Chapter 61

Chapter 61

After a few days of settling in at the magistrate's office, Shen Yuan realized there really wasn't much for him to do there.

Guo Mingchen and Xu Kangfu could handle everything just fine. Recently, Qingyun County had been quite peaceful, with no major incidents. Aside from the occasional friction between the civil and military clerks, things were calm and uneventful.

Shen Yuan had originally thought he could write his stories at the office.

But he underestimated Magistrate Pang and Li Baozhu.

The two of them would look for him whenever they had a spare moment. Li Baozhu was a bit better; Shen Yuan found him quite amusing, though it would have been even better if he didn't show up when Shen Yuan was trying to plot his stories.

Magistrate Pang, however, was another story. Ever since their trip to Wei Xian Ju, he had been trying to pull the same trick again these past few days.

Shen Yuan had already figured out what this Pang fellow was up to and wasn't about to go along with it again.

With no other choice, Shen Yuan now spent his mornings at the office and went straight to the teahouse in the afternoons to write his new story.

Everyone at the teahouse was thrilled to see Shen Yuan return.

When Ji Xingwang heard there was a new story, he jumped up excitedly, startling Shen Yuan, who reached out to catch him, afraid he might hurt himself.

"Xiao Yuan, what's your new story going to be about?" Ji Xingwang asked eagerly. "Even though you can write now, the manager can still transcribe for you to make things easier. When can we start?"

Shen Yuan smiled. "Later, I'll write a chapter and ask the manager to copy it. We have many storytellers now, and my single copy isn't enough for all of them to read."

Ji Xingwang hadn't thought of that. Hearing Shen Yuan's words, he immediately nodded. "That's right! One copy definitely isn't enough!"

This way, he could be the first to read the story again!

A room upstairs in the teahouse had been left untouched, specifically reserved for Shen Yuan to write.

Shen Yuan went upstairs, where ink, brushes, and bamboo slips were all prepared.

Auntie Chun had even specially saved him some sugar-steamed pastry, chilled with ice, and would send someone up with it later to help him beat the summer heat.

Shen Yuan dipped his brush in ink, thinking about the plot.

The Jianghu—rivers, lakes, and seas.

The Jianghu was a mixed bag, filled with the flash of blades and moving acts of chivalry.

Shen Yuan suddenly remembered the day he went to find Ji Ping'an. With just a word from him, Ji Ping'an had helped without hesitation.

He also recalled the scene at the Fan family's gate, when Village Head Liu led the villagers rushing over, saying they would protect him and seek justice for his aunt.

And then there was Xie Yulin's help, which went beyond the usual bounds.

He had been helped and saved by many people.

He thought back further—to when he was carrying heavy loads at the docks, and when he saved Grandpa Xu at the entrance of the medical clinic, and the villagers who eventually rushed forward to help.

It was often said that the people of Wu Country had a fierce and bold character, but they acted to protect themselves and their fellow villagers.

Wasn't this also a form of "chivalry"?

Shen Yuan's brush, which had hesitated for so long, finally touched down on the paper.

However, the specific setting, characters, and events were his own creation.

Han Ying was the closed-door disciple of the world's greatest swordsman. At eighteen, having completed his training, he was to leave the mountain to gain experience, following his sect's rules.

At the same time, Han Ying had promised his master to search for his missing senior brother.

According to his master, his senior brother had left the mountain at eighteen for his own training. At first, he had sent messages via cloth scrolls, but gradually, the messages became fewer and fewer.

Eventually, there was no news at all. The sect sent people to investigate, but they found no trace.

In the Jianghu, as long as someone was active, there would be traces.

Moreover, the sword techniques of their Unity Sword Sect were unique; anyone who used them would be recognized.

Yet, even so, his senior brother had vanished.

Since then, every time a disciple left the mountain for training, the master would ask them to look for the senior brother.

Whether alive or dead, they needed some news.

Han Ying had a long sword hanging at his waist, one he had started forging for himself since he first entered the sect. In his arms, he carried a portrait of his senior brother on cloth. With a waterskin slung over his shoulder and a few salted vegetable buns in his bag, he left the mountain.

After leaving the mountain, Han Ying headed east.

