Severing Ties, Entering the Competition

"Madam is a martial arts expert, widely traveled and vastly knowledgeable. She has taken part in every grand gathering of heroes and assembly of gallant warriors."

"What she has seen and heard... truly is as boundless as the sea. Had Madam not told me, I too would never have known that such things existed in this world."

Pang Long revered her from the bottom of his heart.

Every time he walked a li, he shook the bell. Its "clang-clang" rang out, carrying an indescribable feeling.

"Madam said... this thing is called a Snow Demon Monkey. It is a kind of fiend born between Heaven and Earth."

"And this bell of mine is a treasure called the Demon-Driving Bell. Demons like this will flee the moment they hear it from afar. They would never dare come even half a step closer."

Pang Long explained.

It was around the hour of the Snake, when yang energy was at its peak. Li Xian led the way, turning into a side path according to his memory.

After traveling three or four li, they saw blood all over the ground.

Feng Huo's corpse lay in a pool of blood, his belly slashed open and his internal organs spilled out.

With all his blood drained, his skin was a ghastly white. His features had frozen in the final instant before death—resentment, unwillingness, terror... like a lifelike ice sculpture.

"Looks like Madam was right."

Pang Long frowned and crouched to inspect him for a while. The spilled organs had all hardened, mixed with frost.

He said, "That thing is an extremely picky eater. It loves human gallbladders and livers. Feng Huo's gallbladder and liver were plucked out and eaten while still warm."

"That is why, when it kills, it enjoys teasing and terrifying people, scaring all the courage out of them until their livers and gallbladders split from fright. That makes them even more delicious to it."

"What a vicious demon." Remembering last night's experience, Li Xian truly felt that he had escaped death by a hair's breadth.

Seeing Feng Huo's miserable state, Li Xian felt the world was full of danger. He and Pang Long worked together to bury Feng Huo by the roadside, setting up a small wooden marker for him.

While burying Feng Huo, Li Xian slipped his hand into the lining of his clothes and searched around, finding seventy copper coins.

"This travel money... you fellows have no luck enjoying it, so I'll gladly accept it."

"The greatest sorrow in this world is nothing more than dying before you have spent all your money. Don't worry, I... will spend it all for you."

He calmly tucked it into his own pocket.

Pang Long knew about it, but did not care.

"Let's quickly find the rent money and complete Madam's task."

The rent money had originally been on Feng Huo, but when he fled in panic last night, Li Xian had seen him throw it away.

They searched another seven or eight li along the road and found something on a tree. The rent money of over a hundred taels was all in the pouch. Its opening had been tied tightly, and none of the money had fallen out.

After counting carefully, the amount matched exactly.

Pang Long said, "Since we are here, let us bury the others' bodies as well."

"Alright!" Li Xian nodded, thinking, That travel money... should still be there.

The two continued onward and found the corpses of Zhao Dachun, Ye Xiaoluo, Qiao Dashou, and the others one after another.

Their eyes were wide open in death, and feces and urine covered the ground.

All seven corpses were buried.

Feng Huo had seventy copper coins, Ye Xiaoluo had forty, Qiao Dashou had sixty, and although Zhao Dachun had not received any travel money, he himself had saved more than a hundred copper coins.

Altogether, the seven of them had around five hundred copper coins.

Every last coin flowed into Li Xian's pocket.

"Commander Pang, if you want some, we can split it evenly." Li Xian touched his nose. In the end, he was too embarrassed to keep it all for himself.

"You keep it." Pang Long waved a hand.

After returning to the manor, Pang Long left Li Xian behind and headed straight for the inner courtyard.

"Madam, just as you predicted, it truly was the Snow Demon Monkey."

Pang Long came before a pavilion, dropped to one knee, and truthfully reported his findings.

The pavilion stood seven stories high, each story three zhang tall, soaring into the air. The plaque before it bore the three words: "Quiet Reflection Tower."

This tower was Madam's secret place, and no one was allowed to enter. After Pang Long finished speaking, he received no response, yet he did not dare leave without permission. He simply remained kneeling there.

A long time passed.

Then a voice drifted down from the tower.

"I know."

