The agonizing roar, each word weeping blood, echoed through the empty courtyard of the estate. It startled a few sparrows roosting under the eaves, sending them fluttering into the gathering twilight.
Nearby, a woman whose tattered clothes could not completely hide her elegant, dignified grace let out a long sigh.
She shifted her gaze toward the side.
A young man dressed in a green robe, his features thoroughly ordinary, was silently sipping tea.
“Ah Li…”
Madam Han's eyes grew red, and she said gratefully,
“If not for you saving us this time, Huatang and I would have surely died. Your aunt… thank you on behalf of your uncle!”
Han Li set down his teacup and sighed.
“Uncle treated me with kindness as heavy as a mountain. Now that he has met with such tragedy, saving you and my cousin was only my duty… We are family, there is no need for such formalities.”
Madam Han's name was Han Huiwan.
The uncle Han Li spoke of was her husband, the former hall master of the Tongbei Martial Arts Hall, Song Hengjiang.
Song Hengjiang had been a great benefactor to Han Li.
The Han family of Changyun County was a branch of the prominent Han clan of Xinyi Prefecture.
They had migrated to this area over twenty years ago.
Han Li was born to the current head of the Han family and a personal maidservant.
Of humble birth and a concubine's son, he also had three legitimate older brothers ahead of him.
Within the Han family, he had always been a nobody, completely ignored.
Yet Song Hengjiang had treated Han Li like his own son, teaching him martial arts and providing him with pills and resources.
Without Song Hengjiang, Han Li would still be a nameless nobody to this day.
“Family…”
Han Huiwan let out a bitter, tragic laugh.
“Ah Li, you are your aunt's family, but the Han family of Changyun County is not!”
Her voice suddenly rose, and an irrepressible hatred surfaced on her face.
“The Han estate is barely two li from my martial arts hall. Han Chang and Han Lie are both at the Great Accomplishment of the Anjin Rank, yet when Huatang and I were imprisoned for years, they didn't ask a single question or lift a finger…”
“They are my own brothers! Yet they were heartless enough to watch Huatang and me suffer endless torture without doing a thing…”
Nearby, Song Huatang's voice rang out again, laced with bone-deep hatred:
“The Han family… just like those two treacherous thieves, Yan Xiao and Song Yanrong, deserve to die as well!”
Han Li sighed softly.
He had no love for the Han family either, but he was currently the most level-headed among them.
Whether it was Yan Xiao and Song Yanrong, or the Han family, none of them were opponents they could provoke right now.
Right now… they needed to decide their next step.
Han Li pondered for a moment and said,
“Aunt, the plan to rescue you and Cousin Huatang was actually devised by a good friend of mine… the older brother of Brother Xiao Wen here.”
As he spoke, Han Li pointed toward the adolescent boy leaning against the door frame on lookout duty.
The boy had delicate features and a hint of shyness in his eyes. It was indeed Xiao Wen.
Everyone's gaze shifted toward him.
Xiao Wen scratched his head in embarrassment and quickly explained,
“Actually… my big brother only pointed out where Auntie and Brother Song were being held. Today's operation was mostly planned and executed by Brother Han himself.”
“That old scoundrel Yan Xiao kept a tight guard. Brother Han spent half a month scouting day and night to map out the patrol schedules and hidden sentries. Only when he heard they were heading to the Wang mansion today to discuss important matters did he decide to make his move…”
Hearing this, Song Huatang struggled to prop himself up, a glimmer of hope rising in his single eye.
“Cousin… Brother Xiao, your great kindness is something I, Song Huatang, could never repay even if my body were ground to dust. But… did you find any clues about the original Huajin manual of the 『Tongbei Stance』 during your infiltration?”
At the mention of this, the atmosphere in the room instantly grew heavy.
Han Li let out a sigh and slowly shook his head.
Seeing this, Song Huatang understood immediately. He closed his eye in pain and said hoarsely,
“Back then, my father was poisoned by a sneak attack. Before he passed away, he only left behind five words: ‘The manual is in the hall…’ before succumbing to the poison.”
“Over the past few years, those two scoundrels Yan Xiao and Song Yanrong have nearly dug up every inch of the martial arts hall, not even sparing the latrines, yet they still haven't found it.”
“But one thing is certain: the technique must still be hidden somewhere in the martial arts hall!”
“Over twenty years ago, the expert who passed the technique to my father said that only by mastering the complete 『Tongbei Stance』 can one obtain recognition, enter the main hall, and seize the inheritance when that Blessed Land opens…”
“And by my calculations, the day that Blessed Land opens is less than a year away, yet we still haven't recovered the 『Tongbei Stance』…”
Seeing Song Huatang's emotional agitation, Han Li stepped forward, patted his shoulder, and spoke gently:
“Cousin, put your mind at ease.”
“If what you say is true and the 『Tongbei Stance』 is still in the martial arts hall, it won't run away.”
“Once some time has passed and the heat dies down, I will ask Brother Xiao to make a trip personally. With him on the job, he will definitely dig that manual out for you!”
“Brother Xiao?”
Song Huatang was taken aback, his single eye looking toward Xiao Wen by the door in confusion.
Xiao Wen quickly waved his hands:
“Not me, Brother Song! Brother Han is talking about my big brother!”
Hearing this, Han Huiwan could not help but feel curious.
This young Brother Xiao was so youthful, and there was no sign of blood qi moving within him, meaning he hadn't even entered the Blood Tempering Rank.
His clothes and manners were completely ordinary, and he did not seem to come from a prominent family.
Why was Han Li so certain that his older brother could find the hiding place of the 『Tongbei Stance』?
Her gaze landed on Xiao Wen, and she could not help but ask,
“Young Brother Xiao… from what Ah Li says, if your older brother takes action, he will definitely be able to recover our family's manual?”
“Of course!”
Xiao Wen nodded vigorously, his face filling with pride and admiration. “As long as my brother acts, it will definitely be a breeze!”
Seeing his expression, Han Huiwan could not help but feel a sudden urge to tease him.
She leaned in slightly and said with a smile,
“Oh? And why is that?”
Xiao Wen was slightly startled.
He had lost his mother at a very young age and had been raised entirely by his older brother. In his memories, his mother had always been a blurry shadow.
Yet Han Huiwan's gentle voice and serene eyes quietly overlapped with the image of the mother he had fantasized about countless times in his dreams.
Under the woman's gentle gaze, Xiao Wen's face slowly flushed red.
He became as flustered as a child, his eyes darting around in panic as he stammered,
“My… my big brother… he is just amazing! Anyway, anyway, it will work if he goes!”
He stammered for a long time, unable to piece together a single coherent sentence.
Feeling as though his face were burning up, Xiao Wen suddenly turned his head away and blurted out,
“I… I'm going to report to my big brother and let him know everything is fine here!”
With that, he fled without looking back, vanishing into the twilight.
Watching the boy's retreating back, Han Huiwan was momentarily stunned before she burst into a soft laugh.
The slightly oppressive atmosphere in the room dissipated quite a bit with her laughter.
Han Li shook his head gently, pulled over a long bench, and sat down to explain,
“Aunt, Cousin, please don't mind him. Xiao Wen has always been thin-skinned. However, what he just said was by no means a boast.”
At this point, Han Li's smile faded, and his expression turned somewhat peculiar.
“My friend is named Xiao Wu… How should I put it? He carries a certain fortune with him.”
“Fortune?”
Song Huatang looked puzzled.
“Yes, fortune. Or you could call it luck. It's as if heaven itself looks after him in a particularly bizarre way.”
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