Chapter 71

Chapter 71

"The Swordsman" had already reached Chapter 7. In this chapter, Han Ying was going to leave the county town and set out once again.

In terms of story progression, this also marked the end of a minor story arc.

The young man that Han Ying had rescued from the coffin was originally the youngest legitimate son of the Zhao family, a family of doctors in Jinyue County—Zhao Fan.

The Zhao family had practiced medicine for generations. Although not a major medical lineage, their disciples practiced medicine in prefectures and cities throughout the Wu Country.

During the wars between the states, the Zhao family physicians, following ancestral precepts, converged on the battlefields between the Wu Country and its enemies from all over.

All the Zhao family's men went to the front, leaving behind only the newborn baby, the youngest son, Zhao Fan.

The women managed the household, leading servants up the mountains to gather herbs and prepare medicines for the official grain supply convoys to take to the front.

The war dragged on for ten years before it finally ended.

But not a single Zhao son returned.

Over the years, the women had toiled and struggled to maintain the household, and nearly half had died.

The once-prosperous Zhao family, with its thriving lineage and many disciples, now had only the fourth daughter, Zhao Yue, and the youngest son, Zhao Fan, in the direct line.

The year Zhao Fan turned twelve, their mother, succumbed to illness brought on by years of exhaustion and passed away.

Before her death, she handed the key to the hidden chamber holding the Zhao family's ancestral medical texts to Zhao Yue and Zhao Fan.

Having lost their parents and brothers, the Zhao family line still had to continue. The eighteen-year-old Zhao Yue told the twelve-year-old Zhao Fan solemnly, "Little brother, let's reopen the Zhao family clinic together."

To reopen the clinic, they needed physicians.

After their mother's passing, besides the two of them, the Zhao family had no other physicians who could hold clinic and see patients.

The siblings had studied medicine since childhood, and Zhao Yue was more skilled than Zhao Fan.

With the reopening of the Zhao family clinic, the Zhao family's unique acupuncture method made a comeback.

Zhao Yue was already proficient in this method, while Zhao Fan, who had been practicing for a relatively short time, still needed more training.

The Zhao family's acupuncture technique could, with a single needle, reduce a patient's pain by more than half. Various injuries and illnesses could be eased by clearing the acupuncture points, eventually leading to a complete cure.

Not only that, it also had a remarkable effect.

It could give boundless energy to those at death's door, and it was rumored to be able to bring the dead back to life.

However, the practitioner would forfeit their own life as a result.

As they say, fate is a web of cause and effect; if a person fated to die is saved, then the one who saved them must die in their place.

To this day, no one had ever heard of anyone from the Zhao family performing this acupuncture technique.

Believers and skeptics were split about fifty-fifty.

Not long after the Zhao family clinic reopened, the household of Magistrate Qu of Jinyue County came to propose marriage on behalf of his second legitimate son, Qu Shiming.

Girls typically started getting married at thirteen or fourteen. For a woman Zhao Yue's age to still be unmarried was unusual, even among major aristocratic families.

Women that old often had trouble finding a husband, and they usually had to marry beneath their station.

In truth, this match was considered the Zhao family marrying up.

Everyone thought it was an excellent match and sure to go through. To everyone's surprise, Zhao Yue flatly refused the proposal.

"When my parents were alive, they arranged a marriage for me in my childhood, and there's a token to prove it."

Her meaning was clear—she was already promised in marriage, and even the county magistrate could not say anything about it.

Zhao Yue thought her refusal would put an end to the matter.

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But the Qu family ignored her completely. Qu Shiming himself went to the Zhao residence or the clinic to look for her every day.

Zhao Fan got into several fights with Qu Shiming over this but could not drive him away.

Zhao Yue was so harassed she couldn't take it anymore, and even going to the authorities did no good.

His father was the highest official in Jinyue County.

He was the local tyrant of Jinyue County, with his eyes and ears everywhere.

A year went by like this, and Qu Shiming became increasingly excessive. Previously, he would not hinder Zhao Yue from treating patients, but now he would intervene, threatening the people of Jinyue County not to set foot in the Zhao family clinic again.

Not only that, whenever Zhao family servants went up the mountain to gather herbs, they would inevitably be robbed on their way back and severely beaten.

Everyone knew who was behind this, but the Zhao family could do nothing about it and had to stop gathering herbs.

The clinic could no longer operate due to Qu Shiming's interference, and the gathered herbs were temporarily useless.

