Chapter 94: The Bounty

At noon in late autumn, the sun poured down its warmth, leaving Ding Songyan—arms wrapped around his sword, standing guard at the entrance of the Linjiang County yamen—thoroughly relaxed. He was drowsy with his eyes half-shut.

This time, Brightnight Sect had sent 160 members to assist with the patrol. The vast majority lodged in the barracks-like guest quarters behind the yamen. Of these, 154 were organized into 22 teams of seven—the minimum needed to deploy the Northern Dipper Sword Formation. At any given time, 11 teams were deployed alongside constables and soldiers to man the city gates, operate the watchtowers, and patrol the streets and lanes. After eight hours, the other 11 teams relieved them.

The remaining six had a more flexible arrangement, guarding the yamen as their primary duty. If anyone among the other 22 teams was injured, fell suddenly ill, or was called away on urgent business, these six stood ready to fill in and ensure every team could quickly deploy the Northern Dipper Sword Formation.

It was Ding Songyan’s first time participating in the patrol. Zheng Zhuxi, citing his need to familiarize himself with the relevant duties, had stationed him beside herself at the yamen gate.

This was perfectly reasonable, and similar arrangements had been made before, but it wasn’t the only reason Zheng Zhuxi had done so. She was worried her junior brother would inexplicably stir up trouble again, which would end up credited to her. She had chosen to keep him at the yamen under close supervision.

Ding Songyan leaned against the wall beside the yamen gate, basking in the noon warmth as he opened his eyes and glanced across at guest adviser, Pan Yunzhou, before idly chatting with him.

"How did you end up on patrol duty too?"

He had sparred with Pan Yunzhou five or six times over the past month, and the two were reasonably well acquainted by now.

Dressed in Brightnight Sect’s black tight-fitting clothes, Pan Yunzhou’s rugged features broke into a smile, as he said, "As a guest adviser, I can’t just eat and do nothing."

Sparring with me counts as work, doesn’t it... Going out of his way to join me and my senior sister’s patrol group—is he trying to work his way in by cozying up to Master’s daughter, or has he noticed my exceptional martial brilliance and wants to get close? Ding Songyan mused to himself, smoothing his black tight-fitting clothes of thick cotton.

He was about to speak when two peasant women appeared in the distance, each carrying a shoulder pole, cursing at each other as they approached.

Also on duty at the gate, Zheng Zhuxi stepped forward to meet them and questioned them in a gentle voice.

Amid a torrent of rural dialect expressing great "concern" for each other’s elders and bodily health, Ding Songyan pieced together what had happened.

One complained that the other had crossed boundaries and encroached on the empty space of her stall. The other felt that this brazen woman’s daily sales of salted goods had an overwhelming smell that ruined her business. Their quarrel had escalated to a brawl, and after being separated by patrolling constables, neither had been able to swallow her grievance, and they had dragged each other to the yamen to file a complaint.

Zheng Zhuxi said nothing, took the shoulder poles from them one by one, slung them across her own shoulders, and led the two women through the gate toward the yamen’s main hall.

After a month of practicing the Nine Primal Arts and the Forward-Reverse Circulation, she had found her strength steadily growing without any loss of agility or lightness.

Ding Songyan watched with great interest, lamenting only that he had no popcorn in hand and that the drama wasn’t more contrived.

Having picked up a few local dialect curses in the process, he suddenly noticed a figure coming down the main street, approaching at an unhurried pace.

The man wore a bamboo crown and a lake-blue straight-cut robe. His appearance was striking and his bearing distinguished—the very image of an elegant young noble.

At the moment, his clothes were smeared with dark red stains, and he carried a mangled, blood-soaked head in one hand. He walked at an unhurried pace, as casually as if strolling through a garden.

Under Ding Songyan and Pan Yunzhou’s gaze, he stopped before the yamen gate and smiled faintly.

"Xie Fengchao of Flame Capital, here to collect a bounty."

Xie Fengchao of Flame Capital? Never heard of him... Ding Songyan turned his head toward Pan Yunzhou.

At the same time, within his mystical pass and ancestral aperture, the Flame Heart visualization arose, and the apertures throughout his body instantly changed circulation patterns, causing the Presence-Absence Myriad Forms Qi to immediately evolve into Candleflame True Qi.

