Chapter 176 – Li Yuan Gazes North, Mother and Daughter Reunited in the Ghostly Realm, an Envoy Dispatched to Northriver Prefecture - Part 2

Li Yuan arrived back home.

Inside, the two children were sound asleep. Moving with care, he circled around to avoid waking them. Still, a rustling sound came from within the house.

A few moments later, the door opened. A slender figure appeared and darted into his arms.

It was Xue Ning, her eyes heavy with sleep but filled with worry.

“Dearest...”

“Xue Ning.”

“Why are you back so late?”

“I’m fine.”

“You’re ice-cold, and your face is so pale. How can you say you’re fine?”

Li Yuan only smiled and pulled her firmly into his arms, cheek to cheek, skin to skin, letting their warmth mingle.

“It was for Yan Yu, wasn’t it?” she asked.

He nodded. “Yes. She...she’s turned into a ghost.”

Startled, Xue Ning clutched him even tighter. Realizing she’d misunderstood, Li Yuan added, “Not the mindless kind filled with hate. She’s the same person on the inside; it’s just that her body is...not human anymore.”

Xue Ning’s expression grew even more baffled, her voice tinged with wonder. “Then how is she, really?”

She knew only the barest details about martial arts; the notion of ghost domains was completely foreign to her. Yet Li Yuan didn’t dismiss her questions. He simply scooped her into his arms and said softly, “Let’s go lie down with the children first. I’ll explain everything in the morning. It’s a long story. But this must stay between us. Eventually, Sheng'er will find out, too. But no one else, not even Ping’an.”

“I understand,” she murmured. “I won’t breathe a word.”

Holding her, Li Yuan wrapped one arm around her waist and the other under her knees; she slipped her arms around his neck. He suddenly noticed she looked even more alluring than before; childbirth hadn’t marred her figure in the least. In fact, it had graced her with a fuller, mature charm, radiating an irresistibly soft warmth.

His own blood roiled with a martial artist’s vigor, pent-up desire flickering through him. She felt it and uttered a gentle gasp. Li Yuan’s breathing grew ragged, but he forced it back down. “See to the children first.”

In a low voice, she said, “Then...shall I call Xiao Zhu?”

𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

Xiao Zhu was the prettiest of the four maids—Mei, Lan, Zhu, and Ju. Small and delicate, yet shapely and bright-eyed, she could have passed for a proper lady if dressed well. Before Li Yuan could speak, Xue Ning went on, “No matter the storms outside, we still have to live our lives. Don’t deny yourself. Besides, Xiao Zhu has always served me closely. Even if it was never stated outright, she thinks of herself as a bedmaid. If you don’t accept her, she’ll never marry. And in any case, she knows too many of our secrets. Where else could she go?”

Li Yuan recalled Yan Yu’s words and said, “Let’s talk about it in a few days.”

Xue Ning nodded. Li Yuan carried her into the house, set her gently on the bed, glanced at the sleeping children, and slipped back outside.

Though weary, he didn’t sleep. Instead, he sat down to write a letter to Yan Mu.

Previously, Yan Mu had no access to blood gold. But now, through his dealings with the Holy Tree Temple, he might have a way. Li Yuan wanted to see if he could trade ordinary gold for blood gold, even if he had to pay 20 taels of gold for a single tael of blood gold. The supposed going rate was 10 to one, but you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone willing to trade. Yet if anyone could manage it, it was Yan Mu.

Li Yuan worked until dawn without realizing. Pale gold rays crept in through the oiled-paper windows, casting soft light across his desk. Gazing at the words he had written, his thoughts turned northward toward Northriver Prefecture.

Northriver lay beyond the five counties to the north, separated only by a single river. From Gemhill, he could leave Antelope Pass, head to the Eternal Rest River crossing, and then travel north to reach it.

Northriver governed 36 counties, far more expansive than a small frontier place like Gemhill. Even so, Li Yuan had no plans to head there just yet. He knew Northriver was a microcosm of the conflict between martial practitioners and undying husks. It all stemmed from the emperor of Great Zhou’s sudden reversal and appointment of undying husk as the imperial tutor to counter the martial world.

Why would undying husks help the emperor? How many hidden intrigues lay beneath the surface?

After a full day of busyness and a night of vicious fighting, Li Yuan was drained. Setting aside those thoughts, he stripped off his clothes and collapsed onto his bed.

When he woke, he found Xiao Zhu waiting in his room, her cheeks flushed with shyness. Upon questioning her, he learned that Xue Ning had assigned Xiao Zhu as his personal maid...to attend him in dressing, meals, and errands around the estate.

Taking a moment, Li Yuan looked her over. She was about the same height as Yan Yu, reaching only to his neck, with a gentle, sweet appearance and fair skin. Her small lips seemed delicate and soft, giving her an overall impression of shy obedience, so unlike Yan Yu’s graceful beauty or Xue Ning’s elegant charm. It was clear that Xiao Zhu knew exactly why she had been sent and had long been prepared for it. Yet she wouldn’t rush things without his permission.

“Are you sure about this?” Li Yuan asked.

