Chapter 93: Chapter 93

Ji Yuande bit down hard, but in the end didn’t dare make a scene in front of Ji Ning. He released his sword hilt with a hateful snort and stalked away.

Ji Ning’s hand, meanwhile, paused — clenched tight, then slowly unclenched.

For some reason, he shook his head, as though the feast had lost its savor.

He rose and addressed the gathering.

“I’ll be entering seclusion for the next few days. During that time, the four squads will rotate water patrols as usual. Under no circumstances should discipline slip. If Chenjian Wu launches a major assault, send someone to pull me out of seclusion.”

Shen Xiuhan’s expression shifted subtly.

Seclusion… and only a major Chenjian Wu attack warranted disturbing him…

The subtext was clear: don’t bother me with small matters.

That posture…

In his mind flashed something Geng Weizhi had once mentioned — that Ji Ning’s cultivation had reached peak Sinew Tempering.

‘Could he be entering seclusion to attempt a Hidden Strength breakthrough?’

Shen Xiuhan glanced at Ji Ning.

The man’s expression gave nothing away. His gaze was deep and unreadable.

Shen Xiuhan didn’t press the question. He simply clasped his fists alongside the others.

“Understood!”

The bonfires dimmed. The last of the wine was nearly gone.

A few flushed-faced guards stumbled off, propping each other up.

The new arrivals busied themselves clearing bowls and gathering the scraps.

Shen Xiuhan rose with his four men, ready to head back to the bamboo houses.

Then, out of nowhere, Ji Yuande — who had vanished for the entire second half of the feast — materialized before them.

“Patrol Envoy Shen, you still haven’t given me an answer about what I said earlier… Don’t tell me you’re scared? If you are, just say so. I, Ji Yuande, am not an unreasonable man.”

Shen Xiuhan didn’t break stride. He stepped past Ji Yuande without so much as a sideways glance, and kept walking — as though the man simply did not exist.

Yan Chuan and the others traded a brief look, then hurried after him.

‘Little bastard… you dare treat me like this…’

Ji Yuande stared at Shen Xiuhan’s retreating back. A sliver of venom glinted in his eyes.

‘Just you wait!’

…

The night wind moaned.

A sliver of cold moon lay mirrored in the water, broken into a lake of silver scales by the ripples.

Shen Xiuhan walked at the front.

Behind him, Hu Zhi opened and closed his mouth several times before finally giving in.

“Patrol Envoy, that Ji Yuande… what do you make of him?”

“A clown. Nothing more.”

Shen Xiuhan’s tone was light. “Do your jobs. Don’t waste thought on him.”

Hu Zhi nodded silently at that, though the worry on his face hadn’t fully cleared.

“Old Hu, relax!”

Yan Chuan grinned from beside him and clapped his shoulder.

“That kid’s got skin softer than a baby’s backside. I’d bet my teeth he’s never even killed a chicken. Our Patrol Envoy traded blows with Qu Bushi — Bone Tempering for years, that one — and walked away in one piece. You think that little dandy stands a chance?”

Hu Zhi and Ruan Linhuan both felt a weight lift at the words.

In all honesty, serving under Shen Xiuhan had been a marked improvement over what came before.

The previous Squad C Patrol Envoy, Zheng Bao, had been strong enough, and fiercely protective of his own men. But he was not without flaws.

For one, he never set foot in the water himself.

He dumped every last duty on his subordinates, treating the four of them more like servants than soldiers, while he hid in his room and drank.

Shen Xiuhan was different.

Not only did he patrol the waters in person every day, he shared his rations with the men. He even took time now and then to point out flaws in their stances and combat technique.

In barely two months of working together, Yan Chuan and the others had felt a genuine leap in their own martial skills under Shen Xiuhan’s guidance.

In a place crawling with water bandits, that kind of improvement could save your life.

An officer like that — naturally, they hoped to serve under him for the long haul.

“Oh — Luo Feng!”

Yan Chuan suddenly turned his attention to the new addition trailing at the back, flashing a grin.

