Homeward Journey

Zhou Yan stayed at Qin Residence for another month.

During that time, the old master invited him over twice to sit and chat about old memories.

The old man's spirits improved by the day. Sometimes, when the mood struck him, he would smack the armrest of his chair and curse the Han Family for being rotten bastards.

The rest of the time, Zhou Yan practiced his fists in the secluded courtyard.

He swallowed Qi Gathering Pills one after another, their medicinal power driving his inner qi to scour his meridians again and again.

After reaching Perfection in the Mountain-Breaking Fist, he shifted his focus to the Mountain-Suppressing Fist. He practiced from dawn to dusk, grinding a shallow ring of pits into the blue bricks around the stone table.

His dantian had also expanded slightly compared to when he had first broken through, allowing it to store more inner strength.

He successfully reached Lesser Qi Gathering.

One afternoon, Sun Wenyue arrived.

He brought two jars of wine. They were nothing precious, merely loose wine bought from a roadside shop in Qinghe City.

After setting them on the stone table, he poured himself a bowl first.

"People from the Demon-Slaying Hall came."

Zhou Yan lowered his fist stance and asked, "When?"

"Just two days ago." Sun Wenyue took a drink. "Two men riding two black horses. It had just turned dark when they entered the city. They went straight to the government office and retrieved the records from the previous mountain search. They looked through them for less than the time it takes to burn an incense stick, then left the city. Early the next morning, there was a disturbance in the woods south of the city. The demon was found and killed on the spot. By the time my father and Commander Lu arrived, all that remained was a pool of blood and a few broken scales. The men were already gone."

"They left?"

"They left. They never entered the city, never came to the Qin Family, and did not even meet the city lord. After killing the demon, they mounted their horses and headed north."

"To people from the Demon-Slaying Hall, time is money. Demon calamities elsewhere are more severe. If Brother Zhou doesn't want to stay in this little patch of land forever, you can visit the Northern Frontier or the east someday. If this weren't the heartland of Great Xia, they probably wouldn't have come at all."

Zhou Yan picked up the other bowl of wine and turned it twice in his hand.

Only two people!

They had found the demon after looking through the records for less than an incense stick's time, then killed it early the next day!

"By the way, Brother Sun, do you know what realm those two were in?" Zhou Yan asked.

"I don't know. Commander Lu said he saw them from several dozen paces away. Not a trace of aura leaked from their bodies, and their footsteps were as light as if they were walking on cotton. Even with the eyesight of a Martial Practitioner Realm expert, he couldn't see through them. They were at least above the Martial Practitioner Realm."

Sun Wenyue took another gulp. "Several families in the city prepared banquets to invite them, but they never got the chance. The Han Family even sent people to wait at the city gates, but they failed to intercept them."

Zhou Yan drained his bowl. The loose wine burned his throat, and a wave of heat surged down into his stomach.

"The demon is dead. That settles it."

"That settles it." Sun Wenyue poured himself another bowl. "The southern roadblock was removed today. Hunters can return to the mountains, and villagers can return to farming. It's just a pity about those people who died."

The two drank and chatted idly.

The pomegranate tree had begun shedding its leaves, and a thin layer of yellow leaves carpeted the ground.

Zhou Yan suddenly set down his bowl and said, "Now that the demon beast is dead, it's time for me to return to Qingyun County."

Sun Wenyue paused and glanced at him, seemingly unsurprised. "When are you leaving?"

"Tomorrow."

"Alright. I'll have someone prepare a horse."

Sun Wenyue stood and walked to the courtyard gate, then paused again.

Without turning back, he said to Zhou Yan, "Do you want to tell Wen Yao?"

As her elder brother, he naturally knew about his sister's feelings, but matters of the heart could not be forced.

Moreover, after speaking with Zhou Yan these past few days, he had found that Zhou Yan was meticulous in both word and deed.

He came from a farming family, yet had reached the Qi-Gathering Realm at such a young age. Becoming a Martial Adept was only a matter of time.

He might even break through the Martial Adept Realm and reach an even higher level!

The courtyard fell silent for a moment.

"There's no need," Zhou Yan said.

Sun Wenyue stood there for two or three breaths, nodded, and left.

