Chapter 206 – Ping’an’s Talent, The Deputy Temple Master of the Holy Tree Temple Arrives in Secret - Part 2

Li Yuan’s faction trained in the Martial Lodge, while the Blood Blade Sect was eager for support from the Sacred Fire Palace. When trouble came knocking from the outside, they deferred to the Blood Blade Patriarch. But if they could connect to the Sacred Fire Palace, Yu Chaojin saw no reason to waver in his loyalties.

Some things could only be done, not spoken of.

So, Yu Chaojin added, “Chengbao, some things can’t be accomplished by one person alone. Your brother married the daughter of a Sacred Fire Palace elder. We have to rely on him.”

Lowering his head, Fang Chengbao sighed. “I just don’t want to get my hopes up again.”

Yu Chaojin smiled faintly. “There’s plenty more disappointment to come.”

After a pause, he said, “I heard you sent some people into various merchant guilds, some even joined the Purejade Merchant Association... all to look for your brother on the outside. Any news at all?”

Fang Chengbao shook his head. “He disappeared on his wedding day. From the looks of things, the Red Lotus Cult probably took him...”

With that, he fell silent, and Yu Chaojin didn’t press further.

𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Once upon a time, Yu Chaojin had been desperate to seize the position of sect master. Now that he had it, he found it less satisfying than he’d imagined. He started envying Tie Sha, who had left Gemhill behind. Even though Tie Sha’s whereabouts remained unknown, Yu Chaojin had a feeling that someone as determined as Tie Sha would eventually reach the place he himself had always longed to go.

At the same time, Yu Chaojin’s longing to reconnect with the Sacred Fire Palace grew stronger every day.

As for Li Yuan...well, at the end of the day, he was merely sixth rank. If Yu Chaojin could advance to sixth rank himself, they’d stand on equal footing. Any fleeting respect or awe he’d once felt was eroding under the pressures of an unstable era, nearby dangers, and his own thirst for power.

Though he remained genteel in appearance, dark and twisted thoughts began bubbling up from within.

˙·٠✧🐗➶➴🏹✧٠·˙

Swish! Swoosh! Swish!

Ping’an chopped down with his wooden sword, imitating the motions of a practiced swordsman. Over the past few days, his older sister had been watching him train, which made him feel very proud. He wanted her to see he was no crybaby.

Nearby, Sheng'er sat on a cold stone stool, her two small legs swinging quietly as if she were born a proper little lady. Her hair was raven black, so dark it shone strangely, almost giving off a headache-inducing illusion if you stared too long. The reason was simple. She had compressed all her crows into her hair, mimicking the way Yan Yu said Feng’er contained her own ghostly aura. Naturally, such an aura made ordinary people feel uncomfortable.

Two crows emerged from her hair and perched on her shoulders so she could see into the distance. In a soft, childish voice, she asked, “Ping’an, what sword technique are you practicing?”

Ping’an raised his wooden blade, giving it a flashy swing. “I’m practicing the strongest sword technique in the world!”

“What’s the strongest sword technique in the world?” she asked.

Scratching his head, he replied, “It’s whatever technique I’m practicing.” With that, he let out a playful giggle and continued swinging away.

He swung; Sheng'er watched. She’d been watching for days and was growing a bit bored. Their father had told her to befriend her little brother, but she wasn’t sure they’d ever click. Though they shared the same blood, the aura he radiated...or rather, most people’s auras, felt alien and unsettling to her, with the exception of her father, mother, Feng’er, the rouge peddler, and older girl outside who sold flowers.

Still, Sheng'er clenched her tiny fists. She wouldn’t give up easily; she was determined to make friends with her brother. Since merely watching was boring, maybe it was time to play with him.

With a light thud, her walking stick’s wooden tip touched the ground.

Tap, tap, tap...

Though she was only turning seven by the lunar calendar, she walked with a steadiness that suggested a well-trained martial artist, no wobbling or hesitation.

“Ha! Sheng’er, are you challenging me to a duel?”

Noticing his big sister, who was only a few days older, Ping’an lifted his chin, casting her a provoking glance. “But I should warn you, I’ve been practicing my swordsmanship for ages.”

He rolled his neck, and an air of childish bravado shone on his young face.

Standing there with a crow on each shoulder, Sheng'er raised her cane in one hand. Ever since she’d confined the birds in her hair, her strength seemed to have grown. She gave a childish cry, “I’m cwoming!”

Ping’an froze. “Huh? What did you say?” Then he realized she meant, “Bring it on!”

He hoisted his wooden sword high above his head, ready to strike. Yet before he could swing down, the walking stick’s tip rested against his throat.

“You’re lifting your blade too high,” Sheng'er observed helpfully.

Ping’an stood there, stiff. Suddenly, as if possessed by some strange reflex, he twisted his body at an impossible angle...like a willow leaf fluttering in the wind, and slipped away from the walking cane’s tip. The move was surprisingly quick and nimble; Sheng'er barely registered it before he was already past her guard.

He nearly succeeded in dodging, moving with unexpected grace...until his left foot tangled with his right, sending him sprawling face-first on the stone floor in a perfect pratfall. He trembled a few times before bursting into tears.

Sheng'er held her walking stick in midair, tilting her head. Big, snow-pale eyes blinking thoughtfully, she crouched down and stroked his hair. “Crybaby, don’t cry.”

