Chapter 100: Chapter 100
Shen Xiuhan blew out a breath, stepped onto the black-canopied boat, and gripped the wooden sculling oar with both hands.
Qi-blood surged through his arms. The oar sliced the water, flipping up white crests in its wake.
The boat shot forward like an arrow loosed from its string, cleaving through the waves, racing for Yunyi Island.
The time it takes to drink a cup of tea later, the hull struck shallow surf and ground to a halt against the shore.
Shen Xiuhan shifted his footing and launched himself from the deck like a great bird, landing on the wooden jetty.
The instant his feet touched down —
From the dense tree line nearby, several figures came sprinting toward him, weapons drawn, gasping for breath.
They were his own Squad C men, along with the soldiers of Squad A.
At the head of the group, unmistakably clad in brocade martial attire — Ji Yuande.
“Patrol Envoy!”
“Patrol Envoy Shen’s back!”
The moment they caught sight of Shen Xiuhan, Yan Chuan, Hu Zhi, and Ruan Linhuan flocked to him like men who had found their anchor, exhaling in collective relief.
Luo Feng, too, fell silently into place at his side.
Shen Xiuhan wasted no words.
“What’s the situation on the island?”
Yan Chuan shook his head, swiping cold sweat from his brow.
“The signal rockets went up from Squad B’s patrol waters. We were just heading over. Don’t have a clear picture of the enemy yet…”
Shen Xiuhan’s brow creased. He made the call on the spot.
“Then don’t waste time. Reinforce Squad B’s sector — move!”
“Yes, sir!”
“Now hold on, Patrol Envoy Shen — what’s the rush?”
The men were about to set off when Ji Yuande planted himself in their path, smiling at his leisure.
Before Shen Xiuhan could speak, Yan Chuan rounded on him with a bark.
“Patrol Envoy Ji, the enemy is at our door! Whatever it is, it can wait until the bandits are dealt with!”
Ji Yuande flicked a glance his way and gave a contemptuous snort, not deigning to reply.
“You—!”
Yan Chuan’s face flushed scarlet.
But cowed by Ji Yuande’s status, he bit down hard and held his tongue.
Shen Xiuhan watched him with a flat gaze.
Ever since the feast a month ago, when they’d butted heads, any time the two crossed paths on the island, Ji Yuande had been looking down his nose at everyone — never the first to speak.
Yet today he came sidling over with that sly grin plastered on his face. Whatever he was after, it was nothing good.
Ji Yuande paid no one else the slightest attention. His eyes were fixed on Shen Xiuhan, appraising him from head to toe.
He clasped his hands behind his back, came to an unhurried stop in front of Shen Xiuhan, and drawled.
“Patrol Envoy Shen… have you ever given thought to your future?”
Shen Xiuhan’s gaze shifted, but he said nothing.
Ji Yuande wasn’t fazed. He smiled and pressed on.
“Shen Xiuhan, your talent isn’t bad. But the martial path has always been three parts training, seven parts feeding. Qi-blood pills, rare medicinal feasts — those are what truly matter… I’ve already looked into your background. You came from nothing. That you’ve made it this far shows some talent, yes, but that alone isn’t enough. What carried you further was willpower and grit, and… the stipend my clan gives you every month.”
Here the corner of his mouth curled into a knowing smile, and he sighed theatrically.
“The trouble is, the further you walk this path, the more you need — oceans of resources, connections. That pittance of a stipend won’t carry you to Hidden Strength. If you don’t plan ahead… Bone Tempering will be the ceiling of your martial career.”
Bone Tempering?
Ceiling?
Shen Xiuhan nearly laughed out loud. He kept his voice flat.
“What are you getting at?”
Ji Yuande turned to face the open lake, deliberately leaving his back to the group.
“Shen Xiuhan, I’m a man who speaks plainly. You faced Qu Bushi without flinching and rescued my two cousins. In this young master’s eyes, that makes you a loyal man. And loyalty… is the quality this young master values most.”
