Chapter 4: Lady Qingyi

As he watched the first light of dawn creeping into the sky, Li Yanchu felt somewhat dazed.

“I actually achieved sudden enlightenment and mastered the first stage of the Six Yang Saber Art just like that!? This is a realm most ordinary martial artists might not reach even in ten years.”

The medicine he enhanced through the Decree of Bestowal clearly wasn’t ordinary; it had allowed him to break through and master the first stage of the Six Yang Saber Art instantly!

Li Yanchu wasn’t particularly knowledgeable in martial arts. After all, his master had been a Daoist priest, not a martial artist.

This blade technique had been found purely by chance. His master, Daoist Master Xuancheng, had discovered it among the belongings of a swordsman who died while fleeing from his enemies.

𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

Daoist Master Xuancheng himself didn’t know any martial arts.

Looks like I’ll have to consult Miss Qinglan tomorrow

, Li Yanchu thought to himself.

Right across from Qingyun Temple stood the Taiping Inn, run by a widowed woman. Her younger sister, Fang Qinglan, was a true martial expert trained by a renowned master. She wielded an iron sword, and her swordsmanship was exceptionally refined.

***

The next morning, Li Yanchu arrived early at Taiping Inn. The innkeeper was a beautiful woman in her thirties, whose every movement and expression was brimming with mature allure.

She had a delicate oval face[1], a beauty mark at the corner of her eye[2], and a lush, full figure that drew the eye.

“Daoist Master Li, you’re here! Let me get you some tea,” the inn’s young attendant greeted him warmly.

In fact, the only one in the entire Taiping Inn who was always this friendly to Li Yanchu was this young attendant. The innkeeper’s attitude, however, was much colder, as it was she who had rented the land that Qingyun Temple sat on to Daoist Master Xuancheng. The temple’s incense offerings had been sparse for a long time, and the rent had already been overdue for more than a year.

“Well, if it isn’t Daoist Master Yanchu,” the innkeeper said with a stiff face and a lukewarm tone.

In truth, she wasn’t a bad person; anyone else would’ve kicked Li Yanchu out long ago. However, she always had a sharp tongue.

“Ma’am, you're looking radiant today. I’d wager business will be booming in the coming days,” Li Yanchu said with a smile.

“Hmph.” She glanced at him, then said coldly, “Daoist Master Yanchu, how long are you planning to keep putting off the rent? Why don’t you just close down that rundown temple and come work here instead?”

Li Yanchu simply smiled without answering. Then, he pulled out a few silver ingots and placed them on the counter.

The innkeeper had just parted her luscious lips to unleash another barrage of sharp words about him clinging to that shabby temple, when she suddenly froze mid-sentence at the sight of the silver.

“This...?” Her rosy lips parted slightly, her expression disbelieving.

She knew how poor Qingyun Temple was. Li Yanchu normally didn’t have even a single qian of silver on him. So where did all this silver come from?

“Thank you for your kind patience,” Li Yanchu said calmly. “Here’s the overdue rent, along with this year’s payment. The extra is to make up for the trouble I’ve caused you.”

The innkeeper’s heart stirred, and a warm, pleasant smile bloomed across her face, like a gentle breeze on a spring day.

“Oh, there’s no need for all that,” she said sweetly. “Even if you’d taken a little longer, I wouldn’t have minded. I’m not one to fuss over such things.”

Though she said that, her hands moved quickly as she smoothly tucked the silver away into her pouch and secured it against her chest. Suddenly, in her eyes, Li Yanchu looked much more pleasing to behold.

“Someone, bring Daoist Master Yanchu a pot of our best tea!” the innkeeper called out, her voluptuous figure swaying as she turned and walked back behind the counter. The sudden change in her demeanor left Li Yanchu half amused, half helpless.

“Is Miss Qinglan in?” Li Yanchu asked.

“You’re looking for Qinglan? She went to the

yamen

today. Head Constable Wang invited her to become a constable,” the innkeeper replied with a smile.

“A constable?” Li Yanchu was a bit surprised. He hadn’t expected Fang Qinglan to suddenly take on the role of a

yamen

constable.

“What do you need me for?” came a cool, crisp voice from behind.

Hearing this, Li Yanchu turned around.

At the inn’s entrance stood a cold-faced young woman with an iron sword in hand. She looked to be about seventeen or eighteen, with delicate features and fair skin. Her legs were long and toned, and there was a heroic sharpness between her brows.

