Chapter 80

Chapter 80

"Clerk Shen!" Qin Shisong had been waiting specifically at the entrance of the government office and called out to Shen Yuan.

"Good morning, Captain Qin," Shen Yuan greeted him with a smile, casually asking about Qin Xiaoyuan, "How has Little Yuan been lately?"

Qin Shisong handed a small bamboo basket to Shen Yuan and said with a smile, "He’s up before the sun and still at it long after dark. He spends all day carving wood and has stained a bunch of those carvings in various colors. He doesn’t seem tired at all; he’s got a scary amount of energy."

"These are the ones he thought were good. Hearing that you have younger siblings, he asked me to bring them back for you."

Shen Yuan took the small bamboo basket and lifted the lid. Inside was a pile of various small animals painted in different colors.

He picked out a yellow-green bird; the color transition was smooth and natural, and its chubby body was incredibly cute.

"How beautiful!"

Shen Yuan affirmed, "Dongdong and the kids will love them!"

"By the way, Captain Qin, come with me to the Storytellers' Guild in a bit. Little Yuan's birthday is coming up, and I've prepared a gift for him. It just arrived yesterday, so you can take it back to him."

Qin Shisong was somewhat surprised. "Little Yuan told you when his birthday is?"

Shen Yuan nodded. "Yes. The day I went to your house, I mentioned my younger brother's birthday was coming up and that I wanted to ask him to carve a wooden figure for him. I casually asked when his birthday was, and he said October 10th. My fourth brother's is October 23rd, so their birthdays are quite close."

Shen Yuan looked at Qin Shisong and asked, "Captain Qin, you don't look so good. Is there something wrong with Little Yuan's birthday?"

Qin Shisong let out a long sigh. "Five years ago, I had just returned from the battlefield. At that time, the Kingdom of Wu was in complete shambles, and Qingyun County was even worse than it is now. There were numerous brigands in the mountains and countless pirates on the rivers."

Qingyun County had both mountains and rivers; Shen Yuan could imagine how chaotic it must have been.

Even now, it didn't seem particularly stable.

"Apricot Blossom Village is near the county seat but not within the city walls, so the village suffered calamities every few days. The day I arrived home happened to be Little Yuan's birthday, and the family had specially bought some meat. Before the meat could even hit the pot, the bandits arrived. Little Yuan hid the meat inside his clothes and crouched on the ground."

"The village had been plundered repeatedly, and every household had been bled dry. Unable to find anything, the bandits were unsatisfied and began killing people to vent their anger. While dragging Little Yuan, they discovered the meat he had hidden. This enraged them. My brother and sister-in-law shielded Little Yuan and were murdered. When I reached home..."

Qin Shisong's voice choked up, his eyes turning red as he suppressed his tears and his hatred for the bandits. "When I reached home, what I saw were the corpses of my brother, sister-in-law, and parents, and Little Yuan, his legs hacked away. The bandits thought he was dead, but Little Yuan survived."

"Since then, Little Yuan has never celebrated his birthday, nor does he ever mention that day again."

Shen Yuan frowned and said softly, "I'm sorry for poking at an old wound."

"It's alright. Five years have passed. It kills me that I can't just wipe them all out; time and again, I can only watch helplessly as they butcher my loved ones and just walk away."

Qin Shisong's hatred for the bandits was overwhelming, yet he was powerless.

He quickly composed his emotions, his tone becoming a bit lighter as he said to Shen Yuan, "The fact that Little Yuan could mention his birthday to you suggests he has found some peace. Given how he was before, I was truly afraid that one day I'd wake up and find him gone."

"Clerk Shen, I truly owe you one."

Qin Shisong cupped his hands toward Shen Yuan and gave a deep bow.

He thought to himself that Little Yuan's change in perspective had a great deal to do with the work Shen Yuan had given him.

Shen Yuan's gift for Qin Xiaoyuan was a wheelchair.

After returning from the Qin house, he had drawn a blueprint and went to see Xu Dagui.

Although it was a bit stiff, it was still quite good; at the very least, moving around the Qin family courtyard would be no problem at all. Sitting in it, Qin Xiaoyuan wouldn't have to prop himself up to open the door or crawl up to the stove.

Shen Yuan gave the blueprint for the wheelchair to Xu Dagui.

"Take it back for Little Yuan to try. If there are any problems, go to Osmanthus Village to find the carpenter, Xu Dagui. He will check it for you."

Qin Shisong didn't know what to say, so he could only shout, "Clerk Shen, from now on, if you ever need anything, I've got your back!"

