Chapter 481: Ripples Ahead

A dangerous man, and you're inquiring about me?

Li Yan's gaze turned slightly cold; he quickly flung open the window. "Don't rush—come in and speak slowly."

The beggar boy was clearly terrified; after crawling inside, he saw Li Yan calmly pouring him water and urgently cried, "Sir, you must run—delay and it'll be too late!"

"Relax. Drink some water and tell me slowly."

Li Yan's expression remained calm as he handed the teacup over.

The beggar boy didn't even bother to drink; he blurted out, "We were cooking in the ruined temple when two vicious beggars burst in, kicked over our pot, and started asking about Longquanyi."

"They even knew what you were wearing—was your name Li Yan?"

"Correct."

"That's it. We took a beating but didn't speak. But then we heard more people arriving outside the temple—they said they'd tracked you to the inn and were gathering men to trap you here…"

"Oh, they also mentioned the Shu Prince's bounty…"

Though nervous, the beggar boy spoke with clarity.

Li Yan immediately deduced the reason.

The Shu Prince had put a bounty on him.

This wasn't the first time it had happened.

The Shu Prince was extremely well-known in the Jianghu.

Unlike other princes, this Shu Prince had recently taken great interest in Jianghu and Daoist matters—even organizing martial tournaments.

He had even recruited several rogue masters into his household.

Last year, a Daoist lecher sneaked into Chengdu and assaulted over a dozen virtuous maidens. The Shu Prince flew into a rage and issued a bounty.

Eventually, the lecher was hunted down and killed by Jianghu experts outside the city.

It became a celebrated tale throughout the Jianghu.

Who would have thought that now, he himself had become the bounty target.

Li Yan pondered for a moment, pulled a silver ingot from his robe, and pressed it into the beggar boy's hand. "You're commendable. Even in hardship, you protected your companions—that's righteousness. You came to warn me of danger—that's courage. You'll surely rise beyond the ordinary."

"I wander the Jianghu—I can't protect others. Too heavy a burden would crush you. Take this."

"Your path ahead? You must walk it alone!"

Sha Lifi had once saved a beggar in Chongqing out of shared suffering.

This beggar boy reminded him of his past self—not begging, but once sunk into the abyss, with a dozen others depending on him.

He had hated. He had resented. But never once given up.

The beggar boy said nothing. Like clutching a dying straw of fate, he gripped the silver tightly and bowed respectfully.

"Master, my name is Yao Ge, my true name Yang Tianbao."

With that, he flipped out the window.

Such agility—he must have trained as a child.

Li Yan didn't know what the boy had endured, but he saw that as the boy ran down the street, his spine had straightened by a third…

Seeing the beggar boy safely gone, Li Yan turned to the table, pondered briefly, and resumed packing his belongings.

This time, however, the nearly packed luggage was unpacked again and reorganized.

His usual weapons and talismans he kept on his person.

The less-used items he repacked separately.

He knew he couldn't leave for now.

No matter the reason, now that the Shu Prince had marked him, he had to change tactics.

He could easily vanish and hide—but for the bounty, waves of Jianghu figures might find Sha Lifi and the others.

And they'd disrupt what both sides were doing.

If so, he'd openly reveal his identity, draw all eyes to himself, and make others safer.

Knock knock knock!

The door banged again.

Outside, the innkeeper's boy trembled, "G-guest… the proprietor sent me to ask—how many more days will you stay?"

Li Yan raised an eyebrow. "What? You won't let me stay even though I pay? Planning to throw me out?"

"No no no, I just talked too much…"

The boy panicked and scrambled downstairs.

Li Yan shook his head slightly, then chanted a spell and listened closely.

Soon, low voices rose from below.

"What's the situation?"

"Boss, he ain't leaving."

"Damn it, this is killing me—if a fight breaks out, my inn's ruined!"

"Boss, is that guy really a notorious bandit?"

"Sure is—they say he stole the Shu Prince's treasure."

"Then why haven't the officials shown up?"

"Who knows?"

Hearing this, Li Yan smiled wryly.

The innkeeper's reaction was no surprise.

Near such a transit hub, they were the best-informed—likely, Jianghu figures had already come asking questions, even issuing warnings.

What puzzled him was this:

All were Jianghu people—no officials had come.

What was the Shu Prince trying to do…?

Li Yan harbored doubts, but his hands kept moving. After packing, he slung the bundle over his shoulder, donned his wide-brimmed hat, and stepped out.

