A Great Joy for the Yi Family

After Lu Neng fell, only the reek of blood remained in the alley, forcing its way into Yi Yang's nose.

Yi Yang spared the corpse no further glance. Standing around in a daze was the greatest taboo after killing someone. It was no mark of a master-it meant you thought you had lived too long.

He crouched and searched Lu Neng first. A deerskin purse lay against his inner robe, tightly stitched in place and bulging to the touch. Yi Yang slit it open with his saber tip. Four banknotes were neatly stacked inside, each worth twenty taels.

Eighty taels.

There were also over ten taels of loose silver, pleasantly heavy in his hand.

"A County Commandant's underling certainly has plenty of grease to skim."

Yi Yang muttered under his breath, then picked up Lu Neng's Goose-Feather Saber.

The blade was long and narrow, its edge superbly maintained. It felt better in his hand than a standard-issue Heaven Patrol Office saber, and its spine bore the discreet markings of an official smith.

Good stuff.

It would be a shame to sell something like this. Keeping it would let him present a respectable face before officials-and kill people.

As for the three-inch poisoned blade, Yi Yang did not touch it with his bare hands. He tore a strip from Lu Neng's robe, wrapped it in three layers, and tucked it close against his chest.

The thing was vicious, but vicious things had their uses.

On the brutish-faced Zhou Ping, he found eight taels of loose silver and a pair of iron rulers.

The iron rulers were heavy and far too distinctive. Carrying them would be like hoisting trouble onto his shoulders. Yi Yang hefted them, then tossed them disdainfully against the wall.

The narrow-faced Du Sheng was the poorest. After a long search, Yi Yang found only three taels of silver and a packet of medicine for bruises.

"So poor he's made a personality of it."

Yi Yang pocketed the medicine too. Even a fly's leg was meat. An old man managing his household believed in bringing every last grain into the granary.

Once the search was done, he dragged the bodies away.

The far end of the deep alley connected to an abandoned drainage channel. It had once carried the town's sewage, but after the river's course changed, the place had fallen into disuse. The mud at the bottom was neither dry nor wet, and weeds grew knee-high. Even stray dogs could not be bothered to visit at night.

Clothing scraped over the flagstones with a faint rustle. His arms did not tremble, and his steps remained steady as he dropped the three bodies into the channel one after another.

He covered them with dead grass, smoothed mud over them, then stamped down twice. He was not aiming for something seamless as heaven's own robes-only hoping nobody would be so bored tonight that they came rummaging through a stinking ditch.

Then he returned to the alley.

The blood on the flagstones was still warm. Its metallic stink clung to the root of his tongue, turning his stomach.

Yi Yang scuffed the bloodstains with his feet, then grabbed several handfuls of dry soil from the foot of the wall and scattered it over them. He also picked up the broken tile the narrow-faced man had knocked loose earlier and threw it far into the drainage channel.

Clack.

The tile disappeared into the weeds.

The entire cleanup took less than a quarter of an hour.

The Heaven Patrol Office was roughly two hundred paces away, and the night patrol would not pass through this area for another hour.

Yi Yang stood at the alley entrance and listened. No footsteps were approaching.

He wiped the blood from his Official Saber on the moss at the foot of the wall, sheathed it, straightened his old blue robe, and strolled away.

From behind, he still looked like an old man making his way through the night.

Apart from the banknotes, saber, and short blade now tucked against his chest, the night had borne witness for no one and cried injustice for no one.

When he returned to the little courtyard, the lamp inside had already gone out.

A covered bowl of warm porridge sat beside the kitchen door.

Yi Yang stood there for a moment, then picked up the bowl and took two mouthfuls.

The rice fragrance was faint, yet it warmed his stomach more than the smell of meat in a restaurant.

He returned to his room, shut the door, and hid the banknotes, loose silver, Goose-Feather Saber, and short blade one by one.

Then he sat on the edge of the bed and began weighing things up. The County Commandant had sent Lu Neng and the other two not primarily for Yang Shuqing's life, but for the "Five-Organ Internal Refining Force."

That meant the technique had come from a dubious source. The County Commandant himself feared bringing it into the light.

If he had obtained it openly and honorably, why send men in disguise to snoop around at night? Why have gutter scum like Lu Neng act in secret?

With Lu Neng and the other two dead, the County Commandant would not come banging gongs and beating drums to demand men from the Heaven Patrol Office anytime soon.

