"Oh? What day is it today? Big Sis wrote back, and Constable Qin has come calling too?"
Chu Ge took the letter from Steward Fu with a smile. He opened it to read as he strolled toward Yingbin Pavilion.
Steward Fu carried the parcel and followed close behind.
"Little Ge, I'm glad you've finally come around in recent years and started studying martial arts. It brings your sister great comfort, though sadly, you're already eighteen, and it's rather late to take up the practice.
"But Master Hu of Linyuan City's Tiger Martial Arts School is quite good. Learning the Tiger Crouching Technique from him will be more than enough for the Four Martial Arts Realms.
"Your sister has prepared two bottles of Blood-Generating Pills for you. They're suitable for those in the Four Martial Arts Realms and will strengthen your qi and blood."
Chu Feixue's letter ran to several hundred words, every line brimming with heartfelt concern. She was clearly very worried about Chu Ge, her younger brother.
At the end, she mentioned that the world had been unsettled lately.
The Heaven and Earth Incense Cult, the Yellow Turban Sect, and many other heretical cults had been active, while rebel factions like the Blackwater Army were also causing trouble. Many towns had seen wealthy merchants and families robbed. She urged Chu Ge to keep a low profile and, preferably, go to the Hidden Water Sect for protection, among other things.
The world outside is that chaotic? Besides the Heaven and Earth Incense Cult, there's the Yellow Turban Sect and the Blackwater Army stirring up trouble too. Why does it feel a little like the old days, when the powerful clans of every tribe rose against the Yun Kingdom and heroes emerged from every corner?
Reading what the letter said, Chu Ge couldn't help clicking his tongue in shock. It seemed Fu Wei had been telling the truth: the Heaven and Earth Incense Cult had long since set its sights on wealthy families like theirs.
He then took the parcel from Steward Fu and opened it. Inside were two bottles of Blood-Generating Pills, along with instructions for taking them.
The pills must have been expensive.
But now that he was in the Blood Change Realm, they would be of limited use to him.
Besides, ever since he had obtained the fourth part of the Tiger Crouching Technique, he had been short on neither resources nor martial arts for the time being.
The Hidden Water Sect's martial arts were surely forbidden to outsiders. Even if his big sister managed to get him some other techniques, he would only end up biting off more than he could chew.
As for techniques for after breaking through to the Force Condensation Realm, they were even more precious. Every sect treated them as teachings that must not be passed on lightly, and among certain families, they were treasured hereditary arts.
Techniques for after the Force Condensation Realm come after Spiritual Aptitude in importance. I still don't know if I have Spiritual Aptitude. Only with that aptitude can someone use a technique to draw mysterious power from the world and absorb it.
To find out whether I have Spiritual Aptitude, I'll have to reach the peak of the Blood Change Realm—the fourth of the Four Martial Arts Realms—and attempt the Three Flowers Gathering at the Top breakthrough. Then I should be able to tell for myself.
Before that, I'd have to reach the Third Realm Bone Refining at the very least, then visit a prominent family in the prefectural city or a sect like the Hidden Water Sect to be tested.
As Chu Ge pondered this, Yingbin Pavilion came into view.
He put away the letter and pills and stepped inside. There he spotted Constable Xiao Qin, whom he'd met a few times before. Chu Ge cupped his fists and laughed heartily.
"What brings Constable Qin to my humble abode today? Could it be Spirit Fish again?"
Xiao Qin rose quickly, returning the gesture with a smile. "Young Master Chu, don't tease me. Just call me Little Qin. I'm not here to trade for Spirit Fish this time, but to warn you about something important."
"Oh?"
Chu Ge's heart stirred with a suspicion. He raised a hand, and two pretty maids immediately stepped forward to serve tea.
They sat down and began to talk. Sure enough, Constable Qin's business was just as Chu Ge had guessed: it concerned the Thirteen Golden Spear Bandits outside the city and the Heaven and Earth Incense Cult.
Xiao Qin's expression grew solemn. "The Thirteen Golden Spear Bandits are practically the Heaven and Earth Incense Cult's hired hands, trained to rob and plunder. Lately, many wealthy families have been robbed in towns across the region. Even Master Xu of our own Linyuan City has been targeted.
"The Heaven and Earth Incense Cult can't escape blame for any of this."
"I never imagined the Heaven and Earth Incense Cult could be so wicked. Those bandits are birds of a feather. They deserve the worst, but it's a pity I'm not strong enough. Otherwise, I'd surely rid the people of this menace."
