The Blade-Wielding Legend
Chapter 349 - 220 Yichang Yan Mansion

Chapter 349: Chapter 220 Yichang Yan Mansion

Pugilistic world performers are all eastern beggars.

The young beggars of the city are all western managers.

Some have been unfortunate since childhood; others have been kidnapped.

Those young beggars with weaker dispositions endure humiliation all their lives and must hand over even the copper coin they beg, managing at best a communal meal, eventually dying in disease and cold.

Some clench their teeth and forge a bloody path, becoming managers and enforcers within the Beggar Gang, possessing some spare cash and overseeing other beggars daily.

Take, for example, this group of young beggars supervised by a few elder, burly beggars clad in tattered clothes who are noticeably more muscular and even secretly armed.

They are responsible for managing the young beggars.

Those who manage to break free are invariably cruel and ruthless.

On an ordinary day, they often bully those who come from outside seeking a living.

But when facing the elderly beggar beside them, they don’t even dare to look at him, keeping their heads bowed and eyes darting away in fear.

The elderly beggar doesn’t bother to glance at them.

His pupils faintly glimmer with a red light, flickering until Li Yan’s figure has completely disappeared; then he slowly turns his head, looking towards the Long Wind Inn.

Seeing officials coming and going at the entrance, the elderly beggar narrows his eyes slightly, then turns his head back and continues playing his erhu, softly singing:

"Kind-hearted people, listen to me!

The fishing drums sound, sorrow rises, drifting through years in the pugilistic world. A solitary boat sways with the wind; a traveler ungrounded, heart filled with trepidation. Past valor soaring through the clouds; today’s destitution unknown to all..."

It’s merely a commonplace fishing drum song, neither refined nor elegant, but the elder beggar’s voice carries a desolate tone that inexplicably touches the heart.

Across in a teahouse, a wooden-faced middle-aged Confucian scholar hears this and immediately lays down a few copper coins, rising to chase in the direction Li Yan had gone...

...

Meanwhile, Li Yan strides along the ancient streets of Yichang.

The streets of this ancient city are rather narrow, the bluestone slabs worn smooth and uneven due to years of use.

Yichang, being a key waterway junction, features buildings that incorporate architectural styles from all over.

Looking around, one sees mostly white walls with green tiles, the corners marked by patches of green moss due to moisture. The tops display both tall horse-head walls and flying cornices. The brick carvings and woodwork are exquisitely done, and the wood’s slightly dark tone conveys a sense of age.

The people on the street all dress and speak differently.

Many belong to the Tu Clan, with a solid presence of Ba Shu visitors speaking with thick accents featuring constant slang, which he completely fails to comprehend.

To Li Yan, however, taste serves as his second sight.

With his left hand tucked in his sleeve, he frequently pinches Yang Jue, sensing every scent within two or three hundred meters instantly revealing many things.

Indeed, Yichang is not at peace,

And there are far too many pugilistic folk about!

Take, for instance, the fellow from Ba Shu to his left, dressed in coarse blue-black clothes, appearing meek but hiding a blade in his carrying pole...

Or the elderly woman selling wild greens beside the street, indistinguishable from ordinary folks, yet her sleeves hide snakes and spiders, and her clothes conceal numerous poisoned Willow Leaf Darts...

Then there’s the paper shop he just passed; not only is it filled with the scent of incense, but it also subtly emits several streams of cold Evil Qi, clearly harboring ghostly entities...

None of these are formidable experts, but they are all "followers of Ge Nian,"

Which is to say,they employ martial arts to undertake various dirty deeds as mercenaries, including espionage.

The pugilistic world and the court, seemingly unrelated, are in fact closely connected.

Indeed, many of the troubles within the pugilistic world originate from court policies.

For example, ever since the opening of the seas, each port along the coast has become a coveted hotspot for the pugilistic world, blades and swords unceasing, countless people dying in dark alleys...

Industry competition often starts from the pugilistic circles; for instance, when shops suddenly see increased sales, goods are plundered, and scamming gangs visit, those are all signs that competitors have commenced their attack...

This disturbance in the southwest similarly draws many from the pugilistic world.

The only difference is that the rules have changed.

Elsewhere, pugilistic rules are about the distribution of benefits,

Aiming to avoid conflict to prevent mutual destruction.

But for those who run to this place during a conflict, none are good folk.

The only rule is to outlive everyone else...

Li Yan’s attire makes him stand out on the street, drawing the hidden and direct stares of many.

He has other important matters and doesn’t bother provoking unnecessary trouble, feigning ignorance. After asking for directions several times, he finally locates the Yan family residence.

As a prominent Yichang family, the Yan family’s estate naturally carries an air of elegance.

The compound’s area is quite extensive, with hints of the Hui style: white walls, black tiles, vermillion doors, towering horse-head walls, all surrounded by bamboo groves.

In front of the gate, a pair of drum-shaped stones, several horse ties outside, with door spikes aging over several generations, indicating that the family had produced multiple major court officials.

And on the wooden couplets on both sides, written "Loyalty and integrity are long-transmitted; poetry and books continue through generations," with a "Poetry and Rituals Transmitted through Family" plaque above.

Li Yan grinned at the sight,

It seemed Young Master Yan Jiuling was quite humble.

Even if the Yan family wasn’t among the foremost aristocratic families, locally, it was undoubtedly of significant influence.

Despite the broad daylight, the Yan family hadn’t shut their gates; two young attendants clad in blue were chatting by the gate, their voices low and gentle.

Li Yan, carrying a horizontal saber and of a distinguished demeanor, also raised the alertness of the attendants as he approached.

One immediately ran into the compound, quickly followed by two Protectors, solemn and hands on their sword hilts.

The Yan family evidently had concerns...

Li Yan perceived this and speculated in his mind.

Such a family marked by the traditions of books and scholarship would normally emphasize propriety; such guarded behavior towards outsiders definitely indicated some issues.

His expression unchanged, he stepped forward and bowed, saying, "I am Li Yan, from Guanzhong, a friend of Young Master Yan Jiuling. I’ve come for a visit."