Early morning, the Li Family's Back Courtyard, the Martial Arts Ground.
A sword flashed. Li Cheng shifted his footing, letting the blade sweep past his side before thrusting diagonally. He followed the movements in the sword manual, one stroke after another.
Turn, withdraw the sword, thrust again...
He had practiced the entire Seven Forms of Settling Solitude more times than he could count.
He had memorized the moves, of course, but that was all.
The longer Li Cheng practiced, the deeper his frown grew.
The fight between Deng Qing and Zhou Fei at the Mountain Ravine surfaced in his mind again.
That feeling...
Li Cheng could not explain it, but he knew the Seven Forms of Settling Solitude he was practicing was nothing like the one Deng Qing had used.
"Again!"
Li Cheng gritted his teeth and took his starting stance once more, but the more impatient he grew, the more his sword went astray.
He held steady through the first stroke, but by the third, his shoulder and elbow had lost their coordination. His fifth thrust missed its mark entirely.
Li Cheng forced himself through the next move, and his Sword Momentum fell apart completely.
Clang!
In frustration, he flung his sword to the ground.
Zhang Bo picked up the sword. "Why be so stubborn, Young Master? Deng Qing came from humble beginnings. He's nothing but an ant that clawed its way up from the wilderness.
"Young Master, your future is bound to be bright. Why insist on measuring yourself against a man from the backwoods?"
"Zhang Bo."
Li Cheng did not want to hear it.
After Deng Qing had yielded Zhou Fei's head to him last time, Li Cheng had come to regard Deng Qing as a friend.
Zhang Bo said, "Young Master, don't let someone's schemes blind you.
"Deng Qing helped you, certainly, but wasn't he also trying to build a connection with you?
"Unless Deng Qing is a fool, he must have realized long ago that our family is no ordinary wealthy clan."
Li Cheng paused, then said quietly, "So what if Deng Qing realized? So what if he planned it all out? Isn't that only human nature?
"I can't refuse to be grateful and resent him instead just because of that."
Zhang Bo gave a helpless laugh and waved a hand. "You're too kind, Young Master. You don't know how treacherous people can be. Never mind. Let's not speak of him. Continue your sword practice."
Li Cheng said, "I want to ask Deng Qing to guide me in the Seven Forms of Settling Solitude."
Zhang Bo frowned. "Even if he's grasped the basics, I doubt he's qualified to instruct you."
Li Cheng said, "It costs us little to try."
Zhang Bo considered it for a few moments, then nodded.
When Li Cheng found Deng Qing, a crowd had gathered outside the Great Fortune Rice Shop, where two groups of hired muscle faced off.
Wu Yun led one side for the Five Blessings Butcher Shop. On the other stood Feng Xiao, owner of the Great Fortune Rice Shop.
The two sides had clashed, and every man glared with his hand on his weapon.
Deng Qing stood beside Wu Yun as one of his hired men.
Their argument was growing hotter by the moment, and a fight looked ready to break out. Li Cheng stepped forward with a smile. "Boss Feng, you're looking mighty formidable."
Feng Xiao turned. His brow twitched, and he hurriedly cupped his hands. "Young Master Li."
Li Cheng pointed at Deng Qing. "Picking a fight with my Senior Brother Deng? You've got nerve, Boss Feng."
Feng Xiao gave an awkward smile. He did not know Deng Qing and assumed Li Cheng had come to back him. He seethed but dared not speak.
Li Cheng smiled. "Don't think I came just to back Senior Brother Deng. I suspect you have no idea how strong he is.
"At the Mountain God Temple, Senior Brother Deng killed Monk Tang, a monster of the Eastern Radiance Evil Cult, with a single stroke. Boss Feng, how do your men compare to Monk Tang?"
Silence fell over the crowd.
Feng Xiao stared in shock. "He killed Monk Tang with one stroke?"
Wu Yun froze too, then broke into a delighted grin and clapped Deng Qing on the shoulder. "To think you earned such a feat of arms, Junior Brother Deng! Magnificent! Magnificent!"