Chu Ge sighed, putting on a sorrowful air as if he hated his own helplessness.
Seeing this, Xiao Qin hurried to offer a few words of comfort, then continued. "These criminals may set their sights on you as well, Young Master Chu, so I came to warn you.
"The Thirteen Golden Spear Bandits have all vanished without a trace. No one knows where they're hiding.
"They're a gang of ruthless villains. Most of them are martial artists in the Muscle and Skin Refining Realm, while Boss Wei is a Bone Training Realm expert. They're an extremely formidable force, and once they've got a taste for blood..."
Chu Ge picked up a cup of tea and took a sip to hide his embarrassment. Then he nodded in agreement. "It sounds like they really are formidable."
That was what he said, but he couldn't help finding it strange.
He'd already killed all the Thirteen Golden Spear Bandits, so of course they'd vanished without a trace.
The night Fu Wei died, Chu Ge had slipped out of the city.
Using the information he'd forced out of Fu Wei, he'd easily dealt with the rest of the Thirteen Golden Spear Bandits outside the city.
By now, all their corpses had been fed into the Dragon Clock and refined away, leaving not a trace. It was his way of ridding the people of a menace.
He'd even taken a haul of stolen money from their hideout: over ten thousand taels in Silver Notes. Some of it might have belonged to the Xu Family, which went a little way toward making up for his recent losses.
Rather than worrying about the Thirteen Golden Spear Bandits, Little Qin would do better to worry about the Heaven and Earth Incense Cult's stronghold.
Chu Ge steered the conversation toward the Heaven and Earth Incense Cult, now and then dropping a pointed hint.
In the end, he managed to glean some useful information.
After delivering his warning, Xiao Qin left the Chu Family residence and continued on to alert the other wealthy families in the city.
Only after stepping outside the Chu Family's gate did Xiao Qin feel the inexplicable tension leave him.
"Strange. I'm an official, for goodness' sake. Why do I always get so tense when I talk to Young Master Chu?"
Xiao Qin rubbed his nose and glanced back at the closed vermilion gate. It must be because Young Master Chu's family is so wealthy, and his big sister is in the Hidden Water Sect. I can't help acting respectful around him.
"Judging from what Little Qin let slip, City Guard Captain Tian Youji must have had his eye on the Heaven and Earth Incense Cult's nearby stronghold for some time.
"These horse bandits who suddenly swept into the area were an unexpected complication. With all this going on, perhaps Tian Youji will move against the stronghold."
Inside the Chu Family residence, Chu Ge saw Xiao Qin out and then considered the information they'd exchanged. His mind was somewhat at ease.
He'd been racking his brains over how to discreetly alert the County Yamen to the Heaven and Earth Incense Cult's stronghold. It seemed the City Guard Captain wasn't a fool; he'd already set his sights on it.
With City Guard Captain Tian Youji leading the charge, Chu Ge could watch how things unfolded. He might even get a chance to gauge the Iron Token Envoy's strength through Tian Youji.
Though Linyuan City was small, it still had several powers. The County Yamen was one; Tiger Martial Arts School and the other school, Snow Saber Martial Arts School, made up another; and then there was the Merchant Alliance formed by the wealthy merchants.
The first two powers were represented by City Guard Captain Tian Youji and Hu Xuezhi, the head of Tiger Martial Arts School. Both were Blood Change Realm martial artists.
The Merchant Alliance, meanwhile, was represented by Wang Youcai, the city's richest man.
The richest man had also spent money to hire two Bone Training Realm martial artists to fight for him. His influence was considerable. And, of course, the Chu Family, which Chu Ge belonged to, had joined the Merchant Alliance as well.
With several powers entrenched in the city, the Heaven and Earth Incense Cult's Iron Token Envoy might have learned some Mysterious Power Secret Method, but he couldn't act with impunity in broad daylight, brazenly defying all opposition.
Still, only seven days remained before Fu Wei was due to deliver the tribute money.
There was no telling whether, after realizing Fu Wei had gone missing, the Iron Token Envoy might sneak into the city at night to cause trouble.
Chu Ge hoped that if City Guard Captain Tian Youji planned to move against the Heaven and Earth Incense Cult's stronghold, he would do it soon. That way, he could catch the other side off guard.
When the time came, Chu Ge might be able to follow close behind, seize the moment to kick them while they were down, and pick up a few spoils for himself—robbing the Heaven and Earth Incense Cult's stronghold in turn.
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