Chapter 036 – The Blood Blade Sect

After killing three men in quick succession, Li Yuan only felt his heart pounding of his heartbeat. He pushed his cart under the cold moonlight, and as the initial rush subsided, a numbness took hold. Taking another’s life wasn’t that different from slaughtering a pig, he told himself. Maybe that was the only way to cope.

Back at home, he stripped off his clothes and found bloodstains on them. He fetched some soapnut and a wooden washbasin, intent on scrubbing them clean. His rustling woke Yan Yu, who stepped out of their small house.

“I’ll do it,” she offered, leaning against the doorframe.

𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

“It’s fine,” Li Yuan said hastily, moving to hide the bloodstains from her.

Yan Yu walked behind him, sliding her arms around his shoulders and resting her chin near his neck. “What kind of wife would I be if I let my husband go out all day and still do the laundry at night?”

He hesitated, but she gently placed her cheek against his. “I’ve grown used to the smell of makeup and wine on you. A little blood won’t scare me.”

Li Yuan gave a short laugh, then dropped his hand to reveal the blood-soaked fabric. The grin faded from his face. “I killed three men,” he said quietly.

“Are you hurt? Did anyone see?” Yan Yu asked at once.

“No,” he replied with a soft sigh. “Only after it was done did I realize how fragile life can be in these chaotic times...”

He fell silent. Yan Yu said nothing more. She just sat beside him, took the basin, added the soapnut, and began to wash. The cold winter wind and icy water soon left her cheeks and hands flushed red.

After a while, she giggled. “Why are we doing this out in the courtyard? Are we supposed to be enjoying the moonlight in the dead of winter?”

“I thought you might like the romance of it,” Li Yuan teased.

“I thought it was your idea...” she teased back, then rose to lead him inside, to where it was warmer.

˙·٠✧🐗➶➴🏹✧٠·˙

Early the next morning, sunlight poured over the dirt roads and low, flat houses of Little Ink Village. As Li Yuan stepped out, he spotted Uncle Youcai pacing anxiously in front of the house, eyes bloodshot, hands tucked under his sleeves for warmth.

“What’s wrong?” Li Yuan asked.

“Li Yuan...” His voice trembled, tears threatening. “Please come see Tian Bao. He’s...in bad shape.”

Li Yuan followed Uncle Youcai in haste. Inside, Tian Bao lay on a rough pallet, looking ashen and barely conscious. The teenager blinked at the sound of footsteps.

“Boss... I...I don’t think I’m gonna make it...” he rasped.

Li Yuan glanced at Uncle Youcai, then pressed two large coins into the older man’s hand. “Go into town and get a doctor. Hurry.”

Clutching the coins, Uncle Youcai nodded, too panicked even to thank Li Yuan properly. He grabbed a neighbor for help and ran off at once.

Li Yuan took a seat beside Tian Bao.

The boy managed a wry smile. “I wanted to stick with you, to make something of myself. I wasn’t afraid of the danger—” He broke off, his voice cracking. “But I’m too weak. I lost one eye, and it’s already killing me. My body can’t handle anything. Why...why am I so useless?”

Li Yuan squeezed the boy’s hand. “Hang on. The doctor’s on his way.”

“It’s no use,” Tian Bao murmured. “No use...”

He trailed off, groaning in pain. Some time passed before Yan Yu arrived with a lunchbox. Li Yuan tried to get Tian Bao to eat, but the boy couldn’t stomach anything.

Finally, in the early afternoon, the doctor arrived with Uncle Youcai. It happened to be the same one who had treated Li Yuan before, which made Yan Yu ask hopefully, “Doctor, we still have some leftover medicine from last time. Could you maybe give us a bit of a discount?”

The doctor scowled. “Are we here to treat your patient or haggle over medicine?”

Yan Yu bit her lip but said nothing more.

The doctor examined Tian Bao for a while, his brow knitting deeper by the moment. Silence filled the tiny room. He finally stood and walked outside. Uncle Youcai hurried after him.

“Prepare yourself,” the doctor said gravely. “No medicine can save him now.”

Uncle Youcai’s eyes reddened. “Doctor, please, I only have this one son left. My wife died years ago, and my eldest is off at war. You have to save him. I’ll pay anything.”

“It’s beyond me,” the doctor replied. “It’s not just the eye. His injuries have led to more serious complications. His body’s giving out.”

Yan Yu, having overheard, asked, “What if we tried the medicine you prescribed my husband, something to replenish his energy?”

“You can try,” the doctor said indifferently. “Whether it works or not, I can’t say.”

With that, he left. Yan Yu dashed home to fetch the medicine and brewed it into a concentrated concoction, which Tian Bao managed to swallow before drifting into a troubled sleep.

˙·٠✧🐗➶➴🏹✧٠·˙

The next day, Tian Bao never woke up. He passed away in his sleep, Uncle Youcai was numb with grief. He shed not a single tear, lost in shock as Li Yuan helped him with the burial and chiseled a simple gravestone.

Though Li Yuan hadn’t been especially close to the boy, he’d once held a small hope for him. It hurt to see that hope snuffed out so suddenly.

In these chaotic times, having the slightest bit of wealth or advantage could prove fatal for those without the strength to defend it.

Tian Bao hadn’t even gotten a share of the money from selling the wild boars; all he did was help push a cart, and he paid with his life.

˙·٠✧🐗➶➴🏹✧٠·˙

By the waters of Silver Creek, stood a grand estate. Inside its pavilion, a pale, handsome middle-aged man with faintly feminine features sat quietly, watching sunlight glint off the water. Occasionally, an elegant pleasure boat passed by.

“Sect Master, please have a taste,” a lovely maid offered, holding out a dish of fresh fruit to him.

His voice was cold. “I’m not the sect master, only the deputy.”

She said nothing. Others who had tried to fuss over such details had ended up dead.

Just then, a disciple in dark robes trimmed with red arrived, bowing with a scroll in hand. “Here are the month’s nominations.”

Without so much as a glance, the middle-aged man spoke, “If they’re local to Silver Creek, admit them to the outer sect and teach them our arts. If they’re from anywhere else, send them to our various strongholds to train for a few years, then we’ll test them.”

The disciple cleared his throat. “One of our outer sect members recommended a young man, said to have impressive strength. He can draw a powerful bow with ease.”

“Where’s he from?”

“Little Ink Village.”

A faint sneer curled the deputy sect master’s lips. “A peasant from that backwater? No matter how strong his arms, how far could he go? Let him tough it out in the strongholds. If he survives a few years, we’ll see.”

The disciple bowed again in silence and took his leave.