Chapter 10: Three Years

The autumn wind was gentle, the sky a clear azure, with white clouds drifting by and wild geese flying south.

The mild sunlight filtered through the increasingly sparse leaves of the old locust tree in the courtyard, spilling over a young man.

The young man was tall and wore a short hempen tunic, practicing his martial arts.

*Pa! Pa! Pa!*

His movements were lightning-fast, his gaze sharp. Wherever his fists and feet passed, they left behind a trail of afterimages, accompanied by a continuous, piercing sound of wind being torn apart—the momentum was truly terrifying.

"Hoo..."

After practicing for a full hour, the young man finally withdrew his fists and stopped. He closed his eyes slightly and exhaled a foot-long stream of white air, shaped like a long arrow, which lingered for a long time before dissipating.

He slowly opened his eyes, his expression somewhat grim, and muttered to himself

"Seven months now, and I still can't break through. It seems I must switch to a better cultivation technique..."

The young man’s eyes flickered, but a moment later, they returned to calm.

He took two steps to the weapon rack under the locust tree, slowly drew a four-foot-long saber from its scabbard, and gently stroked the blade with his fingers.

Suddenly, the young man flicked his wrist. The blade flashed, and a withered yellow leaf was silently sliced in two, drifting to the ground.

*Swish! Swish! Swish!*

The thirty-pound long saber felt as light as a feather in his hands. The blade shimmered, its cold light blinding.

Even more startling was that after finishing a set of saber techniques, the young man’s breathing remained long and steady; his face did not change color, and he showed no signs of exhaustion. Without stopping, he continued to practice his saber techniques.

A long saber of such weight was a military weapon; even the sturdiest soldiers could only swing it with full force a dozen times. It was rarely used by martial artists in the pugilistic world.

Yet, after finishing a set, the young man acted as if nothing had happened, even continuing to practice. It was only after another hour that he sheathed the blade.

Only then did the young man’s face flush slightly, though his breathing remained steady and long.

He looked up at the sky; it was nearly noon. He walked into the main room, changed into a yellow cloth tunic, tied a wooden waist tag to his belt, picked up a food box, and walked out of the small courtyard.

The young man walked through the narrow alleys until he reached a courtyard with three chimneys, and stepped inside.

A dozen gray-clad apprentices were gathered in the yard, lining up for food. When they saw the young man enter, seven or eight of them greeted him

"Senior Brother Chen, you're here!"

"Big Brother Chen!"

A simple, honest smile appeared on the young man's face

"Hehe, Junior Brother Zhang, Junior Brother Wei, you've arrived quite early..."

He greeted everyone one by one, then handed the food box to a servant, smiling naively

"Brother Xiaoliu, the usual: twenty white flour cakes, three large bowls of stewed meat, and a bowl of greens!"

"You got it!"

Xiaoliu took the food box and turned to walk into the room.

A long-faced apprentice heard the young man’s order and clicked his tongue

"That guy has a huge appetite!"

The short, stout apprentice in front of him turned around and said in surprise

"You’re too ill-informed, aren't you? You don't even know Senior Brother Chen?"

The long-faced apprentice asked curiously

"Brother, is Senior Brother Chen famous? Tell me about it! I only passed the test and became an apprentice three days ago, I don't know anything..."

The stout apprentice became interested

"Then let me tell you. Senior Brother Chen is a great guy—kind-hearted, not arrogant at all, and often helps us gray-clad apprentices. Plus, his martial arts are formidable; I heard he’s about to become the fourth commander of the guard team!"

The long-faced apprentice said enviously

"The guard team is a good job. You don't have to do manual labor and you get to eat meat every day. If only I could join the guard team... Is Senior Brother Chen in the guard team now?"

"Of course! Senior Brother Chen joined the guard team a year ago. He wields a thirty-pound long saber, and I heard he’s even hacked several mountain bandits to death!"

"A thirty-pound long saber?!" The long-faced apprentice’s eyes widened. "I struggle just to carry thirty pounds of iron!"

The stout apprentice looked proud

"Heh, Senior Brother Chen is a martial arts prodigy. He passed the apprentice test three years ago and was taken in as a disciple by Manager Li that very day. He broke through to the Skin-Refining Realm in just one year. He spent another year by Manager Li’s side before joining the guard team. He’s incredibly brave and has made many contributions. A month and a half ago, he broke through to the Bone-Refining Realm. The three commander seniors in the guard team are only at that level!"

"Senior Brother Chen is Manager Li’s disciple? No wonder he’s so strong. Before I came to the hall, I had already heard of Manager Li’s reputation—he’s a master at the peak of the Marrow-Refining Realm, famous all over Leping County!"

"Then do you know that Manager Li has two even more powerful disciples?"

"Which two?"

"That’s a long story..."

The young man stood in the distance, listening to their whispers, a faint smile appearing at the corner of his mouth.

Although the two had deliberately lowered their voices, they could not hide from his increasingly sensitive five senses.

The young man was Chen Yuan. It had been three years since he entered the Hundred Weapons Hall and became Manager Li’s disciple.

Hearing his own experiences from the past three years through the mouth of an apprentice brought a sense of nostalgia to Chen Yuan’s heart.

In these three years, he had indeed experienced many things.

Before long, Xiaoliu came over with a full food box and carefully handed it to Chen Yuan

"Brother Chen, here you go."

"Thank you."

Chen Yuan took the food box very politely and turned to leave.

Behind him, the crowd of gray-clad apprentices called out

"Take care, Senior Brother Chen!"

"Big Brother Chen, are you only taking one day off again?"

