Chapter 1511: Under Another's Eaves

In Nanzhou Prefectural Capital, a group of people suddenly arrived at a run-down household tucked away in a narrow, secluded alley.

The visitor was Shang Shuqing. The son of the family was one of the students at her school.

The boy's father had been working for someone when his strength suddenly failed him. The load he was carrying fell and smashed his foot. After Shang Shuqing learned of it, she made a special trip to visit him.

But Shang Shuqing's status was no ordinary one. For her safety, before she even arrived, a group had come ahead to inspect the place, establish a security perimeter, and guard against any accident.

The commotion left the impoverished household trembling with unease.

The son had learned some etiquette. He bowed outside the door and led Shang Shuqing in, seeming a little embarrassed by the poverty of his home.

Once inside, Shang Shuqing looked around at the crude, dilapidated, dark, and damp room and found herself at a loss for words.

The Commandery Princess had come in person. The mistress of the house, dressed in old clothes patched again and again, was so flustered she could barely speak without stumbling over her words.

With rough hands, she took out an earthenware bowl chipped around the rim and brewed a bowl of tea to offer her guest.

It could hardly be called tea. It was mostly cheap tea stems, and stale ones at that. The family normally could not bear to drink even this much, saving it for when guests came.

The tea bowl itself was clean, but its age made it look grimy.

One of the accompanying guards reached out to stop Shang Shuqing from drinking something that looked so dirty, leaving the woman of the house awkward and embarrassed.

Shang Shuqing herself did not mind. She had the guard move aside, accepted the bowl with both hands, took a sip, and nodded her thanks.

Afterward, she went to see the master of the house, who lay on a battered couch. One foot had been wrapped, but blood could still be seen beneath the bandages.

Since getting up was difficult for him, Shang Shuqing told him there was no need for ceremony and asked him to remain lying down. She inquired about the injury.

A cultivator accompanying her, who had already examined the man, leaned close and murmured a few words into Shang Shuqing's ear. The bones in the man's foot had been crushed. The foot was ruined, and he would never again be able to do heavy labor.

The man looked miserable and bewildered about what the future would bring.

His wife was on the verge of tears. She herself had always been sickly, coughing year-round and sometimes even coughing up blood. She had been a burden on the entire household, and nearly everything her husband earned through hard labor had gone toward buying medicine for her. Later, the Commandery Princess had sent people to help. Cultivators from Maolu Villa had come and cured her.

Only now had some color finally returned to her face, yet the man who supported the family had met with disaster in turn. She had no idea how they were supposed to live from here on.

What could Shang Shuqing do beyond offer comfort? There were far too many households like this in such times. Her ability was limited; she could not help them all.

She did not have much money herself. Nearly all the monthly allowance the princely residence gave her went toward relieving the poor. Of course, if she asked, the residence would certainly give her more. But the household now had a new mistress. Shang Shuqing was an unmarried woman living and eating in her elder brother and sister-in-law's home, and if she kept asking them for money as well, she could not bring herself to do it.

Her brother and sister-in-law were not people who spent recklessly either. There were too many places throughout Nanzhou that needed money. Her sister-in-law rarely even bought jewelry, while her brother had to address poverty on a larger scale with funds spent on broader measures. Handing money to one household after another was no solution.

Before leaving, Shang Shuqing left behind the token of concern she had brought for the injured man. Old Second Wu of Fufang Garden, who had accompanied her, followed the old rule Guan Fangyi had laid down. Judging the circumstances as usual, he slipped the mistress of the house a banknote worth one thousand silver coins.

The woman was terrified and refused to take it. Many poor households possessed a stronger sense of shame than the wealthy; receiving so much money from someone for nothing sat heavily on the conscience. But there was no chance she could refuse it in the end.

After they stepped outside, Shang Shuqing gave Old Second Wu an embarrassed bow of thanks. She herself felt awkward. Every time something like this happened, Guan Fangyi's side ended up spending money.

The key was that Guan Fangyi disdained taking any gratitude for it. As she had once joked at her own expense, in the eyes of the world, Hongniang of the Qi capital was no different from a prostitute in a brothel. If people were told the money came from her, they might even think it dirty. So in the end it was often Guan Fangyi who paid while Shang Shuqing received the gratitude.

