Volume 1, Chapter 28: Aftermath

Walking down the central jade-paved path, Xingtian Shisan passed through the large courtyard of the Xingtian family, circumventing three tall halls, and entered a side garden. He pushed open a concealed door, following a small path paved with egg-sized jade stones, winding his way to the courtyard of Xingtian Huaying's residence.

Standing at the courtyard gate, Xingtian Shisan hesitated before raising his foot and kicking the gate open, striding inside. The black wooden gate flew silently for dozens of feet, eerily suspended in mid-air without a sound. Behind the silk-like flower trellis, Xingtian Huaying's maids, seeing Xingtian Shisan, froze like frightened rabbits, sitting motionless and barely breathing.

Reaching the small building, Xingtian Shisan glanced at the blank signboard, snorted softly, and entered, heading straight to the second floor. He kicked open the door to Huaying's boudoir, releasing a faint, powdery fragrance that filled the air.

Qingyue was at the dressing table, painting her eyebrows in a hexagonal bronze mirror with a raindrop pattern, while Huaying lazily sat on a brocade stool behind her. One hand was wrapped around Qingyue's neck, applying rouge to her lips, while the other hand wandered inside Qingyue's blouse, gently squeezing her tender breast. Huaying's mouth was playfully nibbling on Qingyue's earlobe.

Suddenly, hearing the door crash open, Huaying's eyebrows shot up. She swung her wide sleeve, sending an invisible force roaring towards the door, cursing, "You insolent girl, I told you not to come up!"

Turning her head, she saw Xingtian Shisan glaring at her. Startled, she jumped up, hastily tidied her disheveled clothes, and meekly greeted, "Third Grandpa." Beside her, Qingyue, paralyzed with fear, sat still, not daring to make a sound.

With fiery hair and beard, Xingtian Shisan forced a smile, which looked more like a grimace. He awkwardly tried to appear kindly, but it only made him look scarier. With a dry chuckle, he tightened the cloth roll under his arm and nodded at the terrified Qingyue, "Miss Qingyue, are you comfortable here? My unruly grandsons haven't troubled you, have they?"

Huaying felt a wave of embarrassment. Though Dafeng and the others hadn't bothered Qingyue, she herself had thoroughly taken advantage of her. Qingyue blushed furiously, stood, and respectfully replied, "Thank you for your concern, Third Grandpa. Everything is fine here."

Xingtian Shisan let out a few unclear laughs, stroking his beard and giving Huaying a sidelong glance. "Well, that's good. Mr. Qingfu did a lot for me. Now that he's gone, there are still matters that fall to you." He suddenly coughed. "Huaying, are you short on money recently? Running out of copper coins?"

Huaying glanced at Shisan's unreadable expression and replied honestly, "I'm fine. It's my elder brothers who are going crazy with poverty."

Nodding thrice, Shisan tilted his head and asked, "So, you don't need money?"

Huaying forced a smile. "Of course not. Why do you ask, Third Grandpa? Are you short of money?" She looked incredulous. Apart from the family head Xingtian E and the elders of his generation, Shisan was one of the most important second-generation elders in the Xingtian family. How could he possibly be short of money?

Laughing strangely, Shisan tugged his beard. "Good, you don't need money. What would a girl like you do with so much money? Since you and your brothers won ten times the bet from Xiangliu Rou, you don't need half of it. The family head just told me to keep it safe for you. We can't trust it in your hands."

Huaying's face twitched, and she exclaimed, "What? That barbarian won? How could I have misjudged?"

Shisan gave a dry chuckle, stroking his beard. "You misjudged. Chihu Baolong is a reckless one and managed to break thirty-something bones of that Qi refiner whose spell power was close to a First Cauldron Grand Witch." He looked at Huaying with a hint of pride. "The family head said you don't need all that money, so we'll keep it safe."

Huaying's chest heaved with anger, but she dared not express it. She forced a laugh. "I didn't expect that barbarian to surprise us all. Third Grandpa is right; I don't have much use for the money."

Satisfied, Shisan turned to leave. "Good, then remember to collect the debt from Xiangliu Rou. If they don't pay, I'll take the army to talk to them." He muttered to himself, "You don't need money? Even if you spent it all on thousands of girls, we wouldn't mind. But wasting it on others, that's unacceptable."

Hearing this, Huaying's face turned pale.

At the stairway, Shisan suddenly stopped, stamping his foot. "The rules of Daxia were set by King Yu. Who dares break them? The scions of the four major Wu families never get involved in the affairs of the princes. Huaying, stay away from the ninth prince. Even if you want to marry him, wait until he becomes the king. No one knows who will take that throne."

He blinked a few times, then walked to the doorway of Xingtian Huaying's boudoir. After a brief cough, he said, "Miss Qingyue, I'm heading to the West Quarter to deliver a zither. How are your zither skills?"

