Killing

Li Yesheng's father had died last year, and the family's fields and possessions had all fallen to him, the eldest son. He had been delighted beyond measure, hurriedly selling off a plot of land for money and eating to his heart's content at the little shop in the village.

Thereafter, he had nothing to do every other day and wandered about the village and the mountains. He became even more brazen in his teasing and thievery. In all of Li Jing Village, aside from First Uncle Li Mutian, he feared no one.

Poor Li Yesheng—though he was the same age as Li Xiangping, Li Xiangping had studied under a teacher at the village entrance since childhood, while Li Yesheng had been left alone, starving and freezing.

Only in his early teens, having just lost his father, he had to herd ducks every day and tend cattle for others. Had Li Mutian's family not helped him from time to time, he likely would have long since starved to death at home.

Li Yesheng did not care whether he lived or died. Whenever he had spare time, his heart itched as he watched Li Changhu's family come and go from their grand courtyard built of blue bricks, driven mad with jealousy.

"We're all surnamed Li, so why are you legitimate and I concubine-born? Why could you buy fertile fields and build high walls? You're just a wealthy village household—what airs are you putting on, building such a grand courtyard? As if there were so many treasures inside!"

He suddenly straightened up, abruptly recalling a night several years ago—the tense looks on several faces, and the knife in Li Mutian's hand.

"Li Mutian has treasures..."

Li Yesheng bit a foxtail grass stem between his teeth and watched Li Changhu laughing as he spoke with the tenants in the fields, inwardly displeased.

"Didn't he just get born into a good family?"

He dozed beneath the shade of a tree for a while. Seeing that night had deepened, Li Yesheng spat out the foxtail grass, rolled up his trouser legs, and stealthily made his way toward the Li Clan's grand courtyard.

After circling the courtyard once, Li Yesheng did not find so much as a crack in the wall. He clawed at it a few times, but it had been laid smooth and even; it would likely be hard to climb over.

"Dog bastard."

Li Yesheng spat at the wall, gritted his teeth, and sprinted toward the Back Mountain.

"I don't believe you can put a cover over the roof."

Great Li Mountain wound on and on. The Back Mountain of Li Jing Village was merely one of its peaks; the villagers could not be bothered to name it and simply called it the Back Mountain.

Beyond the Back Mountain to the south lay Meichi Peak. Farther south, at the foot of the mountain, was Jingyang Village. The two villages exchanged goods by way of the small mountain paths.

Li Yesheng pushed aside the brush and climbed along the path for half a quarter-hour. In the Mountains, he found a protruding spot with a broad view, crouched down, and looked toward the small courtyard below.

He rubbed his eyes and saw several vague figures moving about. They seemed to be seated cross-legged. One figure carried a bluestone back and forth, though he could not tell what they were doing.

"I heard they set stone locks in that courtyard. Could it be Li Mutian got hold of some damn martial arts and battle techniques outside, then secretly taught them to those brats?"

Li Yesheng looked up at the sky. The mountains were already dim, and now the bright moon was hidden behind dark clouds. The earth was pitch-black, and even the figures gradually disappeared from sight.

It was late at night. Gibbons gave long cries in the mountains, jackals barked and wolves howled. A cold wind blew up through Li Yesheng's trouser legs, freezing him so badly that he clamped his legs together and plopped down on a large rock.

"This is pretty damned strange."

Li Yesheng sat for another half quarter-hour, clear snot running from the cold. He silently made up the rumors he planned to spread through the village:

Some treasure passed down from their ancestors—he, Li Yesheng, was a member of the Li Clan too, so why did he not get a share? If it was martial arts or battle techniques, he could not be bothered to cultivate them. Selling them for money would let him live easy for quite a few days.

Lowering his head to look into the courtyard, he saw that not a single figure remained. Li Yesheng paid it no mind, tightened his cuffs, and stood up to head home.

"Mother of—!"

When he turned around, he saw a figure standing silently on the mountain path. Li Yesheng was scared out of his wits, scrambling and crawling back behind the Large Bluestone.

Trembling, he poked his head out for a look. The man had delicate brows and clear eyes, looking down at him—and was actually his cousin, Li Xiangping.

Li Yesheng's eyes widened. He put on a domineering air and was about to lash out, when he saw Li Xiangping form a hand seal.

"What?"

A brilliant golden gleam appeared before his eyes. Agonizing pain tore through his throat, and the world spun around him. One moment, he saw the shining moon; the next, the hazy little courtyard beneath the moonlight.

Li Yesheng's head suddenly flew up, then crashed heavily onto the mountain path. His lingering consciousness looked in confusion at the icy smile on Li Xiangping's face, feeling that this cousin had never seemed so unfamiliar.

Behind the rock, blood spurted from the neck of the headless corpse. Hot sprays of blood dyed the bluestone, the dirt path, and the dead leaves red, flowing all the way to Li Xiangping's feet.

Taking a disgusted step back, Li Xiangping watched Li Yesheng's corpse collapse. After pondering for a moment, he formed another hand seal and summoned a golden gleam.

He crouched down and, at suitable intervals, sliced the corpse into large chunks with wet splurts, so that the beasts drawn by the scent in the night would carry them to different places in the mountains.

After finishing all this, Li Xiangping stood and looked around. Quite a few pairs of green eyes had appeared in the shadows among the trees. Li Xiangping clapped his hands and said softly, "Gentlemen, enjoy."

Li Clan.

Li Changhu awoke from Entering Samadhi, yet did not see his two younger brothers. The vast Backyard was so quiet that only insects could be heard. Puzzled, he hurried into the front courtyard, where he finally saw Li Tongya.

Looking at Li Tongya sitting before a wooden table and reading through cultivation formulas, Li Changhu asked in confusion, "Why is Xiangping nowhere to be seen?"

"He went to wash his hands."

Li Tongya slowly rolled up the Wooden Slip and looked at his elder brother as he spoke.

"Tong Ya, have you begun preparing to condense the Profound Scene Wheel?" Li Changhu asked, his hands pressed against the wooden table, with a trace of envy in his voice.

"In a few more days, I'll be able to gather eighty-one wisps of moonlight. We are far inferior to Chi Jing. I feel we should wait a little longer and prepare for a few more days."

Li Tongya smiled, took a small strip of white cloth, wrapped it tightly around the Wooden Slip several times, and tied a slipknot.

"Big Brother, which of the four of us do you think resembles Father the most?" Li Tongya suddenly asked, staring at Li Changhu with great seriousness.

"Of course you."

Li Changhu blurted it out, then paused. He found a place to sit and continued with a smile, "I'm too gentle, Xiangping is too restless, Chi Jing is too shy. Only you, Li Tongya, remain calm and composed, keeping your feelings hidden. You resemble him the most."

"Hahaha."

Li Tongya gave a dry laugh, waved his hand, and said seriously, "Big Brother, don't flatter me. In my view, among us four brothers, Xiangping resembles him the most."

"Why?" Li Changhu looked at his younger brother in confusion.

Li Tongya slowly said:

"When we played in the courtyard as children, Father once said: when one kills for the first time, one may have ringing ears and a burning head, losing all sense of advance and retreat; or tremble uncontrollably, unable to govern oneself; or roar without end, no longer knowing heaven from earth."

"Only Li Mutian, when he killed for the first time, sheathed his blade, drank wine, and chatted and laughed as though nothing had happened. After saying that, Father laughed heartily, immensely pleased with himself."

"Xiangping resembles Father the most."

Li Tongya lowered his voice, leaned close to Li Changhu's ear, and whispered:

"Because he is cruel enough."