Chen Jianghe looked at him.
Su Derong lowered his voice and leaned closer. "Let's talk business. Something's happening in the Inner City tomorrow. Come with me."
Chen Jianghe's brows furrowed almost imperceptibly.
Seeing the world?
The first thing that came to mind was Su Derong's usual invitations to "listen to music at the pleasure quarters" or "meet the new girl at Cuiying Pavilion."
Since recovering from his injuries, Third Senior Brother seemed to have returned to his old carefree ways. He often came by specifically to excitedly tell Chen Jianghe that a new "Zuiyue Pavilion" had opened in the Inner City, where the singing girls' voices were sweeter than orioles.
"I appreciate the offer, Senior Brother." Chen Jianghe shook his head at once. "I'm at a crucial point in consolidating my Dark Strength and studying how the flow of force changes. I'd like to stay at the martial arts school and focus on my training. As for listening to music at the pleasure quarters... I think I'll pass."
"Who said anything about listening to music at the pleasure quarters?" Su Derong glared and gestured at his chest with his fan ribs. "You brat, what kind of person do you take your senior brother for? Do you think all I do is chase pleasure?"
Chen Jianghe looked at him without replying.
But the meaning in his eyes was crystal clear: Isn't that exactly what you do?
Under Chen Jianghe's gaze, Su Derong looked a little embarrassed. He coughed and straightened his expression. "Hear me out first! Hear me out! We're not going to those places tomorrow. This is serious business—the Green Dragon Gang has sent people to negotiate with the Five Great Families in the Inner City."
Chen Jianghe's expression turned grave.
The Green Dragon Gang.
Ever since that night at Black Wind Ridge, those three words had been a thorn lodged in his heart.
Even if the Green Dragon Gang hadn't been responsible that night, Xiao Qing's ambition and ruthlessness in massacring Lin Family Fort were far beyond those of an ordinary underworld kingpin.
"Negotiate what?" Chen Jianghe asked gravely.
"What else?" Su Derong sneered. "Draw boundaries, set rules, divide the spoils. The Green Dragon Gang swallowed up Lin Family Fort and spent several months consolidating its hold. Now its wings have grown strong, and it wants to reach even farther. The families in the Inner City are all cunning old foxes. Of course they'll sound him out, test his intentions, and discuss terms."
"I'm taking you along so you can see the world. Are you coming or not?"
Chen Jianghe took a deep breath and nodded firmly. "All right. I'll go."
"That's more like it!" Su Derong clapped him on the shoulder. "Tomorrow, wait for me outside the escort agency at the hour of the Dragon. Remember to put on something decent. The Inner City has plenty of rules."
"Something decent?" Chen Jianghe looked down at the faded martial arts-school outfit he was wearing.
Su Derong looked him up and down and shook his head. "Never mind. I'll have someone bring you a set tomorrow. Dressed like that, you might not even get through the gate in the Inner City."
Chen Jianghe agreed. "Understood."
Only then did Su Derong nod in satisfaction. He waved his fan and headed for the courtyard gate, then turned back at the entrance with a grin. "Don't worry, it really is serious business. As for the pleasure quarters... we can talk about that after we're done!"
Chen Jianghe: "..."
At the hour of the Dragon the next day, Chen Jianghe arrived outside the Su Family Escort Agency right on time.
He had changed into the indigo silk robe Su Derong had sent over. The fabric was soft, the cut a perfect fit, and it made his broad shoulders and trim waist stand out.
He had also tied his hair neatly behind his head with a cloth band, revealing his sharply defined features.
"Not bad!" Su Derong circled Chen Jianghe once, nodding with satisfaction. "Clothes make the man, just as gold makes the Buddha. In this outfit, you really do look like a young master of martial arts."
Chen Jianghe tugged at the corner of his mouth. "You're teasing me, Senior Brother."
"Let's go."
The two of them walked one behind the other through the noisy, dilapidated streets of the Outer City.
After about a quarter of an hour, a tall wall came into view ahead.
It stood nearly three zhang high, built entirely of large blue bricks, with the mortar lines drawn as straight as a ruler.
Eight armored soldiers stood before the gate, their armor gleaming and lacquer shining. The tips of their spears glinted coldly, a stark contrast to the lazy, lackadaisical patrolmen of the Outer City.
Su Derong stepped forward and took a gilded token from his robes, handing it to the officer at the head of the soldiers.
The squad leader took the token and inspected it carefully. Then he looked up at Su Derong and Chen Jianghe. His gaze lingered for a moment longer on Chen Jianghe's hands before he waved them through. "Let them pass."
Once they crossed the city gate, the view before them opened up.
Chen Jianghe paused.
He'd known there was a gulf between the Inner and Outer Cities, but he hadn't expected it to be so vast.
The broad, even roads of bluestone could accommodate four carriages abreast.
The ditches beside them ran clear, without a trace of filth.
Shops lined both sides of the street, their banners and signs clean and eye-catching. They sold silk, medicinal herbs, jade, ancient books, and other wares. There wasn't a single one of the sundry stalls or food stands so common in the Outer City.
There weren't many pedestrians on the street, but every one of them was dressed respectably.
Most of the men wore silk robes and jade pendants at their waists. The women's skirts trailed along the ground, and pearl-and-jade hairpins adorned their coiffures.
Su Derong waved his fan. Catching the brief flicker of astonishment in Chen Jianghe's eyes, he smiled. "What? Stunned?"