Qin Xiaoyuan switched to the wheelchair and circled the courtyard several times.

The wood was heavy, and it required a lot of strength to roll, but he was still happy and satisfied.

The range of his movement had expanded significantly.

The feeling of sitting in a chair was far, far better than being on a wooden board.

...

The story of "The Swordsman" had reached its midpoint.

The patrons gathered at the tea house, focusing all their attention on the finale of the Great Martial Arts Assembly at Wuyu Mountain.

Shen Yuan's voice rose and fell in tempo, and the hearts of the listeners were in their throats along with his narration, wanting to know if anything had happened to Liu Qingyu.

She was still pregnant and was still a novice in her techniques; everyone was afraid she might die.

Inside a dark pit, the missing disciples from various sects were all gathered here.

Their internal energy had long been dissipated, and they leaned weakly against the stone walls.

With Liu Qingyu's meager level of power, it made no difference whether it was neutralized or not; she didn't even understand how she had been captured.

Previously, she had often been locked in the cellar by Lady Liu, so she was already accustomed to the current scene.

Even in the dim light, she could move about freely.

Many people saw a frail, pregnant woman walking past and thought their eyes were playing tricks on them due to hunger, assuming it was a hallucination.

Liu Qingyu walked back and forth, trying to find an exit.

Even if it were just a single vine, she could climb her way out.

Unfortunately, there was nothing.

Outside, Han Ying’s group of five were also searching everywhere for Liu Qingyu. Fearing an accident if they acted alone, Han Ying stayed with the two Zhao siblings while Lu Shuitan and Chen Ranfeng searched elsewhere.

Wuyu Mountain was vast with many fierce beasts in the forests, so Han Ying urged the Zhao siblings to be extra cautious.

The further they went inside, the more humid it became, and mist even began to permeate the air.

Through the haze, Han Ying seemed to see his martial uncle and led the Zhao siblings to follow.

The further they walked, the more something felt wrong; the mist was becoming incredibly thick.

Zhao Yue warned, "There's something wrong with the mist here."

The three of them began to circulate their inner qi to form a protective barrier, minimizing the inhalation of the mist as much as possible.

The Zhao siblings truly couldn't take it anymore and found a place to hide first, while Han Ying continued to follow the figure ahead.

Arriving at a hidden cave, Han Ying listened intently.

Shen Yuan lowered his voice and the atmosphere grew tense as the tea guests held their breath, waiting to hear what came next.

"It turned out that the martial uncle of the Unity Sword Sect had colluded with outsiders, seeking to obtain the Heart Sutra, and had captured all the outstanding disciples of various sects. Using an unorthodox method of absorbing internal energy, he drained all the disciples' internal energy, converting it into his own power."

Upon learning the truth, Han Ying suppressed his anger and quickly left.

Han Ying would never have imagined that his usually kind and amiable martial uncle was actually someone who would betray his sect and his country.

He needed to inform his master immediately.

What Han Ying didn't expect was that when he went to find his master, the latter actually knocked him unconscious with a single palm strike.

The tea guests gasped at this point, very curious why Han Ying's master would treat him this way.

Hadn't they been on good terms before, with the master thinking highly of this disciple?

But remembering that Han Ying was disguised, the tea guests speculated that perhaps that was why he wasn't recognized immediately, mistaken for a villain, and thus subdued in time.

Upon waking, Han Ying found himself locked in a secret chamber, with two people talking. They hadn't noticed he was awake.

Those two were his master and his martial uncle.

Han Ying held his breath and listened intently.

Only then did he realize these two were impostors! Where had his real master and martial uncle gone?

The tea guests also widened their eyes. Right, where had Master Han's master and martial uncle gone? Could something have happened to them?

Shen Yuan's voice continued, and the tea guests involuntarily breathed a sigh of relief.

Good, there was still more to hear.

Back in the pit, Liu Qingyu ran back and forth, directing everyone to dig.

Earlier, while walking around, Liu Qingyu had discovered an old man holding firewood, moving cautiously.

The old man didn't seem like a martial artist at all. Upon asking, Liu Qingyu learned he was a villager from the foot of the mountain who had come up to gather firewood. He didn't know how he ended up seeing a group of people, being discovered, and then appearing here.

Knowing Liu Qingyu was looking for an exit, the old man advised her to rest.

Apart from digging a tunnel out, the only other way was to fly out of the cave mouth; there was no other method.

