Chapter 51: Establishing Authority

Outside the grand Qian family compound, a large crowd had gathered, most of them townsfolk drawn by curiosity. There was a corpse covered with a white cloth, but it attracted little attention. In these times, death was commonplace.

What truly shocked everyone was the gigantic dog carcass, so huge it took two ox carts to haul it. Such a monstrous dog, as large as an elephant—surely it had become some kind of fiend.

Fang Yue sat in the leading mule cart, eyes closed, resting, completely indifferent to the chatter around him. After his battle with the demon hound, he had eaten and drunk his fill to recover, then slept deeply. When he awoke in the afternoon, the villagers, following his instructions, had cleared away the beastly remains, and borrowed enough ox and mule carts from nearby households and villages to assemble five in total.

Then, with the group following behind, Fang Yue brought along Deng Yurong and the demon hound’s corpse, boarded the carts, and made their way to the Qian family’s residence in town.

...

Qian Dagui, leading several armed guards, stormed outside with great bluster. The first thing he saw was the young man sitting atop the mule cart, eyes shut as if meditating. This youth was like a drawn blade—his presence sharp and brimming with menace.

Qian Dagui was no stranger to martial arts. Years ago, he had rescued a man at sea—a master of the highest order, an innate grandmaster—who, though grievously wounded and unconscious, had drifted for days without dying until Qian passed by in his boat and saved him. The young Qian Dagui hadn’t known what being an innate grandmaster meant, but a few casual displays had convinced him of the man’s extraordinary skill.

Qian Dagui was clever; he immediately prostrated himself, begging to become the man’s disciple and pledging his lifelong service. The man, however, told him that his aptitude for martial arts was mediocre and that he had missed the best age to start training, so there was no point in pursuing it too hard. Still, Qian Dagui persisted in his pleas. Unable to resist any longer, and grateful for the rescue, the grandmaster, though refusing to take him as a disciple, did teach him martial arts for a month before departing once healed.

Qian Dagui, diligent and tenacious, managed to acquire real skill, and soon became a feared figure in Yutou Town.

It was precisely because he, too, was a martial artist that Qian Dagui recognized at first glance that Fang Yue was a formidable opponent. When his two guards had their arms broken, Qian Dagui had not been present and therefore hadn’t taken Fang Yue seriously. The guards, too ashamed to admit the truth, had described the incident as a fierce struggle, implying their injuries were the result of a hard fight, not the reality—that they were merely trying to ram into him and broke their own arms in the attempt.

Qian Dagui thus misjudged Fang Yue’s abilities, assuming he was merely a youth with some martial training, nothing to worry about. So he sat back, waiting to see how Deng Yurong would handle Fang Yue.

But now, with Fang Yue before him, still carrying the aura of deadly combat from his fight with the demon hound—his presence as sharp as a bared blade—Qian Dagui felt a chill. Then, seeing the colossal demon hound’s corpse loaded onto two carts behind, his eyes widened and he hastily signaled his guards to lower their weapons.

“Is this Scholar Fang?” Qian Dagui’s thoughts of rivalry vanished; the rebuke on his lips turned instead into a courteous greeting.

Fang Yue opened his eyes, the blade-sharp aura instantly sheathing itself, his demeanor calm and unthreatening.

“Yes, that’s me. And you must be Qian Dagui?”

“I am. May I ask what brings you here today, Scholar Fang?” Qian Dagui knew full well what this was about—dragging a corpse to his doorstep was hardly a friendly gesture.

Fang Yue leapt down from the mule cart. He wore a pale blue robe, worn and faded, clearly the garb of a poor scholar.

“Qian Dagui, I heard Deng Yurong was one of your household’s guards.”

Qian Dagui was momentarily at a loss. There was no way to deny it, so he replied, “It’s true I heard Deng Yurong had some unusual abilities and wished to hire him as a guard. If he caused any trouble, that’s his own doing; our Qian family won’t stand up for him.”

The admission was complete surrender, but Qian Dagui had no choice. That enormous demon hound—even if it had only the strength of an ordinary dog, its sheer size alone would have been beyond him. Now that Fang Yue had slain the beast and dragged its body to his door, there would be no easy way out. If he didn’t back down quickly, he feared he might end up under a white shroud himself.

With age, his courage had waned; Qian Dagui was no longer the fierce youth he once was.

“Very well, it has nothing to do with me. Deng Yurong was killed by wild beasts in the mountains. He has no family, and since I heard he was your guard, I brought his body here.”

Fang Yue inverted the truth without a flicker of guilt. Since Qian Dagui had yielded, he had no intention of pushing him further.

This whole display—parading the demon hound’s corpse through town—was not just for vengeance. Fang Yue needed to establish his authority in Yutou Town as quickly as possible.

With pirates from the Eastern Sea likely to invade, he alone, no matter how strong, could only kill so many. Among them, there were sure to be martial experts as well. He knew that if a large band of pirates descended on Yutou Town, he alone could not defend it.

Only by organizing the townsfolk and combining their strength could they hope to preserve their home. But to rally the people, he needed prestige—without it, no one would listen.

Thus, Qian Dagui was not his true target today. As long as he was willing to concede, Fang Yue saw no need to deal harshly with him.

After all, the law of the land remained—one could not kill with impunity. Of course, if Qian Dagui had refused to accept the situation, Fang Yue would not have hesitated to cripple him on the spot, using him as an example. After all, Qian Dagui had wielded power in Yutou Town for years; making an example of him would be as effective as the demon hound’s corpse.

Qian Dagui, not understanding Fang Yue’s intentions, was momentarily tongue-tied.

Fang Yue continued, “I’ve heard you’re known as a great philanthropist in town. Fang Bai Kuan of Fangqiao Village was killed by beasts in the mountains, leaving behind an aged mother and a helpless wife. In Botou Village, two families have had their men crippled by wild beasts. All these families are now in hardship. As the town’s great benefactor, shouldn’t you extend them some aid?”

At this, Qian Dagui was deeply relieved. If terms were being offered, the matter could be resolved. What he feared most was if Fang Yue demanded nothing at all. He replied quickly, “We’re all neighbors here. I, Qian, have some humble wealth—I certainly can’t stand by and watch them suffer. You can count on me, Scholar Fang.”

“I’ll take that as your promise. Deng Yurong was your guard; his body is yours to handle.”

“Of course, of course. I, Qian, have always kept my word. I will see it done.”

Fang Yue nodded, then suddenly said, “I heard you have some martial training as well. Here, take this manual, ‘The Jade Technique,’ as a gift.”

He drew a handwritten manual from his robe and tossed it to Qian Dagui.

Qian Dagui caught it, bewildered. Under Fang Yue’s encouraging gaze, he flipped through it—it was indeed an inner cultivation method. The ink was fresh, clearly recently copied, but the content was genuine.

Fang Yue said, “The way of martial arts lies in exchange. To train behind closed doors leads nowhere. This ‘Jade Technique’ is the inner method I practice. Now that you’ve seen it…”

Qian Dagui’s heart skipped; the manual in his hands suddenly felt hot as iron.

Fang Yue paused, then went on, “Your inner cultivation method should be shared with me as well. Only through mutual exchange can all progress. I don’t need your original—just copy your method and I’ll have someone collect it tomorrow. If you have any techniques for fists, blades, or swords, you can write those out too. I will share equivalent ones in return.”