New Moon Coin Regulations Established, Heavenly Secrets Hide Killing Intent

Aunt Zhang paused in her washing at Ye Qingxuan's words, straightened up, and shot him a reproachful look.

"I thought it was something precious, but it's just some sand and gravel. There's plenty in the yard. If you want some, just help yourself."

With that, she set down her work and turned to find a container.

"Auntie, I'll do it myself." Ye Qingxuan quickly stepped forward to stop her. "I brought bags."

"You're always too polite, child." Aunt Zhang said this, but her face was full of smiles as she rambled on, "When your father was alive, he always said you were sensible. Now you're holding the household together on your own, taking care of Nannan—it's not easy. If you ever run into trouble, just come to your auntie, don't tough it out alone."

Her words warmed Ye Qingxuan's heart. In this turbid world, there were still some human ties untainted by self-interest.

He said no more, only nodded firmly, picked up the burlap sacks, and walked to the corner of the yard. He first picked out fine river sand, filling one sack to the brim, then took another sack, selecting only the small stones that had been polished smooth and round by the current, filling it halfway.

The two sacks together weighed a good seventy or eighty jin.

Seeing him carry them with ease, his face unchanged, Aunt Zhang couldn't help but marvel: "Qingxuan, your frame looks much sturdier than before. Have you been training with the masters of the Fengtian Division?"

"Just messing around with some crude exercises to build a bit of strength." Ye Qingxuan replied with a smile, hoisting both sacks onto his shoulders, steady as could be.

"That's good too. With strength, no one will bully you." Aunt Zhang saw him to the door, then fetched two steamed white-flour buns from the house and pressed them into his arms. "Take these, eat them on the way."

Ye Qingxuan tried to refuse but had no choice but to accept. He bowed deeply to Aunt Zhang, then turned and strode away. The weight on his shoulders was heavy, the buns in his arms were warm—one thing was about tempering his bones and muscles, the other about the warmth of human kindness in this world.

By the time he returned to the small courtyard in the Southern District, it was already afternoon.

Sunlight slanted into the yard, painting everything in warm tones. Ye Qingxuan set the sand and gravel sacks against the wall. Ye Caiwei heard the noise and poked her little head out from the house.

"Brother, what did you carry back?"

"For training." Ye Qingxuan dusted off his hands, then pulled the two white-flour buns from his chest. "Look, Aunt Zhang gave them to us."

Ye Caiwei cheered, took the buns, and nibbled them bite by bite, her eyes crinkling into crescent moons.

For lunch, Ye Qingxuan, for once, bought two liang of pork head meat from the market and half a jin of white rice, mixing it with coarse rice to cook a fragrant pot of meat porridge.

The rich aroma of meat filled the small outer room. The siblings sat at the table, eating with rare relish. This was the last calm before the storm.

"Nannan, after you eat, go back to the inner room. Close the door tight, and no matter what you hear, don't come out, okay?" Ye Qingxuan said as he added more meat to his sister's bowl.

Ye Caiwei paused in her eating. She looked up, her big eyes carrying a hint of unease.

"Brother... this afternoon, will they really come?"

"They will." Ye Qingxuan's answer was unequivocal. He set down his bowl and chopsticks, reached out, and gently tapped his sister's nose with his knuckle. "Don't worry, I can handle it."

The calm on his face helped ease Ye Caiwei's anxiety. She nodded firmly, finished the last mouthful of porridge in her bowl, obediently cleared the dishes, and hid in the inner room, latching the door from inside.

Ye Qingxuan sat at the table, unmoving. He placed the money pouch containing fourteen taels of silver right in the center of the table.

Outside the courtyard gate, the clamor of the alley gradually faded. The sun slanted westward, and light streamed in through the open door, casting long shadows on the floor.

After an unknown stretch of time, footsteps approached from afar and stopped at the courtyard entrance.

"Thump. Thump, thump."

The knock was neither light nor heavy, but carried an undeniable force.

Ye Qingxuan stood up, plastered a smile on his face, and walked quickly to pull open the courtyard gate.

Three men stood outside.

At the head was Duan Tianbao, one of the three hall masters of the Fierce Tiger Hall. Today he wore a dark blue silk robe, a jade belt at his waist, and toyed with two round iron balls in his hands. A genial smile hung on his face—he looked less like a gang leader and more like a wealthy country gentleman.

Behind him, on the left, was Hu Jiudao. Hu Jiudao wore the same rogue's expression, squinting, lips curled, his gaze sweeping over the small yard with undisguised contempt.

On the right stood a burly stranger, bare-chested, revealing bronze muscles, arms crossed over his chest, standing like an iron pagoda.

The arrival of these three instantly made the already cramped yard feel crowded. An invisible pressure, following their steps, settled over the entire eaves.

"Master Bao, Brother Jiudao, please come in." Ye Qingxuan beamed, stepping aside to clear the way, bowing and scraping like a fawning sycophant.

Hu Jiudao glanced at him from the corner of his eye, snorted, and strode into the yard first. He looked around, left and right, finally fixing his gaze on the two sacks of sand and gravel in the corner, letting out a sneer: "Oh, are you planning to build a wall or fix a stove? Living the good life, huh?"

"You flatter me, Brother Jiudao, just messing around." Ye Qingxuan's smile didn't waver as he led the three toward the house.

Duan Tianbao remained silent the whole time, but his seemingly gentle eyes swept over Ye Qingxuan, then over the furnishings inside, and finally landed on the bulging money pouch on the table.

