Leopard Saber Sect.

The place is deserted, once a thriving sect, now fallen and lamentable. Li Xian jumped into the courtyard, removed his mask, and walked towards the inner courtyard.

The building along the road is neatly arranged. There is a martial arts stage, a dining hall, a task hall...

Li Xian thought: "If there is a treasure, it should more likely be in the inner courtyard." So he didn't search one by one.

After walking for a while, he saw a small green garden with green plants and trees planted, surrounded by more than ten disciple quarters.

This is where the disciples of the Leopard Saber Sect usually rest. Many clothes were hung in front of the houses, left behind and abandoned.

Li Xian pondered: "This fabric shouldn't be wasted. Tomorrow I'll call the constables over to collect them, have them washed, and distribute them free to the poor."

He recalled the past.

His and his younger brother's biggest dream was to have a piece of clothing. In the impoverished Leaking Bottle Lane, a piece of clothing could be passed down for generations.

He continued deeper. This time, Li Xian walked with his head held high, unafraid to explore, looking around and taking in everything he previously ignored.

Xu Liefeng, that old guy, knew how to enjoy life.

Every day his direct disciples served him with food and care. Apart from practicing martial arts, he did not need to do anything himself, and disciples attended to all his needs.

Li Xian entered the bedroom.

After a thorough search, he found many exquisite jade pieces and splendid clothes. Li Xian silently noted them down; selling them could fetch more than a hundred taels of silver.

He searched carefully, looking for some martial arts secret manuals or extraordinary techniques. But in the end, he was disappointed and only found a few basic martial arts, not very appetizing yet hard to abandon.

"Hmm?"

While searching the bookshelf, Li Xian found "Blood Luo Technique," which he briefly flipped through. This martial art is of middle grade and quite outstanding but too sinister. Practicing it further would lead to complete destruction of one's form.

Li Xian discarded it immediately, too lazy to take a second look.

"Is this a treasure?!"

Li Xian opened his heavy pupils, discovering a hidden compartment under the bed. It contained a mechanism that would shoot poisonous needles if forced open, killing the thief.

With such strict precautions, the treasure inside was certainly not trivial. Li Xian was secretly grateful; if it weren't for his heavy pupils, he would have either missed it or fallen victim to the trap.

His method was simple. He poured lamp oil on the bed and set it on fire. The mechanism inside was destroyed in the flames.

A black wooden box remained intact.

Opening the box, he found a piece of "Meat Jade." It felt like flesh but looked like jade. Li Xian put it away, overjoyed. The "Jade Water Pearl" was already immensely useful; if Xu Liefeng had this, today's outcome would have been unpredictable.

Having one more treasure on his person gave him more confidence in navigating Jianghu and securing wealth.

"Hmm?" Li Xian suddenly paused. He remained motionless but sensed a gaze upon him.

Li Xian thought: "Could it be Madam watching? No, Madam wouldn't come out for such a trivial matter. But… if she sent someone else, monitoring me secretly is very likely."

"If so, if I keep the treasure for myself, Madam probably..."

...

...

A night passed.

Li Xian had searched thoroughly inside and out. Xu Liefeng had accumulated wealth over decades.

A room for the treasure "Meat Jade," rare creatures "Joyful Bird" and "Blue Blood Snake," and about a dozen basic martial arts books. But all were incomplete; the crucial Heart Method Mantra parts had to be orally transmitted.

Besides these, there were more than five hundred taels of silver. Li Xian felt there should be more. Some disciples might have stolen parts in the chaos.

A "Golden Leopard Saber."

The handle was carved with a leopard's mouth from black gold. The back of the saber was segmented like a human spine. Infusing it with inner Qi activated the mechanism.

The saber became soft like a whip.

Strong yet supple, it complemented the Leopard Saber Sect's sword technique. Xu Liefeng could exert tremendous power when using it. Unfortunately, in the battle yesterday, he had no chance to deploy it fully and drowned in the lake.

"In martial artists' battles, having high martial arts and profound mastery doesn't guarantee victory. One must make good use of everything around them." Li Xian mused.

But essentially, it was Madam who effortlessly cut off his hand, foot, and eye, rendering his martial arts eighty percent useless.

That gave Li Xian a chance.

A scroll of the treasure map.