He would not dare. But in secret, his hand would still reach out to probe.

Yi Yang buried the matter deep in his belly.

No hurry.

Only when the snake leaves its hole can you strike seven inches behind its head.

Early the next morning.

As usual, Yi Yang changed into his Heaven Patrol Office uniform, hung his standard-issue saber at his waist, ate half a bowl of porridge, and headed out for roll call.

He had only just reached the Inspection Storehouse entrance when he sensed that something was different today.

In the front courtyard, the Patrol Guards who normally went about their own business after morning training were gathered in clusters of three or five.

Some lowered their voices but could not suppress their animated expressions.

Some slapped their thighs; others clicked their tongues in amazement.

The excitement was so thick he could smell it from beyond the courtyard gate.

When the Patrol Guard at the entrance saw Yi Yang approaching, he hastily cupped his fists, then leaned two steps closer, his eyes blazing with gossip.

"Sir Yi, have you heard? Something huge has happened with that Yi Family in Cloud Pattern Town!"

Yi Yang did not stop walking when he heard this, but asked, "Which family?"

"Which other family could it be? The Yi Family that runs the cloth and rice shops in town!"

The Patrol Guard glanced around, then poured out his words in a rush. "The Yi Family's young prodigy, Yi Zhanzhi—the seventeen-year-old—has formally entered the Thundercloud Martial Arts Hall in Yunlin County City! Curator Mu Fenghai personally accepted him as his Personal Disciple!"

Another Patrol Guard beside him cut in excitedly. "And that's not all! They say he's already broken through to the qi-blood third level, the sinew tempering realm!"

"Tendon Refining at seventeen! Damn it, how are the rest of us supposed to live?"

"The news came back from the county city this morning. His discipleship ceremony was spectacular. The Thundercloud Martial Arts Hall held a banquet, several families from the Inner City sent gifts, and even the Red Tiger Gang delivered a congratulatory card."

Yi Yang listened without a ripple crossing his face. As he entered the front courtyard, scraps of conversation drifted in from every direction, enough to piece together the full picture.

The Thundercloud Martial Arts Hall maintained strict distinctions among its disciples.

Anyone who had yet to develop blood qi was merely an apprentice, a name on the rolls. They could hardly announce their affiliation outside, and nobody would recognize it if they did.

Only at the blood qi first stage did someone count as a registered disciple. They could stay in the hall to practice martial arts, and invoking the Thundercloud Martial Arts Hall when trouble arose outside carried at least some weight.

A Personal Disciple was different. That was someone a martial master truly held in his hands and polished.

He passed down his legacy, his connections, and his resources.

To put it bluntly, even a biological son sometimes had to prove his aptitude. If a Personal Disciple could uphold the master's standing, the master would practically pave the road beneath his feet.

And who was Mu Fenghai?

Qi-blood sixth level-marrow washing and blood renewal.

In Yunlin County, someone at that level was already far beyond the reach of ordinary martial artists.

The Zhang, Wang, and Li families had to show him respect.

The Three Origins Society, Red Tiger Gang, and Black Blade Gang also had to treat him courteously.

By bowing to this master, Yi Zhanzhi had effectively stepped straight from beneath the eaves of a modestly wealthy town household onto the steps of a county-city magnate.

He had reached the heavens in a single stride.

Many people were so envious their teeth ached.

"Now that's a genius."

"Tendon Refining at seventeen. Curator Mu has a sharp eye."

"The Yi Family is going to rise now. Even the Inner City may not be beyond their reach."

Yi Yang passed them with his eyes lowered and his expression unchanged. The qi-blood third level at seventeen. In ordinary people's eyes, that naturally makes him a genius.

But even geniuses differ. Is he an ornamental carp in a pond, or an old flood dragon in the rivers and seas?

Yi Yang was now at the qi-blood fourth level, the bone tempering realm. His Nine Peaks Saber was only one final step away from minor mastery, and the Five Viscera Inner Refinement Method was also close to crossing its threshold.

Yi Zhanzhi alone was nothing much.

Young men were sharp-edged and liked to lift their chins. Once a blade rested against their necks, they learned how high heaven stood and how deep the earth ran.

The real trouble was Mu Fenghai.

Qi-blood sixth level.

That was not someone Yi Yang could clash with head-on at present.

