Chapter 82

Chapter 82

Xie Yulin arrived with his men just in time. He had even mobilized the troops stationed in the prefecture to help extinguish the fires and rescue people, preventing Qingyun County from being completely engulfed in flames.

However, the eastern and western parts of the city had suffered severe damage.

In the eastern district, the wealthy households had large estates, and the flammable oil had been poured outside their walls. Moreover, each family had fire prevention measures like water channels or water vats, and they had many servants. Although every household suffered some damage, none were completely reduced to ruins.

The western district was a different story—half of it had been burned to the ground, resulting in countless casualties. The exact numbers were still being tallied.

The other half had been partially demolished to create a firebreak, which saved the remaining area from destruction.

With Magistrate Pang dead, the Deputy Magistrate was now the highest-ranking official in Qingyun County.

The elderly Deputy Magistrate Wang, hobbling along behind Shen Yuan on unsteady legs, asked, "Registrar Shen, how should we provide for the disaster victims in the western district?"

"With all the wars in recent years, the national treasury is severely depleted. Our yamen granary doesn't have much grain either. With so many victims, I'm afraid the food won't be enough."

"Oh, and many people are injured. We're short on both medicinal herbs and physicians. How are we supposed to handle all this?"

"Registrar Shen, please don't mind my rambling or think I'm ignorant. In the past, we never had the chance to get involved in such matters."

Shen Yuan had already slowed his pace. He waited until the old Deputy Magistrate finished speaking before responding, "Deputy Magistrate Wang, I have considered all the points you mentioned. Post-disaster reconstruction requires immense effort, and relying solely on the yamen won't be enough. The common people are more resilient than we think—they are already organizing on their own."

A look of relief spread across the old Deputy Magistrate's face. "That's wonderful! Then our job is easy. We just need to have the constables keep an eye out to prevent thieves from running rampant, and everything will be fine. Are you tired, Registrar Shen? We've walked far enough—let's head back and rest."

Seeing that the Deputy Magistrate still held to his old ways of thinking, Shen Yuan didn't press the issue. At his age, it would be difficult to change him.

"Relying solely on the yamen won't work, and relying solely on the people's self-help won't either. The yamen must not stand by idly. We need to work together with the people—officials and citizens united—to rebuild the western district faster and better."

Deputy Magistrate Wang's mouth twitched. He hadn't expected Shen Yuan, despite his youth, to be so adept at bureaucratic rhetoric and so quick with his words. No wonder he was a storyteller.

"In my opinion, having the constables keep an eye on thieves is enough," Deputy Magistrate Wang insisted, still trying to avoid extra trouble. "In the past, when similar situations arose, Magistrate Pang always handled them this way. This time, the disaster area is larger, so the yamen can reduce its own expenses and distribute some grain to the victims. But that's all we can do—after all, this wasn't a natural disaster but a man-made one. The higher-ups will still hold us accountable later."

At the thought of this, Deputy Magistrate Wang's wrinkled face grew even more bitter. The commendation for reporting the illegal salt mine last time hadn't even arrived yet—he hadn't even tasted the sweetness of reward before being forced to swallow this bitter pill.

His life, he thought, was truly too hard.

After inwardly lamenting his misfortune, he didn't forget to curse Magistrate Pang a few times for causing trouble even in death.

Shen Yuan was well aware that Deputy Magistrate Wang wanted to shirk responsibility and avoid trouble.

According to the law, as Deputy Magistrate Wang had said, if it wasn't a natural disaster, the central government wouldn't provide disaster relief. Man-made disasters were generally smaller in scale than natural ones and were expected to be handled locally.

Even if the court did offer relief, no official would dare report it openly. Matters tied to political achievements and promotions were best kept hidden whenever possible.

The people of Qingyun County hadn't wanted this man-made disaster to happen. Could they really just abandon the victims and leave them to fend for themselves?

"If Deputy Magistrate Wang lacks the energy, I can take charge of the remaining matters," Shen Yuan said. As the Registrar, he couldn't stand by and do nothing now that a crisis had occurred.

Deputy Magistrate Wang was only too happy to agree. "Excellent! I heard Registrar Shen was recommended by Young Master Yulin. You certainly have courage!"

