Blade - Unbound

Chapter 3: Tough Nut in the Li Clan's Fort

Clang! Clang! Clang!

“Third Blindy is dead!”

The sharp ringing of a gong, mixed with loud shouts, shattered the tranquility of Li Clan’s Fort.

Quite a few villagers had grabbed their hoes and were about to head to the fields for their morning work. However, the moment they heard that Third Blindy was dead, they dropped what they were doing and rushed over.

Not everyone had suffered from wolf attacks, but everyone loved a spectacle, especially in a village like this. Any quarrel or scuffle between neighbors could draw a crowd, let alone something so exciting.

“Tsk tsk... so this is Third Blindy?”

“That’s the bastard! I’ve seen it before!”

“I thought it would be something terrifying. As it turns out, it’s nothing special. Look at you guys, scared out of your wits because of this...”

“Cut the crap, Fugui! If you’re so brave, why didn’t you go catch it yourself? Now that it’s dead, anyone can run their mouths!”

“I just didn’t have the time...”

“My pig... it was scared to death! Wuu...”

Heidan’s parents both came running over. The moment his mother saw Third Blindy’s corpse, the grief she had been holding back surged forth. She collapsed onto the ground and started to wail. But his father, Li Baoquan, flushed with anger. Without hesitation, he raised his hand and slapped Heidan across the face.

“You little brat! Who told you to act on your own?! And you even dragged Li Yan into this!” he roared in rage.

He seemed furious beyond anything Heidan had ever seen. Gritting his teeth, Li Baoquan glanced at the surrounding villagers before he bellowed, “Brother Hu helped me so many times! If anything happened to Li Yan, how could I ever face him in the afterlife?!”

Others quickly stepped in to calm him down. “Alright, alright, it’s over now...”

Even so, Li Baoquan was still fuming, and he seemed ready to slap Heidan again.

Before he could swing his arm again, Li Yan raised a hand to stop him. Looking calmly at Li Baoquan, he smiled. “Don’t worry, I was paid in advance. I ate Heidan’s chicken.”

“A chicken?!” Li Baoquan froze for a moment. He slowly lowered his hand and awkwardly rubbed his palms together. “Ah... well, this... Look at how things turned out...”

It wasn’t strange for him to act the way he did. Bladesmen might live by their word, but anyone who tied their life to their blade was no gentle soul. There were many who upheld justice, but there were far more who killed for money... and their fees were never low.

Li Yan’s father, Li Hu, had been a bold and straightforward man. Whenever someone in the village asked for help, he would pat his chest and agree without hesitation. Because of that, he had often been taken advantage of.

On the other hand, Li Yan’s reputation was... less stellar. The reason was simple: His way of thinking was different from his father’s. He had been a modern man to begin with, and he had even died once. Why would he care about rules, hierarchy, or what others thought? He followed his heart in everything he did. When it came time to act, he would never hold back, but he would also never accept a single copper shy of what he deserved.

No one gets to take advantage of me!

His way of thinking was perfectly normal to him, but to everyone else, he was a rather difficult person to deal with. They hadn’t expected him to act like a proper hero this time.

“I told you, we needed Li Hu’s boy to take care of it!”

“Just like his father, he’ll grow into a true man!”

The villagers who had gathered around gave him a thumbs up as praises poured from all directions. In response, Li Yan simply chuckled without saying a word.

A sudden yell interrupted them. “The clan head is here!”

A few figures appeared on the dirt road leading into the village. They were all fairly old, and were led by a thin elder with a goatee and a pair of reading glasses.

Though there were many families with different surnames in Li Clan’s Fort, the Li Clan was the only influential one. The clan head had also always served as the village chief.

The current clan head was Li Huairen, the only landlord in the village. His family had a long-standing tradition in both farming and academics. He had even passed the county-level examination and earned the title of Scholar. He cared greatly about reputation and his standing in the village was fairly good.

He walked up, circled Third Blindy’s corpse a few times, then listened to everyone’s account. Stroking his beard, he nodded. “Good. It’s the busy farming season. With this scourge gone, everyone can now work in peace. This is great. Merit deserves reward. Zhou Juezi, your pig was killed by the beast. I’ll compensate you on behalf of the village and give it to Li Yan’s family. Consider it a token of appreciation.”

Li Yan grinned. “That sounds great. Many thanks to you, Clan Head Li.”

Practicing martial arts consumed a lot of energy, and he ate like a bottomless pit. Lately, he had been craving some proper meat. A whole fat pig would last him quite a while.

