Chapter 81: Chapter 81
Meanwhile.
Shen Xiuhan bid farewell to Chen An and continued alone down the long street, his mind racing.
Han Li…
This unremarkable scion of the Han household — what exactly was his background?
Zhao Honggang was no pushover.
As a famed prodigy of Changyun, Zhao Honggang’s talent was exceptional. Young as he was, he had already reached peak Sinew Tempering — just one step from Hidden Strength.
Several months back, leveraging his age and superior cultivation, he had even edged out Jiang Qinghong by half a move.
A fighter that formidable, now beaten into a coma by Han Li!
So the question was…
Just how strong was Han Li, really?
At the thought, something stirred within Shen Xiuhan. Pale golden light unfurled like ink dissolving in water.
【Today’s Intelligence has refreshed!】
【Intelligence 1: Han Li, past twenty-five, has just entered Hidden Strength. Green Wood Stance at Perfection, Falling Mist Movement Art at Full Mastery, Qingyuan Sword Formulae — Fragment at Initial Mastery. Commands sword gleam; skilled in alchemy. Currently hiding with Song Huatang and Han Huiwan at the Han clan estate in West Hill Village, outer city. (Coordinates…)】
Hidden Strength!
Shen Xiuhan’s steps froze. His pupils contracted sharply.
He had guessed Han Li’s cultivation would be high, but seeing it confirmed in the intelligence still sent a jolt through him.
‘Hidden Strength at twenty-five. That level of talent leaves Zhao Honggang in the dust.’
‘And yet this man has kept an impossibly low profile, lying dormant in the Han household for years — not a whisper of youthful arrogance.’
‘That kind of temperament… either he’s biding his time to make one earth-shattering debut, or he has far bigger plans.’
‘What’s more, he’s versed in alchemy and has mastered sword gleam!’
Shen Xiuhan was inwardly stunned. He had once come across records about sword gleam in the texts at Mei Hall.
Sword gleam was the true threshold of the way of the sword — the mark of a swordsman who had genuinely entered the sword path.
Once mastered, sword qi could flow along the blade’s edge when unleashed, multiplying its killing power many times over. Slicing through metal and splitting jade became trivial.
Moreover, the technique was specifically effective against defensive treasure armor and body-hardening martial artists who relied on tempered flesh.
Of course, this kind of lethal art couldn’t be acquired through sheer practice alone.
Only someone with genuine talent for the sword could comprehend this level.
Clearly, Han Li was a born sword prodigy.
‘Fortunately, Han Li and I are on decent terms. No grudges between us…’
Shen Xiuhan’s gaze swept to the remaining two pieces of intelligence. A cold smile flickered through his mind.
‘Tongbei Martial Hall, on the other hand, just had the worst luck of eight lifetimes…’
【Intelligence 2: Tongbei Martial Hall’s Zhao Honggang has suffered total rib fractures, shattered shoulder bones, and three of his five primary Sinew Tempering sinews torn apart. Hidden Strength is beyond his reach in this lifetime. Changyun County’s physicians are helpless. Yan Xiao, unwilling to abandon his disciple, intends to leave the city overnight for Changshui County to seek the renowned physician Wen Songling.】
【Intelligence 3: Tongbei Martial Hall has been severely weakened by this blow. At the same time, dissatisfied with the Wang family’s insufficient support in their struggle against the Bai family, Song Yanrong plans to secretly visit the Bai estate this evening to seek a truce…】
The chaos Han Li had unleashed had well and truly muddied the waters.
Rescuing Song Huatang and his mother — and crippling Zhao Honggang in the bargain…
It had forced Yan Xiao to take Zhao Honggang to Changshui County overnight to find a healer.
Tongbei Martial Hall had already been losing ground in its conflict with the Bai family.
Now their stronghold had been breached, and they couldn’t even identify the attacker.
With fires burning on every front, where would they find the energy to keep fighting the Bai clan?
On top of that, the Wang family had been dragging its feet — refusing to commit directly, only deploying Raging Waves and similar pawns to nibble at Bai territory bit by bit. They were blatantly using Tongbei Martial Hall as a tool.
That kind of treatment must have been stoking Yan Xiao and Song Yanrong’s resentment for some time.
Now, with the situation turning against her, Song Yanrong was looking to cut her losses and negotiate…
Shen Xiuhan strung the threads together. His pulse quickened.
