Tie Niu

Duan Hongyan stood up and looked out the window, but he saw no one, only a few withered leaves drifting in the wind.

He hurriedly pulled his two junior brothers along and headed toward the back of the restaurant.

As Su Yuan walked out of the restaurant, he was plagued by an ominous premonition, as if he were being watched by countless eyes.

"Could it be that I've already been exposed?" he felt a slight tightening in his chest.

It was a good thing he had become a martial artist first; at least now he possessed some measure of self-preservation.

He carefully scanned the pedestrians on the street, observing their builds, and noticed that several individuals kept reappearing, all sharing a similar physique.

"They aren't from the Cloud-Striding Martial Hall." Su Yuan kept his expression neutral and continued walking.

In broad daylight, they wouldn't dare make a move in the middle of the street.

Su Yuan first returned home, then headed to the Xiangfu Chamber of Commerce, entering through the main gate.

The hall was filled with a dazzling array of goods; silks, porcelain, and medicinal herbs were displayed in an orderly fashion, with many Liang People nobles coming and going.

In a prominent spot stood a display shelf, upon which were various samples of the Building Blocks Su Yuan had crafted—exquisite and charming, drawing many to stop and admire them.

The entire layout of the shop was based on suggestions Su Yuan had made, drawing from his memories of flagship toy stores in his past life.

Su Yuan presented his token and entered the inner chamber, where Old Liu was waiting.

He took out ten sets of Building Blocks, and Old Liu, wasting no words, handed him the twenty taels of silver earned from the previous batch.

Su Yuan was now a VIP of the Xiangfu Chamber of Commerce, not just because of their business dealings, but because of Tie Niu's status as a person of superior bone structure.

The Chamber of Commerce even provided Tie Niu with an additional monthly stipend.

The two conducted their transaction privately, as Su Yuan did not wish to reveal himself as the creator of the Building Blocks.

After the incident with the Shan Family, he was truly terrified of being captured and turned into a slave again.

Fortunately, after being sold to the Chai Family, this young master Chai barely paid him any mind, and the Building Blocks he sent over were simply claimed to be purchased from the market, which had granted him some peace.

Once the business was concluded, Su Yuan took out the piece of black wood. "Old Liu, could you take a look at this wood for me?"

Old Liu took it, squinting as he examined it closely.

"This... could this be—"

"What is it?"

"Uh, let me take it to someone else to have a look."

Su Yuan: "..."

A moment later, Old Liu returned with a look of joy: "Little Su, you've struck gold! This isn't wood; it's a piece of monster bone armor! It's the back plating of a Pangolin Black Rhino. A piece this size is worth at least fifty taels and is perfect for crafting weapons or armor. Are you selling?"

"It's worth that much?" Su Yuan hadn't expected the children to have stumbled upon such a treasure, but he shook his head. "Not yet."

Outside the Chamber of Commerce, Ji Haoyang was somewhat bewildered; he hadn't expected Su Yuan to leave the house after only two days.

As the person responsible for gathering intelligence for the martial hall, he didn't keep his eyes on Su Yuan every single moment.

On the contrary, his focus on Su Yuan was a matter of personal will; he truly could not bear to see Senior Sister Yun humiliated by such a petty man.

Worse still, when he managed to track Su Yuan again, he discovered that several people were secretly tailing him.

"This lackey has quite the entourage! Are these all people from the Chai Family? Are they here specifically to protect him, or has our business here been discovered?"

Ji Haoyang cursed his luck, having missed the best opportunity to take Su Yuan down.

He withdrew and returned to Xiasheng Restaurant.

But no sooner had he arrived than his junior brothers hurriedly pulled him aside to hold an emergency meeting.

In a secret room, five people sat around a long table, with a dozen more standing nearby.

At the head of the table sat a man in his forties with a pale complexion, coughing softly from time to time.

He was Yun Yan, the master of the Cloud-Striding Martial Hall and an Internal Force martial artist, who had sustained internal injuries during the Shan Family's siege that had yet to heal.

Yun Yan gently stroked the creased letter, his eyes reddening. "This is Xu'er's handwriting."

Only then did Ji Haoyang grasp the situation: someone had actually managed to smuggle Senior Sister Yun's letter out of the Shan Family!

Duan Hongyan said, "The troop deployments in Ji City seem to be old intelligence and of little use, but the notes on the martial arts of the Liang People may prove useful in future battles. More importantly, there is the account regarding the Void Cloud Horse Ranch."

