Chapter 164 – The Carefree Martial Lodge, Grand Demonic Abode, Yan Mu’s Letter, and the Emperor’s Broken Promise - Part 2

Li Yuan stayed at the residence for nearly two months.

Among the twelve urchins, eight astonishingly advanced to ninth rank and reached the stage of producing shadow blood.

Both Xu Lan and Xu Sheng were among them.

Before departing, Li Yuan supplied the children with some weapons and money, along with a three-month ration of ninth rank demonic beast meat for their training.

Both siblings knew he was about to leave, and neither was eager to see him go.

“Mister, we’ll guard this residence,” Xu Sheng declared.

“And Mister, since this place doesn’t even have a name yet, please give it one,” Xu Lan added.

After a moment’s thought, Li Yuan took up his brush. With strokes as graceful as silver hooks, he penned two words—Grand Abode.

One of the other street urchins asked, “Mister, what does that mean?”

Li Yuan explained, “It means I expect you to become strong enough to enjoy a grand life, but never forget that this abode is where you began.”

Xu Lan then ordered that the words be inscribed on a plaque and hung above the inner hall’s door.

“Mister, since this place isn’t yet worthy of the name Grand Abode, I won’t display it outside. When the time is right, I’ll put it up for all to see.”

Li Yuan surveyed the young faces before him. In truth, he intended to use these children—not only to train them but also to nudge them toward a darker path if necessary.

By naming the place

Grand Abode

, he was planting a seed of desire in their hearts. However, should one of these children eventually follow the path of The Thousand-Mile Hero, he wouldn’t hesitate to support them.

After all, hero or villain, both tended to stir up trouble. He simply didn’t have the energy to also cultivate a righteous faction.

Xu Sheng suddenly asked, “Mister, if other street urchins want to learn your martial art, can we teach them too?”

At his words, an expectant silence fell over the group.

Li Yuan slowly turned his head and raised eye, “Do you understand the proper rites between master and disciple?”

Immediately, Xu Sheng lowered his head and muttered, “I was wrong.”

In truth, he didn’t fully understand. They had once wished to formally become his disciples, but Li Yuan had simply insisted they call him

Mister

.

Li Yuan continued, “Xu Sheng, if others wish to learn this martial art, they must first learn how to honor a master. Only when they do so may you accept them.”

Then he reached into his cloak and produced a letter he’d prepared in advance.

Handing it to Xu Lan, he said, “After I leave, use this letter to go to Pinecrane Place. Whether you’re hunting, fishing, or gathering mountain treasures, as long as your goods are of high quality, Pinecrane Place will buy from you.”

Pinecrane Place was the largest restaurant establishment in Bluepond.

Few knew, however, that it had already been quietly acquired by the Ginger Tavern, and its current owners were loyal operatives sent by Xue Ning.

If the proprietor saw the letter, he’d decipher the secret script on it and know exactly what should—and shouldn’t—be done.

This, too, was the path Li Yuan had laid out for these young ones.

“Mister, aren’t you coming back?” Xu Lan asked.

“Once you’ve honed your skills further, I’ll return to see you and teach you additional techniques,” Li Yuan replied.

With a faint smile, he folded his hands behind his back and walked away gracefully, disappearing without a trace.

All the students of the Grand Abode knelt in the direction of his departure, bowing in unison as they called out, “Farewell. Travel safely!”

They immediately rose one after another, each seizing a blade with dangerous gleams in their eyes.

High above, a blackbird silently watched from the branches.

After leaving the children, Li Yuan had already bought a horse in the county. Mounting it, he rode north, his thoughts drifting far away.

He suddenly recalled great powers like the Sacred Fire Palace and Mystic Gold Monastery and wondered about the transcendent forces hidden behind history.

Did that mean someone long ago had done what he was doing? That by drawing up a single visualization aid, one could establish an independent power?

The question then arose. Were those who once did the same still alive?

˙·٠✧🐗➶➴🏹✧٠·˙

A day later.

No one in Gemhill knew where Li Yuan had gone in the last two months. However, it was also normal for figures like the Blood Blade Patriarch to roam about.

When Li Yuan finally returned, dusk had already settled. After bathing and changing, he embraced the gentle Yan Yu.

Following a moment of intimacy, calm returned.

Yan Yu twisted her hips and turned around. With arms as graceful as carved jade, she wrapped them around his neck and, exhaling softly like an orchid’s fragrance, said, “Tomorrow you should go see Big Sis. She may not admit it openly, but I know she’s been missing you too.”

Li Yuan held her close as he murmured the events of the past two months.

Without a word, her cheek nestled against his chest until, suddenly, she asked, “I’ve been thinking about Feng Er’s lingering regret...”

“Do you still dream of her?” he asked.

Her chin pressed gently against his in silent assent. “But that ghost isn’t really her, and I don’t want you to get hurt.”

She pressed her chin a little more, then, with a coquettish lift, her legs clung to him as she edged closer and whispered, “But what if Feng Er’s rule is that I can’t die?”

