Breaking In (Getting Ready for a Mass Release, Please Keep Reading)

Blue bricks and gray tiles lined the way, with soaring eaves and ornate brackets.

A white-clad youth with a sword at his waist strode swiftly through the antique streets, only giving his surroundings a cursory glance without stopping.

"Azure River City is pretty big." Li Mu sighed softly.

Following the carriage along the main roads, he had arrived quickly and had not felt much. Only when he truly began looking for his way, crossing small bridges over flowing water and weaving through streets and alleys, did he gain a real sense of this small city whose population was gradually dwindling.

The entire Azure River City had a nested structure of "a large ring surrounding a small ring."

After the inner city was built and the powerful and wealthy moved in, a broad inner moat and city walls were erected to separate them from the common folk.

Then fifteen wards were laid out around the inner city, where houses and markets were built. Each ward had hundreds or thousands of households and could hold ten thousand people. This was the outer city, which was then enclosed by walls and an outer moat connected to the Azure River water system.

That was the layout of Azure River City.

"Judging by the route... I should deliver Brother Xing's letter first, then go to Azure River Academy, and finally the black market."

Those three places were in different wards. Going around them would trace half an arc, so heading to the black market first would be inconvenient.

Li Mu arrived at Qingyuan Ward.

Deep in an alley, several thugs in short blue outfits were pounding on a door. Broadswords hung at their waists as they collected protection money.

Li Mu did not meddle. Following the house numbers, he found the Xing residence.

It was an ordinary small courtyard in the commoners' district, twice the size of Li Mu's brick house. Moss had already climbed its gray-white walls, leaving mottled traces of time.

After he knocked on the courtyard gate and explained his purpose, Xing Lishi clutched the family letter in excitement and insistently pulled Li Mu inside.

The furnishings in Xing Yuanjia's home were simple, with repairs visible everywhere. Clothes still being mended lay on the table. Xing Lishi was clearly diligent and frugal in managing the household.

"That damned man of mine finally remembered us mother and son! Honestly... never mind, I won't mention him. My surname is Li too, so I can barely count as your elder sister, Young Master.

"You've traveled a long way and probably haven't eaten yet. Please, sit." The gentle-looking young woman smiled at Li Mu as though she were looking at her own younger brother.

Li Mu could feel her sincere kindness. He sat down anyway and teased the four- or five-year-old child beside him.

The child was not shy around strangers either. He clung to Li Mu and begged him to tell stories about the manor.

Before long, steaming dishes were brought to the table. The most fragrant of all was a braised fish.

"Sister-in-law, this is far too lavish. You really needn't be so polite." The moment Li Mu saw the fish, he felt embarrassed. He could actually smell the distinctive fragrance of exotic beast meat from it, and immediately knew it was worth a great deal. It had also been cooked with many ingredients. Making such a dish these days cost plenty of silver and even more effort.

"My husband is the sort who calls anyone he gets along with his brother right away. Then he stops treating himself like an outsider, and whenever something happens, he asks his brothers for help. It wasn't easy for you to deliver this family letter. I've truly troubled you. That's just his nature. Young Master, please don't blame him," Xing Lishi said softly.

Li Mu explained that Xing Yuanjia had helped him as well. Delivering the letter had only been a small favor, nothing worth mentioning. Besides, while he was in the manor, he would still need Xing Yuanjia's care. As deputy captain of the Night Watch Tower, Xing Yuanjia could make many things easier for him.

"Then let your elder sister treat her little brother who has come from afar." Xing Lishi merely smiled gently as she kept placing fish into Li Mu's bowl.

"This is a spirit fish?" Li Mu could not refuse her. After eating half the fish, he felt a warm sensation spread through his body, along with a faint heat. It was a sign that his qi and blood had grown.

If he could, he truly wanted to get up and practice his sword immediately. That would let him absorb it faster.

Spirit fish was a general term. Like great medicines and exotic beast meat, it could strengthen qi and blood and was highly beneficial to martial artists. Li Mu knew something about it.

Xing Lishi did not recognize any such spirit fish. She merely smiled. "My brother-in-law has done well for himself. He joined the Fishers' Guild and fishes in the Azure River. Every half month or so, he sends us a few fish like this. My son gets sick much less often after eating them, so they must be a good variety of fish."