It was also one of the perks of having a fearsome reputation. The village chief knew he was difficult to deal with and never assigned his household hard labor. At the same time, he never skimped on giving them their due benefits.

The happiest one, however, was Zhou Juezi. He had been raising that pig to sell for a good price during the New Year. He couldn’t even bear to eat it himself! The clan head’s decision came as an unexpected blessing. Afraid the situation might change, he immediately grabbed Li Yan, eager to carve the pig right away. Fresh meat would taste better, and it would also settle the matter once and for all.

“Look at you, in such a hurry!” Li Yan laughed at him, but still called Heidan over to help drag the pig away.

After they left, Li Huairen finally let out a soft sigh of relief.

A villager loitering nearby clicked his tongue and spoke enviously, “Clan Head Li, Li Yan deserves the reward for killing the wolf. But throwing the wolf corpse away would be a waste. Why not skin it and eat the meat? We can satisfy our hunger and vent some anger too...”

“You glutton!” Before he could finish, someone snapped angrily, “How many people has it eaten?! How can you even think of eating it? We should burn it and end this matter.”

Heidan’s mother burst into tears again, and the others sighed.

Li Huairen stroked his beard thoughtfully before speaking. “Back in the old days, there were plenty of wolves in the Guanzhong Plains. There were also many veteran soldiers still alive. Whenever they killed one, they would hang it on the crooked tree at the village entrance as a warning. It would keep things peaceful for a while. Zhuzi, take some men and hang Third Blindy at the village entrance!” freewebnσvel.cøm

“Yes, Clan Head!”

Several men immediately stepped forward to drag the corpse away. However, a weak female voice suddenly rang out from the crowd. “Wait! Don’t do it!”

Her voice instantly caught everyone’s attention and they turned to look at her. The middle-aged woman had been standing at the back. Her face was sallow, her hair disheveled, and a foul stench clung to her body, forcing people to step away from her. She was Widow Wang, one of the more pitiful villagers.

Her husband had been an outsider, and he had spent his life stealing and loafing about, never learning a proper trade. No one in the village liked him. Even Widow Wang herself had been bought from a human trafficker to be his wife. Despite being married, the man had never settled down. He often went into Chang’an to drink and carouse with his shady friends, and when he returned drunk, he would beat his wife. One such occasion had brought about his death about a year back, when, during a drunken brawl, he died on the main road outside Chang’an, leaving behind Widow Wang and their four-year-old daughter.

In such circumstances, no one in the village would have objected if she’d remarried. In fact, many would have supported it. Life was hard for a widow with a child, and there were a few bachelors in the village who hadn’t found wives.

But after her husband’s death, Widow Wang fell gravely ill. When she recovered, she became dazed and absent-minded. She never cleaned her house. It became like a pigsty, and she herself reeked terribly.

It was a pity her daughter had to suffer with her, locked in her house all day.

Better to marry an ugly woman than a lazy one.

Seeing what happened to her, even the bachelors lost interest. Some even mocked her behind her back. No one in the village wanted anything to do with her.

Under everyone’s gaze, Widow Wang shrank back slightly, but she eventually muttered, “This corpse isn’t clean. There’s bad energy on it. It should be burned... and we should do a ritu—”

“Silence!” Before she could finish, Li Huairen’s expression darkened and he barked sharply, “Don’t spread such nonsense! It’s one thing if you burn incense at home all day, but if you dare bring trouble to the village because of that White Lotus Cult nonsense, don’t blame me for being merciless!”

Everyone’s faces turned grim.

There were plenty of shamans and spirit mediums among the common folk, and temples of local gods were always bustling. On important festivals, even the court would hold grand ceremonies led by orthodox Daoist priests. However, for that exact reason, they had no mercy for what they considered heretical cults.

The most notorious of them all was the Maitreya sect, which had many offshoots. Two years ago, a village had secretly spread their teachings. When the authorities found out, they sent troops, slaughtered the entire village, and burned it to the ground. Not a single soul survived.

Widow Wang’s filthy appearance, her muttering, and her daily incense offerings made her seem exactly like those deluded cult followers. Even without evidence, Li Huairen had always been wary of her.

For a moment, the atmosphere turned heavy. Seeing the looks directed at her, Widow Wang didn’t dare speak up again.

