Sha LiFei

Dead?

Hearing the news, Li Yan was stunned.

"Of course he was dead."

Li Gui cursed, "That bastard Yuan Xizhong was even older than me. He came back covered in wounds from putting down the border rebellion."

"Ten years ago, I heard that old dog had taken to his bed. He suffered for a full three years before he went. When he died, he was nothing but skin and bones. His children were no good either—they committed grave crimes and got their whole family executed. Served them right!"

So that was it...

Li Yan scratched his head after hearing this, feeling somewhat awkward.

It felt like he had gone looking to chop someone down, only to find the other man had already been run over.

Li Yan could not help asking again, "What exactly happened back then?"

His grandfather, Li Gui, puffed on his pipe and remained silent for a long while before finally speaking. "Fine. It's been so many years. This old man doesn't want to keep it bottled up until I see Yama."

"By then, we had already entered the White Mountains and Black Waters. Aside from Guo Mao, the rebel general of the northern frontier, the few alien tribes he had incited into rebellion and led south had also been crippled."

"Because Former Dynasty Da Xing and the Golden Horde Khanate faced each other across north and south, there were still many Han villages along the northern frontier. But Yuan Xizhong went mad for some reason, burning every village along the way. He did not even spare the old, weak, sick, and disabled Han people..."

"A few old comrades and I merely raised objections, yet he had us whipped ten times in public and mocked us besides..."

"If that had been all, so be it. In war, its savage might took countless innocents, not just one or two. But one band of Jurchen royalty escaped, and he acted like a blind man—turning a blind eye..."

"Afterward, we reported it to General Zhang, but we were stopped outside the camp. Yuan Xizhong pulled strings behind the scenes again. He climbed steadily through the ranks, while we could only take off our armor and return to the fields."

"Ah, the Imperial Court is dark, the jianghu perilous. What was wrong with peacefully being a Tian Family Elder..."

So that was how it was.

Li Yan pondered it, yet he kept feeling that something was off.

By his grandfather's account, Yuan Xizhong had only been a deputy general when he quelled the northern frontier rebellion. His rise to office and wealth came afterward.

The court-bestowed plaque, the sorcerer's mischief, the precious Three Talents Demon Suppressing Coin...

None of that was something Yuan Xizhong could have managed.

There was likely someone else behind the curse.

What grudge could make someone pay such a steep price?

"Grandfather, where are those old comrades of yours?"

"In the first few years after returning home, we still exchanged letters now and then. But later, contact was lost. I fear the old grew older, the dead died, and there can't be many left..."

As he spoke, the old man could not help sighing with emotion.

Looking into the distance and puffing on his long tobacco pipe, he seemed to have sunk into his memories again.

Li Yan did not ask further.

He could already be certain there was more to this matter.

Naturally, he had no intention of telling his grandfather.

The old man was advanced in years and in poor health. He had finally broken the curse and left the past behind. If he learned that someone had meddled with his father's death, and that it involved Li Yan himself, something might go wrong.

To put it bluntly, this world had demons and ghosts. If the old man died with a mouthful of resentment and found no peace after death, it would be Li Yan's sin.

Let the younger generation settle such grudges!

After casually changing the subject, Li Yan returned to his room, stir-fried two simple dishes, and drank a couple of cups with his grandfather over steamed buns.

He appeared unconcerned, but inwardly he had already made up his mind.

The culprit who had laid the curse would reveal himself sooner or later. When that time came, Li Yan would repay it twofold.

But his most urgent task now was to enter the Mystic Gate.

According to Du DaYa, Sha LiFei knew these people.

Yet he did not rush to find Sha LiFei.

The reason was simple. Summer Harvest was approaching, and that fellow would definitely come knocking...

Speaking of which, the Li family did have some history with Sha LiFei.

Sha LiFei's real name was Sha Guangsheng.

As the old saying went, those who walked the jianghu sought one thing for profit and another for fame.

In other words, they sought to make a Secret Sign for themselves.

