Chapter 133: Million Flower Bounty

The boy's name was Xie Yuan; he passed Yuan Chong's trial and was granted the Heavenly Wolf Sword Manual and the Heavenly Wolf Cold Sword.

His talent was middling to upper, but his heart was kind.

It was precisely because of this that he was given the sword manual and the cold sword.

With the Heavenly Wolf Cold Sword enhancing the Heavenly Wolf Sword Manual, it rose from Excellent rank to Fine rank, allowing Xie Yuan to advance rapidly.

In just a short while, he had already entered the basics.

With seven or eight years of diligent practice, he could catch up to Zhao Mingqian's current level.

Then he heard the bounty on the outlaw remnants and, taking his gold and valuables, set out with the Heavenly Wolf Cold Sword to protect Chu Danqing.

When Chu Danqing heard this, he thought, Holy shit, you're a kid who's only trained for three months—how dare you?

As expected, an accident occurred.

He didn't take the wrong road, but being young and inexperienced, he was deceived badly upon leaving home.

Even the Heavenly Wolf Sword Manual was copied by someone; only later did he realize and chase after them to reclaim it.

As for the black-clad man who infiltrated Chu Danqing's guest room, he had fled there while being pursued and hoped to divert the danger eastward.

Unfortunately, he had barely entered when his plan hadn't even begun, and Da Bao killed him.

Xie Yuan tracked him here and was also subdued by Da Bao.

If Chu Danqing hadn't recognized the Heavenly Wolf Cold Sword, Xie Yuan would have been hanging from the rafters, dripping blood.

"What are you doing wandering the martial world?" Chu Danqing said, rubbing his forehead in exasperation after hearing the full story.

Zhao Mingqian dared to leave home at sixteen because he had trained since childhood and was steeped in the ways of the Canluo Sect.

Xie Yuan was different—he grew up as a landlord's son, spent his days reading and writing, learned Confucian conduct, and was utterly naive to the world.

His normal path was to pass the provincial exam, inherit the family estate, and after being beaten down by reality, abandon his idealism.

Instead, he switched paths halfway due to martial training.

"Never mind—did you recover the copies of the Heavenly Wolf Sword Manual?" Chu Danqing asked.

"Including the one you hold, all have been recovered," Xie Yuan replied—he lacked experience, but not intelligence.

As soon as he realized he'd been deceived, he moved immediately to reclaim them.

The process encountered no complications.

"But these three are no ordinary folk—they are the children of Yin Wind Poison Sand," Xie Yuan said, his face tinged with bitterness.

He only learned their identity during the pursuit.

Chu Danqing didn't know Yin Wind Poison Sand and had never heard of them.

In the Taichang Dynasty, the hierarchy was: Court > Outlaws > Martial World.

These martial folk and sects had little presence at all.

They were more like solitary beasts, rarely venturing into the wider world.

"How do they compare to Elder Yuan?" Chu Danqing asked.

"If I faced only one of the couple, I'd be no match for Master Yuan," Xie Yuan said. "But they never separate; together, even Master Yuan would lose."

"Could a squad of Imperial Guard Feathered Forest soldiers cut them to pieces?" Chu Danqing raised the difficulty.

Xie Yuan was stunned by the question—everyone was just village brawlers, why are you bringing in the regular army?

"Yes," Xie Yuan answered honestly, then realized—this man before him, before resigning, had commanded the Capital Garrison, the Feathered Forest, and the Secret Service.

He thought it was a big deal; to Chu Danqing, Yin Wind Poison Sand were just street thugs.

They weren't even as bold as the outlaws—those at least dared to storm the palace.

"Oh, then no need to worry. Let them come—I'll handle them myself," Chu Danqing said, thinking they were nothing special.

As long as they didn't go mad like Zhang Cai, martial folk were easy to deal with.

High-rank, low-quality skills without matching attributes meant nothing to Da Bao.

"Good. Come with me—I'll detour to take you to Canluo Mountain to see Yuan Chong," Chu Danqing continued.

Xie Yuan lacked experience; Chu Danqing wasn't comfortable letting him return alone.

But sending him back directly wasn't on the way—better to detour to Canluo Mountain and meet the greatest sect in the land.

"Master Yuan might not be at Canluo Mountain—he may have returned to Yuan Family Village," Xie Yuan hesitated.

He knew Yuan Chong went to Canluo Mountain to discuss Zhao Mingqian and Yuan Shanhu's wedding, but how long ago was that? The wedding was long over.

"Even if he's not there, someone else is—I'll entrust them to send you home," Chu Danqing didn't care whether he met Yuan Chong—he had no idea where the man had gone to fight next.

The main goal was to deliver him; Canluo Sect was so large, surely someone was traveling or training—just treat it as a mission.

Chu Danqing spoke so plainly that Xie Yuan finally understood, blushing slightly.

"That's not right," Xie Yuan said—he wasn't a child anymore.

"It's decided," Chu Danqing said outright.

After all he'd been through, Xie Yuan truly understood the difference between home and the world.

