Surging Undercurrents

Xia Daoming did not return to the residence in Pear Blossom Alley until noon.

Before that, he had made a wide detour outside the city.

Though it seemed entirely unnecessary, Xia Daoming felt it was better to be cautious and circle around than to swagger into the city carrying a large sack on his back.

The bloodstains in the Xia residence's courtyard had long since been scrubbed clean. No one could have guessed that a Fifth-Rank Great Martial Master had nearly lost his life there the previous night.

After closing the back courtyard gate,

Xia Daoming entered his study, opened the sack, and took out the boxes one by one.

"As expected, a horse cannot grow fat without night grass. This time, I've truly struck it rich!" After a long while, Xia Daoming emerged from the study beaming.

Wu Yueli's private treasury contained mostly gold, jewelry, and silver notes, which amounted to a staggering thirty thousand taels of silver when converted.

Next came the Wu Family's Black Cloud Strength cultivation manual and the Hidden Strength Mysterious Divine Rhyme Diagram.

These could naturally be exchanged for money as well, and certainly for more than thirty thousand taels of silver. However, with matters currently under the spotlight, it was inconvenient to sell them for the time being.

Last were pills, medicinal salves, and herbs such as wild ginseng that could be taken directly as supplements.

Of the pills and medicinal salves, nearly one-third had actually been produced by the Ji Family. This made Xia Daoming marvel that the Ji Family truly deserved its reputation as Li City's great medicinal herb merchant.

Over the past three-odd months, Xia Daoming had taken medicine every day and met with Ji Wenyue from time to time. He could now barely be considered half an expert on the pill market.

By Xia Daoming's estimate, Wu Yueli's collection of pills and medicinal salves was worth at least seven or eight thousand taels of silver.

However, Xia Daoming believed that all the pills, salves, and medicinal herbs combined were likely worth less than a single herb with a fiery crimson stalk and three long, ink-black leaves.

This herb gave Xia Daoming the sense that it contained exceptionally potent medicinal properties.

It should have been some great tonic.

But medicine could not be taken recklessly.

Moreover, Wu Yueli had kept it in his collection without consuming it, so there must have been some particular consideration or taboo involved.

Thus, Xia Daoming planned to arrange a meeting with Ji Wenyue and seek this expert's opinion.

As the sun set in the west,

Xia Daoming and Ji Wenyue once again sat facing each other over tea in a private room on the second floor of Quiet Heart Tea House on Qing Shi Street.

Ji Wenyue wore an elegant pale green robe. Her skin was white as snow, delicate and lustrous; her brows were like willow leaves in mist, her eyes like clear spring water, and beneath her pert nose sat a sensual little mouth as radiant as pink cherry blossoms.

Her waterfall of black hair was tied only with a plain ribbon and draped casually over her chest. Compared to when she had been in the wilderness, she had grown even more graceful and poised, with an added touch of mature charm.

"My ancestor suddenly took out some precious medicinal ingredients that the Lineage has treasured for many years today, and told me to hurry and try refining a type of pill according to an ancient prescription during this period.

"So, for the next three or four months, I'm afraid I won't be able to go out so freely. There are some pills and silver notes here. Together with what I gave you last time, they should be enough for Big Brother to use during this time."

Ji Wenyue set down her teacup, took out a bundle that had been placed beside her, set it on the tea table, and pushed it toward Xia Daoming.

"The hardest thing to bear is a beauty's favor. You're making things difficult for Big Brother," Xia Daoming said with a troubled expression.

"Hehe, if Big Brother truly finds it difficult, why not offer yourself up and marry into my Ji Family?" Ji Wenyue stuck out her tongue at Xia Daoming.

After spending so much time together, Ji Wenyue had become increasingly accustomed to Xia Daoming's smooth talk and had begun learning how to strike back.

"Big Brother sells smiles, not his body. Give up that thought!" Xia Daoming said solemnly.

"Ah!" Ji Wenyue froze for a moment, then burst into peals of laughter, her full peaks trembling wildly. The sight left Xia Daoming both alarmed and stirred to the core.

"You've already given me enough these past days. Take this back. No matter how much authority you have within the Lineage, using it so freely will breed resentment and dissatisfaction in others, even if they do not say it aloud." Xia Daoming forced his gaze away from Ji Wenyue's increasingly mature and captivating figure, then pushed the bundle back with a serious expression.

"If there had been no Big Brother, there would be no me today! This is for Big Brother, so how can it count as misuse? Besides, Li City may not remain peaceful much longer. The stronger Big Brother is, the better able you'll be to protect yourself. What does it matter if people in the Lineage become dissatisfied?" Seeing Xia Daoming push the bundle back, Ji Wenyue became even more resolute.

"Li City may not remain peaceful? What do you mean by that?" Xia Daoming's expression changed slightly.

Over the past half year, he had not only settled down in Li City and lived a decadent, luxurious life free from worries about food and clothing, with a beauty warming his bed, but his martial cultivation had also advanced by leaps and bounds. His days had been tranquil and fine, and he naturally did not wish for anyone to disrupt them.

"Wu Yueli, the lord of Wu Family Fortress, and its chief steward, Jing Xuanying, were killed this morning. In all of Li City, only four forces had the ability to kill those two without a sound: the Xu Family, the Lin Family, the Ding Family, and the Hegemon Blade Sect.

"The Xu Family stands alone above all the other forces in Li City. Yet the Lin Family, Ding Family, and Hegemon Blade Sect are also immensely powerful here. The three restrain one another, but they have also formed a tacit alliance against the Xu Family's suppression, lest they be defeated one by one.

