A Visit to the Doorstep

The news from the yamen regarding Ge Tao's case was scant. The only useful clue was this:

The murderer was skilled with hidden weapons, and everyone in the Ge Clan had died to poisoned throwing darts.

When Cheng Yang heard this news, a target of suspicion inevitably rose in his heart.

Hidden weapons, poison—could it have been an assassin from Star Tower?

Strung together, those three words pointed far too clearly in one direction.

Could Ge Tao's death truly have had nothing to do with the martial school? Had he caused trouble outside and brought assassins down upon his household?

Cheng Yang could not be sure.

He could not find Star Tower's branch in Qinglin County. Even if he did, picking out the true culprit from a crowd of assassins would be like fishing for a needle in the ocean.

Rather than charging about aimlessly, he might as well start with the people within reach.

Cheng Yang drew up a list in his mind: the people present yesterday—Bao Shun, Yang Zheng, and those two martial school disciples in the Muscle Tempering Realm.

He decided to pay them each a "visit," feeling them out one by one.

His first target was his Third Senior Brother, Yang Zheng.

Yang Zheng was a Bone Tempering martial artist with Copper Bone, and he had also cultivated one martial skill to Perfection.

Though Cheng Yang had his cheat to rely on, he never underestimated his enemies. He intended to attain Silver Bone first.

With Silver Bone in hand, only then would a nighttime visit to Yang Zheng be truly safe.

As for why Yang Zheng was his first choice, the reason could not have been simpler: the man had shown him undisguised hostility.

Cheng Yang also knew that before the Cai Family was wiped out, Yang Zheng had long been supported by them and was especially close to Cai Qingwen. The Cai Family's ally was his enemy.

The logic was so clear that there was nothing to argue about.

Since they were enemies, there was no reason to "spare" them.

Cheng Yang temporarily put the matter aside. Just as he turned to begin training, his mother's voice suddenly came from behind him.

"Xiaoyang."

He turned around and saw Lin Xia standing beneath the corridor eaves. Her expression was somewhat unfocused, as though something weighed on her mind. "What is it, Mother?" Cheng Yang hurried over.

"Your maternal aunt and the others have come," Lin Xia said. "They're waiting in the front courtyard's reception hall. They said they want to see you."

Cheng Yang frowned, a trace of coldness flashing through his eyes.

Maternal aunt...

Her again.

A few days ago, she had sent Guo Shulan to invite him, and he had ignored it. Now she had come straight to his door. "I already said I've been busy training lately and have no time for this. Why have they come?"

"I don't know either." Lin Xia shook her head. "But guests are guests... how about going to take a look?"

Cheng Yang fell silent for a moment, then nodded. "Come on. Let's see."

Mother and son passed through the covered corridor one after the other and arrived at the reception hall in the front courtyard.

The moment Cheng Yang stepped through the doors, his gaze swept around the room. His maternal aunt, Li Ru, sat in the guest seat to the left. Beside her sat a plump middle-aged man. They were seated close together, and there was a certain intimacy between their brows and eyes.

That was probably his uncle by marriage, Guo Qingping, master of the Guo Household.

Guo Shulan had been keeping the two company. Seeing Cheng Yang enter, she rose in relief and yielded her seat. "Senior Brother Cheng is here. Third Aunt, Father, take your time talking. I'll go handle the martial school matters first."

After saying that, she nodded to Cheng Yang and quickly withdrew, leaving the married couple facing Cheng Yang and his mother.

From the moment Cheng Yang entered, Li Ru's gaze had remained glued to him.

After he sat down opposite her, this maternal aunt openly looked him up and down for quite some time, her eyes full of astonishment.

"This is... Cheng Yang?" she murmured softly, as if she had seen something unbelievable.

A few months ago, she had seen Cheng Yang once. Back then, the boy had been skinny as a bamboo pole, pale-faced, and had hidden behind Lin Xia, barely daring to speak loudly.

But the person now seated before her had broad shoulders and a straight back. His entire body looked as though it had been cast from molten iron, every inch of muscle carrying a solid, weighty force. Was this still that monkey-thin nephew from before?

"Nephew, Sister Lin." Li Ru took the initiative to greet them, her tone exceedingly low, utterly devoid of the lofty attitude she had displayed a few months ago.

Cheng Yang merely gave a faint "Mm" in response. Lin Xia, on the other hand, seemed somewhat restrained. After choosing her words, she said, "Madam Li... little sister."

Li Ru's brows relaxed, and she hurriedly introduced the middle-aged man beside her. "Nephew, this is your uncle by marriage, Guo Qingping."

"Haha!" Guo Qingping smoothly took over, puffing out his belly and smiling warmly. "For this old man to have such a talented nephew, it truly is Guo's honor."

Cheng Yang looked at him expressionlessly, neither responding nor smiling. His silence chilled the atmosphere in the hall by several degrees. He swept his gaze over the two of them and said mildly, "I already said a few days ago that I've been training lately and have no time.

"You didn't come to my door today merely to exchange greetings, did you? If you have something to say, say it plainly."

Li Ru and Guo Qingping exchanged glances, the smiles on their faces stiffening somewhat. Seeing this, Lin Xia hurriedly tried to smooth things over. "Ah, the child is still young and doesn't know how to speak properly. Please don't take offense, you two."