Li Mu had only delivered a family letter in passing and had never expected such warm hospitality. In his four months in this world, this was the first time he had felt the warmth of being home.

If he had not awakened the Great Expansion Sword Register and had been born into an ordinary family, he probably would have found some work, married, had children, bought a small courtyard in the outer city, and hoped to live out the rest of his life quietly.

But Li Mu had already sensed from various signs that the world would only grow more turbulent. He understood that such thoughts were no longer realistic.

The tree may wish for stillness, but the wind never ceases... True peace comes only from absolute strength.

Suddenly, Li Mu heard several unruly voices from outside. Since practicing swordsmanship, his qi and blood had flourished, sharpening his five senses beyond those of the mother and son inside.

The men were not even keeping their voices down, so he heard every word clearly.

"Ah, our good days of collecting protection money every day are about to end. Now we even have to fight those White-Robed Society bastards... Let's first find a pretty young wife and have some fun. Third Brother, this is the place you mentioned, right?"

"Big Brother, this is it. I've watched the Xing family's little wife for a long time. Her husband hasn't shown himself for two months. Though it seems her brother-in-law is in the Fishers' Guild."

"He's not the guild master, so what are you afraid of? Can he mobilize the whole Fishers' Guild to take revenge? He's just some worthless brat. He can't beat the three of us. We'll have our fun first, then send her to the incense master, the hall master... Heh heh."

With a bang, the courtyard gate was kicked open.

Three rough men in short blue outfits and blue headscarves barged in with blades drawn.

The leader took a step forward. "Little wife, it's time to pay back what you owe us!"

"You're lying! I don't owe you any money." Xing Lishi rose in alarm. Seeing the thugs charge directly inside, her face went pale as she shielded the child behind her.

"In broad daylight, you break into a private home. Is there no law in your eyes?"

"I am the law! Enough nonsense, one hundred taels!" The leader raised his blade and pointed it at Xing Lishi, its edge flashing.

A long scar ran down the right side of his face, from his right eyelid to the edge of his cheek. He was clearly a vicious man not to be trifled with.

"I..." Xing Lishi trembled all over, her eyes reddening. She supported the household by washing clothes, while their main income came from Xing Yuanjia's monthly pay. Where could she find one hundred taels?

"There must be some misunderstanding here. Constable Yu at the yamen..."

But the scarred brute cut her off. "Even if you call the county magistrate, it won't help. Debts must be repaid! You can only pay with your body! And this little brat of yours should fetch a good price too."

He swept a greedy gaze over the young woman, then fixed his eyes on the child behind her.

The three men pressed forward. Xing Lishi's face turned bloodless. She had not expected them to be this brazen. Shielding the child, she backed away again and again, only to find there was nowhere left to retreat.

Despair filled her as she looked toward the white-clad youth who had been dragged into this, tears spilling from her eyes.

She had never expected the world to suddenly become so chaotic. Everything had been fine only days ago. Yet her husband happened to be away from home, and the sky had come crashing down.

The kind young master who had come to deliver a letter, who looked like her younger brother, had been implicated as well.

She only wanted to live a good life. Why was it so difficult?

"I'll give you everything. Don't make things difficult for this young master, and don't hurt my child."

Xing Lishi gave in. Facing the three thugs with greed in their eyes, she spoke tremblingly, though her gaze remained firm. She pulled the child over to Li Mu's side.

"Young Master, please take him and leave."

Only when Xing Lishi moved did the three Azure Dragon Gang members notice there was someone else in the room.

A white-clad youth stood there with a sword at his waist, watching the three of them with a faint smile and bright eyes.

"Oh, there's another tender little boy here. Mm, he's a bit sturdier, but with looks like that, he can still be trained..." The scarred brute immediately grinned. The one in the gang liked young men too...

This time, they had struck it rich!!

The scarred brute brandished his broadsword, its cold gleam chilling. "None of you are leaving!"

"Brothers, there's been a misunderstanding. I'm from Hidden Sword Manor, and this sister-in-law is also family of Hidden Sword Manor." Li Mu pulled the child behind him and gestured for Xing Lishi not to panic.

"Hidden Sword Manor?" The scarred brute froze, a flicker of wariness passing through his eyes.

