" ": !;"
Splash...
The sudden downpour gradually weakened to a pattering rain. Now and then, lightning turned the old-world streets as bright as day.
An Yurou, cloaked and hidden inside a window of a tall building, trained a spyglass on the young wandering hero walking through the rain.
Hou Chou'er stood beside her, his eyes still full of disbelief:
"This kid really is something. How did he dare boast that he'd pass the assessment in three days? Could there be some power backing him?"
An Yurou had also harbored doubts when she heard Ye Xingge's solemn pledge, but after thinking it over, she shook her head and gestured toward a point more than half a street behind him.
"Never mind that we're watching him. Ruan Jinyu, Mei Wuchang, and Gongsun Yanwu have all sent people to follow him in secret, eager to see how he'll show off before everyone. If he dares cheat, he might as well confess without being questioned."
Hou Chou'er thought that made sense and resumed his careful observation.
But after watching for a long while, he found that Ye Xingge was only strolling around. He occasionally popped into a weapons shop, a treasure pavilion, or some such place for a look, but bought nothing. Hou Chou'er couldn't help asking:
"What's he doing?"
An Yurou considered it carefully. Ye Xingge seemed to have kept the Heaven-Obscuring Arm exposed on the left arm he used to hold his red umbrella, and there was an arrogantly swaggering air to his stride. He looked like a young, reckless wastrel. After a little thought, her eyes flickered.
"He's probably using himself as bait, deliberately flashing his wealth to lure thieves into robbing him."
"Hmm... that could work, but the thieves won't necessarily be serious criminals wanted by the Heaven-Observing Pavilion..."
"Alas, catching a bunch of petty thieves and bandits would still count as some merit. It's better than coming away empty-handed after three days..."
"True..."
While the Later Zhou spy team was talking, Ye Xingge had wandered all the way from Azure Dragon Ward to the vicinity of the theater in Return to Righteousness Ward.
After passing through a large ceremonial archway, Ye Xingge spotted a pawnshop by the street. As he had at the previous shops, he closed his oiled-paper umbrella and went inside.
Jingle...
The curtain at the door tugged on a bell, producing a crisp ring.
The shop was fairly enclosed, with a neck-high counter in the middle. Behind it, a middle-aged shopkeeper was examining a white jade hand ornament with a magnifying glass. He looked up at the sound.
"Well now, sir, come in. Are you here to pawn something, or..."
Ye Xingge put down his umbrella, shifted his saber, wrapped in black cloth, to his right hand, and approached the counter with its iron bars. He raised his left arm and gave his sleeve a light shake.
A bracer with a texture like black oxhide appeared under the lamplight.
"I'm shopping around for the best price. How much can you offer?"
The middle-aged man's gaze sharpened at the sight of the bracer. He put on a pair of small spectacles and leaned in to examine it closely.
"This... isn't an ordinary bracer, is it?"
Ye Xingge wore an arrogant expression.
"Would I come here asking for a price if it were ordinary? If you know your trade, name a price. If you don't, forget it."
The middle-aged man studied Ye Xingge's appearance, then glanced at the weapon in his hand. After a moment's thought, he cupped his hands.
"Are you the young hero Ye Xingge from Hexi?"
"Oh?"
Ye Xingge was taken aback. He straightened his back a little, the pride expected of a young man showing in his eyes.
"You've heard my story, shopkeeper?"
"Your name rings in my ears like thunder!"
Sensing that a fat sheep had come to him, the middle-aged man hurried to open a door at the side and lift a board before stepping out. He called for an attendant to make tea and invited Ye Xingge to sit in the tea room.
"In our line of work, news travels fast. I heard all about what happened in Qingxi, and I'd heard of that bracer on Yang Tuyan's arm before. Please, have a seat, young hero Ye."
Ye Xingge sprawled back in a chair and slapped his saber onto the table.
"Since you know where it came from, give me a straight price. There are plenty of people in the capital buying this sort of thing."
From his bearing, the middle-aged shopkeeper knew he was a greenhorn who had stumbled upon a famed weapon and grown rich overnight. He sat down beside him and held up two fingers.
"Would this price satisfy you, young hero Ye?"
"Twenty thousand strings?"
"Heh heh, you jest, young hero. Two hundred strings."
In ordinary transactions, people normally used copper coins rather than silver. A string was a thousand coins, roughly equivalent to a tael of silver.
Two hundred strings meant two hundred thousand coins, no small sum.
But famed weapons were special. Even a completely useless Blade of Collusion with the Enemy could be bought as material to nourish a sword, so its value couldn't be low. A hundred strings was the bottom end of the market price.
And Ye Xingge's heaven-fucking arm was unusual even among them. It belonged to the esteemed category of "special divine effects."
Divine effects of this kind were much like the Flower and Moon Pendant: their mechanics were monstrous, and they appeared extremely rarely. Nine out of ten were ridiculously overpowered treasures worth a fortune!
