Shaking his head and swaying along the lake’s edge, Zhou Xianming looked at the nearby pleasure boat, which he couldn’t board, and couldn’t help but sigh deeply, “The greatest distance in the world is this two hundred copper coins’ distance.”

After wandering for half an hour, the cold evening wind was biting to the bone, causing him to sniffle and shiver, and only then did he reluctantly return to his lodgings.

To save some silver, Zhou Xianming didn’t stay in an inn but instead at the house of a poor family in the slums of Lijiang City.

In that household, there was only an old man called Bian Plait by the neighborhood. Bian Plait had two sons conscripted to the border at Jishi Pass, and now only a fourteen or fifteen-year-old granddaughter remained at home.

“Mr. Zhou, are you back?” Seeing Zhou Xianming sneaking back in during the middle of the night, Bian Plait couldn’t help but ask.

“Back. I was just attending a poetry gathering with a few friends, so I’m late,” Zhou Xianming chuckled awkwardly.

“Mr. Zhou, you are quite the busy man. Surely you will perform excellently at this autumn examination. I’ve boiled a few eggs – Xiao Huan, the little girl, had two, and I had one. No one’s eaten the remaining two, so give me a moment…” Bian Plait said, unable to contain himself.

“No need…”

Just as Zhou Xianming was about to refuse, he saw Bian Plait go into the house, take out two boiled eggs, and then return to hand them to him.

“Mr. Zhou, go ahead and eat them. They’ve been kept in the pot, still warm,” Bian Plait said with a simple smile.

“Then thank you very much,” Zhou Xianming said gratefully, looking at the boiled eggs in his hands.

Bian Plait’s family lived in the slums, always struggling to make ends meet, dependent solely on the meager earnings Bian Plait made from selling fried silverfish at the market.

“I won’t disturb Mr. Zhou any longer,” Bian Plait said then.

After speaking, Bian Plait returned to the house.

“Bian Plait, in the latter part of your life, you will surely enjoy eight dishes,” Zhou Xianming said to himself, moved by Bian Plait’s back, before also returning to his own room.

The room was dilapidated, with only a bed, a table, and windows that were patched up with rags, offering no resistance to the wind that would sometimes howl through them.

After eating the two eggs, Zhou Xianming drank a large glass of water, then sat at the table and lit a candle, pulling out a map from his chest.

The map showed mountains, rivers, and roads with extreme clarity, and some places were even specially annotated.

Centered around the territories of Great Yan and the thirteen prefectures of Zhao Country, there were numerous passes, trade routes, and the surroundings radiated out to the Dongluo Desert, the great mountains of the Southern Barbarians, the Three Thousand Buddha Countries of Pure Land, the vast endless steppe, and the countless islands of the East Sea.

The detail of the map was unparalleled.

“A myriad of snakes devouring the dragon, the winds and clouds are stirring, this Great Yan…”

Zhou Xianming took a deep breath and furrowed his brows.

He had studied ancient texts and discovered a pattern: what rises must fall. When a dynasty reaches its peak, it inevitably starts to decline, an inescapable trend no one can withstand.

Now, after decades of peaceful development between Great Yan and Zhao Country, various forces have also been seeking to grow and strengthen.

There’s quietness amidst the strife; such is the state of the world’s affairs.

Yan Country lays claim to the dragon’s ascendant land, the ancient capital of the Great Zhou Dynasty, with millions of armored soldiers, yet its borders are stretched thin; while it appears to have a profound heritage, it faces enemies on all sides.

To the northeast lay the overwhelmingly powerful Zhao Country, to the south sat the Southern Barbarians with their hundred thousand great mountains, to the west was the Western Pure Land, and to the northwest even more so loomed the Houjin Dynasty that had unified the grasslands.

From ancient times to the present, the grasslands have been difficult to unify, not even the Great Zhou Dynasty had completely conquered the great grasslands, and now, with the grasslands partitioned between Yan Country and Zhao Country, they had achieved unification and had been recuperating for twenty years.

This tiger, itching to move and sharpening its claws and teeth for so long, was poised to hunt the moment it emerged, it just remained to be seen who the tiger had prepared to devour.

Zhao Country and Yan Country have waged war against each other for decades, developing a profound enmity, almost as if they were fire and water.

With the nation in such a state, even the halls of Great Yan were filled with open and secret struggles; scholars, eunuchs, and the military factions were all vying for power and wealth, while the Human Emperor sat high upon his royal platform.

Below the temple hall, the Jianghu was unfathomable—Demon Sect had risen from the dust, Buddhism sought to spread eastward, and Zhenyi Sect was not just a local snake but a dragon, and how could he turn a blind eye.

