Chapter 44: Chapter 44
Luo Zhan finished with a burst of arrogant laughter.
Heedless of the Ji steward’s darkened face, and indifferent to what Shen Xiuhan might ultimately decide.
He gave a wave of his hand and swaggered off with the Zhang-surnamed outer-court disciple he had hired.
And that Zhang disciple cast Shen Xiuhan a pitying glance — as though looking at a man already dead.
The envy of moments before had vanished without a trace.
He cupped his fists hastily toward Xu Chuan and Xiang Yunting, then followed Luo Zhan out without saying a word.
A cold wind swept through the courtyard.
Shen Xiuhan stood where he was, the light in his eyes flickering almost imperceptibly.
It seemed the feud between the Luo and Ji clans ran even deeper than he had imagined.
But all the better…
At this very juncture, if he still chose to take on the Ji clan’s post, he could use this show of loyalty in the hour of need to win the trust of the Ji clan’s upper ranks!
The Luo contingent had barely stepped out.
The silence in the courtyard instantly shattered.
The discussion no one could suppress came flooding into Shen Xiuhan’s ears like an incoming tide.
“Senior Brother Bai, just what manner of power is this Chenjian Wu? Daring to kill a Ji clan prodigy in public?!”
“Hush, keep it down. Chenjian Wu on its own you might not know, but if I mention the Wrathwater Gang on Yunshui Lake, surely you understand now?”
“The Wrathwater Gang?! The one that’s entrenched on Yunshui Lake, with savage bandits and desperadoes from the three states of Qi, Yue, and Wu gathered under its banner — that colossus?”
“That’s right! The Wrathwater Gang draws together the top underworld experts of all three states, and its factions are clearly divided. Chenjian Wu originates from the State of Qi — its members are mostly ruthless men from our Great Qi. I hear every one of the masters who sit in its throne-chairs is a Hidden Strength expert!”
“It’s worse than that… I’ve heard from folks in the trade that the Blood Ascetic who beheaded the Ji clan prodigy is a demonic monk who turned his back on the Buddhist gate. A full decade ago he was already a late-stage Hidden Strength master — these days he’s beyond all measure!”
“Hiss — that terrifying? Senior Brothers, this junior entered the door late. I don’t know — back then, the tragic affair — just who was it that got captured?”
“It was the Ji clan’s young prodigy of those years — Ji Guannan. That boy’s talent was astounding; before the age of twenty he had already reached peak Manifest Strength, a brilliance worthy of the name. But, alas…”
“Ahem!”
Just as the group was warming to the subject, Xu Chuan cleared his throat with a heavy cough, his face dark.
Several disciples broke off mid-sentence and followed Xu Chuan’s gaze.
When they caught the Ji clan steward’s look — ready to devour them whole — every one of them went ashen with fright, struck silent as winter cicadas, not daring to draw a heavy breath!
For a moment, one could have heard a pin drop across the entire Mei Martial Hall outer courtyard.
Just as the atmosphere reached its most awkward.
The stewards from the remaining powers judged that this muddied water was no longer worth wading through, and began rising to take their leave.
“Brother Shen.”
The Ji steward suddenly spoke.
His gaze swept across those present, finally coming to rest on Shen Xiuhan, his expression solemn:
“The post at Yunyi Island does involve dealing with water bandits year-round, and it does carry a measure of danger.”
“But our Ji clan has stood rooted in Changyun County for a hundred years. We are absolutely not the faithless sort who send their men off to die for nothing!”
“To give our island-stationed Patrol Envoys a bit more genuine skill to slay enemies and preserve their lives, our Ji clan is prepared to make a special exception…”
He paused, then spoke word by measured word:
“Any martial artist who wins this old one’s approval and is willing to take up the ‘Yunyi Island’ Patrol Envoy’s waist-token may enter the first floor of our Ji clan’s Scripture Library and freely choose one martial art, or one stance art!”
The courtyard first fell silent.
Then, like fierce fire meeting hot oil, every man present was astonished!
The entire training ground boiled over!
The Scripture Library!
That was the true lifeblood of a great clan’s standing in Changyun County — where their foundation lay.
Techniques were not to be transmitted lightly.
Martial arts and stance arts had always been the closely-guarded secrets of every great power.
Never mind outsiders of different surnames who came in service — even branch-line sons of the clan itself, without extraordinary merit, might not be qualified to set foot inside.