His master had said that his senior brother had gone east all those years ago.

Every senior disciple who left the mountain afterward had to search for him and head east.

Thus, heading east after leaving the mountain had become an unwritten rule of the Unity Sword Sect.

After walking for a day and a night, Han Ying finally saw a small village.

He was tired and hungry, but being young and physically strong, he still had the energy to run toward the village.

The people of Wangjia Village saw the unfamiliar swordsman and noted the direction he came from, which slightly lowered their initial caution.

A middle-aged man at the forefront stared at Han Ying and asked, "Are you from the Unity Sword Sect?"

Han Ying's tired eyes immediately lit up. "Yes, yes, yes! Do you know of our Unity Sword Sect, sir?"

The middle-aged man chuckled. How could he not know!

Ever since he could remember, every few years, someone claiming to be from the Unity Sword Sect would pass through their village.

First, they would show a portrait, asking if anyone in the village had seen the person.

Then, they would ask if the village needed any help.

The middle-aged man waited for Han Ying to pull out the portrait, but instead, Han Ying grabbed his hand and asked pitifully, "Sir, could you spare some food? I'm starving! My salted vegetable buns were stolen by dogs!"

The incident was pretty bizarre. Before he took them out, there was only the large rock he was leaning against.

But after he took them out, a pack of wild dogs appeared out of nowhere.

Seeing how skinny the dogs were, Han Ying ultimately didn't draw his sword—it wasn't worth it over some buns.

Still, having his food stolen saddened him, and he left that sorrowful place that very night.

The middle-aged man paused, uncertain. "Were those... wolves you encountered?"

He knew there were wolf packs on the mountain up ahead.

Many folks traveling that way at night had run into them.

Han Ying fell silent for a moment.

Since childhood, his eyesight had been poor—beyond six feet, everything looked blurry as can be.

At night, it was even worse.

No wonder those "dogs" were so fierce and only howled "aowu" instead of barking.

the middle-aged man kindly brought Han Ying home and gave him cornbread buns and water.

Han Ying wolfed down the food while the man sat nearby, waiting until he was nearly finished before asking, "Don’t you have a portrait to show me?"

Han Ying nodded repeatedly, "Yes, yes, yes!"

As he took out the portrait and handed it over, before he could even speak, the man said, "This is your senior brother, Ling Feng. I’ve never seen him, and no one in Wangjia Village has either. Everyone from the Unity Sword Sect who comes through here asks the same thing. I almost thought you weren’t from the Unity Sword Sect since you didn’t show me the portrait earlier."

"I’ve been looking at this portrait since I was old enough to remember—I practically grew up with it. All these years have passed, and he still hasn’t been found?"

Han Ying folded the portrait and tucked it back into his tunic.

He shook his head, "Not yet."

"Mister, is there anything at your place that needs my help? It’s a rule of our Unity Sword Sect—when we're out on the road and get help, we have to pay it back."

The middle-aged man nodded eagerly—he had been waiting for this.

"Yes, yes! We’re bringing in the wheat. Help me harvest the wheat."

Every young hero from the Unity Sword Sect passing through Wangjia Village ended up having to harvest a round of wheat.

Han Ying agreed without a second thought and went to harvest the wheat right after eating.

He worked hard, swinging the scythe skillfully and fast.

The middle-aged man worked beside him, watching Han Ying with sweat pouring down his face as he focused on the task. He couldn’t help asking, "I’ve heard that wandering heroes in the martial world do great deeds—fighting evil villains and helping the weak. Our village just asks you to harvest wheat. Does it hold you up?"

Han Ying continued harvesting, his hands never stopping.

"If all anyone asks for when I arrive somewhere is help harvesting wheat, I’d be very happy."

"That would mean the land is at peace, and everyone is living well."

The middle-aged man grinned from ear to ear—exactly!

Han Ying kept harvesting. For him, punishing the strong and helping the weak were important, but helping villagers harvest their wheat was equally important.

When it was time to leave Wangjia Village, the man prepared three days’ worth of provisions for him and refilled his waterskin.

As they parted, the man waved goodbye and, after a moment’s thought, shouted, "I hope wherever you go from now on, you only have to harvest wheat and never encounter danger or get hurt!"