"A little." Chen Jianghe admitted it frankly.
"The Outer City is the jianghu, a mud pit where people crowd together and devour one another." Su Derong's voice was calm. "The Inner City is a chessboard, a place of rules where people are ranked by status and wealth, each in their proper place."
He gestured with his fan toward the grand residences ahead. "See those mansions? The people who live behind those gates are the true masters of Yilin County. The Zhangs, Wangs, Lis, Zhaos, and Qians—the Five Great Families. They're deeply rooted, with branches spreading far and wide. Every family has a Transformation Strength expert to guard it. More than seventy percent of the official positions in the county office, and more than eighty percent of the profitable businesses in both the Outer and Inner Cities, are tied to them in one way or another."
He turned to Chen Jianghe, his expression growing serious. "In this world, the martial path is a ladder. But where that ladder leads and how high you can climb depend on you. Transformation Strength is the threshold. Once you cross it, moving to the Inner City, establishing a business, and letting Aunt Lin live in comfort... none of those things will be empty talk anymore."
Chen Jianghe slowly nodded. "I understand."
Just then, the rhythmic, heavy clatter of hooves sounded from the street ahead.
"Clop, clop, clop..."
The sound drew nearer, carrying a murderous air.
Pedestrians hurried out of the way. Su Derong grabbed Chen Jianghe and pulled him beneath the eaves of a shop at the roadside. "Those are the Green Dragon Guards," he murmured.
Chen Jianghe looked up.
More than ten riders were galloping toward them from the far end of the street.
They all wore matching black martial uniforms beneath light armor, with standard-issue long sabers at their waists.
The horses were fine steeds, and the men even finer.
Their eyes were sharp, and qi and blood roiled around them. They were clearly all martial artists, and the three at the head had such steady, restrained auras that they were all Dark Strength experts.
Only after the mounted squad had ridden past did the street grow noisy again.
"Those are the Green Dragon Gang's Green Dragon Guards!"
"What a show of force! Three Dark Strength experts leading them. The rest must be Bright Strength at least, right?"
"I hear the Green Dragon Guards have grown to a hundred men. They were all personally chosen by Gang Leader Xiao and rigorously trained with secret methods. This kind of strength... even the Five Great Families' personal guards can't match it."
"Alas, the wealth Lin Family Fort spent decades accumulating has all ended up in Xiao Qing's hands..."
Su Derong watched the riders disappear before finally looking away. He waved his fan, his tone complicated. "See that? That's the confidence Xiao Qing has to back him up. The Green Dragon Guards have existed for only half a year, yet they've already made such an impression."
Chen Jianghe was silent for a moment, then asked, "Senior Brother, were Lin Family Fort's former subordinates truly willing to serve Xiao Qing like this and turn against their old master? Though the Lin family's direct line was slaughtered, there are still collateral branches, old generals, in-laws, and longtime associates... The family's roots run deep. Surely someone must be secretly rallying them, plotting revenge and restoration?"
"Revenge? Restoration?" Su Derong shook his head lightly, a trace of scorn twisting his lips. "Of course there were attempts. During the first few months after Xiao Qing took control of Lin Family Fort, undercurrents surged within the fort, and there were at least three large and small rebellions. During the most dangerous one, the rebels even reached the steps outside the main hall of the Fort Master's Mansion. The flames lit up half the sky."
He paused, then said calmly, "But do you know how Xiao Qing crushed that rebellion and, from then on, largely broke the old Lin family forces' will to resist?"
Chen Jianghe's gaze remained calm as he waited for him to continue.
Su Derong leaned closer. "When Xiao Qing married into the Lin family, he wed the legitimate daughter of the previous Fort Master. She was fierce-tempered. On the night Xiao Qing slaughtered the Lin family, she killed herself before the Fort Master's coffin, sacrificing her life for her father. Her blood splashed three feet high. But as it happened... she left behind a son still in swaddling clothes."
He gently waved his feather fan and explained, "After seizing power, Xiao Qing publicly swore a solemn oath. The boy bore the Lin surname and was the legitimate heir—the only surviving bloodline of the Lin family's main branch. Xiao Qing himself was merely acting as a caretaker, managing the fort's affairs on behalf of the young master. Once the boy came of age, he would return power to him and let him take control of Lin Family Fort again."
"Those old Lin family forces who rebelled had originally rallied under the banners of 'avenging the old master, executing the traitor, and restoring the Lin family.' Overnight, they were branded traitors who had 'plotted against the young master, harbored treasonous intentions, and sought to usurp the Lin family's estate.' In the name of 'protecting the young master and purging the treacherous,' Xiao Qing launched a bloody purge, eliminating his opponents while promoting the old subordinates willing to submit and recognize the young master's claim. Combining favor with force, he had split the old Lin family forces apart within half a year. They could no longer muster a unified, effective resistance."
Chen Jianghe remained silent for a long time. What ruthless methods! What deep-seated cunning!
Yilin County seemed peaceful on the surface, but beneath it, the currents had long been churning.
With a warlord like this steadily growing in strength, a major conflict between him and the Five Great Families that had dominated the Inner City for years seemed inevitable.
He had to grow stronger, and fast.
Su Derong patted his shoulder, interrupting his thoughts. "Let's go. We're almost there. What you saw today is only the tip of the iceberg. The waters in the Inner City run deep."