After consuming the Revival Pill, Yan Dechang’s body got better day by day. By the fifth day, Yan Dechang was able to at least get off the bed by himself and walk with the aid of his cane even though he still struggled in his movements.
Over those few days, the Yan Clan had undoubtedly become the focal point in Liuhe Town. Putting aside everything else, not many people in Liuhe Town had seen the imposing aura from Lu Wenbin and the two guards from the Lu Clan before. Since there were no such things as ‘leak-proof’ walls in this world, the people of Liuhe Town found out Steward Lu and the others were from the great Lu Clan of Huanglong County just after a few days of their stay in the Yan Residence. As for the fact that Yan Clan managed to form ties with the Lu Clan, many were quite jealous and envious, hence, there were quite a few rumors and slanders floating about town.
One of the most exaggerated rumor was that Yan Liqiang had sold himself to the Lu Clan as a slave of his own accord so that the Lu Clan would send people to the Yan Residence to strengthening their influence. Yan Liqiang had laughed disdainfully when he found out about this rumor from Zhou Hongda’s wife.
Over those few days when Yan Dechang was bedridden, Yan Liqiang stayed at home and took care of him every day. He willingly supported Yan Dechang when he had to defecate or urinate, wiped him down and fed him without any complaints. He never requested help from anyone else either. His actions greatly impressed Steward Lu, who stayed at the Yan Residence, so much that he couldn’t help but to secretly admire him.
On the seventh day, information finally came from the Lu Clan. Through the Lu Clan’s efforts, the identity of the culprit who had injured Yan Dechang was finally confirmed.
That person was a wanted criminal in the Great Han Empire for over ten years. No more useful clues could be found among the records and archives of recent years in the Law Enforcement Office of Huanglong County. In the end, the Lu Clan had to make use of their connections before they finally found information on that person among the wanted criminal records in the Law Enforcement Office in Pingxi Prefecture.
That person was known as Deng Long, nicknamed King Cobra. He was a vicious and merciless serial killer on the run. He was wanted because he had robbed and killed in other prefectures over more than a decade ago, taking more than ten innocent lives. However, he had never been apprehended because of his cunning behavior and that he had kept wandering around, drifting from place to place.
If it wasn’t for Yan Liqiang’s drawing, the Law Enforcement Office probably wouldn’t know that this fugitive had already fled into Pingxi Prefecture.
After the identity of that person had been confirmed, the Law Enforcement Office in Pingxi Prefecture sent official notices to every county, ordering them to track down this wanted criminal. Upon receiving the official document from the higher-ups, only then the people of the Law Enforcement Office in Qinghe County put on the pretense of visiting the Yan Residence to further understand the incident that had occurred that day. After that, they stuck a wanted criminal portrait that looked totally unlike that person on the streets and then forgot about the whole thing.
Even though Yan Liqiang had been taking care of Yan Dechang at home over those few days, he didn’t slack on his cultivation either.
He slept in the room adjacent to Yan Dechang. Every night when Yan Dechang was asleep or resting, Yan Liqiang would cultivate Muscle Tendon Changing and Marrow Cleansing in his own room. He still maintained his cultivation practice of at least six rounds a day, without fail.
For those few days, Zhou Hongda and his wife had been doing the cooking at the Yan Residence while the people from the Lu Clan guarded the courtyard and Steward Lu took care of the various chores. Apart from looking after Yan Dechang, Yan Liqiang was able to fully focus on his cultivation, making improvements every single day.
In particular was the secret manual, the ‘Nine Palace Wind Shadow Steps’, that Qian Su had given to him. Yan Liqiang was able to get a better feel of it after dabbling in it for a few consecutive days. In just a few days, Yan Liqiang had a feeling that he had grasped the realm of the first layer of the ‘Nine Palace Wind Shadow Steps’.
At the same time, Yan Liqiang realized that his perception in every aspect was also getting sharper along with the cultivation of Muscle Changing Tendon. Every day during the daytime, he could feel himself being watched and spied on despite the fact that he was staying at home. This sensation was exactly the same as how he felt when he was outside of the Weaponsmiths Quarter’s entrance that day and it would only vanish late at night.
Although it might have sounded a little unbelievable, Yan Liqiang’s intuition kept telling him that King Cobra had always been around him. He didn’t escape, even if a warrant had been issued for his arrest. But instead, he was like a venomous snake, hiding in the dark and ready to strike him down at any time. The nickname ‘King Cobra’ itself was another name for Ophiophagus hannah, a species of venomous snake.
Since King Cobra never left, it was evident that the Hong Clan hadn’t given up on their plan as the martial arts examination drew near.
Yan Liqiang finally made his decision!
...
On the fourteenth night of the sixth lunar month, about an hour past midnight, Yan Liqiang, who was sleeping in the room adjacent to Yan Dechang, opened his eyes.
The clouds were very dense, obscuring the stars and the moon. It was so pitch black outside that visibility was very limited.
Yan Liqiang got up and fully dressed in black. He then slung the bow bag with the Horned Python Bow on his back and picked up a quiver of arrows before he silently exited the room.
As soon as he pushed open his door and stepped out, a soft voice called to him from the side. "Young Master Yan…"
The Lu Clan guard who was outside in the courtyard on night duty was very vigilant; Yan Liqiang had been discovered as soon as he stepped out.
