Seven Steps Away, the Arrow Was Fast; Within Seven Steps, It Was Even Faster (First Update, Please Subscribe)

Several attendants from White Cloud Manor delivered the gifts to the Xiao Residence, along with an itemized list, then took their leave from Xiang Yuan.

To outsiders, it looked like the wayward son of the Xiao Clan was shopping extravagantly, with more money than he knew what to do with.

The wayward son of the Xiao Clan followed behind Xiang Yuan with a disgruntled expression, fawning over him the whole way until his mouth went dry. He brewed tea and poured water while watching Xiang Yuan open the boxes.

Xiang Yuan accepted the tea and took a small sip, without the slightest shame at his bodyguard presuming to act like his master. Fated encounters were hard to come by. If Xiao He wanted to find someone he was fated to meet, he had to keep the right attitude.

Besides, rules had to be established, lest he be deceived again in the future.

Xiao He had long since grown shameless. As he put it, he got so caught up in the act that he couldn't get out of character; he could no longer tell which one was really him.

Only then did Xiang Yuan learn that Xiao He had been good for nothing not only in Fengxian County, but in Shendu as well. Few people knew his true nature.

He had been clever from a young age, yet chose mediocrity; his scheming was chilling.

Xiang Yuan opened the boxes according to the gift list. He picked up a long saber and couldn't bear to put it down, his eyes full of tenderness.

The saber was three fingers wide and three chi three cun long, made to the old specifications, easy to grip and wield. Tiger stripes were carved into the handle, and the scabbard bore an image of a tiger roaring in the mountains. Its blade was so sharp it could sever hair with a breath and slice through iron like mud.

The saber had been tempered in the blood of a tiger demon. Its blade was not only peerlessly sharp but also carried a fierce, chilling authority. When drawn, it could command the wind: the wind followed the saber, and the saber borrowed the wind's force. Once the wielder and saber became one, the wielder would be like a tiger with wings.

It was named Tiger Roar for the might of its voice, like a ferocious tiger's roar.

The saber's maker was unknown. It had been kept in White Cloud Manor, and its price had not been listed. The only note said that its wielder needed to possess an unyielding sense of justice, lest the saber's imposing aura affect him.

"What a fine saber!"

Xiang Yuan caressed the blade and examined it for a long while before sheathing it.

The next moment, he drew it again and stroked it, once more unable to bear putting it down.

"Brother Yuan, stop stroking it. It's just a lousy saber."

Xiao He clicked his tongue and interrupted him. Xiang Yuan wasn't stroking the saber at all—he was plainly stroking Yue Huanjiang right in front of him.

Xiang Yuan ignored him and kept opening boxes. He found a set of saber techniques meant for use with the Tiger Roar Saber. The movements were broad and powerful, each strike like a fierce tiger charging down a mountain, unstoppable.

At first glance, they seemed quite similar to the Five Tigers Severing Gate Saber, but in truth they were simpler and more efficient, with more ingenious techniques. If the Five Tigers Severing Gate Saber were simplified and its unnecessary moves removed, it would have much in common with these saber techniques.

The techniques Yue Huanjiang had given Xiang Yuan were not so simple. When used with the Tiger Roar Saber, they not only let him command the wind with ease, but also brought the fierce aura of a tiger along at his side. At the highest level, they could awaken the tiger demon's blood and summon a tiger's phantom to wound an enemy's soul.

"You say the maker is unknown and the price isn't listed, yet the saber techniques fit it perfectly. You really put thought into this, Elder Brother, and you're as modest and generous as ever." Xiang Yuan praised him as a true gentleman.

"I put a lot of thought into it too!"

Unwilling to be outdone, Xiao He stood behind Xiang Yuan and kneaded his shoulders and back.

Xiang Yuan still ignored him and opened the third gift. Inside were five cultivation manuals for the Acupoint Opening stage.

