A person sacrifices himself to become a saint in a chaotic world of martial arts.

Chapter 124 The Li Family Returns

Su Bai watched as the leaf burned away, turning into a small clump of black ash, which was then scattered by the wind.

The struggles between powerful families are indeed everywhere.

"May I ask a question?" Su Bai looked up, "What exactly are the Ning and Li families fighting over?"

Ning Yuechan glanced at him.

That glance lingered longer than before, as if she were weighing something. After a moment, she looked away, picked up her teacup, took a sip, held the tea in her mouth for a moment, and then swallowed.

"A trade route."

"Trade routes?"

"North of Fenjiang, there is a trade route connecting Fengshan County and the neighboring Yunling County." Ning Yuechan held the teacup in her hand, the warmth of the teacup passing through the porcelain to her palm. She lowered her eyes, as if looking at the remaining tea in the cup, or perhaps at something else. "Although this trade route is not long, it passes through six towns and three docks, and the value of the goods handled each year is one million taels of silver."

She paused, then looked up.

"This trade route used to be exclusively operated by my Ning family. But starting last year, the Li family, in conjunction with the Zhou family, forcibly took half of our share."

Su Bai frowned: "What does this have to do with Li Yuehu?"

"Li Yuehu is the eldest son of the Li family." Ning Yuechan's lips curled up slightly, a faint smile that barely touched her lips. "His father is an elder of the Li clan, and happens to be in charge of the business along that trade route. Li Yuehu killed someone in the street, and the evidence is conclusive. If the Li family doesn't want him to be convicted, they'll have to make concessions elsewhere."

As she spoke, she tapped her fingers lightly twice on the teacup, making two soft tapping sounds, as if putting a period to her sentence.

Su Bai understood.

Li Yuehu's affair was merely a pawn in the Ning family's scheme. What they truly wanted to fight for was the distribution of profits from that trade route.

"Then the procedure for clearing up crimes—" Su Bai asked.

"It will all be over," Ning Yuechan said, placing the teacup back on the table, the bottom of which made a soft clink against the stone. "Li Yuehu is, after all, the eldest son of the Li family; it's impossible for him to be truly convicted. But before it's all over, dragging it out a bit, letting him stay in jail a few more days and suffer a bit more, is for the best."

She looked at Su Bai with a hint of instruction in her eyes, and her tone was softer than before, as if she were reminding a junior who needed to remember something.

"These next few days, you don't need to spoil him. Lock him up as he needs to, and let him suffer if he needs to. With the Ning family backing him up, nothing will happen."

Su Bai nodded without saying anything.

A night breeze stirred again, and the shadow of the locust tree swayed in the moonlight, causing the light and shadow on the stone table to flicker, sometimes forward, sometimes backward, sometimes intense, sometimes faint. A wisp of wax had formed on the wick of the oil lamp, and the flame had shrunk to the size of a soybean, on the verge of going out.

Ning Yuechan reached out and gently flicked the wick away with her fingernail. The flame leaped up and flared up again, illuminating half of her face.

Su Bai didn't rush to leave, and Ning Yuechan didn't seem inclined to see them off. The two sat there, drinking most of the tea in the pot.

"The interests involved in that trade route are very significant?" Su Bai asked.

Ning Yuechan nodded, poured the cooled tea leaves on the ground, and poured half a cup back. The spilled tea seeped into the cracks in the stone bricks, leaving a small dark stain, which was quickly dried by the night breeze.

"It's huge. All the prominent families in Fengshan County, such as Ning, Li, Wang, and Zhou, are included. Each family has a share, and the dividends alone are enough to support several thousand people every year."

"Regarding Li Yuehu—"

"A small card," Ning Yuechan said calmly, raising her eyes to look at him with a hint of a half-smile. "A tiny card in the grand scheme of things. It's true that Li Yuehu is the eldest son, but when it comes to real interests, let alone an eldest son, even a clan elder can be sacrificed if necessary."

Su Bai felt a chill run down his spine.

The struggles between powerful families are indeed cruel.

A legitimate son who kills someone in the street might normally be easily dealt with.

But once they get involved in a struggle for interests, they become pawns that can be sacrificed at any time.

"Then let me lock him up for a few more days—" Su Bai asked, pausing, "Aren't you afraid of retaliation from the Li family?"

Ning Yuechan smiled, a hint of disdain in her smile. The disdain was so faint it was almost imperceptible; it was just a slight twitch of the corner of her mouth, but there was no real smile in her eyes.

"The Li family is retaliating against me? On what grounds?" She raised her teacup to her lips, but didn't drink, then put it down. "If they dare to touch me, they'll be waging war against the entire Ning family. The distribution of the trade routes hasn't been finalized yet, and the Li family doesn't dare take that risk."

