Six Harmonies Saber

"Qin Yan!?"

At the sight of the tall youth with the boyish face, Zhang Dangxing recognized him in an instant.

He put on a professional smile, though it looked rather unnatural.

"Shopkeeper Zhang, long time no see!"

Qin Yan chuckled. There was much in his voice, leaving one somewhat puzzled.

Zhang Dangxing's heart trembled, and he did not dare meet those deep eyes.

It was as though everything about him had been seen through, all his secrets laid bare before the other man.

The feeling made him deeply uneasy, but he had to suppress it with all his might.

He was afraid Qin Yan might notice something.

Ever since he learned that Qin Yan had taken over his father's position again and that the Qiao Brothers and their family had been wiped out,

Zhang Dangxing had lived in unease, often jolting awake from nightmares in the middle of the night.

He had also grown considerably thinner these past few days.

"Shopkeeper Zhang, I'm here to sell some mountain goods this time. Give me a price!"

Qin Yan gave a faint smile, looking perfectly composed.

His manner made Zhang Dangxing hesitate, unsure whether Qin Yan knew that he had played a part in causing his father's death.

Zhang Dangxing quickly recovered and hurriedly called the shop assistants over to sort through the purchased hides and various mountain herbs.

"Ninety-seven intact rabbit pelts, five pangolins, one roe deer, three deer hides, three deer penises, and seven bags of herbs.

"Wild rabbit pelts at nine copper coins apiece, pangolins at one hundred and fifty apiece, the roe deer at one tael and six mace, deer hides at two hundred and forty copper coins apiece, deer penises at four hundred apiece, and herbs at two hundred a bag.

"That comes to five taels of silver and one hundred and forty-three copper coins.

"Although things are difficult now, since it's you, nephew, I'll buy them at the highest rate."

Zhang Dangxing smiled. "What do you think of that price, nephew?"

Seventh Uncle and Qin Zhaoyang brightened at his words.

After deducting the three taels and seven mace of silver Qin Yan had put up, the profit came to one tael and four hundred and forty-three copper coins.

That was despite the difficult circumstances, and it was still equal to an ordinary household's income for a year.

Under these circumstances, they could basically go out to buy goods once every seven days or so.

If they came across some valuable goods, the profit would be substantial.

Over the course of a year, the money they could earn was considerable indeed.

From this one haul alone, Seventh Uncle and Qin Zhaoyang would each receive over two hundred copper coins.

Qin Yan was not particularly surprised by the price. Zhang Dangxing had not tried to cheat him on this deal.

When Qin Zhaolin was alive, he had told the three brothers plenty about the traveling trade, so they naturally understood how it worked.

Qin Zhaolin himself had no great strength, and a large share of the money he earned went toward treating the gang's bosses to food and drink, giving them gifts on holidays, and maintaining his connections.

The silver he actually got to keep amounted to only a dozen or so taels a year.

But Qin Yan was different now. He could simply ignore those fellows.

Before long, Zhang Dangxing fetched a bag and placed it in Qin Yan's hands.

Qin Yan hefted the bag, then smiled and nodded. "Sorry for the trouble, Shopkeeper Zhang!"

"No trouble at all!"

Seeing this, Zhang Dangxing breathed a sigh of relief.

Looks like the boy doesn't know about his father's death!

With that, the great stone weighing on his heart vanished in an instant, and his whole person seemed reinvigorated.

"Yan, I didn't expect us to earn so much on a single trip."

They walked out of the fur shop.

Qin Zhaoyang had received his share of the money and was beside himself with excitement, clutching his money bag as though afraid someone might snatch it.

Seventh Uncle was grinning from ear to ear too. "We have Yan to thank for this!"

Seventh Uncle's gratitude was heartfelt.

"Right, right, right!"

Qin Zhaoyang nodded repeatedly. "Why don't we buy some grain first? With this famine, we need to stock up, or we really might not make it through to early spring next year."

Those words struck a chord with Seventh Uncle.

In these times, only grain could put people at ease. Without it, there was always a nagging sense of insecurity.

Qin Yan nodded thoughtfully as well.

The grain at home was indeed nearly gone. They needed to buy a good supply.

"Excuse me, are you young Master Qin Yan?"

At that moment, a figure came hurrying after them from the direction of the fur shop. Qin Yan turned to look him over.

Judging by his clothes, he seemed to be from the Azure Blade Gang.