It depicted mountains and lakes, seemingly recording the location of a grave. But Li Xian's current knowledge was limited to Yihetang Manor and Qingning County; he couldn't make heads or tails of it.

He committed it to memory, then rolled it back up.

Apart from these, there were miscellaneous items not worth mentioning. Li Xian organized everything.

Then he returned to Qingning Lake.

Removing his boots, he jumped into the lake. Diving deep, he found Xu Liefeng's corpse. After soaking overnight, his face was pale, eyes wide open, dead but not at peace.

Li Xian tried to move the body but found it heavy and hard to maneuver underwater, failing twice.

So, he went ashore and brought some hemp rope, tying it around Xu Liefeng's waist and letting people onshore pull it out.

Onlookers from the surrounding community.

When Xu Liefeng was dragged to the shore, the crowd was in an uproar, scattering in fright.

"Martial Captain, what… what kind of monster is this?"

The constables were trembling with fear.

After Xu Liefeng's death, the Red Mushroom Ginseng inside him continued to grow. His face was covered in tendrils, densely packed, giving onlookers chills.

"This person was a demon, committing evil last night, and I killed him on the spot. Don't spread rumors to avoid causing public panic!" Li Xian instructed.

"Martial Captain, you are unrivaled!"

The constables admired him.

Li Xian fulfilled his promise, burying Xu Liefeng's body whole in the black coffin Madam provided. Then he ordered the treasures large and small of Leopard Saber Sect be loaded into a carriage.

Brought back to Yihetang Manor.

...

...

The sunlight broke at dawn, clearing the air.

Inside Yihetang Manor.

"The old servant pays respects."

In the manor, Uncle Xiang, who tirelessly managed the accounts, arrived early in the inner courtyard, bypassing Qiuyue and heading straight to Madam Wen's bedroom.

He prostrated himself, performing a special ritual with utmost devotion.

Madam Wen, resting behind the curtain, was just waking from slumber, her breath fragrant. Hearing the noise, she opened her eyes slightly and said, "Why are you here?"

Uncle Xiang said, "Madam, Xu Liefeng is dead!"

"Oh?" Madam Wen showed a hint of curiosity, "How did he die?"

"Li Xian killed him!" Uncle Xiang replied truthfully.

"Interesting, interesting." Madam Wen yawned slightly and asked, "Didn't you say Li Xian issued a battle letter, inviting him to a duel in four days? Why is he dead already?"

Uncle Xiang respectfully replied, "I didn't expect it. By the time I reacted, Xu Liefeng was already dead. It wasn't until this morning that I realized this boy deliberately issued the battle letter, focusing Xu Liefeng's attention on four days later, naturally making him careless recently."

"Then Li Xian launched a surprise attack last night, catching him off guard and killed Xu Liefeng!"

"Did you see the events of last night?" Madam Wen asked curiously.

"Following your orders, I watched Xu Liefeng throughout the night. If Li Xian encountered danger, I would have intervened to save him. So I witnessed last night's events." Uncle Xiang narrated what he saw.

How Li Xian infiltrated, lit an unusual incense, and successfully ambushed. How he lured him to the lake and killed Xu Liefeng in the water.

Uncle Xiang saw the general process but was unclear of the real details. He couldn't detect Li Xian's "Heavy Pupils."

Because Li Xian's Heavy Pupil Eye Power is extremely strong, surpassing Uncle Xiang's. If Uncle Xiang discovered the Heavy Pupils, Li Xian would surely notice him as well.

Uncle Xiang said, "Madam has sharp eyes, this Li Xian is indeed a talent, born of low status, but shows the demeanor of a young dragon. However..."

"However, what?" Madam Wen asked softly.

Uncle Xiang said, "But... because this boy is too clever. I watched him rise from a servant selling his body to a commander."

"Now he's even taken a position in the county. While luck played a part, his cunning and determination are certainly not lacking. Last night's encounter further proves it. He's definitely not someone easily subdued like Pang Long."

"People like him will not be easy to tame. Madam must measure the situation carefully."

Madam Wen frowned slightly, sitting up slowly, pondering over the matter.

"Madam, I have a plan to test his loyalty." Uncle Xiang said.

"Speak," Madam Wen replied.

Uncle Xiang said, "Last night, after Li Xian killed Xu Liefeng, he returned to his mansion and searched it thoroughly."