Hearing Xie Yulin's name, Shen Yuan's heart sank, weighed down by an indescribable heaviness.

The responsibility for post-disaster reconstruction in the western district fell entirely on Shen Yuan's shoulders. True to his word, Deputy Magistrate Wang didn't involve himself at all.

However, he had one redeeming quality: he never questioned anything Shen Yuan did regarding the reconstruction.

The yamen constables were dispatched to assist, and the granary was opened. Since the constables were helping with reconstruction outside, Shen Yuan arranged for them to eat on-site instead of returning to the public canteen.

With a large group of constables no longer eating there, the public canteen's income plummeted.

The person in charge grew anxious and went to Deputy Magistrate Wang, demanding that he rein in Shen Yuan.

Deputy Magistrate Wang had only one response: "Isn't it all for the reconstruction of the western district? If you have a better plan than Registrar Shen, you can take over the reconstruction, and I'll have the constables return to the public canteen."

His words left the man speechless.

As Deputy Magistrate Wang had said, the yamen granary didn't have much grain.

The shortfall was worse than expected.

Shen Yuan couldn't even begin to imagine how much the various officials in the yamen had embezzled.

People needed to eat to have the strength to work. Going without food wasn't an option.

The people in the western district, seeing the porridge growing thinner, voluntarily gave the thicker portions to the constables.

Qin Shisong felt deeply uncomfortable seeing the two different bowls of porridge—one for them and one for the people.

Li Baozhu, holding a full bowl of porridge, sat in a corner wiping away tears.

Qin Shisong walked over and nudged Li Baozhu's foot with his own. "If you're tired, go home and rest. What are you crying for here?"

"Who's as heartless as you?" Li Baozhu retorted, kicking back. His eyes were red from crying as he looked down at the millet porridge in his bowl, his voice nasal. "They can't even eat their fill, yet they give me more. They say we're working hard and shouldn't go hungry, that they're used to hunger and don't feel it. Look how thin they are! I'm a whole size bigger than them, so why are they telling me to eat more?"

"They even thanked us, saying they used to handle everything themselves and never expected us to come help this time." Li Baozhu started crying again. "Why didn't I ever come to help them before?"

Qin Shisong had grown up in a village and later spent time on the battlefield. He had lived long enough among the lower classes to understand them clearly.

In simple terms, common people just wanted to live peacefully—that was all.

No matter how much the officials above them schemed or fought for fame and profit, they didn't care.

Give them a little kindness, and they'd remember it forever, calling you a good official. Treat them poorly, and they'd endure it—because they had to survive.

Qin Shisong drank a bowl of thick porridge without refusing.

By accepting it, he made a promise: he wouldn't leave until the western district was rebuilt.

"Are you going to stare at that porridge until flowers bloom? Drink it quickly and get back to work."

Li Baozhu thought this made sense and began slurping his porridge, crying as he ate.

The next day, the yamen's grain supply was nearly exhausted.

The Xie family set up a porridge kitchen in the western district. Although it was made from old millet and the porridge wasn't particularly thick, it was still better than before. Each person could also have a millet steamed bun to eat.

The person sent to manage the porridge kitchen was Luo Yun, one of Xie Yulin's personal attendants.

When he saw Shen Yuan, Luo Yun immediately took out a food box, smiling like a sunflower. "Registrar Shen, these pastries were rushed here day and night by horse and boat from Youyang. Young Master Yulin specifically asked me to bring them for you to try."

Shen Yuan looked at the exquisite food box. "Thank Young Master Yulin for his kindness, but I don't care for sweet things."

The smile on Luo Yun's face froze. He was used to a friendly, lively Shen Yuan who nodded and smiled at everything. This was the first time he had seen Shen Yuan refuse so firmly.

"Oh, you don't like sweets? Then... then don't eat them." Luo Yun put the food box back, disappointed. "Then what does Registrar Shen like to eat?"

Shen Yuan said bluntly, "When I'm in a bad mood, I don't like to eat anything. Thank Young Master Lin for today's porridge station."

Luo Yun watched Shen Yuan's retreating figure and let out a long sigh.

The young master was right—he was truly angry.