He had no desire to seek out anyone else; trust and feelings took time and trials. And frankly, Xiao Zhu was adorable and had always been considered a

bedmaid

by household custom.

A rosy blush crept over her cheeks. Her large eyes shimmered, and she clasped her legs together under her dress, heart pounding so loudly she could hardly speak. Li Yuan was so capable and still so young. Even if she tried her utmost to please him, she couldn’t imagine growing tired or resentful. In any case, she had always been meant for this and had never planned to marry outside the household; she knew too many secrets for that to be a possibility.

In a soft, syrupy voice, she said, “I’ve always been yours, Master. I never had to think about it.”

Li Yuan didn’t press further. He let Xiao Zhu help him dress. Then he instructed her to have a fast horse ready in an hour.

While she prepared, Li Yuan gathered a copper pendant—useful for resisting curses—and dropped it into a brocade pouch. Next, he stepped outside to fetch a birdcage from under the eaves; he freed the bird inside and set the cage aside.

Before long, Xue Ning arrived.

“Dearest,” she said quietly, “tell me more about Yan Yu.”

Li Yuan nodded. “You came just in time. Could you stitch this pouch for me?” He handed her the brocade pouch, and she fetched a needle and thread. As she worked, he explained the details of Yan Yu’s situation. When she finished listening, she sighed in wonder.

“In a couple of days,” he said, “I’ll take Sheng'er to see her.”

“Won’t that frighten the child?”

“It won’t.”

Right then, Xiao Zhu’s voice called from outside, “Master, the horse is ready!”

Li Yuan picked up the birdcage, took the now-sewn pouch from Xue Ning, and they went out together. Xue Ning pulled Xiao Zhu aside, whispering something in her ear that turned her face bright red. Li Yuan, meanwhile, mounted up and rode off.

˙·٠✧🐗➶➴🏹✧٠·˙

The Blood Blade Sect had relocated their headquarters near Whitecloud Alley for the time being, using estates that had always belonged to the sect. Li Yuan entrusted his letter to Yu Chaojin, explaining that he needed a clever, seventh rank disciple to deliver it.

After pondering for a moment, Yu Chaojin summoned Fang Jianlong, now an elder. Once, Fang Jianlong had been the most promising of the inner disciples, back when Li Yuan was merely a decent outer disciple. But the events of recent years had changed him. Gone was the brash arrogance he once bore; in its place stood a tall, steady man with the commanding presence of a seasoned warrior.

He offered Li Yuan a respectful bow. “Greetings, Patriarch.”

Li Yuan glanced him over. Five years ago, Fang Jianlong had broken through to seventh rank and had since polished his cultivation to the peak of that level, his mastery of the sect’s blade arts now considered complete. A flicker of information above his head read 205~215, a degree of power surpassing even the late Wei Yang.

“Yan Mu is an inner disciple of the Holy Tree Temple,” Li Yuan said. “You’re probably aware of my ties with him. You’ll be delivering this letter into his hands, waiting for a reply, and then returning. I want to trade for blood gold through him.”

“Blood gold...” Fang Jianlong hesitated. He knew only too well that blood gold was the exclusive currency above sixth rank, a barrier that separated common martial artists from those of truly formidable power.

Sixth rank items couldn’t normally be bought, so how could one reach sixth rank in the first place? The only way was to undergo the rigorous selection process of a powerful faction. You needed enough opportunity and luck to gain entry into their ranks.

That was why Fang Jianlong hesitated; he simply didn’t think they would succeed.

“Give it a try, regardless,” Li Yuan said calmly. “Whether it succeeds or fails, just come back and let me know.”

“Yes, Patriarch.” Fang Jianlong bowed in acknowledgment.

At that, Li Yuan tossed him a sealed brocade pouch. Fang Jianlong caught it. He felt something rectangular and metallic inside, cold as a block of ice even through the layers of fabric.

He glanced up at Li Yuan. Though he still looked youthful, just as when they first met years ago, the Blood Blade Patriarch now possessed unfathomable depths.

“Right now,” Li Yuan went on, “Northriver is likely teeming with hidden threats. The undying husk faction are vying against the Holy Tree Temple, Sacred Fire Palace, and Mountain Hall in open and covert clashes. Keep this item with you; if undying husks target you from the shadows, it can save your life. But do not let anyone know you have it.”

Fang Jianlong gripped the pouch tight.

Li Yuan then rose, picked up a birdcage from the table, and showed Fang Jianlong the two white finches inside.

“Jianlong,” he began, “I got these two white birds from up north. They’ve been with me for a while, and it’s time for them to return home. Once you cross the river, open the cage and set them free.”

The Eternal Rest River was wide, with nowhere for them to rest mid-flight, so they wouldn’t make it alone. Hence someone had to carry them across.

“That’s a simple errand. Rest assured,” Fang Jianlong replied.

Li Yuan also patted his shoulder. “By the way, get in touch with your little brother, Chengbao. Have him bring a talented child from the Fang Family to train at the Martial Lodge. If he himself wants to revise his cultivation technique, he can come as well.”

Fang Jianlong’s eyes lit up. “Of course!”