Blade - Unbound

Luo Faqing's face flushed red."Yes, Senior Brother."

He did not dare say another word.

The Shang Mountain lineage itself was divided into several factions.

His own master had always been something of an oddity. He had devoted his life to eliminating demons and defending the righteous path. In the end, he had perished while suppressing evil spirits, yet gained nothing for his sacrifice. Instead, he had been cursed by the local townsfolk, then ridiculed and ostracized by his fellow disciples.

It was only later that Yue Fachong gradually turned the situation around. He first ensured that all of his fellow disciples no longer had to worry about food and clothing. Then, not only did he become a resident advisor to the Prince's Manor, he also restored the dignity of their branch of the lineage.

Luo Faqing respected him as though he were an elder brother. How could he possibly continue arguing? For a moment, the atmosphere in the room grew heavy.

Seeing his expression, Yue Fachong's face softened somewhat as he said solemnly, "Among all my junior brothers, your aptitude is the greatest. Don't let soft-hearted compassion lead you astray."

Luo Faqing nodded. "Understood."

Seeing his reaction, Yue Fachong smiled faintly. "Once you've seen enough of the world, you'll understand. We won't speak of this matter again. I heard you recently invited Venerable Zhikong to authenticate a batch of relics before selling them?"

Luo Faqing looked embarrassed, and he quickly explained, "They were spoils from the previous incident. Those few were fairly righteous and gave me a share. I just thought I could sell them for a better price..."

"What are you afraid of? I never said you were wrong." Yue Fachong smiled and continued, "Knowing how to profit by adapting to circumstances means you've finally grown up. Everyone has selfish desires. That's not a bad thing.

"If you can't even take care of yourself, then no matter how noble your words sound, how could you ever protect anyone else?

"As for those few, associate with them if you wish. Your loss to Night Crier isn't too important. The person behind him is Luo Mingzi of the Enforcement Hall. Sending Night Crier over last time was nothing more than a warning to our Shang Mountain lineage. There's no need to pay it any mind."

"Yes, Senior Brother." Luo Faqing finally relaxed before speaking again. "Senior Brother, I heard something. Qiao Sanhu has secretly come to Chang'an."

Yue Fachong's gaze immediately turned cold. "What is he doing here?"

Luo Faqing replied, "I heard he wants to cooperate with the Fire Bear Gang and participate in the Drum King Assembly to compete for one of the quotas."

Seeing Yue Fachong's face darken like still water, Luo Faqing clasped his fists and mumbled, "Senior Brother, forgive my bluntness, but Qiao Sanhu has already crossed the line. This man has become increasingly greedy over the years. The things he's been doing have already damaged the reputation of our Shang Mountain lineage. Sooner or later, he'll cause a major disaster. Even if he is Master's only son..."

At this point, Luo Faqing could no longer hide his anger and burst out in rage, "When Master was still alive, he at least dared not act recklessly. But the moment Master passed away, his true nature emerged. Using the excuse of being your cousin, Senior Brother, he's been running wild outside, forcing you to clean up after him time and time again. If this continues, something terrible will eventually happen."

"Enough." Yue Fachong drew a deep breath before softly saying, "Go deliver a message. Tell him to get out of Chang'an immediately. Otherwise, from now on, whatever trouble he gets into will no longer be my concern."

Luo Faqing nodded solemnly. "Yes, Senior Brother."

He knew that it was already difficult for Yue Fachong to say something like that.

***

The farther south one went in Chang'an, the poorer it became, until you reached the southwestern district, which was a true slum. When the Wolf Kingdom had once invaded Chang'an, that had been where they had breached the city walls.

Thousands of Hui cannons and Bowled cannons had bombarded the city. The Golden Wolf Eagle Warriors had taken the vanguard, followed by the steppe shamans and Tibetan monks.

Chang'an had fallen in a single day. Tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians had perished, and the southwestern district had been reduced to complete ruins. Countless piles of corpses had been burned there, the flames reaching into the heavens and burning without ceasing for several days.

For a long time afterward, the area had been overrun by vengeful ghosts and murderous yin qi. After the Great Xuan Dynasty was founded, it took the Taixuan Orthodox Sect several years, along with a great Zen Buddhist master who built a temple and suppressed the area with his Nirvana Golden Body, before peace was finally restored.

