Blade - Unbound

Madam Li did not become angry at her son’s complaints. Setting down her chopsticks, she shook her head slightly. "There are more and more officials in the court these days, while vacancies are becoming scarce. You don't even hold the title of an imperial scholar, yet you've managed to obtain a position as a study companion. Do you know how many people envy you?

"But I know your character. You're honest, patient, and tolerant. Unless you were driven to the end of your rope, you would never say something like this. Have you been ostracized in the Prince's Manor?"

Li Kongqing glanced at Li Yan, who was busy eating. Seeing that his mother wasn't avoiding the topic, he spoke openly. "The Prince treats people generously, and I haven't suffered any mistreatment. The problem lies with his heir.

"I'd heard before that he was intelligent and gifted in his youth. But ever since I became his study companion, he's become more and more dissolute with each passing day. He refuses to study, refuses to cultivate virtue, and spends every day obsessed with martial arts, horse riding, and falconry. He completely ignores all my advice.

"I receive the Prince's salary, yet I'm unable to fulfill my duties. I've become utterly disheartened..."

"I see." Madam Li hesitated before suggesting, "Perhaps I should ask your father to find you a position in the Chang'an administration?"

At that moment, Li Yan, who had been quietly eating, suddenly spoke, "Perhaps Brother Kongqing has misunderstood the situation."

Li Kongqing looked toward Li Yan, feeling slightly displeased. "Oh?"

The family knew all about their mother's new disciple. They had even attended the apprenticeship banquet. His father and elder brother spent their days treating patients at the clinic, while he worked at the Prince's Manor and only returned home occasionally. Whether Li Yan learned martial arts or not didn't concern them much. They were simply happy that their mother had someone to keep her company, and they'd heard he was a young hero.

But what could a martial artist possibly understand regarding matters of officialdom? The boy was still young and clearly lacked proper manners.

Although unhappy, Li Kongqing maintained a polite smile. "What insights does Brother Yan have?"

Li Yan replied calmly, "The matter is actually very simple. What is the Prince's status?"

Li Kongqing frowned and immediately answered, "Must that even be asked? The Prince is His Majesty's younger brother and greatly favored. Chang'an also is a strategically important city. For a feudal prince to be granted territory here speaks for itself."

Li Yan nodded. "Anyone who works hard is pursuing something. Commoners labor to learn skills in order to make a living. Scholars study the classics to obtain official positions.

"The Prince of Chang'an already holds immense status. If his heir simply behaved himself, he could comfortably enjoy wealth and privilege for the rest of his life. Yet he's studying diligently, cultivating virtue, and seeking fame..."

Li Yan paused, then asked quietly, "Could it be that he wishes to rise even higher?"

Li Kongqing's face immediately turned pale as he fell silent.

Li Yan shook his head. "The Prince's heir understands this, and the Prince understands it even better. Brother Kongqing is simply pretending not to understand.

"The position of study companion carries status, leisure, and influence. In the future, it practically guarantees an important role within the Prince's household. You enjoy all the benefits without needing to struggle. It's a first-rate position."

To be honest, if not for his relationship with his master, Li Yan wouldn't have bothered saying anything.

Madam Li rarely interacted with outsiders, while Li Kongqing possessed the stubbornness common among scholars. In truth, he had become blinded by the ideals he read about in books. If no one pointed it out, he might spend years taking unnecessary detours.

Madam Li finally understood as well. "Yan'er is right. Kongqing, you are thinking too simply. If you joined the Chang'an administration, you'd inevitably become entangled in political struggles. You're better off remaining at the Prince's Manor.

"I don't ask you to become powerful or famous. As long as you're safe, that's enough."

Li Kongqing remained silent for a long time before sighing. "Mother is right. I pride myself on having read countless books, yet I failed to see something this obvious. I'm rather foolish."

Thinking back over recent days, he shook his head. "The heir has already become increasingly impatient with me. I suspect I won't keep this position much longer anyway."

Madam Li comforted him. "Then so be it. If you lose the position, you lose it. With your temperament, becoming a teacher would suit you perfectly."

