At Qingshan Pass, inside the Marshal's Mansion in the city, the main hall of the back building remained as spacious and empty as ever.
In that sudden stillness, a deep, resonant voice echoed out: "Senior Brother, are we really going to keep waiting like this? We hold no initiative here—and sooner or later, something unexpected will happen."
Outside, weak slanted sunlight streamed through the door, flooding the hall with brightness. Seated in an oversized chair, Hong Linying gently shook his gleaming bald head.
"That kid isn't just cautious—he's remarkably slippery too. In the past few occasions, we only learned his intent after cross-checking a few bits of word-of-mouth from Liu Chengyong with the letters he brought. Liu Chengyong's messages always contain only the crucial lines, and his letters deliberately omit any mention of techniques or escape plans. Instead, he only promises that if he gets his hands on good wine next time, he'll bring along his family's secret pickled meat. He's so careful; he's terrified the letters might fall into Ji Wenhe's hands and be used against him.
"It turns out the initiative is firmly in his grasp now. The last time, we offered him a way to escape, yet he flatly refused."
He continued in a low, conspiratorial tone, "We had planned that after he entered the city one more time, I would send someone disguised as an assassin from Menggu to infiltrate and eliminate one of our own key figures. But on the street he ran into us instead, and they recognized him as Ji Wenhe's disciple. They ended up taking Chen An and Li Yin first off in the open, and then hiding him away in a secret passage for a month or two. When Ji Wenhe eventually grew tired of searching, he'd force him to hand over the martial techniques—and I would quietly help him escape. But he outright refused that offer. That, in turn, ruined our plans to capture him and then coerce him with threats and persuasion."
A younger companion then interjected, "Senior, why not wait until the next time he comes into the city? I could simply disguise myself as the assassin, grab him outright, and then, at the right moment, take him to our secret chamber."
Hong Linying shook his head slowly. "I've thought of that too, but there are problems. If we forcibly capture him, will he cooperate? Will he actually hand over the techniques? And what if we have to resort to torture? Who can guarantee his heart won't burn with resentment? If he tampers with even a few strokes of the technique, it could irreparably damage his inner cultivation."
"This way won't work either—every option seems to hit a brick wall," the younger voice grumbled. "I just can't believe that under my 'bone-breaking, sinew-tearing' method he could possibly not speak the truth."
"Calm down, my young student," Hong Linying replied, patting his own bald head. "Let's wait a bit longer. If all else fails, we'll have to proceed as planned."
Just then, they heard footsteps approaching from outside. Before long, the footsteps halted at the great door, and a voice from out there declared, "Marshal, Captain Liu is here to see you."
"Really? Then summon him at once," Hong Linying said, straightening his posture. For a moment, a flash of something unreadable crossed his eyes.
At that, Chen An and Li Yin exchanged sheepish looks as they watched Li Yan—riding furiously on horseback—approach. With resigned frustration, they patted their mounts and trotted after him, the sounds of hooves clattering in a cacophony.
Since entering the city today, Li Yan hadn't just been buying clothes. He had also developed an unusual interest in various military items from Liu Chengyong's army. In the end, the two boys had their horses piled high with helmets, armor, and boots—even a gigantic cooking pot and a massive ladle dangling from the horses' behinds. Chen An's face reddened in embarrassment as he hurriedly rode away toward the north gate amidst the clanging and jarring sounds.
After arriving at the military strategist's residence, the pair—accompanied only by astonished and admiring glances—headed into the inner valley. This time, they even dragged their horses along. No sooner had they entered the mountain pass than a stray thread of spiritual sensing swept over them. When it passed across the two warhorses, the unseen consciousness trembled violently before quickly retreating, as though it were ashamed to be seen.
Leading the way, Li Yan noticed that once the spirit-sense had withdrawn, a cold smile curved at the corner of his mouth. Trailing behind, Chen An and Li Yin kept their heads bowed as they led the horses into the valley, clearly unwilling to get too close to him.
"I told you to scan thoroughly," Li Yan mused in his mind, "and every time we return, I bring back even more stuff for you to examine."
Then, with casual authority, he turned back and waved his hand toward the area outside his house. "Lay out everything you collected today."