Through the Candleflame True Qi, Ding Songyan’s eyes took on a twilight but warm candlelight hue, with scattered glimmers of starlight deep within his pupils.

This was Brightnight Sect’s Candle-Star Pupils. When driven by Candleflame True Qi and the Myriad Star True Qi separately, its strengths differed—the Candle Pupils aspect excelled at piercing illusions, while the Star Pupils aspect was stronger for long-range sight. Both shared the abilities to see in the darkness, perceive ghostly things, and detect phantoms.

Ding Songyan’s gaze swept over the man who called himself Xie Fengchao. He detected no concealed physical anomalies. There were only noticeably rounded ears, visible to the naked eye.

Either a Supreme Master, or at most sixth-ranked Anomaly Manifested... Ding Songyan made his assessment.

Pan Yunzhou asked in surprise, "Xie Fengchao of the Flame Capital’s Xie clan?"

Xie Fengchao gave a restrained nod.

The next moment, he heard the other Brightnight Sect disciple ask his companion curiously, "What’s his background?"

Ding Songyan had originally wanted to ask directly "who’s that," but his wealth of life experience told him that would be impolite, and by the time the words reached his lips they had already changed form.

As the person on duty at the gate, he naturally needed to ask and understand before making any reports. Otherwise, given his temperament, Ding Songyan would have just asked privately, unless he took a dislike to someone.

Seeing Xie Fengchao’s expression stiffen, Pan Yunzhou quickly said, "The Flame Capital’s Xie clan is a branch of the Fang surname. Young Master Xie made a name for himself at a young age—he was ranked by the Orchid Rankings while still in the Human Realm. He has since entered the Great Proliferation Realm and is a sixth-rank Anomaly Manifested."

To be ranked while still in the Human Realm, one either had to be exceptionally famous or have one’s potential officially recognized.

"Young Master Xie, you have only been in the Great Proliferation Realm for a year and you’re already traveling the jianghu?" Pan Yunzhou asked Xie Fengchao with a smile.

Ding Songyan glanced at Pan Yunzhou and was suddenly struck by a resemblance to his former self—the habit of seizing opportunities to network with people of status and resources. And the fact that Xie Fengchao could venture out into the jianghu in the early stages of the Great Proliferation Realm showed considerable confidence in his own abilities.

Xie Fengchao said with a mild smile, "I was not raised in comfort and ease. My elders have always taught me that only by being out in the jianghu can one truly hone one’s martial arts."

"Which bounty are you here to collect?" Pan Yunzhou turned to the matter at hand, his gaze falling on the mangled head with its somewhat rodent-like features.

Xie Fengchao glanced down at the head in his hand and said with a smile, "Ghost Blade Lin Yu."

"Ghost Blade?" Pan Yunzhou blurted out in shock. "The notorious bandit of Ning Province that acts alone, Lin Yu, ranked Profound Discerned?"

"Yes. He has been brought to justice." Xie Fengchao gave a small nod, barely concealing his pleasure.

He thought this rugged-faced Brightnight Sect disciple was really quite good—every question and remark seemed to hit exactly the right note. The other one, despite his decent looks, knew nothing about anything. He was truly limited in his worldliness.

Ding Songyan indeed had no idea who Ghost Blade Lin Yu was. He looked at Pan Yunzhou with a rueful smile and couldn’t help grumbling inwardly, You’ve been in Ning Province for less than two months—how do you know more about the local notorious criminals than I do?

Although I’ve only been here three months myself, I’ve listened to storytellers and chatted with my senior brothers and sisters about jianghu rumors and martial world gossip.

Hmm, I must have heard of Lin Yu or Ghost Blade at some point, but never took it to heart. Is it possible that after my quantum leap I’ve become a bit full of myself, not thinking much of anyone who hasn’t reached the perfected Great Proliferation Realm? Even when I hear rumors about such people, they go in one ear and out the other...

Ding Songyan was still in the midst of this self-reflection when Pan Yunzhou stepped forward warmly.

"Young Master Xie, you’re truly impressive. You’ve rid the people of Ning Province of a great scourge. Let me take you to see County Martial Yi."

Xie Fengchao said nothing further, held up the head, and stepped into the Linjiang County yamen.