But reputations were mostly bestowed by others. Take Li Yan's father, Li Hu, for instance—he had earned the title Sick Tiger. It meant that he was usually inconspicuous, but once his might erupted, he was like a fierce tiger descending the mountain: savage and overbearing.

Sha LiFei's name, however, had been coined by himself.

It sounded imposing, but those in the know treated it as a joke.

Still, the man was extremely slick. He knew how to bend with the wind and serve dishes according to the guest, and he was well versed in Jianghu Rules, so he had not suffered any major losses.

Gradually, Sha LiFei truly became his name, and many people even forgot his real one...

Being a blade wielder did not mean chopping people up all day.

When walking the jianghu, making a Secret Sign and earning a living were both important.

A trade with one's head tied to one's belt did make money, but such work did not come along every day. After all, these were not chaotic times.

And only a famous name brought employers.

The great blade wielders who shook an entire region all had patrons supporting them.

But those green youths fresh from the gate, or old blade wielders who had failed to make a name for themselves, had to find other ways. They could not simply starve to death alive.

They generally had three paths.

The first was to follow a famous blade wielder: escorting caravans, guarding gang turf, or trafficking illicit salt.

The second was to take to the hills as bandits. Several famous Green Forest Heroes along Guanzhong Road had once been blade wielders themselves. Some did not want to earn hard money, while others refused to live under another's roof, preferring to seize their meals with the blades in their hands.

The third was to roam alone, doing whatever work came their way before making a name.

For example, every wheat harvest when he was young, Li Yan's father would organize the wheat workers from several nearby villages and lead them out to work.

That too was an old custom.

Nearly every group of wheat workers had a blade wielder as leader. Not only could he secure lucrative jobs, he also ensured the landlords would not turn their backs on their word.

Naturally, he would take a cut from it.

To put it plainly, he was something like a labor contractor.

Even after Li Yan's father, Li Hu, became famous, he continued doing this work.

As he put it, he did not care for such trifling sums. He mainly wanted to protect his Fellow Villagers, earn a good name, and keep people from wagging their tongues about him.

Later on, he merely helped arrange work and did not charge money at all.

After his father died, the wheat workers of several villages no longer had a leader.

It was then that Sha LiFei came to the door.

Aside from his family martial arts, Li Yan's father had studied the blade under a famed old blade wielder. Sha LiFei had also been one of that master's disciples, so they could be considered fellow disciples.

But later, the two had taken different roads.

Li Yan's father had made a name for himself, great or small.

Sha LiFei, meanwhile, continued wandering among the villages of Guanzhong, using what little reputation he had to earn money from ordinary folk. He did not dare go anywhere near Chang'an City.

Leading the wheat workers was a morsel of meat, however small, and naturally he was unwilling to let it pass.

As for visiting every year, that was Jianghu Rules.

Whenever one arrived somewhere, one had to pay respects at the dock—making it known that one was earning a living on another's turf. And since he had taken advantage of a fellow disciple's legacy, he had to offer some filial tribute each year.

With Sha LiFei's slippery nature, how could he let anyone hold such words against him?

Of course, each time he came, he only brought a few random pastries to muddle through.

By the count of days, he should be arriving soon...

The next day, a lone rider came racing down the Official Road, kicking up dust.

The horse was a yellow-maned steed, old-looking but familiar with the road.

A man sat atop it, dressed in gray cloth and black trousers. He was large and powerfully built, with twin blades at his waist, a face full of hard flesh, and a thick beard that made him look rather fierce.

What drew the most attention was his bald head.

It shone with oil, even reflecting light beneath the sun.

"It's Sha LiFei!"

"It's Sha LiFei!"

Several mischievous children at the entrance to Li Family Fortress began shouting the moment they saw him.

Whatever else could be said, Sha LiFei certainly looked the part.

At least, in the children's eyes, he looked like a bold hero rampaging through the jianghu. Their faces flushed red as they cheered.

To them, this was what a true jianghu hero looked like.

Li Yan of their village was also a blade wielder, yet he was prettier than the pampered young masters and pale-faced pretty boys in opera tales. He was also sly and difficult to deal with—not heroic at all.