Qingyue quickly put on a smile. "Are you asking me to teach, Third Grandpa? Although I'm better at the flute, I'm also proficient with the zither."

Xingtian Shisan's eyes narrowed with pleasure. "Good, good, very good! I'll have a carriage prepared, and Miss Qingyue, please accompany me." He chuckled happily. "Recently, a music house offended the eldest grandson of Zhong Tianhou, and the entire family was killed. They left behind some profound zither scores, so I'll need your expertise."

Huaying laughed. "Third Grandpa, can I come along?"

Xingtian Shisan shrugged nonchalantly. "You always seem to have too much free time. Huaying, you should really think about how you misjudged this time." With a few more chuckles, Xingtian Shisan turned and left.

Huaying's face twitched with anger. She slammed her palm on a nearby table. "Chihu Baolong? You actually won! Damn Xiangliu Rou, you worthless fool. It's bad enough you lost, but now I'm taking the blame? Damn you!" The table, holding several scrolls, brushes, inkstones, and other items, exploded into fragments, some melting, some freezing, and others disintegrating into black dust.

After about ten minutes, a four-wheeled carriage pulled by two colorful deer left the Xingtian family's gates. Xingtian Shisan, with his usual cloth roll under his arm, tottered along behind like an old housekeeper. This time, he was followed closely by several soldiers and eight attendants as they headed to the West Quarter.

Across the street from the Xingtian residence, the oddly shaped Shen Gongbao dismounted from a black tiger. Seeing Xingtian Shisan approaching, he hurriedly bowed in greeting. Xingtian Shisan ignored him, his brows drooping, and spat with a huff. The spit flew out with a whistle, shattering a large stone slab three inches from Shen Gongbao's feet, startling him into retreating and bowing repeatedly.

Only then did Xingtian Shisan deign to glance at him. "You at least look human, better than those snake brats from the Xiangliu family. It's a shame you weren't beaten up at the camp a few days ago."

Shen Gongbao nearly spat blood. What kind of remark was that? Everyone in Anyi knew that Xingtian Shisan was not to be trifled with, even the heads of the major Wu families and the Nine Heavenly Commanders of Zhongyuan didn't dare provoke him, let alone Shen Gongbao. He bowed low until Xingtian Shisan and his entourage rounded a corner and disappeared.

"Only in Daxia would there be a Xingtian Shisan. Damn, that's some luck," Shen Gongbao muttered, unable to hold back a curse.

As Xingtian Shisan's carriage passed, Shen Gongkun, looking refreshed, came galloping up on strange mounts with a group of attendants. Seeing Shen Gongbao at his gate, Shen Gongkun dismounted with a nimble twist in mid-air, landing before him.

With a greeting punch to Shen Gongbao's chest, Shen Gongkun laughed, "Why aren't you at the camp? Here to watch the fun?"

Shen Gongbao raised an eyebrow and chuckled, "I'm here to watch the fun, but your friend Xiangliu Rou lost badly. Shouldn't you at least pretend to mourn?"

Shen Gongkun raised an eyebrow and clapped his hands, laughing loudly. "He's not my son. Why should I cry? Damn, he's a waste. After years of pushing around those brothers across the street, now he's lost everything. I'm just upset about the money I spent entertaining him at the West Quarter."

With a mischievous grin, Shen Gongkun mockingly wailed, "My money, wasted on that idiot! Why didn't the Xiangliu family pick someone competent this generation? Ugh!"

Shen Gongbao watched Shen Gongkun in disbelief, then grabbed him by the collar and dragged him inside. The attendants hurriedly followed, securing the gate. Once inside, Shen Gongbao pointed at Shen Gongkun and scolded, "You idiot! Don't you know the Xingtian family is right across the street? Anyone who hears you might think you're trying to flatter them."

Shen Gongkun shrugged, yawning. "Who takes this seriously? I'm just stating facts. Xiangliu Rou has disgraced his family. He won't last in Anyi. Xiangliu Yin of the Xiangliu family isn't back from Snake Marsh yet, so things should be peaceful for a while."

With a flicker in his cold eyes, Shen Gongkun stared at Shen Gongbao and asked, "I'm still curious. Why did you come back instead of staying at the Bear Camp after watching the commotion? Aren't you afraid Xingtian Chao will find fault with you? He's not known for his mercy. How many noble children have had their legs broken by him in the past few years?"

Shen Gongbao laughed coldly, his eyes suddenly producing a double image, shooting out beams of light an inch long. Proudly, he said, "Xingtian Chao? Why should I fear him? You know how strong my witchcraft is. It would take two Xingtian Chaos to be a match for me. Besides, he's probably celebrating at the West Quarter with Xingtian Dafeng. I need to ask you something."