Yan Xiao was leaving the city overnight for Changshui County.
Song Yanrong was going to the Bai estate to negotiate.
Feng Xiaobao and Ma Xianyang were leading a mass of disciples to blockade the inner-city gate and the wharf, running around like headless flies searching for Han Li…
Shen Xiuhan’s fists clenched tight.
‘A heaven-sent opportunity!’
If he missed this window, the next chance to sneak into Tongbei Martial Hall and get his hands on the original Tongbei Stance might not come until the year of the monkey.
Shen Xiuhan lifted his gaze.
The sun hung high — roughly late afternoon. Several hours until dark.
‘No rush… Haste makes waste. Wait until Yan Xiao and Song Yanrong are gone.’
Shen Xiuhan drew a deep breath, tamped down the surge in his chest, and turned to the fourth piece of intelligence.
【Intelligence 4: Madam Shi’s youngest son has been abducted by the Bai family’s Enforcement Hall and is currently being smuggled to the Fish Island prison, north of Yunyi Island. The island is personally commanded by Chenjian Wu’s Fifth Chief, “Blood-Fiend Saber” Tang Jin. (Coordinates…)】
Fish Island…
The heat in Shen Xiuhan’s chest ebbed. A strange light flickered through his gaze.
Since taking up his post as Patrol Envoy, Shen Xiuhan had gained a thorough understanding of the forces surrounding Yunyi Island.
Yunshui Lake was vast. The Giant Whale Gang and Water Dragon Stockade, entrenched on the eastern shore, mostly did rough work — raiding merchant ships and plundering villages.
But Fish Island was different.
It was a direct subsidiary stronghold of Chenjian Wu, planted right on the waterway north of Yunyi Island like a thorn embedded in the shipping lane.
The island’s boss, Tang Jin, favored a nine-ring thick-spined saber. His blade work was wild and sweeping, brutal and vicious — earning him the moniker “Blood-Fiend Saber.”
And after the Lu Ya affair, Shen Xiuhan already knew the Bai family was in league with Chenjian Wu.
What he hadn’t expected was just how deep that connection ran.
Shen Xiuhan’s thoughts raced like lightning.
‘Wait…’
‘In recent weeks, the number of outer-city families who reported missing children to the yamen adds up to twenty or thirty households!’
‘If the Bai family were selling the children into underground brothels, cramming that many young children in would be impossible to keep quiet.’
‘Now it’s clear — those children were most likely shipped to Fish Island by water, just like Madam Shi’s boy.’
‘But what does the Bai family want with so many children locked away in secret on Fish Island?’
…
North side of the city. The Wang family’s rear courtyard.
Dark brick and grey tile, eaves curving high.
Above the doorway hung a plaque of black wood inscribed with three characters: “Hall of Quiet Reflection.” The brushwork was vigorous and forceful.
The furnishings inside were simple but refined.
On a long rosewood table stood a bronze incense burner. Thin ribbons of sandalwood smoke drifted from its latticed lid, suffusing the room with a serene fragrance.
On flower stands to either side sat potted dwarf pines, their gnarled branches twisted with an air of antiquity.
In the great armchair at the center sat a middle-aged man in a loose white robe.
His face was lean, his breathing so long and measured it was nearly imperceptible. His bearing was deep as a still pool, immovable as a mountain peak.
Standing below him was a striking young man of about twenty-six or twenty-seven.
The youth’s sharp brows swept back toward his temples. The hands hanging at his sides were well-defined at the knuckles, the tops of his fists bearing thin calluses — clearly the hands of someone who had trained for years.
“Patriarch.”
The young man broke the silence of the hall, clasping his fists. His voice was steady.
“The men from Raging Waves report that they’ve tracked the movements of the Bai family’s Enforcement Hall at the wharf.”
“The Bai men were cautious — they used several tightly sealed carriages to load dozens of large wooden crates onto a boat.”
The young man paused, then continued.
“On the night Gao Nian was killed, two Golden Dragon Gang members who escaped the purge were taken in by Tang Cheng.”
“Those two told Tang Cheng that the crates most likely contain children who went missing earlier today in the child-snatching cases. They said the Bai family has been secretly doing this for quite some time, but back then no one dared interfere…”
Here the young man’s brow furrowed in confusion.
“But what I don’t understand is…”
“What does the Bai family want with these children, secretly shipping them to Fish Island?”