We Three Are Just Too Strong

"Xiao, I treated you like a brother, and you actually pissed in my pants! You framed me and made me look bad! You—you... Let me change first, then we'll settle this."

Xu Jixian stormed off, then turned around and came back.

Xiang Yuan was startled. Could there be another expert?

"Brother Yuan, I'm scared. Come with me, please," Xu Jixian begged.

Xiang Yuan's face was full of exasperation. He tucked away his treasured calligraphy and stuck it into his waistband. He'd just put on a great show, easily worth at least eighty points, but his audience had been thoroughly unimpressive—not worthy of his brilliant performance, in which he'd slain an enemy above his level.

All that effort for nothing. If only someone who knew what they were looking at had been there.

"Stop talking nonsense. If I hadn't run fast enough, you would've pissed on me."

Xiao He sneered. He came over to Xiang Yuan and helped support his trembling arm. "Brother Yuan, the female ghost's been dealt with. We shouldn't stay here any longer. I'll escort you back to Xiao Residence."

"I'll go too, and escort Brother Yuan back to Xiao Residence."

"Hmph. You reek of piss. Go change your pants first."

Xiao He and Xu Jixian bickered while Xiang Yuan closed his eyes and said nothing. After pondering for a moment, he decided to accompany Xu Jixian back to his room to change first.

Yellow Springs Dao had lost a disciple. There was no telling whether any of his accomplices were still nearby, keeping watch. Xu Residence wasn't a place to linger, but Xiang Yuan's spirit was exhausted, and neither staying nor leaving was safe. Rather than risk an ambush on the road at night, he'd be better off staying at Xu Residence and recovering.

Besides, he'd just slain a powerful foe and gained some insight into a move of Heavenly Blade. He had to reflect on it and absorb what he'd learned as soon as possible.

"Brother Yuan really is loyal. This way, please. Wait in my room for a moment." Xu Jixian looked pleased with himself, as though he'd won his argument with Xiao He.

Xiao He gritted his teeth and followed along, supporting Xiang Yuan. He blathered loudly, "Brother Yuan, I'm not like that Xu fellow. I come from a martial family, and I'm a martial arts expert too. You acted too quickly just now, so I never had the chance to show off my skills. If I'd fought with all my strength, those two ghosts wouldn't have stood a chance."

Give me a break. Xu pissed himself and you didn't. Why are you pretending to be an expert? Even the County Yamen's latrine isn't as full of it as you are!

Xiang Yuan rolled his eyes, thinking of switching to Doubi so he could give Xiao He a good tongue-lashing.

But for the sake of his image, he ultimately held back.

Xiao He continued, "I'm not only good at singing and dancing—cough, I mean, both letters and martial arts. I know the heavens above and the earth below, and I'm especially good at reading people's fates and sensing their qi. The first time I saw you, I knew you were born extraordinary and would achieve great things one day."

As he said this, he looked very pleased with himself. Just as he'd expected, he'd had the eye to recognize a hero. He hadn't been wrong.

If he hadn't shamelessly shared Xiang Yuan's umbrella that day, Xiang Yuan wouldn't have slain ghosts today. So he deserved half the credit for killing the two ghosts.

We brothers really are too strong!

"And don't forget me," Xu Jixian cut in. "I deliberately let the female ghost bewitch me and gave myself to her so Brother Yuan could show off tonight." He might not have earned any merit, but he'd suffered for his troubles—and if not that, then he'd at least been exhausted. He had to be included.

The three of us really are too strong!

Maybe change your pants before you start bragging!

Xiang Yuan found them utterly irritating and didn't feel like entertaining the two jokers. Once inside, he sat down to regulate his breathing. He focused on three things at once: cultivating, staying alert, and analyzing the gains and losses of the fight—a post-battle review.

Since crossing into this world, he'd fought three hard battles: against the vicious members of the Five Poisons Cult, his senior uncle Lingguang, and the black-robed ghost-controller from Yellow Springs Dao.

There wasn't much to review about Lingguang. Que Xin had schemed against him until he died. In that battle, apart from not wetting their pants, Xiang Yuan and Xiao He had been no different from Xu Jixian.

Looking at things from the perspective of the vicious member of the Five Poisons Cult and the black-robed man from Yellow Springs Dao, both had underestimated their opponents and let their guards down. One had died when Xiang Yuan impersonated Liu Jingsheng, suffering a mishap through overconfidence; the other had died to the Heavenly Saber Sect's martial technique, Lone Star Chasing Moon, taught to Xiang Yuan by his senior uncle—also a mishap through overconfidence.

Both men had had tricks up their sleeves and signature techniques of their own. Their skills had surpassed Xiang Yuan's, especially those of the black-robed man from Yellow Springs Dao, who'd been killed with a single slash before he could even use them. His life had ended with a wordless cry: never underestimate your enemy or let your guard down.

Looking at things from his own perspective, Xiang Yuan concluded that once he made a move, he had to strike like thunder. He couldn't rely on luck or retreat. In a fight to the death, there was no second move—one strike decided life or death.

If possible, he should ambush his enemy. He had to train hard; knowing more skills never hurt. And he couldn't count on always getting the chance to ambush someone. He might scheme against others, but they could scheme against him too...

Xiang Yuan had reached many conclusions. The more he thought about it, the more he felt his master, Old Daoist Quexin, had been right: learning wasn't the goal; applying what you learned was. Martial arts weren't meant to be developed in isolation. He had to learn from others and draw on their experience.

His path didn't lie in the mountains.