Naturally, no wealthy people lived there. The original layout of the streets had been completely destroyed. Poor commoners built houses of every size using mud bricks for walls and straw for roofs. With no planning whatsoever, and later arrivals adding buildings wherever they pleased, the entire southwestern district resembled a chaotic maze.

In this part of the city, even obtaining drinking water and draining wastewater were serious problems. People drank murky well water every day. Latrines were built haphazardly everywhere, and the air constantly carried the stench of human waste. Whenever it rained, filthy water flooded the streets.

It was also where the infamous Fire Bear Gang had built their headquarters. Their leader, Xiong Baodong, had actually come from the northern district and could be considered the son of an official family. However, he had deliberately chosen this place to build his power.

The reason was simple. Poverty bred crime. When people could barely survive, who still cared about the law? A single bowl of wine and one piece of meat could buy a man's life!

Luo Faqing strode through the streets, his face gloomy. He had never liked the place. It was not because it was filthy, but because it stirred up painful memories. His master had died in a place very much like this, and the reason for his death was almost laughable.

While helping people exorcise evil spirits free of charge, his ritual artifact had been stolen by nearby villagers and exchanged for half a sack of rice. Without that artifact, his master had ultimately lost his life.

He still clearly remembered how, that very night, his senior brother had flayed the entire family alive. His senior brother's eyes were bloodshot, and he had roared at him, "Some people are born worthless. They're not worth saving!"

Yet every time Luo Faqing recalled that incident, Wang Daoxuan's calm, peaceful eyes inexplicably appeared in his mind. Luo Faqing sighed. He felt that his thoughts had become increasingly confused.

Before he knew it, the road ahead suddenly opened up to reveal a rather large martial arts school. Bare-chested, muscular men practiced boxing in the courtyard, every one of them drenched in sweat, with steam rising from their bodies. Beside it stood carriage depots and labor halls, where countless ragged porters worked. Fierce-looking men roamed about everywhere.

This was the headquarters of the Fire Bear Gang.

Chang'an was filled with countless factions, and every trade had powerful forces backing it. Trying to force one's way into any established business was nearly impossible.

Thus, the Fire Bear Gang had instead chosen to compete directly with the jianghu for a living. Using the lives of the slum's poor as their foundation, they had managed to wrest a share of the transport trade, the porter trade, and even the Canal Gang's business.

That was why they had become enemies of the five great guilds. Likewise, although the Fire Bear Gang's reputation outside was utterly infamous, among the poor people of the southwest district, they held far greater prestige than the government. Though the Fire Bear Gang also exploited them, at least they were given something to eat.

"Daoist Luo, you've come."

Before Luo Faqing even walked forward, several Fire Bear Gang members hurried over to greet him, bowing repeatedly with obsequious smiles. They all knew that even their leader, Xiong Baodong, treated these Daoist experts from the various lineages with the utmost respect.

Luo Faqing's expression remained cold, and his tone was anything but polite. "Take me to Xiong Baodong."

Upon hearing that Luo Faqing had arrived, Xiong Baodong burst into hearty laughter and strode out, "Hahaha... Daoist Luo is a rare guest indeed! Since you've honored me with your presence today, you must at least give me the chance to properly entertain you."

Luo Faqing shot him a cold glance. "I'm here to see Qiao Sanhu."

"Brother Qiao?" Xiong Baodong lied through his teeth without the slightest hesitation, shaking his head. "If I remember correctly, he hasn't been to Chang'an for quite some time. Why would he come to my place..."

"Hmph!" Luo Faqing cut him off. "Senior Brother Yue asked me to deliver a message to him."

Hearing that it was Yue Fachong's instructions, Xiong Baodong gave an awkward smile and gestured to the main hall. "Come now, we're all family here. There's no need to make things so unpleasant. Daoist Luo, this way please."

The two entered the compound. As they neared the rear courtyard, Xiong Baodong waved away all his subordinates before personally leading Luo Faqing inside.

A man sat alone in the courtyard, leisurely drinking tea. He had a broad forehead, prominent facial bones, narrow eyes, thick lips, and one eye larger than the other. Seeing Luo Faqing enter, he merely cast him a casual glance.

The moment Luo Faqing saw Qiao Sanhu, anger welled up inside him. "Hmph!"

