Little Ziye Had Grown Up

Dusk fell, and the blazing sun was about to set.

Before the mountain forest, the bandit chief trembled violently at Li Ziye's question.

He had actually recognized that stone as blazing fire iron essence.

"How did you recognize it?"

The bandit chief raised his head and looked at the youth before him, his voice low.

"I'm the one asking questions now."

Li Ziye waved the sword in his hand. "You'd better cooperate. My patience is very limited."

"The Yin Clan!"

The bandit chief clenched his fists. "I stole the blazing fire iron essence from the Yin Clan."

"The Yin Clan?"

Li Ziye frowned, then seemed to recall something. "You mean the Yin Clan behind the Yin Family Bank in the capital?" he asked in surprise.

He remembered that the Yin Clan had been among the three choices the Third Prince had given him.

"Yes."

The bandit chief answered darkly, then fell silent, saying not another word.

"With the Yin Clan's power, an ordinary person couldn't possibly steal a treasure like that. What exactly is your connection to them?" Li Ziye asked with a frown.

"Is that your second question?" the bandit chief asked gravely.

"I suppose so," Li Ziye answered.

The bandit chief drew a deep breath. "The Yin Clan are my enemies. They killed my mother."

"That answer is as good as saying nothing."

"Be more specific," Li Ziye said coldly.

Anger showed on the bandit chief's face. He was about to argue, but the sight of the sword before him forced him to swallow his words. Clenching both fists, he said, "My mother was the bedchamber maid of the Yin Clan's first madam. That woman was also the one who killed her."

Li Ziye quickly understood the reason. "You're an illegitimate son of the Yin Clan?"

At the words "illegitimate son," the bandit chief's eyes flew wide open. "What's wrong with being an illegitimate son? Does that mean I shouldn't be allowed to live?" he demanded furiously.

"There aren't that many things in this world that should or shouldn't be."

"As long as you're capable, no one can look down on you," Li Ziye said evenly. "But if you're willing to become a bandit, you can't blame others for despising you."

"If I could leave, who would want to hide in these mountains, scraping out a miserable existence?"

The bandit chief's fury soared to the heavens. "That bitch from the Yin Clan keeps sending people to find me. If she learns I'm still alive, she certainly won't let the matter rest."

"Mm, fair point."

Li Ziye rubbed his chin. "Perhaps I can help you."

"You can help me?"

The bandit chief jolted, disbelief on his face. "How can you help me? And why would you?"

"Never mind how. All you need to know is that I can. As for why, there's no reason. I feel like it."

Li Ziye grinned. "A thousand gold pieces can't buy my pleasure. I can help you escape the Yin Clan's first madam's eyes and ears and her attempts on your life. But in return, you must serve me for ten years!"

"Ten years?"

The bandit chief's face filled with anger. "Absolutely not."

"Seven years!"

Li Ziye decided to yield half a step.

The bandit chief looked furious and refused to respond.

"Five years. No less."

Li Ziye held up five fingers. "Helping you escape pursuit costs something too. You come from the Yin Clan, so you should understand that no one wants to do business without a return."

"Three years at most!"

The bandit chief spoke heavily.

"Deal!"

Li Ziye put away the sword and extended a friendly hand toward him.

The bandit chief gritted his teeth and extended his own hand.

Why did he feel he had been swindled?

Li Ziye pulled him up. "I still don't know your name."

"Yin Kuang!" the bandit chief answered.

"Silver mine? Grand, very grand."

Li Ziye's face was full of admiration.

At this, Yin Kuang's expression darkened again. He wanted nothing more than to slap the person before him to death.

"Just kidding."

Seeing that the big fellow was about to erupt, Li Ziye hurriedly changed the subject. "One more question. Since the Yin Clan has a divine treasure like blazing fire iron essence, do you know where to find an object of extreme yin of the same caliber?"

Yin Kuang frowned and thought for a moment. "I've never heard of one. But the Yin Clan's treasury contains an incomplete volume called the Essential Arts of Heavenly Craft. It records many rare wonders of the world. Perhaps you can find your answer there."

"The Essential Arts of Heavenly Craft?"

Li Ziye narrowed his eyes slightly. This was forcing him to visit the capital.

Truthfully, he really did not want to go there.

It was the center of power in Great Shang. Who knew how many people were hoping he, the Li Family's legitimate son, would go there?

Having watched plenty of overt struggles and covert schemes in political dramas in his previous life, he knew even with his eyes shut that the Li Family was now a thorn in the imperial family's heart. It would be fine if they could use it for themselves; otherwise, they would surely only rest easy once they had eliminated it.

His identity as the Li Family's legitimate son made him a glaring lightbulb. So many people were watching him that keeping a low profile was difficult. Once he went to Great Shang's capital, returning would probably no longer be so easy.

"I've told you everything I should. Can you let me go now?" Yin Kuang asked gravely, looking at him.

"Mm... sure. Go back first. I'll make arrangements as soon as possible. Before long, you'll be able to travel freely throughout the Great Shang Dynasty." Li Ziye grinned.

"I hope everything you said is true."

Yin Kuang snorted coldly, then turned and left.

Li Ziye also waved and walked out of the mountain forest.

As the sun sank in the west, a rider galloped outside Yuzhou City, dust billowing for ten li behind him.

At last, just before the city gates closed, Li Ziye made it back.

At the Li Residence, the first thing Li Ziye did after returning was write to Li Qingzhi.

