Tap, tap, tap...
Ye Xingge stood where he was, watching Ruan Jinyu leave. Constable Wang stood beside him, smiling along, and only turned back once the party had gone far away:
"You brat, are you trying to rebel? If you wanted to show off, you could at least have traded a dozen or so moves for appearances' sake. You knocked him down in one blow-how was he supposed to save face?"
Ye Xingge was about to offer another explanation when a voice came from inside the main hall:
"Constable Wang, have you finished investigating your case?"
"Eh? Lord Luo!"
Wang Shouyin instantly stood at attention and cupped his hands:
"Not yet. I'll go right away. Please get some rest, Commander Luo."
With that, he turned and ran, giving Ye Xingge a look as he went. It presumably meant:
Hurry up and cling tightly to Lord Luo's thigh, or just wait to be dealt with...
After cupping his hands to see him off, Ye Xingge turned to the seated Luo Xuanqing, naturally looking troubled as well:
"Lord Luo, did I strike too hard? Will there be trouble later...?"
"Not too hard. It was just right!"
Only after everyone had left did Luo Xuanqing rise with a bright smile and walk a circle around Ye Xingge:
"Don't worry. As long as someone working for me doesn't grow so overbearing as to murder, set fires, deceive the sovereign or defy his superiors, no one in Yongzhou Prefecture will dare touch him."
"That's good to hear. Thank you for looking after me, Lord Luo."
"Hmph~"
Luo Xuanqing looked around, then raised a hand and squeezed his upper arm:
"Having others look after you can only protect you for a time. If you want a real foothold, you have to rely on your own abilities. Your foundations are solid, but your grasp of technique is a little shallow. Your martial arts rely entirely on your physique and natural talent, and you're using less than seventy percent of your inner force. You'll have to train hard from now on."
As she spoke, Luo Xuanqing gave a light twist of her embroidered shoe:
Crack-
The corner of a floor tile in the hall shattered!
A peanut-sized fragment of stone then shot through the air, its whistle like a stone fired from a powerful crossbow.
Whoosh-
Ye Xingge hadn't even seen it clearly. Only when he heard the sound and looked back did he discover that the fragment had crossed the old street, punched straight through the doorpost of the shop opposite and bored a hole in its wooden door.
"Whoa?!"
Ye Xingge had just put on quite a show and had still been feeling a little proud, but at the sight, he immediately realized the gap between them. He said in surprise:
"Weren't your meridians sealed by Mantanghong, Lord Luo? How...?"
A touch of a master's bearing showed between Luo Xuanqing's brows:
"From the Third Rank, looking at the Second Rank is like gazing at the moon from the bottom of a well; from the Second Rank, looking at the First Rank is like an ant gazing at the heavens. I am fifteenth in the Second Rank. Even with only five percent of my strength left, I am still among the upper reaches of the Third Rank. Did you think you could push me around just because of that?"
"Really?"
Ye Xingge had never seen a supreme master before, either. Hearing this, he was genuinely astonished by how high the ceiling of martial arts was.
But if you wanted to demonstrate, why did you have to step on my floor tile?!
And put a hole in Tofu Beauty's door...
Though he felt a little sorry for the floor tile, Ye Xingge had also come to appreciate the great beauty Luo's strength, and his gaze grew more admiring:
"Your kung fu is remarkable, Lord Luo. You've broadened my horizons."
"Train hard from now on. With your foundations, it will take you three years at most to enter the Third Rank. If fortune favors you, it isn't impossible that you could stand shoulder to shoulder with me one day."
As she spoke, Luo Xuanqing walked back to the table, gently smoothed her silky skirt with both hands, and rested her full, plump peaches on the bench:
"But it will be rather difficult to improve while staying in this little county town. Would you be interested in working for the Judicial Review Bureau in the future?"
At the sight, Ye Xingge could only think that the great beauty's figure was enough to "slay men without a blade." As for following her as a subordinate, he was somewhat hesitant.
He had been in this world for more than a decade, and his diligent study and hard training were certainly meant to help him rise above the rest. But his goal was to become a titan of the martial world, like those land immortals of the Cloud and Rain Tower!
After all, Great Zhou's fatuous ruler had lost half his realm through his tyranny, Great Yan was a military clique that had usurped power, and Western Shu was trapped in its deep mountains, waiting to die.
Whichever one he joined, it would be a case of "abandoning the light for darkness and taking a thief for a father." He might as well carve out his own territory and become the boss, free to do as he pleased.
But in front of Luo Xuanqing, Ye Xingge obviously couldn't say he wanted to be a local tyrant. After some thought, he replied:
"I'm my family's only son, and my parents are still alive, so I'd have to discuss it with them. But if I had the chance, I'd certainly be willing to offer you what little help I could, Lord Luo. Oh, right... did you come here this time to capture Mantanghong and Yang Tuyan?"
Faced with a question he already knew the answer to, Luo Xuanqing looked a little amused and motioned for Ye Xingge to sit:
"Why else? To come looking for a little shopkeeper like you?"
*?*
You're such a tease...
Ye Xingge was nearly bewitched by those foxy eyes, and suddenly understood why the great beauty upstairs called her a "shameless hussy." He sat down to the side and helped pour the wine:
"You're joking, my lord. I'm just curious. Mantanghong is ranked eighth in the Second Rank, so it's normal that she can't be found. But Yang Tuyan shouldn't be all that formidable. You still haven't caught him?"
Luo Xuanqing picked up her cup and took a sip:
"Yang Tuyan probably has a powerful force helping him from behind the scenes. We still haven't found a lead. Ruan Jinyu suddenly came running to snatch some credit, presumably because he's worried we won't catch Yang Tuyan and he won't be able to report back."