The man possessed the physiognomy of a White Tiger from birth. Even while their master had still been alive, he had noticed it and repeatedly tried to guide him. Unfortunately, he had still gone down the wrong path.

Seeing the way he looked, Luo Faqing couldn't even be bothered with pleasantries. He immediately snapped, "Senior Brother wants you to leave Chang'an immediately. Once you return to Fengyang, don't cause trouble there either. Otherwise, whatever mess you get yourself into from now on will no longer concern him!"

Qiao Sanhu snorted. "Oh? What authority do you think you have, Luo Faqing? When my father picked you up all those years ago, you were as skinny as a little mud monkey. I never imagined you would become so full of yourself."

"Don't use Master against me!" Luo Faqing grew even angrier. His voice even rose in pitch a little. "If Master were still alive to see what you've become, he would be the first to crush you.

"Whatever. I've said everything I came to say. Take care of yourself."

With that, he flicked his sleeves and turned to leave.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk..." Watching Luo Faqing disappear into the distance, Xiong Baodong shook his head. "Honestly, you're all family. Why make things so unpleasant? And there's Master Yue as well. Showing a little extra care toward Master's only son would be perfectly reasonable no matter where you went. Besides, all those gifts Brother Qiao has been sending up the mountain certainly weren't fake..."

"Enough with trying to sow discord." Qiao Sanhu laughed before cursing, "I'm not some ignorant brat who would fall for tricks like that. Save your schemes for someone else."

"Of course." Even after having his intentions exposed, Xiong Baodong remained completely unfazed. Raising a thumbs-up, he praised, "Brother Qiao truly deserves the title Tiger of Fengyang. Impressive!"

Even so, being scolded by Luo Faqing had cost Qiao Sanhu some face, and he still harbored a little resentment. He couldn't help but grumble, "Hmph. If I didn't still need to use the Shang Mountain lineage's reputation over at Manchuan Pass, I would never bother with those ungrateful bastards."

Xiong Baodong sighed. "That's life. Sometimes you're forced to bow your head beneath another man's roof. If you'd awakened a divine ability back then, Brother Qiao, you would have become the eldest senior brother long ago. Yue Fachong would've never had the chance to be so impressive. However, you have something he doesn't. You've got guts."

Dragging his chair closer, Xiong Baodong made no effort to hide the greed and curiosity in his eyes. He asked, "The Lu Family was one of the greatest households in Capital Passage City. Nobody else dared touch them, yet you swallowed the fortune of the whole family in one bite. You must've struck it rich this time, right...?"

"A great household?" Qiao Sanhu sneered. "What if I told you they were nothing but empty shells? Would you believe me?

"That old fox was crafty. He owned countless fields and shops, but he had already sold off everything truly valuable. I bought a huge pile of worthless properties at bargain prices, only to find myself stuck with them. I'll have to sell them off slowly over the years just to scrape back a modest profit."

"Oh?" Realization dawned on Xiong Baodong as his eyes glinted. "So the old fox had already prepared his escape?"

Qiao Sanhu cursed, "That old bastard was vicious. The day after selling everything to me, his entire family vanished without a trace. I hadn't even realized what was happening before I found myself holding the pile of shit he left behind. He even left behind a bunch of distant Lu relatives to pester me with lawsuits and endless disputes. It's infuriating!"

"Hahaha. Surely you didn't let them off?"

"Hmph. Once Lu Kang died, the tea went cold. No one cared about them anymore. After I killed a few of them, the rest finally shut their mouths. The only thing is, the eldest son of the Lu Family is a complete idiot. I heard he returned to Chang'an with the money and has been trying to buy several brothels in Pingkang Street so he can spend the rest of his days enjoying himself."

Xiong Baodong laughed. "Then we ought to give him a proper welcome."

"Of course!" Qiao Sanhu took a deep breath as a resolute expression appeared on his face. "That money belongs to me!

"Brother Xiong, you know Chang'an well. I'll leave this matter to you. Once we recover the money, we'll split it down the middle."

Xiong Baodong grinned. "No problem. But after all is said and done, his father was the former Left Minister. We can't simply use force, or it'll bring trouble to us. It'd also be difficult to explain things officially. I happen to know a few Fixers from the Feng Sect. Setting up scams is their specialty. Even seasoned veterans of the jianghu fall for them. They'll fleece Young Master Lu until he's left with nothing."