The Heaven-Obscuring series of famed weapons, however, belonged to the remaining tenth: botched products, no better than blank slates.
But the Heaven-Obscuring Arm was a piece of protective gear. Its basic defensive power was still up to the standard of a top-tier famed weapon, and its divine effect wasn't entirely useless.
For that reason, the purchase price was usually around twelve hundred strings, the highest offer he had received from the six or seven shops he'd visited.
Hearing the shopkeeper's offer, Ye Xingge frowned and raised the bracer again.
"This is a famed weapon. Two hundred strings? Are you fobbing off a beggar?"
The middle-aged shopkeeper sighed. "Alas, young hero, there's something you don't know. This famed weapon really isn't much different from an ordinary bracer. My offer isn't low. If I pay any more, even if I buy it, I won't find a buyer."
Displeasure appeared on Ye Xingge's face. He pulled open his collar, exposing the bandages on his chest and the wound on his right arm.
"I took two cuts for this thing and nearly lost my life. You think those two cuts are worth only two hundred strings, shopkeeper?"
"?"
Seeing the wound beneath his ribs, the middle-aged shopkeeper's eyes visibly shifted. He cupped his hands.
"Young hero Ye, you truly are impressive. Wounded in that spot and still full of life-you're bound to become somebody someday. Hmm... I'll consider it a gesture of friendship. How about three hundred?"
Ye Xingge shook his head, pulled down his sleeve, and stood up.
"You don't do honest business. If you don't want it, plenty of others do. Don't even open your mouth unless you're offering thirty thousand strings."
"Eh? Young hero, are you really..."
The middle-aged shopkeeper was stunned by the outrageous demand and even rose to chase after him for a few steps.
But seeing that Ye Xingge had no intention of negotiating, he stopped, his brows drawing into a tight frown instead.
Once the footsteps had faded away, the middle-aged shopkeeper lifted the door curtain and poked his head outside for a look.
Seeing Ye Xingge walk off into the distance, he told the attendant to watch the shop, returned to the inner courtyard, and entered the alley through the back door...
Meanwhile, at the theater less than half a li away.
The theater had closed down several years ago, and knee-high weeds had grown inside.
The central theater building was two stories tall, more than six zhang in both length and width, and could hold over a hundred guests. Behind the spacious stage was an inner hall where the performers put on makeup and changed clothes.
Thunder rumbled and rain fell beyond the windows. Behind the stage, which appeared deserted from the outside, faint voices could be heard.
"Yong Capital is indeed peaceful, but it also holds countless treasures. No matter how tightly the Heaven-Observing Pavilion keeps watch, that's no excuse for you to have accomplished nothing..."
The speaker was a masked figure dressed in black, reclining in a grand armchair in the inner hall. Before him stood a long table made by pushing three tables together.
More than ten people sat on either side of the table, all with their heads lowered and not a word to say.
Along the walls on both sides stood more than twenty others, heads high and chests out, all carrying bladed weapons at their waists.
The Return to Origin Cult was rather unusual in the jianghu. It had only twenty-eight core members, the Twenty-Eight Mansions. The higher their rank, the stronger they were. Adjacent Mansions served as one another's superiors and subordinates, while the rest had no direct contact. As a result, no one had discovered the cult leader's identity to this day.
The Return to Origin Cult's main purpose was to gather famed weapons, heavenly materials, earthly treasures, and the like. Supposedly, they intended to use them to create a "thirteenth divine weapon."
But relying on twenty-eight arhats to do the robbing was obviously too inefficient, so they had turned the cult into a "platform" to attract people of the jianghu to provide information.
When something was easy to seize, the core members did it themselves. When it wasn't, they leaked the information to the heroes of the jianghu, muddied the waters, and then made their move. Their reputation put them at the same table as demonic sects that practiced evil arts.
The thirty-odd people in the inner hall were all disciples recruited by Winnowing Basket Water Leopard himself and tasked with gathering information.
Winnowing Basket Water Leopard ranked dead last in Azure Dragon Hall, yet he could control Yongzhou Prefecture on his own. That wasn't because he was capable, but because, though Yongzhou Prefecture had many treasures, it had even more old demons on the Gold List. Robbing people there was heaven-defyingly difficult, and he had almost nothing to show for it.
Winnowing Basket Water Leopard's purpose in coming today was simple enough: the head of the branch had summoned his subordinates to reward them according to their performance.
Simply put, it was payday!
Because Yongzhou Prefecture had produced almost no results last month, Winnowing Basket Water Leopard was visibly displeased as he warned them:
"The cult has its own rewards and punishments. Anyone who accomplishes nothing again next month needn't collect a monthly allowance. The Return to Origin Cult isn't a charity hall; there's no room here for idlers."
The dozen or so key members seated there kept their eyes on their noses and their noses on their hearts. No one spoke.
Winnowing Basket Water Leopard said no more. He picked up a roster and distributed the monthly allowances. The cultists stepped forward one by one to collect their money, each remembering to say:
"Thank you, incense master!"