Li Huairen snorted once, ordered the wolf’s corpse to be taken away, and quickly left with his men. As both clan head and village chief, he had no shortage of responsibilities. Grain Buds had just passed and Grain in Ear was approaching.[/ref]Grain in Ear is on June 6.[/ref] Summer harvest was just around the corner. There was plenty to deal with in the village and at home, not to mention the grain inspectors from Chang’an. The matter of Third Blindy was nothing more than a minor episode to him.

With the excitement gone, the crowd soon dispersed and returned to the fields.

Only Widow Wang remained where she stood, staring blankly at the corpse being dragged away. A flicker of fear flashed through her eyes, and she hurried home. Returning to her small courtyard, she ran into her room and slammed the door shut.

Inside, it was dark and gloomy.

Once inside, Widow Wang’s expression changed completely. None of the earlier timidity remained. Lighting three sticks of incense, she pressed them to her forehead, then knelt on the ground and began praying toward the shrine, muttering under her breath. “Third Aunt... disaster is coming...”

***

Zhou Juezi worked quickly. In less than two hours, the fat pig was fully butchered.

Li Yan stuffed a few jin[1] of meat into Heidan’s hands and had him deliver portions to neighbors they were close with. Only after finishing all that did Li Yan lug half the carcass home.

His house was at the eastern end of Li Clan’s Fort.

It was a spacious farmhouse courtyard typical of Guanzhong. However, instead of vegetable plots, it had a large patch of level ground with stone weights of various shapes scattered everywhere. The fort had once been a military stronghold, and some families still preserved old traditions of farming while practicing martial arts side by side. Li Yan’s family was one of them.

What set them apart was the wooden plaque that hung above their gate bearing bold words: “Mighty Through a Hundred Battles.”

An old man squatted by the doorstep inside. His hair was completely white, his body hunched, his face wrinkled like dried orange peel, and his eyes cloudy and lifeless. He was puffing on a long smoking pipe. His right pant leg hung empty.

He was Li Yan’s grandfather in this life, Li Gui.

Seeing the old man, Li Yan grinned. “Grandpa, the clan head rewarded us with a pig. Do you want minced pork noodles or hot oil noodles for lunch?”

Li Gui didn’t even glance at him. His face remained dark, and he just took slow drags from his pipe. Li Yan chuckled and said nothing more, carrying the meat into the kitchen.

There was no way the two of them could finish half a pig anytime soon. Some parts needed salting and others needed to be rendered into lard. It would take time to process everything, but he was in no hurry. After setting down the pig carcass, he returned to the courtyard.

The sun had fully risen. He stripped down to a sleeveless shirt, revealing a body of lean muscle. After a brief warm-up and steadying his breath, he brought both fists to his waist, straightening his back. One palm rose upward as if lifting a great cauldron to the skies, then slowly came back down.

That was one of the Ten Foundational Stances of the Red Fist: Overlord Lifts the Cauldron.

The Red Fist of Guanzhong was a martial art with an ancient lineage and countless branches. Every village and martial arts school had its own variations and signature techniques.

What Li Yan practiced was an old family version, passed down from an ancestor who had learned it from a general. It contained many subtle movements and hidden refinements.

The general was a figure often mentioned in stories told in teahouses. It was even said he could fight ten thousand men. Naturally, a martial art he passed down could not possibly be ordinary.

Li Yan’s grandfather, Li Gui, had been a hardened soldier who survived countless life-or-death battles. His father, Li Hu, had been a wandering bladesman; he’d travelled far and wide, and he’d blended many ruthless techniques of the jianghu into his fighting style. Yet no matter what, the Ten Foundational Stances of the Red Fist were their foundation.

The Red Fist emphasized structure and foundation. It emphasized strengthening one’s foundation as its core teaching, pushing one’s might into every move. Finesse came from the transformation of one’s body, and accurate strikes were the key.

Its techniques were ever-changing, but without a solid base, it was all meaningless. These ten stances were divided into soft and hard training.

Be it rain or shine, scorching heat or freezing cold, Li Yan had never missed a single day of practice. The only thing was, he trained differently from the rest.

Martial artists knew that their body was as precious as gold. They couldn’t rush training as it would cause their body to overload and shut down if they went overboard.

Yet Li Yan seemed to have broken past that limit. With one palm raised and his body stretched to the limit, he seemed as if he was truly lifting a massive bronze cauldron. His muscles tightened like taut bowstrings, and faint pops came from within his body.

His mind remained calm and focused. Within his dantian, a stone statue hovered...

1. The jin “斤” or catty, is a traditional chinese unit of mass used across East and Southeast Asia, used to weigh food and other groceries. It’s rounded to 500g in China. ☜