Xu the Registrar Comes Calling

With his spirit in a state of perfection, the Spirit Preservation Method's power had greatly increased.

The ripples emanating from the red-cloth statue in his mind had become much thicker, and he no longer felt dizzy or lightheaded.

About a quarter of an hour later, that wisp of descending qi in the mirror... vanished completely!

"Finally, I'm a normal person again!"

Xie An let out a long breath.

He glanced at the Spirit-Restoring Dew in the porcelain vial. There were roughly ten drops left.

This stuff was truly precious.

It had to be taken one drop at a time.

One drop cost a hundred taels.

Fortunately, he had a fairly substantial family fortune.

Xie An brought up the panel and took a look.

There were still two forms of the Red Sun Saber Technique he had yet to master.

Xie An opened the saber manual and had Ten Thousand Questions estimate the qi, blood, and computational power needed to transplant the Pushing Mountain Form and the Red Sun Form.

The results were very stable.

Both required only 1.8 units of qi and blood.

Perhaps it was because the Red Sun Saber Technique's moves were too simple. There were only thirteen movements in total, built around straightforward, brutal force, so transplanting them did not require much computational power.

For example, the Pushing Mountain Form had only one essential verse: Step upon the central palace, body drawn like a full bow. Press onward without retreat. Gather all the strength of the body and pour it into the saber's tip. Even if mountains stand ahead, they must be pushed flat.

The final Red Sun Form also had just one mantra: When the first three forms are exhausted, this form is achieved. No moves dwell within the heart; the saber is the body. The body is the sun, whose light shines upon the myriad realms. When the red sun emerges, all things melt away.

After carefully studying the final two forms, Xie An willed the transplant to begin.

Early the next morning.

Xie An arrived in the courtyard early and used Chen Mo as a sparring partner for the Red Sun Saber Technique.

Having learned from the previous incident with Withering Power, Chen Mo did not dare catch a blade barehanded again and instead sparred with a longsword.

At first, Chen Mo assumed Xie An had only mastered the first two forms of the Red Sun Saber Technique and did not think much of it.

But after merely two exchanges, Chen Mo's expression changed drastically.

How were these the Tiger-Subduing Stance and Sinking Pressure Stance?

They were clearly the stronger Pushing Mountain Form.

Combined with Xie An fully unleashing his four hundred and eighty-five great tendons, it truly carried some of the momentum of "even if mountains stand ahead, they must be pushed flat."

Fortunately, Chen Mo's martial attainments were high enough for her to handle it with ease.

Then Xie An slashed again. As Chen Mo raised her sword to block, she felt an unprecedented force crash into her, nearly forcing her back a step.

This was... the Red Sun Form!

Chen Mo's heart pounded wildly.

Just who was Young Master Mingxi? How could he possess such peerless talent?

In only two or three days, he had cultivated Yongsheng Martial Arts Hall's strongest saber technique to mastery!

Even her younger brother Chen Bin was considered a genius, yet after painstakingly training in the Red Sun Saber Technique for five whole years, he still had not mastered the third form.

Xie An, meanwhile, was wholly immersed in the Red Sun Saber Technique, wielding the saber forms with sweeping abandon, opening and closing like a battlefield commander.

Only after he had fully brought out the Red Sun Form's power and accumulated enough practical combat experience did Xie An sheathe his saber.

"That's enough for today."

Xie An took the towel Qiu Lan offered him and wiped away his sweat. "Chen Mo, stay in the west wing for now. I've already had Zhou Ji arrange for spiritual ginseng and treasure fish from Wuqiao Town. They should arrive later."

Chen Mo was overjoyed. "Thank you, Young Master."

Just then, Li Dao hurried in, holding a thick horizontal saber in his hands. "Young Master, the saber you wanted. Since you needed it urgently, there wasn't time to have one custom-made."

Xie An took the saber and weighed it in his hand.

It was probably over twenty pounds.

Clang.

He drew the saber. Its blade gleamed like autumn water, its sharpness intimidating.

The blade was three and a half feet long, with a straight edge and an angled point at the end.

He casually swung it twice. The feel was decent enough.

Xie An sheathed the saber and tossed it to Li Dao. "Come out with me."

After his previous duel with A Shan, Xie An had realized that being out and about without a weapon in hand could lead to a serious disadvantage.

If it had been a sword, carrying it at his waist would have been fine.

But this saber weighed a full twenty pounds. Hanging it from his waist would practically tear his trousers down, so he simply had Li Dao carry it.

The weather in early October was bitterly cold.

Xie An stepped over the ground coated in white frost as he headed toward the central courtyard.

