Resurgence

Bandits raiding fortified estates was nothing unusual.

"Raiding a fortified estate" was jianghu slang for attacking the grand residences of the wealthy.

The Great Xuan Dynasty had only recently passed its hundredth year, yet land annexation had already grown increasingly severe. Combined with the power of the lineages, this meant that wealthy local gentry were as numerous as oxen's hair in every region.

They did not fear the common folk, nor did they respect the laws of the imperial court, because whenever a new official took office, the very first thing he did was win them over.

Li HuaiRen of Li Family Fortress was still one of the better ones. At least he followed the rules.

Li Yan had heard that some wealthy local gentry were overbearing and tyrannical, oppressing the common people and treating human lives as worthless. They could simply pin a crime of violating the Clan Rules on you, then beat you to death whenever they pleased.

The local officials could say nothing about it.

The only people these landlords and gentry feared were bandits.

Thus, one after another, they built high walls and grand compounds, hired guards for protection, and frequently donated to the local Divine Fist Society, currying favor with jianghu forces to protect themselves.

But generally speaking, bandits rarely slaughtered entire villages.

It was not out of kindness, but because they did not want to kill the goose that laid the golden eggs.

The common people were grass, while the gentry were sheep.

Where there was grass, there would surely be sheep.

One job could keep them happy for quite a while.

In some places, bandits and wealthy gentry even colluded with each other, using the pretext of suppressing bandits to plunder the populace once every so often.

But this time was somewhat out of the ordinary.

A eunuch from the capital traveling under an assumed name, mounted bandits from the lands of Qi and Lu, and an entire village slaughtered...

However one looked at it, this was not merely about money.

At that thought, Li Yan knitted his brows and continued asking, "Since you encountered bandits, you could have gone to Xianyang City and reported it to the authorities. Why did you end up in such a state?"

"Ah, don't ask..."

Sha LiFei pulled a long face. "The Daoist and I returned to Xianyang City under cover of night. Just as we were about to report it, we discovered that someone had gotten there ahead of us."

"Who?"

"That Red-Clothed Concubine of Landlord Lu, along with Zhao Cheng, the head of his guards. They were dressed in mourning clothes, wailing and sobbing, and claiming that she was pregnant with Landlord Lu's child, asking the authorities to uphold justice..."

"Those treacherous bastards. One look and you can tell they're inside traitors colluding with outside bandits."

"I was going to expose them, but the Daoist dragged me away without another word."

"We didn't even dare take the main roads. We crossed mountains and ridges all the way to Li Family Fortress."

It was clear that Sha LiFei still felt dissatisfied and confused.

Li Yan sneered. "The Daoist did the right thing. If you had dared show your face, you might not have made it out of Xianyang City alive."

Sha LiFei froze. "Why?"

Wang Dao Xuan had already eaten his fill by then. Only after belching did he shake his head and sigh. "I didn't dare say much on the road. That Landlord Lu is a eunuch!"

"A eunuch?!"

Sha LiFei was utterly stunned, and sweat immediately broke out across his forehead.

He was a slippery fellow. How could he fail to notice that something was amiss?

The village had been slaughtered to silence witnesses. Why would bandits fear such a thing? If word got out, it would only enhance their reputation. The only possibility was that they did not want the news exposed—and the only people connected to eunuchs were the imperial clan...

The inside traitors had been left alive, which meant the matter was not over yet...

"Th-then... what should we do?"

At that thought, Sha LiFei felt his head grow enormous.

Li Yan shook his head. "It won't be easy. Several bands of bandits acted together, and there were even mounted bandits from another province. That means this matter involves a great many people. It's highly likely that people from the authorities were involved as well. If you get drawn in, you're dead."

"Hide for now. Wait until the storm passes."

"The village is full of prying eyes and ears, so hide in the mountains. I'll bring you food. Once things have settled down, come out and investigate the news."

"Fine. I suppose that's all we can do."

Sha LiFei and Wang Dao Xuan exchanged glances, both utterly helpless.

"Oh, right, Daoist, I have one more favor to ask..."

By the time he returned to the village, the roosters were crowing.

Li Yan slipped secretly back into his room, then pretended he had just woken up. After getting up, he fed the chickens, drew water, and lit the fire to cook. Once he had a pot of millet porridge simmering, he practiced his fists in the courtyard.