"Master Bao, please sit." Ye Qingxuan brought over the only sturdy chair, wiped it with his sleeve again and again, and invited Duan Tianbao to sit. He then busied himself with boiling water to make tea.

"No need for that." Duan Tianbao finally spoke, his voice low but carrying authority. He pointed a finger at the money pouch on the table. "The day's come. Have you prepared the goods?"

"All prepared, all prepared." Ye Qingxuan answered quickly, untied the pouch, and dumped the silver coins onto the table.

A three-tael silver ingot, several pieces of silver of varying sizes, and a large pile of copper coins and loose silver he had scraped together from everywhere.

Hu Jiudao stepped forward, said nothing, and grabbed the ingot and silver pieces. He first weighed them in his hand, then picked up a piece of silver, bit down hard on it, leaving a clear row of teeth marks.

"Good quality." He spat out the silver and started counting the copper coins, cursing under his breath, "Damn it, using this junk to make up the amount, a pain to count."

Ye Qingxuan stood by, still wearing his smile, but fine beads of sweat had already formed on his forehead.

In the inner room, Ye Caiwei clamped her hand over her mouth, curling up in the corner of the bed, not daring to breathe. Every word of the conversation outside stabbed into her heart like needles.

Hu Jiudao counted for a long while before looking up and nodding at Duan Tianbao: "Master Bao, fourteen taels, not a single coin short."

Duan Tianbao's genial smile deepened a few degrees. He pulled from his chest the promissory note bearing Ye Qingxuan's father's name, held it between his fingers, and waved it at Ye Qingxuan.

"Ye Qingxuan, you're a decent young man."

He placed the IOU on the table, then drew a fire striker from his bosom. With a sharp snap, he struck it alight and set the yellowed paper ablaze.

Flames rose, swiftly devouring the paper, twisting it into a wisp of black ash.

Watching the IOU turn to cinders, the heavy stone that had pressed on Ye Qingxuan's heart for so long finally settled. He let out a long, relieved breath, his face brimming with heartfelt gratitude.

"Many thanks for your magnanimity, Lord Bao. If there's ever anything you need this humble one for, just say the word."

"Well said." Duan Tianbao spun the iron balls in his hand faster, producing a series of soft clacks. He rose and patted Ye Qingxuan on the shoulder. "Your father was a real man in his day. His son can't fall short. This Linyuan Prefecture city—the waters run deep. A half-grown lad like you, with a little sister in tow, it's no easy road."

His tone shifted, and his eyes locked straight onto Ye Qingxuan.

"Here's the deal: from now on, you and your sister are under the Fierce Tiger Hall's protection. In this Southern District, no one will dare bully you again."

Ye Qingxuan froze, then a surge of overwhelming joy hit him. He hurriedly bowed again to thank him. "Thank you, Lord Bao! Thank you, Lord Bao!"

"Don't thank me just yet." Duan Tianbao raised a hand to stop him, his smile still in place, but his words carried an unyielding edge. "I, Duan Tianbao, have my rules in all things. I watch over you, but you can't just have nothing to show for it. Starting next month, on the first of every month, you hand over one tael of silver as tribute. How's that?"

The air in the courtyard seemed to freeze in that instant.

The smile on Ye Qingxuan's face stiffened.

One tael of silver.

He was a temporary constable, toiling hard for a month. After scraping by on food and expenses, he could barely save a few hundred coppers. One tael of silver would be the death of him.

This wasn't protection—it was just a different way to squeeze the last drop of blood from his family! The old debt was cleared, but a new yoke had arrived, and this one was endless.

Hu Jiudao snickered from the side. "Kid, Lord Bao's doing you a favor by setting this rule. Plenty of people would kill to curry favor with him and can't even get a foot in the door!"

Duan Tianbao said nothing, just watched him quietly, waiting for his answer.

Ye Qingxuan's head slowly drooped. He stared at his own toes, his body trembling faintly.

After a long moment, he lifted his head again, forcing a smile onto his face that was uglier than tears.

"To be valued by Lord Bao is this humble one's fortune. I accept this rule."

"Smart man." Duan Tianbao nodded in satisfaction. He pulled another sheet of paper, a brush, and a small red inkpad from his bosom, setting them on the table. "Then put your mark on it."

It was a blank sheet of paper.

Ye Qingxuan picked up the brush and wrote his name on the paper.

Then, he extended his right thumb, pressed it heavily into the inkpad Duan Tianbao offered, coating it in red ink.

He raised his finger and pressed it firmly onto the spot where his name was written on the paper.

A clear, vivid thumbprint was stamped onto the white sheet.

"Excellent." Duan Tianbao picked up the paper, blew on the ink to dry it, folded it carefully, and tucked it into his bosom.

He didn't spare Ye Qingxuan another glance, turning and walking out of the yard.

Hu Jiudao and the burly man followed close behind. At the doorway, Hu Jiudao looked back and made a throat-slitting gesture at Ye Qingxuan, mouthing two silent words: "Next month."

The three left, the yard door hanging wide open. Outside, the sky had already turned dusky.

Ye Qingxuan still stood there, motionless.

The latch on the inner room door clicked open, and Ye Caiwei ran out barefoot, throwing her arms around his leg, bursting into loud sobs.

"Brother... waaah... brother..."

Ye Qingxuan said nothing, nor did he comfort her. He just slowly raised his right hand and spread his palm.

His gaze fell on his thumb.

There, a ring of bright red ink still clung to it, tracing the whorls of his fingerprint with perfect clarity.

This mark—did it seal his submission, or something else entirely?