Holding Back

"Guess what kind of sponsorship I managed to get for you?"

"You guess whether I can guess."

Li Yun had no way of guessing.

Lu Kuan didn't keep him in suspense and got straight to the point:

"I got you the treatment of a senior guest. One three-year-old Blood Ginseng every six months, three portions of Blood Replenishing Powder every month, and ten taels of silver.

"How's that? Your senior brother's got a generous streak, huh?"

"Generous! Did your second and third uncles agree?"

Li Yun hadn't expected Lu Kuan to be so generous, offering terms that beat even those of the Inner City.

He'd have to remember this favor.

At the mention of his second and third uncles, a hint of unease flickered across Lu Kuan's face, though he hid it well.

The meat business had grown, and with that came plenty of headaches.

"You performed so well today. Naturally, they saw your talent.

"Isn't it only natural that they agreed?

"Besides, I put in a good word for you."

"Thank you, senior brother. Don't worry, I'll remember what you did for Little Green."

The hour of the Dog.

The Subduing Tiger Martial Hall.

The atmosphere inside the hall was heavy.

In today's matches, one disciple had been beaten to death, three were seriously injured, and six had sustained minor injuries.

The relatives of those who had received the news rushed over.

When Zhuo Yong's relatives saw the corpse, they let out heart-wrenching wails.

Fu Huaixing remained expressionless. He had someone give them ten taels of silver, then turned and headed for the Back Courtyard.

Before leaving, he called Li Yun and the other personal disciples inside.

A short while later.

"I called you in because there's something I want to tell you."

Fu Huaixing looked serious.

"Tomorrow, try to hold back during the matches. Don't kill anyone."

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhu Daqi couldn't help asking:

"Why? The Inner City forces are bullying us too much. They even beat one of our Martial Hall disciples to death."

Fu Huaixing raised a hand, signaling for Zhu Daqi to calm down.

"We received word earlier that Green Wind Prefecture had fallen. The county lieutenant sent to offer support hasn't reported back. I'm afraid he's met with disaster.

"Even then, the Inner City was already restless. They'd only managed to show a little restraint because they feared the magistrate's authority, and didn't dare go too far.

"But today, they were so brazen, killing one of my disciples and injuring so many others. I knew something was wrong.

"So as soon as the matches ended, I arranged to meet Bai Yu and Hou Wei and make some careful inquiries.

"I learned that our magistrate has already 'personally' gone to the Clear Wood Sect to seek help.

"He once said not to cause trouble during this period, or he would show no mercy.

"Now that the magistrate himself is gone, his words naturally have no power to restrain anyone."

With the county lieutenant of Crow Mountain City gone and the magistrate "personally seeking help,"

the fragile order had begun to crumble.

Now, whoever had the hardest fists called the shots!

Fu Huaixing clearly didn't have much faith in the Outer City forces, which lacked any real unity.

Hearing Fu Huaixing say this, Li Yun felt a little worried.

A man who could become magistrate surely wasn't an ordinary person, was he?

And at a time like this, he had gone to seek help "personally"?

Combined with what Li Yun had learned in recent days,

Crow Mountain City might not be safe anymore.

Li Yun made up his mind. As soon as the matches were over, he'd find an escort agency to attach himself to.

He'd take on a job guarding a caravan, head north, and spend some time "gaining experience."

Zhu Daqi, who'd been angry at first, now looked a little nervous.

"Then, Master, what should we do next?"

Fu Huaixing chuckled.

"Don't worry. I've used the birds your eldest senior brother left behind to send a letter.

"We should get a reply by tomorrow night at the latest.

"Then we'll decide what to do."

Like Li Yun, Zhu Daqi was curious about this eldest senior brother he'd never met.

He couldn't help asking:

"Eldest senior brother?"

"Yes. You joined late, so you don't know much about Wen Xuan.

"Then let me tell you about him.

"Your eldest senior brother, Qi Wenxuan, has exceptional talent. The county lieutenant recommended him, and he was accepted into the Clear Wood Sect."

Whenever he spoke of his first disciple, Fu Huaixing looked deeply pleased.

So that was why Li Yun had never seen this eldest senior brother.

He wasn't even in Crow Mountain City. He was far away, at the Clear Wood Sect, thousands of miles away.

Hearing this, Li Yun decided he could put off his plans to gain experience for now. He'd see what his eldest senior brother had to say before deciding.

Fu Huaixing gave Xiao Shun and Liu Lingyan some additional instructions.

He told them not to fight in the Dark Force matches unless someone from the Inner City provoked them first.

They both nodded in agreement.

After that, he went over a few other things they needed to keep in mind.

Then he dismissed everyone to get some rest.

Li Yun also stepped out of the Martial Hall, walking home through the light snowfall.

The snowflakes landed on him, sending a faint, chilly sensation across his skin.

With his qi and blood now abundant, Li Yun had long since stopped fearing ordinary cold.

Along both sides of the street, a crowd of dark figures huddled together.

Hearing someone approach, they all opened their eyes and looked at Li Yun.

But when they saw his clean clothes and sturdy build, they quickly looked away.

In the distance, several people dressed in white were walking about.

Li Yun paid them no mind and kept walking.

It was only two streets away. He reached his home in no time.

A small, dark figure was huddled on the stone steps by the door.

Hearing footsteps, the figure looked up and saw Li Yun, then pushed hard against the ground, trying to stand.

But his body swayed. With a thud, he fell back onto the steps, his bottom striking the frozen stone. He grimaced in pain but didn't dare make a sound.

He lifted his head, his little face red from the cold.

When he saw Li Yun, he grinned, his voice trembling from the cold.

"Heh heh, sir, you're back."

Li Yun ignored him, pretended to pull a key from his robes, unlocked the door, and went inside.

He turned to close the door, but saw the little beggar staring at him with shining eyes.

Li Yun frowned slightly. He understood that look.

He paused for two breaths.

Without a word, Li Yun slowly shut the door.

Through the narrowing crack, those two little flames of hope gradually dimmed.

After entering the courtyard, Li Yun made his usual round along the walls.

Finding nothing amiss, he began practicing the Blood Blade Technique as usual.

Whoosh~

The blade wind swept through the air with a rustling sound.

He stepped, twisted his waist, and chopped. Every move carried a rush of wind, and the short blade seemed alive in his hand.

After a long while,

Li Yun lowered his blade. His chest heaved as he panted, his breath turning to white mist in the cold air while heat steamed from his body.

He sheathed the blade and turned to enter the bedroom.

He took the prepared Crispy Bone Soup from his storage space and drank it all in one go.

Then he sat cross-legged and began practicing the Bone Shifting Technique.

Bones loosen like cotton, qi drawn out like thread.

Intent sinks between the bones; the body shifts with the mind.

Bones guard the vital points; the body is without flaw.

Every inch of bone seemed to be dug at by countless tiny chisels inside the marrow, while steel needles seemed to stab viciously into the gaps between his joints.

The pain made every muscle in his body tense. Veins crawled across his neck like earthworms.

"Ugh..."

After a long while,

Once the inhuman torment was over, Li Yun took out Introduction to Poisons and continued reading.

Though it no longer increased his experience, his bones hurt too much for him to sleep, so he might as well use it to pass the time.

The night grew deeper and quieter.

So quiet that Li Yun could clearly hear his own heartbeat.

Thump, thump, thump, thump~

When he gently laid a hand over it, he could feel its warm, steady beat.

But Li Yun felt that

it

was growing colder and colder!