Now that his spirit had recovered, it was time to speak with his father so he could continue training under Daoist Master Yusu.

Yet the moment he reached the central courtyard's entrance, he heard hearty conversation coming from within. His little sister, dressed in a pink padded jacket, was squatting in the grass by the entrance and drawing circles with a twig, looking distinctly unhappy.

Xie An went over and patted Xie Xiaoyu's little head. "Little Fish, why are you standing around here? Who made you unhappy?"

Xie Xiaoyu looked up at Xie An, pouted, and said, "A woman was secretly saying bad things about Big Brother. Bad person!"

A woman was speaking ill of me?

Xie An peered through the courtyard gate.

He immediately saw his father warmly conversing with three people in the pavilion.

As memories surfaced, Xie An recognized their identities.

Seated on the left was an elegant middle-aged man in a dark green round-collared official robe, the rank badge on his chest depicting a practice sparrow. He was Xu Zhengyang, Registrar of Qingwu County.

He had only captured Registrar Xu's adopted daughter A Shan the day before yesterday, and Registrar Xu had already come calling?

Opposite Xu Zhengyang sat a father and daughter.

The man was a heavily bearded fellow wearing a green robe and a purple-gold crown. His tiger eyes flashed like lightning, and he carried the air of one long accustomed to high position.

He was Mai Wenshan, leader of Qingwu County's Canal Gang.

Sitting beside Mai Wenshan was a graceful young woman in a blue dress with silver hairpins. She was Mai Qiuyun, Mai Wenshan's daughter. She had been the original owner's childhood sweetheart. Though they had not privately pledged themselves to each other, both families regarded the original owner and Mai Qiuyun as a pair, lacking only the elders' approval.

The Xie and Mai families were a deeply intertwined community of interests.

There was no other reason.

Mai Wenshan monopolized every canal shipping route within and beyond Qingwu County, and ninety percent of the Xie Household's salt had to pass through his hands to be transported outward.

Logically, canal transport should have been controlled by the garrison and the government office.

But these were chaotic times. The authorities were weak, the county office's canal transport bureau had long since been abandoned, and the ships on the canal, the dock laborers, and the sentry posts along the river all lay in the Canal Gang's hands.

If merchant ships wanted to cross the border without flying the Canal Gang's flag, they would not make it three miles.

Even the court's tribute grain and other supplies depended on the Canal Gang's fleet. The authorities had even issued the Canal Gang a "license," recognizing its lawful status.

If there was any force capable of directly choking off the Xie Household's salt business, it was the Canal Gang!

Otherwise, given Xie Zhengtang's favoritism toward the original owner, he would not have forcibly tried to bring the original owner and Mai Qiuyun together.

Xie An crouched down and rubbed Little Fish's head. "What bad things did that woman say about Big Brother?"

Xie Xiaoyu said indignantly, "When that woman and her father came in just now, she kept shouting that Big Brother wasn't worthy of her."

Xie An frowned. "What did her father say?"

Xie Xiaoyu suddenly broke into a grin. "Heehee, her father scolded her. That was so satisfying."

Xie An laughed despite himself. "Li Dao, take Little Fish to buy two skewers of candied hawthorn."

Xie Xiaoyu's face blossomed with a cloyingly sweet smile, but then she remembered something and pouted. "I can't. My mother won't let me eat them. She says they'll ruin my teeth."

"Eating them once in a while won't matter. If Second Mother scolds you, just shift the blame onto Big Brother."

"Big Brother is the best! I like you to death!" Xie Xiaoyu threw herself forward and kissed Xie An on the cheek, then ran off after Li Dao to buy candied hawthorn.

Xie An shook his head and entered the pavilion.

"Lord Xu, Uncle Mai."

Mai Wenshan responded warmly. "Ho! Mingxi, you look a whole circle sturdier. Brother Xie said you've been obsessed with martial training lately, but I didn't believe him at first."

Xu Zhengyang's expression stiffened briefly before he spoke. "I heard that Zhou Yun, the manager of the Xie Household grain shop, intended to harm Mingxi two days ago, and that you killed him in your fury. Are you unhurt?"

Xie An was wary inwardly, yet calm and composed on the surface. "Thank you for your concern, my lord. I am unharmed."

Xu Zhengyang sighed. "I was blind indeed, to have married my daughter A Shan to that scoundrel Zhou Yun. It is fortunate that Mingxi is unharmed. Otherwise, I would have become a sinner."

Xie An sat down, poured himself some tea, and said nothing.

Xu Zhengyang muttered, "That Zhou Yun harbored the intent to harm others. His death was no great loss. But my daughter A Shan has vanished without a trace. Has Mingxi happened to see her?"