Chapter 20: One Alliance, Two Gangs, Three Families

"You pay taxes twice a year, in summer and autumn; though you currently own no land, you still must pay the tax. Considering you are seventy and have no children, corvée labor is waived."

"You must report annually. If you fail to report for one year, your name will be struck from the rolls."

The clerk emphasized this point.

Li Rui was seventy, and could die at any moment.

That was why he needed to report frequently—if he failed to show up in any given year, the household office would assume he was dead.

Otherwise, with the technological level of ancient times, it was impossible to verify population status.

"Thank you, young sir."

Li Rui bowed deeply.

If not for the favor of Magistrate Ma, the clerk would never have offered so much advice.

He left the county government office.

Li Rui went to the broker’s office again.

He rented a tiny room, barely one zhang square, in Dongcheng for one tael of silver per year.

From then on, he finally had a home in Qinghe.

After gaining his freedom, the matters he needed to consider multiplied.

While he was a slave in the Zhu household, he never had to worry about taxes or anything else—just work hard. Now, so many things required thought.

"First, settle in the city."

"Fortunately, I still have thirty taels of silver—enough to last half a year—but I must find a way to earn money."

He was now a ranked martial artist, spending money like water.

No matter how large the fortune, it could not sustain idle consumption.

Days passed one by one.

Without his blade, Li Rui practiced the White Ape’s Cloak Blade Art with a wooden stick.

With his martial bone and breathing method enhancing him, his progress was terrifyingly fast.

In just half a month,

he reached the middle stage of Stone Skin training—he might break into the eighth rank within a year.

If any prodigy learned of this speed, they would spit blood three sheng.

Even the most gifted prodigies paled before Li Rui.

Though he was already seventy.

During this time, Wang Zhao and Yang Yong visited a few times.

Since Li Rui left the Zhu household, Master Zhu had changed his ways—he scolded Zhu Lie when Zhu Lie pressured Wang Zhao to lend a horse.

With Master Zhu Ping standing up for him, Wang Zhao’s life became much easier.

Li Rui finally relaxed.

One day,

Li Rui practiced his blade as usual at home.

Suddenly, a knock came at the door.

When he opened it, he expected Wang Zhao or Yang Yong—but it was Wu Tu.

An unexpected visitor!

Wu Tu grinned broadly: "Old brother, your body’s still as sturdy as ever! You got your freedom and didn’t even tell me—made your little brother go searching everywhere."

Li Rui: "It’s a small matter, no need to trouble Brother Wu."

Wu Tu’s eyes flickered with surprise.

"You’ve grown stronger?!"

In just one month, this old man had grown even stronger—he now felt genuinely wary.

"Brother Wu, what brings you here?"

Wu Tu chuckled: "As soon as I heard you’d gained your freedom, I came straight with good news."

"Good news?"

"Have you heard of the Heaven and Earth Alliance?"

Heaven and Earth Alliance!

When Li Rui heard those three words, his pupils contracted slightly.

Seeing Li Rui react, Wu Tu continued: "In this region’s martial world, there’s a saying: one alliance, two gangs, three families. Recently, several bosses of the Dark Eight Gates joined the Heaven and Earth Alliance. I thought, how could such a good opportunity miss old brother? So I came to tell you."

Li Rui knew exactly what Wu Tu meant by "one alliance, two gangs, three families."

They were the strongest factions in several nearby counties.

Even the county magistrate would avoid them.

The one alliance was the Heaven and Earth Alliance; the two gangs were the Blood Tiger Gang and the Broken Blade Gang; the three families were the Zhang, Wang, and Zhao families.

Yes, the Zhu family was not among them—compared to those three, the Zhu family didn’t even qualify.

The word "alliance" in Heaven and Earth Alliance already revealed its nature.

Legend says it was founded by three martial masters who rapidly expanded by absorbing martial artists from the southern counties of Anning Prefecture—it’s currently on the rise. Until now, he’d only heard of it in neighboring counties.

He never expected the Heaven and Earth Alliance to move into Qinghe so quickly.

Since they were recruiting,

martial artists who loved fighting—besides martial schools and escort agencies—were most numerous in the Dark Eight Gates.

Coincidentally, one of the three founders of the Heaven and Earth Alliance came from the Dark Eight Gates, so anyone willing to wash their hands clean was welcome.

Wu Tu joining the Heaven and Earth Alliance made perfect sense.

Unlike the Dark Eight Gates, which operated in the shadows, the Heaven and Earth Alliance was officially registered with the imperial court.

Yu State was indeed founded on martial prowess.

But its territory was vast—tens of thousands of li of mountains and rivers—and the court alone could not manage it all.

Under duress,

local governments often relied on regional powers to help maintain order.

Someone like Wu Tu, once admitted into the Heaven and Earth Alliance, was effectively whitewashed—he could now enter the county government office openly, with no one questioning him.

Wu Tu’s words stirred Li Rui’s interest.

Originally, he planned to take the martial examination and earn a title.

But the provincial exam was held every three years—it had just ended last year, so he’d have to wait another three. He couldn’t possibly live idle for three years. Joining the Heaven and Earth Alliance was a good path.

The Heaven and Earth Alliance had just entered Qinghe and was desperately short of people.

Joining now might earn him a good post.

Besides, the Heaven and Earth Alliance didn’t accept just anyone—you either had to be locally famous or have a sponsor.

Wu Tu qualified by reputation.

As a newly freed man, Li Rui needed a sponsor to join.

Li Rui had already decided. He bowed and said:

"I won’t make you go through the trouble of three visits like Liu Bei. Old brother accepts your offer."

Hearing Li Rui agree,

Wu Tu was overjoyed.

As Li Rui had guessed, the Heaven and Earth Alliance had just arrived in Qinghe and was desperate for people.

Li Rui was a ranked martial artist.

Bringing Li Rui into the alliance would earn Wu Tu credit and rewards—otherwise, why would he be so eager?

"Old brother, rest assured—I’ll get you a good post."

Wu Tu puffed out his chest loudly.

The Qinghe branch of the Heaven and Earth Alliance was newly established; the other bosses of the Dark Eight Gates were all secretly competing, desperately pushing their men into the alliance.

The principle of strength in numbers applied everywhere.

The more of your own people you had, the greater your voice within the alliance.

Just as the imperial examination system valued teacher-student ties and classmate bonds, the martial world was much the same.

Anyone you recommended was practically half your own.

If your people held key positions, future dealings would be much easier.

Wu Tu was truly determined to secure Li Rui a high-ranking post—so he could advance himself.

Then he grinned: "I practice Eagle Claw Fist—I’ve got sharp eyes. I noticed you’re already ranked. If I tell the Heaven and Earth Alliance, you’ll at least become an administrator—ten taels a month in salary alone, while regular members get one tael."

Li Rui raised an eyebrow.

Wu Tu had such keen eyesight?

He paused briefly, then nodded: "Then I’ll leave it to you, Brother Wu."

He was already at the middle stage of Stone Skin training, and with the White Ape’s Cloak Blade Art, his strength far surpassed ordinary ranked martial artists. Exposing his rank wouldn’t be dangerous—and the gap between administrator and regular member was enormous.

He’d surely meet other martial artists with sharp eyes like Wu Tu—he couldn’t hide it for long.

Better to reveal a quarter of his strength now.

(End of chapter)