"What do you want with me?"

Qin Yan asked, somewhat puzzled.

"The gang leader requests your presence. Young Master Qin, please come with me quickly!"

"All right."

Though Qin Yan did not know what Li Wenqing wanted with him, he agreed.

He turned to Seventh Uncle and handed him three taels of silver. "Seventh Uncle, help me buy some firewood, rice, oil, and salt. We'll meet at the town gate later."

"All right!" Seventh Uncle naturally had no reason to refuse and readily agreed.

Before long, Qin Yan arrived at the Qingfu Gambling House.

He passed through the noisy gambling hall and came to the rear courtyard, where the Azure Blade Gang practiced martial arts and lived.

Sabers, spears, staffs, clubs, and various heavy stone locks came into view.

Li Wenqing was holding an Azure-Scale Saber, demonstrating saber techniques to a group of people.

His saber movements looked slow and gentle, yet the blade repeatedly whistled through the air, its gleam flashing in all directions.

His movements went from slow to fast, stirring up a sudden gust. There seemed to be a faint layer of saber Qi.

Qin Yan's pupils contracted slightly. Li Wenqing's saber was extremely fast; with his current strength, he might not be able to dodge it.

When the set of saber techniques was complete,

the people present burst into enthusiastic applause.

"The gang leader is amazing!"

Li Wenqing chuckled. "All of you, redouble your training."

As he spoke, he looked toward Qin Yan, and a peculiar look flashed in his eyes.

This kid seems to have grown a little taller again.

At the same time, the others noticed Qin Yan too. His slightly boyish face and tall build immediately drew looks of surprise and suspicion.

"That kid seems to be called Qin Yan. I heard the gang leader thinks highly of him."

The formal disciples present had naturally heard Qin Yan's name, but this was their first time seeing him.

His tall build certainly drew their attention.

He was lean and muscular, and a single glance showed that he possessed tremendous explosive power.

He was no ordinary person.

"You've grown pretty fast, kid!"

After looking Qin Yan over curiously for a while, Li Wenqing clicked his tongue in wonder. The more he looked, the more pleased he was. Qin Yan was an excellent prospect for martial arts.

"Come, I'll teach you our gang's introductory saber technique, the Six Harmonies Saber."

"What! The gang leader is actually teaching Qin Yan himself!"

Li Wenqing's words immediately caused a stir, and some looked at Qin Yan in astonishment.

Li Wenqing ranked among the top five in all of Qinghe Town, and plenty of people wanted to become his disciples. To this day, he had only five personal disciples. Was there about to be a sixth?

Qin Yan's heart stirred, and he hurriedly cupped his fists. "Thank you, Gang Leader!"

Since Li Wenqing was willing, Qin Yan naturally would not refuse.

He stared intently at Li Wenqing as he walked into the practice area.

"The essence of the Six Harmonies Saber lies in the footwork. Use your feet as a pivot and channel your strength through your entire body..."

Li Wenqing spoke in a low voice.

He began demonstrating the moves of the Six Harmonies Saber. It was a saber technique of sweeping, expansive movements, emphasizing fierce and overbearing force.

The saber strikes were sharp and unrelenting, launching one attack after another!

He finished demonstrating the set.

Li Wenqing smiled at Qin Yan. "How much did you remember?"

At his words, Qin Yan recalled the movements he had just seen and answered calmly, "All of it!"

"What a bold claim, saying he remembered it after seeing it once."

Qin Yan's words drew laughter from the people present. Even the quickest among them had needed half an hour to remember all the moves.

Li Wenqing ignored them and looked at a young man beside him. "Give him a saber."

"Yes!"

The young man glanced at Qin Yan, went to a row of saber racks, drew a long saber, and sent it hurtling toward him.

Smack!

Qin Yan's expression did not change. The instant the long saber flew in front of him, he seized its hilt.

"Qin Yan, demonstrate it once!"

Li Wenqing sat down in a high-backed chair, poured himself a cup of tea, and spoke evenly.

"Yes!"

Qin Yan paid no attention to the doubtful gazes around him, repeatedly recalling Li Wenqing's movements as he performed the saber technique.

His feet shifted, and the long saber in his hand cleaved and slashed. His moves were sharp and his movements utterly fluid, without the slightest trace of awkwardness.

The sight stunned everyone.

Even Li Wenqing's hand trembled slightly as he raised his teacup. Qin Yan really had learned it after watching only once.