Only then did Pang Long rise. He respectfully bowed toward the pavilion and turned to leave.

Meanwhile.

Li Xian returned to the manor. Having come into an unexpected windfall and gained a free day to rest, he planned to treat Zhao Han and the others to a good meal.

When he pushed open the door to the room, he saw all three of them inside.

Li Xian was just about to speak.

But the gloomy atmosphere cut him off.

Zhao Han rubbed his cheek and said, "Li Xian... it just so happens that the three of us have something to discuss with you."

"Alright, speak." Li Xian closed the door.

Wang Chun's eyes were bloodshot. "Did Feng Huo, Zhao Dachun, and Ye Xiaoluo really die yesterday?"

"That's right." Li Xian nodded.

Zhuo Yilie swept an inconspicuous glance over Li Xian's face and muttered to himself, Why didn't you die? A trace of hatred hid in his eyes.

Zhao Han said, "Here is the matter. According to the manor's rules, your bed was never supposed to be here. You were only staying here temporarily before, and we never made that clear to you. I..."

"No need to explain." Li Xian said lightly, "Just tell me where I am moving."

How could he not understand? The gulf between them had grown too deep. The three no longer wished to live under the same roof as him.

"Residence Number 147," Zhao Han said.

"Since our friendship has already been severed, a true man should be more carefree. There is no need to hem and haw." Li Xian cupped his hands toward the three of them. "I understand all your thoughts. Whether you hate me or curse me, it makes no difference."

"From now on, we are strangers on different roads. But I will still honor the promises I made before. More words are useless. Farewell."

Li Xian had little to pack. A bedding roll, a water bucket, a sweat towel, and one set of clothes. After quickly gathering them, he pushed the door open and left.

He left only the three of them staring at one another.

"Pah!"

"He sure is carefree. The ones suffering aren't him!"

Wang Chun punched the bed.

"We never should have let him into this room in the first place," Zhuo Yilie said.

Zhao Han remained silent. His reason told him that the true culprit in this affair was the domineering Jiang Yun.

But he could not remain rational. He still blamed Li Xian, so he might as well keep him out of sight and out of mind.

"My poor brothers. I fear we will bear these palm marks for the rest of our lives."

Zhao Han let out a faint sigh.

The next day.

[Four Directions Fist]

[Proficiency: 816/1500 Minor Accomplishment]

After an hour of bitter practice, Li Xian's Four Directions Fist had improved steadily.

Li Xian felt that his attainments in fist techniques were already fairly good. With the house guard competition approaching, he thought:

It would be best to enter this house guard competition as early as possible. If I can become a Grade-C House Guard sooner, I will have more time to practice martial arts.

I currently have one tael and more than five hundred copper coins. How should I use them?

At noon, Li Xian used his break to find Pang Long. He wanted to register for the house guard competition and purchase some medicinal pills while he was at it.

But when Pang Long heard that he wished to take part in the house guard competition, he was immediately astonished.

Pang Long confirmed again, "You have been a house guard for less than a month, and you have learned only one martial art. Yet you wish to enter the house guard competition?"

"Yes." Li Xian nodded heavily. "At the very least, I should give it a try. Even if I fail, I can still gain experience."

"I advise you not to think that way." Pang Long's expression was solemn. "When fighting, injuries are unavoidable. If the difference in strength is too great, dying during a match is not impossible."

"Though the competition for promotion from Grade-D House Guard to Grade-C House Guard is not especially fierce, some veteran Grade-D House Guards have trained in martial arts for over seven or eight years. How can you compare with them?"

"If I were you, I would settle down and train one fist technique to Minor Accomplishment. Then I would learn other martial arts as well, drawing inferences from one instance to another, before attempting the house guard competition."

"By then, I would not say victory was ten parts certain, but at least the gap in strength would not be too great. Even if you lost, you would be able to protect yourself and would not leave behind hidden injuries."

"But..." Li Xian said, "Commander Pang, my Four Directions Fist has already reached Minor Accomplishment."

"Only Minor Accomplishment? You are still far from enough... Wh-what? You... you have already reached Minor Accomplishment?!" Pang Long's jaw dropped to the ground.