"Hahaha..."

Having reached an agreement, the two men exchanged knowing smiles.

Soon, Xiong Baodong's expression turned serious and he brought up the main problem. "That matter won't be difficult. The real problem is the Drum King Assembly. Did you hear about what happened to the Du Family recently?"

Qiao Sanhu laughed. "I did. They got trapped in someone else's scheme for twenty years and nearly lost their entire family. As expected, the Maitreya Sect's methods are even more ruthless."

Xiong Baodong nodded. "The Du Family itself isn't important. After that incident, they're afraid of any further backlash and have already decided to withdraw from the Li Family's shipping fleet. The official backing me plans to step in, but certain members of the Li Family are difficult to deal with. They keep making excuses and refuse to let us join.

"Thus, my patron came up with an idea. The Li Family also has disciples from the Daoist lineages. If we win one of the quotas this time and present it to him, then with my backer mediating from the side, the matter should be settled."

He clicked his tongue once and continued, "We've also been receiving reports over the past two years. Everyone involved in overseas trade has been making fortunes hand over fist. The only thing is, the seas are dangerous. One mistake and you lose everything. But the Li Family has already established safe shipping routes. If we can simply join their fleet and follow them for a couple of years, we might even be able to establish our own operation."

"Hmph. Why would we care about the mystic arts? Money is the greatest art of all! With enough money, wouldn't the two of us be able to do whatever we please?"

Qiao Sanhu nodded in agreement. "That's true. I haven't wasted these years in Manchuan Pass. I've befriended several distinguished Daoists from Ezhou's Daoist circles. They'll be coming this time as well. But they know absolutely nothing about the Divine Tower tradition, so I'll have to rely on you, Brother Xiong."

"Don't worry. I've already made arrangements." Xiong Baodong laughed loudly before shouting, "Guo Ai!"

At his command, several burly men immediately entered the rear courtyard. Every one of them had vicious faces, tattoos exposed across their chests, and daggers and hand axes hanging from their waists.

Only the man leading them looked different. He was so thin he resembled a bamboo pole. He had a pointed goatee, and his lifeless fish-like eyes were utterly devoid of emotion.

Xiong Baodong grinned as he introduced the thin man. "This is Brother Guo. Back in the day, he was one of the most notorious outlaws in the Guanzhong Plains. He studied the Ge Teachings.

"There are quite a few performers in Chang'an who also understand Daoist arts. Gather them together, and we'll be no weaker than anyone else."

Turning to the group, he asked, "Guo Ai, how are things progressing?"

The man with the fish-like eyes clasped his hands and replied. "The reward offered was generous, so they've all agreed. Only one cobbler refuses to budge, no matter what.

"However, we can't do without his craftsmanship."

"He won't agree?" Xiong Baodong scratched his head and frowned. "Then think of a way to make him agree!"

"Yes, Boss!"

The fish-eyed man nodded before turning to leave with his men.

***

Xuanyi Street, in Baofeng Pawnshop.

Standing beneath the tall counter, Li Yan asked, "That senior still hasn't returned?"

"I already told you he hasn't!" The newly hired appraiser replied impatiently. "He only left behind a note before disappearing. Who the hell knows where he went?"

Li Yan narrowed his eyes. "Watch your mouth."

The ferocious aura immediately radiating from him frightened the appraiser into hurriedly shutting his mouth. Snorting, Li Yan turned to leave.

The reason he went was obviously to look for Shadow. Although Luo Mingzi had been the one to introduce them, Shadow had still helped him personally, and something had obviously been wrong that night.

Luo Mingzi still hadn't returned, and Night Crier wasn't close to Shadow either. So Li Yan had come several times hoping to find him.

Shadow was a lone wanderer. If something had happened to him because of helping Li Yan, then Li Yan had to know. At the very least, he had to repay that debt of gratitude.

"Stop right there!"

The moment he stepped outside, chaos suddenly erupted in the street. A young man with disheveled hair and a face covered in blood came sprinting desperately down the road.

Li Yan froze for a moment before grabbing him by the arm.

He said quickly, "Heidan, it's me. Don't be afraid!"

The blood-covered young man turned out to be Heidan, the childhood friend from Li Clan's Fort who had followed Li Yan around everywhere in the past!