Chen Yuan smiled as he walked

"That's right, I'll be back at the guard team tomorrow..."

After a few more pleasantries, he walked out of the kitchen courtyard, quickened his pace, and headed back the way he came. The smile on his face slowly faded, returning to calm.

...

After lunch, Chen Yuan arrived at Manager Li’s residence.

He had arrived early; Wang Cong and Zhao Shan had not yet come.

Chen Yuan entered the main hall and bowed respectfully to Manager Li

"Erniu pays his respects to Master!"

Manager Li stroked his beard and smiled

"Erniu is here. Today is your monthly rest day, isn't it? Why aren't you out at the pleasure houses, listening to music and having fun?"

Chen Yuan scratched his head and smiled naively

"Erniu doesn't understand those things; I only know how to practice martial arts. Since I have nothing to do on my day off, I should be here to serve you, Master."

The smile on Manager Li’s face grew even warmer

"You certainly have a filial heart. How is your 'Tiger-Subduing Force' coming along? Are there any difficulties?"

Chen Yuan lowered his head and thought for a moment, then asked

"Master, whenever I circulate my true energy through the thoroughfare meridian, there is always a sign of restlessness..."

He asked several questions, and Manager Li provided guidance one by one.

During this time, Wang Cong and Zhao Shan arrived one after the other. Neither dared to interrupt, standing to the side and listening carefully.

They were only at the Bone-Refining Realm themselves, just with a deeper foundation than Chen Yuan, so Manager Li’s guidance was equally useful to them.

A quarter of an hour later, Manager Li’s smile faded, and he said seriously

"Alright, let’s stop here for now. Your two seniors have arrived as well. There is something I must tell you three."

"Please instruct us, Master!"

Wang Cong replied, and Chen Yuan and Zhao Shan also looked solemn, listening intently.

Manager Li stroked his beard and spoke slowly

"Tomorrow morning, the hall is transporting a batch of ironware to the Chimang Mountain Range. I will be accompanying the caravan, and the three of you will come with me."

"Yes, Master!"

The three replied in unison.

"This time, we are doing business with a new stronghold. It’s a big deal worth several thousand taels of silver. We have to deliver the goods deep into the Chimang Mountains. The road is treacherous, and there are roving bandits. You must be prepared and never let your guard down."

Wang Cong asked

"Master, hasn't the gang already bought the flags and tokens of those strongholds? Surely no one would be blind enough to rob us?"

Manager Li narrowed his eyes, his expression grave

"Times are different now. Last year, Lanzhou and Xingzhou to the north and west suffered droughts and locust plagues. Refugees have fled in all directions, and more and more new strongholds are popping up in the Chimang Mountains. They are becoming less and less respectful of the rules. The old flags and tokens we bought are becoming less effective. We must be careful."

Wang Cong’s expression changed

"Yes, Master, I will not be careless!"

Manager Li nodded, his expression softening slightly

"You don't need to worry too much. Our Tiger-Subduing Gang is not some small merchant outfit; people won't provoke us easily. Besides, Manager Sun attaches great importance to this transaction and has sent me and Zhang Kuijin to go together. He will surely bring his disciples as well. With you three, there will be six Bone-Refining martial artists, which is much safer."

The three nodded in unison, but Wang Cong and Zhao Shan’s expressions remained extremely grave.

Chen Yuan still wore his naive, honest look, but his heart tightened, and he became secretly vigilant.

On the surface, the Hundred Weapons Hall was a law-abiding blacksmith shop, but in secret, it had always done business with mountain bandits.

Business with the county garrison was difficult; one had to go through the county government’s workshops and armories, share profits with other shops, and deal with so many middlemen that the costs were high and the margins were not as lucrative.

Landlords and wealthy families often kept their own blacksmiths and bought little, inconsistent amounts of ironware from the Hundred Weapons Hall.

But the bandit strongholds in the Chimang Mountains were willing to spend money for weapons and ironware, and their demand was high. Doing business with them meant no taxes to the county, making it the most profitable venture.

Backed by the Tiger-Subduing Gang, the Hundred Weapons Hall bribed the county garrison and played both sides of the law, so they would never let go of such a fat piece of meat.

This was the reason the hall kept a large number of guards. If they only did legal business in the county, they wouldn't need so many.

However, the Hundred Weapons Hall had previously only traded with bandits on the edge of the Chimang Mountains. This time, they were going into the middle of the range to trade with a new stronghold whose background was unknown, significantly increasing the risk.

Even two major managers were being dispatched, which meant Chen Yuan and the others needed to be extra careful.

Afterward, Manager Li gave a few more instructions and kept Wang Cong behind. Zhao Shan and Chen Yuan left the Li residence.

Zhao Shan was not resting today and still had to go to the guard team. As he parted ways with Chen Yuan, he warned

"You heard it too. Going into the mountains this time is no small matter. You cannot act recklessly again."

Chen Yuan nodded heavily

"I will listen to everything Master and Senior Brother say!"

Zhao Shan was still worried

"You said that last time, and what happened? That Zheng Jun is Zhang Kuijin’s disciple and had ill intentions. He told you to charge in, and you actually did? It was only your good luck that you didn't fall into an ambush and even managed to hack a bandit to death. But if you’re that reckless in the future, you won't even know how you died!"

Chen Yuan scratched his head, embarrassed

"Senior Brother Zheng is a commander of the guard team; I had to follow his instructions. How was I to know he would harm me..."

Zhao Shan shook his head, helpless

"You, you’re just too honest! This time in the mountains, you are to stay by my side the whole time. You are not allowed to act on your own!"

Chen Yuan grinned

"Yes, Senior Brother!"