Iron Essence

Xu Yi truly didn't know what to say. Although Gu Jianming had helped him because he wanted something in return, he had still been deeply moved by how thoroughly Gu had considered his interests.

He sighed. "Brother Gu, I'll remember your kindness for the rest of my life!"

"You're too kind!"

Gu Jianming clasped his hands. "Take care on your journey to Guang'an, Brother Yi. Go now—better not to leave room for trouble to grow. I've already hired a carriage and had it stop outside. Set off at once!"

Xu Yi nodded and went inside.

Half an incense stick later, beneath the vast night sky, two sturdy horses pulled a carriage lined with thick bedding, racing toward Guang'an City like the wind!

Night had fallen. In the meeting hall of Black Dragon Hall's Baima Branch Hall, dozens of oil lamps blazed in two rows, casting an eerie glow over the giant dragon relief carved across the ceiling.

Jiang Shaohuan, Hall Master of Baima Branch Hall, sat quietly in the tiger-backed bronze chair at the center of the room. His tiger eyes remained fixed on the entrance. Ever since Hall Master Jiang had received word that his only son, Young Master Jiang, had been beheaded with a single strike by a mere constable at the Furong Town docks, he seemed to have lost the ability to move.

Knock, knock, knock.

Suddenly, hurried footsteps echoed through the hall, like a steel file scraping against copper.

Clerk Xing, the literary adviser of Baima Branch Hall, strode in at a frantic pace. Beneath the blazing lights, he looked as if he'd just been hauled out of a boiling pot. Sweat drenched his head, and his two ratlike whiskers were soaked through.

Before he'd even drawn close, Clerk Xing cried out in his hoarse voice, "Hall Master, something terrible has happened! Something terrible! The young master, the young master..."

"I know. My son is dead!"

Jiang Shaohuan's voice sounded as though it had been rinsed in a foul ditch, cold and rotten.

"Hall Master, the young master stole the iron essence! The iron essence has been stolen!"

Clerk Xing shrieked, his voice squeezed thin.

"What! Say that again!"

Jiang Shaohuan sprang from his seat like a giant mantis, then lunged in front of Clerk Xing and clamped a hand around his throat.

"I... cough, cough... I said... cough..."

With his throat gripped tight, Clerk Xing could hardly get a word out.

Only after Jiang Shaohuan let go did he manage to repeat what he'd just said.

Boom!

Jiang Shaohuan was struck as if by lightning. He shot into the secret chamber like a wraith, then rushed out again an instant later. He kicked over a brazier, snatched the Great Guan Dao from beside the screen, and swung it in a raging storm. In the blink of an eye, the grand meeting hall of Baima Branch Hall had become a rubbish heap.

After a long while, Jiang Shaohuan finally planted his blade and stopped. His face twisted with rage as he muttered, "Beast, beast! You deserved to die, you beast!"

"Hall Master, now's not the time to blame fate. We need to find a way to recover the iron essence and contain the damage as much as possible. Otherwise, if the main hall learns we kept such a priceless treasure for ourselves, the consequences will be unthinkable!"

Clerk Xing urged him anxiously.

Jiang Shaohuan shuddered. Only then did he remember that the greatest disaster had yet to be averted.

The iron essence had been stolen several months earlier, when he led Baima Branch Hall in secretly raiding the Southeast Merchant Caravan. But this was no ordinary caravan. It was a birthday tribute envoy bearing Guang'an Prefecture's tribute to the royal court.

Jiang Shaohuan had learned of the caravan's secret mission and gathered his forces to ambush it at Skyhawk Cliff. They had paid a heavy price, but in the end, they had plundered the Southeast Merchant Caravan.

It was Clerk Xing who had led the team that found the iron essence in a casket among the caravan's goods. The moment Jiang Shaohuan saw it, he was awestruck by the wondrous treasure. Yet Black Dragon Hall's rules stated that the spoils seized by a subordinate branch had to be handed over to the main hall for appraisal and distribution according to the agreed shares.

