A Colorful Day

"Brother Chi, what was that wanted notice about just now?"

Chi Yan did not notice that Zhong Lin's form of address had changed from "Brother Yan" to "Brother Chi."

He answered casually, "The man you drew is named Dan Wenlong, known as Mountain-Crossing Wind. He's a notorious bandit who has terrorized the rivers and lakes. Some days ago, the Lin Family in the County Town was robbed by thieves, and this fellow was the one who did it. Master Lin was furious, so the County Commandant ordered a thorough investigation."

"I see."

Through his observations and inquiries over the past few days, Zhong Lin had also roughly figured out how power was divided in the County Town. Put simply, the imperial court, the Noble Families, and the criminal gangs stood like three legs of a tripod.

Of them, the criminal gangs were the weakest. But allied with those martial schools, they could barely contend against the imperial court and the Noble Families.

Still, Zhong Lin always felt it could not be so simple. There had to be hidden layers he had yet to see.

As they walked, the two arrived at an open space paved with bluestone. Weapon racks stood on either side, while the corners held stone locks and other training tools carved from rock.

A handful of constables were practicing martial arts in the training ground. Even from nearly a hundred meters away, Zhong Lin could hear the explosive cracks of their punches, like thunder bursting overhead.

Zhong Lin gradually stopped walking. His eyes locked tightly onto the yamen runners on the training ground, and even his breathing quickened.

The Martial Path.

This was the true Martial Path—Extraordinary Power. Otherwise, how could human strength possibly produce such terrifying force? He wondered which realm of the Martial Path they were in, according to Cui Xian.

Chi Yan noticed Zhong Lin's expression as well. Assuming only that the boy admired strength in his youth, he teased, "You're part of the yamen now too. If you want to learn, you can go to the Martial Pavilion and pick out a manual."

Zhong Lin abruptly turned to Chi Yan, astonished. "The yamen teaches martial arts?"

"Of course. How else would we catch thieves if we didn't practice martial arts?"

"I can learn martial arts here too?"

Zhong Lin's breath quickened. After all those twists and turns, he had never expected the opportunity to learn the Martial Path to be waiting at the yamen—and that he would stumble across it in such an unreliable way.

"You're a yamen man too, so of course you can learn. But the Martial Path requires aptitude, and many people lay their foundations in childhood. You're already fourteen or fifteen now, so it's hard to say..."

Chi Yan looked Zhong Lin up and down, then shook his head.

"It's fine as long as I can learn. As for what I achieve in the future, that will depend on my own fate. Brother Chi, I felt like an old friend the moment I met you. Let's go have a drink." Zhong Lin spoke delightedly.

"Your treat."

"Of course it's my treat."

"Let's go."

A short while later, Chi Yan dragged Zhong Lin into Heavenly Fragrance Brothel and called over a young courtesan to pour their wine.

Heavenly Fragrance Brothel had named itself to echo Warm Fragrance Brothel, but the difference in class was more than a single tier. Even so, the prices here made Zhong Lin's heart ache terribly.

"Brother Chi, I've only just arrived, and though I've now joined the yamen, I understand nothing of how things work here. I hope Brother Chi can clear up my confusion."

Zhong Lin first raised a cup in toast before beginning his questions.

Chi Yan did not stand on ceremony. He lifted his cup and drained it in one gulp, then pulled the girl beside him into his arms and had her sit on his lap.

"Easy, easy. You'll figure these things out yourself over time. The biggest figure in our yamen is naturally the County Magistrate. His surname is Mei, his name Hai Ming. He's a jinshi scholar, and he's also from the Mei Family of the Capital City.

"Below him are Secretary Zhang and County Commandant Du. One is from the Zhang Family of the County Town, while the other is from the Du Family. Their backgrounds may not compare to the County Magistrate's, but they're still beyond the reach of mud-legged folk like us.

"The last person you need to watch out for is Chief Constable Head Xue. Never mind anything else—Head Xue is a Sixth Rank Martial Path expert who has cultivated qi and blood. That alone tells you how formidable he is. Understand?"

