The Qin Family

Early the next morning, Sun Wenyue arrived.

Zhou Yan had just finished holding the Mountain-Settling Stance for the time it took an incense stick to burn and was resting on a stone bench.

Sun Wenyue pushed the door open and glanced at the Qi Gathering Pills spread across the stone table.

"The old man has finished breakfast and is in good spirits. Let's go."

Zhou Yan wiped away his sweat, pulled on the dark gray cloth outfit Sun Wenyao had sent over yesterday, and followed him out of the courtyard.

The Qin Residence was even larger than it had felt from within his secluded courtyard.

They passed through two gates and turned down another long corridor. A row of bamboo grew alongside it, the leaves brushing the eaves with a rustling whisper.

The servants they encountered along the way all lowered their heads and addressed Sun Wenyue as Third Young Master.

The main hall stood in the deepest part of the Qin Residence, with a square courtyard paved in blue bricks before it.

Its doors were a pair of carved wooden panels, one of them half open.

Sun Wenyue paused at the entrance, straightened his collar, then stepped inside. Zhou Yan followed behind him.

The hall was dimmer than outside. A painting of pines and cranes hung in the center, and beneath it sat a rosewood grandmaster's chair occupied by someone.

Qin Zhenting, the old master of the Qin Family.

He was around seventy, his hair completely white yet combed without a strand out of place.

He was thin, with prominent cheekbones and the grayish pallor of someone recovering from a serious illness still on his face.

A maid stood beside his chair, holding a tea tray. Another man sat to the side, around forty, with a square face and thick brows. He wore a dark blue robe and sat with his back perfectly straight. One look showed that he had trained in martial arts for years. He was clearly also in the Martial Practitioner Realm: Qin Guang, the Qin Family's eldest son.

"Old Master, this is Zhou Yan, the one I told you about. If not for him, that precious medicine would have been lost," Sun Wenyue said with a bow.

The old master raised a hand, signaling Sun Wenyue to stand aside. His gaze settled on Zhou Yan as he examined him from head to toe.

Zhou Yan clasped his fists. "Greetings, Old Master Qin."

"Sit." The old master pointed to a chair at the side.

Zhou Yan sat down, and Sun Wenyue took a seat beside him.

"Yue'er told me about it," the old master began at an unhurried pace. "He said you carried Yao'er over two mountains by yourself, killed more than ten Qi-Gathering cultivators from the Black Tiger Hall, and still preserved the Scarlet Blood Lingzhi. Truly, young people are to be admired!"

Zhou Yan said, "If you take someone's money, you help them avert disaster. It was only right."

The old master waved a hand. "You are different from them. When Yue'er entrusted that precious medicine to you, you could have run off with it. A three-hundred-year Scarlet Blood Lingzhi is worth a fortune, and it is precious medicine besides. Selling it would have been enough to live comfortably for a lifetime."

He set down his teacup and looked at Zhou Yan. "I have lived to this age. What kind of people have I not seen? You are an honest man."

The old master smiled, then turned back to Zhou Yan. "What are your plans in Qinghe City?"

"First, recover from my injuries and work on my fists. Then I'll return to Qingyun County."

"No rush," the old master said. "Stay here with peace of mind. The Qin Family may not be the greatest household in Qinghe City, but feeding and housing one person is no problem."

After saying that, he leaned back in his chair and rested for two breaths.

The maid hurried forward with tea. He accepted it, took a sip, and caught his breath. Clearly, his body had yet to fully recover.

"By the way," the old master said, shifting his posture, "Yue'er told you about what happened outside the city, didn't he?"

"The demon matter?"

"Mhm." The old master nodded, the smile fading from his face. "This matter is unusual. Qinghe City lies in the heartland of Great Xia. To the north and south are plains and hills, not deep mountains or ancient forests. Demons should not appear in a place like this."

Sun Wenyue added from the side, "The scouts from several families in the city returned yesterday. They found no trace of it."

"This is no ordinary demon beast," the old master said. "The demons you usually see are all half-demons. I have seen true demons. True demon beasts possess intelligence, can speak human language, and are little different from people. In the Northern Frontier and the east, there are even places known as demon kingdoms."