The moment she said that, his sobs ceased...only to explode seconds later into even louder wails, echoing like a funeral dirge. The little girl stood there, at a loss, until hurried footsteps came clattering toward them from afar.

Her first instinct was to run.

When she was little, she didn’t understand anything. Now that she’d grown a bit, she only trusted a handful of people; even the maids she saw every single day weren’t among them.

She wasn’t sure why, but she turned and ran off.

By the time Xiao Ju arrived, all she saw was the Ping’an lying on the ground, crying.

˙·٠✧🐗➶➴🏹✧٠·˙

“Have you been getting along with your little brother?”

Deep within the ancient ghost street, in front of a brightly lit window, the family of three was gathered as usual.

“Everything’s fine,” Sheng'er replied.

As she spoke, she moved to lean against her father’s side, hugging his arm; that was her spot.

Li Yuan looked at her. “You still seem a bit lonely.”

“No, I’m not.” The little girl tilted her head up and gave him a sweet smile.

“How about you go play with Tang Nian?” Li Yuan suggested. “She’s lonely too.”

“Alright,” she agreed softly.

While father and daughter spoke, Yan Yu came over from the distance with her hands hidden behind her back. When she reached Li Yuan, she dramatically swung her arms around, revealing what she was holding, a wax-yellow leather bracelet.

She sat down beside Li Yuan, placing the bracelet before him, a bright, teasing look on her face.

Li Yuan picked it up, and right away, a new entry appeared in his equipment box.

「Equipment 6: Human-Skin Manacles」

He paused.

Manacles?

Holding the waxy leather bracelet, he inspected it closely. Aside from the usual eerie chill that accompanied ghostly items, it was just a soft ring of leather, clearly not something meant to bind someone at first glance.

“Yan Yu,” he asked, “is this a new product?”

“Mhm. We’ll sell it for two mace.”

“Two mace?! What does it do?”

“As soon as you put this bracelet on someone, that person will lose their free will forever. They’ll obey you completely, without the slightest thought of betraying you. However, to start with, it only works on martial artists below sixth rank. But if they happen to reach sixth rank later on, the effect remains.”

Li Yuan mulled that over. “I see...Feng’er’s power is in here. Feng’er can sell people to ghosts; this is like selling people to people, skipping all the steps in between. But what about the peddler’s influence?”

Yan Yu explained, “In addition to that mind control, you can reshape the person’s appearance according to your preference—tall or short, plump or thin, handsome or ugly. Not only do they lose their free will, they lose all autonomy over their body as well.”

Clutching the wax-yellow manacles, Li Yuan’s gaze deepened thoughtfully. At first glance, this item might not seem very useful, but in truth, it suited him perfectly. There were so many ways he could utilize it.

He recalled how Fang Jianlong betrayed him after traveling to Northriver Prefecture. Although Fang Jianlong’s motives were understandable, from Li Yuan’s perspective, it was still a form of betrayal—unintentional and slight, but betrayal nonetheless. If he had slipped this bracelet onto Fang Jianlong beforehand, that situation would have never occurred. More than that, he could have shared more of his true plans for Northriver with Fang Jianlong, turning him into a far more effective agent.

That was one possible use.

Another was to seize control of a county-level sect leader outright. Most heads of such sects were seventh rank, cunning and shrewd; it was never easy to earn their loyalty by sheer force. For example, the disciples under Clever Seed Garden and the Farmstead Sect were fiercely loyal to the Holy Tree Temple because they depended on its advanced cultivation techniques. That loyalty was natural. But for Li Yuan, winning genuine allegiance from other county sects was nearly impossible, except in rare cases...like the Blood Blade Sect, which had become isolated after losing contact with the Sacred Fire Palace.

In other words, besides the people already in his household, no one else’s loyalty could be guaranteed. But with the manacles, he could

cheat

, establishing complete control over any target.

A third possible use was taking another wife. The human heart was fickle, and if one only intended for a brief intermingling, there was no need to think about trust. But a wife, one who shared a bed with him, had to be trustworthy in every sense. For that reason, Li Yuan preferred only the maids of his own household. He never went out hunting for new wives or concubines in the wider world.

Still, marriage could be a great way to forge alliances. He and Xue Ning were a perfect example. He didn’t have time to run the merchant association, collect intel, or manage inns and businesses, but she handled all of it. Meanwhile, she grew from a small-time tavern owner into the powerful hidden boss behind countless inns across multiple counties. They benefited each other, and they loved each other.

But Li Yuan doubted he’d ever find another woman like Yan Yu or Xue Ning. Though the manacles worked in a rather forceful way, they could eliminate much of the trouble and risk in forging similar bonds.

Yan Yu watched him dwell on the item’s possibilities, a bright smile on her lips. “It’s our own merchandise; just take it and use it. Production of these special items is limited, so even though we made three this time, we’ll probably only manage one per month after this. I’ll make sure to give you one every two months.”

“Mhm, that’s enough.”

Resting her chin on her hand, Yan Yu watched him from the side without asking how he planned to use this new item.

The family of three chatted for a while longer, but then the road outside the store suddenly went dark. A moment later came a faint pattering, like rain hitting the ground. Out of the gloom emerged a giant, indistinct ghostly shape, lumbering to a stop in front of the shop.