Going to Town

Duan Xuan carried his mother on his back all the way from Snakehead Ravine, crossing mountains and ridges to enter Yellow Snake County's outer city.

At first, every village had its own small market, but the nearby gangs often came to extort them, leaving the villagers unable to conduct business in peace.

With no other choice, all the villages moved the goods they sold into Yellow Snake County's outer city.

It stimulated the local economy while also earning them protection—a win-win for both sides.

Today was the county town's grand market day. Crowds flowed back and forth, bustling and extraordinarily lively.

Small vendors and shops occupied both sides of the streets, and all kinds of hawking rose one after another.

Fruit stalls, tea shops, and peddlers roaming the streets and alleys all did their utmost to sell their wares.

Most of the passersby were commoners, interspersed with a few martial arts hall disciples and maids from wealthy households.

"Xuan'er, you've carried Mother for so long. Aren't you tired? Put Mother down, quickly!" Zhou Fang gently wiped the sweat from her son's forehead.

Duan Xuan smiled faintly. "What are you saying, Mother? There's hardly any flesh on your body. How could you weigh much?"

"And I'm a Clear Force martial artist. I practice stance work every day to temper my blood and vitality. Even if I carried you to a village more than ten li away, I wouldn't so much as gasp for breath."

The mother and son naturally became the brief focus of others' attention. After all, both were rather shabbily dressed, yet they had appeared on the street in such a manner.

"Xuan'er!" Duan Xuan was carrying Zhou Fang on his back and was about to enter a cloth shop.

A clear, pleasant voice sounded softly by his ear.

Duan Xuan and Zhou Fang looked over at the same time and, sure enough, saw that cheerful, radiant young girl—Duan Xin!

"Xin'er, what a coincidence."

Duan Xin approached with lotus steps, flitting over like a dragonfly skimming the water. She first gently rubbed Duan Xuan's head, then bowed to Zhou Fang.

"Isn't it all because of that annoying Duan Xu? He keeps saying he's about to break through to Dark Force.

"He's turned the whole family upside down, making Grandfather spend money and effort to buy Blood and Vitality Pills that cost ten taels of silver per gram.

"One isn't enough for him—he insists on making his father and mother borrow money everywhere to buy a second. I couldn't be bothered with him, so I came out for a walk!" Duan Xin looked Duan Xuan up and down. They had not seen each other for some time.

Her beautiful phoenix eyes narrowed into crescents again. "It hasn't been long at all, yet Xuan'er is already taller than Auntie.

"Duan Xu needs Blood and Vitality Pills. You must need them too, right?"

As she spoke, Duan Xin pulled a small pink sachet from her sleeve, embroidered with exquisite peonies and birds.

"Auntie made this sachet herself? Your handiwork is getting better and better. I don't need that for now, Auntie. Put your money away quickly—don't let anyone else see it." Duan Xuan gently declined Duan Xin's offer.

Duan Xin felt sweetness bloom in her heart at his words. The two pushed the matter back and forth for a while, but Duan Xuan ultimately still refused to take it.

"All right, then I'll save up a bit more. When the time comes, I'll simply buy you a Blood and Vitality Pill.

"But that'll take a very, very long time."

Duan Xin was not in a hurry to leave. She accompanied Duan Xuan and Zhou Fang as they selected several bolts of cloth with the best value for money.

She also asked the shopkeeper for some unwanted scraps.

The three followed the dirt road outside the county toward Snakehead Ravine.

Suddenly, Duan Xuan's right ear twitched as he caught a faint, subtle sound of footsteps.

Those footsteps were somewhat light and floating. At a glance—or rather, at a listen—one could tell they belonged to a martial artist.

And a Clear Force one at that, though his training was still lacking!

The footsteps followed the three of them all the way to Snakehead Ravine.

They lingered outside. Perhaps because members of the Golden Leopard Gang were doing business nearby, they did not enter the village.

Duan Xuan raised a brow. "Little Zhu, have you offended anyone lately?"

"Hmm..." Duan Xin bit her lip and tilted her head up at the sky. "No. I usually never step beyond the inner gate, so how could I possibly offend anyone?