Moreover, most patients who left the Zhao family clinic could not be treated by other clinics.

This was because Zhao Yue used the Zhao family's ancestral acupuncture technique combined with herbal medicine for treatment. Even if other physicians knew the herbal formula, they could not perform the acupuncture technique.

After several people died from being left untreated, someone finally could not bear it and secretly went to the Zhao family, begging Zhao Yue to perform the acupuncture treatment.

With a healer's compassionate heart, Zhao Yue could not bear to watch patients suffer before her eyes and do nothing.

After performing the acupuncture once more, the patient's pain was alleviated. They thanked her and left the Zhao residence.

But the moment they stepped out the door, Qu Shiming, who was waiting outside, pierced their heart with a sword, killing them on the spot.

"I told you, if you don't marry me, you are not allowed to practice medicine anymore." Qu Shiming wiped the blood from his sword, smiling like a devil from hell. "I cannot kill you, but I will kill anyone you treat."

Zhao Yue had no time to grieve; she felt as if she had fallen into an icy abyss. The fangs of a deadly viper were pressed against her neck, and she could be bitten to death at any moment.

Zhao Yue developed a high fever and was bedridden for over a month.

Every time Zhao Fan came to see her, he had injuries on his face and body.

No matter how well he tried to hide them, he could not deceive the eyes of a physician.

Weakly, Zhao Yue gently touched the bruise at the corner of Zhao Fan's mouth with her fingertip. "Little brother, don't go looking for Qu Shiming anymore. Elder sister doesn't want to see you get hurt again."

Zhao Fan was furious. "If it weren't for him frightening you, elder sister, you wouldn't have fallen ill!"

"If you get angry with someone like him, won't you go mad later?" Zhao Yue took ointment and a smoothly polished bamboo slice from the small compartment by her bedside, applying medicine to her younger brother while softly persuading him. "Listen to elder sister, don't go again in the future. He... he's a madman. Elder sister is truly afraid something will happen to you. Don't make elder sister worry, alright?"

Although Zhao Fan was unwilling in his heart, he did not want his elder sister to worry and fret over him, so he had no choice but to nod in agreement.

After a few quiet days, unrest broke out outside the Zhao residence once more.

Turns out, the group of patients who had previously sought treatment at the Zhao family clinic had all gathered at its doorstep, begging Zhao Yue to teach her acupuncture techniques to doctors from other clinics to save their own lives.

Qu Shiming had only banned the Zhao family from practicing medicine, not the doctors from other clinics.

As long as Zhao Yue shared the acupuncture techniques, they would at least have a glimmer of hope, rather than waiting to die or enduring prolonged suffering, clinging to life.

The Zhao family’s acupuncture techniques were only passed down to family members and disciples.

But not all of them could learn it.

Before learning, they had to pass a test.

The test assessed character, skill, and talent—all three were indispensable.

Many possessed only one or two; those who qualified in all three were few and far between.

Even without conducting the test, Zhao Yue knew the outcome: no one would qualify.

Even during the Zhao family’s heyday, only ten individuals had qualified to learn the acupuncture techniques.

And intuition told Zhao Yue that there was definitely something fishy behind this incident.

The patients refused to leave the Zhao family’s doorstep, and the situation escalated until they threatened to take their own lives.

The Zhao family was also at a loss, unsure of how to respond.

With the entrance blocked, everyone in the household was unable to go out for supplies, and food was running dangerously low.

They had tried to sneak out, but all were forced back.

As starvation loomed, internal discord began to arise within the Zhao family.

Driven by the instinct to survive, the Zhao family members started pleading with Zhao Yue to hand over the acupuncture techniques.

Zhao Fan, holding a dagger and looking as ferocious as a wolf, stood guard in front of Zhao Yue, preventing anyone from taking a step closer to his sister.

Outnumbered, Zhao Fan was pinned down by several people, while the aunts surrounded Zhao Yue, using both persuasion and pressure.

They, too, just wanted to survive, having no other choice.

If the acupuncture techniques could prevent starvation, they wouldn't have wanted to pressure the children they had watched grow up and supported through hardships.

During the decade of war, they had relied on each other through the toughest times, never imagining they would fall apart once peace arrived.

Seeing Zhao Fan beaten, Zhao Yue finally nodded.

She handed over the acupuncture techniques so the Zhao family’s doors could be opened and those inside would not starve to death.

At the same time, only Zhao Yue and Zhao Fan remained in the Zhao family.

Everyone else had left.

After this incident, they all understood clearly that it was the Qu family’s doing.