Seeing Yan Liqiang’s black get-up along with the bow and quiver he was carrying, a surprised look emerged on the face of the Lu Clan guard.
Yan Liqiang placed his finger in front of his lips to hush him and that guard immediately understood. He came over and spoke with a voice that was only audible to Yan Liqiang. "Young Master Yan, this is…"
"Don’t mind me. I’m just going out to practice archery, just pretend you didn’t see anything. Remember, do not alarm the others…" Yan Liqiang told him with a solemn face.
The guards here were all members of the Lu Clan, loyalty naturally had never been an issue to them. That guard only slightly hesitated for two seconds before he nodded, indicating that he understood.
Yan Liqiang didn’t leave from the main entrance nor the rear exit, he instead walked to the rear courtyard where he usually practiced his martial arts. With the strength he exerted with his feet, he used the ‘Nine Palace Wind Shadow Steps’ on the wall of the rear courtyard. The strong jumping ability instantly allowed his body to soar into the air. With just two more continuous steps on the wall, his body momentum continued to propel him higher up, reaching the top of the three-meter wall. Exerting a light force, he then used one hand to flip himself over the top of the wall, his entire body silently going over like a huge bird, and instantly landed over at the other side.
Beyond this courtyard wall was a dense and lush bamboo forest.
Yan Liqiang, who had jumped over the courtyard wall, squatted behind a bunch of bamboos as he opened his eyes wide to observe his surroundings in the darkness. At the same time, he also used all his other senses to carefully feel the situation around him.
When he confirmed that no one had discovered him, Yan Liqiang, ran just like a cat, agilely and quickly into the bamboo forest, towards the mountain range at the other end. In the blink of an eye, he fully blended himself into the darkness.
...
Yan Liqiang didn’t reappear in this forest until nearly three hours later. He then climbed over the courtyard wall, just like how he had left earlier. However, the bow bag and quiver of arrows he had with him were nowhere to be seen.
The Lu Clan guard had been waiting for Yan Liqiang’s return. He only breathed a long sigh of relief when he finally saw Yan Liqiang again.
Yan Liqiang winked at that guard and made a gesture for him to keep it a secret. Although the guard was filled with doubt, he still nodded to Yan Liqiang…
...
The next day, on the fifteenth day of the sixth lunar month, there was nothing out of the ordinary at the Yan Residence.
Yan Liqiang still got up at the time he normally did and then practiced a round of Muscle Tendon Changing and Marrow Cleansing before he went off to take care of Yan Dechang and helped him to wash up.
Zhou Hongda and his wife also arrived at the Yan Residence early. Just as how they did for the past few days, they started making breakfast for everyone in the Yan Residence. By the time Yan Dechang finished washing up, the couple had also finished preparing breakfast.
"When I went to buy some meat early this morning, I found out that the live pigs that a few butchers in town had just bought were booked by the people from the Hong Clan again. I heard that because the martial arts examination is drawing near, so the Hong Clan is preparing to offer sacrifices to their ancestors today, praying for Hong Tao to be the best in this examination and to advance to Martial Warrior soon."
While eating breakfast, this news that Yan Liqiang heard from Zhou Hongda stunned him for a few good seconds before he vaguely hummed in response.
In the afternoon after lunch, Yan Dechang threw away his cane for the first time and managed to walk two rounds in the courtyard. His body was getting better and better.
He exercised for about two hours before he felt a little exhausted. Yan Liqiang helped him back into the room and changed his dressing. By the time he was done, Yan Dechang had fallen asleep.
After Yan Liqiang came out from the room, he immediately went to the kitchen. He took out a back-carried basket and a small hoe and prepared to go out.
Steward Lu had an astonished look on his face when he saw Yan Liqiang leaving.
"I didn’t expect my father to recover this fast. It’s about time for the mushrooms on the mountains to grow out these few days. I’m going up there to pick some so I can stew some chicken for father as a nourishing supplement tomorrow…"
Steward Lu was slightly baffled. "Young Master Yan…"
Yan Liqiang had a big smile on his face. "It’ll be fine. Steward Lu, do you think that person would still dare to linger around Liuhe Town after orders for his arrest have been circulated for so many days? If I’m still not back by the time my father wakes up, tell him that I have gone shopping in town and ask him not to be worried. If I’m still not back by nightfall, you all can go ahead with dinner first!"
Steward Lu seemed to still have something to say but Yan Liqiang’s palm was already on his shoulder, giving him a pat with unusual force. He gave it a couple squeezes as he looked at Steward Lu with a determined expression on his face. "I’ll be alright going alone. Steward Lu, please stay here and look after my father..."
Yan Liqiang’s words were imbued with a wave of power that Steward Lu couldn’t refuse, besides, the Lu Clan had given him an order to follow Yan Liqiang’s instructions. Seeing Yan Liqiang’s determination to ascend the mountain, Steward Lu could only nod and urge Yan Liqiang to be careful out there at the same time.
Just like this, Yan Liqiang exited the main entrance of the Yan Residence with a back-carried basket. He followed the Willow River and made his way towards the forest that was not too far away. In just about twenty minutes, he went into the mountains under the gaze of many people...