Snow fluttered about, and Li Xuan did not speak further.
With a pull, the longsword let out a dragon's cry, beginning with the stance of a golden rooster standing alone, followed by a sword movement like a rooster pecking for food.
Each point and thrust was swift and clear, leaving only a humming whistle in the air.
The falling snow was stirred, swirling around Li Xuan, after a series of fierce thrusts.
The young man suddenly charged forward, his sword aligned with his arm, delivering another slanted thrust, tearing a slash through the white curtain of snow, revealing a long, narrow strip of emptiness.
It was as though a white snake hidden in the snow suddenly leaped up, hunting with its tongue out.
The Li family revered this swordsmanship called "Pure Yang Swordsmanship"; the name was good, but in reality, it was merely a first-rate technique within the martial world, far from being top-notch, let alone something as lethal as the "Melted Copper Treasure Manual."
Moreover, this sword technique also had significant gaps, with many crucial diagrams missing from its foundational practices.
However, Li Xuan at this moment, performing such a swordsmanship with 15 agility, could truly be described as smooth and pleasing to the eye.
Master Li, the first lady of the Li family, the second lady, and the second young master were all dumbfounded.
Master Li recognized its worth; he could see that his son's swordsmanship was not mere showmanship—it was formidable. Not to mention anything else, just the speed alone was beyond the capability of an ordinary person.
Upon finishing the set, Li Xuan sheathed his sword and stood there, gently exhaling a mouthful of stale air.
Master Li couldn't help but ask, "Who have you been practicing with?"
Li Xuan replied, "Father, that day on Red Flower Mountain, I was provoked, and afterwards it was as if my heavenly eye opened, allowing my cultivation technique to progress at an incredible pace."
Master Li looked at him strangely.
Did he not know whether his son was a martial arts prodigy?
He suddenly said, "I will ask Zhao Kui to spar with you."
Zhao Kui was the martial artist surnamed Zhao by his side, ranked among the top three martial artists in the Li family, and could barely make it to the first-tier in the martial world.
Li Xuan said, "As father arranges."
And then added, "However, I feel that the world is somewhat chaotic, so I wish to practice some skills. It's not only for self-defense but also to protect the Li family."
Upon hearing this, Master Li's expression turned sour. He frowned, his face darkened, and suddenly said, "The world is chaotic, so you practice skills? Could it be that when robbers or bandits come, you plan to personally fight them off?"
Li Xuan quickly said, "Of course not, I wouldn't indulge in reckless bravery."
Master Li couldn't suppress his anger, "You've been running outside the city every day recently; I see you're quite the reckless one!"
Li Xuan understood his father's thoughts.
After all, he used to think the same.
What's the point of being capable of fighting?
A crowd can wear down even a grandmaster.
Having extraordinary talent and training for most of your life is still not as good as earning more money, spending more money, and hiring more martial artists.
But now, he felt the world was changing. Not to mention anything else, just those "Demon Points" on his "panel" indicated a simple fact: there were demons in this world.
So, he patiently explained, "Father, look at that demon leopard; where did such demon beasts exist before? Now... the world might be changing, and moreover, my cultivation speed truly advances at a rapid pace."
Master Li said no more, calling Zhao Kui over.
When Zhao Kui heard he was to spar with the young master, he was momentarily stunned, then promptly drew his sword, clasped his fist, and said, "Please."
Li Xuan stepped forward and defeated him with the wave of a few quick moves.
This overwhelming show of strength was very direct.
Zhao Kui felt frustrated; just after launching one attack, the boy countered easily, placing the blade against his neck.
This martial artist, ranked among the top three in the Li family, stared at Li Xuan in shock. He finally understood what the young master's "explanation" meant.
He stepped back and clasped his hands once more.
Master Li frowned and asked, "Zhao Kui, what do you think of this brat's skills?"
Zhao Kui thought for a moment and said, "Just based on the move just now, the young master's skill is at least top-tier in the martial world."
Top-tier?
Master Li, the first lady, the second lady, and the second young master were again stupefied.
This... this is considered a top-tier expert in the martial world?
How long has it been?
Master Li rubbed his forehead irritably, instructing, "Keep this confidential, don't let this matter leak out."