As long as Zhao Yue refused to marry Qu Shiming, life-threatening situations like this would continue.

They took everything they could carry from the Zhao family and left without looking back.

Just as Zhao Yue had predicted, no one mastered the acupuncture techniques.

Not a single person possessed the talent for it.

Confirming that no one had succeeded, the Qu family straight up kidnapped Zhao Fan, forcing Zhao Yue to marry Qu Shiming.

Zhao Yue went to the Qu family alone. "I know your true intention isn’t for me to marry into your family. You believe the rumor that the Zhao family’s acupuncture techniques can bring the dying back to life, at the cost of the practitioner’s life—a life for a life."

Marrying Qu Shiming was merely a ruse to deceive those who also believed this claim.

Initially, the Qu family’s methods were relatively mild, likely because they felt no threat. But now, their actions grew increasingly aggressive, partly because too much time had passed, and partly because rivals of equal strength had begun to act, leaving them impatient.

For Zhao Yue, it was merely moving from one hell to another, and she no longer cared which hell it was.

Everything that had happened over the past three years had left Zhao Yue weary and utterly hopeless.

"What if I told you this claim is false? Would you believe me?" Zhao Yue asked.

Magistrate Qu sneered, "The Zhao family’s deeds on the battlefield have spread. Matters concerning longevity cannot be hidden, not even from those in power, unless every soldier who witnessed it is killed."

"By the way, you probably don’t know yet—everyone in the Zhao family, including its disciples, has died because of this." Magistrate Qu spoke in a casual tone, uttering chilling and repulsive words. "Most of them didn’t die on the battlefield but after surviving, they were hunted down and killed by various factions."

"Unfortunately, not everyone skilled in acupuncture can bring the dead back to life. Those who hunted them knew this, but what does it matter? Miss Zhao, whether you possess this ability or not, you cannot escape."

"Jinyue County is the Qu family’s territory. News from outside cannot enter, and news from inside cannot leave. You are trapped in the hands of the Qu family."

Zhao Yue never imagined things would turn out this way.

The thought of her family members, who had gone to the battlefield to save lives, with more than half surviving and hoping to reunite, only to die in such an absurd and ridiculous manner, filled her with disgust.

After weeping bitterly, Zhao Yue, with a heart turned to ashes, agreed to the Qu family’s demand to marry Qu Shiming.

On the condition that her brother be released.

The Qu family readily agreed.

Since Zhao Fan had never fully mastered the techniques and had never demonstrated them publicly, Zhao Yue believed he could leave safely.

But she never expected that while the Qu family released him in front of her, they would capture him behind her back, nail him into the coffin meant for his uncles, and leave Zhao Yue completely unprepared.

If not for Han Ying passing by and noticing something amiss, rescuing Zhao Fan, he would have been buried alive.

Concerned for his sister’s safety, Zhao Fan, after being rescued, rushed forward and tightly restrained Qu Shiming.

He swiftly drew a silver needle and inserted it directly into the acupoint at the top of Qu Shiming’s skull. Qu Shiming instantly lost the strength to struggle, his body going limp as Zhao Fan manipulated him.

Fearing that Qu Shiming might come to harm, the other members of the Qu family dared not approach.

Zhao Fan stepped on Qu Shiming’s face, cupped his hands toward Han Ying, and declared loudly, "Benefactor, today I have urgent matters to attend to, matters of life and death for my dearest kin. I may not return from this journey. For your life-saving grace, in my next life, I will repay you as an ox or a horse!"

Han Ying held his sword in his arms, blew a strand of hair from his forehead, and smiled with a hint of wild amusement. "Are these people villains?"

Zhao Fan hated the Qu family with a burning passion. "They are utterly wicked, guilty of heinous crimes!"

Han Ying raised an eyebrow. That suited him perfectly—he had come down the mountain precisely to punish evil and uphold justice.

"Tell me what happened. Perhaps I’ll help you."

Zhao Fan never expected Han Ying to offer assistance. Those few words were nothing short of a lifeline in his darkest hour.

Dragging innocent people into this was the last thing he wanted, but his sister's safety came first.

He'd rather die than let anything happen to his sister.

Just like how his sister had risked her life to get him out.

Zhao Fan filled Han Ying in on the situation. After listening, Han Ying only had two things to say: "If what you say is true, I'll make sure you and your sister both live. If it's false, you and your sister are dead."