Chen An and Li Yin exchanged glances and, with miserable expressions, replied, "Sir, your doorway is nearly blocked!" Outside the stone cottage where Li Yan resided, two or three wooden cabinets had been propped up. Their doors were wide open, revealing an assortment of farming tools—plows, harrows, hoes, and stone mortars—stacked inside. Leaned against the door was even a stick for candied haw, with several dried skewered fruits attached. This had been the result of an impulsive grab on the last trip into town, when Li Yan had brought back a full set of candied haw equipment.
"Enough idle chatter!" Li Yan snapped, his glare sharp. "I said put them out here—not inside the house. How else am I to sleep?"
"Very well—right away," Chen An and Li Yin stammered, scrambling to obey. Amid the clatter of metal and the sound of falling objects, they quickly set everything out before hastily concealing themselves and their horses as they departed.
Throughout this entire episode, there was not even a sign of movement at the stone house's other entrance—no one appeared to open that door at all.
Li Yan nodded with satisfaction as he circled the scattered goods. He picked up a helmet and a piece of armor, trying them on and comparing their fit. After a moment, seemingly dissatisfied, he let out a casual "clank" as he tossed them back onto the pile, muttering under his breath before striding back inside.
Once indoors, Li Yan poured himself a glass of water. After taking a long sip, he lay down on his bed, closing his eyes lazily. On the surface, he appeared content, yet inside his heart he was a maelstrom of conflicting thoughts.
It had been more than half a month since he made his decision. Today, he had gone into town and handed over a letter to Liu Chengyong. In the letter he stated that in just over a month—the time when the family's uncles and relatives, during planting season, would bring forth the heirloom secret pickled meat—he would first retrieve the meat at noon. Given that the journey might take roughly an hour, he instructed Liu Chengyong to have the finest wine prepared. Later, they were to share a drink in a tavern. If the wine turned out to be subpar, he'd keep the pickled meat for himself.
This was all part of the coded signals he had arranged with Hong Linying, clearly meaning, "I plan to escape on the day the farming season begins (the Day of Beginning Summer) in about a month and a half. I need Hong Linying to distract Master Ji at noon for around an hour, so that I can meet up with Liu Chengyong and act. If everything goes smoothly, I'll hand over the martial technique to them."
Once he had truly resolved to do this, his mood had turned tense. After returning home, he had laid on his bed, closing his eyes to steady the restless tide within him.
Make no mistake—he wasn't planning to escape by himself. He was scheming a plan that would not only save him from Master Ji's murderous intent (a plan he had pondered repeatedly for months) but also ensure the safety of his family. Yet even now, his chances of success looked all but slim. The legendary martial prowess of Master Ji—the skills would be more than mere combat techniques; they bordered on the supernatural. Li Yan had never witnessed techniques like the Wood Spike, the Fire Bomb, or the Wind Blade. Just the names alone filled him with a sense of impotence.
But he could not allow the situation to drag on for half a year or a full year. By then, if he hadn't found a way, Master Ji would surely come for him. Facing someone who wielded such mystic powers—and who was already prepared to kill him—there would be no hope. At worst, he might die; and if he did, Master Ji would probably spare his relatives.
After lying there for a long while, Li Yan managed to calm himself. He rose and made his way toward the water pool outside his house. His current task was still to cultivate; to practice endlessly.
In the passage of time, the willow catkins were floating in the air, the sun grew ever warmer, and in the valley the flowers were in full bloom. Some trees had already shed their dark leaves for fresh, tender green buds.
From atop a ridge, Master Ji surveyed the valley and sighed. "The valley really is awash with blossoms." Li Yan had almost transplanted patches of wildflowers from all around the area to the outskirts of his property—from the water pool stretching south to the foot of the hill, and from the pool north to just a few paces before the stone house. Everywhere were clusters of wildflowers in all colors and sizes—tall ones, short ones—and the mingled fragrance was so overpowering in the spring air that even inside, one's nose was filled with the scents of countless blooms.
He shook his head and turned his gaze toward the pool nestled amongst the blossoms. There, Li Yan practiced his breathing steadily. His qi had already shown signs of pushing past the early stage of condensing energy.