Li Kongqing finally seemed at peace with the matter. "Mother is right."

Madam Li's mood improved considerably after the conversation and the way she looked at Li Yan became even more affectionate. "Yan'er, have you found a house yet? Your Thundercloud Divine Drum is quite extraordinary. Practicing martial arts is like rowing upstream. Stop moving forward, and you'll be pushed backward. You should find a place soon. Combining your drums with martial arts practice will greatly improve your results."

Li Yan could only smile helplessly at the mention of housing. "I've viewed two places, but they're both in distant streets on the outskirts of Chang'an.

"The prices aren't unreasonable, but one is near a Beggar Sect stronghold. The other sits beside a Fire Bear Gang branch. If I bought either one, I'd probably end up fighting every day.

"As for the streets closer to the city center, the prices are outrageous. Even if I could afford them, I'd likely disturb the neighbors and get reported to the ward chief.

"If nothing works out, I'll just live outside the city."

Madam Li frowned. "That would be inconvenient."

At that moment, Li Kongqing suddenly laughed. "Brother Yan, relying on property brokers to find a house is your mistake. You may not know this, but although houses in Chang'an appear scarce and expensive, there are actually many quiet estates sitting empty. Most belong to wealthy families who treat them as part of their family assets.

"They can't possibly live in all of them, causing most of them to sit vacant. But they still have to pay servants to maintain and clean them. At the same time, they're reluctant to rent to strangers and risk having their properties ruined.

"I'll make some inquiries. If we arrange it under the pretext of house-sitting, you might not even need to pay rent."

Li Yan's eyes brightened. "Then I'll have to trouble you, Brother Kongqing."

***

According to Madam Li's instructions, Li Yan trained at the Li residence for half a day each day. Although she occasionally invited him to stay for lunch, he didn't want to impose too frequently. After finishing the meal, he bid his farewells and left.

With guidance from a true master and a promising lead on housing, Li Yan was in excellent spirits. As he exited Lanling Street, he even found himself humming a tune while making his way back toward the inn.

When he returned to the small courtyard behind Phoenix Descent Inn, he laughed before even entering. "Well now, it's quite lively today."

He could already smell everyone inside. Besides Sha Lifei and Wang Daoxuan, Red Yaksha and Feng Feiyan were present as well. However, the moment he stepped inside, he realized the atmosphere was wrong.

Red Yaksha's expression was grim, while Sha Lifei looked furious. The moment he saw Li Yan enter, Sha Lifei jumped to his feet. "Little Yan! Sister Hong's been bullied. We can't just sit by and do nothing!"

Li Yan looked at Red Yaksha, momentarily stunned. "Bullied..."

Boss Feng shot him a glance and scolded playfully, "You little rascal. What kind of thoughts are running through your head? Sister Hong wasn't bullied like that. Someone stole something from her and forced her into a ritual duel. She was too embarrassed to bring it up herself, so I dragged her here to ask for your help."

"A ritual duel?" Li Yan's expression turned serious, and he spoke slowly. "Slow down. What exactly happened?"

Red Yaksha sighed. "You've only just arrived in Chang'an. I didn't want to trouble you, but this concerns an heirloom of my master's lineage. I have to get it back.

"Ten years ago, my master accepted a commission. The pay was supposedly excellent, but the mission required complete secrecy.

"He left... and never returned. For all these years, I've been investigating his disappearance but failed to find any clues... until recently. On the Winter Solstice, someone used explosives to break open an ancient Zhou Daoist tomb near the ruins of Haojing outside Chang'an.

"Many strange things happened, and a lot of people died. The entire Daoist world has been talking about it. The ancient tomb itself has nothing to do with me, but someone brought out an artifact belonging to my lineage, the Ziwu Demon-Slaying Sword. It is part of my lineage's inheritance.

"It may hold clues regarding my master's death, so I've been secretly investigating these past few days ."

Li Yan raised his eyebrows and asked, "You found it?"

