Liu Xing'er's Tragedy

Lin Su had already returned to the west courtyard, and Xiao Yao was once again standing guard at the door.

Though this tiny little door guardian was constantly being picked up and carried about by Lin Jialiang, she was remarkably effective against everyone else.

He knew what would come next.

Visits, calling cards, people claiming they wanted nothing at all and merely wished to express their admiration...

It was all very good for showing off, but Lin Su did not care much for it. Why?

What was there to swagger about over being a Provincial Examination top scorer?

If they had words of admiration, they could wait until next year, when he took the top honors in the imperial examination. That would save everyone the trouble of making repeated trips and running out of flattering words.

That was rather Versailles of him.

A desk, a cup of fragrant tea, a woman, and a pair of peach-blossom eyes—Xiao Tao, of course.

That was enough.

Lin Su opened his book. Xiao Tao immediately filled with awe and withdrew from the room. The Provincial Examination top scorer was going to study; she could not disturb him.

What she did not know was that this young master was only turning pages for appearances. His gaze passed over the book and shot toward the attic...

"Hey, Dark Night, are you there?"

Dark Night turned her gaze toward him, looking somewhat conflicted.

"I finished the examination. Not only did I pass, I became the Provincial Examination top scorer!" Lin Su said. "Time to make good on your promise."

Dark Night's body stiffened slightly, yet her fists slowly clenched. Why did this brat seem so punchable?

"Once we've entered the same household, we're family. Let's ease up on our relationship. You, stop putting on that keep-people-a-thousand-miles-away attitude, and I'll try to forget the arrogance of you carving words into my face. Deal?"

Was it a deal?

Dark Night pondered it. It seemed possible.

But what about all the things you did to offend me?

You wrote filthy little books to tease me...

You wrote vulgar poems to ruin my innocence...

Before she could make up her mind, someone came to the west courtyard.

It was the one-armed old man, Uncle Deng.

Uncle Deng came before Xiao Yao. "Is the young master inside? I need to speak with him."

"No. The young master said no one is allowed to disturb him."

"I'll bring you fried yellow croaker tomorrow."

Xiao Yao fell silent, her expression torn...

"Two fish!"

Xiao Yao turned around. "I'm going to the latrine. I didn't see anything..."

Uncle Deng's face blossomed like a chrysanthemum. He hurried inside.

Lin Su sat before his desk with his right hand pressed to his forehead. Xiao Yao, Xiao Yao... letting Uncle Deng in was one thing, but why did you have to fall for his food trap?

If you kept this up, it would be hard for me to trust you.

Once Uncle Deng entered, he went straight to the point. "Young Master, something happened to the Zhang Family!"

"What?"

Uncle Deng told him everything. The Zhang Family maid had risen up and killed all the women of the inner chambers. The entire Zhang Family was gone...

Lin Su was slightly startled. Wherever there was oppression, there was resistance. It was not unheard of for a maid to kill her master.

Uncle Deng stared at him. "After this, Zhang Wenyuan's hatred for you has reached the utmost extreme. In the future..."

Lin Su waved a hand. "Even without this episode, Zhang Wenyuan would not let me go, and I would not let him go either! The enmity of life and death was already there. Whether these things happened or not makes no difference."

There was no need to worry about Zhang Wenyuan.

With the Holy Hall standing in front, the literary temple protecting him here, and that... Supreme Literary Heart Great Confucian serving as a target over there, even as Minister of War, Zhang Wenyuan would not dare lay a hand on him openly.

Uncle Deng said, "Openly, he indeed has no way to touch you. But that man is sinister and vicious. He will certainly strike at you in the shadows."

Lin Su smiled. "In the shadows? Then it becomes a contest of schemes and counter-schemes. Of course he'll set traps for me, but I can set traps for him too. Who's afraid of whom?"

The sorrow on Uncle Deng's face slowly eased.

Indeed. When it came to plotting against people, their young master seemed inferior to no one.

Who else could have devised something like what happened today?

Only him.

With his state of mind finally at peace, Uncle Deng said, "Young Master, a woman crashed into a pillar outside the Zhang Family gates in an attempt to kill herself. She is Liu Xing'er."

"The one that old Zhang beast forcibly seized three years ago?"

"Precisely! Her parents and elder brother all died at the hands of that old Zhang beast. For three years, she had racked her brains for revenge, but never found an opportunity. This upheaval in the inner chambers was also indirectly caused by her."

"What a pity." Lin Su sighed softly.

"That woman did not die. She is badly injured and unconscious. This old servant has just settled her in the western district, and no one noticed."

Lin Su was stunned. He looked Uncle Deng up and down. You? One of your hands was only cut off yesterday. You were seriously injured yourself, and you had even broken a leg...

"Young Master, last night you said that at Chishui City, Dongzhou, one hundred thousand elite soldiers died in Bloody Battle on the Battlefield, leaving only four hundred and three survivors. This old servant knows where those four hundred men are. Half of them are still in Haining. The man who saved Liu Xing'er is called Chen Si. He was once a naval scout, with superb lightness skill. He could walk upon waves, and his concealment art was extraordinarily brilliant. He could pass through crowded streets, enter halls and rooms, leaving neither shadow nor form..."

A faint gleam flickered in Lin Su's eyes. "No need for the details. Here's what we'll do, Uncle Deng. Organize them. The Ting Rice shipments at Refugee Riverbank currently need a group of experienced sailors to escort them. Help me shoulder that burden. Three taels of silver per person each month."

Light flashed in Uncle Deng's eyes as well. "Yes, this old servant understands!"

"Treat Liu Xing'er well. Once she recovers, send her to the manor."

"By your command!"