Seeing him descend, the innkeeper and his boy froze stiff.

"Settle the bill. I'm leaving."

Hearing Li Yan say this, the innkeeper beamed. He waved his hands frantically. "Master, staying at my humble inn is an honor—you don't owe me a single coin!"

Li Yan shook his head slightly, too lazy to argue, and dropped a few silver coins on the counter. "Where can I buy a horse?"

"Master, the stable's right over there—but…"

Before the innkeeper finished, Li Yan strode away.

Watching him go, the boy swallowed hard. "Boss, aren't Zuan Shan Bao and his men at the stable?"

"Shut your mouth!"

The innkeeper waved him off. "Quick, lock up! Bring the brazier, willow-water—let's send off the plague demon!"

…………

The nickname "Zuan Shan Bao" was common in the Jianghu.

Almost every region had someone called "Zuan Shan Bao," usually indicating bravery and cunning.

Lu Feng was one such man.

In his youth, he joined the Zhao Sect and mastered martial arts—but his temper flared, he beat his senior brother, and was expelled.

He was a lone wolf; he grabbed his blade, tied his head to his belt, and took up the trade of killing for coin or bounty—gradually building a name.

Today, he commanded a band of hardened men, all fearless fighters.

As long as the coin was right, he'd help gangs seize territory or rob caravans—nothing was beyond him.

He even led men up the mountains to wipe out a bandit nest.

It was from this that the name "Zuan Shan Bao" was born.

He was a notable figure in Sichuan's Jianghu.

Now, he and his men hid inside the stable—sharpening blades, polishing bows, every eye cold and sharp.

"Big Brother, this job's risky…"

An older man beside him couldn't help speaking up.

"Risky or not—we do it!"

"Zuan Shan Bao" slammed his blade onto the table, teeth gritted. "Ten thousand taels of silver—this chance comes once in a lifetime."

His eyes turned cruel. "He's no easy target. When it's time to fight, we fight to the death."

"In a few years, we'll be too old to swing blades, with little money saved—better to risk it now!"

"Big Brother…"

Just then, a thug burst in, face flushed with tension and excitement. "He's coming toward the stable!"

"You're sure?" "Zuan Shan Bao" grabbed the thug by the collar.

"Are you sure?!"

The thug gritted his teeth. "I saw him leave the inn—carrying his pack, heading here to buy a horse."

"Perfect chance!"

"Zuan Shan Bao" drew a deep breath. "All of you—hide! When I smash the cup, strike together!"

At his command, they vanished.

Some hid behind the door with blades.

Others stood at the second-floor corner with bows drawn.

Even on the rafters stood two men, their hands gripping a large iron net hung with sharp iron hooks.

This device was specially used by the yamen to deal with people of the jianghu.

!.

The gang known as "Climbing Panther" never followed jianghu rules; they always outnumbered their foes, used whatever worked best, and were masters at it.

The innkeeper and staff of the carriage lodge wore expressions of bitter sorrow.

They dared not even imagine compensating for damaged goods—if they got caught in the crossfire and lost their lives, that would be sheer misfortune.

Unfortunately, with arrows aimed at them, no one dared to run.

Not long after, Li Yan arrived, carrying his luggage on his back.

The autumn wind swept through, stirring up dead leaves on the ground.

He lifted his wide-brimmed hat, his gaze calm, and strode into the carriage lodge with a smile: "Innkeeper, I'd like to buy a horse."

"Gek… gek…"

The innkeeper's face was drenched in cold sweat; he couldn't speak.

Li Yan paid no mind, glanced around, then walked to the stable, his eyes growing slightly colder.

"Neigh!"

Several old horses instantly panicked, rearing back, their reins swinging.

Seeing this, Li Yan immediately frowned.

This place clearly had no good horses—used for years hauling heavy loads, their spirits had been worn flat; even a hint of lethal aura made them recoil.

If something happened on the road, they might just drag off my luggage…

"Aoo~ Aoo~"

At that moment, a head edged closer from the side.

It was a large gray donkey, neck stretched out, as if begging for food; it looked beaten, one eye higher than the other.

It looked… full of wisdom…

"Hahaha."

Li Yan laughed, patting the donkey's head: "You're it—eyesight's poor, brain's poor, but at least you've got guts."

"How much?"

"Sir, this donkey's addled—it's… meant to be slaughtered for meat… it's… free."