She paused, looked at Su Bai, her gaze deepening, and her tone carrying a deeper meaning.

"But you, Su Bai, do you know why I'm telling you all this?"

Su Bai remained silent for a while.

The locust tree leaves overhead were still rustling, the distant barking of dogs had stopped, and the entire county town seemed to have sunk into a bottomless silence. He could hear his own breathing and the sound of the night wind brushing past his ears.

"You want me to know which side I should be on," he said slowly.

Ning Yuechan nodded, a hint of approval flashing in her eyes. That approval was fleeting, but it softened her gaze.

"Smart. Fenjiang County is Ning family territory, and you, the jailer, work on Ning family territory. As for Li Yuehu's matter, do as I say, and I'll guarantee your safety."

She paused, her tone turning serious, and said, word by word, "But you must also remember that the struggle between powerful families is still far from us. You are only at the mid-stage of the True Qi Realm right now; if you get involved, you will only be crushed to pieces."

Su Bai remained silent.

He picked up his teacup and downed the cold, remaining tea in one gulp. The tea was completely cold, its bitterness intensified, and it flowed down his throat, cooling all the way to his stomach.

It was already late at night when I came out of Ning Yuechan's courtyard.

The streets were deserted. The cold moonlight shone on the bluestone pavement, and the wild grass growing in the cracks of the stones swayed gently in the night breeze, casting blurry black shadows. A few barks came from afar, urgent and urgent, as if they had seen something they shouldn't have, but soon silence returned, leaving only the sound of the wind.

Su Bai walked slowly.

His steps were slow, one step at a time, the soles of his boots making a soft rustling sound on the bluestone slabs. The sound was particularly clear on the empty street, each step seeming to count for him.

The conversation from tonight kept replaying in my mind.

The rivalry between powerful families.

Business routes and profits.

The Ning family, the Li family, the Wang family, the Zhou family —

These names, in his eyes, were just symbols, topics of conversation over tea, words that occasionally appeared on notice boards, and the respectful yet fearful expressions on people's faces when they whispered about them on the streets.

But now, he is beginning to truly feel their weight.

He Su Bai.

A mid-stage True Qi Realm cultivator, a minor jailer in the Fenjiang County prison.

To ordinary people, he might be considered a figure, with a dozen or so constables under his command, holding the key to the prison, and people nodding and calling him "Boss Su" when he walks down the street.

But what about in the eyes of those aristocratic families?

It's just an ant that can be crushed with a flick of the wrist.

Ning Yuechan is right.

The power struggles among aristocratic families are too far removed from his life. Getting involved would only lead to his utter destruction.

But this is not a reason for him to feel at ease staying out of it.

Because the power struggles between powerful families won't bypass him just because he doesn't want to get involved. He works in Fenjiang County, making a living on the Ning family's territory. Today he's taken on Li Yuehu, a hot potato, and tomorrow he might run into Wang Yao or Zhou Yao.

Today we're on the Ning family's side, but what about tomorrow? And the day after?

One day, he will truly be drawn into it.

At that time, how will he protect himself?

Relying on Ning Yuechan's protection?

Relying on luck?

Su Bai stopped in his tracks.

He stood in the middle of the deserted street, looking up at the night sky.

The moonlight was bright, illuminating the entire street as if it were covered in frost. The stars, however, were sparse, with only a few large ones hanging overhead, blinking their cold eyes. In the distance, the city wall appeared as a dark silhouette in the night, like a giant beast lying on the ground, fast asleep.

He suddenly remembered the way Li Yuehu cowered and begged for mercy in prison.

That face, those eyes, that curled-up body, and that faint, weak plea for mercy leaking from between his fingers.

Become stronger.

Su Bai clenched his fists.

His knuckles were clenched so tightly they turned white, and his nails dug into his palms, leaving several white marks. He gripped the fist very hard, as if he were holding onto something that would soon slip through his fingers.

Mid-stage True Qi Realm is not enough.

He wants to break through the barrier.

He wants to cultivate himself.

He wants to become stronger.

Become so strong that one day you won't have to care about anyone else's opinion.

He became so powerful that one day, even those powerful families would have to speak to him with utmost respect.

The moonlight cast a long shadow, stretching from his feet to the shadowy corner of the street, like a silent tail.

Su Bai took a deep breath, the night wind filling his lungs with the chill of late autumn.

He loosened his fist and stepped forward.

The footsteps faded into the distance, and the figure gradually disappeared into the night.

Li Yuehu has been imprisoned for two whole months in the deepest death row cell of the county prison.