Early the next morning, Zhou Yan packed his belongings.

He loaded two hundred taels of silver into a wooden chest and placed it on the carriage, then wrapped up the Qi Gathering Pills and Bone-Replenishing Paste and stuffed them into his bundle.

He tucked the Qin Residence Guest Retainer Token into his robes. He also folded the dark gray cloth outfit by his bedside neatly and placed it in the bundle.

There were a few more yellow leaves beneath the pomegranate tree than yesterday.

The carriage waited by the side gate of Qin Residence, and Sun Wenyue stood at the entrance waiting for him.

"The old master asked me to pass on a message. Whenever you want to return to Qin Residence, the gates will be open."

Zhou Yan smiled and nodded before boarding the carriage.

As the carriage curtain fell, he saw through the gap that one of the windows on the second floor of the side courtyard was half-open.

A corner of the pale blue curtain lifted in the wind before falling back down.

He did not look again.

The carriage left Qinghe City and headed west.

When he had come, he had carried someone over mountains and ridges for nearly a month. Now, traveling by carriage along the official road, he arrived in just over ten days.

The gates of Qingyun County were still the same: a low ring of walls, their blue bricks bleached white by wind and rain.

The same old soldiers dozed beneath the gate tunnel, leaning against the walls.

But the atmosphere in the city had changed.

The storefronts along East Street and South Street all displayed the Sun Family's banners.

Several territories that had once belonged to the Black Tiger Hall.

The gambling house on West Street, the freight depot outside the south gate, and the teahouse beside the City God Temple had all changed their signs.

Members of the Sun Family bustled in and out, some moving goods and others repainting walls.

Passersby chatted among themselves, and Zhou Yan caught a few words.

"The Black Tiger Hall is completely finished. Their hall master is dead, and only one of their leaders escaped. The rest were all killed by the Sun Family and the Azure Cloud Gang."

"I heard Old Master Sun personally led people in. That night, the sounds of fighting and killing from the Black Tiger Hall headquarters carried through half the street."

The carriage stopped at the Mountain-Suppressing Martial Hall first.

Zhou Yan got down and happened to see Zhao Shan exiting the martial hall.

Zhao Shan looked the same as ever, a dark-faced, burly man with a sweat towel draped over his shoulder and an envelope in his hand.

He had clearly come to the martial hall to deliver a letter for the Sun Family.

Over the past month, he had visited the martial hall often. With his forthright manner, he had quickly become familiar with the people there.

When he saw Zhou Yan, he froze for a moment before striding over.

Zhao Shan said nothing, merely patted Zhou Yan on the shoulder with slightly more force than usual.

"I heard everything from the Sun Family. When there was no news of you at first, you gave me quite a scare. I didn't dare tell your sister. Come to think of it, it was my fault. If I hadn't been greedy for that bit of silver, I wouldn't have put you in danger. You don't blame your brother-in-law, do you?" Zhao Shan asked quietly, deeply apologetic.

Zhou Yan shook his head and smiled. "Brother-in-law, that's too formal. If you hadn't recommended me for this trip, I wouldn't have been able to step into Qi Gathering."

"Qi Gathering? You?" Zhao Shan's eyes widened as he circled Zhou Yan and looked him over.

Zhou Yan patted Zhao Shan's shoulder and pointed toward the martial hall. "Come on. Let's go inside and talk."

There had been little change inside the martial hall.

As they passed Class B, several Qi-Gathering Realm disciples were standing in stances in the courtyard, drenched in sweat.

The instructor frowned slightly when he saw Zhou Yan pass by.

Zhao Shan pulled two benches beneath the corridor, and the two sat down.

"While you were gone this past month, Qingyun County was turned upside down. When the main force of the Sun Family Guard Corps was away, the Black Tiger Hall seized two shops on East Street, thinking the Sun Family had no one left. But Old Master Sun still had men in the county. Once news came back from the Third Young Master, Old Master Sun acted that very night. He led the guards left behind and joined forces with the Azure Cloud Gang, uprooting the Black Tiger Hall overnight."

"The Black Tiger Hall's hall master died. His son escaped, and no one knows where he's hiding. As for the remaining leaders, some were killed and some were captured."