“Back at the feast, you said you’re from the Luo clan… This lake’s no playground. What brought you out here? And as far as I know, the Luo clan and our master’s house aren’t exactly on friendly terms…”

Luo Feng clasped his fists with a rueful smile.

“Brother Yan, it’s not what it sounds like. I may carry the Luo name, but I’m so far removed from the main line we’re practically strangers — well past the fifth degree of kinship. My branch has fallen on hard times. The name’s an empty shell. There’s nothing connecting me to the County Magistrate’s family. The master’s house verified all of this when they recruited me.”

Shen Xiuhan’s gaze flickered.

The Luo clan…

County Magistrate Luo Changming’s Luo clan? He hadn’t expected Luo Feng to have that kind of background.

“So that’s how it is… You’re a hard-luck case too, born with a great family’s face but eating a soldier’s rations with the rest of us…”

Yan Chuan trailed off, then suddenly sidled up to Luo Feng with a conspiratorial squint.

“Say, I’ve heard the Luo main family has an incredible prodigy — not just outrageously talented, but drop-dead gorgeous to boot… You share the surname. Have you ever laid eyes on her?”

“Brother Yan must mean… the eldest young lady of the main branch. Luo Tangyin?”

Luo Feng shook his head. His honest, square-jawed face creased with a wry smile.

“Young Lady Tangyin is the County Magistrate’s most treasured jewel — a true daughter of heaven. She left for Nanxiang Commandery years ago and entered the great sect Bixia Mountain Estate. Her talent is extraordinary — barely past twenty and already at peak Sinew Tempering. Word in the inner city is that she’ll break through to Hidden Strength inside half a year at the fastest, a year or two at the slowest…”

Here Luo Feng gave a self-deprecating laugh.

“A figure like that — what business would a fallen branch nobody like me have seeing her? Though…”

“Though what?”

Yan Chuan’s eyes lit up like lanterns. He leaned in eagerly.

Hu Zhi’s ears perked up too, his head swiveling with open interest.

On this dull, isolated island, gossip about a prodigious beauty was rare entertainment.

Luo Feng paused, then lowered his voice.

“Before I left home, I heard the eldest young lady had recently returned from the academy. Apparently she’s heading back to the prefectural city in a few days. If she takes the water route, the Yunyi Island channel is the only way through.”

“If you gentlemen are lucky, you might spot the Luo clan’s official barge. As for whether you’d actually catch a glimpse of the eldest young lady herself… that, I can’t promise.”

“Well now, wouldn’t that be something!”

Yan Chuan slapped his thigh, rubbing his calloused palms together in excitement.

“Next time we’re on water patrol, I’m keeping my eyes peeled! A beauty like that — miss her, and you’ll be kicking yourself for years!”

The rough men carried on whooping and hollering over a woman none of them had ever seen, buoyed by wine and good spirits, their steps light on the path home.

Bamboo shadows danced. Moonlight poured down like water, silvering them all.

Before long, they reached the bamboo houses.

Squad D had the watch tonight, so they could rest for once.

Shen Xiuhan washed up and retired to his room.

Luo Feng was given the quarters Geng Weizhi had vacated. Going forward, he would pair with Yan Chuan on duty rotations.

…

At the same time.

Six li from Yunyi Island.

A long, narrow island — coiled across the water’s surface like a monstrous serpent — loomed dark and menacing in the moonlight.

This was Fish Island, a direct subsidiary stronghold of Chenjian Wu. Its shores were a jagged chaos of reefs, and waves crashed against the rock with a deep, muffled thunder.

On the craggy, wind-battered shoreline stood two figures — one in white, one in black.

The man in white wore a brocade robe, a white jade rhinoceros-horn belt at his waist, an ivory folding fan in his hand. Painted on the fan’s silk face was a landscape scene — clearly a costly piece.

Had Shen Xiuhan been present, he would have recognized the man at a glance.

None other than the Bai family’s third young master — the one who had tried to snatch Shen Momo that day.

Bai Fufeng!