"Damn it."
Li Xian's blood surged as he drew his blade, feeling a sense of dread in his heart, yet determined to uphold his honor even if it meant death.
Suddenly, he noticed the footsteps slowing down.
"What's he afraid of... afraid of alerting the people in the manor!"
Li Xian's mind raced, and he immediately shouted.
The thing slowed even more and stopped, seemingly hesitating whether to pursue or not.
"Madam Wen, you're here!"
Li Xian shouted.
The lady of Yihetang Manor was surnamed "Wen," and one could only address her as "Madam" without mentioning her name.
The shout worked; the thing began to retreat. In truth, they were still several miles away from the manor.
Li Xian seized the opportunity, increased his speed, and finally stepped into the manor's entrance.
Breathing heavily, he glanced back towards the darkness.
He saw a pair of glowing red eyes the size of copper bells staring at him before turning to leave.
Li Xian let out a sigh of relief.
"I owe my survival this time to the Madam's reputation."
As he collected himself, a cold sweat covered his body, soaking his clothes thoroughly.
Of the eight martial artists, only he returned, a truly grim situation.
The commotion soon reached Pang Long's ears. He took Li Xian back to the house, warmed him with tea, and transferred inner qi to calm his mind.
"This kid is indeed clever; he appeared a bit flustered earlier but is now completely composed."
Pang Long marveled silently, and when he checked Li Xian's pulse, though racing, it lacked disorder, indicating no major harm, no loss of courage or spirit.
"This isn't an isolated incident."
"That Feng Huo was unlucky, encountering it twice."
Pang Long said, "But now that we've returned to the manor, everything is safe. That thing won't dare approach, fearing the Madam will take its life."
"Commander Pang, what exactly is that thing?" Li Xian curiously asked.
"I... don't know either," Pang Long replied, "Later, I'll take you to the inner courtyard, and you can explain to the Madam."
"The Madam...?" Li Xian had always been curious about this "Madam."
"Rest up a bit, the Madam hasn't gone to bed yet," Pang Long instructed.
...
The inner courtyard is where Madam Wen frequently appears. No D-class martial artist patrols are needed here, though occasionally, they are called in for certain tasks.
Walking through a long corridor.
Li Xian looked around curiously and saw a lake with lotus flowers growing on its surface, the lotuses were a striking golden green, stunningly beautiful.
Clearly, these weren't ordinary lotuses.
Though it was snowing outside, the inner courtyard was as vibrant as spring, and in terms of area, the inner courtyard was several times larger than the outer courtyard.
"This place is so vast, I wonder if the Madam can fully occupy it."
"I heard from Commander Pang that the Madam has many friends from the Jianghu who sometimes come for a visit."
"Jianghu... What kind of world is this Jianghu?"
Li Xian couldn't help but be curious, though longing for it... perhaps not. He suspected that this Jianghu was a dangerous place.
Yet, if he were free, despite its dangers, he might still be willing to take the risk.
"Madam, I've brought him."
Pang Long knelt on one knee outside a pavilion, speaking respectfully.
"Let him come in."
A gentle voice came from inside, yet it carried an air of authority.
Entering the house.
A strange fragrance filled the air, calming and focusing the mind. Li Xian saw that the lights were dim, and there was a screen in front of him with a graceful silhouette behind it.
"Speak."
There were no unnecessary words.
Li Xian bowed his head and recounted the events. After a moment, Madam Wen said, "I understand."
"After such a drastic event, this junior martial artist remains articulate."
"Pang Long, take him to receive one tael to calm his nerves."
He didn't linger a moment longer and was led out of the inner courtyard.
Pang Long chuckled as he patted Li Xian on the shoulder, "You lad, fortune in misfortune. One tael of silver is enough for several visits to the brothel."
Li Xian awkwardly smiled, as the previous misunderstanding hadn't been cleared. Pang Long firmly believed he enjoyed frequenting such places.
"Getting this close to the Madam is a rare opportunity. If you talk, it's something to boast about," Pang Long said.
"Commander Pang." Li Xian asked, "What will the Madam do?"
Pang Long replied, "I don't know, it's not our place to guess. The Madam has her reasons for whatever she decides."
...
One tael of reward was equivalent to several months' salary. Holding it in his hand, it felt heavy, and he couldn't help but be extremely happy.
"Money... this thing is too important!"
After delving deeper into "Martial Artists" and "Martial Arts," Li Xian discovered that martial artists couldn't survive without resources.
The path of martial arts was a bottomless pit, requiring thousands or hundreds of taels of silver, and even then, might not produce results. One must find ways to earn.
Otherwise, why would Madam Wen manage this manor? Maintaining such operations?
The imagined carefree wanderer, drifting through the world, might exist, but most can't achieve such ease.
Returning to the quarters.
Zhao Han and others had already turned off the lights and gone to sleep. Just as Li Xian was about to step forward, he noticed a fallen chair, perfectly positioned to trip him.
Well aware of it, he wasn't truly caught, stepped lightly over, and set the chair upright.
He closed his eyes and fell asleep.
The next day.
Word of Li Xian's affair spread, but the daily morning training remained unchanged. This was the only time to practice martial arts, and Li Xian cherished it greatly.
Taking yesterday's lesson to heart.
While running around the manor, Li Xian ran an extra lap compared to usual. His speed was fast, but ultimately limited.
Because it was starting to snow.
The enthusiasm for martial arts training among the martial artists was low that morning, with some practicing a few rounds and then resting, preparing for their patrol shifts.
Li Xian was diligent.
[Perseverance, diligent in practicing fists, skill level +2]
[Mentally resilient, not following the crowd, destined for greatness, skill level +3]
After more than an hour of hard practice.
The Four Directions Fist skill level increased by another [78] points.
[Four Directions Fist]
[Skill Level: 812/1500 Minor Achievement]
"I don't seek to reach the heavens in a single step, but to make progress every day!"
"Sadly, D-class martial artists have too little training time. If I were to become a C-class martial artist..."
"Not only would the patrol shift time decrease, but there'd be an extra hour each day for training, plus C-class meals with beef and lamb... much better than fatty meat!"
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but swallow hard.
After satisfying basic needs, naturally one yearns for better things. To also have his younger brother eat better.
"The martial artist competition is held once a month."
"It seems to be approaching. If it weren't for the competition, Jiang Yun wouldn't have targeted my Tiger Blood Pill."
...
Today, Li Xian's patrol shift was canceled.
Pang Long, wearing an ancient "Copper Bell" on his waist, retraced last night's route with Li Xian.
"Commander Pang, if that thing appears, can you handle it?" Li Xian asked.
"I don't know, but with this bell, the demon won't dare show itself." Pang Long shook the bell.
A dull sound echoed far away.
Pang Long said, "A village, rent of several hundred taels, can't just be forfeited."
"The Madam bestowed this bell and ordered us to walk the route. If we find rent, we retrieve it. If we see corpses, we bury them on the spot."
"At least they won't become wandering spirits."
Li Xian asked, "Commander Pang, do you know what that thing is?"
"Well..." Pang Long looked at Li Xian, "The Madam did mention it once."