The Liu Lineage's Invitation

By the time the carriage left Qingstone Ridge, the sun had only just climbed over the mountaintop.

Ye An leaned against the carriage wall, eyes closed as he rested. His fingers lay on his knees, slowly relaxing.

Light filtered through the pale brown curtain and cast a blurred patch of brightness across his face.

Coachman Zhao sat outside, raising his whip and lowering it, then raising it again. He could not bring himself to strike.

The horse walked slowly, and he did not urge it on.

He glanced back at the carriage curtain. It had not stirred.

Coachman Zhao turned around and sighed softly.

He had worked for the Qian Family for more than ten years and driven plenty of retainers. Some won their matches and wanted the whole street to come out and watch, boasting all the way about how they had flattened their opponents in two or three moves.

Others lost and spent the ride home looking miserable, cursing their opponents for cheating, the weather for turning bad, and their shoes for not fitting.

But this young man was different.

He had beaten a seasoned fighter with more than a decade of experience, a man at Late-Stage Second Body Tempering.

Yet he said nothing and kept even his breathing quiet. It was as though that fight to the death had had nothing to do with him.

Coachman Zhao gave the horse a light flick of the whip, and it quickened its pace. The wheels crunched over loose stones.

The carriage had just turned onto the main road back to town when another carriage appeared ahead.

Its body was dark brown, its curtain made of fine silk embroidered with dark-gold patterns. The horse pulling it was black from head to tail, with strong, slender legs.

Coachman Zhao instinctively pulled on the reins.

Liu Ruyan stepped down from the carriage. She had changed into a pale green dress and wore a faint smile. It seemed a little more genuine than the one she had worn at the mine, though her true intentions remained impossible to read.

A maid followed her, dressed in plain white with a short sword at her waist. She had delicate features and cold eyes.

She stood half a step behind Liu Ruyan, her gaze fixed on Ye An's carriage.

Ye An lifted the curtain and stepped down.

He glanced at the smiling Liu Ruyan, then at the cold-faced maid behind her.

Ye An could not sense the maid's cultivation. Third Body Tempering? Or higher?

He could not tell.

"Master Ye, why the hurry?" Liu Ruyan greeted him with a smile, as though they were old friends. "I didn't get a chance to speak with you properly at the mine."

Ye An watched her in silence, wondering what she was after.

"I'm Liu Ruyan, of the Liu Lineage in Cangwu Prefecture." She took two steps forward and stopped five paces from him.

"That earlier dispute was the sort of territorial struggle that happens all the time in the martial world. I hope you won't take it to heart, Master Ye."

Ye An still said nothing.

Liu Ruyan tilted her head, her smile unchanged. "Master Ye, I'd like to invite you to become my retainer. I'll offer twice what the Qian Family pays. Pills, a stipend, weapons—whatever you want, just name it."

"I appreciate your kindness, Miss Liu." Ye An cupped his fists. "But my allegiance is still with the Qian Family. Besides, my cultivation is too modest to be worthy of your attention."

Liu Ruyan smiled sweetly, as though she had known he would say that.

"No matter. Whenever you change your mind, Master Ye, you can come to me. My door will always be open to you."

That told Ye An what she meant. Liu Ruyan wanted to recruit him for herself, not for the Liu Lineage. But whoever was asking, he had no intention of choosing sides lightly.

Ye An glanced at Coachman Zhao. Understanding at once, the coachman gave the reins a gentle tug, and the carriage began to roll forward.

Just then, the maid behind Liu Ruyan stepped forward. Her hand settled on the short sword at her waist, and a murderous air slowly spread from her.

"Stop!"

Coachman Zhao's hand jerked, nearly letting the reins slip free.

"Cuiwei!" Liu Ruyan's voice rose sharply. "Stand down!"

The maid stopped and looked back at Liu Ruyan. Seeing the chill in her mistress's eyes, Cuiwei retreated and lowered her head.

"Master Ye, I've failed to discipline her. Forgive the discourtesy." Liu Ruyan turned back, her smile restored as though nothing had happened. "Cuiwei doesn't know better. I apologize on her behalf."

Ye An looked at her without expression and said nothing.

He merely glanced at Coachman Zhao. The coachman nodded, cracked his whip, and drove away at speed.

This time, no one stopped them.

Once the carriage had gone some distance, Coachman Zhao looked back. The dark-brown carriage still stood where it had been, growing smaller until it was no more than a black dot.

When the maid had reached for her sword, Ye An had felt as though he were facing a deadly enemy. She was definitely beyond the Body Tempering Realm...

Meridian Opening! The realm beyond Body Tempering.

Fortunately, Liu Ruyan had stopped her. If they had fought, he would have been in real danger.

The carriage continued on. Its wheels rolled over the paving stones, their rumble fading into the morning breeze.

At the other carriage, Liu Ruyan climbed back inside. Cuiwei stood outside, her expression dark.

"My lady, that Ye An doesn't know what's good for him. He's only at Second Body Tempering, yet he dared refuse your invitation. Let me teach him a lesson."

Liu Ruyan did not look at her. She watched the departing carriage and spoke.

"Cuiwei, how long have you been with me?"

"Three years," Cuiwei answered.

"Three years." Liu Ruyan looked at her. "And you still don't understand."

Ashamed, Cuiwei lowered her head.

"If I can win Ye An over, he'll be a great help to me."

"Someone willing to step forward when you're in danger is far too rare in this world. What did the Qian Family give him? A monthly stipend of twenty taels and a few Body Tempering Pills. Do you think that's why he fought Zhao Heng for them?"

Cuiwei said nothing.

"It wasn't."