Once he'd finished reviewing the battle, Xiang Yuan savored the move Lone Star Chasing Moon. That slash had been dazzling. The saber followed the body, the body followed the heart, and the heart followed the will—it was truly peerless. It could only be unleashed with a mind as still as water.

He asked himself: if he used Cold Blood to control this move, he'd grasp only a fraction of its essence. What if he switched to Steady or Doubi instead?

After considering it, he wasn't sure. Steady sought stability, and would struggle to control a slash that allowed no retreat. Doubi's unpredictable thoughts were even harder to fathom. If either of those two spirits controlled Lone Star Chasing Moon, it might reveal other subtleties, but it would never deliver a fatal strike or save him from certain death.

"To use the heart to control the saber... So complicated... and so interesting."

Xiang Yuan opened his eyes. His senior uncle had left him a treasury of martial arts. He had three spirits and three different mindsets, each able to choose its own variations to control. He could switch between them freely when facing an enemy. One body, three minds—the thought alone thrilled him.

This Golden Finger is pretty good.

Unfortunately, most cultivation techniques required Acupoint Opening as a starting point. Only after he reached the Acupoint Opening stage himself could he use the Formless Seal Method to imitate them.

To forge good iron, one needed a strong hammer. He couldn't neglect his cultivation. Tonight, he'd take advantage of the moment and stay up all night.

At dawn the next day, an old servant from Xu Residence returned. At Xu Jixian's order, he'd gone to the County Yamen to report the case.

Before long, the old servant brought two constables back. One was Old Liu; the other was his new partner. Xiang Yuan had seen him at the yamen, but they weren't acquainted.

"Eh? Xiang Yuan, what are you doing here? No, wait—why are you the one reporting the case?" Old Liu froze. You're a constable yourself!

Xiang Yuan explained what had happened, then showed them the corpse of the black-robed man from Yellow Springs Dao. The charcoal had crumbled to ash and been scattered throughout the courtyard by the wind. Only a patch of scorched ground remained.

"Who says there are no good people in Yellow Springs? They turn to spring mud to protect the flowers..." Xiang Yuan murmured at the sight. Then he explained to Old Liu, "The two young masters wanted to watch the excitement, so they brought out Teacher Wang's treasured calligraphy to capture a ghost. I know a little martial arts, so they put me on guard... Vast Righteous Qi restrains ghosts, but the one who came later wasn't a ghost. He was an evil cultivator who controlled ghosts. His martial arts were mediocre, so I killed him with a single slash... His corpse caught fire and vanished on the spot."

"You were lucky."

Old Liu's expression turned serious. "If I'm not mistaken, this man was a disciple of Yellow Springs Dao. He had considerable skill in raising and controlling ghosts. If his martial arts hadn't been so poor—if he hadn't just started learning—you'd have been done for last night."

"That's a frightening thought." Xiang Yuan nodded.

Old Liu asked a few questions about the case. It was easy to deal with one of their own, and he didn't make things difficult for Xiang Yuan. They wrapped up the case quickly.

There was no follow-up. Constables only earned a few taels of silver a month. Did anyone really expect them to go to the Southern Border and demand an explanation from Yellow Springs Dao?

Don't be ridiculous. Even Six Doors wouldn't have the guts.

After seeing the two constables off, Xiang Yuan was joined by the two jokers. With the female ghost gone, they couldn't find any other amusement for the time being, so they decided to go to the academy and study—just a little.

Xiang Yuan climbed into the carriage with them and listened to another comedy routine along the way.

As they neared the academy, Xu Jixian suddenly blurted out, "Brother Yuan ruined my romance—my ill-fated romance, that is. You saved my life, and I have a fair bit of money. I'd like to repay you. What would you like?"

Money will do!

Xiang Yuan opened his eyes. He urgently needed to get his hands on a mid-grade pill to help him reach Acupoint Opening.

But he couldn't say that outright. He'd established an image as an expert last night; bringing up money would make him look cheap. He said coolly, "It's the thought that counts, Brother Xu. I'm devoted to the Martial Path and have no other desires. If you really feel indebted, some silver will do."

"Then I'll—"

"What do you mean, 'some silver will do'? This was a life-saving favor! You can't just repay it with a little silver and call it even. What kind of deal is that?"

Xiao He cut him off and spoke up on Xiang Yuan's behalf. "Brother Yuan is fifteen this year. He had a hard life when he was young and didn't get much of an education. If you're serious about repaying him, pay his tuition so he can study and eat with the two of us at the academy."

Xiang Yuan raised an eyebrow. That wasn't a bad idea. Wang Wenxu was a capable teacher, and he'd surely learn something as his student.

Besides, Xiang Yuan already accompanied Xiao He to the academy every day. He could study during the day and practice martial arts at night, without neglecting either.

Xu Jixian hadn't heard the part about studying and eating together. He'd only heard "play together," so he nodded readily. Then he said, "That sounds great, but the academy isn't accepting students this year. The teacher is upright and impartial, so there's no way to bribe him. What should I do?"

"Get on your knees and beg him. Throw a tantrum and refuse to give up until you get what you want. He's most afraid of bringing shame upon the scholars, so he'll definitely agree," Xiao He advised.

"What if he hits me? The ruler hurts."

"What are you afraid of? Brother Yuan's a constable. If he beats you to death, just report him on the spot."

"That makes a lot of sense..."

Xu Jixian glared at Xiao He, then looked at Xiang Yuan and nodded through gritted teeth. "All right. I'll roll around on the ground. I refuse to believe the teacher would really beat me to death."