Upon hearing "Void Cloud Horse Ranch," everyone's breathing grew ragged. "If the information is true, we might be able to attempt a rescue..."

Ji Haoyang couldn't help but ask, "How was this letter obtained?"

"I was drinking at the restaurant..." Duan Hongyan briefly recounted what had just happened. "Whoever could get close to the Shan Family and smuggle a letter out without leaving a trace must be an expert, or at the very least, a martial artist."

"Doesn't that mean our location has already been exposed?" asked Zhou Xing, the only woman in the room, anxiously.

As soon as these words were spoken, the previously heated atmosphere suddenly froze.

"It is fine. Since that expert chose to deliver the letter rather than join the Liang People in a raid, they can be trusted for now. The contents of the letter must be verified, and we must also scout for a new stronghold. I will contact the Jiguang Society," Yun Yan said slowly.

"Junior Brother Ji, you pay the most attention to the eldest senior sister's affairs. In your opinion, who could have sent this letter?" asked the second senior brother, Du Han.

Ji Haoyang gritted his teeth and said hatefully, "After Shan Xiongqing put a price on Senior Sister, there were so many onlookers and craftsmen coming and going that it is truly difficult to determine."

"Could it be that Lecherous Carver? He produces the most statues," Zhou Xing guessed.

Ji Haoyang shook his head decisively: "Absolutely impossible. He is extremely sycophantic toward the Liang People, and he only possesses low-grade bone structure; it is impossible for him to have already become a martial artist."

He had observed Su Yuan the longest and knew exactly what he was worth; he would rather believe it was Su Tieniu than ever suspect it was him.

"Enough. Since that expert does not wish to reveal themselves, they must have their reasons. We need not disturb them further. They left a method of contact, so we can explore it slowly in the future," Yun Yan commanded.

It was not safe outside, so Su Yuan returned to the Chai Family Martial Academy to continue clinging to Chai Nian.

This young master was also one of his potential paths forward.

If he could obtain an exit permit from him, he might be able to run away directly.

Nowadays, the city gates only allowed certain classes of people or those holding such permits to pass, and every time, the reason had to be recorded in detail.

Alternatively, he could offer the Golden Horse-Head Technique to the other party; this technique was a true martial art of the Shan Family.

The families of the Liang People were not of one mind; the information about other Liang martial arts mentioned in the letters was also obtained through the Shan Family's private investigations.

As Su Yuan walked along, he drew many sidelong glances.

Because of Tieniu, he was considered a bit of a celebrity in the academy.

At first, everyone looked down on him, but since Tieniu exercised his authority as a senior brother, they had no choice but to bow their heads.

The group had been training at the martial academy for half a month and knew the bitterness of martial arts, which allowed them to truly grasp the value of a half-month martial artist, and they dared not provoke Tieniu again.

"Senior Brother Tieniu, Senior Brother Su Yuan is back," Huang Jiangyue called out obsequiously from the side.

"Brother Yuan, why haven't you been training these past two days?" Tieniu asked with concern.

"It's nothing, just some trivial matters regarding the business to handle," Su Yuan said.

"Is it about the business on Fengxing Street? Do you need me to step in? I will never allow them to slander your reputation," Tieniu said in a deep voice, his gaze sweeping over those nearby.

Huang Jiangyue and the others shrank their necks; they had certainly done their fair share of gossiping behind his back earlier.

If Tieniu had heard them mention the Lecherous Carver, that person would likely have a hard time today, and would surely be forced to train until they vomited.

Su Yuan shook his head: "It is just a hollow reputation; I no longer care. Tieniu, you need not get involved. You and I know the truth of the matter. I am going to see the young master."

Tieniu fell silent and nodded.

Su Yuan arrived at the side chamber, knocked, and entered.

Chai Nian held a scroll in his left hand and a folding fan in his right, his posture leisurely.

The room was filled with the scent of elegant incense, with thin wisps of blue smoke curling upward.

On the desk and the curio cabinet, several sculptures and paintings were arranged in a scattered fashion.

If one did not know his background, Young Master Chai would not look like a Liang martial artist, but rather like a refined scholar of the Jing People.

"Su Yuan, what is the matter?"

"Young Master, I found a new style of Building Blocks at the Xiangfu Chamber of Commerce and have come specifically to present it to you." He took a large horse carving out of a wooden box.

"A new style? It doesn't look any different." Chai Nian took the horse carving with a puzzled expression; these were still the styles popular in the market.

"Allow me to demonstrate. This model can transform from one into many, changing as one desires." Su Yuan took back the horse carving, disassembled and reassembled it, and in an instant, it transformed into ten small horses in various poses.

