Chapter 74: Chapter 74
The dramatic shift in treatment came down to one simple fact: Shen Xiuhan’s strength was no longer what it had been.
Shen Xiuhan remained modest and clasped his fists. “You’re too kind, Steward. I was only doing my duty.”
“Ha ha ha — ordinary men couldn’t manage this ‘duty’ of yours!”
Seeing that his manner hadn’t changed a bit, Ji Zhong warmed to him all the more. With a smile, he led Shen Xiuhan through the main gate and into the Ji estate.
“You’ve rendered a great service this time. The household won’t be stingy with rewards. The head of the house has been waiting in the main hall for some time.”
The two of them crossed two waterside corridors. Below the walkways, the pond water lay dark and serene. Withered lotus leaves curled half-closed, and in the fading light, an occasional flash of koi tail sent ripples spreading in lazy circles.
Along the way, servants who spotted Ji Zhong stepped aside with lowered hands. When their eyes found Shen Xiuhan beside him, their gazes lingered with curiosity.
They walked into the second courtyard.
The side hall.
Bright with lamplight. In a gilded beast-shaped censer, fine calming sandalwood burned with a subtle fragrance.
Below the main seat stood a rosewood table.
On the table rested a vermilion lacquered tray with an incense burner beside it.
And on the tray sat a severed head — teeth bared, face twisted in a savage grimace.
Five bone-deep furrows carved diagonally from the left temple to the right cheek.
Skin peeled back. Eyes frozen open in death.
The head of Qu Bushi.
At the center of the hall, a woman stood ramrod-straight. A fox-fur stole draped her shoulders. Her hair was swept into a stately coiffure, pinned by a gold phoenix hairpin set with dangling pearls that brushed her earlobes, setting off her luminous, porcelain-smooth complexion.
She appeared to be in her early thirties, with mature, striking features — a beauty both vivid and commanding.
None other than the Ji clan’s head of household: Ji Shuying.
The soft hiss of a fire striker.
Ji Shuying stepped forward, lit three sticks of sandalwood incense, and placed them in the burner.
From outside, a timely announcement came.
“My lady, Patrol Envoy Shen has arrived.”
“Let him in.”
Shen Xiuhan entered the side hall. A single sweep of his gaze took in the woman before him — a beauty who yielded nothing to his own master.
The difference was that his master habitually wore loose, wide-sleeved robes, keeping her figure wrapped tight from view.
This woman, even clad in formal satin, displayed curves that strained against the fabric. The high swell of her bodice pulled the silk taut, and beneath her skirt hem, the outlines of two long, shapely legs were faintly traced.
Poise and allure merged on her person into something fatally magnetic.
Hearing his footsteps, Ji Shuying turned around at an unhurried pace.
Her gaze lifted, and she appraised Shen Xiuhan in a leisurely once-over. A smile curved at the corner of her lips.
“So this is the Patrol Envoy who turned the tide?”
“Shen Xiuhan, at your service, my lady.”
Shen Xiuhan lowered his head, tamping down the flicker of surprise in his chest, and clasped his fists in greeting.
The head of one of Changyun County’s Five Great Families — a woman.
And yet, when his lowered gaze caught the thin calluses on her knuckles, the surprise faded.
Anyone capable of holding together a great clan in a county bristling with rival houses was no ordinary person.
“No need for formalities. But tell me — should I call you Patrol Envoy? Or perhaps Young Master, Xiuhan… or maybe Little Six?”
Shen Xiuhan stiffened slightly, lifting his head in bewilderment.
What met his eyes was a mischievous smile on Ji Shuying’s face — equal parts teasing, equal parts warmth.
Seeing the young man’s blank, uncomprehending stare, Ji Shuying seemed to find it enormously amusing. She raised a hand to cover the laugh at her lips, her eyes crinkling into crescents.
“Your master never told you about the two of us?”
“…She did not.”
“Oh, that’s just her way.”
Ji Shuying looked entirely unsurprised. She gave a small shake of her head and smiled.
“Your master and I have known each other for over four years. She… was right here at my place just last night.”
“…Ah?”
Shen Xiuhan’s mouth fell slightly open. For a moment, he had no idea how to react.
In a flash, a host of small details — things he’d once puzzled over but never considered important enough to pursue — came flooding back.
When he’d been selected by the Ji clan at the retainer posting meeting and reported it to Mei Shuangfeng, why had his master known the Ji clan’s Scripture Library like the back of her hand, rattling off the contents as though she’d written the catalog herself?