Li Baozhu stared at the Xie family's porridge station for a while. That night, he went home and emptied his little savings stash.

He hugged his savings, heartbroken, and cried all night. The next morning, with eyes swollen like walnuts, he told his parents to use the money to buy grain and set up a porridge station in the west of the city.

The Liu and Xu families, having caught their breath, also began setting up porridge stations that day.

Initially, they did it for Shen Yuan. Knowing that Shen Yuan was overseeing the reconstruction of the west city and that there was a grain shortage, the two families wanted to make things easier for him, so he wouldn't have to worry about such matters.

But after arriving, they were gradually moved by the atmosphere in the west of the city.

The common people struggled to carry logs for transport. Someone, exhausted, nearly stumbled, but a passing bailiff acted swiftly and caught them.

The common folk would also bring water to the bailiffs, chatting and laughing with them.

Children ran around, each carrying whatever they could manage to help clear the rubble.

If they accidentally bumped into a bailiff with a sword, they would look up, not with fear or terror, but while rubbing their own heads, they would also touch the spot where the bailiff was hit and ask if it hurt.

The bailiff would pat the child's head, tell them to be careful, and then continue with their work.

Liu Rufeng and Manager Xu watched the scenes unfolding in the west of the city, feeling as though they weren't in Qingyun County at all.

This was a scene they had never witnessed before. It turned out bailiffs weren't always fierce and unpredictable, and the common people didn't have to be so afraid of them.

Everyone could work together, persevering for the same cause.

In the county town, a team of commoners responsible for cutting wood from the mountains passed through the city gate.

Recently, because Qingyun County had been burned and the west city needed rebuilding, Shen Yuan had to pause the storytelling of *The Swordsman*. The regular tea house patrons had no new chapters to hear.

Most of them lived in the east of the city. Their homes had suffered some damage too, but with ample manpower, materials, and financial resources, repairs were quick.

Several wealthy families, having some leisure time, decided to take their households on an autumn outing to the outskirts.

"Why have we stopped?"

The carriage suddenly halted, blocking those behind. The people inside couldn't help but lean out to ask.

The coachman replied, "There's a large group of people carrying logs through the city gate. There are quite a lot of them; we'll need to wait a bit longer."

"Keep it up, everyone! We've carried them all this way. Just a little more perseverance and we'll reach the west city. These logs are for building our houses. Everyone, hold on, keep moving forward!"

"Let's go!"

"Alright!"

"Heave! Heave! Heave!"

The men carrying the logs were utterly exhausted, sustained only by sheer willpower.

The weight of the logs felt like a thousand pounds, pressing down heavily on them. But thinking that this was for rebuilding their homes, no matter how tired or difficult, they gritted their teeth and persevered together.

Their voices reached the ears of the wealthy families waiting in their carriages. Inside one carriage, a young lady suddenly said, "Father, Mother, don't they look just like the scene in *The Swordsman* where Miss Qingyu persuades the disciples of the various sects to dig the tunnel?"

"They were exhausted, but for a sliver of hope, for survival, they all gave their all. Everyone gritted their teeth and persevered for that same goal."

Hearing this, the couple thought about it and realized it was indeed similar.

They still remembered listening to that part. At that moment, the spirits of everyone in the tea house were ignited. They couldn't help but shout along, urging the characters to persevere, telling them they were almost at the point of hope, almost at the point of escape.

When the group finally succeeded through their efforts, relying on their own strength to change a seemingly inevitable fate and escape, everyone in the tea house had shared their joy and excitement.

The couple exchanged a glance and nodded.

"Alright, tell the others we're not going to the outskirts. Let's go back and figure out what we can send to the west city."

When they said they weren't going, the other wealthy families quickly asked why. After learning the reason, they didn't hesitate and also canceled their plans.

The families gathered together again, but this time to discuss how to help the west city.

Shen Yuan noticed that more and more wealthy families were appearing in the west of the city.

Porridge stations, food stalls, and shelters providing clothing and medicinal herbs were increasing.

There were also more and more people wearing the distinct uniforms of various household servants, either working in the shelters or helping to build houses.

Shen Yuan even saw finely dressed ladies and young misses helping the women of the west city with medical consultations.