Before long, Pan Yunzhou returned to the gate.

Ding Songyan glanced toward the yamen interior and asked with a smile, "Is this Xie Fengchao well known?"

"The Flame Capital’s Xie clan originally managed the Liheng Bank on behalf of the Fang family, one of the Three Great Surnames. They earned merit for this service and were permitted to return to using their original surname. Xie Fengchao specializes in throwing weapons, and many of Flame Capital’s foremost martial artists have praised him since his youth, saying he has the makings of a Grandmaster and will certainly make the Orchid Fresh List in time.

"Haven’t you heard of him, Brother Ding?"

"No." Ding Songyan shook his head openly.

He then asked, "And what is Ghost Blade Lin Yu known for?"

"Ghost Blade was a lone bandit who committed crimes frequently in Ning Province. Though only a fifth-rank Profound Discerned and with no affiliation to the Twenty-One Heretical Ways, he was sharp and skilled at evasion, and had committed numerous major crimes without ever being caught—until he ran into Xie Fengchao, who has only reached the Great Proliferation Realm for a year," Pan Yunzhou said with a smile, "Brother Ding, you haven’t been in the sect long and you have focused on your cultivation, so it seems you know little of jianghu affairs and know of a few martial artists."

"That’s true." Ding Songyan thought for a moment. "Besides my fellow disciples, I only know of Su Yunzhang, Su Liudan, Ji Hanyi, Feng Yining, and Yu Chongyuan—all heard about through storytellers. And I’ve met Miss Su Qingli and Brother Ren Youyang."

"Ren Youyang of the True Spirit Sect?" Pan Yunzhou’s eyes lit up.

He had heard before that Ren Youyang had become a Grandmaster while in Dingjiang Prefecture—he hadn’t expected Ding Songyan to know him personally.

Ding Songyan tersely confirmed and asked curiously, "How much was the bounty on Ghost Blade?"

"1,000 taels of silver." Pan Yunzhou had read the wanted notice and had entertained the idea of capturing Lin Yu for the reward.

Ding Songyan’s expression stiffened slightly.

"1,000 taels?"

"Yes. Though he was only ranked Profound Discerned, he had committed many major crimes, so the bounty was higher than usual," Pan Yunzhou explained earnestly.

"1,000 taels..." Ding Songyan stared blankly, suddenly feeling as though he might have missed out on something.

...

Inside the yamen.

Having already recovered from his wounds, Yi Qincang completed the formalities and handed Xie Fengchao two banknotes worth 500 taels each, saying with a smile, "As it happens, these are from the Liheng Bank."

"What a coincidence." Xie Fengchao smiled and pocketed the two banknotes.

"Heroes truly do come from the youth—you’ve dealt with a great scourge of Ning Province in a single stroke," Yi Qincang asked with the concern of an elder, "What are your plans from here?"

Xie Fengchao answered with a smile, "I’d like to stay in Dingjiang Prefecture for a while and challenge the young martial artists here."

This was a common occurrence in the jianghu.

Yi Qincang was not surprised, and laughed heartily.

"I hope the talented young people of Dingjiang Prefecture will prove worthy of your attention. Only one year in the Great Proliferation Realm, and you are already tracking down and slaying the fifth-ranked Profound Discerned, Ghost Blade. Your future knows no limits."

Being praised for something he was proud of left Xie Fengchao feeling deeply gratified. He kept his composure and asked, after a moment’s thought, "Uncle Yi, I’ve heard that Brightnight Sect’s Zheng Zhuxi forged 6 alien apertures within just six months of entering the Great Proliferation Realm. I’d like to spar with her. Is she currently in the prefectural city or at Brightnight Sect’s mountain?"

Upon hearing these words, Yi Qincang’s expression became somewhat peculiar.

Seeing the confusion on Xie Fengchao’s face, he chose his words carefully.

"Zheng Zhuxi has now forged nine alien apertures in under nine months. Just last month she eliminated a sixth-ranked heretic with a long record of evil, destroyed a wooden beast equivalent to a fourth-ranked Mortal Surpassed, and killed a past-sixty martial artist who had once been ranked Mortal Surpassed..."

Xie Fengchao was gradually stunned.

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