If they had internal energy, they could indeed fly out by using it as leverage.

But now, with no one having internal energy, the second path was completely impossible.

Since that path was blocked, they could only take the first.

Liu Qingyu asked the old man, "Uncle, do you know what's outside this pit? If we really dig a tunnel, can you tell which direction to dig?"

Because Liu Qingyu was heavily pregnant and posed no threat, plus she initiated conversation, the old man wasn't too wary or afraid of her. He nodded and said, "Of course I know. I've lived on Mount Wuyu for decades. Since I was little, I've been going into the mountains with my dad to gather firewood and with my mom to dig for wild vegetables. I could walk this path with my eyes closed."

Hearing this, Liu Qingyu felt it could work. So, with her big belly, she raised her arm and rallied everyone, "Fellow heroes, in the prime of our lives, we can't just wait to die in this pit! I just met an old man from the foot of the mountain. He said if we can dig a tunnel, we can get out! Even better, the old man knows which direction to dig. As long as we dig a path, we can all escape this deadly pit!"

The old man clutched his firewood, trembling. He had said that, but... but how could they possibly really dig a tunnel out?

At first, the people from the various sects remained unmoved. It was easier said than done.

Liu Qingyu didn't give up. "If we try, we might not succeed, but if we don't try, we will definitely fail. When there's a sliver of hope, why should we just give up?"

"But we have no internal energy left. We can't hold on. How far could we possibly dig?"

Liu Qingyu said, "Without internal energy, have you lost your blades, your swords, your hands and feet, your courage too? Were you born with internal energy? Do you live only by relying on it?"

"If one person can't hold on, if two can't, there are dozens of people in this pit. If we unite and dig forward together, could it really be that there's no hope at all?"

Everyone fell silent. After who knows how long, a young voice asked, "Where do we dig from?"

The old man hadn't expected them to actually take action. Hope also ignited in his heart.

Liu Qingyu began directing the tunnel digging. All the proud talents of the various sects took their beloved weapons and started digging the tunnel.

No one knew how long they dug, utterly exhausted.

Liu Qingyu was also parched and hoarse, but she forced herself to stay spirited and encouraged everyone.

Finally, a cheer came from the front. "I see light!"

"Quick! Keep digging!"

Outside, daylight was bright. Inside the pit, no one knew how many days had passed.

Liu Qingyu sat wearily on the grass, patted her belly lightly, and chuckled. "Child, your mother and you have escaped another calamity."

Just as everyone relaxed, the bell for the martial arts competition rang out across Mount Wuyu.

Even though each sect had missing disciples, the competition had to proceed as usual to select the Martial Arts Alliance Leader.

In the secret chamber, Han Ying used the flying needles Zhao Fan had given him to knock out the two men impersonating his master and martial uncle. When leaving, he conveniently closed the secret chamber's mechanism door, trapping the two inside.

Hearing the bell outside, Han Ying hurried towards the competition grounds.

Based on the conversation he overheard, the two had put a foreign poison in everyone's food, colorless and odorless. Ingesting it wouldn't cause immediate harm, but if one used their internal energy, they would explode and die.

Because Liu Qingyu was missing, he and the others had gone out searching and hadn't eaten that meal, thus avoiding the trap.

Zhao Yue and her brother had been searching the dense forest for Han Ying and Liu Qingyu. Hearing the bell, they thought if Han Ying heard it, given his nature, he would likely go.

Finding one person was better than none. Everyone headed towards the competition arena.

At the Pang residence, after listening to his servant recount the day's content of *The Swordsman*, Magistrate Pang broke out in a cold sweat.

That Shen Yuan must know something!

Xie Yulin valued him so highly; he must have uncovered something and told Shen Yuan.

The impersonated master and martial uncle of the Unity Sword Sect betraying their fellow disciples and their country—wasn't that a hint?

Those who have done wrong feel extremely guilty.

Magistrate Pang was exactly like that.

He was already convinced Shen Yuan knew his secret.

Even though Shen Yuan hadn't given him so much as a glance, and the two hadn't even met again, in Magistrate Pang's view, this was Shen Yuan biding his time, waiting for the right moment.

No, he couldn't delay any longer.

County Magistrate Pang clenched his fists, his mind made up.

He had to successfully leave Qingyun County and the state of Wu.

...

The family of Ji Xingwang's eldest son finally arrived at Dashu Village from the Ji family estate.

After quickly settling in, the whole family began working in the fields alongside the villagers, tending the land.

