Bai Fufeng

Holding his steamed bun, Shen Xiuhan found a corner against the wall and sat down, nibbling at it in small bites.

Something flickered before his eyes, and a small hand extended half a pickled mustard tuber toward him.

Shen Xiuhan looked up in surprise and found a boy of fifteen or sixteen beside him.

He wore an old padded coat covered in patches. Thin and somewhat shy, he was clearly from the outer city.

"Senior Brother, have some pickles with it. They're really tasty..."

Shen Xiuhan paused slightly, but did not refuse. He took it and said naturally:

"Thanks. But I only entered the outer courtyard today. By the rules, I should be calling you Senior Brother."

"I only arrived two days before you, Senior Brother. I'm younger, and my natural aptitude is poor. I wouldn't dare..."

The boy waved his hands again and again, then squatted beside Shen Xiuhan. His tone was full of admiration.

"During morning practice, I saw that Senior Brother Shen learned several stances in just one morning. In martial arts, the accomplished come first. I ought to be the one calling you Senior Brother."

Having accepted someone's food, Shen Xiuhan could hardly be too stiff. He simply borrowed Mei Shuangfeng's words to comfort him.

"Master said that on the path of martial arts, the greatest taboo is impatience and restlessness. Stance training must be simmered over a low flame. Given enough time, you'll always glimpse the gateway."

The boy nodded silently, but his face showed a sorrow far beyond his years.

"That's true... But I just feel that someone as dull and clumsy as me has let down my elder brother's painstaking efforts to support my pursuit of martial arts."

Leaning against the blue-brick wall, they ate and chatted.

Only then did Shen Xiuhan learn that the boy was named Xiao Wen. His older brother, Xiao Wu, was five years his senior and worked as a mine laborer at the White Family Mine Estate outside the city.

Both brothers had been born tenant farmers.

To win his younger brother a chance to rise above his station, Xiao Wu went down into the mines every day and pinched pennies, barely managing to scrape together the apprenticeship fee.

Yet Xiao Wen's natural aptitude was ordinary, and his progress in stance training was slow. He felt only that he had failed his brother's expectations.

Xiao Wen was comparing who had it worse with him, so Shen Xiuhan did not dare grow proud and offered him a few more words of comfort.

Seeing that Xiao Wen's steamed bun was not enough to fill his stomach, he also shared one of the cornmeal cakes he had brought.

After lunch, Shen Xiuhan plunged back into the training ground and gritted his teeth through more stance practice.

Again and again, he trained with his head lowered, sweat pouring down like rain.

During that time, Xu Chuan came by once and helped point out the key principles of the stances.

He even praised Shen Xiuhan for his rapid progress, saying he could perform four stances in succession.

But the more Shen Xiuhan practiced, the more he felt that this "Mystic Eagle Stance" was far from simple.

With every additional stance, the difficulty rose by quite a bit.

Even when dusk fell, Shen Xiuhan had still failed to master the fifth stance.

There were fewer and fewer people in the martial arts school. Master was nowhere to be seen, and Xu Chuan had long since gone home.

Shen Xiuhan glanced at the sky and left as well.

He first went to East Market, intending to buy a few things. But evening was drawing near, and many vendors had already packed up their stalls. Fortunately, the butcher shop was still open.

He bought five jin of pork belly, then purchased two skewers of candied hawthorn from an old man.

Before leaving the city, he deliberately searched for the two spies Ma Xianyang had sent.

But he did not see them.

Had they given up?

Impossible!

Shen Xiuhan considered it inwardly. They were most likely lying in wait for him somewhere else.

West Market.

Outside the fish stalls.

In a corner.

Watching the fish market close its gates, A-Zhe finally could not hold it in any longer. He spat viciously.

"Fuck his mother!"

"Could that little bastard have failed to catch fish these past two days, so he hasn't even entered the city?"

"Possible..."

Tian Erhu, built like a bull, nodded. His gaze was gloomy as he said:

"Starting tomorrow, we'll wait at the city gate from the hour of the dragon. I refuse to believe he won't come into the city to buy rice and flour."

"Fine!"