When the wealthy families saw Shen Yuan, they would greet him from afar.

They would ask when *The Swordsman* storytelling would resume.

Shen Yuan smiled and said, "With your help, *The Swordsman* will return very soon."

Shen Yuan wasn't lying. With the material, financial, and manpower support from these people, the construction of the west city progressed significantly faster.

And people are influenced by their environment.

When more and more people are engaged in the same endeavor, others who haven't participated will involuntarily join in.

Later on, the construction of the west city—and even all the residents of Qingyun County to some extent—contributed a little effort, adding their own brick or tile.

Even Deputy Magistrate Wang's household set up a porridge station and distributed food for two days.

The public kitchen also stopped complaining that Shen Yuan wasn't sending bailiffs to eat there. The person in charge figured that since no bailiffs were coming, they might as well take all the cooks to the west city to prepare several meals.

For the common people in the west city, no matter how poor the public kitchen cooks' skills were, the dishes were seasoned with salt, so they were delicious.

This made the cooks truly believe their culinary skills were exceptional. They became quite full of themselves, serving even larger portions than they did at the beginning.

With the entire county's strength pooled to build the west city, after a little over a month, it had begun to take shape. Some people had already moved in, and the rest would follow soon.

Shen Yuan had been busy for over a month with little rest. He was already thin, and now he was even thinner.

Shen Anniang tried every day to make delicious food for him, but it was no use; he just wouldn't gain weight. She was so worried she couldn't sleep well.

"Xiao Yuan, why does Auntie think you've gotten even thinner?"

This was the greeting Shen Yuan received upon returning home. Shen Yuan replied, "I've lost weight because I've been so busy with the west city. Now that things are mostly settled there, I won't be as busy. I'll slowly gain the weight back. Auntie, don't worry."

Shen Anniang could only nod. "Auntie cooked a lot of meat tonight. Go rest, and I'll call you when it's ready."

Returning to his room, Shen Yuan noticed an exquisite wooden box on the table.

Only Xie Yulin would use a box of this quality.

During these days, Luo Yun had been at the soup kitchen in the west of the city, but after that first time, he had stopped bringing Shen Yuan food.

Later, they spoke even less, partly because Shen Yuan was too busy, and partly because there really wasn't much to say.

The appearance of the wooden box compelled Shen Yuan to face the matters he had deliberately pushed to the back of his mind.

He wasn't one to avoid things; it was just that he truly detested deception and being used.

Opening the box, he found a piece of silk cloth densely covered in writing.

Shen Yuan was immediately captivated by the content.

It was about Song Zijun's identity.

Song Zijun was a spy trained by the royal family of the Kingdom of Xiyue.

Individuals like him were secretly trained from childhood, excelling in both martial skills and strategy.

Upon reaching a suitable age, they would be dispersed to various countries to carry out missions.

Song Zijun was among the best of that batch of spies and was thus sent to the Wu Country.

Spies from various countries had deep-cover agents embedded in other nations for many years. These agents lived in the host countries, indistinguishable from ordinary local people.

Some had even been there for several generations, solely to help their country's spies settle and take root, preventing the authorities from suspecting their identities.

Song Zijun's identity in the Wu Country was that of someone who had lost all his family in the war and was wandering alone. Due to his natural talent and cleverness, he relied on various schemes and methods to serve as a retainer for the nobility, gradually rising through the ranks.

Until Xie Yulin noticed him and took him under his wing.

However, Song Zijun never expected that his seemingly flawless identity would still arouse Xie Yulin's suspicion.

Even less did he anticipate being exposed so quickly.

Xie Yulin gave his reasons on the silk cloth for why he had used Shen Yuan.

Shen Yuan stared at those lines.

Because Xie Yulin discovered that Song Zijun wanted to find his weakness, he initially deliberately led Song Zijun to mistakenly believe that he treated Shen Yuan favorably, differently from others.

Consequently, Song Zijun approached Shen Yuan to sound him out.

This was also part of Xie Yulin's scheme; he wanted someone like Song Zijun to get close to Shen Yuan.

The result was as Xie Yulin had anticipated: Song Zijun felt differently toward Shen Yuan.