The Geng Metal Upper Palace True Record, the Radiant Spirit Heart-Cleansing Art, the Cold Smoke Spirit Canon, the Dust-Mote Art, and the Blazing Sun Body-Transformation Manual. The five cultivation arts corresponded to the five elements of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth, each with matching moves and footwork. Any one of them could serve as a martial artist's foundational cultivation art.

"Oh no! That pretty boy's up to no good. You can't just start cultivating these!"

Xiao He cried in alarm. "Brother Yuan, you don't know this, but there are always strings attached to a martial artist's foundational cultivation art. If you choose just one, your path will be narrow and difficult, and he'll have you at his mercy. Listen to your big brother—he's trying to harm you."

Xiao He's words weren't entirely unreasonable. Even Xiang Yuan, despite his lack of general knowledge, knew that choosing a foundational cultivation art was of utmost importance. Committing to just one of the five elements would affect his future advancement, and the consequences of being locked into a single path were unthinkable.

It made no sense to cultivate the fire element during Acupoint Opening, then switch to the water element at Foundation Establishment.

Cultivating all five elements at once was even less feasible. That wasn't something someone at the Acupoint Opening stage should concern himself with. Perhaps a person of great perseverance could manage it, but it would take an extremely long time and drain his energy. It had long been deemed an inferior path: too much ambition, not enough mastery.

Generally speaking, even a genius would cultivate only two foundational arts at once, one primary and one secondary, studying their mysteries together. But cultivating all five...

You'd have to have been hit in the head by a door!

Xiang Yuan was puzzled. Yue Huanjiang surely wouldn't harm him. Why had he given him Acupoint Opening manuals for all five elements, each one suitable as a foundational art? What was his deeper intention?

Could Xiao He be right? Was it a trap? Once Xiang Yuan took the bait, would he have to go to Yue Huanjiang for Foundation Establishment manuals later—and end up in his clutches?

No way. Yue Huanjiang didn't seem like that sort of petty person.

"This is strange. I'll ask at White Cloud Manor tomorrow."

"Brother Yuan, you can't go back there! That pretty boy's lusting after your body. He's been tempting you every which way because he wants to keep you as his plaything!" Xiao He wailed, then rattled off stories of rich families' young masters abusing their pageboys—those affairs weren't just filthy, they were downright foul.

No need to doubt it. The upper class really was that depraved.

Xiang Yuan pretended not to hear and opened the remaining gifts. Some contained pills, others hidden mechanical weapons, but not one had the silver banknote he wanted.

A gentleman's friendship was as clear as water. Yue Huanjiang wouldn't stoop to that.

Since Xiang Yuan was his friend, he could only follow suit. He picked up the arm-mounted crossbow and strapped it to his arm, then tested the mechanism. Three short arrows gleamed darkly with a chill, and the set also included a bottle of poison and a bottle of antidote.

Open attacks were easy to dodge, but hidden arrows were hard to guard against. Seven steps away, the arrow was fast; within seven steps, it was even faster.

All of Yue Huanjiang's congratulatory gifts were suited to the Acupoint Opening stage and perfect for Xiang Yuan as he was now. He considered the matter: if he'd had the Tiger Roar Saber and the wrist crossbow that night, his fight with Sima Qingyan would undoubtedly have been much easier.

Sima Qingyan's treasured sword was sharp, but there was no reason his treasured saber couldn't be just as sharp!

Xiang Yuan still couldn't get over the fact that he hadn't decisively defeated Sima Qingyan.

Xiang Yuan left Xiao He hanging for half the day. Only after he'd finished opening the gifts and drinking his fill of tea did he put on a stern face and ask, "Where is Xu Jixian? What's his situation? Why does he hide his identity like you and spend all day pretending to be crazy and stupid?"

This time, Xiao He didn't hide anything. He sat down across from Xiang Yuan, refilled their tea, and began to explain.

"If you want to ask about Brother Xu, I should start with myself. I was born in Shendu and enjoyed the Xiao Clan's privileges, so it's my duty to serve the Xiao Clan. That's the destiny of a member of the imperial family."