"Thank you, Commander Chu," Xie Yuan admitted—he was too nervous to return alone.

As the saying goes, one must strike while the iron is hot; once his momentum faded, his passion would vanish.

Then the two began coordinating with the authorities and disposing of the bodies; the night-clad man was quickly identified by the yamen runners as a wanted criminal.

He was taken to the prefectural office to await further confirmation.

Not only him—Chu Danqing also learned that Yin Wind Poison Sand were both wanted fugitives.

They had once committed massacres, wiping out entire families.

The husband excelled in Yin Wind Palm; the wife in Poison Sand Palm.

Though their palm arts differed, they had trained together to form a combined technique.

Their moves were sinister and mysterious, leaving few rivals in the martial world.

But their strength was limited to the martial world; among outlaws or the court, they could only avoid confrontation.

The process wasn't slow—mainly because the shopkeeper was terrified.

Fortunately, after Chu Danqing paid extra, they moved to another room and received compensation.

The lure of money overcame the superstition of death.

The next day, they set off by carriage toward Canluo Mountain.

On the road, after completing his daily tasks, Chu Danqing learned more about Xie Yuan's background.

After all, he was using the Heavenly Wolf Cold Sword he'd unlocked—it was only natural to understand his situation.

He came from a scholarly family with considerable wealth.

Upon closer inquiry, he was much like Yuan Family Village.

One could only say Yuan Chong was good at choosing.

Without family backing, even giving someone the Heavenly Wolf Sword Manual wouldn't help—they couldn't afford to train.

He lived happily; his parents were open-minded, not stubborn traditionalists.

They fully supported his decision to abandon literature for martial arts.

As they talked, Xie Yuan suddenly froze and whispered: "Commander Chu, those two are Yin Wind Poison Sand."

He subtly pointed; Chu Danqing followed his gaze and saw a man and woman feeding two chestnut horses by the roadside.

"What's going on?" Chu Danqing asked.

"They must be chasing me," Xie Yuan whispered. "Their children and disciple stole my Heavenly Wolf Sword Manual and realized its value."

"So they alerted these two for help—but they arrived too late."

Xie Yuan felt immense relief—if he hadn't met Chu Danqing, he'd be dead now.

Chu Danqing considered whether to strike first.

With his current strength, Da Bao could kill them effortlessly.

Add a surprise attack, and the difficulty dropped further.

Their strength lay in their combined Yin Wind Poison Sand palm technique; remove one, and their power collapsed.

As he thought, Da Bao, riding beside the carriage, suddenly rose and snatched a poisoned dart midair.

Chu Danqing didn't understand—why had they attacked so suddenly?

"Corrupt official! Today I avenge the fallen outlaws!" they shouted together, trying to intimidate first, then lunging at Chu Danqing.

Now Chu Danqing understood: Yin Wind Poison Sand hadn't recognized Xie Yuan—they planned to kill him to claim the bounty from the outlaws.

They'd somehow learned his route and waited here—not for the Heavenly Wolf Sword Manual, but for the money.

Their display was loud, but Da Bao moved faster.

With his rending claws activated, he pierced them both through before they could reach Chu Danqing.

Their faces twisted in disbelief.

They believed their martial skill had reached its peak, and with the first strike and intimidation, they'd surely win.

How could they not even get close?

Da Bao's claws tore from their chests, dragging out their shredded, unrecognizable organs.

"The million-flower bounty has driven many to desperation," Chu Danqing muttered.

He hadn't hidden his trail; being tracked wasn't hard to understand.

Chu Danqing glanced at their corpses—no treasure chest.

Perhaps he'd need to eliminate all pursuers before receiving one.

But he worried he wouldn't have time.

Should he set an ambush to gather these bold fools together and kill them all at once?

They all wanted Chu Danqing's life; Chu Danqing would naturally show no mercy.

Chu Danqing was a kind man, not a self-sacrificing saint.

He had his own sense of right and wrong.

Xie Yuan had just drawn the Heavenly Wolf Cold Sword when the battle was already over.

He stared in stunned silence, then reluctantly sheathed the Heavenly Wolf Cold Sword.

He sighed inwardly: truly, beyond the sky lies higher sky, and beyond people stand greater ones.

"Young Master Xie, how much do you know about the million-gold bounty? Tell me in detail." Chu Danqing had sent Dabao to search the corpses, found nothing, and casually tossed them aside before asking.

Hearing the million-gold bounty, Xie Yuan thought for a moment and said, "I was traveling in haste; I know little—only rumors."

"After you crushed the bandits, logically, these forest outlaws couldn't have amassed such wealth."

"Rumors say this money came from Susen," Xie Yuan immediately said. "You and Grand Coordinator Xiong are their greatest threats."

"You quelled the bandit unrest in Taichang; Grand Coordinator Xiong held back the Susen threat from without."

"Though the current Emperor is young, he possesses wisdom and virtue; given time, Taichang will surely restore its former glory."

(End of Chapter)