Night was as dark as ink, and the crescent moon hung coldly like a hook over Linyuan Prefecture.
Ye Qingxuan lay on the hard plank bed, eyes open, staring at the pitch-black rafters overhead. The night in Southern District was not quiet. A few distant barks and the rustling of bamboo leaves stirred by the night wind in a neighbor's courtyard were all several times clearer than usual.
His mind held a game of chess. Scattered across the board were several pieces: "Mottled Fish," "thirty taels," "official constable," and "Nannan." Every move affected his life and fortune, and was tied to the future of the brother and sister.
He turned over, and the bed board gave a faint creak. Not enough. Still not enough. This strength and these schemes were not yet enough for him to gain a firm foothold in this murky world.
He rose without a sound and pushed open the door.
There were more bluestones piled in the corner of the courtyard, obtained from Uncle Zhang. He had spent several dozen copper coins and asked a familiar bricklayer to look for discarded materials. These pieces were larger, with sharper edges.
He removed his shirt. Moonlight spilled over his body, whose former gauntness had already faded. Beneath his flesh lay smooth, solid muscle. He picked up the roughest stone, with its sharpest corner, drew a deep breath, and instead of rolling it over himself as before, dragged its edge again and again across his back, chest, and arms.
"Hiss..."
Sharp pain came from his skin. He clenched his teeth, refusing to let out even a muffled groan. Interlaced red marks quickly surfaced across his skin, burning fiercely. He closed his eyes and sank his mind into the scroll in his consciousness.
After completing one cycle of the technique, his head was covered in hot sweat.
[ Mysterious Stone Body Tempering, flesh and skin hardened, Merit +1. ]
The feedback from the scroll made his heart sink. Sure enough, once his body had grown tougher, the same method's effectiveness had greatly diminished.
He rested for a moment. Once the scorching pain had eased somewhat, he picked up the stone again and repeated the same self-tormenting act.
The second time, the third, the fourth...
Each time, he gained only one point of Merit.
It was not until the fourth watch that he stopped. He drew up a bucket of icy well water and poured it over his head. A sheet of pale white steam immediately rose from his body.
He summoned the scroll, and the writing on it had already been updated.
[Name: Ye Qingxuan] [Realm: Body Refining Second Layer (Flesh Tempering)] [Martial Art: Indestructible Vajra Body (Realm: Great Accomplishment, Progress: four inches, Merit: 28/135)]
After a night of bitter cultivation, he had gained only four points of Merit. The one hundred and thirty-five points required to reach perfection still stretched far ahead. Those thirty taels of silver and that "great merit in the neighborhood" were his only shortcuts to breaking the deadlock.
He returned to his room and lay down again, but did not sleep. After reaching the Body Refining Second Layer, his hearing, eyesight, and even his sensitivity to changes in the surrounding air currents had all sharpened considerably.
At that moment, an extremely faint puff came from the direction of the courtyard wall.
The sound was duller than a wildcat landing, more like someone lightly touching the top of the wall with the tip of a foot. Immediately afterward came the faint sound of clothing slicing through the air.
Someone had climbed over the wall.
Ye Qingxuan's body instantly tensed like a drawn bow, but his breathing remained calm and deep, without the slightest disturbance.
In the courtyard, the person's footsteps were impossibly light. Even stepping on the floating dust, they made not a sound. A skilled expert.
The footsteps had a clear target and headed straight for the kitchen. A moment later came the sound of the door latch being pushed aside, slowly and carefully.
Ye Qingxuan's heart rose to his throat. Half a strip of yesterday's cured meat still hung in the kitchen.
Soon, the footsteps emerged from the kitchen again. After pausing in the courtyard, they turned toward his bedroom.
His sister's room was right next door.
A chill shot up from Ye Qingxuan's tailbone. His hand silently slipped beneath the pillow and gripped the short-handled woodcutter's ax he kept for self-defense. The rough feel of the handle steadied his mind somewhat.
Every muscle in his body was brimming with stored strength. The moment his opponent showed the slightest movement, he would explode into action.
The footsteps stopped outside his window.
A blurred silhouette appeared on the thin window paper. The figure did not move, as though listening intently—or perhaps peering through the faint light on the paper to observe what was happening inside.
Ye Qingxuan even stopped breathing.
He did not know how long the deathly silence lasted. Perhaps ten breaths, perhaps longer.
Just as Ye Qingxuan's patience was about to run out, the figure outside the window suddenly moved. The person did not advance further, but slowly retreated, footsteps still light as they withdrew toward the courtyard wall they had come over.