Zhao Shan spat on the ground. "Now Qingyun County is dominated by two powers. The Azure Cloud Gang controls the west and north gates, while the Sun Family controls East Street and South Street. They stay out of each other's business, and neither provokes the other."

"The Azure Cloud Gang didn't take advantage of the chaos to attack the Sun Family?"

"Oh, right. You left too early, so you don't know about this. Zhao Xiong's son, who had been missing for a long time, was found!"

Zhou Yan's heart jolted, but his expression remained unchanged. "They found him?"

"That's right. They found him at Blackwind Ridge, but only a skeleton was left. The Black Tiger Hall did it, so the Azure Cloud Gang and the Sun Family had secretly joined forces long ago. That's how they caught the Black Tiger Hall off guard!"

Zhou Yan said nothing. He had found his Mountain-Breaking Fist on that son's corpse, but the Black Tiger Hall had taken the blame for him.

No one but him knew about that matter, yet every time he heard the words Azure Cloud Gang, the string in his heart tightened.

He just did not know whether Zhao Xiong had discovered anything else on the corpse!

Increasing his strength was urgent now. Destroying the Azure Cloud Gang had to be put on the agenda!

It was not that he was ruthless. He was simply cautious and would not leave any future dangers behind.

As the two spoke, the instructor approached.

The Class B instructor was surnamed Ma. He was in his forties and had taught boxing at the martial hall for over a decade, with an exceptionally sharp eye.

He looked Zhou Yan up and down twice before suddenly saying, "Your aura is different. You reached Qi Gathering?"

Zhou Yan nodded. "Instructor Ma, by a fortunate chance, I reached Qi Gathering not long ago."

Instructor Ma said nothing and pointed toward the center of the courtyard.

Zhou Yan nodded in understanding, walked over, and performed half a set of the Mountain-Suppressing Fist.

He did not circulate his inner strength, but as soon as he assumed the framework of the Mountain-Suppressing Fist at the Major Success stage, the qi in his dantian churned, and Ma Tou'er's eyes lit up.

When he finished and withdrew his fists, the courtyard fell silent for a moment.

Martial Hall Master Xue Zhenshan had appeared beneath the corridor at some point, arms crossed as he watched without saying a word.

Class C instructor Ding Yong stood behind him as well, still gripping that bamboo rod in his hand.

"I truly did not expect this boy to train the Mountain-Suppressing Fist to Major Success at such a young age. He will surely become a Martial Adept in the future." Xue Zhenshan sighed. "Come to think of it, he has been here for nearly three years. He never stood out in ordinary times, yet he has accumulated steadily and finally blossomed."

Ding Yong clicked his tongue beside him. "This kid's talent is average, but he hasn't slacked off since joining the martial hall. I've seen it all. Everyone else leaves, but he keeps practicing. He arrives before dawn. In all my years of teaching, this is the first time I've seen someone work this hard. His Mountain-Suppressing Fist has reached Major Success too. In my opinion, if he can enter the Martial Adept Realm before next year's Martial Examination, he'll have a decent chance!"

Xue Zhenshan glanced at him, then at Zhou Yan. He nodded before turning and walking into the hall.

"Your sister had someone send word a while ago, asking when you would go back to see her." Zhao Shan smiled.

Having such a young Qi-Gathering Realm brother-in-law gave him plenty of face as well.

Zhou Yan nodded. "No rush. I'll go back in a couple of days."

As it happened, he had matters to attend to as well.

After leaving the martial hall, Zhou Yan returned to the residence behind the tea stall.

When he pushed open the door, the room looked exactly as it had before he left.

A hard wooden bed, a thin blanket, an empty teapot on the table, and several old garments piled in the corner.

He carried the wooden chest of silver inside and shoved it beneath the bed, set the bundle on the table, then took out the dark gray cloth outfit and folded it neatly by the bedside.

After sitting for a while, Zhou Yan stood and walked into the courtyard.

This courtyard was more than a little smaller than the secluded courtyard at Qin Residence.

He held the Mountain-Settling Stance for the time it took to burn two incense sticks, then practiced the Mountain-Breaking Fist from beginning to end.

His fist wind swept past the earthen wall, sending the leaves of the crooked jujube tree in the corner rustling down.