Li Mu nodded. "Leave the money on you behind as compensation for the fright you gave Sister-in-law and her child, and we'll let today's matter go..."

The three thugs stared blankly for a moment before bursting into laughter.

The scarred brute pointed his blade at Li Mu and sneered.

"This is the first time anyone has asked us for money. Looking at those clothes, you're nothing but a servant! You haven't even grown all your hair yet, and you dare put on airs in front of me!

"Today, I'll kill you, then cut out their tongues. Do you think your manor lord can open his heavenly eye and find us? Attack!!"

The three of them ignored everything and suddenly rushed forward with their blades drawn.

"Two at 9.0 qi and blood, one at 10.1. You just broke through, huh? Three pieces of trash..." Li Mu sighed and shook his head.

He truly did not want to fight here. They could have gone their separate ways in peace. He would not have needed to get caught up in gang disputes, nor would he have had to spill blood in front of the mother and child...

Clang—

Li Mu drew his sword in a flash.

The black sword came down like rumbling heavenly thunder and surging river tides.

The three men instantly felt boundless force crash down through the black blade onto their broadswords.

In an instant, two of their tiger's mouths split open, and their weapons flew from their hands.

The scarred brute barely endured the blow, but his furious roar was cut short by a kick.

The youth's kick struck like a boulder weighing a thousand jun. His shout was forced back into his belly as he flew backward, skidding across the ground for several steps before stopping.

How could the three of them not realize that they had kicked an iron plate now?

The other two endured the numbness in their arms, scrambling out to retrieve their blades before helping the brute up. "Big Brother, run!"

"Go find the incense master!!" The scarred brute felt as though that kick had shifted all his internal organs. Enduring the agonizing pain, he hurriedly got to his feet.

"I gave you the chance to leave, but you refused..."

The youth ahead of them sighed.

His body blurred, and he vanished from where he stood.

The three men were horrified. What kind of speed was that? In their terror, they wanted to swing their blades wildly to keep the youth from closing in.

But that figure had already leaped and spun with the wind.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Four afterimages appeared from thin air, followed by several dull sounds of sharp weapons piercing flesh and being swiftly withdrawn.

In but an instant—

Li Mu reappeared where he had been. A line of blood now marked Black Frost's blade as he calmly sheathed his sword.

The three men's attacking motions froze. They realized they could no longer take another step or swing another blade. Then piercing pain erupted through them. Looking down, they saw huge bloody holes in their chests and backs.

Several blossoms of blood burst open.

"I..." The scarred brute stared blankly at the bloody hole in his body. The agony rapidly swallowed his consciousness, and exhaustion washed over him. The last thing his wavering eyes saw was the indifferent white-clad youth holding his sword. Suddenly, regret filled his heart. Deep, overwhelming regret.

If only... if only I hadn't stepped into this courtyard, if only just now...

With several thuds, all three men collapsed.

"I gave you chances, but you insisted on forcing my hand..." Li Mu sighed.

Killing them had only required one move, but he did not want the child to see such a bloody scene. That was why he had gone through a little more trouble.

"The Azure Dragon Gang." Li Mu remembered seeing a group of thugs dressed much like them when he entered the city.

And Bu Zheng's warning that he had brought up on his own initiative.

Li Mu had thought Hidden Sword Manor's name would spare him some trouble.

He had not expected these three men to draw their blades so brazenly because they looked down on him as a young manor servant.

They simply had a death wish. There was nothing to be done about that.

"Sister-in-law, with the world in such chaos, why didn't Brother Xing ask someone to look after you?" Li Mu turned back and asked in confusion.

Logically, Xing Yuanjia should not have been so careless as to leave the mother and son here without anyone to protect them.

Xing Lishi was still stunned and did not come back to her senses for a long while.

She had been trembling as she held the child and hid in the corner, deeply worried for the youth. She had never expected him to kill three evildoers in just a few moves with movements too swift to follow. His martial arts seemed even stronger than her husband's.

Nor had she noticed that the child in her arms had long since secretly poked his head out to peek, his eyes shining.

"He spoke to the yamen. A constable often patrols our streets, and nothing has ever happened before. I don't know why today..." Only after Li Mu called to her again did Xing Lishi return to herself and answer. Fear still lingered on her face, and she could not explain why.