"This one represents Success Upon Arrival, signifying a smooth future; this one represents Dragon-Horse Spirit, wishing for a strong physique; this one represents At One's Beck and Call, showing unceasing loyalty..." He recited the auspicious meanings of each one by one.

Afterward, he pieced the ten small horses together, and they unexpectedly formed a large character: Chai.

Chai Nian put down his folding fan and picked it up to examine it: "Interesting. You made this, didn't you? Even the most popular Building Blocks on the market all come from your hands?"

"Uh, I merely imitated the styles on the market."

"No need to hide it from me. Ever since you gifted me those Building Blocks, I began investigating. I will not exploit you like the Shan Family; I have already destroyed your indenture contract."

"The contract is destroyed?" Su Yuan was stunned.

Chai Nian did not answer, only saying: "Tieniu is not your biological brother; he was originally a servant of your family."

Without waiting for Su Yuan to respond, he continued: "He traded his own freedom to buy back your indenture contract. From now on, I am his only master."

Upon hearing this, Su Yuan felt as if he had been struck by lightning, and he understood in an instant.

Why the Chai Family had accepted him so easily without making him do manual labor, and why Tieniu no longer took money from him.

So, Tieniu had sold himself.

Su Yuan's face turned pale, but he still said: "Young Master Chai, since Tieniu could sell himself for me, I can redeem him in the future."

Seeing that he had not given up, Chai Nian sneered: "With what will you redeem him? With these clever but useless tricks and flowery words? In this world, fists are power. Following me is his best choice."

"I can provide him with resources and connections. Under my cultivation, Tieniu will take the top spot at the Wolf God Ritual, be valued by the high-ranking officials of Great Liang, and have a boundless future... And you? To put it bluntly, you are merely a burden, only causing Tieniu to worry."

The Wolf God Ritual was the hunting assembly that Liu Chang had mentioned.

Su Yuan clenched his fists inside his sleeves: "Am I truly so worthless in your eyes, Young Master? Even those with low-grade bone structure can become martial artists and share the burden for Tieniu and yourself."

"Wait until you become a martial artist before the Wolf God Ritual before you speak. Today's words were only meant to make you recognize reality. For Tieniu's sake, I will not treat you poorly, provided you do not cause him any more trouble. He has his own path to walk." Chai Nian waved his hand, signaling for him to leave.

Stepping out of the guest room, Su Yuan felt a surge of turbulent emotions, unable to name the taste in his heart, feeling only a hollow emptiness within his chest.

His last remaining family had been snatched away just like that.

Su Yuan watched as the disciples in the courtyard crowded around Tie Niu, vying to curry favor with him.

"Senior Brother Tie Niu, could you spar with me later?" Jiang Yu asked, her cheeks flushed as she looked up at Tie Niu.

"Sure." Tie Niu had always been easygoing; as long as they didn't give Su Yuan a hard time, he was willing to offer pointers to anyone.

The other junior disciples jeered from the sidelines, their faces full of envy: "Senior Brother Tie Niu and Junior Sister Jiang Yu are truly a perfect match."

With so few women in the courtyard, the sweet and charming Jiang Yu was undoubtedly the white moonlight in everyone's hearts.

"Don't talk nonsense." Tie Niu scratched his head with a bashful laugh, then caught sight of Su Yuan watching them, a flicker of panic crossing his eyes.

Su Yuan gave him a thumbs-up, genuinely happy for Tie Niu.

Yes, Tie Niu had grown up.

In the past, only Su Yuan had looked after him, and Tie Niu had harbored deep-seated inferiority, making him silent and seemingly dull-witted.

Seeing him like this now was truly for the best.

He knew he should let go, but he still had to find a way to retrieve that contract.

He didn't care about the contract itself, but Tie Niu was honest and loyal, and would undoubtedly choose to obey it.

Tie Niu's life was his own; it did not belong to Su Yuan, nor did it belong to Chai Nian.

"So what if it's just the Wolf God Festival? Whether it's the martial artists or the rankings, if they look down on me, then I will climb even higher!"

Su Yuan had never forgotten his original intention for practicing martial arts; three months was enough time for him to accomplish much.

Although he claimed not to care, he walked out of the Martial Academy, leaving behind the clamor that did not belong to him.

Yet, after walking for a while, he realized he had come to the martial arts hall to seek refuge.

The cool evening breeze brushed against his cheeks.

Those people were still there.

Night had fallen.