Blade - Unbound

Chapter 18: The Sick Tiger’s Past

“What do you mean by that?!”

Li Yan rarely spoke of his father’s death, mainly because it wasn’t exactly honorable. His father was known as the Sick Tiger of the Guanzhong Plains, but he was also infamous as a romantic drifter.

Li Yan’s mother in this life had been an ordinary village woman. While his grandfather still kept a tight rein on the family, Li Hu had lived a relatively stable life, training in martial arts while the household followed the simple rhythm of farming and weaving.

That lasted until the year after Li Yan was born. That year, a great drought had struck the Guanzhong Plains. Locusts swarmed, famine spread, and plague followed in its wake. His mother fell ill and died. That same year, the Maitreya sect stirred up chaos. With the family on the brink of starvation, Li Hu had picked up his blade and left home, entering the jianghu to earn his living.

Once he stepped out, it was like releasing a tiger from its cage, there was no reining him in. He killed without restraint and left behind a trail of romantic entanglements. When Li Yan was young, he had seen more than a few beautiful women storming their doorstep, crying, shouting, and even fighting at the entrance. It had become so common that his grandfather would go days without eating from sheer anger.

His father had died in a brothel in Chang’an during winter. According to the constables and the brothel’s manager, he had died from sudden exhaustion during intercourse. The coroner confirmed it, and his grandfather had personally verified the body. From then on, his grandfather rarely spoke of him again. Rather, he seemed to have aged several years in the span of a few days.

Li Yan would have normally dismissed Sha Lifei’s words as nonsense. But after learning about the curse, he no longer believed the matter was so simple.

Seeing the killing intent flicker in Li Yan’s cold dragon-like eyes. Sha Lifei felt a chill crawl up his spine. He hurriedly forced a smile. “I heard, well, I just heard, not long after your father died, that brothel ran into trouble.”

“What kind of trouble?” Li Yan frowned.

Sha Lifei lowered his voice and muttered, “There were deaths. Several prostitutes died.”

“And what does that have to do with my father?”

“Well, I like to ask around, and it just so happens those who died were all former lovers of your father.”

The frown on Li Yan’s face deepened. “Go on.”

“At first, no one cared. Dead prostitutes aren’t exactly a big deal. But that time, things were different; the atmosphere was tense. Even Zhou Pan personally got involved, bringing his disciples to Chang’an and searching everywhere. You know what kind of man Zhou Pan is! He grabs any benefit he can and avoids trouble like the plague. For him to be that proactive? Something’s off.

“And when your father died, he was the one who benefited the most!” fɾēewebnσveℓ.com

As he spoke, Sha Lifei carefully watched Li Yan’s expression. Then suddenly, he felt a weight lift from his chest. Looking down, he realized the short blade that had been pressed against him had already slipped back into Li Yan’s sleeve. It was done so quietly he hadn’t even noticed until the weight was gone.

A sleeve blade.

The realization hit him. Back when Li Hu was alive, there had been rumors floating around the jianghu that the Sick Tiger of the Guanzhong Plains not only had a fast blade, but he had also developed a concealed blade technique, making it a good hidden attack.

With a blade hidden up his sleeves, he could remain polite while staying lethal. If the blade struck without warning...

Li Hu had built his reputation using both blades, one in the light, and the other in the dark! Now, his son had inherited his techniques! What was scarier was that Li Yan seemed even better at using them than his father.

Li Yan might have withdrawn the blade, but his gaze remained cold. “Uncle Sha, let’s not play games. If there really is some hidden cause of my father’s death, I’ll owe you a favor for telling me. But that’s a separate matter from what happened earlier. Why did you set me up? If you don’t clear this up, this matter won’t end today.”

There was a reason why Li Yan earned his nickname, troublesome ghost, in the village. Having led two lives, he saw through most things like rules, etiquette, systems, and things of the like. He never took them seriously nor bothered with the pretense of following them.

Whatever Sha Lifei was planning, he intended to pry it out of his tight lips, even if he had to break some teeth to do it.

Sha Lifei’s scalp tingled from Li Yan’s stare. He awkwardly rubbed his bald head. “Don’t be mad, lad. You know me, I’m famous for being loyal...”

His boast died halfway out his lips. In the end, he simply sighed, “Truth is, there isn’t much to it. Recently, I accidentally offended one of Zhou Pan’s disciples. But I still had to come to Xianyang. I figured your family had a grudge with him too, so I thought I’d bring along a helper.”

“I see.” Li Yan nodded slowly. “Then you could’ve just said so. Look at this mess we made! I almost caused trouble. Anyway, don’t take it to heart.”

Sha Lifei nodded quickly. “Of course, of course. We’re on the same side. And about Daoist Wang, I’ll make the arrangements tomorrow. But when we enter the city, we’ll need to keep a low profile.”

“Understood.” Li Yan smiled as if nothing had happened and casually turned away.

Only after he left did Sha Lifei let out the breath he had been subconsciously holding. His back was already drenched in cold sweat.

Damn it, this kid’s temper flips like when a dog sees food. I better stay away from this weirdo after this.

***

Back with the rest of the villagers, Li Yan found a quiet spot beneath a tree, rested his back against the trunk, hugged his blade, and prepared to sleep. It was the start of summer, and the nights weren’t cold. He hadn’t even brought bedding with him. He had planned to make do for the night, meet Wang Daoxuan, and head back. However, things didn’t seem that simple now. Sha Lifei’s revelation lingered in his mind.

