"Young Master, this old servant will take his leave."
"Wait."
The black-robed old man's form, which had just begun to fade, solidified once more.
"How will you conduct your investigation?"
"Bingzhou has seventy-six counties. I can cover a hundred li a day. With my seal, I can command the prefectural offices. It will take a month to investigate the entire state. If I still come up empty-handed, then there's nothing more I can do."
Pei Su thought for a moment, then said suddenly, "First, investigate someone in the Lin'an State Prefecture. A close attendant of the Liu Clan's daughter..."
******
"Xiao Bo, I'm back! Xiao Bo?"
Zhao Lan crossed the small bluestone path and walked into the blacksmith shop.
The shop was located on a remote street in the south of Lin'an County. It was a place few people visited, with dust-caked eaves and mottled walls.
With Zhao Lan's salary from the state prefecture, he could easily afford to get Xiao Bo a nice place in the bustling county seat. But he couldn't understand why Xiao Bo refused.
"You're back..."
A low voice sounded. Zhao Lan saw the old blacksmith sitting in the dim room, dressed in a short, coarse brown tunic and straw sandals. His eyes were ancient and profound, and he was hammering iron on a broken tile.
"Xiao Bo, I've already found a house in the city. With your skills, there's no need to stay in this godforsaken place..."
"Enough. Do not mention this again."
The old blacksmith cut him off.
"How is your blade practice coming along?"
"Heh heh! I'm just a hair's breadth away from the fourth level of the Eight Desolation Blade Scripture. I think I'll master it soon."
"Hmph! Arrogant. Those who master the third level of the Eight Desolation Blade Scripture are a dime a dozen, but not one in ten thousand can break through to the fourth."
That bucket of cold water wiped the grin off Zhao Lan's face.
The doubt that had been hidden in his heart for years resurfaced.
*Just who is Xiao Bo?*
He had been an orphan wandering in Yuzhou. His mother, a songstress from a high-class brothel, had died long ago. At the age of six, he was adopted by Xiao Bo and brought to Bingzhou. Since then, Xiao Bo worked as a blacksmith by day and taught him cultivation and blade techniques by night.
Although Xiao Bo had never revealed anything about his past, Zhao Lan had a nagging feeling that his strength was anything but simple.
At the very least, he had personally witnessed Xiao Bo fell a hideous and terrifyingly powerful yao beast with a single slash of his blade when they were gathering herbs on the mountain seven years ago.
Two weeks later, a rumor spread through Bingzhou: the Guiyi Realm wolf yao that had plagued seven counties and evaded the state prefecture's encirclement four times had been slain by an unknown bladesman...
And then there was the incident three years ago, when an imperial inspector from the Imperial Capital visited Bingzhou. As his carriage passed, the common folk all knelt and kowtowed, their faces filled with awe and fear.
Yet Xiao Bo had merely watched from a distance, without a single trace of reverence.
In that instant, Zhao Lan was certain that Xiao Bo was a reclusive master of incredible power. And as the disciple of a reclusive master, he too would one day stand above all others.
This was the source of his confidence, the reason why a mere guard like him dared to have designs on his mistress, Liu Zhi.
In the end, he never considered himself to be in the same category as the other guards and servants. He was destined to reach the pinnacle of cultivation. Perhaps he could even be like King Chen of the Northland, carving out his own fiefdom and being ennobled as a king or marquis!
"And another thing. You'd best sever your ties with that Liu girl sooner rather than later."
"Why?"
"Hmph! Her father is the governor of a territory, and he was once the renowned White Feather General of the North Guard. Do you think he would marry his daughter to the likes of you?"
The old blacksmith sneered at Zhao Lan.
It was as if to say, *Take a good look at yourself. A commoner in plain clothes. How could you possibly end up with a highborn lady?*
"So you think so too, Xiao Bo? You also think I can't compare to the Heir of the Northern Marquis? But I'm not afraid. As long as Sister Liu is willing to be with me, I fear no hardship..."
Zhao Lan tilted his head. "Besides, who's to say I won't achieve great things in the future? Even King Chen was once a commoner..."
