Chapter 088 – Reputation - Part 2

Over at Blood Fury Hall, Tie Sha rubbed his temples, feeling restless. Two things were weighing on his mind. First, the stalemate with the Sun Family and Wei remnants dragged on. Second, he’d lost contact with the Blood Blade Sect’s upper ranks, along with access to the life chronicle.

That scroll contained the key to advancing to the sixth rank. Reaching the sixth rank meant shedding one’s mortal limits and extending one’s lifespan beyond the norm, fittingly called the Fate Altering Realm. Who wouldn’t want that?

Yet without the scroll, imbued with the original writer’s essence, it was nearly impossible to break through. Tie Sha had spent ten years trying and got nowhere. He was desperate for another chance to study it, hoping for inspiration that would lead to a breakthrough.

Just then, hurried footsteps approached. A short man bustled in. He was one of Tie Sha’s four personal attendants. He was the short one of the Short-Tall-Slim-Fat Quartet. The short man leaned close and whispered something quickly.

Tie Sha’s tense expression eased. “So, the blackrock mastiff picked up the scent. He tracked the two eighth rank enforcers down, killed them without a scratch, and covered his tracks neatly?”

He clicked his tongue as if impressed. “Fine. Summon Li Yuan to see me.”

As the leader of the sect, Tie Sha rarely called in subordinates on a whim. Doing so could spark all sorts of rumors. Previously, despite liking Li Yuan’s potential, Tie Sha had refrained from summoning him for that very reason.

But this time, he’d made up his mind. If Li Yuan really was a prodigy, why not show him some favor?

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At the Ginger Tavern, Li Yuan was seated behind a screen in the back courtyard while a line of applicants stretched out before him, each hoping to be hired as a guard for the restaurant.

From behind the screen, he sized them up. Most seemed to have combat capabilities ranging between 1~2, while a handful stood out at 2~3. Among ordinary folks, that was already decent.

He quietly beckoned Manager Wu over and pointed out a few of those 2~3 candidates to be hired.

Meanwhile, on the upper level of the courtyard, two striking women stood by the railing—Yan Yu and Xue Ning. They weren’t watching the hiring process; they were more interested in the lively street in the distance. Now that their man was proving so capable, life was going quite smoothly for them.

Xue Ning managed the household and kept the books. Yan Yu, on the other hand, had no head for running a restaurant or making money, but she was a natural at socializing. Unable to cultivate shadow blood herself, she decided to help her husband in other ways, namely by befriending the local ladies and influential matrons, hoping to forge useful connections.

Lately, Yan Yu had been scheduling social outings with the Brocade & Grace shop owner, the madam of the Rouge Parlor, the madam of the Cloudwalker Escort Agency, and the young lady of the Lion Style Martial Hall from the neighboring Parosol Town. Their plan for the day was to meet up at the Full Moon Teahouse for some refreshments, then wander around the bustling markets before taking a leisurely boat ride on Silver Creek’s inland lake.

That young lady of the Lion Style Martial Hall happened to be Zuo Xiuxiu, the same woman Li Yuan had rescued before. The hall’s master had since reconciled with his son, and Zuo Xiuxiu had become the daughter-in-law in name, if not quite in spirit.

Once Zuo Xiuxiu learned that Li Yuan was affiliated with the Ginger Tavern, she started showing up there regularly. Before long, she befriended Yan Yu and now addressed her affectionately, practically clinging to her every word. Partly she was keen to attach herself to someone influential, and partly she was genuinely grateful for Li Yuan’s help. So, she became Yan Yu’s eager shadow, never contradicting her.

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Meanwhile, in the back courtyard of the Ginger Tavern, Li Yuan was speaking with a servant who’d come hurrying in from the lively front hall. The servant leaned in and whispered, “Young Master Li, someone from the inner district is here. He says the sect master wants to see you.”

Li Yuan turned slightly. “Did he mention why?”

“No, nothing specific.”

“How many people came? How did they arrive?”

“Just one. He came in a carriage, by the look of it.”

“Got it. Have someone fetch the last two jars of Springdream Brew from the cellar and load them onto his carriage. I’ll be right there.”

Relieved, Li Yuan guessed that the uproar over Chang Kui and Ruan Ah-Fei must have blown over. If there was any real trouble, the sect master wouldn’t be inviting him in such a calm way.

He rose and made his way to the restaurant’s front, only to spot a short man, barely four and a half feet tall, waiting outside. Floating above the man’s head was 140~145, a clear sign he was a formidable seventh rank fighter, more powerful even than Elder Dugu had been. Yet Li Yuan had never seen him before.

The man greeted Li Yuan with a broad smile, pulled out the sect master’s token from his robes, flashed it, then nodded. “Young Master Li, I’m a servant of Tie Sha. He values you greatly, and wants to meet personally.”

Sensing the man was feigning humility, Li Yuan responded courteously, “May I have your name, sir?”

The short man appreciated the politeness. “I’m just a servant of the Tie family. No need for fancy titles. Call me Ah San.”

“How could I just speak to a senior so casually?” Li Yuan said. “That said, please wait here a moment.”

Ah San was taken aback by having his strength seen through but just said, “Young Master Li, is there something else you need?”

Li Yuan replied, “There’s not much of worth in the restaurant, but I do have two jars left of our own Springdream Brew. I hope the sect master will enjoy them.”

“Springdream Brew?” Ah San grinned. “That’s good stuff! Goes for two silver taels a pot. A whole brewing jar doesn’t come cheap.”

Li Yuan smiled. “Please don’t tease me too much, sir. I’m just trying to make a living.”

A short while later, Li Yuan climbed into the carriage with the two big clay jars of wine. Off they went, rolling through the gates into the inner district. It was midday, and the sun cast a warm glow over the bustling streets.

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That afternoon.

A little girl hopped and skipped down the road outside the Ginger Tavern, while a disheveled, burly man followed behind, digging around in his pockets for coppers whenever she wanted to buy a treat. Soon enough, she was clutching both a sugar-paint candy shaped like a rabbit and a skewer of sesame-coated candied fruit.

“Daddy, where are we going?” she asked.

He answered, “I’m here to see an old friend.”

They chatted as they made their way to the restaurant entrance. The man affectionately patted the girl’s head. “Wait out here, okay? Dad’s just going inside for a minute.”

He slipped in through a side entrance. A server, noticing his ragged clothes, started toward him, ready to chase him out.

But the man spoke up. “I want to see your boss.”

“Who are you supposed to be? You think you can just—”

Before the server could finish, the man reached into his robe and pulled out a fist-sized metal object. A light tap set it fluttering into the air, circling his hand twice before settling back onto his palm.

The server leaned in, hardly believing his eyes. On closer inspection, it turned out to be an iron butterfly, its razor-like wings shaped almost like blades.

“Please wait a moment, sir. I’ll go speak to the manager.”

The server ran to inform Manager Wu, who took one look at the stranger and hurried upstairs. Soon he returned, saying, “The proprietress is quite intrigued by your little trick. She’d like to see you in the back courtyard.”

The man nodded. “My daughter’s waiting outside, though. Could you...?”

Manager Wu waved him off. “We’ll watch over her. Xiao Liu, bring that girl inside and keep an eye on her.”

Thanking them, the man followed Manager Wu into the courtyard.

There, Zhou Jia stood silently. His hair was streaked with white, and with a blade in hand, he gazed at the sky without emotion. He looked almost numb, as though neither joy nor sorrow could touch him. The man gave Zhou Jia a passing glance, then turned away to wait quietly.