The deed was already done. There was no use saying more. Li Mu had only asked casually. These were Xing Yuanjia's matters to deal with in the future, and Li Mu could not manage so much. He had already done all that friendship required.

"Leaving the bodies here will cause trouble. I'll take them away. Sister-in-law, go find your brother-in-law or report this to the authorities." Li Mu quickly searched the corpses without examining his gains closely, then grabbed the three men and threw them out of the residence.

Red Sleeve Pavilion.

The most renowned pleasure house in Azure River City's outer district.

Inside a room veiled by pink curtains and scented with cloying musk.

The constant crack of whips rang out, accompanied by sultry, seductive moans...

"That mad black charcoal is here again? Damn him, he's going to torment Mei Niang to death..."

"Who else could it be? Hurry, Hall Master Ji of the Azure Dragon Gang is here too. Don't let him drag us in as well..."

Outside, two voluptuous women in scant clothing passed by. Hearing the sounds from the room, they exchanged glances, their faces filled with fear and lingering dread. Neither dared stop, and they hurried away.

A moment later, the sounds of passion stopped. A tall, burly white-clad youth with dark skin walked out, his face flushed and a smile on his lips.

Being driven every day by his uncle had twisted even his tastes somewhat... Only this could let him truly relax and be happy.

"Hall Master Ji, every time I come into the city to meet you, it brings me great joy."

"As long as Young Master Liu is satisfied. But the situation is much worse now, and our partnership may have to end here..."

"What's going on?" Liu Wuyou's expression changed. The Azure Dragon Gang's protection money was a long-term source of income for him and his uncle Liu Yi.

Back then, they had invested three hundred taels in Ji Qing, a hall master of the Azure Dragon Gang. His uncle and he took turns helping deal with small matters. Every time they entered the city, they could eat, drink, and enjoy themselves, then bring fifty taels of silver back with them. They had only earned a little over one hundred taels so far, and now the arrangement was suddenly ending?

Hall Master Ji sighed. "Young Master Liu, don't you know that the Azure Dragon Gang's backing is Mountain-Holding Vulture? Now that Mountain-Holding Vulture has been surrounded and suppressed and our gang leader has been driven back, we hall masters can no longer hold things together... This is the last protection money I can give you."

"Hall Master Ji is indeed trustworthy. You have something else you need our help with, don't you?" Liu Wuyou asked.

"Heh heh..." Ji Qing smiled. "Young Master Liu, our men are collecting the money now. Once we squeeze out this last haul, we'll prepare to leave the city. But the scrutiny is too tight right now. When the time comes, I'll need you to pose as our employer and see us out of the city. After all, Hidden Sword Manor's name, along with Master Liu's reputation in Azure River City's outer district, should make it easy enough to fool our way through..."

"You want me to help you leave the city? If we're caught, it's a beheading offense." Liu Wuyou was startled and refused.

"Young Master Liu, you must help me with this. The other hall masters each have their own way out, but those old friends of mine in the martial world aren't reliable... Right now, you're the only one who can help me." Ji Qing sighed, lightly tapping the table with his hand. Beside him lay a massive saber, its blade flowing with a chilling gleam.

Liu Wuyou remembered that this man had once been an incense master of Azure Dragon Hall and had fawned over his uncle. After his uncle secretly acted, Ji Qing had picked up several important kills and been promoted to hall master, seizing considerable benefits. A few months ago, he had already entered the second stage as a martial master. Otherwise, he would not have returned so much protection money to them. Yet today...

Liu Wuyou's eyes flickered. He could see that he was already riding a tiger and unable to dismount. If he refused to help Ji Qing, not only would he fail to receive the money, he feared...

"Since Hall Master Ji has asked, I will certainly help. But you must tell me what to do." Liu Wuyou suppressed his displeasure and spoke in a low voice.

"Ha ha, straightforward! There's no rush. Once my younger brother Ji Hong retrieves the silver notes and I make the arrangements, Young Master Liu only needs to take leave and lead us out of the city..."

"And I have a generous reward for you as well."

Ji Qing placed a box on the table and opened it. Inside was a Three-Leaf Black Lotus.

It was exactly the same as the one Li Mu had seen that day.