"Though I was far away, I saw he seemed to find a rare treasure. Li Xian will return soon, and we just need to see if he presents the treasure to know his loyalty."

Madam Wen nodded, saying, "I understand. I already have an opinion, Uncle Xiang, you may rest."

"Yes!" Uncle Xiang took his leave.

Madam Wen stepped out from behind the curtain, styled her long hair, and thought, "Uncle Xiang is right, this boy has talent and is quite intelligent. This young dragon... still needs to be knocked now and then, to make him sincerely obedient."

...

...

Around the third quarter of the morning.

Li Xian brought the coffin back to the manor.

"How ominous, how ominous, Li Xian, what are you doing! Bringing a coffin back here, it's outrageous!" Qiuyue stood with hands on hips, pointing and not allowing Li Xian to enter the manor.

"Get lost." Li Xian couldn't be bothered with her, grabbed her belt, and tossed her towards the crowd of servants.

Qiuyue screamed as she was thrown into the crowd. Her powerful but vulgar demeanor surfaced as she landed among dirty and smelly servants. Her beautiful dress instantly became dirty, making her feel worse than if she were dead.

Screaming and humiliated, filled with anger to kill Li Xian, yet intimidated by his presence, she dared not act further.

Pulled the Black Coffin into the manor, heading straight to the inner courtyard.

"Madam, Xu Liefeng has been executed, as you ordered, I've kept his body intact and buried it in the Black Coffin!" Li Xian directly stated upon meeting Madam Wen, "Does Madam wish to see it?"

"No need." Madam Wen patted her skirt, "He's dead, what's the point of seeing him."

"You accomplished your task, but I won't reward you, just leave now."

Madam Wen, skilled in scheming, knew Li Xian feared her. If she asked for the treasure, Li Xian would hand it over, thus, unable to test his loyalty.

So she dismissed him first, giving him the illusion of getting away easily, while she was aware of everything.

Li Xian was taken aback, thinking, "If truly so, I could get away with it, take the treasure and explore its use, wouldn't that be great!"

The thought did cross his mind, but he quickly rejected it for two reasons: one, he felt a gaze watching him last night. Though he didn't know who it was, it made him very uneasy;

Second, Madam Wen is deeply calculating, very dangerous. She tests without showing it, seemingly rewarding but always with hidden traps.

Li Xian said, "Madam, I found some items in the Leopard Saber Sect and wish to present them to you."

"Oh?" Madam Wen raised her eyebrows slightly.

Li Xian said, "Exquisite Jade Porcelain, gold and silver, rare birds and beasts. I wouldn't dare to keep these for myself, and so I present them all to Madam now."

Madam Wen heard many things but didn't hear the word "treasure," making her angry as it seemed Li Xian indeed wanted to keep some for himself.

"Not bad, not bad, you're loyal after all. Take them to the accountant. Choose one thing for yourself as a reward."

Her tone was gentle.

Others couldn't tell her emotions, and neither could Li Xian.

Li Xian stepped forward, "Beside those, I have one more thing to present to Madam."

"I shouldn't. This item is the rarest I've ever seen. When I first got it, I thought: 'Madam is so formidable, she might not value it, why not keep it myself.' Though this thought lasted only a moment... please punish me."

He presented the "Meat Jade."

Madam Wen walked over slowly, took the Meat Jade, confirming it indeed was a rare treasure. Her previous anger vanished, replaced with delight. Though the treasure was valuable, it alone didn't bring her such joy.

It was Li Xian's performance that satisfied her greatly.

If Li Xian had easily handed it over, Madam Wen would suspect his cunning nature, harboring deep intentions, seemingly simple in choices but actually difficult!

Li Xian's candid expression pleased her greatly.

Though delighted internally, her voice switched from gentle to scolding, "You ungrateful wretch, how dare you have such thoughts!"

She flicked her sleeve, sending Li Xian flying several yards, crashing into a wall.

Her nature was hard to predict. Punishing in joy, rewarding in anger, this was vividly shown, and only by observing her outwardly, would one know her extremely good mood.

Madam Wen slowly approached, coldly saying, "Dare to think this again, and I will severely punish you."

"You need to understand, these treasures are mine."

"And even you, are mine."

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