Desperadoes

Inside the warm chamber, Bai Yuanfu looked out at the sky. The starry night hung heavy, the moon curved like a slender hook. He said to the three of them, "It is getting late. Go back and rest for the night." Having said that, he looked pointedly at Huang Tian and added, "As for the reward for capturing Zhang Yu and the others, it should be ready for you tomorrow." Zhang Yu was a wanted criminal pursued by the authorities, so Huang Tian's capture of him naturally came with a bounty. "Thank you, Pacification Commissioner." After voicing his thanks, Huang Tian and the other two stepped out of the warm chamber. Watching their retreating figures, Bai Yuanfu clasped his hands behind his back and pondered silently. Huang Tian's talent and comprehension were far too extraordinary, so there would be no shortage of people wanting him dead. With his strength, however, ordinary fourth-rank martial artists would likely be unable to kill him; the only fear was a Grandmaster sneaking into the commandery city— The Grandmasters of the five major sects were closely watched by the authorities, but there was always the off chance that some Grandmaster might pull off an ingenious ruse, truly sneaking into the commandery city to cut Huang Tian down. *We still need to invite Assistant Commissioner Yu out of seclusion...* Yu Jingcheng, the sole Grandmaster of the commandery's Martial Restraint Guard, had already been in seclusion for three months, wholly devoted to cultivation without paying the slightest heed to external affairs. Yet the only reason he paid no heed was that ordinarily, there were simply no major matters requiring his presence or action. Routine business could be settled at the Battalion Commander level, while higher matters could be properly handled by Pacification Commissioners like Bai Yuanfu. Unless something involved the five major sects, a Grandmaster, or Grandmaster-level exotic beasts, Yu Jingcheng did not need to do anything at all, so he was more than happy to cultivate in peace. But things were different now. The commandery's Martial Restraint Guard had produced such an exceptional prodigy, and because his talent was too astounding, the Feihong Sect had ambushed him. Grandmaster Yu Jingcheng had to be invited out to hold down the fort at the government office. *Besides inviting Assistant Commissioner Yu out, I also need to send a letter to my clan, having them keep an eye on developments in the provincial capital to learn what the prominent figures there think of Kunyun Commandery and Huang Tian...* The clan Bai Yuanfu hailed from counted as a prominent family in Qin Province. The reason was simple: the ancestor of his clan was a third-rank Grandmaster! With a third-rank Grandmaster anchoring them, the Bai clan had developed smoothly and prosperously over the past several decades. The younger generations of the Bai clan were also quite capable, the most exceptional among them being Bai Yuanfu. Nearing fifty, he had already reached peak fourth rank, standing just a single step away from third-rank Grandmaster! Although this final threshold stymied countless people—some unable to cross it until their dying day—Bai Yuanfu was still valued and pinned with high hopes by the Bai family ancestor. Once he broke through, the Bai clan would immediately have two Grandmasters presiding over it! With two Grandmasters, the Bai clan's power would inevitably soar, carrying even greater weight across Qin Province. *I must ask the ancestor to pay close attention to affairs in the provincial capital so that if anything big happens, I can be notified in time...* The greater the talent and strength Huang Tian displayed, the more people would pay attention to him. Bai Yuanfu was convinced that before long, people in the provincial capital would take notice of Huang Tian down in Kunyun Commandery. When that happened, the attitude of the capital's major factions would become critical. For example, within the provincial Martial Restraint Guard, would anyone covet the secret behind Huang Tian's rapid breakthroughs? Would anyone want to transfer him to the provincial capital, or leave him in Kunyun Commandery for now? The provincial Martial Restraint Guard alone was troublesome enough, and behind them lay the provincial government office, the provincial Six Doors, Qin Province's prestigious clans and sects, as well as the demonic cult hiding in the shadows. All such matters had to be understood and analyzed to clarify where they stood. Producing a genius was a good thing, but one who was too much of a genius was a headache— Bai Yuanfu finally understood what it felt like to have a happy problem. Chuckling as he shook his head, he walked over to the desk and began writing a letter to present to his clan ancestor. *** Meanwhile, through the dim night, Huang Tian walked into Qinghui Garden. When he reached the main courtyard, Heng'er, dressed in a green gown, heard the commotion and hurried out from the side wing in small steps. She said in delight, "Silang, you're back! There seemed to be an enormous commotion in the ward tonight. Official runners are everywhere outside. I heard violent bandits broke into the ward and killed people—" Worry lingered between her brows. Tonight had frightened her badly. She had not worried for her own safety; Qinghui Garden was so close to the Martial Restraint Guard government office that the bandits would have to be fools to dare strike here. She had only worried because Huang Tian had not returned home for so long, fearing he had encountered danger on the road, or gotten injured while personally leading men to capture the outlaws—or worse, that the violent bandits had come specifically for Huang Tian... Fortunately, late as it was, Huang Tian had returned safe and sound. Huang Tian gave a soft chuckle. "No need to worry. The violent bandits in Baoqing Ward have already been captured by the Martial Restraint Guard. The runners rushing through the city right now are hunting down their accomplices. In a day or two, the commandery city will quiet down." Hearing his words, Heng'er finally felt relieved. "It's good that they were caught!" She had only feared that if the outlaws remained on the loose, Huang Tian, as the Probationary Company Commander of Baoqing Ward, would have to keep leading men to hunt them down, and if he took a spill or suffered an injury through some careless moment... Every time that thought crossed her mind, her heart clenched, her face turned pale, and her thoughts became a frantic mess. Lightly patting her head, Huang Tian said, "It's late. Go to sleep early. Don't think too much; you'll only wear yourself out." "Mm-hmm." *** Though the night grew late, Huang Manor remained lively. Lanterns burned as bright as day, servants bustled through the courtyard, and host and guests laughed in high spirits. As a sixth-rank martial artist, Huang Xunjiu had drunk a bit too much wine, yet he was not drunk, his face merely a touch rosier than usual. As the guest of honor of the celebratory banquet, Huang Qian had downed dozens of cups of fine wine and appeared pleasantly tipsy, but his eyes were clear, completely devoid of drunkenness. On the other hand, Huang Jian, who had taken half a day's leave from the Guard Academy to come home for his eldest brother's celebration, and Huang Rui, who had barely recovered his health, were drinking heavily. There was no helping it. During this period, they had been stifled so badly by Huang Tian. Almost every ten days brought another piece of bad news, and the relentless stream of ill tidings had left them dizzy and thoroughly dispirited. Now that good news had finally come from their eldest brother, giving them room to breathe a little, it was hardly surprising that they drank to excess. Sitting in the seat of honor, seeing his second and third sons tottering on their feet, Huang Xunjiu shook his head inwardly. Yet he could sympathize with their feelings, so he chose not to reprimand them. "Hm? Why does it sound rather noisy outside the manor? What happened?" Just as Huang Xunjiu raised his wine cup, his ears twitched faintly as he caught the clamorous shouts coming from outside the manor. Huang Qian heard it as well. He exchanged a glance with his father, then got up and walked toward the entrance, beckoning the steward over and instructing in an undertone, "Go outside and see what has happened. Why is it so noisy?" The steward nodded repeatedly and hurried off, while Huang Qian returned to his seat to resume drinking with the guests. Before long, the steward hurried back. Stepping up to Huang Qian, he leaned in and whispered, "Young Master, there are many official runners patrolling outside, seemingly hunting people down. I spent a little money to ask around, and I heard that desperadoes caused trouble." "Desperadoes? What desperadoes have the gall to cause trouble in the commandery city?"