Another faint rustle of clothing sounded, and that presence vanished.
Gone?
Ye Qingxuan did not move. He maintained his guarded posture. Why had the person left? Had they noticed that he was awake, or had this household been so poor that they had lost interest?
He waited a full quarter of an hour. Only after confirming that the person would not return did he spring up. He quickly put on his clothes, remained silent, and went to the window. Dipping a fingertip in saliva, he moistened the window paper and poked a tiny hole through it.
The alley was empty and silent, save for the cold shadows cast by the moonlight.
He turned and darted out of the room like a civet cat. In two or three steps, he reached the base of the courtyard wall. He placed a hand on the top, and his body crossed over soundlessly, like a falling leaf.
Upon landing, he crouched halfway, his eyes flashing like lightning as he swept his gaze toward the end of the alley.
A dark figure flickered out of sight around the corner.
Ye Qingxuan did not hesitate for an instant and immediately followed. He did not run. Instead, he kept his body hidden beneath the shadows of the eaves, matching his footsteps to the rhythm of the night wind until he himself became a flowing shadow.
The person ahead moved extremely fast and deliberately chose secluded, deserted paths. They were clearly familiar with the terrain of Southern District down to their bones.
This was no ordinary thief.
One person ahead and one behind, the two silently pursued each other through the maze-like alleys. The dark figure seemed unaware that anyone was following. After traveling some distance, they finally turned into an even more dilapidated area and slipped into an abandoned courtyard whose wall had half collapsed and whose grounds were choked with weeds.
Ye Qingxuan did not follow inside. Instead, he circled around to the other side of the courtyard, found a section of wall with a broad view, and quietly climbed up using both hands and feet.
He peered over. The courtyard was filled with broken bricks and shattered tiles, while a pile of rotten firewood lay in one corner.
The person was gone.
Ye Qingxuan tightened his grip on the woodcutter's ax hidden in his sleeve, drew a deep breath, and leaped down from the wall.
Both his feet landed on a thick layer of decaying leaves without making the slightest sound. He stood motionless and listened intently. The chirping of nocturnal insects became the only sound in the night.
He cautiously took one step toward the center of the courtyard.
The instant that foot touched the ground, the pile of firewood beside him exploded!
A dark figure shot out from behind the firewood like an arrow loosed from a bow. His target was not Ye Qingxuan himself, but the spot where Ye Qingxuan had just stepped! The attack was swift and vicious, carrying the ferocity of a predator pouncing on its prey. One hand formed a claw and tore a vicious gust through the air.
What a treacherous thief! He had actually anticipated that someone would follow him and set an ambush here!
Unfortunately, Ye Qingxuan's step had been a feint.
His sneak attack missed. The dark figure's momentum carried him onward, and he landed unsteadily. After spinning around, he finally faced Ye Qingxuan head-on.
Pale moonlight illuminated his face.
It was a lean, fierce-looking face beneath a head of disheveled hair. A strip of cloth was haphazardly wrapped around his left shoulder, and the blood seeping through it had already turned black.
It was the face on the wanted notice—"Mottled Fish"!
Mottled Fish's face was full of astonishment at his failed ambush. He had never imagined that the person following him was not a group of Fengtian Division constables, but a young boy.
Ye Qingxuan did not wait for him to recover. Capturing this man meant thirty taels in reward and one recorded merit! The chance to become a regular constable was right before his eyes!
He planted his foot and surged forward instead of retreating. With a plain, direct punch, he drove his fist straight into the other man's chest.
Mottled Fish was a capable Body Refining Second Layer fighter after all. Though startled, he did not panic. With a roar, he raised his uninjured right arm and held it across his chest to block.
"Bang!"
The muffled impact sounded like a heavy hammer pounding a drum.
Ye Qingxuan's fist struck Mottled Fish's forearm solidly. A tremendous force surged back along his knuckles, numbing his entire arm and forcing him to stagger back three great steps.
What terrifying power!
This was the true strength of a Body Refining Second Layer martial artist. Even grievously injured, he was still far beyond a Body Refining First Layer fighter.
Mottled Fish had also been shaken by the force of the punch, his body swaying. Surprise and suspicion first crossed his face, then transformed into viciousness. He understood that he had encountered a tough opponent.
This place is no longer safe!
A murderous glint flashed in Mottled Fish's eyes. He did not entangle himself with Ye Qingxuan. Instead, he suddenly drove off with his foot, turned, and raced for his life toward the gap in the courtyard wall.
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