His father’s death clearly wasn’t just misfortune brought by the curse. There was something else. Whether Zhou Pan was involved remained uncertain, but one thing was clear. The matter had something to do with practitioners of the mystic path.

Whatever came next, he would need to step into their world.

Just as he was thinking, he heard footsteps coming from behind. Opening his eyes and turning his head slightly, he saw Heidan. The boy stood there, clutching a waterskin, hesitant to approach.

Seeing the look on Heidan’s face, Li Yan laughed. “What’s wrong? Did I grow horns?”

Heidan was one of the few villagers he got along with. The boy was loyal and straightforward, the kind worth helping without hesitation.

Heidan scratched his head and grinned sheepishly, handing over the waterskin. “Brother Yan, have some water. You were amazing today!”

“I wasn’t that amazing. He just underestimated me.” Li Yan’s expression turned serious as he explained the fight step by step. ƒreewebɳovel.com

On the surface, it looked like he had won with a single move. However, it wasn’t that simple.

He had used his knowledge of Monkey Fist, exploited the age gap, provoked his opponent with words, and created the perfect opening. If Meng Haicheng had been cautious and dragged it out, the fight would’ve been far more troublesome.

Since he and Heidan were close, Li Yan didn’t hold back, explaining every detail so Heidan could learn from it.

Heidan was stunned after hearing the whole fight. “That complicated?”

Li Yan smiled. “The jianghu is complicated. Force is only used when things fall apart. The real danger is the hidden attacks. If you don’t stay sharp, you won’t even know how you died.”

Of course, there were things he didn’t say. Defeating Meng Haicheng so decisively hadn’t just been for show. The moment Sha Lifei had stirred things up, Li Yan had realized he was being set up. Only by winning cleanly could he force the truth out of that slippery old fox.

Li Yan had revealed the open nuances of the matter to Heidan, but the real danger was hidden. The strange unseen forces of the mystic path were something else entirely, and without understanding them, death could come without warning.

Heidan fell silent for a long while before speaking quietly. “No wonder my father knows martial arts but still made me stay in the fields. The jianghu really isn’t for me.”

Then his tone shifted, filled with urgency. “But Brother Yan, I’m not willing to stay stuck in the village. Can you please teach me what to do?”

Li Yan thought for a moment before speaking. “Learn a trade first. If you want to go out into the world, you need a way to make a living. Otherwise, you’ll end up like me, living a life by the blade.”

“A trade?” Heidan considered it before giving a firm nod. “I got an uncle in Chang’an who’s a leatherworker! If I say I want to learn from him, my father shouldn’t stop me.”

His eyes lit up as he hurried off.

Chuckling softly, Li Yan closed his eyes and continued to hug his blade close. In his previous life, he had learned auto repair just to survive. In this life, the blade in his hand felt far more reliable.

***

Time passed quickly and the night deepened. A waning moon hung in the sky, casting faint light over the lands. By the shelter near the fields, snores mixed with the chirping of insects. The workers had traveled for days and would start work before dawn. Everyone slept early to recover.

In the distance, the Lu Manor lay silent. Only a few key areas were patrolled by guards.

Zhao Jiu yawned and rubbed his face, feeling bored out of his mind. Just as Li Yan had guessed, they were all disciples of the Zhao Fist. Back in Jinzhou, they had escorted caravans for wealthy merchants. It was risky work, but stable, and had been passed down through generations. That was what they had done, until one day, they had run into a formidable opponent.

When they were raided, they lost the shipment and several core members of their family. That one incident had caused their strength to decline, and their business to vanish. They had nearly fallen apart.

Then, through connections, they had found new work as guards and followed Master Lu to Guanzhong Plains. Compared to roaming the land, this life was peaceful. In fact, it was too peaceful. There wasn’t even a single thief to deal with!

Then, Zhao Jiu froze as he caught something moving out of the corner of his eye. It looked like a vague human silhouette.

“Who’s there?!” He yelled while rushing over.

The guards had their own signals. No matter how dark it was, they could identify one another. If it was a professional thief, they’d follow jianghu rules, testing the waters first and exchanging signals. They would rarely risk a direct clash with the guards.

However, things were different this time. This one didn’t respond; it was likely a clueless petty thief. Zhao Jiu didn’t even bother drawing his blade. Instead, he grabbed a rattan staff as he charged closer. It was flexible and inflicted painful blows, perfect for beating someone without killing them. But when he reached the corner where he thought he saw the figure, there was nothing.

Not a soul to be seen.

Just as confusion set in as he thought he was seeing things, a chill ran down his spine. He spun around and when he saw the figure before him, his face turned deathly pale.

Behind him stood a hunched figure. It was a tiny old woman, whose face was wrinkled beyond comprehension. But her face was bluish and her feet didn’t touch the ground. She was simply floating in the air.

“AH!” Zhao Jiu’s scream shattered the silence of the Lu Manor.

Under the tree by the fields, Li Yan’s eyes snapped open. He sniffed the air, frowning slightly as he looked into the distance. He had caught a strange scent. It wasn’t the cold, bloody stench of the Cold Altar Soldier, nor the warm incense of the Earth God shrine. Rather, it was something sweet. It smelled like fresh pastries.

Pastries?

He didn’t know why that thought came to him, but soon, he understood.

Within his dantian, the substitute statue started to stir. The feeling became intense, and it started to act like a greedy cat that had just spotted a fish.