Nine Blades at the Door, Wei'er Humiliated

Day after day, the blue brick wall in Ye Qingxuan's courtyard was covered in scars.

He stood in the center of the yard, motionless, but his right hand moved like a butterfly flitting through flowers, rapidly back and forth between the cloth bag at his waist and the empty space before him.

"Whoosh! Whoosh!"

Two pebbles shot out from his fingertips, one after the other, the sound of them breaking through the air barely audible.

The first pebble struck a hanging tile at the corner of the wall, shattering it instantly. The second pebble, the moment the tile fragmented, pierced through the scattering debris and precisely embedded itself into an old crack in the wall.

His strength and aim were now under his complete control.

In his mind, the scroll of light flared up again.

[Locust Throwing Technique, pursuit of perfection, Merit +2.]

[Locust Throwing Technique (Beginner, Merit: 17/20)]

Just three more points of Merit, and he could advance from beginner to intermediate, reaching the minor accomplishment stage.

Ye Qingxuan exhaled a long breath, feeling the blood and qi within his body surging more vigorously with these past few days of arduous training, like a river dammed up, only needing a breach to surge forth.

He calculated in his mind: the third stage of Body Tempering, known as "Muscle Strengthening," involved making the body's meridians as tough as ox sinews, allowing qi and strength to flow without any obstruction. In the Fierce Tiger Hall, ordinary leaders were only at this level of cultivation. If he could break through, he would finally have the capital to truly establish himself in Linyuan Prefecture City.

However, "the wood that stands out in the forest will be destroyed by the wind."

He collected his thoughts, slowly suppressing the surge of power that was about to burst from his body back into his dantian. The technique of "concealing one's brilliance" from the Heavenly Machine Codex allowed him to disperse the sharp aura emanating from his body, transforming him back into the seemingly thin and frail young constable.

It was time; he had to go to work.

Returning home after his shift, dusk had already settled in.

Ye Qingxuan carried his water-fire staff, his steps light. Still dozens of paces from home, the familiar scent of rice cooking, his sister's cooking, did not waft from the alley.

His footsteps slowed.

It was too quiet.

At this hour, the alley was usually filled with children chasing each other and neighbors chatting and laughing. Today, it was deathly silent, with every household's doors and windows tightly shut.

He rounded the corner of the alley, his pupils constricting sharply.

The gate to his own courtyard was wide open.

A foul wind blew out from the gaping doorway, carrying with it a few coarse male curses and a suppressed whimper, like that of a small animal.

That whimper struck Ye Qingxuan's heart like a red-hot iron poker.

He planted his water-fire staff on the ground and, like a cat, silently crept to the side of the door, peering inside through the gap.

Three ruffians stood in the courtyard.

The man in the lead was Hu Jiudao of the Fierce Tiger Hall. His two followers, their faces full of brutishness, were kicking over the small table used for meals in the courtyard.

Ye Caiwei was cornered against the wall, her small body curled up. She clutched a cloth bag tightly in her hand – it was the money pouch Ye Qingxuan had given her.

"Little brat, your brother's gotten rich now, and he's trying to fob off your Ninth Uncle with this little bit of silver?" Hu Jiudao placed a foot on a small stool, looking down at Ye Caiwei. "Your brother himself agreed to the rules for this month's payment. What, trying to renege?"

"My brother... my brother's money needs to be saved for him to get married..." Ye Caiwei's voice trembled with tears, but she still mustered her courage.

"Get married?" Hu Jiudao acted as if he'd heard the biggest joke, bursting into laughter with his two followers. "Him? A temporary worker without even a formal position, and he wants to get married? Maybe in the next life!"

His laughter ceased, and his expression turned sinister.

"Hand it over!"

He reached out to snatch the money pouch.

Ye Caiwei held on tightly, her small face turning red.

"No!"

Hu Jiudao lost his patience, cursed "You won't take the offered toast, so you'll eat the punished wine," and kicked the old dining table beside them.

"Clang!"

The table overturned, and a bowl of freshly cooked white rice and a plate of stir-fried green vegetables on it spilled onto the ground, mixing with the dirt.

That was Ye Caiwei's dinner, saved for him.

Ye Caiwei cried out "Ah!" and tears finally fell uncontrollably, streaming down her face.

Hu Jiudao seized the opportunity and shoved her aside.

Ye Caiwei's body hit the rough wall, and a bloody scratch immediately appeared on her forearm. She grunted in pain, her grip loosened, and Hu Jiudao snatched the money pouch.

Hu Jiudao weighed the pouch, a greedy smile spreading across his face.

At that very moment, a dark shadow flashed in from outside the door.

The laughter in the courtyard stopped abruptly.

Hu Jiudao's vision blurred, and the young man he had been mocking so wantonly moments ago was now standing before him.

Ye Qingxuan did not look at him, nor at the money pouch in his hand.