The Azure Spike Fowl in the Ji clan’s beast pens had never been sold to outsiders, and their alchemy formulas were closely guarded secrets. Yet when he brought back an Azure Spike Fowl, his master had been able to refine Jade Blood Pills — and had described the formula, the medicinal properties, and the dosing protocol with perfect precision.
Every last puzzle piece now fell into place.
His master and the head of the Ji clan were acquainted — and their relationship was… exceedingly close.
“Little Six, if you’re willing, you may call me… Auntie Ji.”
Ji Shuying let the words settle, a glimmer of expectation in her gaze as she watched Shen Xiuhan.
Shen Xiuhan hesitated only briefly before going along with it.
“Auntie Ji.”
“Good… good child.”
Ji Shuying’s smile deepened. Some thought crossed her mind, and for a moment her expression turned almost giddy.
But she reined it in quickly.
Her gaze returned to the severed head on the tray, and her tone grew more businesslike.
“Catching up can wait — there’ll be time for that. Let’s talk about the matter at hand.”
Ji Shuying walked back to the rosewood armchair and sat down, her manner now fully composed.
“The journey to Nanxiang Commandery was perilous in the extreme. You kept Xue’er and Yao’er safe and cut down Qu Bushi — a murderous bandit with our clan’s blood on his hands. Our Ji clan will not be ungenerous.”
With that, she parted her lips and called out, “Ji Zhong.”
“This old servant is here.”
Ji Zhong, who had been standing discreetly by the door, moved at once. He appeared at Shen Xiuhan’s side bearing a tray draped in red silk, and drew back the cloth.
Candlelight fell across the contents. Six official silver notes lay in a neat stack, each bearing a face value of ten taels.
A full sixty taels of fine silver.
Enough to purchase a two-courtyard compound in Changyun County’s inner city.
Beside the notes stood a small, exquisite white jade porcelain vial.
The vial was stoppered with red silk, and though it hadn’t been opened, a faint but potent medicinal fragrance seeped through. Even a casual whiff set the qi-blood stirring.
“Fifty taels of that sum is your reward for killing Qu Bushi.”
Ji Shuying lifted a slender finger and tapped the stack of notes, then pointed to the white jade vial.
“Inside the vial are six Jade Blood Pills. Five are likewise part of your reward for this mission. As for the remaining pill and the extra ten-tael note — those settle your monthly wages and pill allowance in one go.”
Six Jade Blood Pills!
Shen Xiuhan’s heart gave a thump.
On the black market, the Ji clan’s Jade Blood Pills were among the most sought-after medicines available.
Refined from second-tier treasure beasts, they were exceptionally pure in potency and effective for martial artists at both Manifest Strength and Hidden Strength.
Even the lowest-quality batch pills were routinely bid up to six or seven taels apiece.
The Ji clan had opened their coffers wide — the depth of their resources was unmistakable.
“Take them. Don’t refuse. You earned these with your life.”
“Thank you for your generosity, Auntie Ji.”
Shen Xiuhan didn’t stand on ceremony. He clasped his fists, bowed, and accepted the notes and the vial.
In troubled times, resources were the stairway to heaven for a martial artist.
His stock of Jade Blood Pills had been nearly spent during the Bone Tempering breakthrough. This windfall came at exactly the right moment, giving him the fuel to push toward Full Mastery of Bone Tempering sooner.
Seeing him accept without fuss or false modesty, Ji Shuying’s regard for him visibly warmed.
She raised her teacup for a slow sip and spoke gently.
“Little Six, you’ve been delayed for days on the road. Take a few days’ rest before heading back to the island. As for the monthly provisions — the medicinal meals and meat rations — Ji Ning will settle the balance with you in full. You won’t be shorted so much as a single ounce.”
“…Understood.”
Shen Xiuhan answered in a low voice. But he didn’t turn to leave. He stood where he was.
A trace of puzzlement flickered across Ji Shuying’s brow. She set down her teacup.
“Is there something else?”
“There is, though it’s mostly speculation — I’m not certain.”
Seeing Shen Xiuhan’s slight hesitation, Ji Shuying’s expression turned solemn.
“Speak freely.”
“Yes, Auntie Ji.”
Shen Xiuhan drew a deep breath.
He recounted everything — what Wang Neng had let slip before dying about the intelligence, and his own suspicion that the mole might be Lu Ya, Patrol Envoy of Squad A — laying it all before Ji Shuying, holding nothing back.