The innkeeper trembled, babbling incoherently.

"How much?"

Li Yan led the donkey out, tied his luggage to it, and asked again.

The innkeeper swallowed hard: "F-five taels of silver."

"Too little!"

Li Yan tossed down a ten-tael silver ingot, then led the donkey slowly out of Longquanyi.

Throughout, no one dared move.

Wherever Li Yan walked, the compacted earth sank half an inch, leaving footprints of uniform depth.

"B… Brother."

One of the gang members swallowed hard.

"Damn it!"

"Climbing Panther" stared at the footprints and spat fiercely: "From now on, call me Climbing Donkey."

"Such a young kid… what kind of monster is this…?"

…………

Outside Longquanyi, Li Yan shoved a radish into the donkey's mouth, then mounted it, strolling lazily along the official road.

Those people at the carriage lodge were merely lowlife jianghu scum.

If he killed them, he'd risk dirtying his hands.

After revealing his skill, the ones who came next would surely be experts.

Now that his identity was out, how could his blade spare any nameless fool?

Yet what puzzled Li Yan was that after all this time, no one had come to attack him.

At that moment, two men hurried toward Longquanyi—both skilled in hidden force, their steps like eight steps chasing cicadas, rushing forward with a whistle.

"Greetings, Li Shaoxia!"

Before Li Yan could speak, both bowed in unison.

One of the men said gravely: "We are disciples of Huangling Sect. Our master sent us to thank you."

"Don't worry about the bounty— we've warned off everyone; they won't trouble you."

Li Yan immediately understood, smiled, and returned the bow: "Thank you."

"But I have one question: why didn't the Shu Prince's Mansion simply order the yamen to arrest me? Why go through the trouble of posting a bounty?"

One of the Huangling disciples hesitated, then said: "The situation in Chengdu is complicated. The court has sent an Imperial Censor who's been causing trouble for the Shu Prince's Mansion."

"I don't know all the details, but our master said the 'Ruyi Treasure Pearl' went missing in a suspicious way. If the Chengdu yamen had acted, they might have uncovered something—so they posted the bounty."

"Even if the Censor asks, they can claim ignorance."

"Also, the Shu Prince's Mansion keeps many jianghu oddities. Though we can hold off the jianghu crowd, the real threat will likely be these people."

"Li Shaoxia, Chengdu is dangerous. You'd best leave as soon as possible."

"So that's how it is…"

Li Yan suddenly understood—and found it laughable.

Though he'd never met the Emperor in the capital, along this journey he'd seen many things and understood the Emperor's methods.

The Sea Trade Faction, the Local Faction, the Buddhist and Daoist schools, the court and the provinces… none would allow any one side to dominate; there must be checks and balances.

The imperial family is ruthless—even toward their own blood.

The Shu Prince's Mansion has been acting recklessly these years. Though the Emperor says nothing, the court ministers daring to stir trouble? They've surely sensed the Emperor's intent.

If they knew his own brother was seeking the Elixir of Immortality…

The Shu Prince's Mansion would be in deep trouble.

Thinking of this, Li Yan bowed deeply: "Gentlemen, please convey my thanks to the elders of Huangling Sect."

"Once this matter is settled, I will come to pay my respects in person."

Saying this, he led the donkey lazily toward the ferry.

He planned to take a boat down the Tuojiang River, drawing attention along the way, then after reaching Neijiang, spread false rumors heading to Yibin, while actually turning overland to meet up with Sha Lifi.

If timed right, this would give Sha Lifi and Wang Daoxuan enough time to search for clues.

Watching Li Yan ride off lazily on his donkey, the two Huangling disciples exchanged glances.

"Brother, isn't this guy an idiot? We made it so clear—why isn't he running?"

"Nonsense. A kid his age with such a reputation must have hidden strengths—perhaps he has another plan."

"Forget it. We delivered the message. Let's return and report…"

As they spoke, they flicked their reins and rode off.

Not long after they left, a carriage raced toward them.

Inside, a man with a painted face wore a gloomy expression.

Meanwhile, news of Li Yan's appearance near Longquanyi spread rapidly.

Those unfamiliar with him everywhere inquired.

Who exactly is this Li Yan?

And others, too, were heading toward Chengdu.

Li Yan had underestimated his own fame—he thought he was merely drawing the Shu Prince's Mansion's attention, unaware he had already stirred countless hidden currents…

(End of Chapter)