Had the Ji clan been goaded into madness by the Luo clan?
Willing to pour out such a fortune in blood-capital just to recruit an outsider?!
Ignoring the surrounding chatter, the Ji steward drew out a waist-token cast of black iron, held it level on his palm, and gazed burningly at Shen Xiuhan:
“Brother Shen, you are a prodigy this old one approves of. Whether or not you’re willing, the choice lies in your hands.”
Shen Xiuhan’s heart gave a small jump.
An unexpected bonus too?
No matter how dangerous Luo Zhan had made Yunyi Island out to be, Shen Xiuhan had never once considered refusing.
Because for him, there would be no better opportunity than attaching himself to the Ji clan and using that cover to approach the 『Diaohailou』 inheritance.
But he hadn’t expected the Ji clan, fighting for its pride, to hand over a treasured martial art for nothing!
What was there to hesitate about?
“The Ji clan’s sincerity, this junior will keep engraved on his heart.” Shen Xiuhan showed no false modesty. He simply cupped his fists and returned the courtesy: “I’ll take the Patrol Envoy post at Yunyi Island.”
“Good!”
The Ji steward’s tight expression instantly relaxed. Unable to contain himself, he clapped his hands with a great laugh, saying “Good!” three times in succession, and at once strode forward to pass the waist-token over:
“Brother Shen is a man of refreshing decision — our Ji clan will not shortchange you either!”
“In these next two days, settle your household affairs. The day after tomorrow, come to the Ji Manor in the north of the city and find me. This old one’s surname is Ji, given name Zhong. When you come, I’ll personally lead you on a walk through the Scripture Library!”
Shen Xiuhan stepped forward to receive the token and cupped his fists in a courteous bow: “Many thanks to the steward for making this possible!”
…
The retainer posting meeting broke up, and the stewards of the various powers departed one after another.
Xu Chuan and Xiang Yunting came striding over, their faces wearing that despairing look of frustrated elders.
“Junior Brother, you’ve lost your senses!”
Xu Chuan kept his voice pressed down, his tone full of anxious heat:
“The Luo clan has a Transforming Strength master seated at their head, and they’ve got the county yamen at their back — they’ve always held a step above the Ji clan. Today Luo Zhan climbed right up onto their face like that, and the Ji clan didn’t dare so much as let out a loud fart. What you just did is…”
“Second Senior Brother, you still haven’t seen through it?”
Shen Xiuhan raised a hand to cut him off, shook his head helplessly, and gave a wry laugh:
“Did you really think Luo Zhan was advising me out of goodwill? He saw that the Han and Ji clans were bidding too high and had already given up any thought of recruiting me himself.”
“Since he couldn’t have me, he simply staged a scene of tearing the scab off someone else’s wound in public. Disgusting the Ji clan, and incidentally planting a stone in my chest — that was all.”
At those words, Xu Chuan’s expression stiffened.
A belly full of fire, doused as if by a basin of cold water poured over his head — he stood rooted to the spot.
Beside him, the more meticulously-minded Xiang Yunting stroked his chin and nodded in deep agreement:
“Junior Brother sees through things keenly. Your talent is extraordinary, no doubt, but at the end of the day, you’ve only just entered Manifest Strength — you haven’t truly come into your growth yet.”
He paused, then laid the whole thing bare in a single sentence:
“A prodigy who hasn’t yet grown into himself — who can say for certain he won’t be the next Ji Guannan?”
“So Luo Zhan simply flipped the table — borrowing Chenjian Wu’s fearsome name to plant terror in you, hoping you’d back off of your own accord.”
“Had you truly been frightened off, the face the Ji clan was banking on today would have been swept clean into the dust.”
“Hah…”
This silk-unwinding, cocoon-peeling analysis made Xu Chuan’s face shift through several colors; his fists clenched until they creaked.
He couldn’t hold back a muttered curse:
“Luo Zhan, that old dog — despicable to the bone!”
After a long moment, he let out a long, pent-up breath and turned to Shen Xiuhan, his expression earnest:
“Junior Brother, the Ji clan may be willing to spend a fortune in blood-capital, but that Yunyi Island… is anything but peaceful in the end. Once you’re on the water, you absolutely must keep more than a few wits about you. When trouble comes, never push yourself to the front.”
“Thank you for your concern, Senior Brother — this junior understands!”
Shen Xiuhan cupped his fists and nodded, his expression sincere.