Zhao Fan didn't bat an eye, shooting back firmly, "I'm telling you the truth. If there's even a hint of falsehood, you can do whatever you want to me!"

Gut reactions don't lie, and Han Ying liked what he saw. "Just call me Han. I punish evildoers and fight for justice—I'll go with you."

"Young Master Han, if I make it out of this alive, I'll spend the rest of my life serving as your ox or horse to repay you!" Zhao Fan's eyes reddened as he knelt and kowtowed with a resounding thud. "My sister is my only family. I beg you, help me save her!"

Han Ying stepped forward and hauled Zhao Fan to his feet. "Get up. Let's go save her!"

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Qu Shiming was sprawled on the ground, eyes wide open and motionless, blood oozing from his mouth.

Damn Zhao Fan, and that mad dog with the sword! Once he could move again, he'd skin them alive!

"Who goes there!"

The Qu family guards, all armed with blades, protected the servants as they dragged Qu Shiming inside.

Han Ying held his scabbard and extended his arm, holding the sword horizontally. "Han Ying of the Unity Sword Sect. Hand over Zhao Yue, and I'll spare your lives."

The magistrate emerged from inside and, upon hearing this, let out a cold sneer. "In your dreams! Kill them!"

The guards surged forward. Han Ying's hand on the scabbard twitched as he channeled his internal energy, sending the longsword flying from its sheath. He caught the hilt, and in the blink of an eye, sword light erupted everywhere. Han Ying moved like lightning, darting through the crowd as the scent of blood and screams filled the air.

Guards lay scattered on the ground, and Han Ying rested his blood-stained sword against the magistrate's neck, smiling innocently. "Still dreaming?"

The door to the secret chamber suddenly swung open, catching Zhao Yue off guard as she was secretly preparing poison powder to kill the Qu family.

"Sister!"

Hearing Zhao Fan's voice, Zhao Yue didn't even have time to clean up the scattered powder. "Little brother, how are you here? Did those beasts capture you again?"

"No, sister! Young Master Han brought me to rescue you!"

After rescuing Zhao Yue, Han Ying searched the place and took the Qu family's account books. Meanwhile, Zhao Yue and Zhao Fan administered a knockout drug to the magistrate, his wife, and several children—enough to keep them asleep for a full day and night.

The rest of the Qu family didn't dare make a move and could only watch as the three left Golden Moon County.

After regaining consciousness, the magistrate didn't send anyone to pursue them. He had been terrified by Han Ying's sword, and with evidence of his embezzlement now in someone else's hands, he had no choice but to swallow his anger.

The latest chapter was about Han Ying fighting a hundred guards and bravely rescuing the doctor, Zhao Yue.

After the story ended, the tea-house patrons erupted in cheers and applause.

Amazing! Truly amazing!

With one sword drawn, a hundred men fell; his movements were like a swimming dragon, swift as lightning!

Not only was Han Ying incredibly skilled, but he was also clever—grabbing the magistrate's weak spot first and resolving potential future troubles in an instant.

"Young Master Han! Young Master Han! Young Master Han!"

The patrons couldn't help but chant for Han Ying. Immersed in the vivid storytelling atmosphere Shen Yuan created, they seemed to see the young swordsman, righteous at heart, cleaving through the darkness to save people from peril.

They also remembered and were deeply curious about the acupuncture technique that could bring the dead back to life, the casual references to hell, and the concept of internal energy.

They couldn't wait to hear what happened next.

The Ji Family Tea House was so lively that even shops across the street could hear the cheers.

Looking at the packed tea house and then at their own deserted shops, the neighboring shopkeepers could only shake their heads and sigh.

What could they do? They weren't running tea houses and didn't have a talent for writing and telling stories.

The top three spots on the leaderboard were almost settled. First place went to a visitor from a neighboring county, whose family was the Youyang Lin family, in the jewelry business.

Second place was Qin Wanjin from the money shop, and third place was Zhao Yufeng from the restaurant—unchanged from the time of "Love Between Human and Ghost."

The reward amounts from these three families were substantial, making it difficult for anyone else to catch up.

Thus, the rewards in recent days had normalized somewhat, not as frenzied as at the beginning.

The top three families kept their daily rewards around two hundred taels to prevent being overtaken by latecomers.

Shen Yuan now held two storytelling sessions per day. After splitting it fifty-fifty with the Ji Family Tea House, he took home around five hundred taels.

Though it was less than the thousand taels per session from before, earning five hundred taels a day was still wildly profitable.