What was supposed to become Xie Yulin's weakness instead became Song Zijun's weakness.

Xie Yulin explicitly stated that the person behind the illegal salt mine and the person behind *Weixianju* were the same: Song Zijun.

He had been lying low in the Wu Country for a long time, consistently working for the nobility, deeply entrenched.

Even in a small county like Qingyun, he had strongholds.

His trip to Qingyun County was precisely to find a way to force Song Zijun to reveal himself, dismantle the illegal salt mine and *Weixianju* that had been continuously providing him with funds, and eliminate the threat once and for all.

After reading it, Shen Yuan fully understood.

Thinking carefully, when Song Zijun was sent back to Youyang midway, Xie Yulin had been very, very good to him during that period.

So, all of that was to make Song Zijun believe that Xie Yulin's kindness towards him during his absence was genuine.

To make Song Zijun believe that Xie Yulin truly valued him.

Therefore, Song Zijun would try every means to get close to him in order to grasp Xie Yulin's "weakness."

But Song Zijun didn't expect that Xie Yulin, because he understood Song Zijun, knew that Song Zijun would genuinely want to be friends after getting close to him.

For a spy to develop feelings, regardless of the type, is fatal.

Unknowingly, Shen Yuan had become a blade that could take Song Zijun's life.

So, on the day of the big fire, Xie Yulin had been hiding in the shadows with his men, waiting to force Song Zijun to appear and save him, right?

Shen Yuan put down the silk, somewhat understanding the meaning of the last words Song Zijun had left for him.

Xie Yulin was truly too dangerous.

This man seemed to genuinely have no emotions.

Just like the feeling during their first meeting—like a block of ice, like an unapproachable mountain peak. No one could understand him, no one could gain his attention, no one could matter to him.

Shen Yuan shivered for no reason. As he was about to put the silk back into the box, he realized the handwriting on it was familiar.

It was the running script he preferred for daily writing.

Shen Yuan frowned, stuffed the silk back into the box, and snapped it shut with a sharp *click*.

Using these little tricks again, trying to win his sympathy?

Xie Family Ancestral Residence.

Xie Yulin was listening to a secret guard report on Shen Yuan's recent situation.

The secret guard presented the familiar wooden box, bowing his head and speaking in a low voice, "Registrar Shen threw the wooden box out and ordered us to take it away. He also said not to put anything in his room ever again and told this subordinate to ask the Lord when he could stop having secret guards protecting him."

After a brief pause, the secret guard continued, "Registrar Shen finally said to consider the note as repayment for everything he owed the Lord. He would find other ways for the Shen family's development and would not trouble the Lord anymore."

Xie Yulin's fingertips traced the carvings on the surface of the wooden box, his eyes downcast, his emotions unreadable.

The secret guard and the personal attendants held their breath; the room was silent.

After an unknown length of time, Xie Yulin spoke calmly, "Withdraw half of the secret guards. The other half should focus on concealing their presence and not be discovered by him again."

The secret guard quickly accepted the order. "This subordinate will carry it out immediately."

...

The weather grew colder, and light snow began to fall.

The work in the fields was all finished, and the villagers of Dashu Village were planning to go to the county town to find work.

They wanted to earn a little more before the year's end so they could eat their fill during the New Year.

The west side of the city had been rebuilt, and Shen Yuan had cleared his schedule, resuming his storytelling for *The Swordsman*.

On Wuyu Mountain, the tournament grounds were in chaos.

Those who had used their internal energy all died from explosive bodily rupture.

By the time Han Ying arrived, four people were already dead. Later, everyone realized something was wrong and called a halt to using internal energy.

But as for why this situation had occurred, no one had any clues.

At that moment, internal conflicts broke out within various sects.

Fellow disciples suddenly turned on and killed those nearest to them.

After a fierce struggle, the various sects were crushed. Unable to use internal energy, they were easily controlled by the villains.

These attackers were actually imperial shadow guards from a neighboring country. They had disguised themselves and infiltrated the sects to obtain *The Heart Sutra*, while also aiming to destroy the martial arts sects and sever their lineages.

The Zhao siblings and Han Ying met near the stage. Pretending they also couldn’t use internal energy, they were all taken away and imprisoned in the main hall at the summit of the Wuyu Sword Sect.