At this critical junction, the world’s landscape, the fate of the nation, the temple halls, and Jianghu, all hung by a single thread that could move the whole body.

“There will hardly come a day of unification under heaven….”

Under the flickering candlelight, Zhou Xianming gazed at the map in his hands and, after a long while, he shook his head and muttered to himself.

After flipping through the map for a while, Zhou Xianming felt a touch of sleepiness, and then he laid down on the wooden bed and fell asleep.

The night was like water, and after an uncertain amount of time had passed, he heard a quarrel by his ear.

“No, I won’t go with you!”

“Butcher Liu, I’ve paid off all the debts I owe you, so please spare my granddaughter.”

…..

Zhou Xianming opened his eyes, then got up, donned an overcoat, and walked out.

He saw that the rickety yard door was wide open, a corpulent man with a face full of horizontal flesh incessantly pulling at a girl about fourteen or fifteen years old. The girl’s hands clenched the wooden door desperately, but how could her strength compare to that of the corpulent man?

Old Man Bai paced anxiously by the side, like an ant on a hot pan; he neither dared to stop the man physically nor to scold him angrily.

“Old Man Bai, you’ve only paid back the principal. What about the interest? With an exchange of nine for thirteen, that’s the rule,”

Butcher Liu snorted coldly, “If you don’t pay the interest today, I’m going to take this girl, Bai Huan, away.”

“Grandpa, save me, save me…”

Bai Huan became frantic upon hearing this.

Butcher Liu was no good man; he was rumored to be in cahoots with the tooth collectors of the Sanhu Gang, specifically dealing in women and children.

“Thud!”

Old Man Bai’s knees buckled, and he knelt straight down, “Butcher Liu, please give me a few days to gather the interest…”

“It’s no use giving you more time.”

Butcher Liu kicked over and sent Old Man Bai flying a good distance, “When will you old codger make up for the blasted silverfish debt?”

Old Man Bai rolled on the ground, hitting his nose on the earth, and immediately blood began flowing freely.

“Grandpa!”

Bai Huan called out desperately upon seeing this.

“Stop shouting, or I’ll beat Old Man Bai to death.”

Butcher Liu grabbed Bai Huan’s arm and started dragging her towards the street.

The surrounding neighbors also heard this commotion and poked their heads out, but upon seeing Butcher Liu’s face, each one instinctively retracted their head.

Butcher Liu was a famously nefarious tyrant far and wide, often loan-sharking to the poor nearby. The interest was first agreed upon with black ink on white paper, but in the end, he would demand triple the amount. Some had reported him to the officials, but in the end, not only were they beaten severely, they also had to pay up without fail.

He claimed his uncle was a government official and an underling of Chu Huai’s heart.

And who was Chu Huai? He was none other than the son of Chu Nanying, the Daoist Master of Jiangnan Dao, who held great military and political power, commanding tens of thousands of troops. Even the heroes of Jianghu, the experts of Sects, and the great clans did not dare to act too recklessly in face of Chu Nanying.

Chu Huai, a prodigal son dressed in exquisite finery, was notorious for his lack of talents throughout Jiangnan Dao, especially in Lijiang City where he was mockingly called ‘the young master.’ If he took a fancy to chaste local women on the streets, he would inquire about their backgrounds and then forcibly take them to his Linhu Lake Villa to indulge in his pleasures. If their husbands came looking, he would even molest them in front of their husbands for his own gratification.

In the end, he would kill both the husband and wife and then bury them in the villa grounds.

Who knows how many lonely souls and vengeful spirits lay buried beneath the Linhu Lake Villa.

One particularly sensational case was when he captured a pair of beautiful mother and daughter, unbeknownst to him that they were the wife and daughter of Feng Shuimu, the Fortress Master of the Jiangnan Dao’s Feiying Fort.

Feiying Fort held some sway in Jiangnan Dao, and its Fortress Master, Feng Shuimu, himself boasted Third Grade Cultivation.

When Feng Shuimu received the news, how could he endure it? He immediately led several Feiying Fort experts to storm the Linhu Lake Villa, intending to administer justice to Chu Huai on the spot. Who would have thought that Chu Huai had two Third Grade experts defending him, and the fort was filled with elite military warriors? The experts from Feiying Fort not only died without a trace but even Feng Shuimu himself was killed on the spot.

Subsequently, Feiying Fort was completely eradicated from Jianghu in Jiangnan Dao, as if it had never existed at all.

This incident caused a huge stir at the time and was a major sensation both in Jianghu and among the common folk.

Latterly, although Chu Huai was rumored to be under house arrest in Linhu Lake Villa, people in Jianghu still noticed that numerous young women were secretly brought into the villa, and the shady dealings were a secret to no one.