Han Ying raised his hand and waved back, "Take care! So long!"

After walking for three days along the winding mountain trails, Han Ying arrived at a small county town.

Just as he entered the city gate, he encountered a funeral procession.

Han Ying moved aside to let them pass, but as the coffin went by, he suddenly perked up his ears.

There was a knocking sound coming from inside the coffin!

Han Ying was certain he hadn’t misheard. A life was on the line, so he stepped right out and stopped the funeral procession.

After explaining that he had heard knocking from inside the coffin, the young man leading the procession refused to listen and ordered his men to drive Han Ying away.

Seizing an opportunity, Han Ying pressed his ear against the coffin and confirmed that someone inside was indeed alive. He tried to reassure them, but instead of listening, the young man’s face fell into a scowl, and he shouted even louder to drive Han Ying away.

The man was acting so suspiciously that Han Ying knew something was wrong.

His long sword left its sheath. The crowd saw only a few flashes of light from his blade, and moments later, the sound of wood cracking echoed through the air.

The thick coffin had been reduced to splinters by the young man’s sword.

The scene inside was revealed.

A boy of fifteen or sixteen was tied up, with a cloth stuffed in his mouth and his eyes blindfolded.

The knocking Han Ying had heard was the boy banging his head against the wood.

His forehead was already cut and bleeding.

The onlookers gasped in shock when they saw a living person inside the coffin.

The chapter ended here.

Shen Yuan rubbed his wrists, relaxing a little, then wrote the story’s title, "The Swordsman," on the blank line at the top.

This was a story about a young swordsman growing up in the martial world, gaining experiences, and evolving from a young hero to a great one.

Ji Xingwang was called up to copy the chapter, and he all but ran to the front.

When he saw the words "The Swordsman," Ji Xingwang thought for a moment—officials used sabers, and bandits used sabers too.

He had heard of swords—they seemed to be weapons used by nobles for self-defense.

Could the new story be about nobles?

Filled with curiosity, Ji Xingwang began copying while reading further.

Shen Yuan habitually wrote in cursive script. The characters in Wu Country were typically square, but these suddenly had sharp edges and curves, so Ji Xingwang read slowly and carefully.

At the same time, his mind was flooded with questions.

A martial sect? What was that?

Secret techniques were actually taught to outsiders? Weren’t they only passed down to descendants?

Hahaha, that middle-aged man was really funny.

Ah, he’s right—if all anyone ever needed help with was harvesting wheat, how peaceful the world would be!

I wonder if Han Ying will ever find his senior brother.

Why was there knocking in the coffin?

That young man is definitely suspicious!

How did the coffin just open like that? His sword skills are that amazing? Where’d he learn that?

The person inside is actually alive? What in the world is going on?

Ji Xingwang was dying of curiosity and kept reading, but then it just... ended.

Ji Xingwang, not buying it, flipped through the pages again—it really was the end.

Why does it always cut off at a spot like this!

Fortunately, having experienced *Love Between Human and Ghost*, Ji Xingwang could now accept cliffhangers relatively calmly, and he urged Shen Yuan to hurry up and write the next chapter.

Shen Yuan wanted to write, but his wrist hurt.

The content of one chapter took up a lot of bamboo slips, which looked pretty impressive all spread out.

He wondered when paper would finally be invented. Using paper would be much more convenient.

The original manuscripts of *Love Between Human and Ghost* were already piled up like a small hill.

They couldn't be moved easily, or they'd collapse.

After finishing a chapter, Shen Yuan spent a little time thinking about the next one. Seeing that it was getting late, he went to the yamen to check in, then went to eat with Ji Pingan, Guo Mingchen, and Xu Kangfu.

Ji Pingan had been so busy he was hard to find these past few days, so it was a rare chance to meet up.

On the way, Ji Pingan said to Shen Yuan, "There's news about Old Man Xu."

Shen Yuan blurted out in surprise, "How is he?"

"He was taken to a salt mine. I'm still following the leads with my men; it'll be a while before we know the outcome." Ji Pingan said, "This matter shouldn't be spread around. I was worried you'd be concerned, so I'm telling you now, as soon as I got word. I won't be at the yamen for the next few days. If you can go to the teahouse, avoid the county office."

