Volume Two: Bandits Among Us Chapter Ninety-Two: A Fierce Tiger in the Town

“No, I still have to go back,” Lin Peiyou shook his head, his gaze shifting from hesitation to determination.

Lin Changtian glanced at him sideways, turned his body slightly, and pointed down the mountain. “Then leave. I won’t stop you.”

“Well, what I meant was, after I finish my studies, I’ll return... Is that not allowed?” Lin Peiyou asked cautiously, as if fearing Lin Changtian would truly abandon him.

The tense air lingered for a long moment. Lin Peiyou’s palms were sweaty, filled with both hope and fear as he awaited the response from the master of this place.

Lin Changtian also shook his head, observing the younger man’s crestfallen expression. When Lin Peiyou’s sorrow peaked—tears the size of soybeans streaming down—he finally spoke slowly, “What I meant is, once you’ve completed your training, you don’t have to stay here.”

At those words, the grieving youth froze momentarily, then burst into joyful cheers, spinning around a few times before clearing his throat and putting on a serious face. “In that case, I’ll write a letter sealing off the matters here to my father, first clearing up the misunderstanding, then setting some rules. Not a penny will be lacking for tuition, but... since you’re not much older than me, we can skip the formal apprenticeship. Let’s just keep a purely transactional relationship.”

Before Lin Changtian could respond, a young maiden approached from a distance, graceful and slender, her long hair hanging down as if she had just awakened. The fresh glow of spring tinted her eyebrows, with delicate sideburns framing her face, soft as autumn sadness.

Lin Peiyou squinted slightly and nudged Lin Changtian, asking, “Does she know you?”

“She’s my foster sister, Chen Yixiao. You, an outsider, had better drop those filthy thoughts immediately!” Lin Changtian glared at him, hands on his hips, as if ready to chop this young master down with a single stroke.

Lin Peiyou suppressed his smile, brushing his sleeve with a hint of grievance. “Master, what nonsense is that? Won’t she be our master of the house from now on? Rest assured, she’ll be like my own mother!”

Lin Changtian was stunned for a long moment, suddenly realizing that this shameless demeanor was eerily similar to someone else.

Hmm, it certainly wasn’t his.

“Do you think Lin Yuan would believe just a sealed letter? Won’t he suspect you were coerced into writing it? If that leads to a military campaign on Sishan and sparks another war, it would be a disaster,” Lin Changtian kicked Lin Peiyou lightly, speaking with irritation.

Lin Peiyou smiled slyly, quite pleased with himself. “The noble clans in the Northern Region are much more enigmatic than those in the Central Lands. I’m not just the barbarian you call me. Relax, everything’s under control.”

“You...” Lin Changtian pursed his lips, hesitating for a long time before finally saying, “You still don’t understand. It’s precisely because of you that I’m uneasy...”

Lin Peiyou gave him a pitiful look, crouching down and rolling on the ground.

...

The territory of Xieli Town had always been a season rife with turmoil.

Years of warfare and repeated changes in leadership had brought a grim atmosphere filled with the clangor of arms. No matter that Lin Yuan had razed the city; even harsher scenes had been witnessed here before.

Survival itself was a skill born of the greed and cunning of the people.

But this time things were about to go awry. Liu Shiyong knelt on the street, head pounding like a mortar pestle. The town officials had been mostly slaughtered, with only a dozen or so scattered survivors wiping tears on their blue robes, weeping as they awaited death.

They had no strength left to plead, but the crowd on the street was lively.

“Let a man speak a few words and then vanish without a trace? That fool can’t be my third son!” A man brought a chair outside and sat down in the middle of the street, ready to execute.

He never liked hiding ugly truths deep within the courtyard, but the elders of the clan preferred to conceal things, as if that would keep them secret.

Hiding so much filth solves nothing—just as the scholars in Fuzicheng wouldn’t reason with Ma Hui, yet constantly nagged right in front of him. They hoped someone would seek justice for them, but insisted on maintaining appearances, endlessly talking of benevolence while never mentioning their true desperate pleas.

If these were the heads of the ancient Seven Hopes, such things would be tacitly understood.

You compose grandiose words and praise me to the heavens; I, in turn, swing my fists to do the dirty, exhausting work for you!

But Lin Yuan gave no respect. He feigned ignorance, playing the fool to tease the scholars and even found amusement in it to soothe his poor ears.

His only fear was his seemingly gentle wife.

Since Lin Peiyou disappeared, she had been nagging Lin Yuan daily to go out and find him.

Lin Yuan felt bitter—those three youngsters were her darlings, while he, her childhood playmate and husband, apparently wasn’t treasured. How dare those brats compete for her love! Well, perhaps he shouldn’t say that; after all, they were his own blood...

“I heard that brat sent a letter yesterday to report he’s safe? Where is it? Let me see it,” Lin Yuan said arrogantly, stretching out his hand.

Of the dozen officials in blue, only the one kowtowing remained alive.

Liu Shiyong trembled as he stood, holding the letter above his head and presenting it with both hands to Lin Yuan.

“Oh, I never thought that unlucky thing could be so filial,” Lin Yuan said with a crooked smile after reading the letter. “Xu Yannian, tell me, don’t these sons only remember their fathers when they want money?”

The bodyguard scratching his head replied obediently, “Commander, my son is only three months old and can barely speak. He cries all day and only shows affection to his mother. At other times, he’s always sulking. So, he probably doesn’t know his father’s merits yet.”

“A baby that young? He’s probably just at the nursing stage. Forget it, it’s pointless to ask you, you fool. How’s Xu Afu’s health lately?” Lin Yuan rolled his eyes, asking about Xu Yannian’s father.