Deng Qing waved it off calmly.
He had not wanted to take part in this sort of affair, but Wu Yun had treated him well: a portion of Pig Offal every day, plus one tael of silver a month.
He had hired Deng Qing to watch the place, yet had hardly ever called on him.
Now that Wu Yun needed him, Deng Qing could only grit his teeth and join in, even if it meant a street brawl.
Li Cheng raised his voice. "Shopkeeper Feng, if your two businesses truly can't reach an agreement and must fight, let me know. I'll bring Senior Brother Deng over then."
Feng Xiao waved his hands repeatedly. "You jest, Young Master Li. We'll talk it out ourselves. Talk it out."
Wu Yun smiled too. "Nothing more for you to do here, Junior Brother Deng. Go on and talk."
Only then did Deng Qing leave with Li Cheng.
Once they reached a quiet spot, Li Cheng asked, "Senior Brother Deng, what were you doing there?"
"Earning money."
"You earn money doing that?"
"Last night, I spent the whole night hauling sacks."
It was true.
A few days earlier, he had gone to Tianshun Apothecary looking for work.
Steward Liu had been very polite, but after talking in circles, he had turned Deng Qing down.
As Deng Qing left, he saw a line of commoners outside the apothecary.
Some carried buckets, others damp cloths. Clearly, they were waiting to work in the furnace room.
There was no need to ask how little they were paid. No wonder Steward Liu had been unwilling to hire him at a higher wage.
Li Cheng fell silent after hearing about the jobs Deng Qing had been doing lately.
Raised in fine clothes and fed on delicacies, he had known that a low-ranking Martial Artist without connections like Deng Qing would have a hard life.
But he had never imagined it would be this hard.
A Martial Artist who could kill Monk Tang with one stroke had been hauling sacks yesterday. Wasn't that an enormous joke?
Li Cheng came straight to the point. He wanted Deng Qing to guide him in the Seven Forms of Settling Solitude, and Deng Qing could name his terms.
Deng Qing had even yielded Zhou Fei's head to him, so he was hardly going to make unreasonable demands. He merely smiled and asked, "Enough nonsense. Just tell me whether I can eat my fill of meat."
Li Cheng laughed. "Who do you take me for? I'm only afraid you don't have two stomachs."
Still joking, the two headed toward the Li Family estate. They had just turned onto the main street when they spotted Zhou Tie and Wang Wei coming toward them.
The two walked quickly, unable to hide the excitement on their faces.
Wang Wei called out from afar, "Senior Brother Deng! Senior Brother Li! We were just looking for you."
"What is it?"
"Master's back. He's gathered all the disciples at Celebration Hall to speak to them. Hurry."
Li Cheng and Deng Qing immediately changed direction and headed for Celebration Hall.
Half a cup of tea later, the four arrived. The sight before him made Deng Qing stop short.
He had been part of Celebration Hall for some time, yet this was the first time he had truly seen how large it was.
Nearly a hundred people stood in the vast front courtyard.
They stood in separate ranks, distinguished by the colors of their robes.
The largest group was the sixty-odd Named Disciples dressed in white robes.
And those were only the Named Disciples who received a stipend. Counting those who did not, their number would be greater still.
Farther forward stood a dozen or so Initiate Disciples in black robes.
Though fewer in number, every one of them had a noticeably steadier bearing.
Deng Qing knew that above the Initiate Disciples were several Personal Disciples.
But he had only heard of them, never met them. They were said to have promising futures and held posts elsewhere.
Li Dashan sat in the central seat of honor, dressed in a golden robe. His presence seemed weightier than before.
Zhang Yan leaned close and murmured a few words into Li Dashan's ear. Li Dashan swept his gaze over the crowd and said in a deep voice, "Of late, the region has been unsettled, and Celebration Hall has been affected as well.
"You helped the local authorities quell the unrest and have worked hard and served well. As your master, I am most gratified.
"This time, I was summoned by the prefectural authorities and traveled to Liangshan to join the fighting. For my modest contribution, I was appointed Ninth-Rank Commandant..."