Shen Yuan nodded, "Alright, I understand."

Shen Yuan picked Weixianju for the meal.

He had eaten there last time; the food was actually quite good.

Although he hadn't put out any new stories recently, the three teahouses had been continuously performing *Love Between Human and Ghost*. The combined income from performance fees and his cut of the dessert sales added up to a considerable sum.

Due to his status, Shen Yuan couldn't get a table deep inside and had to settle for the lakeside pavilion.

He actually preferred the outer lakeside pavilion; he could enjoy the view.

The only downside was the many mosquitoes; mugwort had to be kept burning constantly.

"Order whatever you want! My treat! I've got money!" Shen Yuan declared boldly.

Ji Pingan wasn't shy with Shen Yuan. He knew about the teahouse income; this kid might not show it, but he was actually quite wealthy.

Guo Mingchen and Xu Kangfu simply followed Shen Yuan's lead, ordering whatever he suggested.

When the dishes arrived, there was fish and meat, including rare beef, sliced and grilled, smelling delicious.

Ji Pingan hadn't eaten beef in a long time either; it wasn't expensive, just scarce.

He picked up a piece with his chopsticks and stuffed it into his mouth, asking Shen Yuan curiously, "How did you know about this place? Did Fifth Granduncle bring you here?"

It had been even longer for Shen Yuan since he last ate beef—back in his previous life.

He also picked up a piece, chewing as he spoke, "No, Magistrate Pang brought me here. He wanted to trick me, but Fifth Granduncle interrupted midway, and I was called away."

The beef was a bit tough, but the overall flavor was decent. Shen Yuan called the server over and ordered another portion to take away, planning to share it with Shen Dong and the others.

Ji Pingan didn't need to think hard to guess what Magistrate Pang had in mind; fortunately, Fifth Granduncle was keeping an eye out.

Shen Yuan took another sip of fish soup and asked curiously, "What's the deal with the dancing girls here? Do you guys know?"

Ji Pingan had only been here once and hadn't gone inside; he didn't even know there were dancing girls here.

"What dancing girls?"

Shen Yuan gave him a rough account of what he had seen at Weixianju that day, making Ji Pingan frown deeply.

After Shen Yuan finished, Xu Kangfu said, "The dancing girls here are all from Westmoon Country."

Both Shen Yuan and Ji Pingan exclaimed in shock, "Westmoon Country?"

Shen Yuan had always assumed they were locals from Wu who had been trained; he never expected them to be from Westmoon Country.

"Starting ten years ago, dancing girls from Westmoon Country have been secretly sent into Wu Country every year. The authorities in Youyang have been investigating this matter, but we never thought a small county like Qingyun would have them too."

Xu Kangfu knew a bit more, as he had previously worked under Xie Yulin, responsible for monitoring this very issue.

Since Shen Yuan wanted to know, and there was nothing particularly secretive about it, he told Shen Yuan everything he could.

Ji Pingan, taking it a step further, couldn't help but ask, "They aren't spies, are they?"

Xu Kangfu said, "A small portion are, but most aren't. The majority are brought into Wu Country as sacrifices, to cover for that small group of real spies."

With that, Xu Kangfu chuckled and said to Shen Yuan, "Speaking of which, Young Master Lin once suspected you, Lord Shen, of being a spy from Westmoon Country too."

The earlier talk about spies had already shocked Shen Yuan; he felt worlds away from all that.

He never expected to be involved in this.

"Huh? Why would he suspect me?" Shen Yuan was genuinely bewildered; he hadn't done anything, had he?

Xu Kangfu explained, "Sugar-steamed cheese is a dessert only the Westmoon royal family gets to eat. You knew how to make it, and you didn't show much fear toward Young Master Lin."

Shen Yuan was truly astonished—they actually had sugar-steamed cheese here?!

Ji Pingan was also extremely surprised. Back then, Fifth Granduncle had suspected Xiao Yuan to that extent, yet didn't have him detained?!

That was too strange. He needed to keep a closer watch and figure out what was going on.