He began with the Ten Great Coil Exercises, then moved on to combat techniques and saber arts.

It was as though none of the events of the previous night had ever happened.

But he knew that everything had changed.

Successfully preserving his spirit meant that he had stepped into the Profound Gate. Then there was investigating the cause of his father's death and the unseen hand that had persecuted his family. He had no shortage of matters to deal with.

But he still could not leave, because his grandfather's condition had been worsening by the day.

After the curse on the plaque had been removed, his grandfather's spirits had indeed improved for a while, but it had not lasted long. These past few days, he had grown increasingly sleepy and feeble, often sitting foolishly outside the door.

Once he sat down, he would remain there for an entire day. Sometimes, he even forgot his own name.

As it happened, Wang Dao Xuan had arrived the previous night. The Daoist's medical skills were decent—at least better than those of the rustic doctors in the countryside. Li Yan had asked him to disguise himself as an itinerant physician today and come to examine his grandfather.

"Practicing medicine, dispensing remedies, saving the world and its people..."

Just after breakfast, someone began calling out from the village entrance. It was Wang Dao Xuan.

He was still wearing his tattered Daoist robe, but he carried a small cloth banner over his left shoulder and shook a string of bells in his right hand. He immediately attracted the village children, who jostled around him for a look.

In this isolated little village, the arrival of a stranger was a major event.

As for his getup, there was a reason behind every part of it.

The cloth banner had only just been written, using one of Sha LiFei's ragged garments.

The string of bells in his hand was also called a Tiger Brace. Legend had it that the Medicine King once encountered a fierce tiger seeking treatment because it had a bone stuck in its mouth. Fearing that the tiger would hurt someone, the Medicine King placed a Tiger Brace in its jaws. After the tiger recovered, it became the Medicine King's mount.

Within the Leather Gate, those who traveled the streets practicing medicine were also called "pack pushers" in underworld slang.

The Tiger Brace was their mark.

As the saying went, "Gold changes leather in a single morning."

Back when Wang Dao Xuan had wandered jianghu, he had often pretended to be an itinerant physician whenever he could not find work. As luck would have it, he still had all this equipment.

Li Yan, who had prepared in advance, immediately went out to greet him and invited Wang Dao Xuan into the house.

"I'm perfectly fine. I can eat and drink. What illness is there to examine?"

The old man was clearly resistant, unwilling in both heart and spirit.

Li Yan hurriedly coaxed him with a few kind words. Wang Dao Xuan's manner of speaking and bearing also made people feel as though they were bathed in a spring breeze, so the old man merely kept a dark face and said nothing more.

After asking questions, observing him, listening to his voice, and taking his pulse, Wang Dao Xuan smiled. "The old gentleman's body is in decent shape. He's simply advanced in years, and his spirit isn't very good. Get some sour jujube kernels, Fu Shen, and licorice, soak them in water, and have him drink it every day."

"I told you I wasn't sick. What nonsense. You're just wasting money."

Li Gui grumbled with his mouth, but he was clearly relieved.

After a few more words, he actually began snoring again in a daze.

Li Yan, however, had already noticed that something was wrong. After leaving the room, he pulled Wang Dao Xuan to a secluded spot and asked worriedly, "Daoist, what exactly is happening?"

Wang Dao Xuan's expression also turned solemn. Stroking his beard, he shook his head. "The old gentleman truly has no particular illness. His qi and blood have simply declined, and his years have caught up with him."

"But when I took his pulse just now, I secretly used a divine ability and discovered that the old man's Divine Soul is weak. I'm afraid that is the true cause."

"What exactly happened?"

Li Yan fell silent for a moment, then gave a rough account of the curse and asked in confusion, "The Yansheng Curse has already been broken. Why is he still like this?"

After all these days, he had developed trust in Wang Dao Xuan, so he told him the truth.

"Then it's not strange."

Wang Dao Xuan sighed. "There are vicious forms of the Yansheng Curse that can take a person's life within days, and there are also subtler forms that work in secret, destroying families and wiping out households."

"Whoever cast it probably did not want to attract attention."