“Miss Qinglan, I had some things I wanted to ask you. Is now a good time?” Li Yanchu said.

“Come with me,” Fang Qinglan nodded.

The innkeeper simply smiled and went off to tend to business.

Fang Qinglan led the way, and Li Yanchu followed closely behind. At this distance, he could catch a faint trace of her subtle fragrance.

She had fair, delicate skin that didn’t seem like that of someone who practiced martial arts, yet she came from a distinguished martial family and possessed exceptional swordsmanship. Her hips were also notably shapely.

Li Yanchu couldn’t help but wonder if Fang Qinglan had visible abs or a defined V-line. Needless to say, he kept the thought to himself.

“What is it?” Fang Qinglan walked into the courtyard and turned to face him.

The two got along fairly well, but Fang Qinglan had a cool and aloof nature, and her way of speaking was just as cold.

“I wanted to ask... How are realms in martial arts actually divided?” Li Yanchu said.

Hearing this, Fang Qinglan went silent.

“Daoist Master Yanchu, why are you asking about this? You started training too late. There’s no way you’ll ever reach true mastery in this lifetime,” she said bluntly.

“...” Li Yanchu was speechless.

That was just how Fang Qinglan was. She was aloof and straightforward, the kind to roam the

jianghu

with her sword.

“I reached the first stage of the Six Yang Saber Art last night,” Li Yanchu said calmly.

Fang Qinglan showed a flicker of surprise.

“Strange... Daoist Master Yanchu, you’ve long passed the prime age for martial training, and yet you’ve managed to temper your qi and blood, even begin to grasp the basics?” she said.

“I just kept practicing and somehow broke through,” Li Yanchu replied modestly. And on that point, he truly wasn’t lying.

Fang Qinglan gave Li Yanchu a glance and said, “In the path of martial arts, there are no fixed realms or tiers. But in the

jianghu

, people roughly classify experts as third-rate, second-rate, and first-rate.”

That’s it? Just like that...?

Li Yanchu thought. Then he asked, “Miss Qinglan, have you ever experienced sudden enlightenment?”

Fang Qinglan replied, “Sudden enlightenment in martial arts is something that can’t be sought. It’s a rare opportunity, a great stroke of fate. Most people go their whole lives without entering such a state. You need to take things step by step, don’t reach for the unattainable.”

Li Yanchu persisted, “Then... Miss Qinglan, have

you

ever experienced enlightenment?”

However, Fang Qinglan stayed silent.

Li Yanchu understood instantly. So, sudden enlightenment in martial arts was even harder than he thought. Even someone like Fang Qinglan, born of a distinguished martial lineage, hadn’t achieved it.

Changing the subject, Li Yanchu said, “By the way, I heard from the innkeeper that Head Constable Wang invited you to the

yamen

as a constable?”

Being able to talk with a woman like Fang Qinglan, who was basically an ice queen, without ruining the mood meant he wasn’t completely hopeless socially.

Fang Qinglan nodded. “The Qingyi Temple Festival is approaching. With so many outsiders arriving, Head Constable Wang asked me to assist in keeping order.”

The Qingyi Temple Festival was one of Wei City’s grandest celebrations, held in honor of Lady Qingyi.

“This Lady Qingyi is really quite renowned,” Li Yanchu said, somewhat envious.

He was, after all, the current abbot of Qingyun Temple and a member of Daoism. And yet here was Lady Qingyi, a goddess not even found in the orthodox myths, enjoying such widespread devotion in Wei City. He couldn’t help but feel a little wistful.

This Lady Qingyi was said to be incredibly effective, especially after an incident twenty years ago when she was rumored to have manifested in divine form.

Since then, with each Qingyi Temple Festival, young nobles and well-born ladies from all over would flock to Wei City.

During the festival, the crowds would be a chaotic mix of good and bad, so it was a recipe for trouble. Naturally, the local authorities treated the event with great seriousness.

After leaving Taiping Inn, Li Yanchu returned to the temple to continue his martial training. And that day, he entered a state of sudden enlightenment three times in a row!

1. The term “鹅蛋脸”, literally “goose egg face,” holds significant importance in traditional Chinese beauty standards. It refers to a face shape that resembles the smooth, oval outline of a goose egg and is considered one of the most ideal facial shapes in Chinese aesthetics. ☜

2. In Chinese culture, a small, dark beauty mark near the eye is often seen as delicate and alluring, adding character and a subtle kind of sensuality to the face. ☜