Chapter 269: Chapter 208: A Light Boat, A Light Heart
A warmth spread through Xiao Wan’er’s heart. "I will remember."
The old master laughed heartily, offering a few more words of encouragement to put her at ease before watching her leave.
Once the room grew quiet, the old master’s expression turned serious. After a moment of thought, he asked in a low voice, "Could he be the one who saved you?"
Dressed in black, Xiao Jing emerged from the inner hall. He hesitated. "I can’t say for sure."
"But his attitude toward me and the Marquis’s Mansion, as well as his identity as a Medical Saint Hand, all match the description of the man from that night."
"Then investigate more thoroughly."
"A Medical Saint Hand has done so much for our Xiao Family. It is only right that I invite him for a personal meeting."
Xiao Jing nodded. "I’ll have my men keep a close watch on Hundred Herbs Hall. As soon as there’s any news, I will go and confirm it myself."
The old master said no more. Leaning on his cane, he returned to his seat in the main hall and asked,
"What is the situation with the Liu Family?"
"After meeting with you, Liu Hong has remained at the Governor’s Office."
"Liu Yu, who left last night, returned to the city this afternoon. Reports say he will take Liu Wen’s body back to Jing State tomorrow."
Xiao Jing glanced up at the old master and continued, "Also, it seems that Liu Zhaoxue has no intention of leaving."
"Oh? Her second brother is dead. As a direct descendant of the main branch, isn’t she going back to mourn?"
"I have not yet determined the reason."
"But according to reports from my men, Liu Zhaoxue was looking for a suitable storefront today. It appears she still plans to expand Xinglin Hall in Shu State."
The old master grunted in acknowledgment and considered this. "Never mind her. Keep a close watch on Liu Hong."
"This time, I used Liu Wen’s death to force the Liu Family to cough up silver coins and other benefits worth several times the value of the summer grain lost at Iron Wall Town."
"Furthermore, both Liu Wen and Liu Jing from their main branch died here in Shu State."
The old master paused, a grim light flashing in his cloudy eyes. He snorted coldly.
"They won’t let this go so easily!"
...
The next day, the dark clouds over Shu State had dissipated somewhat. Though the sky was still gray, it wasn’t as gloomy, and the rain had dwindled to a light drizzle.
Fresh air permeated Shu State.
Travelers no longer gathered in huddled groups, whispering about the previous day’s events. Merchants went about their business as usual.
The City Guard Army, government officials, and the Imprisonment Department, however, were busier than ever.
This was especially true in West City.
Since Xiao Jinghong and his men had taken down many from the Evil Demonic Dao, government officials who normally wouldn’t dare set foot there now patrolled the streets and alleys, rounding up the remaining criminals.
Naturally, some conflicts broke out during the process.
But with the support of the Imprisonment Officers and the City Guard Army, the remaining riffraff couldn’t cause any significant trouble.
In just half a day, dozens of people were apprehended here and there.
The watching commoners cheered, bringing prestige to the Imprisonment Department and other government offices. The scene was one of bustling excitement.
But after a day for the news to circulate, the excitement was bound to die down.
Especially once the details about the summer grain being burned in the three border towns reached the Prefecture City, everyone in Shu State, from the highest officials to the common folk, learned the full story.
First, some of the summer grain in Iron Wall Town had been burned.
The exact amount was not made public, however, leading to widespread speculation.
Some said one hundred thousand shi, others said two hundred thousand, and some even claimed a million...
This last claim about a million shi of grain being burned was quickly debunked.
The second piece of news concerned the culprits who set fire to the grain—they were all members of the Evil Demonic Dao from the Bright Moon Building.
The fact that Liu Wen, Xiao Dongchen, and others were pulling the strings from behind was not circulated at all.
Even the Financier behind Bright Moon Building was rumored to be taking orders from the Barbarian Race.
For the most part, this provided the most plausible explanation for the whole fiasco.
The final piece of news was about Xiao Jinghong—the Grand General of Shu State was now a Martial Arts Powerhouse of the Upper Three Grades.
His Sword Dao had reached the Realm of Perfection, allowing him to sweep a thousand feet with a single sword strike and effortlessly slay enemy generals.
This news, of course, thrilled those who loved a good story.
"It seems the Barbarian Race suffered heavy losses when they were repelled five years ago."
"Otherwise, they wouldn’t be resorting to such dirty tricks to cause trouble for the Dingyuan Army."
"I hear the Barbarian Race is in the midst of internal turmoil. The Old Barbarian King is gravely ill, and the Eldest Prince and Third Prince are fighting for the throne. It will be difficult for them to march north anytime soon."
"Under these circumstances, how would they dare to plot the burning of the summer grain in the Three Towns?"
"They must be worried our Great Wei army will take advantage of their internal conflict and march south."
"That makes sense..."
It was mostly scholars who paid attention to current affairs, and they could always piece together fragmented clues to deduce seemingly plausible, if not entirely accurate, conclusions.
For example, news of the Barbarian Race’s internal strife came from the horse bandits of Poshisu Country.
The story about the burning of the Three Towns was spread by the Xiao Family and the government offices.
Some of it was true and some was false, yet they spoke with such convincing detail.
It only made those who knew the truth scoff in derision.
However, as the dust settled on the incident with the burning of the Three Towns’ summer grain, a piece of news from Guiyun Academy completely shifted the public’s focus.
"The Xiao Family’s live-in son-in-law, Chen Yi, also known as Chen Qingzhou, has achieved Perfection in the Calligraphy Dao! What’s more, it’s a new style of script he created, called—Cursive Script!"
"Mr. Yue Ming says the ’Cursive’ part of the name implies the fluidity of flowing clouds and running water, a sense of exquisite Pen Technique, a lively spirit, and a natural composition."
"The Cursive Script written by Chen Qingzhou evokes a myriad of images, its dashing and unrestrained strokes stretching for a thousand miles."
"Mr. Yue Ming also said that after the Mid-Autumn Festival, Guiyun Academy will exhibit some of Mr. Qingzhou’s work, including the very piece that achieved the Perfection Realm of Cursive Script, ’Post-rain Reflections’."
Some believed it, others did not.
But Shu State Prefecture City was only so large, and respected Confucian scholars like Mr. Yue Ming and Mr. Zhuo Ying were established men with families. It wasn’t hard for someone to find a connection to them and confirm the truth of the news.
"Is... is it true?"
"Could it be fake?"
"I heard that when Mr. Qingzhou delivered the calligraphy this afternoon, there were people visiting from Yuelu Academy in Yan State."
"Apparently, one of the young men there was quite scornful of Mr. Qingzhou’s Calligraphy Dao. But when he saw ’Post-rain Reflections,’ he was filled with regret and wanted to ask Mr. Qingzhou to be his master and teach him the Calligraphy Dao."