Ye Xingge nodded slightly and took the opportunity to continue:
"The yamen often presses me into service, so I know the Four Counties of Hexi like the treasures in my own home. I certainly wouldn't have the nerve to catch Mantanghong, but I'm confident I can find Yang Tuyan. How about I help look for him too? If I happen to find him before Commander Ruan and put the credit under your name, then..."
Seeing Ruan Jinyu thwarted would have Luo Xuanqing so delighted she could fly on the spot, but she still shook her head and scoffed:
"Ruan Jinyu is in charge of intelligence and has countless lackeys under him. If he can't find someone, how could a green youngster like you? Besides, if you run off, who will attend to me?"
"Heh heh~"
Ye Xingge definitely intended to go out, but he didn't press the point too hard. He simply raised his cup in a toast:
"You're right, my lord! Then I'll attend to you first and see how things stand later. Hmm... this establishment offers all sorts of services, though some cost extra. Would you like to see one, Lord Luo?"
"Meow~?"
The big black cat was crouched on the table, swishing its tail. On hearing that an exciting show was in store, it immediately gazed at him expectantly.
Luo Xuanqing looked surprised as well and gave Ye Xingge's face and figure a brief appraisal:
"Oh? What service?"
What Ye Xingge offered was naturally not a special service. He got up, went behind the counter and fetched a cup and a palm-sized piece of stiff cardboard.
Then he sat back down at the table, filled the cup with water, covered it with the cardboard, held it against the rim and quickly turned the cup upside down.
Luo Xuanqing and the black cat watched from the side. Seeing this, she asked in puzzlement:
"What are you doing?"
Ye Xingge raised his eyebrows. "Guess, my lord. If I let go, will the water pour out?"
Luo Xuanqing blinked:
"No?"
Ye Xingge immediately let go. The cardboard stayed firmly attached to the rim of the upside-down cup, and not a drop of water spilled:
"Well? Impressive, isn't it?"
"Oh~"
Luo Xuanqing leaned closer to inspect it, raising her brows slightly:
"It is impressive. May I try?"
Ye Xingge was simply amusing the young lady. He handed her the cup:
"This is called the 'inverted cup experiment.' First, hold it down, my lord, then quickly turn it over... hey, hey?"
Ye Xingge had intended to explain how it worked and praise her cleverness, adding a little flirtatious fun.
Who would have thought the beauty in blue before him wasn't all that clever? She held the cardboard against the rim, but when she turned the cup over and let go, she pulled the cardboard off with her hand.
If he got her soaked, all his efforts to get close to her would go down the drain, so he hurriedly tried to shield her with his sleeve.
But when he reached over, he discovered that although the cardboard was gone, not a single drop of water fell from the inverted cup.
"Eh?!"
Ye Xingge froze and tilted his head to look into the upside-down cup.
The water was still inside, but something seemed to be holding it there, keeping it from spilling out of the cup at all...
Holy shit?
Ye Xingge looked carefully and, after confirming that the water wasn't falling, turned to the beauty in blue not far away, his eyes full of disbelief:
"What kind of technique is that?"
Luo Xuanqing shook the cup, her foxy eyes especially alluring:
"The Cloud-Touching Palm. Impressive, isn't it?"
"Uh..."
Certain it wasn't a magic trick, Ye Xingge was awestruck and thought:
This is a bit ridiculous...
Was this the power of someone at the very top of the Second Rank?!
If a godlike technique like that were used on another kind of cup, wouldn't the suction be strong enough to turn a guy into a twig in three seconds...
"Pfft~"
Even Luo Xuanqing was amused by Ye Xingge's stunned expression. With her Qi meridians sealed, she couldn't maintain it for long, so she turned the cup upright and set it on the table, teasing:
"With a paltry trick like that, you dare come out and fool young ladies? What other little tricks do you have? Show them all to me."
Ye Xingge knew quite a few, but the venerable lady before him was obviously not so easy to fool. He gave a helpless smile:
"Sigh~ Mine are all street tricks. I really have made a fool of myself. I'll punish myself with three cups and thank you for opening my eyes, Lord Luo."
"Hmph~"
The two drank together like this, and soon three rounds had passed.
Luo Xuanqing enjoyed the wine, but she still had official business and didn't drink too much. She picked up the cat and stood:
"All right, get some rest early too."
"All right. Take care, my lord."
Ye Xingge was slightly flushed from the wine, but after watching her graceful, swaying figure disappear, he didn't go to sleep. Instead, he quickly cleared away the drinking things and returned to the rear courtyard.
After waiting two quarters of an hour, and reckoning that the great beauty Luo should be asleep, Ye Xingge went to the back wall of the inn and pretended to tidy up the dried chilies, winnowing baskets and the like.
Rustle, rustle~
Meanwhile, inside a second-floor window.
Hongyu was already lying between the bed curtains with a light blanket over her. Hearing the noise beneath the window, she silently opened her eyes, took a blood-red jade pendant from her waist and held it to her ear, whispering in her mind:
"Can you hear me?"
Below the window.
Ye Xingge was sorting the winnowing baskets when a mature woman's voice suddenly sounded in his head. He gave a startled shiver, quickly looked around, then raised his eyes to the window, thinking:
What's going on?
Could this be the legendary "secret voice transmission"?
Hadn't you lost all your martial power?
If you'd shown a glimpse of your abilities like this earlier, how could I not have believed you?
But how do I respond?
Ye Xingge had inner force, but he had never even seen a heaven-grade art like Gathering Sound into a Thread. He looked toward the window, wanting to speak but stopping himself.
Then Hongyu's voice came from beside his ear:
"Go out first. I'll explain in a moment."
Ye Xingge was somewhat puzzled, but he didn't say anything more. After putting everything away, he made a show of having nothing to do and going on patrol, then left the inn through the back door...