He crouched down and gently helped Ye Caiwei, who had fallen to the ground, to her feet. His fingers brushed over the blood-stained wound on his sister's arm, then he looked at the mess of food mixed with dirt on the ground.

He shielded Ye Caiwei behind him, then slowly stood up.

The air in the courtyard seemed to have been sucked dry.

Hu Jiudao, under Ye Qingxuan's gaze, involuntarily took half a step back. In those eyes, there was no anger, no fire, only a deep, bottomless, deathly still cold pool.

"Ye... Ye Qingxuan?" Hu Jiudao forced himself to calm down, shaking the money pouch in his hand. "Your sister doesn't understand the rules, I'll teach her for you."

Ye Qingxuan didn't reply.

He raised his hand and pointed at Hu Jiudao.

"Great Yan Law, Volume Seventeen, Household Law Chapter, Article Three: 'Entering a private residence without cause, extorting property, and resisting shall be treated as robbery.'"

His voice was not loud, but each word was clear, like iron beads rolling across flagstones.

The fleshy folds on Hu Jiudao's face twitched.

Ye Qingxuan took another step forward. The invisible pressure caused the two followers beside Hu Jiudao to subconsciously grip the hilts of their knives.

"Volume Twenty-One, Criminal Law Chapter, Article Four: 'Anyone who robs and injures others shall be given forty strokes and ten years of imprisonment. For acts of extreme malice that incite public outrage, Fengtian Division personnel may execute them on the spot without reporting.'"

He reached into his robes and pulled out the wooden plaque representing his temporary constable status in the Fengtian Division, holding it up before Hu Jiudao's eyes.

The wooden plaque was rough, and the characters "Ye Qingxuan" carved on it were crooked.

"I, Ye Qingxuan, Constable of the Fengtian Division."

Hu Jiudao didn't understand the Great Yan Law, but the words "execute them on the spot" struck his heart like four heavy hammers. He had spent his life in the marketplace and feared these stubborn youths who didn't play by the rules but were armed with "justice."

Moreover, Ye Qingxuan's expression was all wrong.

It wasn't an expression a young man should have. It was something he had only seen on the faces of old veterans who had killed before, or on death row inmates about to face execution.

A determination that cast life and death aside.

Cold sweat beaded on Hu Jiudao's forehead.

Causing a death in a place like the Southern District during the day, even if Fierce Tiger Hall could smooth things over, he, Hu Jiudao, would definitely not get off easy. Section Chief Duan hated stupid people who broke the rules the most.

"Good, good!" He said "good" twice, threw the money pouch on the ground, and shouted with feigned ferocity, "You've got guts, kid! Using the imperial law to pressure me! We'll see about this!"

He gave his two subordinates a look.

"This alley is very dark. When you're on duty, you'll be alone sometimes. Your sister is also quite pretty..."

Before he could finish, Ye Qingxuan's figure moved again.

This time, he was so fast he left only an afterimage.

"Slap!"

A crisp sound.

Hu Jiudao felt a burning pain on his face. A tremendous force spun him around like a top, and he fell to the ground, sitting down heavily.

He clutched his face, his mouth filled with the taste of blood. He spat out, and two of his front teeth came out mixed with the blood.

Ye Qingxuan retracted his hand, standing there as if he hadn't moved at all.

"You..." Hu Jiudao was both shocked and furious, pointing at Ye Qingxuan, unable to speak.

The two followers drew their swords but dared not step forward.

Ye Qingxuan looked down at Hu Jiudao on the ground.

"If you say one more word, you won't be walking out of this alley today."

His voice was still calm, but the killing intent within it was like a tangible blade, making the skin ache.

Hu Jiudao saw the image of his own head falling in those eyes. He shivered, scrambled to his feet, and, leaning against the wall, didn't dare say another word. He grabbed his two terrified subordinates and fled the courtyard in a sorry state.

Only after the three figures had completely disappeared at the alley entrance.

Ye Qingxuan's tense body finally relaxed slightly.

He turned around and saw Ye Caiwei looking at him with tear-filled eyes.

He walked over, crouched down, and gently wiped the tear stains from his sister's face with his sleeve. He then carefully blew on the wound on her arm.

"Brother, are you angry?" Ye Caiwei asked softly.

Ye Qingxuan shook his head, forcing a smile. The smile was more unsightly than crying.

"No. Nannan, don't be afraid, brother is here."

He picked up the money pouch from the ground, put it back into his sister's hand, and righted the overturned table. He crouched down and, with his hands, picked up the scattered rice grains and vegetable leaves from the floor, bit by bit, and placed them into a broken bowl.

After finishing this, he stood up, walked to the courtyard entrance, and slowly closed the wide-open courtyard gate, fastening the bolt.

His back to the light inside the house, he stood in the dark courtyard.

He raised his head and looked at the crescent moon hanging in the sky.

In his heart, there would be no next time.