Chapter 39: Chapter 39
Xiang Yunting waved cheerfully, a glint of admiration in his eyes:
“I’ve been out running errands these past few days. The moment I got back to the hall, Second Senior Brother wouldn’t stop talking about the genius in the inner court — knocked on Blood’s door in sixteen days. Now that I see you in person, Junior Brother, your qi-blood is steady and composed. Truly an impressive young man!”
“Senior Brother is too kind…”
After a few brief pleasantries, the three settled around the stone table.
Xu Chuan poured hot tea, then turned serious as he looked at Shen Xiuhan:
“Junior Brother Shen, the reason Yunting rushed back today — aside from meeting you — is mainly about the retainer recruitment tomorrow. Have you looked into it?”
Shen Xiuhan gave a slight nod:
“I know the basics. Going to work for the great inner-city families as a retainer — earning silver to fund cultivation?”
“Exactly.”
Xu Chuan took a sip of tea and pointed at himself with a sigh:
“The martial path devours wealth like nothing else. Blood Tempering is only the beginning. Bone Tempering and Sinew Tempering after that both need enormous quantities of meat, medicinal food, and silver to feed.”
“Myself, your third senior brother, and your fourth senior brother — we’ve all signed on as escort guards at the Zhendong Escort Agency in the inner city.”
“The three of us rotate runs. Last month was my turn. This month, it’s those two.”
“As for your fifth senior sister, she’s gone to serve as a bodyguard for the Luo clan’s young lady.”
At this point, Xu Chuan leaned forward slightly, lowering his voice:
“The world is dangerous, with powers jockeying against each other on all sides. Let your senior brother lay things out plainly for you, Junior Brother: if you don’t find a position you like tomorrow, why not come with me to Zhendong Escort Agency?”
“When martial brothers stick together, we can watch each other’s backs in a tight spot — and nobody gets picked off alone!”
Seeing Shen Xiuhan’s thoughtful expression, Xiang Yunting chimed in with a smile:
“Of course, we’re just trying to keep you from getting a raw deal. If one of the families offers better terms tomorrow, or there’s a post you’ve got your eye on, by all means go for it!”
Xu Chuan nodded along:
“That’s the idea.”
“…I understand. Thank you both, Senior Brothers.”
A warmth stirred in Shen Xiuhan’s chest. After a moment’s thought, he took the chance to probe:
“If I may ask, Senior Brothers — what are the terms at Zhendong Escort Agency?”
“So-so.”
Xiang Yunting shook his head with a sigh:
“For a Blood Tempering martial artist, the base pay is three taels a month. There’s also a monthly ration of five jin of meat and one Essence-Locking Pill, plus a bowl of Black Ginseng Blood-Replenishing Broth every half-month. One tael bonus per escort run, with extra compensation if you see blood fighting river bandits or highway robbers.”
“All told, you’d bring in four or five taels a month at most. Barely enough to sustain cultivation.”
Four or five taels a month!
Plus meat, pills, medicinal broth…
And all that was only barely enough?
Shen Xiuhan’s heart tightened.
The resources a Manifest Strength martial artist needed to cultivate were even steeper than he’d imagined.
After a pause, Shen Xiuhan suddenly recalled something and asked with curiosity:
“By the way, Senior Brother — I’ve heard there’s a Zhendong Martial Hall in the inner city… what connection does it have to Zhendong Escort Agency?”
At this, Xiang Yunting broke into a grin:
“More than a connection, Junior Brother. Do you know the Five Great Families of Changyun?”
“Let me think… the Bai, Ji, Luo, Han, and Wang families?”
“Correct.”
Xiang Yunting explained patiently:
“The reason these five families have stood in Changyun for so many years is that each one either has a Transforming Strength expert in residence, or commands vast resources.”