Xiao He raised his cup of tea in place of wine. "Brother Yuan, have you heard of the Twelve Directorates of the Capital?"

Never heard of them.

Xiang Yuan nodded. "I've heard a little."

"The emperors of past dynasties all said, 'The Twelve Directorates of the Capital are the gates to Shendu!'"

"The Twelve Directorates are divided into six left and six right. The Left Six Directorates are the Ministries of Personnel, Revenue, Rites, War, Justice, and Works, also known as the Six Ministries. They assist the imperial family in governing the realm. Many of their members come from the Noble Families and sects. Most are worms: useful, but not to be trusted."

"Western Chu faces threats both within and without. The Left Six Directorates alone can't preserve the dynasty, so the Right Six Directorates were established: the Imperial City Directorate, the Divine Mechanism Directorate, the Heavenwatch Directorate, the Stillheart Directorate, the Foresight Directorate, and the Biyong Directorate. They answer only to the imperial family and are mostly used to keep the martial world in check."

The Imperial City Directorate was the Six Doors' direct superior. The Six Doors was like a sieve, riddled with spies to such an extent that even the emperor shook his head at the sight of it. So the Imperial City Directorate had its own intelligence and assassination divisions, among others. It was divided into the Twelve Earthly Branches, with twelve commanders in all.

The Divine Mechanism Directorate handled artifact-forging, mostly weapons, tokens, and hidden weapons. It was the Xiao Clan's armory.

The Heavenwatch Directorate observed the stars and performed divinations to predict good and ill fortune. Though its predictions were often wrong, to the point that it was better not to ask, every first-rate power in the realm had someone skilled at divination. The Xiao Clan couldn't afford not to.

The Stillheart Directorate made pills and medicines. It studied the pills and formulas of the various schools and sects, figuring out how to counter them. After years of work, it had developed quite a few medicines unique to the Xiao Clan.

The Foresight Directorate studied the martial arts of the various schools and sects throughout the realm, taking their strengths and discarding their weaknesses. It was the Xiao Clan's martial training hall.

The Biyong Directorate trained martial artists with spotless backgrounds, most of them members of the imperial clan. It selected outstanding talents to bring fresh blood into the Xiao Clan, lest a bunch of useless mediocrities, incapable of either scholarship or martial arts, hold power.

Xiao He had entered the Biyong Directorate as a child, then transferred to the Heavenwatch Directorate to study. He had eventually made his debut in the Imperial City Directorate. So when he said he belonged to the Six Doors, it wasn't entirely a lie.

"Your big brother belongs to the Twelve Earthly Branches, the Snake division. I received a secret imperial order to reach Fengxian County and plot in the Southern Border..."

"Uh, you?"

Xiang Yuan blinked. It wasn't that he looked down on Xiao He—he really did.

What kind of place was the Southern Border? His martial uncle had made it perfectly clear to him: Demonic Beings were everywhere, and monsters were rampant. It was a land of humans, ghosts, demons, and devils, where all the world's evils gathered. Xiao He had some ability, but so what? Toss him into the Southern Border's deep waters and he'd sink straight to the bottom.

Like a loach in a cesspit—he wouldn't make much of a splash.

To scheme against the Southern Border, he'd need at least eighty percent of his martial uncle's ability. Otherwise, he'd die the moment he got there.

Seeing the disdain on Xiang Yuan's face, Xiao He smiled without taking offense. "Your big brother certainly can't overthrow the Southern Border, but he doesn't need to be that capable. The Southern Border is already in chaos; touch one part, and the whole thing moves. I only need to seize an opportunity to sow discord."

"Make the Demonic Beings destroy one another?"

"No. Demonic Beings are Demonic Beings; the Heavenly Sect is the Heavenly Sect. This is called the battle between the righteous and the demonic!" Xiao He's eyes shone as he declared his ambition, a hint of madness in his expression.