Ji Yu had two sons and two daughters. The eldest son was thirteen, the second daughter twelve, the third son seven, and the youngest daughter four.

The parents took their eldest son and second daughter to the fields, while the third son stayed back at their place with the youngest daughter to tidy up the house.

Shen Xi, having new playmates, would always pull them along to play.

Ji Xiaotian and Ji Xiaoyue dared not disobey Shen Xi, agreeing to whatever he said.

They were terrified of displeasing him, fearing they would be beaten and punished just as they had been at the estate.

Ji Yu and his wife were also very worried about their two children, but as servants, there was nothing they could do.

For the first two days, the two children listened and nodded timidly, but later, Ji Xiaotian raised his head and said, "Brother Shen Xi and the others are really good to us. They aren't like the people at the Ji family estate."

Ji Yu and his wife naturally knew the Shen family was different from those at the estate.

The place they lived in now was originally the Shen family's storeroom, but the house was newly built, complete with beds, cabinets, tables, chairs, and benches. They had even built a wooden shed nearby with a small stove so they could cook for themselves.

Back at the Ji family estate, if they wanted to cook a meal, they had to wait a long time for their turn.

So each time, they would make a large batch of cornbread buns at once and make them last.

Now things were much better; they could cook whatever they liked that very day, and the stove was for their family's use alone.

But however good things were, they couldn't forget their status; it was wiser to remain cautious and careful.

Ji Xiaotian and Ji Xiaoyue were still young. They would promise to be good when told something, but would forget it all after a night's sleep.

Early the next morning, Shen Xi stood in the courtyard and shouted, "Xiaotian, Xiaoyue, I brought you meat buns, come out and eat them! After eating, I'll take you to play with Brother Liushu. He's knocking dates down today, let's go eat dates!"

How could Ji Xiaotian and Ji Xiaoyue resist such temptations? Ji Yu and his wife reached out but only caught the afterimages of the children as they raced out. "Coming, coming, we're coming!"

"Brother Liushu, I want the dates from the very top. Knock those down for me, the ones that are big and sweet!" Shen Xi looked up, directing Shen Liushu as he beat the tree.

Shen Liushu raised a stick high. Before striking, he looked down. "Shen Xi, stand farther back. I'm going to hit them now. Watch out or they'll hit you!"

Upon hearing this, Shen Xi scurried back, not forgetting to pull the younger Ji Xiaoyue along with him.

Only when his back bumped into someone did Shen Xi stop and look back, exclaiming in surprise, "Shifu, why are you here?"

"I heard from Dongdong that there are fresh sweet dates to eat here, so I came to take a look." Song Zijuan bent down, picked up a date that was red on top and green on the bottom, gave it a casual wipe, and was about to eat it.

Shen Xi opened the cloth bag in his hand, offering it up like a treasure. "Shifu, don't eat that small one. I have big ones here, big and sweet. Have one from my bag."

Hearing this, Song Zijuan put away the date he had picked up and unceremoniously took dates from Shen Xi's bag.

Master and disciple sat on a nearby rock, watching the other children pick up dates from the ground.

"Shen Xi, didn't you want big dates? Why aren't you picking them up? Here, these are for you."

Shen Liushu climbed down from the tree and handed Shen Xi the large dates he had picked from the higher branches.

The cloth held about twenty large dates, big and red, looking delicious.

Shen Xi accepted them without ceremony. "Thanks, Brother Liushu. Tomorrow I'll bring something tasty to your house, remember to open the door for me."

Shen Liushu glanced at Song Zijuan, then quickly averted his gaze, saying coolly as he turned away, "We'll see tomorrow."

"Shifu, try this date, quick. I picked the biggest, reddest, best one for you." Shen Xi handed the date to Song Zijuan, eagerly awaiting his pleased expression and praise.

Song Zijuan reached out, took a bite.

It was crisp and sweet.

"Delicious."

Shen Xi tilted his head proudly. "See? The dates I choose are never bad!"

Song Zijuan was amused by the child's smug, cheeky little expression and couldn't help but pinch his cheek.

"Shifu," with his cheek pinched, Shen Xi called out softly.

Song Zijuan pinched it a couple more times before letting go and asking, "What is it?"

Shen Xi said, "About that question from the other day, I have a new answer for you today."

"I won't look for Eldest Brother or Second Brother, nor will I seek beatings. I will be like Eldest Brother, making them like me and befriending them. Even if we can't become friends, we should at least maintain surface harmony. That way, unless absolutely necessary, no one will stab me in the back."