Shen Gongkun glanced at the main hall of the Shen family's mansion and nodded with a playful smile. "Alright, ask away. We're brothers, aren't we? I, Kun the Fourth, will tell you everything I know. Including which of your lovers in the West Quarter has had visitors in the past few months."

Shen Gongbao cursed, "Who cares about them? I want to know about that qi refiner, Cang Feng. What's his background?" He fidgeted, then added, "Where did Xiangliu Rou find him, and what terms did he offer?"

Shen Gongkun's mouth slowly opened, and he gave his cousin a peculiar look. "Why do you care? Qi refiners are just commoners who've picked up some strange techniques to show off. Why are you asking about Cang Feng?"

Shen Gongbao looked up at the clouds dreamily. "Kun, think about it. Cang Feng's Heaven-Respecting Sword was nearly as powerful as a First Cauldron Great Witch's attack! He's just a commoner. If I, Shen Gongbao, could learn his methods, imagine the possibilities with my talent as a great witch." He stopped, looking deeply at Shen Gongkun with a sly smile.

Shen Gongkun rolled his eyes and sighed, "I knew you had that in mind. Just like ten years ago when you captured the Sea People to interrogate their bronze warriors. You never miss a chance to get stronger."

Shen Gongbao raised his head proudly. "Of course. Whatever I, Shen Gongbao, do, I strive to be the best. Why not enhance my power? With my strength, Anyi will be ours, and the Xingtian and Fangfeng families will have no place."

Shen Gongkun blinked rapidly, then nodded. "Alright, Cang Feng is from Poison Dragon Island in the Great Ocean. It seems he belongs to a strong sect. They want to establish a school in Anyi, like those scholars and swordsmen who open dojos to recruit students."

Realization dawned on Shen Gongbao as he lightly touched his eyebrows, making them seem like flickering flames. "So, they need noble support to open a dojo in Anyi. Without it, they'd be shut down in no time. Cang Feng must have joined Xiangliu Rou for protection. Too bad he met that reckless barbarian."

Shen Gongbao chuckled. "If I help Cang Feng, maybe he'll introduce me to his sect. A direct descendant of one of the four great witch families would be a valuable recruit."

Shen Gongkun clutched his wallet tightly and shouted, "Do whatever you want, but don't touch my money. I'm saving it for drinks and women in the West Quarter. Don't think of taking a single coin for Cang Feng's dojo."

Shen Gongbao scoffed, "As if I'd steal your women. Besides, Cang Feng is with Chihu Baolong now. That barbarian is probably a pushover. Why would I need my own money?"

Shen Gongkun stared in disbelief as Shen Gongbao laughed triumphantly, mounted his black tiger, and leaped over the wall onto the street.

Shen Gongkun thought for a moment, then clapped his hands. "Of course, Xingtian Dafeng has been poor for years. Now he's won a fortune from Xiangliu Rou. He placed such a huge bet and won! The Xiangliu family has to pay up big time!"

With a sly grin, Shen Gongkun mounted his steed. "Men, we're heading to the West Quarter to congratulate Xingtian Dafeng. He's hit the jackpot, and I plan to milk it for all it's worth. Let's go see if he can throw us out today."

As he and his men rushed out, they passed Xiangliu Rou, who was trembling and pale, draped over a bizarre mount. Normally close friends, Shen Gongkun didn't spare him a glance. Laughing, he rode on, leaving Xiangliu Rou's face turning even darker.

Anyi was a strange and brutal place.

Xiangliu Rou opened his mouth, spitting out a mouthful of dark blood, his face ashen.

A twisted shadow appeared beside him, a hand gently massaging his back. Black and green energy flowed into Xiangliu Rou, restoring his complexion. He turned in delight. "Brother, when did you return from Snake Marsh? You must avenge me."

The young man, whose skin writhed as if filled with tiny snakes, laughed hoarsely. "I've heard the whole story. You were foolish to provoke them without a guaranteed victory."

With a sinister smile, the young man added, "You're lucky. Our ancestor saw what happened and decided not to ruin you. But you still disgraced our family, so you'll be punished. You're assigned as a palace guard."

Xiangliu Rou's spirits soared. He quickly dismounted, bowing repeatedly. "Thank you, brother!"

The young man laughed softly. "We're brothers. Just be more careful next time. Follow my lead, and you'll be fine. By the way, how is Xingtian Huaying these days?"

Xiangliu Rou grinned lecherously. "She's more beautiful than ever, but rumors say she prefers pretty girls. What's your plan?"

The young man laughed darkly. "What's my plan? I'm going to congratulate Xingtian Dafeng on teaching my brother a lesson. And remind him to guard his sister, lest I take her and discard her, shaming their family."

He laughed eerily. "Swordplay and witchcraft duels? Such boring things are beneath me."

The brothers shared a sinister laugh.