A single morning.
Chen Guan had stormed three bandit hideouts and killed every last one of the surviving bandits.
Naturally, acting with such swift and ruthless force had stirred up quite a discussion in town.
There wasn't much entertainment in ancient times to begin with.
Chen Guan's raid was sure to become a favorite topic over meals and tea.
And by noon that day,
Chen Guan had returned home, but he was still holed up in his little room, hoping to restore his spiritual energy before speaking with his family.
Across the whole town, though, the taverns, teahouses, and other such places were buzzing as people discussed Chen Guan's deeds in rooting out evil.
"The Zhao Family... has produced a Qilin Prodigy..."
"Such a martial arts expert, such thunderous methods..."
"What is it? I'm buying you a drink, so hurry up and tell me..."
"Have you heard? The Zhao Family's fifth son—the one who ran away from home..."
"The Zhao Family's Fifth Young Master was supposed to be plain-looking, but I saw him today. Good heavens! He looked so heroic..."
That day, at that very hour,
in many inns and other places, even in the streets and alleys,
plenty of common folk were talking about Chen Guan's chivalrous deeds.
Of course, they also described Chen Guan's appearance and gossiped about things like his running away from home.
Many people were discussing his name change, too.
They speculated that the Zhao Family must have done something to offend Chen Guan.
People talked about anything and everything. With so many people around, tongues wagged; everyone was human, everyone was curious, and no one could control them.
Still, even the densest person didn't dare openly badmouth Chen Guan.
After all, he had shown such methods and killed so many.
No one would go out of their way to provoke him just to see what happened.
But—
While Chen Guan's fame was spreading farther and farther,
that afternoon, inside the Little Liuzi Town yamen,
Constable Yan, a man in his fifties who was visibly stout, strode quickly through the yamen compound.
"Constable..."
"Brother Yan..."
The constables coming and going inside the yamen greeted him as he approached.
"Mm."
Constable Yan had grown much more composed by now, with far less of the martial world about him. He merely nodded before heading straight for the rear courtyard.
His destination was the study in the back.
The County Magistrate usually worked there.
After passing through two more courtyards, Constable Yan arrived outside the study.
Knock, knock—
He knocked on the door. When he heard a call to enter from inside, he pushed it open and stepped into the modest study.
A warm fragrance from the incense drifted toward him.
A small brazier sat inside.
The County Magistrate had been a scholar all his life, and now that he was nearing seventy, his health was no longer what it had been.
He might not be able to withstand the winter cold.
"What brings you here?"
The County Magistrate saw Constable Yan enter, then gestured toward a chair and invited him to sit.
The two got along very well.
Constable Yan's father and the County Magistrate had been classmates at a private school for fifteen years, and they had been close friends.
Thanks to that connection, and to Constable Yan's martial skills and talent for solving cases,
more than twenty years ago, the County Magistrate had pulled a few strings, and Constable Yan had transformed from a man of the martial world into an official in robes.
The County Magistrate had always looked after this nephew of his, even though they weren't blood relatives.
But now,
when Constable Yan saw his uncle, he showed no sign of taking advantage of that favor. Instead, he stood straight and respectfully clasped his hands.
"Sir, something remarkable happened in the south of town today."
"Oh?" The County Magistrate furrowed his brow. Seeing that Constable Yan didn't look particularly troubled, he relaxed and asked, "What happened?"
"It went like this..." Constable Yan stepped forward and recounted everything that had happened in the south of town.
"Hm?"
After hearing him out, the County Magistrate said in surprise,
"The Zhao Family are just rice merchants, yet they've produced an expert with formidable internal strength?
He left home at seven and returned ten years later?
And now he goes by the name 'Chen Guan'?
Not yet eighteen, and already at the Post-Heaven Great Accomplishment stage?"
The County Magistrate murmured, a smile touching his lips.
"Impressive, impressive!"
"Sir." Seeing how much the County Magistrate seemed to admire this Qilin Prodigy, Constable Yan asked, "No matter how you look at it, the Zhao Family's Fifth Young Master killed people within the town.
By the book, we ought to invite this expert to the yamen.
First, to hear his account and have him sign a statement.
Second... to give him the reward.
Third..."
Constable Yan looked at the County Magistrate. "Would you like to meet this young hero? I hear he's handsome and striking, with an extraordinary appearance."
"Hahaha!" The County Magistrate suddenly burst out laughing, waving his hands repeatedly. "Never mind, never mind. They were bandits, so killing them was only right.
As for the reward money, don't make the Zhao Family come to collect it.
Send someone to deliver it to them.
Wouldn't it be foolish to interrogate that little Qilin of the Zhao Family and make him come all the way to the yamen over a mere gang of robbers? Sigh, offending a Qilin Prodigy isn't worth it!"
"This..." Constable Yan paused for a few breaths, then clasped his hands and pretended to look troubled. "I'll follow your instructions, sir."
"What instructions?" Seeing Constable Yan's "troubled" expression, the County Magistrate gave a wry laugh. "You've improved your martial arts over the years, and you've improved at dealing with people, too.
I know you've always looked out for people of the martial world, but you don't dare do it too openly in case I blame you.
So you toss this matter to me and let me make the call?"
The County Magistrate gripped the armrests and rose from his chair.
"Very good, very good! Now you're even scheming against me.
You really have become a sly old fox!"
"Not at all!" Constable Yan reacted quickly, stepping forward to support the County Magistrate.
"Your nephew never thought that way."
"You, you!" Feeling Constable Yan's firm grip that was careful not to hurt his arm, the County Magistrate sighed. "Compared with that reckless time more than ten years ago when you went after the Black Bear Spirit,
you've grown mature now, and learned to scheme.
After I retire, even if a new county magistrate takes office, I won't worry that my nephew Yan will be bullied by him."
As he spoke, he looked at Constable Yan, now in his early fifties, and the prominent wrinkles at the corners of his nephew's eyes.
"Ah, it's not that you've grown sly. You've simply grown old, too."
At dusk,
on a street in the northern part of town, at Yanhe Pavilion,
in a private room on the fifth floor,
"An expert?"
The Bandit Brother, now in his early fifties with much of his hair turned white, had also heard about Chen Guan. He turned to the attendant who had brought him the news.
"In your opinion, and based on what you've found out, has he reached the Post-Heaven Great Accomplishment stage?"
"Manager, I'm ninety percent sure!" The attendant bobbed and bowed. "I heard it from the two white-clad Knight-Errants at our establishment. They said they were ninety percent sure!
They saw it with their own eyes!"
"If you ask anyone, they'll say they saw it with their own eyes." The Bandit Brother didn't believe a word of it.
It was just like how some swindlers liked to make solemn promises. It was all talk.
After all, the Bandit Brother was exactly that kind of person—he never told the truth.
"Believe them? I'd sooner believe I was the lost prince of the previous dynasty..."
The Bandit Brother didn't believe it for a second.
Still, a martial artist not yet eighteen was worth befriending.
Children in particular were easy to win over.
One more friend meant one more road to take.
Who knew when he might need that connection?
The Bandit Brother had plenty of confidence in his gift for persuasion.
After turning the idea over in his mind, he finally said to the attendant,
"Find a time to send an invitation to the Zhao Family, and invite their Qilin Prodigy to visit the tavern.
Our tavern usually buys rice from the Zhao Family, so we have business ties and favors between us. That should be enough to get us an invitation accepted."
Before you continue