"They won't, and I won't either."

Song Zijuan looked at Shen Xi and chuckled lightly. "Treat others with kindness, win trust with sincerity. Your eldest brother has taught you well, and your comprehension is high. It seems I, as your teacher, haven't taught you much, and there's nothing else I can teach you."

Shen Xi pressed another carefully chosen, excellent large date into Song Zijuan's hand. "Shifu, you taught me to read and write, identify medicinal herbs, and understand the customs of other countries. And also how to outscheme others. What I just said combines what you taught me with my observations of how Eldest Brother treats people."

"However, I won't use the underhanded schemes you taught on friends, but I will use them on people I dislike." Shen Xi gave Song Zijuan a sly smile. "Shifu, for the solution, I relied entirely on my own understanding. Does this mean I've completely passed this test?"

Song Zijuan remained silent for a long time, watching as more large dates were added to the cloth on his lap.

He picked up the most appealing one, took a bite, and said, "Consider yourself graduated."

...

Over half a month later.

The Civil Blade members patrolling the streets glanced at the sun and called out to the one ahead, "Captain Li, it's noon, let's go eat at the public kitchen."

Li Baozhu nodded. "Alright."

The group headed towards the public kitchen, all covering their noses.

"The hot season is over, so why does the street smell worse now than during the heat?"

"Yeah, it wasn't this smelly before. Now it's almost unbearable without covering our noses."

"One would think someone spilled sewage on the ground."

"Don't say that—but with this stench, it really does seem like it."

The Civil Blades were grumbling, throwing out all sorts of guesses and theories.

Li Baozhu couldn't take the smell anymore either, holding his nose as he stood at the front listening. The streets had indeed become incredibly stinky lately.

At the entrance to the public kitchen, he saw Qin Shisong showing up with the Martial Blades too, and he quickly put away the handkerchief in his hand. Seeing this, the Civil Blades all put their handkerchiefs away as well.

In the past, there had been plenty of arguments between the two sides over the smell.

Thinking about it now, if the Martial Blades were in the same boat and had the same family backgrounds as them, they would surely make sure to clean up too.

But back then, even knowing that, they were unwilling to consider things from the other side's perspective; all they could think about was finding any possible angle to attack the other party.

The Civil Blades were holding their breath, their faces turning red from the strain. No one dared to cover their nose or even say the word "stink" in front of the Martial Blades.

Qin Shisong approached with his men, holding his sleeve over his nose, and gave Li Baozhu and the Civil Blades a weird look.

"What are you standing here for? Doesn't it stink to you?"

Li Baozhu, who was about to lose it, quickly covered his nose with his handkerchief and asked Qin Shisong in surprise, "You smell it too?"

Qin Shisong looked at him like he was a fool. "I have a nose, don't I?"

The two groups entered the public kitchen together.

The Martial Blades and Civil Blades got to talking.

"Aren't your patrol areas supposed to be clean? Why is it so smelly there now too?"

The Civil Blades thought it was weird too. "Yeah, before, even the smell of horse and cow dung was light, and household servants would clean their doorsteps immediately. Now, it looks clean, but the reek is overpowering."

"It's even cooler now, so how come it stinks all of a sudden?"

"Who knows?"

"What about those narrow alleys you patrol? Are they smellier than before?"

"Yes, it's enough to sting your eyes. You'd think you walked right into a cesspool."

At the front, Li Baozhu and Qin Shisong were also discussing the matter.

"It's been several days already, and the smell is getting stronger and spreading wider. I think something's not right," Li Baozhu said.

Qin Shisong hadn't expected the areas patrolled by the Civil Blades to become so foul as well.

He nodded. "After the meal, let's report this to Magistrate Pang. We should also pay more attention while patrolling and ask around at the households to see if we can find out anything."

After eating, Li Baozhu and Qin Shisong went to see Magistrate Pang.

They didn't get to see him.

A clerk informed them, "Magistrate Pang is ill and not at the yamen."

Qin Shisong and Li Baozhu walked away and then stopped.

Qin Shisong looked serious. "From what I know of that Pang fellow, every time he falls ill, something is about to happen."

Li Baozhu nodded in agreement. "So, what do we do next?"

"I'll go find Ji Pingan and tell him about this. You take the Civil Blades and Martial Blades and start asking door-to-door if anyone has noticed anything unusual at night recently, and whether the smell is related to them."

"Alright. Should we inform Registrar Shen?" Li Baozhu asked.

"I'll stop by on the way and let him know."