Chapter 49: Chapter 49: Qiao Mansion
Wutong Lane, in the west of Lin Wu City.
The lane was not wide, flanked on both sides by high-walled manors with imposing gates. By the time Liang Cheng found the Qiao Mansion using the address on the letter, it was nearly Noon.
The black-lacquered main gates were shut tight. Two faded lanterns hung beneath the eaves, and on the plaque, the gold paint of the words "Qiao Mansion" was peeling and mottled.
A gate guard in green robes stood on each side of the stone steps. Though they stood ramrod straight, their eyes were devoid of much Spirit, Essence, and Qi.
Liang Cheng walked up the stone steps and cupped his fist toward the guard on the right. "Pardon me. I am Liang Cheng. My master, Yang Wei, has sent me to deliver a letter."
The guard sized him up, his gaze pausing on Liang Cheng’s gray and white robes from the Martial Arts Academy. His expression was impassive. "Wait here."
He turned, pushed open a small side door, and went in.
After about the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea, the guard returned, followed by an old servant in gray robes—it was the Qiao Mansion’s Steward, Uncle Wang.
"Please follow me, sir." Uncle Wang’s voice was flat as he turned to the side to lead the way.
Liang Cheng followed him over the threshold and around the spirit screen into a three-courtyard residence. However, there were few servants, and the grounds looked neglected. The paint on the corridor pillars was faded, and the entire estate was permeated with an air of decay.
In the Main Hall, a woman in a dark cyan brocade dress sat in the master’s seat. She looked to be about forty, and while faint traces of her youthful beauty remained, a deep melancholy was etched between her brows.
Standing beside her was a girl of sixteen or seventeen who bore a strong resemblance to the woman, but her chin was lifted slightly, and her gaze was scrutinizing.
Before they entered the hall, Uncle Wang quietly explained who was inside.
"I am Liang Cheng. Greetings, Madam, Miss."
Liang Cheng cupped his fists in salute and presented the letter.
Madam Qiao took the letter and glanced at it casually. Her voice was flat. "Yang Wei only sent you to deliver this?"
"Yes. My master asked me to deliver the letter and to inquire if you and the young miss are well."
"Well?" Qiao Zhi, who was standing to the side, suddenly sneered. "No matter how far our Qiao Family has fallen, we don’t need the concern of some live-in son-in-law."
"Zhi’Er," Madam Qiao chided softly, though there was little real blame in her voice.
Qiao Zhi pursed her lips, her gaze landing on Liang Cheng. "You’re his new disciple? From that little place, Linhai Town?"
Liang Cheng nodded. "I am."
"I hear you’ve entered the Martial Arts Academy?" Qiao Zhi raised an eyebrow. "How old are you? Human Dormitory or Earth Dormitory? Have you reached Transformation Force?"
"Seventeen. Human Dormitory. I just reached Transformation Force."
A flicker of contempt crossed Qiao Zhi’s eyes. "Reaching Transformation Force at seventeen? That’s bottom-of-the-barrel material at the Martial Arts Academy. Yang Wei never amounted to anything at the academy, so it’s no surprise his disciple is just as mediocre."
Liang Cheng’s expression remained unchanged. "My aptitude is dull. Forgive my foolishness, Miss Qiao."
Madam Qiao spoke then, her voice still level. "I’ve read the letter. Go back and tell Yang Wei that everything at the Qiao Family is as it always is. He need not concern himself. Since he has already left Lin Wu City, he should remain in Linhai Town and stop sending letters."
’She’s completely cutting ties with him.’
She stood up. "Uncle Wang, see him out."
The old servant stepped forward, gesturing with his right hand. Liang Cheng said nothing more, offered a cupped-fist salute, and turned to follow Uncle Wang outside.
From behind him, he heard Qiao Zhi’s hushed but clear voice. "Mother, look at his academy robes. Just plain gray-and-white cloth, not even a silver trim. He really is one of the lowest-level Human House Disciples. Yang Wei has no ability himself, and the disciple he finds is just as pathetic..."
Liang Cheng didn’t break his stride.
As they walked out of the Qiao Mansion’s main gate, Uncle Wang suddenly spoke in a low voice from behind. "The truth is, these past few years haven’t been easy for Madam Qiao."
Liang Cheng paused for a moment and nodded. Then, without turning back, he walked straight down the stone steps.
At the mouth of Wutong Lane, Liang Cheng glanced back at the peeling lintel of the Qiao Mansion.
’The master’s wife is consumed by grief, and my junior martial sister is arrogant and shallow. The family clearly doesn’t value them, and the estate is in ruins, yet they still put on such airs.’
’My master must have had his reasons for leaving all those years ago. But this is a mess I don’t want any part of. It’s his family’s business, and only he can solve it.’
He shook his head, pushing the thoughts aside, and turned to walk in the direction of the Martial Arts Academy.
But before he had walked out of the lane, three figures suddenly appeared, blocking his path.
They were all young men, around twenty years old. The one in purple robes was dressed extravagantly, with a jade pendant at his waist and a folding fan in his hand. A mocking smile played on his lips.
