Undercurrents Surge

In the days that followed, Ye An was completely immersed in his cultivation.

[Azure Cloud Finger (Level 3): 108/500]

[Azure Cloud Finger (Level 3): 119/500]

[Azure Cloud Finger (Level 3): 131/500]

[Azure Cloud Finger (Level 3): 144/500]

Wang Jinse was still around.

Wang Jinse had tried all sorts of ways to catch Ye An's attention—bringing fine tea, bringing delicious pastries, telling interesting stories from the martial arts hall, and sharing news from the county town.

Ye An's reaction remained consistently the same, those very three words: "Mm." "Oh." "Good."

The three words rotated in shifts.

Qian Duoduo had passed by once and seen Wang Jinse squatting beside Ye An with a look of utter despair on her face, laughing so hard he almost split a side.

"What did I tell you?"

"Our Brother An is a man whose eyes hold only kung fu." Qian Duoduo waved a hand, signaling that he had conquered a man even women couldn't handle.

"I don't think his eyes hold only kung fu, I think there's nobody in his eyes at all." Wang Jinse squatted on the ground, completely exhausted.

"That's not it." Qian Duoduo pondered for a moment, saying with pride, "His eyes also hold the Qian Family's medicinal pills."

Wang Jinse gave him a side-long glance and let out a sigh.

Storybooks always said that such a young man only required a young maiden to show a tiny bit of favor, and he would obediently surrender without a fight.

Yet why had she not succeeded yet?

At noon on this day, the others were already resting, but Ye An, who was practicing his martial arts, overheard a few students nearby gossiping.

"I heard Lord Gu was injured quite severely and has been recovering at the county yamen the whole time, not even stepping outside."

"What about the Blackwind Stronghold side? No movement at all?"

"There is. Yesterday someone saw people from the Blackwind Stronghold coming down the mountain on the north side, seven or eight of them, riding horses and heading south."

"Heading south? Isn't that the direction of the county town?"

"Unclear. Perhaps they went to scout the path, it's hard to say."

"Lord Gu was injured, so the Blackwind Stronghold's courage has grown quite a bit."

The sound of discussion drifted into his ears in snatches.

The movements of Ye An's hands did not stop; rather than paying attention to such matters, it was better to rack up a few more points.

Anping County Yamen, rear hall.

Gu Changfeng sat in the master's chair, his expression as usual. The bandage on his right arm had already been changed, though the bloodstain was still rooster blood. Since this act was to be performed, it had to be done thoroughly without leaving any flaws.

Footsteps came from outside the door, three long and two short.

"Come in."

A middle-aged man pushed the door open, dropped to one knee, and cupped his fists.

"My lord, it has been investigated."

Gu Changfeng put down his teacup and listened.

"The Zhou Family's dealings with the Blackwind Stronghold go beyond silver and weapons. The Zhou Family also helps the Blackwind Stronghold procure medicinal herbs in the county town once a month, in no small quantities. In addition, the Zhou Family helps the Blackwind Stronghold manage informants in the county town; two people in the patrol squad have been bought off by them."

"Names."

"Zhao Cheng, Liu Gui. Both are veteran members of the patrol squad who have worked in the North Warehouse for five or six years."

Gu Changfeng crossed his hands and nodded slightly.

The middle-aged man continued, "The Sun Family side has been investigated as well. The Sun Family has no direct dealings with the Blackwind Stronghold, but they are extremely close with the Zhou Family. Some of the silver the Zhou Family sent out was borrowed from the Sun Family. As for the Li Family and the Wang Family, no problems have been uncovered for the time being."

"Keep investigating. The Zhou Family, the Sun Family—don't miss a single one."

"Understood."

The middle-aged man stood up and spoke once more, "My lord, there is one more matter."

"Speak."

"Ye An's background has been checked. He's a student at the Green Bamboo Martial Arts Hall, with High-Grade C Bone Structure. His father, Ye Shouzhuo, runs a sundry shop in Willow Alley. His eldest brother, Ye Ping, studies at the county school. His second brother, Ye Ning, is a student at the Black Tiger Martial Arts Hall and has undergone secondary Body Tempering. Ye An practiced martial arts for three months before breaking through to primary Body Tempering, and broke through to secondary Body Tempering over a month ago."

Gu Changfeng listened, combining the intelligence to state the following facts.

"Seven months, from zero to secondary Body Tempering."

"Yes."

"High-Grade C Bone Structure."

"Yes."

"Defeated Zhao Heng."

"Yes."

"Understood, you may leave."

The middle-aged man cupped his fists and retreated.

Sometimes, even in a small place, there would appear those of peerless Bone Structure, extraordinary comprehension, and overwhelming fortune; perhaps Ye An was one of them.

At dusk, Ye An emerged from the martial arts hall, preparing to head home. As he walked to the entrance, a figure flashed out from the side.

Wang Jinse.

She wore the same light-blue dress from their first meeting, carrying a food box in her hand as she stood at the entrance of the martial arts hall, waiting specifically for Ye An to come out.

"Senior Brother An." Her brows and eyes curved. "This is osmanthus cake made by my family, have a taste."

Ye An looked at the exquisite food box; neither did he wish to appear heartless.

"You don't need to waste too much time on me. I don't know if you came because of your lineage or for other reasons, but right now I only want to practice martial arts."

Wang Jinse froze slightly, then burst into a radiant smile. She had let it go.

Wang Jinse placed the food box on the ground and clapped her hands.

"Senior Brother An, do you know that you are very boring? Sometimes you should relax a bit too."

Ye An was speechless, the person before him resembling a naive young maiden in his eyes.

Wang Jinse looked at him and suddenly laughed out loud once more. "Fine, practice then. I'm leaving."

Ye An stood at the entrance of the martial arts hall, watching her back vanish into the street corner, then bent down to pick up the food box on the ground. Inside lay the osmanthus cake, still emitting a faint fragrance.

Ye An picked up a piece and shoved it into his mouth.

Quite sweet.

At night, Ye An sat on his bed, flipping through the booklet given to him by Su Yuanshan once again.

Strength and speed complement each other!

Ye An closed his eyes, tearing that sentence apart in his mind, mashing it up, and reassembling it.

When strength is lacking, speed can make up for it. His strength was inferior to Zhao Heng's, yet he relied on speed and his grasp of the timing to defeat the other party, even if the Qi-Nourishing Formula had played a part in it.

Ye An lay down, facing the ceiling.

[Azure Cloud Finger (Level 3): 144/500]

After today, Wang Jinse would probably no longer appear at the martial arts hall.

The laughter buried in her eyes today was the end of her curiosity toward Ye An.

That was fine as well; Ye An felt no sense of regret.

He had not yet reached the high places, so other matters were not to be discussed.