The iron essence was so extraordinary that once it was handed over to the main hall, it would surely never be returned. Clerk Xing had clearly seen that Jiang Shaohuan coveted it, so he took it upon himself to wipe out the small squad that had taken part in uncovering the iron essence.

With Clerk Xing so perceptive and accommodating, Jiang Shaohuan had gone along with it and kept the iron essence for himself.

The iron essence was indeed a priceless treasure, but it had been obtained through foul means and could never be brought into the light.

So Jiang Shaohuan had stored it in the secret chamber, daring to take it out and admire it only when the night was deep and all was quiet.

Who could have known that his eldest son would be brazen enough to steal it? Worse still, Young Master Jiang had gone and died outside, leaving him to deal with the mess.

At that moment, Jiang Shaohuan couldn't spare a thought for his son's death. His heart was filled with fear.

If word got out that the iron essence existed, he, Jiang Shaohuan, would be doomed.

Knowing what had Jiang Shaohuan so worried, Clerk Xing said, "Don't worry, Hall Master. I've looked into it. There were plenty of people at the docks, but they were all common folk. People only said that a White Sword had wounded the constable. No one got a good look at it. That White Sword was formed from the iron essence. Besides, it's a rare treasure, and the constable who took it will surely keep his mouth shut. So for now, we needn't worry about news of the iron essence getting out."

"That constable was newly recruited by the Furong Town Constabulary Office. I just got word that he's gone to Guang'an City. Clearly, he's prepared for us to make a move against the old man and the girl in Furong Town. But that's all right. Since he's gone to Guang'an, we can face him openly, challenge him to a duel, and hammer him to death. Then it'll all be over! What matters now is to send a letter to Guang'an at once and find out where he's staying."

As Clerk Xing finished speaking, Jiang Shaohuan, his face cold as iron, gave a sinister laugh. "What matters now? Heh. I'd say what matters now is keeping this secret. The fewer people who know the iron essence exists, the better. Ideally, I'd be the only one who knows." Before he'd finished speaking, Jiang Shaohuan reached out. With a sharp crack, Clerk Xing's eyes saw his own back.

With a careless toss, Jiang Shaohuan flung Clerk Xing's body into the brazier nearby. In an instant, a scorched stench rose with the thick smoke.

Jiang Shaohuan stared into the flames, gritting his teeth. "Whoever dares take the treasure I traded my life for, I'll make sure they die a horrible death!"

Morning came under a gloomy sky, and a strong wind had risen. Though the doors and windows were shut tight, the cold air still slipped inside, making the half-burned red candle flicker and sway.

After helping Uncle Mu drink a dose of tonic medicine and leaving a huge food box in Qiu Wa's room, Xu Yi changed into a newly bought blue robe and went to sit quietly in the main office.

It was an ordinary residential courtyard, with an office in the front and living quarters in the back. The main room, side rooms, kitchen, and washroom were all there, while two rows of autumn banyan trees stood in the central courtyard, their canopies providing shade and shelter from the heat. It was a fine place to live.

The Furong Town Constabulary Office had rented the place for years and set up an office there, where it received officials traveling from Furong Town to Guang'an Prefecture on official business and handled incoming and outgoing documents.

Xu Yi drank two cups of tea, then went to the nearby post station and collected and sent several documents. He locked the guest room on the left, left a note on the door, shut the main gate, and headed out.

He made for the busiest part of town, turned into a large market district, and went straight into its biggest wine shop. For one tael of silver, he bought a jar of ten-year-old Bamboo Leaf Green. After asking for directions to Iron Cat Ear Alley, he hurried off.

Now that he was in Guang'an, Xu Yi harbored no wishful thinking. He knew very well that Black Dragon Hall wouldn't let the matter rest. Not for the accursed black-robed youth, but for that wondrous white iron gall, they would surely unleash a storm of blood and blades.