Inside were people from every sect. Han Ying spotted his master and his martial uncle.

He edged over with the Zhao siblings and softly called out, "Master, Martial Uncle."

The two opened their eyes and recognized Han Ying immediately by his gaze. "What are you doing here, kid?"

After Han Ying explained the situation, he asked Zhao Yue to check their pulses.

"The inner channels are sealed. Using internal energy will cause you to explode. However, if I infuse internal energy through silver needles, I can unblock them. It just takes time."

Zhao Yue’s words gave them hope. Han Ying told her to go ahead while he stood guard.

As they prepared to quietly move away from the crowd, Han Ying’s hand was grabbed by an old Daoist priest.

It was the sect leader of the Wuyu Sword Sect.

"Speak, Elder."

The old man stuffed a silk cloth into Han Ying’s arms. "Young friend, you must protect this. No matter what happens, do not take it out. As thanks, its contents are yours."

Han Ying roughly guessed what it was. He said, "I’ll keep it for you. Come find me to retrieve it once the crisis is over."

The Wuyu Sword Sect leader chuckled softly but did not respond.

Shortly after, the Wuyu Sword Sect elders, along with the sect leader, were all taken away.

Before leaving, the sect leader glanced at Han Ying, unnoticed by the enemy guards, and gave him a faint smile.

This departure boded ill. Han Ying wanted to save them but was powerless.

Zhao Yue was secretly using her internal energy to unblock the sealed channels of Han Ying’s master and martial uncle. Sweat beaded on her forehead; the drain was immense.

Han Ying remained vigilant, faintly hearing the sounds of torture and the screams of agony from the Wuyu Mountain elders.

Shen Yuan’s voice, restrained and conflicted as he narrated this, made the tea guests’ hearts clench.

If he left, his master, martial uncle, and the Zhao siblings would be in danger.

If he stayed, the Wuyu Mountain sect leader and elders would be in peril.

He was truly caught between a rock and a hard place. How could someone with a chivalrous heart bear such a situation?

Shen Yuan’s voice continued, and so did the story.

Han Ying struggled to keep his composure, forcing himself to stay calm.

Even if he went out, he couldn’t save anyone. Instead, he would expose himself, resulting in a complete wipeout.

Just then, Han Ying heard a faint noise.

It came from behind the main hall.

Liu Qingyu, leading a group of people, had encountered Lu Shuitan and Chen Ranfeng along the way. The group had made their way to the Wuyu Sword Sect’s kitchen and had a hearty meal.

After eating and drinking their fill, they prepared to head to the arena, only to find it eerily quiet.

Someone sneaked to the front to investigate and brought back news that everyone had been locked in the main hall.

Liu Qingyu and the others suspected foul play and hid behind the massive statue in the main hall to observe.

After searching for a while, they finally spotted Han Ying. Liu Qingyu made mouse-like squeaking sounds for a long time before finally catching his attention.

"How did you all get locked up?" Liu Qingyu finally managed to speak with Han Ying.

Han Ying explained the situation. Liu Qingyu looked at the crowded hall and asked, confused, "There are so many of us; how could they capture us with just a few men?"

"Everyone is unable to use internal energy, so we’re no match for them," Han Ying explained to Liu Qingyu, who had never practiced martial arts.

Liu Qingyu said, "No internal energy, but you still have external martial arts skills, right? You just can’t scale walls and leap over roofs. Can’t ten of you take on one? Not to mention you still have your weapons, which is much better than being bare-handed. Why can't you fight back?"

Han Ying was stunned. Her words hit home.

His martial arts training had blinded him to the obvious: they had lost their internal energy, not their limbs.

"And don't worry about them instinctively using internal energy during the fight," Liu Qingyu said clearly. "That stuff makes you explode, so they’ll be more careful than ever not to use it. If someone really is about to blow, they can just grab an enemy guard and take them down too."

Han Ying saw the logic and nodded repeatedly. "You’re right!"

Liu Qingyu’s plan was recognized again, and she chuckled. "I have a group here who just ate their fill and are full of energy and itching for a fight. While the Wuyu Mountain elders are being beaten and the guards are too preoccupied to watch this area, quickly go and talk to the people in the hall."