His empty coffers were filling up again, and Shen Yuan thought about saving a bit more to continue buying land.

The gift Shen Yuan prepared for Xie Yulin was a painting of him.

He'd picked out the best silk and mineral pigments he could find on the market, even having someone specially buy them.

Every day, aside from making a round at the yamen to see if there was anything going on, doing two storytelling gigs, and writing a new chapter of "The Swordsman," Shen Yuan spent almost all his free time painting Xie Yulin.

Just sketching and finalizing the draft took considerable time; he always felt he hadn't captured Xie Yulin's aloof and detached essence.

It took five days to get the basic outline down to his satisfaction, and Shen Yuan breathed a sigh of relief.

He decided to take a break. Just then, Liu Rufeng and Manager Xu came to the tea house looking for him, saying that the thank-you gifts for the constables were ready from both the Liu and Xu families.

They wanted to ask Shen Yuan about the next steps—whether they should just deliver the items directly to the yamen for the constables.

They had also prepared gifts for Xie Yulin and the hidden guards who had helped.

However, neither family had any dealings with the Xie household. They rarely saw the guards, let alone the elusive hidden guards. As for Xie Yulin, he was probably even harder to meet than the hidden guards.

The last time someone from the Chen family managed to meet Xie Yulin was only because Xie Yulin had suddenly come to the Ji Family Tea House to see the paintings.

Shen Yuan said, "Perfect timing. The yamen will be finishing up soon. Prepare your gifts, and I'll go notify them. You can deliver the items directly there. As for the Xie family's gifts, after the yamen, I'll take you over."

Liu Rufeng and Manager Xu thanked him repeatedly and hurried back to gather the gifts.

Shen Yuan locked up, waved goodbye to everyone at the tea house, and rode his horse to the constables' office at the yamen.

He wasn't wearing his official uniform, and when he arrived, he was spotted by a passing civil officer who didn't recognize him and tried to shoo him away.

"Get out, get out! This is a government office—you can't just wander in here. Aren't you afraid of getting caned?"

As usual, Li Baozhu was lounging idly under a tree in the office, swinging his legs and daydreaming. Hearing the officer's voice shooing someone away, he curiously craned his neck to look.

"Hey, who's the clueless one wandering into the Blade Division... Whoa! Registrar Shen!"

Li Baozhu bolted upright like a leaping fish, scrambling to his feet and exclaiming, "Registrar Shen, what brings you to the Blade Division?"

The civil blade who had been reminded that this was the Registrar nearly buckled at the knees, almost collapsing in fright.

He hurriedly bowed his head in apology, "I was blind and failed to recognize you, Registrar. Please forgive me, sir!"

Shen Yuan raised his hand. Sensing the movement, the civil blade shut his eyes tight, bracing for a slap.

But all he felt was a light pat on the shoulder and comforting words: "We've never met, so it's normal you didn't recognize me. This is a restricted government area. I wasn't wearing my robes, so your mistake is understandable. You were right to ask me to leave. What's your name? You're quite on the ball."

The civil blade hadn't meant any harm; in fact, he had seemed worried Shen Yuan might get a beating. Shen Yuan wasn't one to mistake good for bad; he could sense the genuine concern.

The man turned red with embarrassment, his face and neck flushing. "I'm Liu Qi. This is just my duty, Registrar, I don't deserve such praise."

Li Baozhu approached now and began flattering Shen Yuan, "It's been a while, Registrar. You've grown even more tall and imposing."

Shen Yuan looked down at himself. "Really? I've grown?"

"Of course, quite a bit." Li Baozhu gestured toward his own forehead. "Last time you were here, you were only up to here."

His hand finally stopped at the top of his own head.

Shen Yuan understood—so he really had grown. No wonder his legs had been feeling uncomfortable while sleeping lately.

He had thought it was just because he was overworked.

It had been so long since he’d experienced growing pains that he hadn't recognized the feeling at first.

"Do you know where the martial blades are?" Shen Yuan glanced around, seeing only civil blades. "I need to see Boss Qin."

Hearing that Shen Yuan was looking for Qin Shisong, Li Baozhu was taken aback. How could those two be connected?

After a moment's thought, he said, "I know the place. It's remote and hard to find. Want me to take you there, Registrar?"

Unfamiliar with the layout, Shen Yuan agreed. "Alright, I'll trouble you then, Boss Li."

Knowing Shen Yuan remembered him too, Li Baozhu felt pleased. He stepped forward, "Hey, no problem at all! Just follow me, Registrar."