"Of course, the Xu Family has a Grandmaster watching over it. So long as the Xu Family does not try to destroy all three of them, they will outwardly show the Xu Family absolute respect and obey its commands.

"But some time ago, word spread that something seemed to have happened to the Xu Family's ancestor, and that his condition was far from good. The three forces began making small moves in secret, with the Lin Family making the most moves of all.

"Wu Family Fortress has always been regarded as a force attached to the Lin Family. Now that Wu Yueli and Jing Xuanying have been assassinated, my grandfather believes it was a warning from the Xu Family to the Lin Family.

"But for something like this to happen at such a time also indirectly proves that the rumors about the Xu Family's ancestor were not groundless.

"The Xu Family has stood alone at the top, and over the years, it has committed no small number of evils—bullying the weak through strength, letting those who obey prosper and those who defy perish. Every force in Li City has long been dissatisfied, especially the Lin Family, Ding Family, and Hegemon Blade Sect, who would love nothing more than to overturn the Xu Family.

"Once something truly happens to the Xu Family's ancestor, Li City will inevitably descend into chaos, with heroes rising together, slaughtering one another and fighting for supremacy.

"Hidden Dragon Martial Arts School can also be considered one of Li City's forces. Since Big Brother has entered Master Liang Jingtang's tutelage, once chaos breaks out, you definitely won't be able to remain untouched by it." Worry showed in Ji Wenyue's beautiful eyes.

Xia Daoming listened in a daze, unable to recover for a long time.

He had never dreamed that after casually killing two people, the outside world would actually help him find such an impressive scapegoat as the Xu Family.

Not only that, his unintentional ambush seemed to have greatly stirred Li City, which looked calm on the surface but was in fact churning with surging undercurrents.

Perhaps a tremendous storm would arrive ahead of time because of his accidental actions.

"So, Big Brother must increase your strength as quickly as possible, and raise the strength of those around you as much as you can. Don't worry about wasting anything, and don't worry about my side either." Seeing Xia Daoming's blank expression, Ji Wenyue assumed he had been stunned by this inside information. After a pause, she continued.

"Which side does the Ji Family belong to?" Xia Daoming suddenly asked.

"The Ji Family deals in medicinal herbs and maintains friendly relations with every force in Li City. Every year, we also voluntarily send substantial tribute gifts to the four great forces. When they need to refine medicine, they also require the Ji Family's help.

"So, the Ji Family moves between the various forces and is relatively independent. We do not belong to any camp. But if something happens to the Xu Family's ancestor and the various forces begin to contend with one another, the Ji Family, with its current strength, will likely be forced to choose a side!" Ji Wenyue said worriedly.

"Then which side does Hidden Dragon Martial Arts School belong to?" Xia Daoming asked again.

Ji Wenyue gave Xia Daoming a somewhat surprised glance before replying, "The various martial arts schools form a very special type of force. Since they openly accept disciples and teach martial arts, so long as someone pays enough money, they generally do not concern themselves with that person's identity or origins.

"Those apprentices pay the martial arts schools to study martial arts. After completing their training, some establish their own schools, some join and serve a particular force, while others return to serve their own Lineages...

"As a result, martial arts schools have more or less some ties and connections with every force, forming an intricate, deeply rooted web of relationships.

"The cohesion of martial arts schools is already much looser than that of sects and forces themselves. Coupled with that tangled web of connections, martial arts schools have become a relatively special and independent group, with no need to declare allegiance to or attach themselves to any one force.

"Hidden Dragon Martial Arts School is no exception. However, I heard that two collateral descendants of the Ding Family once cultivated to the Great Martial Master realm at Hidden Dragon Martial Arts School and formally entered Master Liang's tutelage. Therefore, Hidden Dragon Martial Arts School is very close to the Ding Family."

"The Ding Family?" Xia Daoming frowned slightly.

He had heard Yuchi Xiao mention those two senior brothers from the Ding Family before, but both had died young. Yuchi Xiao had not explained the specific cause.

However, what concerned Xia Daoming now was not the two Ding Family senior brothers who had died young, but the fact that if Hidden Dragon Martial Arts School were branded with the Ding Family's mark, it would not be a good thing for the school under the current circumstances.

"Three months ago, when the Shi Family severely injured Senior Brother Gu, perhaps it had been at the Xu Family's instigation all along, rather than some scheme by the Shi Family." Before long, some troubling associations arose in Xia Daoming's mind.

"I only learned of the relationship between Hidden Dragon Martial Arts School and the Ding Family because Xia Big Brother entered Master Liang's tutelage, so I deliberately looked into it in private.

"But Big Brother is now, after all, one of Master Liang's personal disciples. You should have known these things very clearly!" Ji Wenyue said.

"I never concerned myself with such matters before. I focused solely on martial arts. Besides, Master is merely somewhat closer to the Ding Family because of those two Ding Family disciples; there is no subordinate relationship between them. I imagine there was no need for him to explain it specifically to me," Xia Daoming said.

"That is true." Ji Wenyue nodded in understanding.

"By the way, do you recognize this medicinal herb?" Xia Daoming handed Ji Wenyue a drawing.

Today's update is complete. Tomorrow is Monday, and I need to compete for the rankings, so the first update will still be around midnight. Thanks to readers Shen srmxc, 20220815145107688, RPG Defense, Autumn Divine Light, Sword Immortal Red World, Dragon Roars Across the World, Even Dizzy Old Men Have Someone Using Them, 160229153214031, and others for their rewards.