After leaving the narrow alley and reaching the main street, Shang Shuqing was about to board her carriage when Yin'er spotted snacks being sold at a roadside stall. She tugged at Shang Shuqing's sleeve and pointed, greedy enough that she could hardly move on.

Old Second Wu immediately went over, tossed down some money, and had the vendor pack up every last snack on the stall.

Not far away, inside a carriage parked by the roadside, Wu Chang and Hei Shi sat quietly.

Wu Chang was dressed properly this time. Even his normally unbound hair had been gathered into a topknot. Looking like this, even someone familiar with him might not recognize him at first glance.

Hei Shi lifted a narrow gap in the curtain and said quietly, "That's the girl who can't tear herself away whenever she sees food."

Wu Chang studied Yin'er for a while. "You've confirmed it's her?"

He fixed Yin'er's appearance deeply in his memory. That was also the main reason he had personally come here this time.

If this woman truly was the Holy Rakshasa, and if what the Ghost Doctor had said was true, then when the day came to act, Wu Chang would certainly strike without warning and kill her in a single ambush before she could transform into the Holy Rakshasa.

Hei Shi said, "There's only one person called Yin'er around Maolu Villa, and that alone is unlikely to be coincidence. More importantly, from what we've learned, this Yin'er really does seem like a fool. She's already a grown woman, but her mind is like that of a three-year-old child. They say she especially loves to eat and spends the whole day eating without end. And there's one more thing: she truly is easy to anger. All of it seems to match Hei Li's account."

Shang Shuqing boarded her carriage. The guards from the princely residence who had temporarily blocked the road ahead withdrew. Hei Shi let the curtain fall and tapped the carriage frame. Their own carriage started moving as well, following Shang Shuqing's at an unhurried pace.

Hei Shi continued in a low voice, "After we found this Yin'er, I immediately had her background investigated in detail. We uncovered something very interesting. The first time Yin'er appeared was after the Spirit Beast Gathering held by the Myriad Beasts Sect many years ago. That was exactly when the Butterfly Dream Illusory Realm could no longer be closed. Niu Youdao brought her back to Maolu Villa after that. Once the Tiandu Secret Realm opened, Yin'er suddenly disappeared again. And this time, after the Holy Rakshasa entered the mortal world and vanished, Yin'er returned to Maolu Villa."

Wu Chang's gaze flickered.

Hei Shi said quietly, "Sacred Venerable, when so many coincidences come together, they're probably no coincidence at all. I'm afraid Hei Li was telling the truth!"

Wu Chang slowly said, "Which means there's a problem with the Myriad Beasts Sect as well."

Hei Shi nodded. "Most likely."

As the carriage passed the princely residence's temporary quarters, Hei Shi lifted the curtain again and indicated the place with a glance. "Maolu Villa is temporarily based here. Judging from the Goldenwing messages we've intercepted from this location, the cipher Hei Li gave us for decoding their correspondence is genuine. Every intercepted message can be deciphered. From that alone, Hei Li's account appears to be true."

Wu Chang asked, "Any useful information?"

Hei Shi said, "Judging by the breadth of matters covered in the decoded messages, Maolu Villa's hidden network really is deep. Its connections spread in every direction and touch a great many parties. The problem is that none of the outgoing messages name their recipients, so we don't know who they're being sent to. Without knowing the situation, we haven't found anything useful yet, which is why I haven't reported it to you."

Wu Chang said, "Then track the Goldenwings one by one and identify every party they correspond with."

Hei Shi hesitated. "Sacred Venerable gave us one month. If we track them individually, I'm afraid we won't finish in time."

Wu Chang said, "Cancel the deadline. Our main objective is to identify everyone Maolu Villa is in contact with. Remember: better to move slowly than alert the snake by striking the grass."

"Yes!" Hei Shi acknowledged.

The carriage did not stop outside the princely residence. It continued on, left the city, and gradually disappeared into the distance.

...

A small town had been abandoned after the earlier ravages of war. Now it had regained a little life.