That question left Li Yuan momentarily speechless.

A heavy silence filled the air before he finally replied, “The rule at the carpenter’s workshop is that once you step inside, trouble follows; the mass grave is all about karmic retribution, where the dead come after you.

"In strict terms, neither of these ghost domains has any special rule—it’s simply that misfortune strikes when you enter.

"But a rule saying Feng Er prevents your death... That makes no sense, and there’s no way to prove it.”

𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

Then, pulling Yan Yu close once more, he warned, “Don’t be foolish and try it on your own.”

Sensing his unease, she smiled lightly, her soft fingers brushing his chest as she teased, “Look at you, so tense.”

“Promise me you won’t act rashly,” Li Yuan insisted, his worry evident. He feared that Yan Yu might try to end her own life just to test whether Feng Er would save her.

“But how does one even test that?” she asked.

“Because you can’t cultivate, you’re doomed to remain mortal,” he explained. “That’s why I want to be your shelter, to shield you from the storms of life and keep you safe always.”

Her ruby lips moved as if she wanted to say more, but then she buried her face back into his embrace and softly replied, “Alright, I promise I won’t try anything reckless.”

“Be a good girl,” Li Yuan cooed, half teasing, half caring.

Lately, people had been calling him

Senior

,

Grandfather

,

Patriarch

, and

Mister

—making him feel as though everyone around him was much younger.

If he looked in the mirror, he’d be reminded that his true age was only 21, a thought that both amused and exasperated him.

“Yes, Senior Grandfather Patriarch,” Yan Yu replied in an adorably playful tone.

Then, giving him a little nudge and feigning surprise, she added, “Oh my, how did I end up sleeping with an old patriarch? Eek, don’t touch me, let me go~”

Her teasing made Li Yuan’s pulse quicken, yet seeing her playful expression, he grinned and warned, “You’re already a mother, and yet you still act so childish. Wait till I punish you!”

After their tender, familiar banter, the couple settled into a quiet intimacy.

Li Yuan lay contentedly, feeling a deep calm after their union, while Yan Yu, utterly spent, began to tap gently on his chest with her fingers.

Then she softly said, “Oh, I almost forgot. There’s something I need to tell you.”

“What is it?” he asked.

“My nephew has sent a letter.”

She continued, “Yan Mu, the one who went off to the Jade Capital, sent it to Little Ink Village, addressed to either me or to you. Soon after, someone delivered it here.

"The letter says that the Red Lotus Prince has been defeated, has escaped from the Jade Capital, and is now being hunted, while the emperor is preparing to return to the Jade Capital to dispense rewards. He...will be back soon.”

With a light laugh, she added, “My nephew is eager to return home in glory.”

Li Yuan’s thoughts drifted back to his old friend, Yan Mu. He recalled how, all those years ago, Yan Mu had never looked down on him for being ordinary. In fact, he had even entrusted his own aunt to him. Now, they had become true family.

“Good, good. It’s a relief he’s still alive.”

“By the way, you stop calling him

Brother

; he should be calling you

Uncle

,” she teased. A brief silence followed before Yan Yu added, “Don’t worry. When it comes to family, you can never be too cautious.”

Li Yuan nodded, though he now felt a heightened sense of alertness.

Times had changed; any unexpected turn could set off alarms in his mind. If he remembered correctly, the emperor had promised that any major force aiding him in reclaiming the Jade Capital would be allowed to choose three treasures from the Great Zhou Treasury.

With the Red Lotus Prince’s defeat, it meant the emperor was about to unlock that treasury. And now Yan Mu was involved...was that truly a good sign? What was his plan upon returning?

Lost in thought, Li Yuan noticed that Yan Yu had already fallen asleep.

˙·٠✧🐗➶➴🏹✧٠·˙

In Yan Yu's dreams, the same dark room, glaring window, and eerie white silhouettes appeared night after night.

Now free to move in her sleep, she got up a few steps and sat at the room’s only small table. Resting her chin on her hand, she observed that a few mysterious white paper money bills had appeared on the table, as if by magic.

Yan Yu raised her hand to reach out. But before her fingers could even brush the paper money, the white figure by the window let out a soft cackle, spun around, snatched the white bills, and handed them to her.

She accepted the money in a hushed tone, “Feng Er, let’s go do something together.”

But there was no reply. Ghosts couldn’t speak.

Yan Yu added softly, “Li Yuan worries too much about me. I don’t even know how to tell him.”

Silence still reigned in the room.

Then, in a gentle tone, she murmured, “He’ll surely stop me from doing anything because I’m just an ordinary person, and he’s afraid something might happen to me.”

The room remained deathly quiet.

After a moment’s hesitation, she murmured to herself, “Perhaps his concern is justified. He and Sheng'er are the most important people in my heart. Since he’s busy out there, I might as well give him a home.”

A tender smile graced her lips. Across from her, listening to her innermost thoughts, was a female ghost.