"Though the last time I delivered goods to Spring Pine Martial Arts Hall for Grandfather, a few male disciples there struck up a conversation with me, and I turned them down."

"Then that's probably it..."

After applying an ancient remedy for bruises and sprains to Zhou Fang and massaging her muscles and bones for a while, Duan Xin said she had matters to attend to and was about to leave. Duan Xuan used a trip to Benevolent Harmony Hall as an excuse and sent his aunt back along the way.

The moment they left the village, the people hiding nearby followed after them.

Duan Xuan said nothing, but he was not afraid in the slightest.

He chatted idly with his aunt Duan Xin.

Just as the two were nearing the county town, the people who had been tailing them stopped pretending. Taking a great stride forward, they blocked their path from both sides.

"The Duan Family's youngest daughter—we meet again!"

The speaker was a burly man with slightly pale skin, his face all but covered with the word "lecherous."

The other should have been his attendant. He was not wearing the uniform of Spring Pine Martial Arts Hall, only a simple plain-colored short outfit.

The instant she saw the two men, the smile vanished from Duan Xin's face. Grabbing Duan Xuan, she tried to go around them.

"Young lady of the Duan Family, I still don't know your name. The pastries your family shop made last time were truly not bad. Do you want to expand your storefront a little?"

Duan Xin remained silent. The attendant in short clothes cursed, "You stinking bitch, my young master is talking to you. Are your ears deaf or what—"

Before he could finish, the attendant met Duan Xuan's exceptionally calm gaze. Yet the calmer it was, the more cold-blooded it seemed in his eyes, like a wolf king thirsting for blood staring directly at him.

He shuddered, unable to finish the rest of his words.

"Young Master, this guy knows martial arts!"

"Judging by your clothes, you're from Broken Mountain Martial Arts Hall, right? Are you Lin Hu or Liu Mingze?" Xiao Rong asked probingly.

Duan Xuan gently shook his head. "They are my junior brothers."

"No, who the hell are you trying to—"

Xiao Rong suddenly slapped the servant hard on the head. "So you're their senior brother. My apologies, my apologies. I was rude just now. I only wanted to ask whether Miss Duan wished to expand her family business. My family happens to have business dealings with Wu Family Shop, so we could lend a hand to the village shops. But Miss Duan does not seem very willing, so we'll take our leave first!"

The two hurried away.

However, they made a large detour rather than leaving completely, continuing to hide along the only route Duan Xuan would have to take home.

"Young Master, why did we come back? That kid isn't Lin Hu or Liu Mingze, so what's he acting arrogant for? I'm really not afraid of him at all!"

A vicious glint appeared in Xiao Rong's eyes. "Since he's Lin Hu and Liu Mingze's senior brother, he must be a Clear Force expert as well. If a conflict broke out just now, the two of us would have been at a disadvantage.

"But if we ambush him, even if he's Dark Force, he'll still break!"

"Young Master is wise!"

The two waited until nightfall. Xiao Rong took out two bamboo whistle swords, gripping one in his hand and giving the other to his servant.

"Young Master, two shichen have already passed, and we still haven't seen that kid. He isn't not coming back, is he?"

"Impossible! The woman that kid was carrying just now should have been his mother. If he doesn't come back, we'll go into the village and drag his mother out.

"That Duan Family girl—there isn't anyone in all of Yellow Snake County who can compare to her in the slightest. I must have her."

Suddenly, alarm bells rang wildly in Xiao Rong's heart.

A gust of wind swept across his neck, making him shrink back. "Second Dog, keep watch properly. Don't let him get away... Second Dog?"

Receiving no response, Xiao Rong turned his head and saw that his servant's head had fallen to one side, blood spilling from the corner of his mouth. He was already dead.

And an iron arrowhead was jutting from his chest, having viciously pierced through the servant's body from behind!

Xiao Rong's eyes instantly widened. He scrambled to his feet from the dirt slope, his throat just about to cry out.

With a swish, a sharp claw slashed across his chest.

Round droplets of blood sprayed out, hanging upside down across his face and the corners of his eyes.

"When did you get in front of me? Why didn't I notice..."

Before he could finish, Xiao Rong's body went limp, and he collapsed to the ground.