Chapter 10

Lin Jiping was a local thug who usually consorted with a group of ruffians, engaging in all sorts of mischief and wrongdoing. Apart from the usual late-night harassment and bullying of young women, he had also been involved in numerous incidents of causing trouble and extorting money. Almost every household with some wealth had been extorted by this group, with few exceptions.

This time, Lin Jiping followed Qin Xianyu, eyeing the dozen or so taels of silver and hoping to find out if Qin Xianyu had more money on him.

A dozen or so taels of silver was no small sum.

Lin Jiping's heart raced with excitement. He didn't call his usual gang to avoid sharing the money. He intended to take the silver alone. As for Qin Xianyu, a pale and soft young man, he thought it would take just one punch to deal with him, with no unexpected complications.

He rubbed his hands together, grinned, and the scar at the corner of his eye twitched.

That scar was from when he was beaten while extorting a pastry shop. Later, he gathered a dozen men, smashed the shop, and even captured the shop owner's young daughter, playing with her before hanging her from a tree.

As for the authorities, they were already familiar with his gang, having been treated to drinks and bribes several times. The murder case was thus quietly dropped.

Qin Xianyu walked ahead, holding the cold-year grass, and stopped at a small hill. He stopped because there was a half-cut tree on the slope, with a few branches lying beneath it.

He placed the cold-year grass on the ground and picked up a branch.

The branch was about two fingers thick and about three feet long, slightly bent but mostly straight. Though only two fingers thick, the recently cut branch was still moist and quite heavy, feeling very comfortable in his hand.

Qin Xianyu walked down the slope, holding the branch, and smiled, "Uncle Lin, what are you doing here?"

The sun was bright, the ground clear, and the surrounding weeds were about half a person's height.

At this time, no one would come to cut wood or gather grass, making it a perfect place.

Lin Jiping thought this young man was truly reckless, choosing a place to die. He rubbed his hands together and sneered, "Qin boy, stop talking nonsense. Give me the money. I need to go drinking, and I don't have time to play with you. Be sensible, and you'll suffer less. I'll go easy on you later."

Qin Xianyu ignored him, feeling a bit nostalgic, and sighed, "Uncle Lin used to visit our home often, either asking my father for money or taking herbs from our house. We were quite familiar. It feels like just a few years ago, but it's all still vivid in my mind."

"Heh, if your father hadn't died of illness, I might have had a better life. Since you know your father always gave me money, you should be sensible too, right?" Lin Jiping grinned widely, "Do you think a branch can do anything? You look even prettier than those girls, heh..."

He looked Qin Xianyu up and down, grinning lecherously.

Qin Xianyu shook his head, "I don't have any money."

Lin Jiping's face darkened, and he growled, "You're asking for it. I'll teach you a lesson, young man."

He took a few steps forward, clenched his hand into a fist, and punched hard.

Lin Jiping was used to fighting and had learned some basic boxing techniques. A punch from him was quite powerful. Most people would be knocked out by one punch, let alone a delicate and scholarly young man.

As the fist approached his face, growing larger, Qin Xianyu's eyes narrowed, focusing entirely on the punch.

The young man held the branch, took a deep breath, and swung it like a sword.

Crack!

A sharp sound echoed, unclear whether the branch broke or the bones in the fist cracked.

Qin Xianyu's branch snapped in two.

But Lin Jiping was already on the ground, clutching his fist, screaming in agony.

Lin Jiping rolled on the ground, covered in dust, his screams continuous.

Recalling how this man often came to his family's pharmacy to extort money and take herbs, Qin Xianyu's eyes turned cold. He sighed, threw the branch, and it landed on Lin Jiping's face.

He picked up the cold-year grass and walked back the way he came.

Behind him, Lin Jiping continued to scream, his knuckles crushed and bones broken, only skin and flesh holding them together.

"Just one day of practice," Qin Xianyu thought as he walked, "just one day."

The so-called "Introduction to Swordsmanship" was not some profound technique. Although Qin Xianyu didn't understand martial arts, he had heard that true martial arts required cultivating qi and internal strength. However, being able to break a branch with a punch after just one day of practice was clearly due to the jade pill's effect.

Unconsciously, he had taken a different path.

This path led to another town where his family's pharmacy used to be, but it had been taken over by others.

Qin Xianyu paused for a moment, sighed, and turned back.

When he returned to the temple, it was already late afternoon, approaching evening.

