In less than a week, the reputation of Li Xuan, Master Li, had already spread.
In many prefecture cities of Great Yin, there were many exam-toppers, but none had as much fame as Li Xuan.
A perfect, flawless exam paper... coupled with the image of a young Martial Arts Grandmaster that spread around.
This made it so that wherever Li Xuan went, people would call him "Master Li."
...
Inside Yulan Hall, Second Young Master Li and the Second Madam were utterly astonished.
Even Wei Yao was repeatedly shocked, as if she was meeting this eldest young master for the first time.
Now, the lists were out, and the Li family was preparing to return.
But Li Xuan was not planning to leave now; he still had many things he wanted to do.
The Second Madam discussed and thought, since they would be idle back home anyway, and the flower thief might appear again, they might as well not rush. She watched her son every day, making him follow his elder brother to gain experience.
Between life and death, there lies great fear; the Second Madam truly believed that the eldest young master had "opened his third eye" and truly achieved enlightenment.
...
On this day, the Lin family sent another invitation, saying that there would be a small gathering at Yanzi Dock the next day, and they would send a carriage early in the morning.
Li Xuan readily agreed.
At night, he donned a wide cloak, wore the "Sparrow Feather Sword" given by Prefect Cao at his side, hidden under the cloak, and was about to head out.
Today, he wanted to visit the night market in the southern part of the prefecture city.
In the south of the city, there was a night market, pitch dark, known as Blind Alley, specially for Jianghu people to purchase weapons and cultivation techniques.
Li Xuan had long wanted to go, but he had been invited by so many people these days, it was this house today, that house tomorrow, and he was extremely busy, only now did he find some free time. He had no new cultivation technique to practice, so he was happy to go look around.
After leaving his small room, he knocked on the door to the side.
Wei Yao had been living next door to him.
From behind the door, Wei Yao's cold voice came: "I'm asleep."
Li Xuan said: "I'm going for a stroll, to the Blind Alley in the south of the city."
As soon as he finished speaking, the door opened, Wei Yao holding a long spear, dressed in a heroic and valiant outfit, her delicate oval face had slightly red eyes.
Apparently, she intended to go with Li Xuan to protect him, even though Li Xuan's name as a young Grandmaster had spread, she hadn't changed her mind.
Li Xuan leaned in and asked: "Did you not sleep well?"
Wei Yao stepped back and said: "Men and women should keep their distance, stay away from me."
Li Xuan laughed: "Your young master is at least Master Li, do you have to be so distant?"
Wei Yao pressed her lips tightly, looking melancholic.
Li Xuan glanced at her, really not understanding what this woman was thinking, but seeing her like this, it seemed as if she had been crying.
The young master really couldn't understand why Wei Yao would cry, so he asked directly: "Why were you crying?"
Wei Yao quickly denied: "I wasn't crying."
Li Xuan asked curiously: "The young master made the list, aren't you happy?"
Before he finished speaking, Wei Yao shook her head repeatedly, then said: "The young master doesn't have to worry about me, let's go."
Li Xuan took two steps, then suddenly turned around, wanting to ask clearly. But before he could speak, the thin, red-eyed girl, like a startled rabbit, suddenly stepped back two steps, her chest heaving, looking at him with a wary expression.
Li Xuan: ???
Forget it.
For now, he didn't want to deal with it either.
A woman's heart is like a needle at the bottom of the sea, truly infallible.
Afterwards, Wei Yao drove the carriage, and together with Li Xuan, arrived at Blind Alley.
Unlike other markets, Blind Alley had no cries of vendors, and the lights were dim.
Before getting off the carriage, Wei Yao took a silver mask from her bosom and put it on her face.
"Why are you wearing that?" Li Xuan asked casually.
Wei Yao said: "This face easily attracts trouble."
Li Xuan chuckled: "You do know you're beautiful?"
Wei Yao earnestly replied: "I'm not beautiful."
Li Xuan didn't continue, just pulled up his hood to hide his appearance.
Then the two of them walked into Blind Alley together.
His figure was tall and sturdy, showing a certain aura even under the cloak.
And Wei Yao, wearing a silver mask and holding a long spear, a trained person could see at a glance how steady she held it, her subtle movements showing skill; she was an expert.
Therefore, as the two walked all the way, there were no opportunistic Jianghu ruffians picking fights.
The narrow alley exuded a stale smell in the air, glancing sideways, one could vaguely see some damp moss growing between the bricks, but the smell was clearly more than just moss, there was a faint, lingering bloody odor that hadn't been washed away.
Oily cloths were spread out on the pitch-black ground, resembling booth spaces.
And above each stall, there hung a red lantern that seemed about to burn out.
The faint red light barely illuminated the goods on the stalls, but couldn't clearly reveal the faces of those selling the goods.
Li Xuan himself is the eldest young master of the Li family. Recently, he often mingles with the dignitaries of the Hundred Flowers Mansion, and naturally, he has received a lot of information while chatting. One of the things he learned is: Chivalrous people should not break the law with force, and the government does not interfere in Jianghu matters.