"This technique not only ruins one's fortune and leaves a family with few male descendants, it also brings disputes and attracts evil spirits. Although the old gentleman cannot sense them, his subconscious has been fighting against them."

"Perhaps the reason you've been able to live in peace until now is that the old gentleman has been protecting you."

"He's only an ordinary person. It's like drawing a bow and nocking an arrow, holding it taut without releasing it—it consumes the spirit, qi, and blood to maintain. After the Yansheng Curse was broken, he may have felt relieved for a while, but his Divine Soul has been damaged too severely. Combined with his advanced age, I'm afraid he doesn't have much time left..."

Although Li Yan had already guessed as much, his heart still trembled. "Is there any way to save him?"

"It's difficult."

Wang Dao Xuan shook his head. "This isn't an illness. His allotted span is nearing its end. Spend this time properly accompanying the old gentleman."

"Remember, if the old gentleman suddenly wants to eat something cold, then you should prepare for his funeral."

"Why?"

"His false yang is floating outward. It's a false resurgence."

Just after he sent Wang Dao Xuan out, a crowd of villagers stopped him.

Medical care was difficult to come by in the village. For an ordinary headache or fever, people usually dealt with it using some folk remedy, only going into the city for treatment when they could no longer endure it.

Now that an itinerant physician had finally arrived, everyone naturally wanted him to have a look.

Li Yan was in a foul mood and could not be bothered with them.

After returning to the room, he saw that his grandfather was still sleeping soundly. He remained silent for a while, then turned and went to the stable behind the house. He led out the horse Landlord Lu had given him and found Du DaYa, the cart driver.

"Uncle Du, sell the horse for me. I need you to handle something."

"Just say the word, Yan XiaoGe."

"Hire an opera troupe to perform in the village for several days."

"Remember, find some other excuse..."

Two days later, an opera troupe arrived in the village.

According to the troupe leader, he had wandered jianghu in his youth and nearly starved to death. Someone in Li Family Fortress had given him food, allowing him to survive.

Now he had come to repay that kindness, performing for five consecutive days.

The common people naturally did not care who had arranged the good deed. If there was a performance, they would watch it. After all, they rarely had the chance. Even villagers from the surrounding settlements traveled more than ten li to join in the excitement.

Every night, Li Family Fortress blazed with candlelight and rang with a tumult of voices.

As for Grandpa Li Gui, he was overjoyed.

The old man had few hobbies, but he loved watching opera.

In earlier years, whenever he heard that opera was being performed somewhere, he would leave early, taking Li Yan there by donkey cart. It was only in recent years, with his poor health and inconvenient legs, that he had been forced to remain cooped up at home.

Now and then, he would mutter that, when he had the time, he wanted to go to Chang'an to watch an opera.

Li Yan could not invite a famous performer from Chang'an, but the rough troupe from Lantian was good enough.

Investiture of the Gods, Shooting the Nine Suns, Tale of Loyalty and Righteousness...

For several days in a row, the rugged Qinqiang opera echoed throughout the entire village.

The old man naturally indulged himself to the fullest. Even after the troupe had left, he continued roaring at home:

"One command rings across the mountains and rivers,

Men don their armor and mount their steeds,

Young and old, all cry out as one,

Urging men and horses to the battlefront..."

His pitch was inaccurate, but his voice was desolate and heroic, as though he had recalled those days of swords, spears, and warhorses from his youth. Every time he finished singing, he would stare blankly into the distance.

"Yan boy, why do I feel so hot? I want something cold to eat..."

The moment Li Yan heard that, tears spilled down his face. Forcing back his grief, he smiled and said, "Grandpa, wanting something cold is easy. Just watch me get it for you."

Making ice with saltpeter was nothing unusual. Such methods existed in jianghu.

Li Yan made some and mixed in malt sugar as well.

The old man ate with gusto, then looked at him reluctantly.

"Boy, after I'm gone, you'll probably follow the same path as your father. It's fate, and your grandfather can't stop you. But there are a few things you must remember."

"Please tell me, Grandpa." Li Yan was already kneeling on the ground, sobbing so hard he could not speak.

The old man looked into the distance and said in a hoarse voice,

"Boy, from now on, you'll be alone. Remember..."

"Better to have people hate you than pity you!"

"Better to have people fear you than bully you!"