Chi Yan laughed heartily as he laid out the powers within the County Yamen one by one.

Zhong Lin's eyes lit up when he heard that. Sixth Rank... qi and blood... Was this the Middle Three Ranks of the Martial Path that Old Cui had mentioned?

As he pondered, Zhong Lin poured Chi Yan another cup of wine and asked curiously, "Brother Chi, I've heard people say that the Martial Path's nine ranks are divided into upper, middle, and lower ranks. What makes the Sixth Rank different?"

"Different? Of course it's different. Of the Martial Path's nine ranks, the Lower Three Ranks temper the body, the Middle Three Ranks condense the blood, and the Upper Three Ranks refine qi. Every realm is worlds apart. I'm currently Eighth Rank, Tendon Alteration. Dozens of ordinary people couldn't get near me, but before Head Xue, he could slap me to death with one hand. Wouldn't you call that formidable?" Chi Yan said.

"Formidable."

Zhong Lin nodded heavily.

That bandit, Mountain-Suppressing Tiger, had only been Ninth Rank Skin Grinding, yet arrows could not pierce his defenses. Chi Yan's Eighth Rank Tendon Alteration was surely even stronger, but even he could be dealt with by Chief Constable Head Xue using just one hand.

Zhong Lin did not understand how their fighting strength was measured, but he could imagine that the Chief Constable was indeed terrifying.

The two exchanged several more rounds of wine. Zhong Lin did most of the asking, while Chi Yan did the answering. In that brief conversation, Zhong Lin had roughly figured out the situation in the County Yamen.

In short, the County Magistrate was the greatest authority, with many separate factions beneath him. Yet the County Yamen held absolute sovereignty throughout all of Black Mountain County. In the future, when Zhong Lin went out to paint portraits for others, no one would dare charge him protection money again.

That was what pleased Zhong Lin most.

"Brother Zhong, a moment of spring night is worth a thousand pieces of gold. Don't keep the beauty waiting."

With an arm around a courtesan, Chi Yan teasingly headed toward one of the small side rooms.

The courtesan beside Zhong Lin also seemed drunk. She slumped against him like a puddle of mud, waiting for him to loosen her clothes and join her in the clouds and rain.

Unfortunately, Zhong Lin had no such thoughts at all right now. It was not that he lacked desire, but that his body had not yet been properly nourished back to health.

He did not want to start indulging himself before his body had recovered. If it left him depleted, it would be a matter for the rest of his life.

He waved the courtesan away. After sitting for a little longer, Zhong Lin finally rose and left Heavenly Fragrance Brothel. As for Chi Yan, that fellow would be spending the night there.

By the time Zhong Lin stepped out of Heavenly Fragrance Brothel, the sun had begun to set beyond the western hills. When he returned to Sweet Water Alley, the sky was already dark.

"Second Brother."

The moment Little Shi spotted Zhong Lin, he sprang out and rushed over to greet him, his heart full of joy.

"You drank."

Little Shi wrinkled his nose. The scent was exactly the same as when Father had drunk with Uncle Caihua while he was still alive.

Zhong Lin patted Little Shi on the head and handed him a paper-wrapped parcel from his right hand. "I met a friend today. Here, I brought you roast chicken. Go eat it! Get to bed early too—we still have to go to Teacher Liu's tomorrow!"

"Okay!"

Little Shi went to the kitchen to eat, while Zhong Lin entered the study and began sorting through everything that had happened.

So much had happened in just two short days. First, he had earned more than thirty taels of silver by selling paintings. Then he had encountered Qin Yong and Xing San, and under cover of darkness that night, he had slit their throats.

During the day today, he had gone to school to learn characters. In the afternoon, he had gone to the County Yamen and even become a portrait artist for the yamen. Most importantly, he no longer needed to join some martial school and take a master—the yamen itself offered martial arts training.

"What a colorful day!"