Zhou Yan asked, "Who handles demon matters? The government?"

The old master shook his head. "Not the government. The government deals with matters between people—taxes, bandits, farmland. Demons are another matter entirely."

He paused, as though considering how best to explain.

"Great Xia has an organization specifically dedicated to dealing with demons. It is called the Demon-Slaying Hall."

"The Demon-Slaying Hall?" Zhou Yan was hearing the name for the first time.

"Mhm. It is not under the authority of local government, nor is it restrained by noble families. It answers directly to the royal capital and serves His Majesty. Its people do not usually show themselves, and ordinary citizens may go their entire lives without seeing one. But anyone who has spent a few years in the martial world knows that the Demon-Slaying Hall is Great Xia's sharpest spear."

The old master set down his teacup.

"When I was young, I spent several years at the northern border and saw members of the Demon-Slaying Hall once. A Third-Tier Demon Beast had broken into a border village and killed more than twenty people. The local garrison surrounded it for three days, using bows, arrows, blades, and spears, yet they could not harm it in the slightest. On the fourth day, two people from the Demon-Slaying Hall arrived, a man and a woman, both under thirty. They were very young. In less than the time it took an incense stick to burn, the demon was dead."

He glanced at Zhou Yan. "That demon's skull was later mounted above the village gate. It was as large as a millstone."

The hall fell silent for several breaths.

Zhou Yan asked, "What realm were they in?"

"I could not see through them," the old master said. "The Demon-Slaying Hall's rules require that even its lowest-ranking members be in the Martial Practitioner Realm. And their techniques and weapons are the finest the imperial court possesses, things unavailable anywhere outside. Take any one of them and put them in a local area, and they could swagger about without fear."

Sun Wenyue added, "They say the Hall Master's strength is even more unfathomable. But no one has ever seen him."

Zhou Yan was silent for a while. "Will the Demon-Slaying Hall handle the demon in Qinghe City this time?"

"They certainly will." The old master nodded. "A demon appearing in the heartland is a major taboo. Qinghe City sent the report yesterday by urgent fast horse along the government office's dedicated courier route. It can reach its destination within three days. Once the Demon-Slaying Hall receives word, they will send someone within a few days at the latest."

"So all we can do now is wait?"

"Wait," the old master said. "The city's families have already sent people to seal off several roads to the south, preventing hunters and villagers from entering that forest. All that remains is to wait for the Demon-Slaying Hall to arrive."

He looked at Zhou Yan again. "You should not leave the city either. Stay put these next few days. The demon matter is not something you need to worry about."

Zhou Yan nodded.

The old master made a bit more small talk, asking Zhou Yan what kind of fist technique he practiced and whom he had studied under in Qingyun County.

Zhou Yan answered each question but did not mention the Mountain-Breaking Fist. He only said it was the Mountain-Suppressing Fist taught at a martial arts school.

After chatting for about the time it took two incense sticks to burn, weariness appeared on the old master's face.

The maid stepped forward and whispered something. The old master waved his hand to show that he understood.

"Alright, that will do for today." He said to Zhou Yan, "Come sit with me when you have time. This courtyard is usually so quiet. I do not even have anyone to talk to."

Zhou Yan rose as well, clasped his fists, and took his leave.

After returning to the secluded courtyard, he sat down on the stone bench.

The pomegranates on the tree were a little redder than they had been a few days ago. One or two had already split open.

He poured himself a cup of tea, his thoughts in turmoil.

The Demon-Slaying Hall...

The most mysterious organization in Great Xia!

Even its lowest requirement was the Martial Practitioner Realm.

He ran through his current foundation in his mind: the Qi-Gathering Realm, Stake Stance Perfection, Mountain-Breaking Fist Perfection, and Mountain-Suppressing Fist at major accomplishment.

He was considered fairly good in Qingyun County. In Qinghe City, he could barely hold his own.

But compared with the Demon-Slaying Hall, he could not even touch the threshold.

Zhou Yan finished his tea, rose to his feet, and walked to the center of the courtyard.

He assumed the stance of the Mountain-Breaking Fist once more.