Giving Offense

Yang Zheng sat upright in that battered old wooden chair, legs crossed, hands resting on his knees, his posture as relaxed as if he had come to visit an old friend.

His eyes were lowered as he stared at Ge Tao's terrified gaze, his tone unhurried.

"Junior Brother Ge, when you voluntarily gave up your spot this morning, had Master and Junior Brother Cheng arranged it with you beforehand, or was it your own spur-of-the-moment decision?"

Ge Tao knelt on the floor, his neck gripped in Yang Zheng's hand. The corner of his eye swept over his wife and son curled up in the corner. His Adam's apple bobbed before he nearly rushed to answer, "It was me... I decided it on the spot! Master and Junior Brother Cheng never approached me privately!"

He was not lying.

Yet as the words "decided it on the spot" rolled through his throat, even he found them absurd.

Giving up his Ascending Dragon Conference spot had been meant to forge a good connection. Who could have known that before the good connection was forged, disaster would arrive first?

"I see..." Yang Zheng drew out the last syllable, the corners of his mouth slowly curling upward like a dull knife scraping across porcelain, leaving behind a deeply suggestive arc.

As Ge Tao watched that smile, cold sweat seeped down his back and streamed along his spine. His clothes clung to his skin, chilling him to the bone. "Senior Brother Yang, it truly was so. I would never dare deceive you!"

"Of course I know you did not lie to me." Yang Zheng nodded. He looked troubled, as though a street vendor were discussing the day's vegetable prices with a customer. "But the problem now is that you saw my face."

He released Ge Tao's neck and rose to his feet, looking down at his junior brother sprawled on the ground. A trace of sincere confusion entered his voice. "Tell me, how should I deal with you?"

Ge Tao's entire body stiffened. Naturally, he understood the true meaning behind those words.

After two breaths of silence, he closed his eyes as though he had finally recognized a certain ending. His voice was hoarse like sandpaper rubbing over rough wood. "Take this worthless life of mine, Senior Brother Yang... I only beg Senior Brother Yang to spare my wife and child..."

Before he could finish, a short blade pierced through Ge Tao's back. Its tip emerged between his breastbones, carrying a thread of warm blood.

Ge Tao's mouth opened and closed. His pupils abruptly contracted, then scattered. He wanted to turn his head and look behind him, but his neck no longer obeyed him.

Pshk. The second stab—pulled out, then driven back in.

Ge Tao's body went limp and collapsed face-first onto the floor. His fingers unconsciously clawed twice at the gaps between the mud bricks before soon becoming still.

His wife let out a muffled sob from the corner, only for it to be forcibly strangled off by Yang Zheng's sidelong glance.

"My apologies, Junior Brother Ge. Forgive me, but I cannot grant your request." Yang Zheng withdrew the short blade and wiped its bloodstains against the sole of his boot, his tone as flat as though he were remarking on the pleasant weather. In the dim room, only the sound of his footsteps pacing back and forth remained, the floorboards creaking beneath his feet.

Early the next morning, just as the sun rose above the eaves, an unexpected visitor arrived outside Chen Clan Martial Hall.

The man wore armor and carried a saber at his waist. He sat astride a jujube-red warhorse, his back ramrod straight.

The young disciple guarding the gate recognized that uniform at once, and his attitude immediately became more respectful. "May I ask why a brother from the City Guard has come to visit?"

"Looking for Cheng Yang." The man's tone was crisp, without a single wasted word. "Commander Wei wants to see him."

"Of course, of course! I'll notify Senior Brother Cheng right away. Please wait a moment!"

Not long after, Cheng Yang emerged from the martial hall. He had not yet changed out of his training clothes, and sweat stains from practice still marked his lapels.

He glanced at the warhorse and rider outside the gate and roughly understood what was going on.

The City Guard soldier gave him an indifferent glance, his eyes carrying undisguised condescension. He spat out only two words. "Follow."

Then he turned his horse around and squeezed its flanks. The jujube-red horse started forward at once, without the slightest intention of stopping.

"A show of force?" Cheng Yang muttered under his breath. He said nothing else and started walking behind the horse.

He did not have a horse.

The soldier rode ahead at a pace neither too fast nor too slow—just enough that Cheng Yang would not be left behind, yet not enough to let him walk easily.

Every so often, the soldier would turn his head to look back, as though making sure Cheng Yang had not fallen behind. His gaze carried the meaning of, "So what if you're a genius? Don't you still have to obediently run behind my horse's ass?"

Cheng Yang cursed the man twice in his heart, but his face showed no expression.

Fortunately, the journey was not long. After about the time it took to drink a cup of tea, the two stopped before an imposing residence gate.

Two words were carved upon the plaque in a flourish like dragons soaring and phoenixes dancing: Wei Residence. A stone lion crouched on either side of the gate, baring fangs and claws, their eyes wide and round.

Cheng Yang raised his head and examined it for a few moments. Wei Residence was even larger than the Gu Residence he had visited last time. Its walls stretched so far that their end was nearly impossible to see. Rather than a manor, it was more like a city within the city—walls within walls, courtyards within courtyards, layer upon layer nested together.

Relying on Wei He's authority as commander of the City Guard, the Wei family nearly overshadowed the other three great lineages. Even the grandeur of their residence stood in a class of its own.

