Tu Feiyun had entered the city. What did that an in practical terms?
The answer was written in those streaks of light still fleeing across the sky in frantic disarray.
Half a year ago, when sothing happened on the Dragon Scale River, the inner hall's chief senior brother had personally stepped in. Five Phantom forces had surrounded the city. For all the scale of that incident, many of the deep-water old fish had remained completely unmoved, watching the spectacle with their lon in hand.
Half an hour ago, eight hundred armored soldiers from Jiamu County's Lanshan Battalion had crossed the border, and the county office hadn't so much as flinched. The streets had been as bustling as usual. Everyone continued doing whatever they'd been doing.
Tu Feiyun rode his cavalry to a street corner and stopped.
It was like a foot hitting an outhouse. The flies burst into the air from every direction.
As they said, the reputation of a man, the shadow of a tree.
Tu Feiyun's fearso na was not sothing only Li Qiuchen had experienced firsthand.
If he was being honest, he hadn't known that a place as small as Yun County harbored this many remarkable figures.
Among them were Foundation Establishnt cultivators and transford demon immortals.
Magistrate Peng stood at the entrance of the county office, shakily swallowed several heart-calming pills, and pressed a hand against his chest while breathing deeply and repeatedly.
The stunning young woman supporting him from the side had both legs trembling so badly she could barely stand.
As Tu Feiyun arrived at the county office on his horse without any particular urgency, Magistrate Peng sighed with resignation and said, "Colonel Tu, what is it you're after? I'm getting on in years. Could you not take my difficulties into consideration?"
Tu Feiyun sat on horseback and gave a clasped-hand salute, his voice cool. "My apologies for startling you, Magistrate. So enemy forces slipped into the city just now. I'm simply bringing my n in to finish clearing them out. The young lady at your side, would that be Miss Xu, the one who recently called upon the Five Phantom forces?"
Magistrate Peng hurriedly stepped in front of his cherished concubine and began pleading earnestly. "Colonel Tu, she's just a woman who didn't know better. I've already provided a full explanation to the Internal Affairs Office regarding that matter."
"You misunderstand , Magistrate. I was rely curious, asking in passing. Being able to call in high-level practitioners from the Chang family on short notice speaks well of Miss Xu's fortunate blessings."
Tu Feiyun shook his head. "There's also one other matter, and I believe the Magistrate will be pleased to hear it. There appear to be serious problems developing in Jiamu County. I intend to go and investigate personally. I won't be troubling Magistrate Peng in Yun County after this."
"Is that truly so?"
The magistrate nearly broke into a smile on the spot.
But decades of official service had deepened his ability to conceal himself, and he drew on every reserve to push the corners of his mouth back down, composing himself into an expression of solemn gravity and nodding. "Colonel Tu speaks wisely. The rumors circulating there about a certain noble consort have been spreading in a truly unseemly fashion. Common peddlers and laborers alike are spreading them freely. There is a real risk of it getting completely out of hand. I've already submitted a report to the Internal Affairs Office, but there has been no response to this day."
"If soone truly is brazenly deceiving the throne and spreading falsehoods, the ambition behind it is considerable. Only Colonel Tu personally going to investigate would be capable of getting to the bottom of it."
Tu Feiyun nodded. "The Magistrate's analysis is correct. I'll break camp shortly and set out for Jiamu County. Before I leave, I'll take the liberty of clearing out a few of Yun County's parasites on the Magistrate's behalf, as a small token of appreciation for his hospitality these past months."
Magistrate Peng forced himself to smile through the discomfort. "Were it not for the Elite Vanguard's presence in Yun County suppressing evil and maintaining order, we would never have enjoyed such peace. This official is deeply grateful for Colonel Tu's assistance."
He didn't dare utter even a single pro-forma word of invitation to stay, terrified this honored guest might abruptly change his mind.
...
Tu Feiyun had finally left.
After summarily executing a one-sided massacre of the Lanshan Battalion, then riding into the city and flattening over a dozen prominent households without a word of explanation, taking several dozen heads, and then bringing his troops into the Mining District to drag out Head Manager Feng and his escorts, who were still unable to move due to collective food poisoning, and bleeding them out one by one against a kerb, he departed without fanfare. It wasn't until after dark that people realized he was actually gone.
Li Qiuchen's only feeling about this was profound relief.
Though not entirely, since the man had a history of turning around unexpectedly.
The first day, Yun County was completely silent. Ma Tiancheng led his constables door to door commandeering laborers to clean up the battlefield.
Over a thousand bodies inside and outside the city, and despite the cooler weather they could not be left to lie. Plague was a real risk.
The second day, once it was confird that Tu Feiyun was genuinely gone for good and even the garrison fort he had been using had been cleaned out and vacated, Yun County exploded.
Fireworks in every color crackled and blazed through the entire night.
Tu Feiyun was gone! The good days were coming back to Yun County!
The new year hadn't arrived yet, but the city's supply of firecrackers had already been completely sold out.
Xu Qing hired out all of Xinghua Pavilion to host friends and family, and after drinking too much climbed to the roof to set off rockets.
Magistrate Peng made public statents praising Colonel Tu's integrity and upright conduct and urging people to behave themselves, while privately having soone slaughter two sheep and retreating to his private quarters for a festive pot of hot pot with his household.
So were laughing, so were weeping.
The families of those dozen-odd prominent households ca dressed in mourning, wailing loudly and running to the county office to file complaints.
They said Tu Feiyun's soldiers had stripped their hos of silver and valuables, causing enormous losses.