Li Ru took the offered way out. She suddenly rose, straightened her clothes, and solemnly gave Lin Xia and Cheng Yang a deep bow. "Sister Lin, nephew, what happened a few months ago... I was in the wrong.

"I came today to sincerely apologize to you."

Lin Xia had never seen such a display and was immediately at a loss, repeatedly saying, "Little sister, what are you doing? Get up quickly. There's no need for such a grand gesture!"

Yet Cheng Yang remained seated, not even lifting his eyelids.

"No, you did nothing wrong." Cheng Yang's voice was neither loud nor soft, yet it was like a basin of cold water poured over a steaming atmosphere. "Lending money is a favor; refusing is one's right.

"There was never any affection between us to begin with, so there was nothing wrong with you refusing to lend us money."

He paused, his gaze falling on Li Ru's slightly pale face. "But then again, if there is no affection between us, why have you come all this way to apologize?"

Li Ru's face went completely stiff.

She had thought that if she lowered her stance and sincerely admitted fault, the matter could be put behind them.

An elder had already bent this low. Shouldn't a junior take the hint and give her a way down? Yet Cheng Yang refused to play along, laying everything bare and leaving her no room to maneuver.

"Ah, when all is said and done, this is all my fault!" Guo Qingping hurriedly chimed in, putting on a show of glaring at Li Ru. "If I had been there that day, how could I have allowed this woman to do something so foolish?"

Cheng Yang glanced at him, his tone calm yet piercing. "Master Guo, when my mother and I went to the Guo Household that day, I'm afraid you would not have received us at all. So whether you were present or not, the result would have been the same."

Guo Qingping's mouth twitched, and he gave two dry laughs.

He wanted to refute him, but could not find suitable words, because what Cheng Yang said might indeed have been the truth.

Having the last shred of his face-saving veil ripped away by a junior before his very eyes, he could barely keep the smile on his face.

Seeing that her husband had also suffered a setback, Li Ru could only turn an imploring gaze toward Lin Xia, hoping she would say something to ease the tension.

Lin Xia looked at her son, then at Li Ru's pleading face. In the end, she silently looked away.

Her attitude was clear: her son's attitude was her own.

Seeing that neither of them spoke, Cheng Yang simply made things even plainer. "Enough. Stop beating around the bush.

"You didn't come to the martial school today just to apologize, did you? If you have something to say, say it."

Guo Qingping coughed, put away his smile, and straightened his posture. "Since nephew has put it that way, then as your uncle by marriage, I won't hide anything either."

He cleared his throat and laid out the reason for their visit from beginning to end.

The Guo Household dealt in cloth, and all their supply routes ran through the prefectural city. But three months ago, a gang called the Bamboo Gang had been driven out of Qinglin County by the Four-Ping Gang. They had not gone far. Instead, they occupied a mountain outside the city and took up the business of blocking roads and robbing cargo.

The Guo Household had neither martial artists to back them nor any martial foundation, so they naturally became a prime target for the Bamboo Gang's extortion.

For the past three months, every time the Guo Household's merchant caravans passed along that official road, thirty percent of their goods were taken. They had suffered losses to the point of nearly being unable to hold on.

"Nephew, I came to find you today because I hope you can persuade your master to step forward and speak with the Bamboo Gang, to reduce the Guo Household's toll to twenty percent. Just twenty percent will do."

After hearing him out, Cheng Yang did not answer immediately. He first asked, "Do you know the Bamboo Gang's exact strength?"

"I do." Guo Qingping had clearly done his homework beforehand. "Two Flesh-Tempering Martial Masters, four Skin-Tempering Martial Masters, plus one Bone Tempering martial artist.

"The rest are ordinary lackeys, not worth worrying about."

"What level is that Bone Tempering Martial Master?"

"Just ordinary Bone Tempering."

"Not even Copper Bone?"

"No."

Cheng Yang nodded slightly.

He had already calculated it in his heart. Before him, those people were nothing more than a pile of loose sand. If they truly fought, he would not even need to ask his master to act. He alone would be enough to deal with them.

But he did not agree at once. Instead, he changed his phrasing. "I'll bring this matter up to my master. He will most likely agree.

"But your Guo Household cannot expect my master to act for nothing, can you?"

The moment Guo Qingping heard there was hope, he immediately replied, "My Guo Household is willing to offer five hundred taels of silver as Master Chen's payment."

"Five hundred taels is too little." Cheng Yang raised the price without changing expression. "One thousand taels."

Guo Qingping's eyelid twitched. As a merchant who had spent half his life in business, he instinctively wanted to bargain, and his mouth had already opened halfway.

But looking at Cheng Yang's bland face, he suddenly realized that he had not come here to haggle today. He had come to ask for help.

He gritted his teeth and raised his original offer of five hundred taels. "Then... seven hundred and fifty taels. The Guo Household truly has difficulty turning funds over lately. We really cannot produce any more than that."

Cheng Yang looked at him for two breaths, then nodded. "Fine. Seven hundred and fifty taels. I'll ask my master to take action."

He did not say whether his master would personally go or not.

In any case, he could handle this business himself just as well. Seven hundred and fifty taels of silver would be enough to buy him quite a lot of exotic beast meat.

His attitude toward the Guo Household was clear: they could discuss profit, but not feelings. When he and his mother had been kicked aside without a second thought, no one had spoken to them of familial affection.

As it happened, the resources in his hands were nearly exhausted again. These seven hundred and fifty taels had arrived at exactly the right time.