They did not enter through the main gate. Instead, they followed the wall for some distance and entered the residence through an inconspicuous side door.

Beyond the gate lay more winding corridors and layered courtyards. Cheng Yang followed behind the soldier, twisting and turning through them until they finally stopped before a room with blue-tiled roofing.

The soldier raised a hand and pointed at the door. "Go in. Commander Wei is waiting inside."

Cheng Yang nodded and walked to the door, knocking twice.

A vigorous voice soon came from within. "Enter."

Cheng Yang pushed the door open and entered. The room was small and simply furnished: a low table, two prayer mats, and a bookshelf standing in the corner. There was nothing else.

A middle-aged man sat cross-legged behind the table. He wore a dark gray cloth robe, and his face was square and upright. Between his brows lay the steadiness and sharpness unique to a martial artist. He sat there quietly, yet an invisible pressure naturally radiated from him.

Cheng Yang had never seen this man before, but his identity was practically ready to announce itself.

"Commander Wei."

"Come sit." Wei He lifted his chin toward the prayer mat opposite him.

Cheng Yang sat as instructed.

Wei He picked up the earthenware teapot on the table and poured Cheng Yang a bowl of tea. The hot liquid flowed into the bowl, sending up a thread of white steam. He pushed the bowl before Cheng Yang. "Have a taste."

Cheng Yang picked up the bowl and took a small sip. The tea was slightly bitter, but a faint sweetness returned after it passed his throat. He set the bowl down and answered truthfully, "It tastes excellent. It is the best tea I have ever had."

That was not exactly a lie. After all, this was the first time he had properly drunk tea since coming to this world.

Wei He smiled faintly but did not respond. He merely watched Cheng Yang before suddenly asking, "What do you think I called you here for?"

Cheng Yang inwardly grumbled that important people really did like making others guess, but his expression remained calm as he casually guessed, "Several forces have recently been sponsoring me. Does Commander Wei wish to sponsor me as well on behalf of the Wei family?"

"No." Wei He shook his head. "Something more important than that. Guess again."

Cheng Yang followed his line of thought for a moment, then said, "Could it be... related to the Ascending Dragon Conference?"

"More or less." This time, Wei He stopped keeping him in suspense. A finger lightly tapped the tabletop. "In the end, the Ascending Dragon Conference is meant to obtain an entry pass to the Five Elements Sect. But have you considered that you might not need to participate in the Ascending Dragon Conference at all?"

Cheng Yang was slightly startled. "Commander Wei means..."

Wei He took a letter sealed with wax from his robes, placed it in the center of the table, and slowly pushed it toward Cheng Yang.

"As the City Guard commander stationed in Qinglin County by the Five Elements Sect, I have recommendation slots in hand. A letter of recommendation can let you skip the Ascending Dragon Conference and enter the Five Elements Sect directly."

He paused, his steady gaze falling upon Cheng Yang's face. "Do you want this letter or not?"

Cheng Yang stared at the letter of recommendation for two breaths. He did not reach out to take it, instead saying, "Commander Wei, you may as well speak plainly. I am afraid I cannot afford the price of this letter."

Wei He laughed. "You can afford it. Compared to the value of this letter, the condition I offer actually leaves you with the advantage."

"Please speak, Commander Wei."

"Very simple." Wei He raised his tea bowl and took a sip, his tone as calm as though discussing what to eat for dinner. "Marry a woman of my Wei family, marry into the Wei family, and change your surname to Wei."

"...A live-in son-in-law." Cheng Yang fell silent for two seconds, rolling those words over the tip of his tongue once more.

"You may understand it that way." Wei He did not deny it. "But once you enter my Wei family, the Wei family's resources will be yours to use as you please. I myself will personally guide you in martial arts as well. A recommendation letter and the Wei family's full support in exchange for changing one surname—surely you cannot fail to calculate that bargain."

Cheng Yang said nothing.

He lowered his head and looked at the tea, which had already cooled slightly. The foam broke into tiny ripples that spread outward ring after ring.

If he had no cheat, he would naturally choose this shortcut. Trading the status of a live-in son-in-law for five or even ten years of smooth sailing on the martial path was a profitable deal however one calculated it.

But he happened to have a cheat, and he happened to know exactly what level he was at and how fast he could advance.

He wanted the championship of the Ascending Dragon Conference, and he wanted the Five Elements Sect's entry pass as well—he would take them with his own fists.

That made this letter of recommendation meaningless to him.

And becoming a live-in son-in-law was even less necessary.

Seeing that he had not answered for so long, a trace of impatience finally surfaced on Wei He's face. "Does a question like this even require thought? Put it on anyone else, and they would not hesitate in the slightest.

Throw away one surname in exchange for a lifetime chance to climb upward—Cheng Yang, what are you hesitating over?"

"Commander Wei," Cheng Yang looked up at him, "could you give me three days to consider?"

"No need." Wei He waved a hand, his tone brooking no argument. "Give me your answer before today ends. If you do not accept this letter of recommendation, plenty of people are waiting to snatch it."

Cheng Yang drew a deep breath and looked straight into Wei He's eyes.

"Commander Wei, the Cheng family has only one heir in each generation, and they still rely on me to carry on the family line. Commander Wei should save this letter of recommendation for someone more suitable."

He spoke calmly, but inwardly, he had already sighed.

In Qinglin County, he had offended another important figure.