Now that the Yi Family had climbed onto that tree, any future friction would no longer be something he could casually crush as before.

Yi Yang walked past the Martial Arts Yard.

A few Patrol Guards recognized his surname and exchanged meaningful looks. Someone finally could not resist coming over.

"Sir Yi, your surname is Yi too. Are you related to the Yi Family in town?"

"Is that Yi Zhanzhi one of your juniors?"

"That's quite a powerful connection, sir. You've kept it well hidden."

Yi Yang waved a hand without stopping.

"We only share a surname. There are plenty of people named Yi in this world."

His hoarse voice dispersed into the morning breeze, thin as could be.

The Patrol Guards looked at one another.

Someone muttered, "True enough. Sir Yi came from Three Trees Village. The Yi Family in town is wealthy. They're probably so far apart that even eight bamboo poles couldn't reach between them."

"But the surname is such a coincidence."

"What coincidence? Your surname is Wang. Does that mean the Wang Family in the Inner City gives you money?"

The others laughed and cursed.

Yi Yang had already walked away.

His back remained bent, his Official Saber hanging at his waist. He neither argued nor explained.

At the Archive Hall entrance, his hand had just touched the door ring when hurried footsteps sounded behind him.

"Sir! Sir, wait!"

Sun Hao ran around the corner, his round face flushed and his saber clattering at his waist.

Yi Yang looked back.

"Have the case files caught fire?"

"No."

Sun Hao bent over and caught his breath, pointing toward the courtyard gate. "Someone's waiting for you outside. He says he's the Yi Residence's steward, surnamed Liu. He's been waiting outside our Heaven Patrol Office's main gate for nearly an hour."

Yi Yang's eyelids twitched.

Liu Fu.

That old dog beside Yi Xun who knew which way the wind blew.

He came quickly enough.

Yi Yang slipped the key back into his sleeve and turned toward the main gate.

Outside the Heaven Patrol Office, Liu Fu wore a respectable blue cotton robe, with a copper Yi Residence steward's badge at his waist and a food box in his hand.

When he saw Yi Yang emerge, he hurried forward, bowing far lower than he had last time in Three Trees Village.

"Elder Master, this humble servant pays his respects."

Yi Yang looked at him without speaking.

Sweat beaded at Liu Fu's temples, and he redoubled his smiles.

"The Second Master is hosting a banquet at the residence today to celebrate Young Master Zhan Zhi's acceptance as a disciple. He said that family ought to celebrate together, and specially sent this servant to invite you to honor us with your presence."

He offered the food box.

"These are osmanthus cakes made at the residence this morning. The Second Master said you enjoy sweets."

Yi Yang looked at the box.

The fragrance of osmanthus drifted through its seams, rich and sweet. It smelled rather good.

It was just laughable.

Since when did Yi Xun remember whether he liked sweets?

They had been brothers for sixty years, and the man probably could not even say for certain which month his birthday fell in.

Now he had learned to send pastries.

Human warmth, when it arrived too late, was liable to turn sour.

Yi Yang remained silent for a moment.

"What time?"

Liu Fu was overjoyed and bowed another half-inch lower.

"Today in the late afternoon, between three and five. The banquet is already prepared, and many distinguished guests from town will attend. The Second Master said that since you now serve in the Heaven Patrol Office, this would be a fine opportunity to make their acquaintance."

Make their acquaintance?

Yi Yang sneered inwardly.

Yi Zhanzhi had secured his master, and the Yi Family was riding high.

Yi Xun had probably been nursing his resentment ever since Yi Yang rebuffed him in Three Trees Village a few days ago.

Inviting him now was merely a way to show him what it meant to be the Thundercloud Martial Arts Hall's Personal Disciple, and what it meant to have a Qi-Blood Sixth Level backer.

And, along the way, to tell him: You're just an old man looking after case files in the Archive Hall. Don't go thinking you're some grand dish at the feast.

Liu Fu was still smiling ingratiatingly, holding out the food box until his arms were nearly aching.

At last, Yi Yang took it.

"Understood."

Liu Fu breathed a sigh of relief and hastily asked, "Then shall this servant report to the Second Master that you will certainly attend this afternoon?"

Food box in hand, Yi Yang turned and went back through the gate.

"If I have the time."

Liu Fu's smile froze on his face. For a long while, he could not find a word to say.