Now, the mention of Chu Huai’s name still terrifies many women.

“Wait!”

Just at that moment, a cold shout came from a distance.

Butcher Liu’s hand paused subconsciously, his brows furrowing as he looked over and couldn’t help but yell, “Who’s this old pedant coming from?”

“Impertinent! Zhou has only just reached the prime of life!”

Zhou Xianming responded, “You may call Zhou a pedant, but if you call him old, Zhou cannot tolerate it.”

“Get lost.”

Butcher Liu extended his left fist, then clenched it hard, making a crackling sound.

“Creak! Creak!”

Zhou Xianming shrank his neck instinctively and retreated several steps back when he heard the noise.

“You call that courage? You want to be a hero?”

The butcher Liu sneered and then picked up Bai Huan, intending to leave.

“No, I don’t want this…”

Bai Huan cried out.

“Butcher Liu, I beg you, please show mercy.”

Old man Bai was also kowtowing non-stop on the ground.

But Butcher Liu simply didn’t care about anything and walked out with Bai Huan.

“Don’t you dare leave!”

Zhou Xianming gathered his courage and grabbed Butcher Liu’s thigh.

“You damned cur!”

Butcher Liu’s leg was seized, and he instantly became angry, trying to kick Zhou Xianming away, but Zhou stuck to him like a plaster, impossible to shake off.

“Seeking death!”

Seeing this, Butcher Liu released his grip and aimed a punch at Zhou Xianming’s body.

The punch was powerful, and Zhou Xianming immediately began to cry out, but his hands clung desperately to Butcher Liu’s thigh.

Butcher Liu was unsympathetic, his fists as big as bowls raining down like a storm and landing fiercely on Zhou Xianming’s body.

Soon, Zhou Xianming released his hold.

“Old fool, is this all you’ve got, pretending to be a hero?”

Butcher Liu cursed, and even though Zhou Xianming had let go, he didn’t stop hitting. Punch after punch landed on Zhou Xianming’s body.

Zhou Xianming screamed while protecting the vital parts of his body with his hands.

He held his groin area tightly and curled up, resembling a cooked shrimp.

“Ah! It hurts to death…..”

With each punch, only ear-piercing cries could be heard.

Before long, Zhou Xianming lay still on the ground, barely making any noise.

“Stop hitting him, you could kill someone!” Old man Bai shouted urgently.

“Master Zhou is a scholar participating in the imperial examination, a favorite candidate. If you damage him, and the chief examiner investigates, you won’t be able to escape the consequences.” Bai Huan also said anxiously from the side.

“A scholar participating in the imperial examination?”

Butcher Liu cooled down, looking at the motionless Zhou Xianming on the ground, and started to feel afraid. He bragged about his uncle, but if a man really died, he wouldn’t be able to escape responsibility, especially not a scholar attending the exam.

Chu Nanying was also a disciple of the Confucian sect, and Confucian disciples, in general, were held in high esteem; killing one wouldn’t be silenced by a mere few silver coins, especially with so many witnesses around.

Noticing that Butcher Liu had stopped, Bai Huan rushed forward to check on Zhou Xianming and found him lying motionless on the ground, no breath when they checked his nose.

“Dead….. he’s dead….”

“He’s dead?”

Butcher Liu was also taken aback, “I didn’t even use much force, and this old scholar died?”

“A dead man?”

“And he was a scholar attending the exam.”

…..

The neighboring spectators began murmuring to each other when they heard this.

“I’ll let go of the interest.”

Cold sweat formed on Butcher Liu’s forehead, “It was this old… scholar who insisted on clinging to my leg. He hit my fist with his face, this has nothing to do with me, you all saw it…”

There was silence among the crowd; no one spoke, but their eyes seemed to say that it was he who had killed the scholar.

“It’s not my fault, not at all.”

Butcher Liu declared and rushed out the door.

After Butcher Liu left, the neighbors slowly stepped out.

“This scholar isn’t really dead, is he?”

“Butcher Liu learned some martial arts; he’s very strong. He might have indeed hammered the scholar to death.”

“That’s truly pitiable.”

……

Old man Bai and Bai Huan were also slightly startled, feeling a bit saddened in their hearts.

“So… Butcher Liu left?”

Just then, a weak voice sounded.

Zhou Xianming slowly opened his eyes and with great effort propped himself up.

“Look, the scholar isn’t dead yet.”

Everyone was astonished.

Mr. Zhou, are you all right?” Bai Huan asked with a hint of joy in his eyes upon seeing this.

“Nothing serious, but the injuries aren’t light either.”