Basically, as long as the martial arts sects maintain a good relationship with the government, the government will not interfere in Jianghu affairs. Whether someone dies in a martial arts sect, or there is a violent conflict, the government considers it a family matter, just like an old master punishing and killing his own maid.
Once the maids and servants sell themselves, they are no longer protected by the government; likewise, martial artists who enter Jianghu are not managed by the government...
Besides, there is another reason: it is difficult to manage.
This world does not have surveillance cameras, so in cases of Jianghu vendettas, who knows who killed whom?
However, if someone holds an official title, then there is accountability.
If something happens in an official's territory, the government will certainly investigate the local influential figures.
Therefore, when officials openly arrive, various sects and factions warn their members not to cause trouble and may even secretly protect them, to avoid bringing disaster upon themselves.
That being said, Blind Alley is a dark place dealing in black market trades, and even includes stolen goods across prefectures. But because it is a gathering place for Jianghu people, the government does not intervene.
As Li Xuan walked, a hoarse voice suddenly sounded from his side.
"High-quality Blood Qi Pills, interested?"
Blood Qi Pills are hard currency for martial artists, but they range in quality.
Poor quality Blood Qi Pills contain impurities and consuming them indiscriminately can even cause diarrhea.
However, a good Blood Qi Pill can save a lot of cultivation time.
Li Xuan turned his head to see a dark figure sitting cross-legged with their head lowered.
Before he could bend down, Wei Yao had already crouched down and said in a low voice, "Have a sniff."
The vendor hoarsely said, "Please."
Wei Yao skillfully uncorked the bottle, took a whiff, and then replaced it, saying, "Average."
"Average?" The vendor's voice turned cold.
He was trying to sell his goods, naturally boasting about their quality, and could not tolerate others calling them average.
Wei Yao gave a cold snort, and the vendor suddenly deflated, falling silent.
Yet Li Xuan felt nothing unusual.
Clearly, Wei Yao's reaction was directed at the vendor, who immediately submitted.
Later, the two of them browsed several more stalls.
Li Xuan noticed that Wei Yao, who seemed like a mistreated maid next to him, was as cold and fierce as a lioness outside. More importantly, she appeared to have a powerful aura, capable of oppressing people selectively with her presence.
After making their rounds, Li Xuan took an interest in a hard-body cultivation technique called "Iron Cloak."
The vendor, seeing a potential sale, started bragging, "This is the top cultivation technique of the Luoshi Sect. It was only because the Luoshi Sect fell that the technique became widespread. If it wasn't for too many copies, it wouldn't be selling for just ten taels of silver."
As he spoke, he waved his hands and said, "Just ten taels, very cheap."
Wei Yao picked up the book, flipped through it, and after verifying its authenticity, nodded to Li Xuan, saying, "It's fairly complete, even includes methods for medicinal baths and supplements, but it's missing the fundamental diagram."
They say, "A true transmission requires just a word, while a false transmission fills volumes."
The "truth" in "true transmission" lies in the fundamental diagram.
Li Xuan asked, "Is it considered top-tier?"
Wei Yao said, "I've heard of the Luoshi Sect, it's located to the northwest of the Hundred Flowers Mansion, and it once produced a Half-Step Grandmaster in hard-body practice. So it should be top-tier."
"You have an eye for quality, miss," the vendor added, trying to assist the sale.
Wei Yao looked at Li Xuan, clearly lacking any awareness to bargain, as if such a concept didn't even exist in her mind.
Li Xuan said, "Five taels."
The vendor showed a troubled expression but gritted his teeth and said, "Nine taels."
"Six taels."
"Eight taels."
"Seven taels, that's my maximum." It was evident that Li Xuan wasn't very skilled at bargaining; he was the kind who might get ripped off, but only a little.
The vendor wanted to negotiate further but remembered that other stalls on this street also sold the book. He sighed, "Fine, seven taels it is."
Li Xuan took the booklet and casually asked, "How did the Luoshi Sect fall?"
The vendor sighed, "They say it was destroyed by bandits, but some disciples escaped. To seek vengeance, they offered the secret skills of the Luoshi Sect as a bounty, hoping Jianghu people would help seek justice for Luoshi Sect's vendetta.
Afterwards, several sects sent their disciples.
The Luoshi Sect disciple was straightforward, directly bringing out the 'Iron Cloak' for everyone to copy.
The sects that acquired 'Iron Cloak' kept their promise and sent disciples to the mountain to avenge Luoshi Sect.
The result... no one returned."
Li Xuan asked solemnly, "Why?"
The vendor said, "I don't know..."
Li Xuan asked, "Has no one investigated?"
The vendor replied, "They did, but those who went to investigate never returned either."
He said more softly, "Later no one went to investigate, and the matter was left unresolved, but... I heard that the fundamental diagram is still in Luoshi Sect."
Li Xuan squinted slightly.
At that moment, he noticed business was coming to the vendor, who stopped paying him attention and turned to chat with a new customer.