Then he asked Zhao Kui to leave, also letting the second lady go, leaving only Li Xuan's mother in the courtyard.
When it was quiet, he sternly asked, "Xiaoxuan, who taught you?"
Li Xuan was truly helpless, but he had anticipated this situation long ago. At first, he thought about making up a lie about something like "accidentally consuming a Heaven and Earth Spirit Fruit," but that kind of lie would only fool simpletons, not his father. So, he insisted, "There is great terror between life and death; I survived a great calamity and truly seemed to awaken."
The first lady, sensing the tense atmosphere, took Li Xuan's hand and looked at Master Li, smiling, "Master, isn't it better that our Li family has talents both in literature and martial arts? Xiaoxuan is our son; we watched him grow up, and he would never harm the Li family."
Master Li's expression relaxed slightly, "I know he wouldn't harm the Li family; I'm just worried he's young and might be taken advantage of."
Li Xuan smiled wryly, "Father, I swear to you, there really is no great master guiding me.
These days, I've just been finding a quiet place to train.
In unfamiliar places, I can focus entirely, stay extremely vigilant, so my cultivation progresses quickly."
He then explained further.
Master Li listened for a long time before he nodded, then suddenly said, "You're not young anymore; I plan to let you start managing part of the family business. Our family..."
Before he could finish, Li Xuan completely understood his father's intention.
His father didn't support him practicing martial arts, so he wanted him to directly start managing the family business.
If he got busy, he wouldn't have time to practice martial arts.
Of course, he would have to take over the family business, but not now.
Once Father finished speaking, he would have no chance to oppose it.
So, he already had a counterplan.
He intended to interrupt his father's "spell."
He directly said, "Father!"
Master Li was interrupted, and he was somewhat unhappy.
But Li Xuan immediately followed up, "I want to get married!"
The words "get married" directly shifted Master Li and the first lady to a "new battlefield."
Master Li's eyes widened, "Who do you want to marry?"
Li Xuan replied, "Rose."
Master Li: ...
The first lady: ...
The next moment, the first lady's face turned bitter.
Master Li felt a storm of rage coming on.
The dignified eldest son of the Li family, marrying a courtesan from Ruanxiang Building, even if her body had been redeemed, was a loss of dignity.
"You brat!!" Master Li roared furiously.
The first lady hurried up to him, "Master, calm down, calm down."
Master Li pointed at Li Xuan, "Say it again, what did you say?!"
The first lady quickly interjected, "Master, Xiaoxuan has also reached the age to start a family.
His nature was deeply emotional and righteous, with only two personal maids by his side. How could he not feel genuine affection for them?
I think the urgent task now is to quickly arrange a marriage for him."
Li Xuan looked at his father, who was "burning with anger but interrupted from casting spells," and lowered his head to say, "Your son was wrong."
Master Li, seeing him lower his head, continued, "Your mother is right, it's indeed time to arrange a marriage for you. I'll give you some of the family business to manage after you get married."
Li Xuan let out a breath of relief.
...
...
The sky gradually darkened, and the family had their New Year's Eve dinner, leaving the Li Mansion's servants, maids, and the nursing home happy and joyful.
Su Qiang and Wei Yao, despite their special status, could not dine with the family.
After dinner, Li Xuan, as usual, went to visit Wei Yao.
But tonight, as soon as he entered the small courtyard, he heard the panicked and terrified voice of an old maid.
"Miss! Miss!!"
Li Xuan hurried in and saw tears of blood streaming down Wei Yao's cheeks, her pupils turning blood red.
"What's going on?" he shouted, asking.
The old maid replied in a crying voice, "Miss was fine during the New Year's Eve dinner. She even ate a few more meat dumplings, but suddenly, suddenly, her eyes started bleeding."
Li Xuan quickly picked up Wei Yao, thinking of rushing out the door, but then laid her back on the couch gently, saying, "It's okay, it's okay."
Wei Yao gave no response, seemingly fainting, her whole body burning hot.
Li Xuan said to the old maid, "Quickly call the doctor, quickly!"
The old maid promptly ran out.
Moments later, the doctor arrived, felt her pulse, looked at her eyes, and frowned repeatedly.