But before the thirty-odd people had all been paid, Winnowing Basket Water Leopard suddenly lowered his voice and cocked his ear.
Soon, a voice sounded outside the door.
"Incense master, a fat sheep has come along."
Winnowing Basket Water Leopard frowned and had someone open the door. He looked at the middle-aged shopkeeper, who was soaked with rain.
"What fat sheep?"
The middle-aged shopkeeper was an informant who usually kept an eye on developments, and he was also the one who had chosen the meeting place. He strode into the inner hall and looked from side to side, wanting to speak but holding back.
Seeing this, Winnowing Basket Water Leopard said unhappily, "We're all brothers here. What can't you say?"
The middle-aged shopkeeper had no choice but to approach and lower his voice.
"That Ye Xingge from Hexi, the one from a couple of days ago, has come to the capital. He's looking for a place to sell the Heaven-Obscuring Arm. He's not yet twenty, he's reckless and arrogant, and he doesn't look very shrewd. He's alone, too, and has saber wounds on his left ribs and right arm..."
?
The Return to Origin Cult belonged to the underworld's lower ranks, and all thirty-odd people present had joined for money.
At this news, the subdued atmosphere vanished. Heads rose in unison, and everyone looked at the middle-aged shopkeeper.
Their eyes were visibly shining!
Seeing the cultists' reactions, Winnowing Basket Water Leopard frowned. He felt that the news really shouldn't have been spoken aloud, and said in a grave voice:
"That boy killed Yang Tuyan and the Eight Pillars Hall spies single-handedly. How could he be ordinary? Besides, he's just rendered a service. Moving against him would be too risky. Leave it for now."
One of the seated cultists cut in.
"Incense master, we all understand how things work. You say that now, then find an excuse to go out later. Wouldn't it be awkward if we ran into each other outside?"
Someone beside him also said, "Right. Why don't we all do it together? If it works, everyone gets a share of the money, and our own brothers won't have to scheme against each other."
Winnowing Basket Water Leopard knew the ways of the Return to Origin Cult very well. Those who joined the organization were all people who cared only for profit. Only core members like the "Twenty-Eight Stars" had any loyalty to speak of; the outer disciples were bound together entirely by self-interest.
No matter what he said now, the moment he went out later, this pack of wolf cubs would surely take the initiative themselves. He could only tap the table lightly.
"How are thirty-odd people supposed to strike together? If we raise a commotion, we'll all be finished. I'll handle this myself. If I succeed, everyone gets a reward of ten strings. Don't beat the grass and startle the snake."
Ten strings meant ten thousand coins, no small sum either.
Considering the risks, the seated cultists were visibly tempted.
But just then, Winnowing Basket Water Leopard suddenly raised his hand again, silencing everyone as he looked outside the theater building...
A little earlier.
Ye Xingge left the pawnshop and continued down the street under his umbrella, looking like a young punk who had just come into a windfall.
Hongyu, who had been supervising from the background all along, waited until he had walked some distance before asking:
"What do you think?"
Ye Xingge walked on through the rain. Only after making sure no one was on the street did he hold up his umbrella and speak quietly.
"Of seven or eight shops, this was the only one with accurate information. His expression changed when he saw my wounds, and he wasn't very willing to raise his offer. Something's off. The theater isn't far from here. I'll check the back alley. If he's gone to report it, good. If not, I can only stand by the stump and wait for a rabbit."
Hongyu considered it briefly. "He's definitely at the theater. Be careful not to beat the grass and startle the snake."
Ye Xingge said no more. He slipped silently into an alley and pretended to urinate.
He had waited only a short while when hurried footsteps sounded in the distance, heading straight for the grand theater half a li away. He couldn't help remarking in approval:
"Oh? The intelligence was pretty accurate."
"Naturally. The Mountains and Rivers Association has disciples all over the land, north and south of the great river. Did you think they sat around eating for free?"
Ye Xingge fixed his attention on the target and said no more. He closed his umbrella and hurried through the streets with his saber, using the eaves as cover. In moments, he caught up with the middle-aged shopkeeper as he hurried along.
When he saw the shopkeeper reach the alley behind the theater and climb over the wall, Ye Xingge approached carefully with his saber, lowering his body as he asked:
"Besides Winnowing Basket Water Leopard, who else is inside?"
"Our informant in the capital followed Winnowing Basket Water Leopard and only knows that he came here after entering the city. He might have a few lackeys with him."
"A few... would killing them count toward the assessment?"
"The Heaven-Observing Pavilion only places serious criminals on its wanted list. All Twenty-Eight Stars of the Return to Origin Cult are on it, but the lackeys don't count."
"Oh..."
Winnowing Basket Water Leopard ranked seventh among the Seven Mansions of the Azure Dragon, making him dead last. Ye Xingge was confident he could handle him, so he said no more. He quietly approached the outer wall, gave a light leap, and caught hold of the top. Pulling himself up, he peered inside...