The sun had set behind the western mountains, and the sky was growing dark.

The day had passed quickly.

However, as he approached the temple, Qin Xianyu stopped again.

On both sides of the temple were green trees. In the dim light, a man was waiting in front of the temple, looking anxious.

Seeing the servant dressed in livery, Qin Xianyu thought, "There's a lot going on."

He recognized the servant, who had come with the steward of the Shangguan family to wait for him at the temple. Before leaving, the servant had given him a fierce look, but Qin Xianyu, who had just poisoned a few people, had returned the look with a cold stare.

Since that day, the servant had been more fearful, but this time, he seemed bolder, feeling ashamed of being scared by a poor young man. So, when he saw Qin Xianyu, the servant lifted his head first.

He pointed to a gift box on the ground and said, "Look, open your eyes and look carefully."

Qin Xianyu didn't respond, his expression calm.

The servant gritted his teeth and opened the gift box.

The box glinted with silver.

It was already dark in the evening.

The box was filled with silver ingots.

"This is pure silver, not copper coins. Look carefully, this is silver, not money," the servant pointed to the box and snorted, "There are a hundred taels here, a gift from a prominent person. You don't have to do much. At the Shangguan family's old man's birthday banquet, just tear up the marriage contract and say a few harsh words, and the hundred taels will be yours."

Qin Xianyu had suspected that the servant had been bought off, even though he came with the steward. This time, it was clear he had been bought off, but he didn't know by whom, and the servant had offered a hundred taels, which was quite a sum.

Qin Xianyu was curious but didn't ask, knowing that asking might not get an answer and that knowing too much might not be good.

In the past, seeing a hundred taels of silver would have been hard to remain calm, even if he was confident he wouldn't be tempted. But now, with over a hundred taels already in his possession, he was much calmer. He smiled faintly, "If I become the Shangguan family's son-in-law, I'll have no worries about food and clothing, and I won't lack for money. A hundred taels is a lot, but it can be spent. Why not choose a steady path?"

The servant sneered, "A toad dreaming of eating a swan. You think you can live well in the Shangguan family? The Shangguan family is not what it used to be. They are now one of the prominent families in Fengxing Prefecture, not just in Feng County. Do you really think you're going to be their son-in-law?"

Qin Xianyu was slightly surprised. He had guessed that the Shangguan family had risen in status, but he hadn't expected them to become one of the prominent families in Fengxing Prefecture.

"What fortune did the Shangguan family receive to achieve such a status?"

Qin Xianyu was astonished. Even if his family was still the renowned medical family in Fengxing Prefecture and his parents were still alive, they might not be able to match the Shangguan family. How much more so now that he was alone?

The servant sneered, "Prominent families are not for you to dream about. Be clear-headed. If you go to the Shangguan family, you might still starve to death. With a hundred taels, you should be content."

He paused, his sneer more mocking, "If you don't do as told, hey, they can easily take a hundred taels, and they can just as easily get rid of you with a few words."

Without waiting for Qin Xianyu to respond, the servant grunted and left.

"Only a hundred taels?"

Qin Xianyu turned, raised an eyebrow, and said with a half-smile, "If they can casually offer a hundred taels and make you betray the Shangguan family, they must be quite powerful. Getting rid of a servant like you would be just a few words."

The servant's face changed, and he hastily threw something, as if it were burning his hand, and hurried away.

Qin Xianyu laughed, having just bluffed him, but the servant had actually hidden something.

"Free is free."

Qin Xianyu laughed, picked up the item, examined it, and put it in his pocket. He then collected the hundred taels of silver and entered the temple.

He had taken the money.

As for tearing up the marriage contract and making harsh statements...

Qin Xianyu smiled faintly, not taking it seriously.

He pushed open the temple door.

Outside, it was dark, and inside, it was even darker.

Qin Xianyu's face changed.

When he opened the temple door, he saw someone leaning against the base of the statue of the Daoist deity, facing the door.

It was an old Daoist.

Qin Xianyu recognized him. It was the old Daoist who had witnessed him poisoning several young men and taking the martial arts secrets a few days ago.

The old Daoist, who had once had a sage-like appearance, now looked haggard and lifeless, his aura dim and gray.

His silver-white hair had lost its luster, turning pale gray. His once rosy face was now ashen and bloodless.

His once bright eyes were now dull and cloudy.

"Old Daoist... Guanxu."

The old man leaned against the wall, smiling weakly, his voice full of weariness.