His voice suddenly trailed off. He saw that Xiao Bo's hammering hand had stopped at some point. He was staring straight at him, his ancient, profound eyes filled with an expression of disbelief.
It was the first time he had ever seen the unflappable Xiao Bo wear such an expression.
"Wh-what is it, Xiao Bo?"
"You just mentioned... the Heir of the Northern Marquis?"
"Uh, we're not supposed to talk about that at the prefecture... Ah, well, it doesn't matter. The Heir of the Northern Marquis visited Lin'an County today. Yes, that world-renowned Heir!"
The old blacksmith lowered his head, his hammering hand trembling almost imperceptibly.
"Oh? And what business brings the Heir here?"
"I heard our Lord Liu of Bingzhou used to be a general under the North Guard Marquis, so he's probably here to pay a visit on his father's behalf. Xiao Bo? Xiao Bo? You're spacing out. What are you thinking about?"
"It's nothing."
The old blacksmith stood up. He was tall and powerfully built, half a head taller than Zhao Lan.
"Well, I'm off then, Xiao Bo. The prefecture is organizing a training session soon!"
With that, Zhao Lan turned to leave.
"Lan'er."
Zhao Lan turned back and saw Xiao Bo's face, mostly hidden by his hood.
"You worry about the Heir of the Northern Marquis competing with you for the Liu girl. You're overthinking it."
"Thank you for your confidence, Xiao Bo! I'll definitely..."
"Because even if the Liu girl were to climb for ten thousand years, she could never reach Pei Jiumu. She isn't even worthy of being his concubine."
Zhao Lan stood there, stunned.
******
"That Old Wu... not only is he a man of few words, but he smells strange, too."
After the black-robed old man left, the young maiden Banxia stood by Pei Su's side and pouted.
Although she was a handmaiden, her status was higher than many of the collateral bloodlines in the Pei Mansion. Across the whole of the Great Jin, there were few people she deemed worthy of her notice.
Her loyalty was not to the Pei Family, but to Pei Su alone.
"Old Wu is a death warrior raised by the clan. Let's put it this way: below the Heavenly Being realm, he has no equal."
Pei Su's voice was as light as the wind, as if he were stating a simple fact.
But if any outsider were to hear this, they would be shaken to their core. A Heavenly Being was a cultivator who had manifested a Dharma Form, the pinnacle of cultivation. They were few and far between in the world, and every single one possessed a thunderous reputation, being either a grandmaster of a sect or a marquis or king among generals.
When Dharma Forms are absent, the Heavenly Palace reign supreme!
Any single Heavenly Palace Realm expert would be treated as a guest of honor by any power, an absolute cornerstone of their strength.
They could not imagine what kind of foundation a clan must have to make a Heavenly Palace expert willingly serve as a death warrior, a slave. The very thought was enough to make one's skin crawl.
******
Lin'an State Prefecture.
After returning from the blacksmith shop, Zhao Lan immediately spotted Liu Zhi and Liu Yun walking out of a courtyard.
He hurried forward. "Miss Liu!"
Liu Zhi was dressed magnificently and was chatting with Liu Yun. Seeing Zhao Lan approach, she gave a faint nod, her gaze not lingering on him for even a moment.
Liu Yun, however, did glance at him.
After the two had walked away, Zhao Lan lowered his head and vowed to himself: *Don't worry, Sister Liu. I will make you see my worth!*
******
"Hey, Brother, what do you think? Will this outfit make His Highness the Heir's eyes light up?"
Liu Yun was a man of few words, taciturn by nature. Under Liu Zhi's eager gaze, he slowly said, "The way that guard was looking at you just now... it seemed a little unusual."
Liu Zhi frowned, not understanding why Liu Yun would bring this up. She just said, "You mean Zhao Lan? I only took him in because he reached the Xuanyuan level at such a young age. But you have a point. I'll have him transferred to the barracks in a couple of days, lest he develop some unrealistic fantasies."
Liu Yun nodded thoughtfully. "Yes, lest *someone* develop some unrealistic fantasies..."
Liu Zhi suddenly whipped her head around, her brow furrowed. It seemed she had caught his meaning. "Liu Yun, what are you implying?!" she demanded angrily.
Proofreader: Peter Pan