Xu Yannian lowered his head, speaking quietly, “My father feels he won’t last much longer. He took up his sword and went to the frontier, saying he’d rather die on the battlefield than bring shame to you!”

“Why would I care about that shame? Which wound has been plaguing my father day and night?” Lin Yuan tossed the letter aside and bowed deeply toward a star hanging in the sky.

Xu Yannian pointed east with his sword. “If only Ma Hui had lived two more days, I’d have chopped him to pieces by now!”

“At Luoyou Mountain? Then... kill three thousand of Ma Hui’s surrendered soldiers and send the old general on his way. Then send Cheng Hu’er eastward to expand forty miles, leaving no grass alive!” Lin Yuan picked up the letter, tore it, and threw the pieces into the fire pit, watching them burn to ashes.

The man’s features darkened considerably as he donned a fur coat, making himself look more formidable.

“The elders of the clan all supported a man named Liu Shiyong as Xieli’s administrator. I agreed too, but look at what you did! Colluding with the corrupt, bullying the civilians of Xieli Town until you dared to lay a hand on my son?”

Lin Yuan’s tone was calm, but beside him Xu Yannian rested his blade against Liu Shiyong’s ear, as if whatever part the master ordered cut off would instantly fall.

Liu Shiyong wiped cold sweat from his brow, knowing Lin Yuan’s temper. He hurriedly explained, “Commander, your previous orders demanded the eradication of prostitutes and other lowly elements, but there are so many impoverished people. This emerging filth suited the interests of the noble families. This place was a chaotic mixture to begin with, with deep-rooted problems. Officials and clerks were uncertain, and with the young master’s zeal following the scholars’ teachings, it forced the local gentry and officials to band together to deceive him. I had no choice.”

“I’ve heard of the lowly elements too. I thought to gather them all together, gradually resolving matters by turning some to farming and others to trade, supporting them with money, grain, and land, giving them a way to live without begging. But who would have thought this fool did more harm than good, causing the people of Xieli much suffering? Since you’ve killed off the officials, start fresh and build a new team. Maybe then this chronic illness can be cured.” Lin Yuan feigned sorrow, clearly vexed by the troubles Lin Peiyou had caused.

Yet no one naïvely believed that this young troublemaker had no one pulling the strings behind him.

Liu Shiyong bowed his head, recalling rumors he had heard. It was said that the cleansing of the lowly was a plan devised by the Lin elders and the scholars, but now it had turned into chaos, and if they exploited this pretext...

He dared not think further and shivered, meeting Lin Yuan’s calm yet intimidating gaze. He knelt and said, “Commander, the young master’s affairs are urgent. The corrupt officials remaining in Xieli Town lack credibility. Allow me to go to Sishan to settle the... tuition fees, and secretly investigate their strength and weaknesses?”

“That’s your own choice, Xu Yannian. Assign him a cavalry unit and let him stay in Sishan to accompany my unruly fool, learning some things. Also, help me listen in and find out where Lin Changtian comes from.” Lin Yuan took off his fur coat and draped it over a dejected Liu Shiyong’s shoulders, pressing down on his arm with measured weight.

Perhaps this meant, “This is your third and final chance.”

...

Inside Sishan University Hall, another youth had begun serving tea and fetching water for Liu Qingshan.

“So you’re a descendant of the Lin family from the ancient Seven Hopes?” Liu Qingshan looked at Lin Peiyou with growing curiosity.

Hearing inquiries about his background, Lin Peiyou quickly cleared his throat and humbly replied, “It’s nothing remarkable, just a legitimate branch carrying on the lineage within the Seven Hopes. Coincidentally, I’m from the direct line of that branch. Aside from that, I’m quite ordinary.”

“Oh? Nothing remarkable, huh?” Liu Qingshan pointed at Wei Mou, then at himself. “That kid is royalty from Wenyuan Divine Continent, which is in the Central Lands. As for me, I come from the Northern Region, predating the Seven Hopes—descended from the Guilty Clan.”

Lin Peiyou was stunned for a long moment, then frowned and said bitterly, “I’m too ignorant. Setting aside Wenyuan Divine Continent, the Guilty Clan... I haven’t seen them in ages.”

“Forgot after just a year or two? Didn’t Yu Baili once suppress the entire Northern Region to the point of suffocation?” Liu Qingshan flipped through a handwritten scroll, studying the ink.

Lin Peiyou frowned. “Yu Baili came from the Central Lands. The reputation of ‘Crow Tiger’ was earned on the Northern border, true, but that doesn’t make him a member of the Guilty Clan.”

“Whether he counts or not is not for you to decide. I don’t even qualify to say...” Liu Qingshan scolded, not looking up, fully absorbed in the scroll.

Lin Peiyou wasn’t offended. Having seen the old man’s methods over the past few days—he was the sort who carried a wolf’s tooth club even to class—he was cautious.

He edged closer and pointed at the scroll. “Senior Liu, whose handwriting is this? It’s terribly ugly...”

“This isn’t really a book—well, it counts as one. Each chapter is a self-criticism by that brat Lin Changtian. He kept avoiding writing it, but a few days ago I caught up with him and gave him a beating before he handed it over to me. There’s no way he wrote it so fast. I’m convinced he hired a ghostwriter!”

Liu Qingshan glanced at the gleeful Lin Peiyou and added, “Don’t worry, your turn will come soon enough.”

Lin Peiyou spread his hands. If dozens of scholars couldn’t find a pretext to punish him, surely he wouldn’t fall to an old man.

Thinking this, he turned to leave.

“Wait! Who told you to step out with your left foot first? Bring me a ten-thousand-character self-criticism tomorrow!”

Lin Peiyou stumbled and fell to the ground, vaguely hearing a devilish voice from behind:

“Who told you your head would hit the ground first! And you smashed my doorstep—add another ten thousand characters!”