Zhou Xianming, his face bruised and swollen, couldn’t care less as he sighed, “The beatings I took during this time weren’t for nothing.”

“Mr. Zhou, you should go inside and rest,” Old Sun hurriedly suggested.

“No need, Old Master Sun, Girl Xiao Huan, I must be going.”

Something occurred to Zhou Xianming, and with lingering fear, he said, “If that butcher Liu regains his senses, who knows if he will come back or not.”

“Tomorrow is the day the examination results are announced, are you planning to return home today?”

“Forget it, I, Zhou, will surely rank high. Whether I check or not makes no difference.”

Upon hearing Zhou Xianming’s words, everyone present looked at each other with puzzled expressions.

Supported by Old Bai and Bai Huan, Zhou Xianming went to his room to pack his belongings, preparing to flee; his bruised and swollen face still carried a hint of regret: “It’s a pity that the customs and culture of Lijiang City are too costly.”

……

Yu State City, Yulan Square in the eastern part of the city.

The streets were flanked by shops, and small vendors arranged their stalls in an orderly manner on both sides. Up ahead, Yulan Square was bustling with noisy crowds and converging guests.

“Don’t push, don’t push, the freshly made chestnut cakes are ten copper coins each today,” a clerk from Yulan Square called out loudly.

“How many portions?” someone couldn’t help asking.

“Exactly! Yesterday I waited for the time of three tea sessions, only to be told they were sold out in the end,” another chimed in.

“There are over three hundred portions today, that’s more than enough,” replied the clerk with a smile.

Upon hearing this, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

An Jing, clad in a teal outfit, stood behind the crowd with a small medicine box strapped over his shoulder.

Li Fuzhou, on the other hand, stood nearby, engrossed in a book, seemingly unable to extricate himself from its content.

For today’s medical visits, An Jing had specifically invited Li Fuzhou to join him.

“This place is indeed lively.”

Li Fuzhou looked around for a moment before closing his book.

“This is a new pastry shop that has opened. The cakes are delicious and quite unique,” An Jing said, glancing ahead.

“It must be that gourmand Tan Yun who prompted Little Miss to bring you here, right?” Li Fuzhou said, shaking his head with a smile.

“She only mentioned it in passing; I was also quite curious, and we had nothing else to do.”

An Jing exhaled, casually asking, “Third Master, you’re not like Mr. Zhou, who needs to study for the examination, so why do you read books every day?”

Old Li, just keep pretending. Are you really reading a book, or are you viewing some secret correspondence from the Demon Sect?

“It’s just a hobby,” Li Fuzhou glanced at An Jing.

“Besides reading, does Third Master have any other hobbies?” An Jing asked with a grin.

“Listening to music in the pleasure quarters,” Li Fuzhou carefully tucked the book into his sleeve as he spoke.

An Jing: “……”

“As for why I read books, have you ever heard?”

Li Fuzhou patted An Jing’s shoulder, “Shallow understanding from books, one must truly experience it to know.”

The two men looked at each other, and it seemed like they both understood.

“Ahem ahem…” An Jing cleared his throat and said, “Third Master, actually, I’ve been meaning to ask you something.”

Li Fuzhou stood hands behind his back, indifferently said, “Ask away, about the arts of the pleasure quarters, I have no secrets, I can tell you everything. For other matters, I may not be able to teach you.”

Do I need you to teach me the secrets of the pleasure quarters?

An Jing inwardly sneered, but outwardly, he asked cheerfully, “Suppose, Third Master, that you were a supreme martial artist of the Jianghu, what would you do?”

“Oh?”

Li Fuzhou glanced at An Jing, “It seems like I have asked you this before?”

“I’m also curious about Third Master’s thoughts and whether I might gain some insight from them.”

“How supreme? How does it compare to that young Han Wenxin?”

Do you really dare to compare yourself to Han Wenxin?

An Jing laughed and said, “That kid Han Wenxin is but a small fry in the Jianghu. Third Master, you must be much higher than him. Could he even compare with you?”

Li Fuzhou’s brows furrowed, he pondered and said, “If I were a supreme martial artist of the Jianghu, I would surely travel through mountains and foreign lands, read countless books, traverse thousands of miles, and visit a myriad of pleasure quarters….”

Visiting a myriad of pleasure quarters…

An Jing raised his eyebrows and gave a thumbs-up, “Third Master truly lives up to being a scholar; your words are impeccable.”

This old rascal Li Fuzhou is indeed worthy of being the leader of the Demon Sect.

If An Jing hadn’t witnessed his true nature, he probably would never have guessed that this unassuming old man was actually the leader of the Demon Sect.