He spun back around and revealed his true hand.
“But with your background, going further on the martial path will be an uphill battle. Why not… serve under this young master as a retainer? If I rise, you can be sure I won’t forget you. What do you say?”
Shen Xiuhan’s expression stilled. He stared at Ji Yuande. “Serve as… your retainer?”
“Exactly!”
Seeing the pause, Ji Yuande mistook it for a heart stirred but a face unwilling to bend. A thread of condescension slipped into his eyes, and his smile grew even more insufferable.
“The martial path only gets harder the higher you go. Never mind someone of your origins — even a scion of a great family like this young master needs a few trustworthy men he can rely on for the grunt work, so that all his attention can go to training.”
“You’re a dutiful sort. You were already eating my Ji clan’s rice to begin with, and I’ve looked into your background — no surprises there. Staying at this young master’s side would be a step up in class for you. You’d become one of the Ji clan’s own.”
“And in the future… if you prove yourself, this young master might even bestow upon you…”
“The Ji surname. How does that sound?”
He finished with a magnanimous smile and watched Shen Xiuhan, awaiting his answer.
Shen Xiuhan stared at Ji Yuande for a full three breaths.
In those three breaths, he carefully confirmed one thing.
This idiot was not joking.
“Sigh…”
Shen Xiuhan let out a breath.
He couldn’t even be bothered to offer a single word of mockery. He simply waved at Yan Chuan and the others behind him.
“Let’s go!”
Then, without so much as another glance at Ji Yuande, he stepped past him and broke into a sprint toward Squad B’s sector.
Luo Feng, Yan Chuan, and the other three traded looks, faces caught between incredulity and barely suppressed laughter. They cast one last, peculiar glance at Ji Yuande — frozen in place, body stiff — and hurried after Shen Xiuhan.
In their wake, a cold gust swept through.
CREAK… CREAK…
Ji Yuande’s fists clenched white. His face twisted to a mottled purple. He glared at Shen Xiuhan’s retreating figure and screamed through gritted teeth.
“Shen…”
“This young master gave you a chance! You chose not to cherish it! When I report back to the household head and have your stipend cut… I hope you can still afford to be this arrogant!”
The words fell.
Ji Yuande sucked in a deep breath, forcing down the towering fury inside him.
Then his gaze snapped to the three Squad A men beside him, who were doing their best impressions of quails. He let out a cold snort and stalked off toward the western shore.
Yunyi Island. Western dock.
A man in black martial attire — tiger-backed, bear-waisted — sat sprawled against the blue-stone steps, cradling a nine-ring thick-spined saber.
Blood-Fiend Saber!
Tang Jin!
Behind him stood a second man, face concealed beneath a black cloth hood.
His features were hidden, but his eyes were venomous, and the killing intent radiating from him was entirely undisguised.
At their backs, several dozen hardened water bandits bristling with blades and spears, faces twisted with menace, had sealed the dock tight.
Facing them stood an equal number of Ji clan patrol guards, swords drawn, formation locked.
At their head was a stocky, powerfully built middle-aged man.
The Squad B Patrol Envoy — Wang Jindao!
He gripped a broad-bladed long saber, veins bulging across the back of his hand. Though short in stature, his lower body was planted like an iron stump. Knotted muscle strained every seam of his short martial jacket.
Wang Jindao stepped forward, face grim, and barked.
“Tang Jin!”
“The County Magistrate and the Wang clan lord laid down a strict edict long ago — Hidden Strength fighters are forbidden from starting open hostilities! You show up today with a war party on Ji clan territory — do you mean to openly break the pact?!”
“Break the pact?”
Tang Jin stroked the thick-spined saber in his arms, a mocking sneer spreading across his face.
“The agreement the Transforming Strength masters and my Great Chief made was that ‘Hidden Strength fighters may not enter the fray.’ Open those dog-eyes of yours and look — I’m standing right here, saber sheathed, hands clean. Where’s the breach?”