Chapter 92 - 91: Ping County
Chapter 92: Chapter 91: Ping County
Mu Yuanying returned to the tent and couldn’t help but chide, "Father, you refused so bluntly just now. I’m afraid Uncle Chen will be upset."
"What, not even married yet and you’re already siding with an outsider?"
Mu Hongyuan glanced at his daughter and huffed in displeasure. "Using public grain for personal matters? There’s no such free lunch in this world. Besides, did that grain ever enter the Mu Family’s ledgers? Public is public, and private is private. How can the two be mixed?"
Mu Yuanying opened her mouth, wanting to say more, but it ended in a sigh and she said no more.
Outside the tent, the cold wind howled. Inside, the charcoal fire crackled.
...
Jingshan County Magistrate’s Office. The rear study.
The brazier burned brightly, making the room as warm as spring.
The County Magistrate, Zhang Heming, was sitting behind his desk, reviewing official documents.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!
The urgent knocking interrupted him.
Steward Huang entered in a hurry, holding a document. His expression was a little strange. "County Magistrate, an urgent document has arrived from the bandit suppression army’s main camp."
"Oh?"
Zhang Heming’s brow twitched, and his heart stirred.
He broke the wax seal, pulled out the letter, and unfolded it to read.
The faint, professional smile he wore vanished as his eyes moved down the page, his expression freezing instantly.
"We have heard that the County Magistrate of Jingshan County is a man of great principle, having raised sixty-five thousand stones of grain for our army. We have now received the ten thousand stones from Chen Li, the Village Chief of Lingxi. As for the remaining fifty thousand stones, we hope the County Magistrate will deliver them swiftly to relieve our army’s urgent shortage of provisions..."
Reading these last few lines, Zhang Heming’s hand, which held the document, trembled violently.
The color drained from his face at a visible rate. Blood rushed to his head, his vision suddenly went black, and he felt so dizzy he nearly collapsed.
"Chen! Li!"
A low, furious roar, suppressed to its absolute limit and squeezed through clenched teeth, erupted from the depths of his throat.
Even though he prided himself on his composure and excellent self-cultivation, he could no longer hold back. He slammed a palm viciously onto the hard mahogany desk.
CRACK!
With a sharp snap, the thick desktop broke in two.
CRASH...
The documents, ink, brushes, and inkstones on the desk were sent flying by the force of his Palm Force, and scraps of white paper fluttered to the ground like snowflakes.
...
The cold twelfth-month wind swept past, kicking up withered grass and carrying a bone-chilling cold.
Inside the Chen Family residence, it was a scene of bustling activity.
Ten thousand stones of grain for the bandit suppression army was no small amount. Even with all the carts and horses from five villages mobilized, it still took a full five days to deliver the grain.
Fortunately, unlike the Government Granary, the army didn’t demand extra to cover spoilage and losses; a direct delivery was all that was required.
After dealing with the grain delivery, Chen Li packed up some gifts of cured meat, medicinal herbs, and the like. He gave them to Chen Shouye and told him to go to his master Li Weikun’s home to pay his New Year’s respects.
After all, Chen Shouye was already engaged to his master’s youngest daughter. The proper etiquette for holidays and festivals could not be neglected.
Chen Shouye nodded and replied steadily, "Yes, Father."
"Father, I’m going to the county seat too," Shouheng suddenly said from the side.
Chen Li glanced at him and nodded. "Take some gifts with you, then."
The two brothers deftly loaded the gifts onto the cart and left, driving the ox-cart.
Once they reached the county seat, the two went their separate ways.
Chen Shouye, familiar with the route, tied the ox-cart to a familiar post by the entrance, picked up the gifts, and walked straight in.
With the New Year approaching, the martial arts hall was quieter than usual. Only a few disciples were practicing in the courtyard.
"Brother Shouye," a disciple who knew him greeted.
Chen Shouye nodded in return. "Is Master here?"
"Master went out early to visit a friend. He probably won’t be back until evening."
Hearing this, Chen Shouye changed direction and headed for the rear courtyard.
He knew where that person would most likely be at this hour.
Sure enough, by the medicinal herb garden under the covered walkway, he saw Li Jinru, her head bowed as she tended to some herbs.
She wore a lotus-root-colored cotton skirt with a light-emerald sleeveless jacket over it. Her figure was tall and slender, and her expression was focused. She only looked up when she heard footsteps.