Uncle Deng left. When he went out, Xiao Yao was nowhere to be seen, but as his figure appeared beside the courtyard wall, Xiao Yao emerged and held up two fingers from beneath her ribs, meaning Uncle Deng owed her two fried yellow croakers...

Lin Su's five senses had already opened, and he caught all of it. He merely smiled a little more.

In the attic, Dark Night's heart trembled slightly.

What did this mean?

He had secretly taken in a group of old soldiers who had once fought bloody battles on the battlefield?

What did he want to do?

Suddenly, Dark Night's gaze shot toward the courtyard gate. She sensed a powerful aura, one that belonged to a true supreme expert...

Zhang Yiyu stood outside the main gate and strolled toward the Steps. Old He, standing at the entrance, lifted his eyes and seemed to suddenly feel every flower in the courtyard bloom.

"Please inform Third Young Master that Zhang Yiyu, younger sister of Zhang Haoran from the capital, requests an audience!"

She did not mention the Bishui Immortal Sect, only that she was Zhang Haoran's younger sister. Today, she had not come on behalf of a Daoist sect, but merely wished to visit as a friend.

Old He immediately bowed. "So you are Young Master Zhang's blood sister. Young Master Zhang is Third Young Master's close friend. Please come in, miss."

Old He thought very highly of this Young Master Zhang. Why? For two reasons. First, when the Lin Family had been so destitute, Young Master Zhang alone had dared to visit their door. Second, Young Master Zhang had once given Third Young Master a book of examination secrets guided by a famous teacher.

Third Young Master had won the Provincial Examination top scorer today. It was surely related to that divine book—he did not understand the examinations, but even Lin Jialiang, who did, thought the same way.

Zhang Yiyu entered the main gate without trouble, but entering the west courtyard was not so smooth.

Xiao Yao blocked her with her legs planted wide and her stance imposing.

Zhang Yiyu was extremely mild-tempered. She reasoned with Xiao Yao for a long while, but Xiao Yao was impervious to oil and salt.

Zhang Yiyu sighed and lightly waved her hand. Xiao Yao rose into the air from nothingness, flew over the courtyard wall, and landed outside the kitchen, standing there blankly without knowing what had happened.

Zhang Yiyu entered the courtyard. Beneath the large locust tree, Lin Su had already lifted the teapot and poured tea. "Miss Zhang, please!"

Zhang Yiyu stared at him blankly as well...

"Don't mind that little girl. Next time you come, just give her two pieces of candy. You'll be guaranteed to buy her over."

At those words, Zhang Yiyu smiled. The instant her smile appeared, every flower in the courtyard bloomed.

She sat down across from Lin Su.

"How did your elder brother do on the examination?"

Zhang Yiyu lifted her teacup. "However you did, that was how he did."

He was also the Provincial Examination top scorer?!

Lin Su burst into laughter. "He once said he had originally planned to take the Provincial Examination three years ago, but his younger sister kidnapped him to the Bishui Sect, causing him to miss it. That younger sister..."

"You guessed right. It was this unreasonable and overbearing me!" Zhang Yiyu smiled sweetly. "Did he mention..."

At this point, Zhang Yiyu suddenly stopped.

Lin Su looked toward her.

Zhang Yiyu gently set down her teacup. "Lin Manor's defenses are quite tight. What is the background of the one in the attic?"

Lin Su stared at her. "Little sister, I must first ask you a very serious question."

"What?"

"Can you protect me?"

What? Zhang Yiyu's beautiful eyes widened, and she slowly nodded.

"Then I'll speak plainly. The one in the attic really is a pervert. She claims she's protecting the Lin Family's property, but she's actually an untouchable tyrant. She's too excessive, too outrageous. She peeps on me when I bathe and even forces me to write pornographic novels for her..."

Two streaks of light suddenly appeared in the air and shot straight toward Lin Su's mouth...

A radiance blossomed between Zhang Yiyu's brows and covered Lin Su's entire body. Two tiny ancient swords appeared right by Lin Su's lips. They looked as though they meant to seal his mouth shut, yet within Zhang Yiyu's Zither Domain, they remained motionless.

Zhang Yiyu reached out to grab the two swords, but they suddenly broke free and flew toward the attic.

Zhang Yiyu's hand turned with the motion and transformed into a gigantic phoenix. The attic gave a soft boom, a figure tore through the air, folded once in midair, and suddenly appeared before Lin Su. It was Dark Night.

"Five Realms Dao Flower!" Dark Night's eyes locked firmly onto Zhang Yiyu.

Zhang Yiyu locked firmly onto her as well. "The peak of the martial path's Peeking Human Realm? Who are you?"

Just like the immortal path, the martial path had different realms: Martial Artist, Martial Master, Martial Ancestor, Martial Ultimate, Peeking Human...

What was Peeking Human? It meant training every inch of the body to the utmost extreme, controlling the flesh as one wished, inwardly observing the five viscera and six bowels, penetrating the mysteries of the human body, and fully unleashing the body's potential.

At the peak of the Peeking Human Realm, the next step was the Peeking Void Realm. Only at the Peeking Void Realm did one truly leap beyond the framework of a Martial Artist and enter the Immortal realm, because the Peeking Void Realm could forge the entire body into a vessel, absorb all things, and gradually advance toward the martial ultimate of making one's fleshly body into a universe.

Dark Night was already very close to that wondrous Peeking Void Realm, because she could already train her eyes into vessels capable of holding two treasured swords.

Zhang Yiyu had never encountered such a martial expert.

But naturally, she was not afraid. She cultivated the Dao, and Daoist Cultivators stood a level above the martial path to begin with. Even though she was only at the initial stage of Five Realms Dao Flower, she was still comparable to the peak of the martial path's fifth realm, the Peeking Human Realm.

In their exchange just now, she had even held a slight edge.