Sun Fei's eyelid twitched. For no apparent reason, a sudden pang of unease seized him.
Out of the corner of his eye, he caught Chen Zhuo's movement and hurried to his feet to close the door. When he returned, he refilled Chen Zhuo's cup.
"Have some more. It'll take the people at the manor a while to gather the fish. They'll bring them straight to your room later."
Chen Zhuo considered it for a moment, then nodded. "All right."
"The three Sun brothers—I'm sure you've heard of us at the Yamen."
Chief Clerk Sun spoke up without warning. "He's the second son of the Sun family, the one who never amounted to much. As for the woman beside him, she's his wife, the eldest daughter of the Firewood Gang's leader, Ruan Linyan."
"The one who snuck away today, Ruan Jing, is Second Sister-in-Law's youngest full brother."
Sun Fei added the comment at just the right moment.
"My younger brother was never any good, even as a child. He had no interest in the proper path and always liked to take the road less traveled."
Chief Clerk Sun drained his cup of wine, his gaze distant. "I don't know what kind of dog luck he had, but he actually obtained the inheritance from Demon-Slaying Valley and became a Blade-Catcher."
"Even after becoming a Blade-Catcher, he still never did anything worthwhile. Father flew into a rage and forbade him from coming home."
"Even though none of us wants to acknowledge him, blood is thicker than water. He's still my full brother."
Demon-Slaying Valley?
A Blade-Catcher inheritance?
Hearing those words, Chen Zhuo's thoughts rippled with interest.
Aside from his own sect, this was the first time he'd heard of another school of Blade-Catchers.
But after turning Chief Clerk Sun's words over in his