"Shouye?"
Seeing it was him, a gentle smile appeared on Li Jinru’s face. She put down the small hoe in her hand. "You’re back?"
"Little Senior Sister."
Chen Shouye blushed slightly and stammered, "My father prepared some New Year’s gifts for me to bring to Master."
"Father went to visit a friend."
Li Jinru had Chen Shouye take the gifts to the rear courtyard, smiling. "Uncle Chen is too kind. Just a few days ago, Father was saying he wanted to find time to visit Lingxi."
As she spoke, she naturally took a clean handkerchief from her sleeve and handed it to Chen Shouye. "Here, wipe your brow. You must be tired from the journey."
"It’s fine, Little Senior Sister."
Chen Shouye took the handkerchief and dabbed his forehead, though there wasn’t much sweat. "There’s a lot to do at year’s end. I have to hurry back."
His gaze fell on Li Jinru’s fingertips as he said in a low voice, "Little Senior Sister, a short while ago, I reached Blood Refining Great Success."
"Really? That’s wonderful! Congratulations, Shouye!"
Li Jinru’s eyes lit up with sincere joy, but her cheeks quickly flushed with two crimson patches, as if colored by the evening sunset.
She naturally knew what this meant. Her father had promised to allow their marriage on the condition that Chen Shouye reached Blood Refining Perfection.
Now that Chen Shouye had reached Blood Refining Great Success, he was at most a year or two away from Perfection.
Li Jinru subconsciously lowered her head slightly, her slender fingers unconsciously twisting the corner of her clothes. Her voice softened. "Don’t be too hasty in your training. It’s better to build a solid foundation. I’m not in a hurry..."
After speaking, she secretly glanced up at him, her eyes shimmering and filled with a shy charm.
The cool winter sunlight filtered through the corridor pillars, gently falling upon the two of them.
Her words carried a young maiden’s unique shyness, yet also revealed sincere concern.
Chen Shouye spoke again, "There are many matters to attend to at home, and Father needs help. After spring begins, I... I plan to stay in Lingxi."
"Mm... I’ll talk to Father about it."
Li Jinru lifted her eyes, her gaze a mix of concern and shyness. "You... you should take care of yourself, too. Don’t overwork yourself."
After a few more words of small talk, Chen Shouye bid farewell to Li Jinru.
He turned and found Brother Liu Ziji in the courtyard, supervising the junior disciples as they practiced their Pile Skill.
"Brother Liu."
Chen Shouye clasped his hands in a salute.
Liu Ziji was a forthright man. Seeing Chen Shouye, he laughed and said, "Junior Brother Chen Shouye, it’s been a while! Your skills must have improved again!"
Chen Shouye smiled, and after a brief exchange of pleasantries, he got straight to the point. "Brother Liu, I heard you mention once a few years ago that there’s a strange man in Ping County who teaches Martial Arts in a rather unconventional way. I was wondering if you could tell me more about him in detail?"
Hearing this, Liu Ziji’s smile faded a little. He asked, "Why are you asking about him? That guy... tsk, he’s called Wu Gui, and his reputation stinks. He’s a gambling addict. They say he’ll teach anyone his skills for money, no questions asked, and he even allows them to be taught to others. Why are you looking for him?"
Chen Shouye didn’t explain, only saying, "I just heard about him by chance and was curious. Does Brother Liu know where he can be found in Ping County?"
Seeing that he wouldn’t elaborate, Liu Ziji didn’t press further. He just frowned and advised, "He’s in the shantytown area of the Southeast Fishery in Ping County. That place is a mess, full of all sorts of shady characters. I’m telling you, it’s best not to get involved with that man. He’s definitely not a good person. Be careful you don’t get into trouble."
"Thank you for the warning, Brother Liu. I know my limits."
After taking note, Chen Shouye clasped his hands. "You’re busy, Brother Liu. I’ll take my leave now."
"Alright, be careful!" Liu Ziji didn’t ask any more questions.
After leaving the martial arts hall, Chen Shouye had intended to find his older brother Shouheng and go to Ping County together, but the people at the Tiger Subduing Martial Arts Hall said his brother had not returned.
Though full of questions, Chen Shouye didn’t delay any longer. He drove the ox-cart alone and headed toward Ping County.
...