"Yes. It ended up in the hands of a man named Liu Wenchen. He's also a demon hunter, but his character is despicable. He associates with underworld gangs and heterodox ritualists.

"We've had bad blood before, and he wants to keep the sword for himself. However, he's afraid of damaging his reputation among fellow demon hunters, so he proposed settling the matter through a ritual duel."

Li Yan asked, "What are the rules?"

Feng Feiyan answered, "Tianyuan Match."

Li Yan immediately revealed a surprised look. "They're playing that big?"

Since entering the Daoist world, Wang Daoxuan had taught him much about its customs. A life-and-death struggle was straightforward among ritualists, where anything went, and the survivor got the final say. But just like the jianghu, the Daoist world revolved around relationships.

Someone knew someone and that person knew someone else. Before long, connections, friendships, and shared lineages were intertwined. And with Great Xuan law maintaining order, people couldn't simply keep killing one another endlessly.

Thus, ritual duels emerged as a way to resolve disputes.

These duels even had classifications. One-on-one contests were called Yin Yang Meetings. Group contests, where each side invited allies, were called Tianyuan Matches. Large-scale conflicts between lineages were known as Dragon Tiger Gatherings.

A Tianyuan Match was ultimately a contest of influence and connections.

Feng Feiyan sneered. "Exactly! Liu Wenchen isn't particularly capable and specializes in crooked tricks. He knows Sister Hong is alone and lacks allies, so he insisted on a Tianyuan Match.

"And Sister Hong foolishly agreed immediately."

Red Yaksha sighed, "I didn't really have a choice. The way he spoke made it clear. If I tried to take the sword by force, he would ruin it immediately.

"Our lineage possesses a secret method for suppressing fortune and destiny, but it requires the Ziwu Demon-Slaying Sword. I have to leave something behind for the children."

"Don't worry yet, Sister Hong." Sha Lifei's eyes scanned the ceiling thoughtfully. "I don't understand duels between practitioners of the mystic path, but I imagine they're similar to jianghu challenges.

"Know your enemy and you'll never be defeated. First we need to know exactly who he's bringing."

"I've already investigated." Feng Feiyan's voice turned serious. "That bastard Liu Wenchen has befriended plenty of heterodox practitioners. He's also very close with the Fire Bear Gang. The people he's most likely to invite are shamans and spirit mediums who specialize in poisonous insect sorcery and evil arts. Their cultivation shouldn't exceed the second level, but their advantage lies in simple numbers. If we can recruit another two or three experts, together with Sister Hong and Brother Yan, we should be fine."

She continued, "The Fire Bear Gang will definitely send a large force to support them. I've already contacted brothers from the merchants', laborers', and caravan guilds. They've been dissatisfied with the Fire Bear Gang for a long time. When the time comes, they'll lend a hand.

"The real problem is finding the remaining practitioners. I'm not part of the Daoist world. I can handle jianghu matters, but I don't have the connections to recruit practitioners. Also, there's another condition."

She narrowed her eyes and continued, "Liu Wenchen specifically said that no members of the Taixuan Orthodox Sect are allowed to participate. If they do, the duel is off."

Li Yan thought for a moment before speaking again. "I'll handle recruiting people. All I need to know now is when and where will the duel happen."

"Seven days from now, at midnight, at the ruins of Daming Palace."

"Understood, I'll start making arrangements immediately."

Li Yan stood and prepared to leave.

Feng Feiyan quickly warned him, "Be careful, Brother Yan. The Fire Bear Gang has already posted watchers around the inn. If you go looking for help, make sure they don't follow you."

Li Yan replied, "Don't worry."

He already had a plan even before he left the inn.

His first thought was naturally Luo Mingzi. Members of the Taixuan Orthodox Church couldn't participate directly, but Luo Mingzi undoubtedly knew many fellow practitioners who could.

Sure enough, the moment he stepped outside, Li Yan noticed several suspicious figures lurking among the crowd and within the inn across the street.

He glanced at them casually, and a cold smile appeared in his heart. Soon, he turned and headed toward Zhuque Avenue.