"Hahaha..."

Hearing the children cheer, Sha LiFei felt greatly pleased and burst into laughter.

He tugged the reins. The yellow-maned horse neighed and reared upright, then charged into the village with a whistle, making the children clap repeatedly.

As the horse's hooves crossed the yellow earth, two copper coins clinked down.

A hearty voice lingered in the air:

"Kids, take these and buy yourselves candy."

After entering the village, Sha LiFei first rode around once, banging a bronze gong in his hand until it rang ding-dang. "Listen up! Anyone who wants to earn money, bring your gear and follow me tomorrow morning!"

Wheat workers had three things to take when they went out: a sickle, a whetstone, and bedding.

There was a shortage of hands this year, and the patrons were willing to pay.

Everyone had long known this, so those who wanted to earn money had already prepared their tools and provisions.

They would head toward Xianyang and Xingping.

So long as they moved quickly, they could finish the work there and return in time for their own wheat harvest.

Hearing Sha LiFei's voice, quite a few people came out to ask questions.

"Hero Sha, how much will we get this year?"

"Hero Sha, have you already negotiated any jobs?"

Though every "hero" made Sha LiFei feel wonderful, he still pulled a stern face, rubbed his bald head, and cursed.

"Why ask so much? Following me, Sha LiFei, are you afraid there'll be no meat to eat?"

With that, he leaped off his horse and casually tossed aside the reins.

"Shuanzhu, feed my horse well."

After giving the order, he took a greasepaper parcel of pastries from the saddle, humming a little tune as he headed for Li Yan's home.

Just as he reached the entrance, he ran into Li Gui, who was preparing to go play chess.

Sha LiFei laughed heartily and cupped his hands. "Elder Li, you're looking well. I came to visit you. This is Osmanthus Cake from Xiangyuan Restaurant in Chang'an City—good stuff."

"That's enough. Don't come next year!"

Li Gui snorted, leaned on his cane, and left directly.

The Old Master did not think much of Sha LiFei. The man was far too slick and his mouth was full of nonsense.

Osmanthus Cake from Xiangyuan Restaurant indeed...

If he came across such fine goods, Sha LiFei would stuff his own belly full first. How could he bear to give them away? They were plainly bought at random in Lantian County, merely meant to fool people.

Most importantly, his visits were only a formality.

They were solely for boosting his own reputation, and every time he made a great noisy spectacle of it.

Sha LiFei's skin was thick enough to stop an arrow. Seeing the Old Master act this way, he did not care in the slightest. He laughed and carried the parcel inside.

Li Yan was practicing martial arts. He performed a Fierce Tiger Climbing Wall, twisted his body, raised his left elbow, and followed with a Flower Hidden Beneath the Leaves.

"Good!"

Sha LiFei shouted his approval, a strange light flashing in his eyes.

He also practiced Red Fist. Having roamed the jianghu for years, he had a discerning eye.

Though the Red Fist sayings went, "The hands are two doors; all depends on the legs to strike," and "Hands strike three parts, legs strike seven," hand techniques were the true key.

Thus, prop up the hands and carry the cloud hands, and one could fight invincibly beneath heaven.

Sick Tiger Li's son had grasped its essence at such a young age. Every lift of hand and turn of body sent fist winds howling and sinews and bones cracking. He had already reached the peak of Manifested Strength.

In the future, he might be even fiercer than his father!

Sha LiFei was already feeling some regret. He secretly calculated that when he came next year, he should bring pastries decent enough to show his face.

If he kept fobbing them off, it might become trouble in the future.

Thinking this, he rubbed his bald head and laughed. "Yan XiaoGe, carry on. I have other important business, so I won't disturb you."

With that, he set down the parcel and prepared to leave.

Only then did Li Yan smile and say:

"Uncle Sha, don't rush off. I want to ask you something."

Starting a book this year is brutally competitive. Even if everyone is letting it build up, please help by keeping up with the latest chapters. Many thanks.