A-Zhe nodded through gritted teeth.

"Senior Brother Ma has gone all the way to Changshui County to search for Treasure Fish. If he can't find any, he'll definitely buy back more blood and vitality treasure pills."

"If we handle this job nicely, and Senior Brother Ma rewards each of us with a treasure pill, then perhaps... we might reach the completion of blood and vitality and knock open the great gate of 'Bright Force'!"

"Bright Force..."

Tian Erhu licked his cracked lips, a trace of yearning flashing through his eyes.

When Shen Xiuhan reached Little Path Bay and was not far from home, his steps suddenly halted.

Crying came from within the fenced yard.

He hurriedly focused his eyes. Three figures blocked the courtyard gate. At their head stood a young man in white, followed by two black-clad guards wearing goose-feather sabers at their waists, their noses in the air.

Inside the yard.

Madam Zheng held Shen Momo protectively in her arms and knelt in the snow, her face full of pleading.

"My lord, didn't we agree on two taels of silver? Why has it gone up again?"

Madam Zheng trembled as she pulled out a cloth bag, dumping out all the silver ingots and copper coins inside. Holding them out in both hands, she said:

"My eldest son has already earned money. This... this is all returned to you, my lord..."

The young man's eyes shifted slightly, but he said nothing.

The black-clad guard beside him immediately stepped forward, snatched the cloth bag away, weighed it in his hand, and sneered.

"Two taels was what we agreed on, true enough. But you didn't repay it then, did you? You dragged it out for three whole days. As for the interest during that time... two hundred copper coins a day isn't much, is it?"

Two hundred copper coins in interest per day!

Madam Zheng's vision went black. Tears rolled down her face as she cried hoarsely, "Please wait a little longer, my lord. My eldest son will be back later. He'll definitely repay the interest..."

The white-clad young man frowned slightly and gave a look.

The guard understood.

With one kick, he smashed through the fence wall.

A vicious grin spread across his face as he reached for Shen Momo in Madam Zheng's arms.

"Too late!"

"My young master gave you three days' grace. That was already an enormous kindness. Since you can't produce the money, use this little girl to pay the debt!"

"No!"

"Mother, big brother, save me..."

"Stop!"

A furious roar exploded without warning.

His face dark, Shen Xiuhan strode over. His gaze was like a blade as it stabbed toward the young man in white.

The man wore a moon-white brocade robe, cinched with a jade belt, its lapels and cuffs embroidered with intricate silver patterns.

His face was as flawless as carved jade, his brows and eyes handsome, his features sharply defined. Yet his complexion was deathly pale, and a wicked smile rested at the corner of his lips, lending his beauty a hint of sinister gloom.

Seeing Shen Xiuhan approach swiftly, the white-clad young man raised a brow. "You are the Shen Family's eldest son?"

"That's right."

"I am the White Family's Third Young Master, Bai Fufeng."

Bai Fufeng smiled as he paced before Shen Xiuhan and said unhurriedly:

"I assume you heard what happened just now?"

"I did."

"Very well. Then my apologies, Bai Zhong, take—"

Before he could finish, Bai Fufeng's smile suddenly froze.

Shen Xiuhan pulled out six strings of copper coins, spread them across his palm, and held them before him.

"The money I owed you. Here."

Bai Fufeng's smile slowly faded. His gaze lingered on the strings of coins for a moment.

"...Eldest Son of the Shen Family, you seem quite wealthy?"

"Nowhere near as wealthy as you, Young Master."

Shen Xiuhan was neither servile nor overbearing, but his voice abruptly turned several degrees colder. "Yet in broad daylight, Young Master brought men here to forcibly seize my younger sister..."

"If word of this gets out, those who know will say Young Master Bai is collecting a debt. Those who don't... may think you're one of those utterly conscience-less child kidnappers from the outer city rumors!"

"How dare you!"

Bai Fufeng's expression changed sharply.

The two guards' faces changed as well. Their hands pressed onto their sword hilts. With a ringing clang, they drew their blades and moved to seize him.

"A lowly tenant dares slander his master? I'll tear out your tongue right now!"