Li Xuan asked, "What's wrong?"
The doctor pondered briefly and said, "Young Master Li, you might want to listen to her heartbeat. There is something..."
As soon as he spoke, Li Xuan immediately took hold of Wei Yao's wrist, felt her pulse, and heard a deep and slow "thumping" sound, like a drum beating from the deep sea, strong and powerful.
The doctor shook his head and said, "I've never encountered such a situation. It's as if this young lady's heart suddenly became powerful, with the blood flow speeding up and becoming so vigorous that it pushed into her eyes, making them blind.
However, that's strange, because if the blood truly flowed into the eyes, it wouldn't just be a coma, but rather..."
He didn't finish his sentence, but Li Xuan understood.
This situation meant certain death. A heart pumping with such force, wouldn't it cause blood vessels to rupture, the brain to hemorrhage, and various sudden death scenarios to occur instantly?
The doctor had never seen such a case but prescribed some medicine nonetheless.
The Li family servants went to the pharmacy to fetch the medicine.
Li Xuan leaned close to Wei Yao's chest.
The touch was soft, but at this moment, he had no romantic thoughts, just listening to the heartbeat closely.
Thump!
Thump!
Thump!
Each beat was exceptionally clear, strong, and powerful, unlike the heartbeat a normal person should have.
Suddenly he realized something and said, "Xiaoyao, forgive me."
With that, he directly pulled down Wei Yao's pants.
Upon pulling them down, he squinted his eyes and saw the burn marks on Wei Yao's waist and legs fading away, revealing skin as white and smooth as milk beneath.
He then raised his head to examine Wei Yao's pupils. Despite being bathed in blood, the eye membranes beneath were as smooth as flawless red jade.
This scene, how could it resemble an illness?
This was clearly... a complete transformation.
...
...
Rustle...
Rustle-rustle...
Rustle!!
The sound of files flipping was particularly clear in front of the desk.
Though the door of the government office's archive room was closed, the oil paper on the window was blown by the cold wind, making sounds as if countless hands were reaching from the darkness, hastily patting the window.
It was clearly the New Year, but Shan Jian stayed with the candlelight, squinting at the files before him.
The dim, cold colored light illuminated the text on the files.
Suddenly, he stopped, his finger paused at a certain part of the file, his breath hastening as he repeatedly looked over, muttering, "Sure enough... sure enough..."
Lately, he had used his connections to obtain some files from neighboring counties.
In these files, it clearly described the flower-picking incidents over the years, where young women were found improperly dressed and brutally murdered.
The neighboring counties hadn't solved the cases either, but there were some records saying the murderer was very agile, once nearly caught but still managed to escape.
And there were sketches from the artist in the files, but what puzzled Shan Jian was that the sketches were entirely different from those in his own county.
In the sketches was a tall and burly man, hardly someone of moderate build.
If it was the same person, it was impossible for him to be tall a few years ago and then become shorter later.
What was going on?
He slowly furrowed his brows.
Suddenly, he heard some commotion outside the door.
Rustling sounds, like a venomous snake.
Shan Jian's tiger-like eyes widened, he quietly put away the files and grabbed his saber.
He used a spear outside but was also skilled in the art of saber.
Bang!
Shan Jian suddenly opened the door, withdrew his saber and rushed out, only to find a government official he recognized holding a lantern.
The light from the lantern was like blood, casting onto the snowy ground.
The official scratched his head in the snow, saying, "Boss... your... your wife is here."
Shan Jian looked around, coldly asked, "Did you see anyone else just now?"
The official was puzzled, saying, "No, today is New Year's Eve, but there are still brothers on night duty. Besides, this is a key government area, who would dare to intrude?"
Just then, an angry female voice came from the front courtyard of the government office.
Shan Jian showed a wry smile.
During this New Year, he didn't go home; no wonder his wife came looking for him.
However, he truly couldn't go home.
To deal with the flower-picking thief, he selected trusted subordinates and set a meticulous trap.
Seeing that the flower-picking thief hadn't acted for a while, and the women of each household were already on their guard, it would be hard for the thief to make a move.
So, the beauty in his scheme used as bait might very well lure the criminal into the trap.