"He did it because of the bond he has with the Qian Family. A man like that values loyalty. Such men are hard to win over. But once you do, they're worth more than ten Zhao Hengs."

Cuiwei raised her head. She understood Liu Ruyan's point, but still objected.

"I understand, my lady. But him? He's only at Second Body Tempering. Aren't you overestimating him?"

Liu Ruyan did not answer. She gave a soft laugh.

"Even making a friend of him would be worthwhile." Her voice was so quiet it sounded as though she were speaking to herself.

When the carriage turned into Willow Alley, quite a few people were already standing at the entrance.

The wonton stall owner spotted it first. His ladle froze in midair. He craned his neck and squinted for a moment, then whipped around and shouted down the alley, "They're back! The carriage is back!"

His shout was like poking a hornet's nest.

People poured out from every direction. Old Chen, the tofu seller, set down his shoulder pole. Auntie Wang ran over carrying the wooden basin she had been washing clothes in. Even the old man at the end of the alley, who spent all day sunning himself in a wicker chair, came out leaning on his cane.

"I heard Shopkeeper Ye's youngest son went to fight for the Qian Family?"

"That's what I heard too. His opponent was supposed to be some fierce brute who's been fighting for more than ten years."

"Ah, young Ye's only been training for a few months, and he dared get mixed up in something like this. I don't like his chances."

"People who train in martial arts aren't like us."

"How are they different? They've still got two arms and two legs. I heard Zhao Heng can snap a tree as thick as a bowl with one punch. Could Ye An's little frame take that?"

Some sympathized, some analyzed the situation, and some secretly took pleasure in his misfortune. Whispers rose from every direction like a swarm of buzzing flies.

The carriage stopped outside the Ye Family home.

Ye An lifted the curtain and stepped down. There were several tears in his clothes, and his hair was somewhat disheveled.

But the people of Willow Alley saw that he had come back in one piece.

For a moment, the alley fell silent.

Then the chatter started again.

"He's all right? Did he win?"

"No idea... But he walked down himself. Nobody had to carry him."

"So he won?"

"Not necessarily... Maybe he lost but wasn't hurt?"

Ye Ping was the first to rush out of the courtyard.

He wore a long gray cloth robe and gripped a book so tightly that its pages had crumpled.

A closer look showed that Ye Ping's eyes were a little red, likely from worrying about Ye An. He stood at the gate and looked his younger brother up and down.

Ye An nodded to his eldest brother to show that he was fine.

Ye Ping grabbed him by the shoulders and looked him over again. Once he was sure nothing was wrong, he let out a breath.

"Come in."

Ye Shouzhuo stood at the door of the main room, account book still in hand. There was no business to attend to, but he had been pretending to work through the accounts to keep his mind occupied. Hearing the commotion, he rushed out without even putting the book down.

When he saw Ye An unharmed, his lips trembled, and for a long while he could not say a word.

Ye Ning stood in the middle of the courtyard. His face betrayed little, but that did not mean he had not been worried about Ye An.

Ye An stood before the three of them.

"Dad, eldest brother, second brother. I'm back."

Ye Shouzhuo spoke first, his voice strained. "Where are you hurt?"

"My side. Just a bruise."

"And your bones?"

"They're fine."

Whether from relief or lingering fear, Ye Shouzhuo's voice shook.

Ye Ping rested a hand on Ye An's shoulder and squeezed a little harder than usual.

"I don't know whether Zhao Heng will come looking for trouble afterward, but you still need to be careful," Ye Ping warned, his face full of worry.

Ye An looked at his eldest brother and smiled sincerely.

"It's all right. Zhao Heng won't have another chance."

The courtyard fell silent for a moment.

The account book Ye Shouzhuo had just picked up dropped to the ground. Ye Ping's hand froze in midair. Both men stared at Ye An, wanting to confirm that he meant what they thought he did.

Ye Ning understood first. As a martial artist, he knew what Ye An meant by "won't have another chance."

"Good." Ye Shouzhuo said only that one word. Nothing more was needed.

Ye Ping withdrew his hand and studied Ye An gravely, then gave him a firm nod.

Ye An had done the right thing. An opponent who struck to kill had to be met in kind.

Ye Ning turned and headed for the courtyard gate.

"Second brother," Ye An called.

Ye Ning stopped, keeping his back to the three of them.

"Where are you going?"

"The Martial Hall."

With that, Ye Ning left without another pause.

Ye An watched him go, the corners of his mouth lifting. The Martial Hall? If he'd wanted to go there to train, he would have gone long ago. Did he have to wait until he'd seen me come home safe? My second brother really is one of a kind.

Ye Shouzhuo stood at the door of the main room, looking at his youngest son.

Only a few months ago, the boy had crouched behind the general store, poking at paving stones. Now he could defeat a seasoned fighter at Late-Stage Second Body Tempering in a fight to the death.

Old Ye's eyes shone with relief and pride.

"You've grown up."

"Get some rest." Ye Ping patted Ye An's shoulder once more, then left as well.

Ye An stood alone in the courtyard.

He recalled Liu Ruyan's words: "Whenever you change your mind, Master Ye, you can come to me."

If Ye An had to put it into words, he would say that the prettier a woman was, the more dangerous she could be. At the mine, Liu Ruyan had smiled as she sent someone to steal his livelihood. Then she had turned around and smiled as she invited him to join her. Someone like that could turn on you faster than she could turn a page.

Ye An turned and went back inside.

[Azure Cloud Finger (Third Layer): 81/500]

[Qi-Nourishing Formula (Penetration): 29/300]

Next, he would devote everything he had to reaching Third Body Tempering.