“The Bai family goes without saying — propped up by that Transforming Strength old ancestor, they run the most rampant;”
“The Ji clan’s merchant guild has its water-trade network spread across all of Cangzhou, with connections in every commandery and county. Absolutely swimming in wealth;”
“The Luo family… is the County Magistrate’s clan. He himself stepped into Transforming Strength ten years ago;”
“As for the Han family, they seem to be a branch that split off from the Han clan of Xinyi Commandery. I don’t know much, but I’ve heard they’re a major house…”
With that, Xiang Yunting paused for dramatic effect, grinning:
“And the remaining Wang family — they keep the lowest profile of all, yet none of the other four dare to provoke them lightly. Do you know why, Junior Brother?”
“Please enlighten me, Senior Brother.”
Shen Xiuhan’s expression was earnest.
He came from tenant stock. He’d knocked on Blood’s door less than a month ago.
His understanding of inner-city politics was cobbled together from marketplace gossip of dubious reliability. His channels of information were sorely lacking.
Take the Five Great Families. He’d known the Bai family, the Luo clan, and Zhendong Martial Hall each had a Transforming Strength powerhouse in residence — but he’d had no idea why the Ji and Han families merited the same standing.
As for the Wang family, the one that made all four others tread carefully — he’d never heard a word about them. It was like peering at flowers through fog.
Xiang Yunting sipped his tea:
“Junior Brother Shen, our Changyun County sits in a remote corner. Across all of Great Qi’s nine provinces and thirty-six commanderies, it’s no place of glittering splendor.”
“So the roster of real fighters you can name on your fingers is pitifully thin.”
“But twenty years ago, this place produced one truly formidable figure!”
Meeting Shen Xiuhan’s gaze, Xiang Yunting’s expression grew almost reverent:
“That would be the man who commands vast armies and holds the eastern frontier — locked in a standoff with the State of Yue — the ‘Zhendong General’!”
The Zhendong General…
Shen Xiuhan’s heart lurched.
The Wang family’s background was that staggering?
Xiang Yunting seemed pleased by the reaction and continued:
“Granted, the General is occupied with military affairs and hasn’t returned in ages. But Changyun County is still his homeland.”
“Zhendong Martial Hall, Zhendong Escort Agency, the Wang family’s Arms Forge, the General’s Tavern, Wang’s Spring Harmony Apothecary… these are all enterprises under his name!”
“And that’s not all. Zhendong Martial Hall’s top disciple, Wang Xuanyang, is the General’s own son… granted, he’s a concubine’s child, but the current head of the Changyun Wang family — Wang Zhidao — treats him as his own!”
“With that kind of backing, forget the fact that Wang Zhidao is also Transforming Strength — even if the man knew nothing of martial arts, who in this entire county would dare touch so much as a blade of grass belonging to the Wang family?”
Shen Xiuhan listened, and a storm raged through his mind.
No wonder the other four families gave the Wang family such a wide berth.
So that was the reason…
A military general of the highest rank!
No matter how many gangs you mustered, how many clans you rallied, how formidable your individual prowess — what was any of it against the sword-edge of ten thousand soldiers?
At this point, Xu Chuan, who had been quietly sipping tea, set down his cup with a pointed look:
“Junior Brother Shen, now do you see why — even though Zhendong Escort Agency doesn’t pay the most — your third senior brother, fourth senior brother, and I still fought tooth and nail to get in?”
“Please, do tell.”
“It’s simply a gamble on the future!”
Xu Chuan sighed:
“The General has garrisoned the eastern frontier for years. Though he hasn’t returned in twenty, every few years he sends envoys back to the county to select a batch of promising young fighters for induction into the army.”
“The Wang family’s Zhendong Martial Hall and Zhendong Escort Agency are naturally the first stops — the ‘inner circle’ that gets picked from.”
“Those of us from the bottom — no great clan bankrolling our cultivation — if we want to go further, we can’t afford to stay stuck in Changyun County, can we?”
“We have to break out of this little pond and see the real world out there!”
“And the Zhendong General’s Longxiang Army — that’s the best destination there is!”