"Well now, isn’t this the fellow who just came out of the Qiao Mansion?" The purple-robed young man flicked open his fan. "An honored guest of my cousin, Qiao Zhi?"
The guard in yellow on the left scoffed. "Young Master, what honored guest? I heard it clearly from the end of the lane. He’s just some Human House Disciple from a backwater town, trying to claim connections."
The guard in blue on the right sized up Liang Cheng. "Human Dormitory? Just reached Transformation Force? The Qiao Family really has fallen on hard times if they’re letting any old riff-raff through their doors."
Liang Cheng stopped. "Do you need something?"
The purple-robed Young Master Xu snapped his folding fan shut, his smile turning cold. "Qiao Zhi is the woman I’ve chosen. How dare you visit her in private? Cut off one of your arms, and I’ll let you go this time."
"Get out of my way."
"Insolence!" the guard in yellow bellowed. "Young Master Xu is the third young master of the Xu Family of Lin Wu City! How dare a country bumpkin like you run your mouth?"
Young Master Xu raised a hand to stop him, a cold glint in his eyes. "Kid, I’m giving you a chance and you’re throwing it away. Since you won’t do this the easy way, you’ll have to do it the hard way."
With that, he waved his hand, and all three attacked at once. Liang Cheng simply strode forward, covering the three paces between them in an instant.
Young Master Xu’s expression changed. He slashed with his folding fan as if it were a blade, the cutting wind revealing that he, surprisingly, had a Middle Stage Cultivation in Transformation Force. But Liang Cheng neither dodged nor retreated. He caught the ribs of the fan with his left hand and punched with his right.
Fierce Bull Force—Mountain-Breaking Strike!
BANG!
The punch landed square on Young Master Xu’s chest, sending him flying backward to slam against the alley wall. He sprayed a mouthful of blood before collapsing to the ground.
The guards in yellow and blue turned pale with shock, drew their swords, and charged. Liang Cheng sidestepped one blade, his left hand clamped down on the yellow-robed man’s wrist, and twisted hard.
CRACK!
With the sound of breaking bone, the man’s longsword clattered to the ground.
Liang Cheng followed through with a kick to the man’s abdomen, sending him flying.
The blue-robed man lunged again. Liang Cheng brought two fingers of his right hand together and struck the side of the blade with perfect precision.
CLANG!
The longsword snapped in two. Liang Cheng stepped forward and drove his elbow into the man’s chest.
PTHOO!
The man in blue coughed up blood and stumbled backward, crashing into a pile of refuse at the side of the lane.
From start to finish, the entire exchange had taken less than three breaths.
Liang Cheng swept his gaze over the three men on the ground. Young Master Xu was struggling to get up but couldn’t stop coughing up blood. The man in yellow cradled his broken wrist, wailing in agony. The man in blue was curled up on the ground, his aura faint.
’If it weren’t for the broad daylight, he’d have killed them already.’ As it was, he could only offer a minor punishment. He straightened his robes, stepped over Young Master Xu’s body, and walked away.
A few idlers who had been craning their necks to watch from the mouth of the lane quickly ducked back out of sight.
A short while later, the side door of the Qiao Mansion opened once more.
The old servant, Uncle Wang, hurried out. His face changed slightly at the sight of the chaos in the lane. He helped Young Master Xu up. "Young Master Xu, what happened...?"
Young Master Xu gritted his teeth. "Who was that brat?"
Uncle Wang lowered his voice. "It is this old servant’s oversight. That was Yang Wei’s disciple, a Martial Arts Academy disciple named Liang Cheng. He came to deliver a letter today."
"Yang Wei? That live-in son-in-law?" Young Master Xu’s eyes filled with venom. "Excellent. This isn’t over!"
Uncle Wang remained silent, watching as Young Master Xu was helped away by two of his family’s servants. He glanced in the direction of the Martial Arts Academy and sighed softly.
He turned and returned to the mansion. Stopping outside the Main Hall, he said in a low voice, "Madam, the third young master of the Xu Family was beaten in the lane by Yang Wei’s disciple."
Silence filled the hall for a moment.
Then, Madam Qiao’s voice came from within. "I am aware."
"But if the Xu Family decides to make an issue of this..."
"Though the Qiao Family is in decline, we have not fallen so far that we need to fear the Xu Family," Madam Qiao’s voice turned cold. "As for that disciple of Yang Wei’s, he stirred up this trouble himself. He can deal with it himself."
Uncle Wang bowed and withdrew.
Inside the hall, Qiao Zhi bit her lip. "Mother, that Liang Cheng actually dared to strike Xu Zhi. The Xu Family won’t let this matter rest."
Madam Qiao stared at the letter from Yang Wei on the table for a long time before finally speaking. "To defeat three Transformation Force experts, one of whom was the Xu Family’s carefully cultivated Xu Zhi... it seems your father has found himself quite a remarkable disciple."
Qiao Zhi was stunned. She hadn’t considered that point.
’It seems that kid really does have some skill.’
