Iron Essence

Xu Yi truly didn't know what to say. Although Gu Jianming had helped him, it was with his own agenda. Still, to have someone consider him so completely moved him.

He said emotionally, "Brother Gu, your kindness is etched in my heart!"

"You flatter me!"

Gu Jianming clasped his fists. "Brother Yi, take care on your journey to Guang'an. Go now. To avoid any further complications, I've already arranged for a large carriage to be waiting outside. Let's depart immediately!"

Xu Yi nodded and turned to go inside.

Half an hour later, in the vast darkness of night, two strong horses pulled a large carriage, its interior thickly padded with bedding, speeding towards Guang'an City!

Night fell. Inside the main hall of the Baima Branch Hall of the Black Dragon Hall, dozens of oil lamps burned fiercely, casting an eerie glow on the dragon reliefs adorning the ceiling.

Jiang Shaohuan, the Hall Master of the Baima Branch Hall, sat quietly on a tiger-shaped bronze chair in the center. His tiger-like eyes were fixed on the hall entrance. Ever since he received the report that his only son, Young Master Jiang, had been beheaded by a mere constable at the Furong Town pier, Hall Master Jiang seemed to have lost the ability to act.

Dudududu,

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

Clerk Xing, the Baima Branch Hall's scribe, rushed in. Under the bright lamplight, Clerk Xing looked as if he had just been fished out of a pot of boiling water, his forehead covered in sweat, his two wisps of mustache soaked through.

Before he even got close, Clerk Xing wailed in a hoarse voice, "Hall Master, something terrible has happened! Terrible! Young Master, he, Young Master he..."

"I know, my son is dead!"

Jiang Shaohuan's voice was like it had been dragged through a sewer, filled with coldness and decay.

"Hall Master, the Iron Essence has been stolen by Young Master! The Iron Essence has been stolen!"

Clerk Xing shrieked, his voice choked.

"What! Say that again!"

Jiang Shaohuan, like a giant praying mantis, sprang from his seat at the sound of the words. He leaped in front of Clerk Xing and grabbed him by the throat.

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

Clerk Xing's throat was squeezed so tightly that he couldn't speak.

After Jiang Shaohuan released him, he repeated what he had just said.

Boom!

Jiang Shaohuan was struck as if by lightning. Moving like a phantom, he dashed into a secret room and emerged moments later. He kicked over a brazier, grabbed a large Guan Dao from by the screen, and began to wield it with the fury of a storm. In an instant, the magnificent hall of the Baima Branch Hall was reduced to a mess.

After a long while, Jiang Shaohuan finally stopped, his face contorted. He muttered, "Beast, beast, he deserved to die, the beast!"

"Hall Master, now is not the time for recriminations. We must find a way to retrieve the Iron Essence and minimize the hidden danger. Otherwise, if the main hall finds out we've embezzled such a treasure, the consequences will be unimaginable!" Clerk Xing urged anxiously.

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

This Iron Essence had been obtained months ago when he led the Baima Branch Hall in a secret ambush of the Southeast Merchant Caravan. However, the Southeast Merchant Caravan was no ordinary group; they were a delegation carrying tribute from Guang'an Prefecture to the Royal Court for a birthday celebration.

It was precisely because Jiang Shaohuan had learned of the Southeast Merchant Caravan's secret mission that he had gathered his forces and ambushed them at Skyhawk Cliff. After paying a heavy price, they had finally plundered the caravan.

The Iron Essence was discovered by Clerk Xing's team in a treasure chest belonging to the caravan. Upon seeing it, Jiang Shaohuan was astonished, believing it to be a divine artifact. According to the Black Dragon Hall's rules, any spoils plundered by subordinate branches were to be handed over to the main hall for inventory and distribution.

Given the Iron Essence's extraordinary nature, it would surely be lost forever if handed over to the main hall. Clerk Xing had clearly seen Jiang Shaohuan's intentions and had taken it upon himself to eliminate the small team involved in excavating the Iron Essence.

With Clerk Xing's understanding and discretion, Jiang Shaohuan had half-heartedly accepted the Iron Essence into his possession.

While the Iron Essence was indeed a treasure, its origins were illicit, and it could not see the light of day.

Jiang Shaohuan stored it in a secret room, only daring to take it out and admire it in the dead of night.

Who could have known that the young master, emboldened by audacity, would steal the Iron Essence? Worse still, the young master had died irresponsibly outside.

At this moment, Jiang Shaohuan could no longer afford to grieve for his son. His mind was filled with fear.

If news of the Iron Essence's existence leaked, he, Jiang, would be doomed.

Clerk Xing knew what Jiang Shaohuan was worried about. "Hall Master, do not worry. I have inquired thoroughly. Although there were many people at the pier at the time, they were all commoners. They only heard that a white sword had injured the constable, and no one got a good look at it. That white sword was the Iron Essence transformed. Furthermore, the Iron Essence is a rare treasure, and the constable who obtained it would surely keep his mouth shut. Therefore, we do not need to worry about the news of the Iron Essence leaking for now."

"That constable is a new recruit in the Furong Town Patrol Bureau. I just received word that he has headed to Guang'an City. Clearly, he is preparing for any eventuality, fearing we would capture the old man and the young woman in Furong Town. However, it's good that he's going to Guang'an. We can confront him directly there. We'll find a arena and beat him to death, ending it all! The most urgent matter is to send a letter to Guang'an immediately and find out his whereabouts."

As Clerk Xing finished speaking, Jiang Shaohuan, his face ashen, smiled sinisterly. "The most urgent matter? Heh heh, I think the most urgent matter is to keep this secret. The fewer people who know about the existence of the Iron Essence, the better. Preferably, only I should know." Before he finished speaking, Jiang Shaohuan's large hand shot out. With a crack, Clerk Xing's eyes saw his own spine.

With a casual toss, Clerk Xing's body was thrown into a nearby brazier. In an instant, the smell of burning flesh mingled with thick smoke billowed out.

Jiang Shaohuan stared intently at the bonfire, gritting his teeth. "No matter who it is, if they dare to steal the treasure I risked my life for, I will make them suffer a fate worse than death!"

Early morning. The sky was overcast, and a strong wind had picked up. Despite the tightly shut doors and windows, the red candle, now only half an inch tall, flickered in the cold air that drifted in.

After serving Uncle Mu a dose of restorative medicine and leaving a large food box in Qiu Wa's room, Xu Yi changed into a newly acquired green robe and quietly took his seat in the main hall's office.

This was an ordinary residential courtyard, with the front house for work and the back for living. The main house, side rooms, and kitchen were all complete. In the central courtyard, two rows of autumn banyan trees provided ample shade, offering coolness from the heat, making it a very comfortable home.

The Furong Town Patrol Bureau had rented this place for many years, establishing an office specifically to receive personnel from Furong Town going to Guang'an Prefecture on official business, as well as to handle incoming and outgoing official documents.

Xu Yi drank two cups of tea, then went to the nearby post station to send and receive some documents. He locked the guest room on the left, left a note on the door, closed the main gate, and then departed.

He deliberately headed towards the bustling area, entering a large market and going straight into the largest wine shop. He spent a silver ingot to purchase a jar of ten-year-old Bamboo Leaf Green. After inquiring about the location of Iron Cat's Ear Alley, he hurried on his way.

Upon arriving in Guang'an, Xu Yi harbored no illusions. He knew very well that the Black Dragon Hall would not let this matter rest. It wasn't just for that damned black-robed youth, but for that mysterious White Iron Gall, they would stir up a bloody storm.