Yin Kuang's affairs needed to be handled properly. If he went to Great Shang's capital in the future, this man would be of great use to him.

He could not feel at ease leaving it to anyone else. He could only ask his second brother for help.

Although his relationship with his second brother was nothing special, his brother was the person he trusted most.

Li Ziye finished writing the letter. Soon, a carrier pigeon flew from the Li Residence's rear courtyard and headed east.

Two days later, on the third floor of the Flower Cultivation Garden, a pleasure establishment by the Xiangshui River in Great Shang's capital, a woman in red approached and handed a secret letter to the man in the room.

"Tower Master, a secret letter from Yuzhou City," the woman in red said.

Inside the room, a young man dressed in a loose silver-gray robe and cloak took the letter. Upon opening it and seeing the handwriting, his expression immediately grew serious.

His third brother's letter.

Under the flickering candlelight, Li Qingzhi read the letter, his eyes narrowing slightly.

After reading it, Li Qingzhi held the letter over the candle flame and burned it. "Hongzhu."

"Tower Master!" The woman in red bowed respectfully.

"Return to Yuzhou City. Follow all of the Third Young Master's instructions."

With that, Li Qingzhi looked toward a nearby desk. He walked over and picked up a wooden box more than three feet long. "Give him this Pure Jun Sword as well."

"Yes, Tower Master!"

The woman in red respectfully accepted the order, stepped forward to take the sword case, then turned and left.

At dawn, outside the western gate of Great Shang's capital, Hongzhu mounted a swift horse and set out on a thousand-li dash toward Yuzhou City.

In the Li Residence's rear courtyard, Li Ziye stayed home for five consecutive days, practicing his swordsmanship.

Of course, the main reason was that Yin Kuang now worked for him. He could hardly bring himself to go looking for trouble with his own man.

At daybreak on the sixth day, a swift horse came galloping toward Yuzhou City's eastern gate. On its back sat a woman in red, her features lovely and her bearing strikingly valiant.

Before long, Hongzhu arrived at the Li Residence.

Upon hearing the news, Li Ziye immediately left the rear courtyard to welcome her.

"Sister Hongzhu."

Seeing her, Li Ziye immediately put his sweet tongue and shamelessness to use. "Thank you for making the long journey," he said with a smile.

"Third Young Master."

Hongzhu bowed and said softly, "The Tower Master sent me here to follow your instructions."

"Instructions? That sounds far too distant."

Li Ziye wore a harmless smile. "I asked you here, Sister Hongzhu, because I wanted your help with a small favor."

"Whatever your orders, Third Young Master, I will do everything I can to help."

With that, Hongzhu took a sword case more than three feet long from her back and handed it over. "This is the sword the Tower Master asked me to give you."

"A sword?"

Surprised delight appeared in Li Ziye's eyes. Anything his second brother gave him was bound to be extraordinary.

That lump of scrap iron he had obtained from Yin Kuang could not be forged into a sword anytime soon. He had been worrying about how to get a suitable sword. He could hardly pocket Old Qin's Azure Frost Sword, could he?

Of course, the main thing was that he did not dare.

Li Ziye took the sword case and opened it. Inside lay an ancient, dark-blue sword, its blade like autumn water, its sharpness pressing upon him.

So cheap... pfft, sword.

"Pure Jun."

By the lake in the rear courtyard, Qin Enuo saw the sword in Li Ziye's hand nearby, and surprise appeared on her beautiful face.

The Li Family truly had hands and eyes that reached the heavens.

The Pure Jun Sword had been forged by a master artificer a hundred years ago and was incomparably sharp. After that master died, the sword's whereabouts had become unknown.

That the Li Family could find this sword showed just how terrifying its intelligence-gathering capabilities were.

"What a waste of a fine sword."

Beside her, Zhang Lata spoke with displeasure written all over his face.

Letting that brat use such a renowned sword was truly a waste.

"But that girl is rather impressive."

Zhang Lata added another remark, referring, of course, to Hongzhu, who stood before Li Ziye.

"A poison expert."

Qin Enuo spoke calmly. The red-clad girl's earrings, hairpin, and even the bracelets on her arms reflected an eerie blue gleam. Clearly, they were coated in deadly poison.

"Where does the Li Family find so many freaks? Even a little girl is this extraordinary."

Zhang Lata sighed. "Judging by that brat's fawning manner, he clearly knows how formidable she is. I guarantee he's up to no good."

"Mm."

Qin Enuo nodded indifferently. She understood something of her disciple's temperament. When asking for help, he had no bottom line whatsoever.

"Sister Hongzhu, let's discuss it in detail in my room."

Li Ziye stepped forward to lead the way, passing by the lake without blushing or his heart skipping a beat, pretending not to see the two sword immortals' strange looks.

After Hongzhu entered the room, Li Ziye closed the door.

Hongzhu was not afraid. On seeing him close the door, a playful smile instead appeared on her lovely face.

She knew the Third Young Master's temperament.

How to put it? He had a thief's heart, but not a thief's nerve.

When he was little, she had bullied this young master of the Li Residence quite a lot.

Only later, after learning the distinction between high and low, had she restrained herself somewhat in front of others.

"Little Ziye has grown up."

Inside the room, Hongzhu glanced at the youth's legs and spoke meaningfully.

The smile on Li Ziye's face immediately froze, and he instinctively pressed his legs a little tighter together.

A f-female hooligan!