When the news spread, Su Bai was reviewing files in the back office of the prison administration. Light filtering through the window paper fell on the desk, illuminating a hazy layer of dust. Sun Hou hurried in, his steps quicker than usual, and whispered a few words in his ear. Su Bai's fingers paused on the bamboo slips, his knuckles turning slightly white, before he continued turning the pages, his face showing no emotion.

"understood."

Sun Hou stood there, his lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but when he met Su Bai's profile, which didn't even look up, he swallowed his words and bowed as he withdrew.

The footsteps faded into the corridor before Su Bai put down the dossier, got up, and walked to the window.

Outside the window stood the old locust tree in the backyard of the prison office, its lush branches blocking out most of the sunlight. He stood in the shadows, his fingers unconsciously tapping on the windowpane, lightly and rhythmically. His mind raced through the recent news.

The Li family used the connections accumulated over three generations, sending at least five or six letters to officials of all ranks, from the prefectural government to various county towns. Although he had never seen those letters, he could imagine them written on fine Chengxintang paper, in neat small regular script, with polite wording concealing an undeniable pressure.

Logically, with this level of pressure, Li Yuehu should at least be moved to a better waiting room, even if he can't be released immediately. But the Ning family is clearly also exerting pressure, and in a counter-force—for every step forward in the Li family's relationship, the Ning family's relationship is pulled back a step.

The two families began to experience subtle friction in the imperial court, in local areas, on trade routes, and even in the Grand Canal.

Today, the Li family's shop was inspected for taxes, and tomorrow the Ning family's cargo ship will be waiting at the dock for two more days.

They are all small things, but when small things accumulate, they become big things.

As a result, Li Yuehu is still imprisoned here.

Inmates in the prison with the surname Li have been having a tough time lately. The warden once casually mentioned that those thieves surnamed Li had been eating half a spoonful less of their prison food than the others for the past two weeks. Su Bai didn't respond at the time, and the warden didn't say anything more.

The prison guards whispered among themselves that this was a power struggle between the higher-ups, and they were caught in the middle.

But despite the discussions, no one dared to do anything underhanded—at least not outwardly.

Su Bai stood by the window for a long time, the sound of his fingers tapping on the windowpane gradually ceasing. As the sun began to set, the shadow of the old locust tree slowly crept from the east side of the courtyard to the west before he turned back to his desk and continued to peruse the files.

Three days later, the Li family arrived.

The man who arrived was middle-aged, dressed impeccably in an indigo robe, the fabric shimmering subtly in the sunlight, with a fine jade pendant hanging from his waist. He was arrogant, his chin slightly raised as he entered, his gaze sweeping over the gatekeeper's head as if even a second glance would be too dirty.

He didn't send a formal invitation; instead, he had someone announce that Steward Zhao, who served the second master of the Li family, was requesting an audience with Prison Chief Su.

When the messenger came in, Su Bai was drinking tea. After hearing the message, he put down his teacup, tapping the bottom of it lightly on the table. He didn't get up immediately, but instead finished the last sip of tea before slowly standing up.

Su Bai met him in the back office, but no tea was served.

Steward Zhao stood and said a few words, the gist of which was that Li Yuehu was suffering in prison and he hoped that Warden Su would take good care of him out of respect for the Li family. As he spoke, he twirled the tassel of the jade pendant at his waist and glanced around the furnishings in the room with a hint of subtle criticism.

The words were well-intentioned, but the tone and expression clearly indicated that he was giving orders to his subordinates.

Su Bai leaned back in his chair, listening to him finish. The chair back was made of bamboo, which would be uncomfortable to lean against for a while, but he remained firmly in his seat, not moving an inch. Only after Steward Zhao finished speaking did he raise his eyelids and ask, "Finished?"

Manager Zhao was taken aback, and his fingers, which were twisting the tassel, stopped.

Su Bai stood up and walked up to him. As they got closer, Steward Zhao noticed that the jailer's eyes were very dark, so dark they seemed bottomless. He stared straight at people without flinching or looking away.

After looking him up and down, Su Bai suddenly smiled. The smile was very faint, only twitching the corners of his mouth, without any hint of amusement in his eyes.

"I, a mere jailer, cannot afford to give face to the Li family."

After saying that, he turned and went out, waving to the constable at the door: "See the guest out."

Manager Zhao's face was ashen, and his lips moved as if he wanted to say something. Two constables were already blocking his way, their attitude respectful but their actions forceful—one stepped aside to block his path, while the other raised his hand in a "please" gesture.

"please."

Manager Zhao left. Su Bai stood under the eaves, watching his figure disappear behind the screen wall before turning back into the house.