Hearing this, the tea guests were astonished by Liu Qingyu.

Her words were crude, but her logic was sound. Her ideas were increasingly shocking, yet seemingly effective.

In short, Miss Qingyu’s approach was to just do it and press ahead. No matter what happened, as long as there was still a breath left, it wasn’t an unsolvable problem.

Succeeding would be a win, and failing would only lead to the same outcome as before.

The people from various sects in the hall were persuaded. Since death was likely either way, they might as well fight for a chance to survive!

Under the leadership of Han Ying and Liu Qingyu, all the sects sprang into action.

And the group Liu Qingyu brought blended in, conspicuously grubby among the crowd.

Hearing this, the tea guests couldn’t help but laugh, followed by a thrilling fight scene.

Han Ying's master and martial uncle successfully cleared their meridians at the critical moment. The two drew their swords and unleashed their ultimate moves.

Han Ying's sword swings were also so fast they left afterimages. Chen Ranfeng and Lu Shuitan also possessed internal energy. Those few with internal energy held the front, while the rest formed groups of ten, ganging up to attack one shadow guard at a time.

Just as Liu Qingyu had said, even without internal energy, they still had their external martial arts.

Blades, spears, swords, and halberds clashed in real combat, and the main hall instantly became a battlefield.

Shen Yuan sped up his telling, describing a flurry of techniques. "A sword move like a dragon emerging from water shot forth. Just as the enemy shadow guard raised his guard, a saber technique with the momentum to swallow mountains and rivers came slashing from the other side. The shadow guard gathered his energy to dodge swiftly with qinggong. A shout of 'Hook and chain!' was heard as a long whip cut through the air, hooking the shadow guard's calf and sending him crashing to the ground."

The Wuyu Mountain sect leader, who had been tortured for information, watched the nearby fight and smiled, saying, "The disciples of various sects are using their signature skills. Isn't this also a martial arts competition?"

The other bound elders were speechless, wondering how he could still be thinking about such things.

The Battle of Wuyu Mountain ultimately ended with a narrow victory for the allied heroes.

The storyteller's block clapped down, and the tea guests applauded and cheered.

"To win when you're outmatched, you gotta be fearless and never quit!"

"The external styles from different sects were awesome too."

"Looking at it this way, even without internal energy, external martial arts can be very powerful. Since we cannot learn internal energy, could we perhaps learn these?"

"You want to learn martial arts? That's really tough."

"If I could learn swordsmanship, no matter how hard, I could endure it."

"Learn swordsmanship? Everyone knows that's something only the nobility can use."

"Such a shame, such a shame. It's a pity this isn't the Wu Country from 'The Swordsman'. If it were, perhaps we could not only learn swordsmanship but also have internal energy."

The tea guests buzzed with excitement, each voicing their fantasies. Shen Yuan spotted Ji Pingan in the crowd and, ignoring the subsequent tipping matters, went straight to find him.

"Brother, what brings you here?"

Ji Pingan and Shen Yuan walked out together, heading for the Storytellers' Union.

"Just got back from the docks and came to see you on the way," Ji Pingan said. "His Majesty has issued an urgent decree, demanding Fifth Uncle return to Youyang immediately."

After the last incident, Shen Yuan was a bit skeptical this time. "He really left?"

Ji Pingan confirmed, "Yes, I went to see him off. I watched him board the ship with my own eyes and watched the ship sail away."

Whether he truly left or not was probably only known to Xie Yulin himself. Shen Yuan didn't press further; there was no need to know.

His Majesty summoning someone back so urgently likely meant only one thing. Shen Yuan asked, "Has the Northern Envoy still not left after all this time?"

Mentioning the Northern Envoy, Ji Pingan snorted coldly. "Not only has he not left, but another group has arrived. This time, they're talking about a marriage alliance. Our Emperor's daughter is only five years old, so for a marriage alliance, they'd have to choose from among the noble families. Right now, the young ladies in all the great houses are so scared they can't sleep."

"The Xie family intends to put my sister's daughter forward for selection. I really don't know what they're thinking. Once sent over there, what chance of survival would she have?"