A small advance party had arrived first and was busy cleaning and putting the town in order.

More than six thousand members of Xiaoyue Pavilion, travel-worn from the road, streamed into the town. This was the rendezvous point agreed upon with the Shang faction.

"General Luo was held up by military affairs and couldn't arrive in time, but he's already on the way. There isn't another suitable resting place nearby, so we'll have to trouble Sect Leader Lu to make do with this town. We've already cleaned it up. I hope Sect Leader won't find it too humble." The Hundred-Man Commander responsible for the advance preparations gave Lu Yuan the explanation in a firm, military voice.

Normally, Lu Yuan would never have paid much attention to a mere Hundred-Man Commander. Now, however, he smiled broadly and nodded. "Good. You've worked hard."

At a signal from him, someone immediately stepped forward and produced a gold draft redeemable for one hundred gold coins as a reward.

The Hundred-Man Commander did not stand on ceremony and accepted it with a smile. "If Sect Leader has any instructions, just call for us. The residents have all fled, so you may choose your own quarters." Still, he added a reminder: "The largest residence in town has been reserved for the general."

The implication was obvious: do not occupy it yourselves.

Lu Yuan was somewhat displeased inside, but he still smiled. "General Luo needs a spacious place for his field headquarters. Naturally."

After the Hundred-Man Commander took his leave, Lu Yuan waved a hand. People immediately scattered to inspect the town.

A carriage rolled into town and stopped. Zhuang Hong and Xia Lingpei stepped down and looked around at the desolate streets. Their moods were as bleak as their surroundings.

Not long after mother and son were taken away to settle in, a rider came galloping into town. One of Xiaoyue Pavilion's men who had gone ahead to make contact jumped from his horse and reported to Lu Yuan, "Sect Leader, Luo Da'an is here. He should arrive within roughly fifteen minutes."

"Oh?" Lu Yuan glanced at several elders and waved. "Under another's eaves, one has no choice but to bow one's head. We should at least give them enough face to make things look proper. Come, let's go welcome him."

The group quickly left town and waited outside the main entrance.

Before long, a faint rumble like thunder came from the distant earth. Then billowing dust rolled toward them like a dragon.

Soon afterward, a cavalry force appeared in their sight, thundering forward like a gale.

As the men watched from afar, one elder clicked his tongue. "The Yingyang and Wulie Guards are here. That presence truly lives up to their reputation!"

Three thousand cavalrymen charged to the town's outskirts. The leading general raised the spear in his hand toward the sky. The formation, thunderous in motion and still as a maiden at rest, reined to an abrupt halt. Warhorses neighed one after another.

The sudden stop sent the dust they had raised sweeping over the men waiting to greet them.

When the dust cleared, the commander beneath the banner bearing the character "Luo" came into view.

He did not look very old. Clad in armor, gripping a long black-iron spear, he sat astride a glossy black warhorse. It was Luo Da'an.

Years of campaigning had naturally left their mark. His face was weathered, but his spirit was vigorous. A short beard now grew beneath his chin, and his eyes shone brightly, his presence commanding.

He looked young, yet he was already a commander with five hundred thousand troops in his hands. He had won the foremost merit in the campaign that seized and divided Qin's territory, and he was also Meng Shanming's disciple. No one dared look down on him.

With Meng Shanming supporting him, guiding him, and giving him opportunities to temper himself, Luo Da'an's achievements alone had already far surpassed those of his father, Luo An.

Before his death, Luo An had never commanded even thirty thousand men. Naturally, his son's accomplishments had gone far beyond his own.

Yet it was precisely because Luo An had been unwaveringly loyal, because he had risked his own life to take an arrow for Meng Shanming and saved him at the cost of his own, that he had in a sense purchased the futures of his two sons.

One son entered the army and became Meng Shanming's disciple. The other entered government and studied under Lan Ruoting.

Their two masters were the foremost military and civil figures in Nanzhou. The brothers' prospects could easily be imagined.

Their futures were bright, and a mother rises in status through her sons. Luo An's widow was now naturally counted among the prominent noblewomen within Nanzhou's sphere of influence, enjoying wealth and honor.

[End of Chapter 1511]