Chapter Twenty-Two: The Cycle of Heaven

"..." Chen Xuan was speechless.

He had not come here to argue with Yang Ying'er; if she wanted to curse him, so be it.

"Rest assured, I am not the kind of person you think I am. Furthermore, I promised your father that I would take good care of you, and I will never break my word!" Chen Xuan said with a grave expression.

Had she heard these words in the past, Yang Ying'er would have scoffed, for in her eyes, apart from her father, all men were nothing but consummate liars.

However, Chen Xuan had fulfilled his promise to her just last night, leading her on a quest for vengeance that saw the Jinfeng Stronghold washed in blood. One had to understand that it was a den of wolves and tigers, a place where the chances of survival were slim to none. How many people had felt their legs turn to jelly at the mere mention of the Jinfeng Stronghold? Yet, Chen Xuan had led her straight into the heart of the enemy, slaughtering them until his white robes were stained crimson, leaving not a single soul alive. Because of this, she believed his promise was no empty jest.

"This matter is, in a way, my fault. If I hadn't gone to the Ping'an Escort Agency to hire your father..." Chen Xuan sighed softly; hiring Yang Xun to escort the goods was a decision he regretted.

Before he could finish, Yang Ying'er raised a hand to stop him. "My father once said that men die for wealth just as birds die for food. In our line of work, we live by the blade; if something didn't happen today, it would have happened tomorrow. He warned me since I was young that if he ever met with an accident while escorting goods, I must never resent the client. To die on the job is simply a sign that one's skills were inferior. You must accept it. To survive is a matter of ability; to die is a matter of fate."

"Therefore, I do not blame you. I only hate that my own skills are too poor to protect my father and the brothers of the escort agency."

As she spoke, Yang Ying'er's eyes reddened again, and tears welled up uncontrollably.

Chen Xuan stood beside her, his gaze solemn. "Do you want to learn martial arts?"

Yang Ying'er looked up at him, their eyes meeting.

"If you want to learn, come with me to the frontier, and I will teach you!"

"Fine!" Yang Ying'er was not a woman prone to pretense; she was direct and nodded in agreement.

"For now, don't bottle things up. If you want to cry, let it out. I am here, and my shoulder is always yours to lean on." Chen Xuan gently patted her head. At that moment, he felt a genuine heartache for this young woman.

In Chen Xuan, Yang Ying'er saw the shadow and the sense of responsibility of her father. The grievances and sorrows she had suppressed in her heart erupted all at once. She could no longer hold back; she wrapped her arms around Chen Xuan's waist, buried her face in his chest, and wept bitterly.

"There, there. Cry if you feel bad. Don't keep it inside; it's painful to hold it in." Chen Xuan stroked her hair gently, comforting her in a soft voice.

I do not know how long she cried, or perhaps she was simply exhausted from not having slept all night, but Yang Ying'er eventually fell asleep in Chen Xuan's arms. It was better that she sleep; once asleep, the pain would not be so acute.

Chen Xuan lifted her into his arms, carried her to the bed, covered her with the quilt, and quietly closed the door. He himself could not sleep; there was too much left to do.

Chen Xuan walked downstairs and saw the innkeeper behind the counter, busy with an abacus.

"Innkeeper."

"Sir, is there anything you need?" The innkeeper asked with a smile. This was a big client, and he naturally met him with a welcoming face; there was no reason to offend him.

"Has anything major happened on Bandit Mountain recently?" Chen Xuan asked deliberately. It stood to reason that the news of the Jinfeng Stronghold being wiped out would spread quickly, and the event would surely cause quite a stir. He was probing for information.

"Sir, you've asked the right person. Though our inn is small, we have a constant stream of guests from all corners of the land. They often discuss current events, and sometimes, if we are careful, we overhear great secrets." The innkeeper chuckled and continued, "Yesterday, a major event did indeed take place on Bandit Mountain!"

"Oh? What happened?" Chen Xuan raised an eyebrow.

"Well, sir, it's not that I don't want to tell you, but some things are taboo. I fear bringing trouble upon myself." The innkeeper gave a sly smile, implying he couldn't just wag his tongue at will.

Chen Xuan understood his meaning perfectly. He pulled a small piece of gold from his pocket and tossed it to him. He had no choice; he had no silver or copper, only gold, so he had to be recklessly generous—consider it the price of information.

The moment the innkeeper saw the gold, his eyes lit up. He snatched it up and bit it, leaving a perfect tooth mark, confirming it was genuine.

"You are truly generous, sir!" The innkeeper's face blossomed into a smile as bright as a chrysanthemum. With the money in hand, his attitude became far more respectful. He didn't even need Chen Xuan to prompt him; he began to ramble on, eager to share everything he knew.

"Sir, you don't know, but Bandit Mountain is crawling with outlaws, with dozens of strongholds both large and small. Among them was one called Jinfeng Stronghold—an old den of bandits. It held quite a force, rumored to be three or four hundred strong, and the chief was a master of martial arts, a true warrior of high standing."

"In their heyday, those bandits of Jinfeng burned, killed, and looted, committing every evil imaginable. They made ordinary folk like us tremble in fear!"

"But just yesterday, the cycle of heaven turned—who does heaven ever spare? That notorious Jinfeng Stronghold, from the eighty-year-old veteran bandit down to the newborn who hadn't yet opened his eyes, was slaughtered completely. Not a soul was left!"

"They say the scene was gruesome. Some who saw the bodies littering the ground were scared out of their wits; some even wet their pants and crawled away in terror..."

The innkeeper narrated with such vivid detail that it was as if he had been there himself.

"Oh? Is that so? A stronghold of hundreds wiped out, and no one went to report it to the authorities?" Chen Xuan feigned ignorance, acting suitably shocked.

"Report it to the authorities? Don't joke, sir. The officials are likely thrilled they're dead; they won't lift a finger for this."

The innkeeper continued to chatter on. Having received half a tael of gold, he feared Chen Xuan might leave, so he focused on providing emotional value.

"Innkeeper, I need a map of Bandit Mountain, preferably one that marks all the bandit dens. Can you procure one?" Chen Xuan had no time for the old man's nonsense; he had serious work to attend to.

"That's easy. Many who enter Bandit Mountain buy maps to avoid the other bandit groups. A map doesn't come cheap, but since we are fated to meet, I'll give you one for free." The innkeeper smiled, reached into a drawer beneath the counter, and produced a piece of parchment, handing it carefully to Chen Xuan.

Money truly could make the devil turn a millstone.

Chen Xuan took the map without further ado and scanned it carefully. Finally, his eyes landed on the words "Liufeng Stronghold." It was another bandit den, and according to the map, it was very close to Jinfeng—less than ten miles away.

"Innkeeper, prepare a horse for me." Chen Xuan pulled out a tael of gold and tossed it to the innkeeper.

The innkeeper’s heart soared. He had made a fortune today, having stumbled upon the "wealthy fool" type who paid in gold as if it were water! With the money delivered, the quality of service naturally peaked.

Soon, the innkeeper had a stable boy bring out a tall, sturdy horse. Naturally, it was a rental, and it had to be returned. If one wished to keep it, an additional fifty taels of gold would be required—the standard price for such a steed. The innkeeper wasn't worried about Chen Xuan running off, as the women he had brought were still at the inn.

"If the young lady I brought wakes up, tell her I've gone out to handle some business and will be back shortly. Tell her to wait for me here."

With that, Chen Xuan vaulted into the saddle and rode off.