Political machinations, the schemes of various countries—Shen Yuan couldn't grasp it all.

But he knew that a marriage alliance was trading a woman's life for temporary peace.

If the two countries agreed upon it, no one could overturn it.

Ji Pingan was in Qingyun; even if he were in Youyang, he wouldn't have the power to make the Xie family change their minds.

This matter, he could only wait for news.

However, there was one thing he could ask about now. Ji Pingan inquired, "Xiao Yuan, I've been meaning to ask for a while now, did something happen between you and Fifth Uncle?"

Otherwise, given Shen Yuan's temperament, he would have surely gone to see him off.

And Fifth Uncle wouldn't have likely asked him to relay a message to Shen Yuan saying he'd left.

Thinking about it carefully, Shen Yuan really hadn't had any contact with Fifth Uncle in nearly two months.

Being busy with the west city affairs before was one thing, but now that things weren't busy, he didn't even see him off.

"Also, do you know where that Song Zijuan has gone? Haven't seen him for days, strangely miss him." Ji Pingan still remembered how Song Zijuan had fought him for Shen Yuan's bed to sleep in before and couldn't help but add pointedly, "He's really something. When the trouble happened in the west city, he was nowhere to be seen. Even though it had nothing to do with him, he's supposedly your good friend. Couldn't he at least come check on you?"

Hearing this, Shen Yuan thought to himself, what do you mean it had nothing to do with Song Zijuan? It had everything to do with him—he was the one who ordered the arson. And he was nowhere to be seen precisely because he fled after setting the fire...

After some thought, he saw no reason to hide it from Ji Pingan and decided to tell him directly.

The two arrived at the Storytellers' Union. Shen Yuan took Ji Pingan to the room where he usually wrote and explained the whole story.

Ji Pingan was stunned on the spot.

Seeing Shen Yuan's despondent expression, he immediately snapped out of it, patted Shen Yuan's shoulder, and hugged him, assuring him, "Xiao Yuan, don't worry. I would never treat you like that. I would never use you."

Shen Yuan leaned his head on Ji Pingan's shoulder and nodded.

The more Ji Pingan thought about it, the angrier he got. With no one else around, he mustered the courage to say, "And don't be too upset over someone like Fifth Uncle. He could abandon the person he loved without a second thought, let alone someone like you who has no relation to him."

"As for Song Zijuan, even more so. Spies are trained from childhood not to have emotions. These people are different from ordinary folks. Song Zijuan at least had some genuine feelings for you. Let's look at it that way. Anyway, we won't be seeing him again."

Shen Yuan thought it made sense. With Brother Ping'an's comfort, the lingering sadness in his heart mostly dissipated.

Ji Pingan snorted, "I know all too well!"

"Do you remember the Chen family?"

Shen Yuan nodded, "Yes, the Chen family, the tea merchants. Weren't they raided and sent to Youyang for trial a long time ago because they were implicated in the private salt trade?"

"Exactly," Ji Pingan lowered his voice. "Their legitimate second son, Chen Yuye, was Fifth Uncle's beloved. Jeez, he used to dote on him like the apple of his eye. He got him out of the county jail almost as soon as his butt hit the seat. But later, when they decided to send him to Youyang for execution, he just sent him off to be beheaded. Didn't lift a finger to save him. Just discarded him like that."

Ji Pingan clicked his tongue twice, his tone full of disbelief. "Don't you think he's an especially ruthless person?"

Shen Yuan blinked, processing the information in Ji Pingan's words.

Legitimate second son?

He sat up straight, also shocked. "Xie Yulin... he likes men?"

Ji Pingan nodded, "Correct."

Shen Yuan drew a sharp breath, his mind racing.

He asked Ji Pingan, "Didn't Chen Yuye have a wife and children?"

Ji Pingan said mysteriously, "Yes, he did. That's exactly the type Fifth Uncle likes. Prefers them a bit older, with wives and children. That's his taste, nothing to be done about it."

As he spoke, Shen Yuan thought of something. "Brother, that elder you mentioned to me last time... was it Xie Yulin?"

Ji Pingan lightly patted Shen Yuan's shoulder. "You finally caught on."