The magistrate gave them no attention whatsoever, busy adjusting his sesa sauce in the back courtyard.
A group of weeping won who only had the nerve to cry about their stolen property but couldn't bring themselves to ask why Tu Feiyun had taken their nfolk's heads in the first place, clearly weren't worth dealing with. Don't stir up trouble over sothing this trivial. If you cry hard enough to bring Tu Feiyun back, would that actually make you happy?
Li Qiuchen's side also had cause to celebrate, though absolutely not because of Tu Feiyun's departure.
My conscience was clear... his conscience was clear. He was a fully registered inner hall cultivator now. His brother and sister-in-law had a new life on the way.
This had been planned as a celebration from the start. It had nothing whatsoever to do with that other matter.
Liu Po found a nearby restaurant and arranged a full banquet. Beyond the imdiate family, she had also invited Governess Zhang, both young misses, and accounts steward Chen Liang.
Li Qiuchen moved to pay. Liu Po physically blocked him with her entire body.
She had already settled the bill at the counter. It didn't matter who tried to intervene.
By the third round of drinks and the fifth dish, Chen Liang raised his cup toward Li Qiuchen and offered a toast. He stroked his beard and smiled. "The master always used to say that young Master Li had both intelligence and courage, and that even without the Tang family's support he would carve out his own path. It seems that prediction has proven true."
"Though we are nominally master and servant, from the very beginning it has always been a relationship of mutual support. Now that the young master has achieved what he set out to achieve, we share in the honor of it."
Li Qiuchen smiled. "Saying it that way, Mr. Chen, is actually treating
like an outsider. I've never been shy about drawing from the accounts when I needed sothing."
Chen Liang laughed. "You're right, that was a bit formal of . I'll drink a penalty cup."
He finished the wine and set down the cup with a more serious expression. "Since we're all family here, I'll speak plainly. As far as I can tell, the young miss's performance at the county school has been sowhat better than any of us expected."
Li Qiuchen nodded. "The young miss has so gaps in her academic foundation, but with Governess Zhang's tutoring she's been improving quickly. Her natural aptitude is genuinely good. Barring unforeseen complications, she should beco an inner hall cultivator alongside
before the master returns."
Chen Liang sighed. "We're all ordinary people and don't understand these things particularly well. We've only heard bits and pieces. If the young miss becos a cultivator, would she and the young master then address each other as fellow disciples?"
"That is indeed how it would work."
"And would she then no longer be able to co ho, needing to stay at the inner hall for further training?"
Li Qiuchen smiled. "You're overthinking it, Mr. Chen. The county school does provide cultivators with private courtyards, but those are for cultivation purposes. Regular classes continue as normal, and going ho whenever she wants is entirely up to her. There are no rules restricting that."
Chen Liang nodded in understanding. "I see. I was worrying needlessly. I don't know much about any of this, so please don't laugh at . But if the young miss is going to be cultivating within the county school, could mbers of our household go in to look after her?"
Li Qiuchen hadn't actually considered that question before.
"The inner hall doesn't permit outsiders to enter freely, but you need not worry, Mr. Chen. While I'm there, she won't be left to struggle."
Chen Liang sighed. "That's precisely what concerns , actually. The young miss is still so young, her parents are both away, and her daily care falls entirely to you and Governess Zhang, with little Lai there to help keep her presentable. If she's cultivating inside the county school on her own, I worry you won't be able to look after her adequately, and it would also hold back your own cultivation."
Li Qiuchen said, puzzled, "What is it you're suggesting, Mr. Chen?"
Chen Liang quickly waved a hand. "I'm speaking out of ignorance, so forgive the rambling. I was just wondering whether it would be possible to ask the county school's teachers to arrange for her not to live alone. Even staying together with you, if that's permitted. Or is separate accommodation mandatory?"
"There's no strict requirent on that. I don't see why it would be a problem."
"That's reassuring, that's very reassuring. I'll leave that in your hands then."
"The way you're saying that, Mr. Chen, you're treating
like an outsider again."
"Ha! I'm just an ignorant old man speaking off the top of his head. Drink up, drink up!"
Li Qiuchen raised his cup and happened to glance sideways at Hu Caiyi, sitting there with a face like a storm cloud, her lips pursed so tightly they could have held a soy sauce bottle, and suddenly understood the situation.
No, no. If they needed to share accommodation, the two young misses could share with each other. What was this about staying with him?
And the private courtyard was a single-occupancy arrangent. No kang, obviously. You were a cultivator now. Sleeping on a heated clay bed would be embarrassing at that level.
Just one single bed. If Tang Xiaoxue was staying with him, where was he supposed to sleep?
Together?
Mr. Chen, Mr. Chen. With that honest-looking face of yours I thought you were a straightforward man. But you're quietly devious, aren't you, laying traps without a word of warning.
He looked over at Governess Zhang, who was making a great show of serving food to Tang Xiaoxue, projecting an aura of I heard nothing, I understood nothing, this has nothing to do with .
It has everything to do with you.
At so point these two had evidently joined forces, conspiring by every possible ans to bring Tang Xiaoxue closer to him.
As for the young miss herself as the subject of all this...
This child had been raised with total freedom, and her particular cultural background added to that a general attitude that could only be described as casual rather than open, and completely lacking the reserved reserve typical of Chu won.
The young lady beside her, who had received a proper formal upbringing, was a different matter entirely. She had understood the implication of every single thing Chen Liang had said. The smile on her face was barely holding together, and she was inwardly on the verge of complete explosion.
When on earth was her father coming back? She needed soone in her corner.
[NEXT CHAPTER]
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