"Very well," Master Ji mused, "at this rate, if you continue to refine your technique like this, perhaps in a year you might break through to the later stage—or even reach the peak of the first stage. In any case, when that moment comes, even if you only reach the peak of the first stage, you'll be forced to test your limits. Whereas now, even summoning more than thirty percent of your spiritual power is a challenge. A year hence, you might only be able to exert twenty percent, and that is barely sufficient to handle an adversary who has reached the latter part of the first stage. Any further delay, and who knows who might overpower whom." A grim, twisted expression flashed across Master Ji's face.
Half an hour later, around the late morning hour, Li Yan emerged from the pool. He returned indoors to change into a clean black robe and then stepped out in front of the stone house.
"Teacher, I intend to go into town today. I still haven't delivered last month's silver to my family."
"Very well. Go," came the voice from indoors. Master Ji had long grown accustomed to Li Yan's pattern of leaving the valley every half-month or month. Each time he returned, his cultivation would show some progress, and his spirit would remain steady for a while.
Bowing respectfully, Li Yan turned to go fetch the silver. Just then, he heard a hesitant voice from behind him: "Disciple, after you go into town this time, try to leave more silver for your family. Don't waste it all on frivolous things. Every time you come back lugging these big bundles, you never seem to use much of it."
For a moment, Li Yan paused. Then a warm smile crossed his face. "Teacher, rest assured—I won't be splurging."
A brief silence followed inside the house. Soon after, outside came the ruckus of clattering hooves and shouting. Chen An and Li Yin were seen riding off, their voices rising in commotion.
Time passed slowly. By noon, inside the strategist's residence a subordinate announced, "Sir, someone from the city has come to see you. Marshal Hong requests your presence—he says there's urgent business."
"Ah, it's already noon. What could be so urgent?" Master Ji replied as he sat meditating indoors. Ever since returning from Da Qing Mountain half a year ago, he had reduced his trips into the military camp from daily visits to once every couple of weeks—even once a month at times—and spent most of his time meditating in the valley. Just two days ago, he had been in the city discussing defenses for the Menggu military. Now he was to go again. Surely something major must have occurred. Though he wasn't eager to leave, he understood that as long as he was still connected to this place, he could not afford to ignore these summons.
With that thought, Master Ji rose and headed out.
Li Yan, meanwhile, glanced at the sun and then smiled at his tablemates Li Yu and Li Shan. Today the table only had the three of them, as he had not called for anyone else. Nearby, Chen An and Li Yin sat together at a lone table.
"Li Yu," Li Yan began warmly, "I've noticed your cooking has improved a great deal these past six months. You've moved from merely helping in the kitchen to actually preparing dishes. I was really hoping to enjoy one of your stir-fried meals someday—hah!"
Blushing, Li Yu replied, "Brother Yan, I still have a bit to learn before I can truly cook. Perhaps in another year or so I'll be ready to master it. Just tell me what you'd like when that day comes."
"Good, I'll definitely come try your food then," Li Yan said. At that moment, a trace of unspoken melancholy flickered across his features.
Li Yu and Li Shan, however, paid little heed to his subtle change in mood. Their thoughts were already occupied by the delicious spread before them. Every time Li Yan went into town, he would invite them to dine out, much to their delight.
After a short meal, Li Yan smiled at Li Shan. "Li Shan, did you get that belt I asked you to purchase last time?"
While munching on food, Li Shan grinned and replied vaguely, "Yes, yes—I have it right here." He fumbled in his pocket, producing a belt which he handed over to Li Yan.
Li Yan reached out to take it—it was a purple belt about the width of a palm. His face brightened as he stood up with approval, removed the black belt from his waist, and tied on the purple one. Clad in his black robe with the new accessory, he looked rather dashing.
Chen An and Li Yin glanced over at him before returning to their drinks, silently shaking their heads at his eccentric shopping habits. The man always had to buy everything, though he seldom ended up using much of what he bought.
After a moment of hesitation, Li Yan then handed his original black belt to Li Shan, saying, "Li Shan, take this belt along with the silver I gave you earlier and pass them to the uncle who goes into town next time. They'll deliver them to my parents." His tone had turned unexpectedly somber.
At that, Li Shan and Li Yu exchanged a quick, worried glance, silently agreeing that something was off about Li Yan today.