Heaven rewards diligence; he fought his way through chaos to become a saint.

Chapter 108 Study

"What happened?"

"Xiao Hua fought with Zhang Guan, but lost. He kowtowed and admitted his mistake, and became Zhang Guan's man. After all, a young martial arts master was highly valued."

"As for the other martial arts schools, they were initially very eager to raid them. But when they heard that only five martial arts schools would be allowed to remain in the county, they stopped making a fuss. This is because there are only five masters in the entire county, and all future martial arts practitioners will be their disciples."

The tactic is simply to divide and conquer, allowing the enemy to disintegrate on its own.

Ye Ci felt that using the same methods to deal with enemies to deal with these martial arts masters was despicable.

"Over the years, the defense of the county town has relied on local martial artists, and they have formed a considerable force. Although Zhang Guan is powerful, he only has a handful of top-notch fighters. Therefore, he is also weighing the pros and cons, and I heard that he even wants to recruit all the martial artists with potential into his ranks."

"Most of Zhang Guan's men will be present on the day of the martial arts competition, so you should leave the city that day."

Shen Yixi spoke softly, turning the topic to the matter of "leaving the city".

"The Shen family's business has not been hindered. On that day, you just need to leave the city normally and pretend to be on a picnic. Apart from Steward Chen and a few trusted old men, the other servants will not go with you, for fear of attracting too much attention."

"I'll arrange the rest. There will be people waiting for you at the ferry. Once you're outside Songjiang, Zhang Guan won't be able to do whatever he wants anymore."

At this point, she suddenly paused and took out a brown paper envelope from her bosom.

"I won't be returning to the Shen residence for the next few days. Take this letter with you and give it to the old master when you arrive in Jiangling. Everything that needs to be explained is here."

Ye Ci took the letter and felt that it was bulging, as if it contained a lot of content.

They actually started demolishing it in Jiangling.

A brilliant plan?

Does she think she's very smart?

Ye Ci casually asked, "Aren't you coming with us?"

"I?"

Shen Yixi paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "I have to stay here and continue selling off my assets."

"When Mr. Shen left, Zhang Guan discovered he had taken the money with him?"

"Well----"

Shen Yixi raised her eyebrows, her face beaming with a bright smile.

"It's alright. I left him with assets worth about 300,000 taels, so it's acceptable on the surface. Also, the other four major families haven't fled, so he can continue to exploit them."

"Besides, I believe the righteous army will definitely come. So, I'll wait for the rebels to enter the city, and then I'll seize the opportunity to escape."

After laughing, she suddenly felt a pang of sadness.

Because, in recent days, no one has asked her how she should conduct herself.

Ye Ci looked at her: "Let's go together."

Shen Yixi shook her head, her eyes smiling: "There are some things I won't go into detail about. My father wants to marry me off to Zhang Guan."

"If I escape with you, it might cause unnecessary trouble."

"However, if I can escape, I will. If I can't, I'll become a general's wife. With my intelligence, it wouldn't be difficult for me to win his favor if I put in the effort. Besides, why should he lower himself to the level of a weak woman like me?"

"I'm a cunning woman. I won't offend anyone. Even if something happens, I'll make Zhang Guan happy and shift the blame to someone else. Master Ye, do you see how I've both won you over to protect the old man and secured a way out for myself?"

Ye Ci stared into the girl's eyes, while she slowly looked away, stood up, and gave a slight bow.

"I still want to ask Master Ye for a promise to protect the old man and my aunt."

"it is good."

"Then this young lady will take her leave."

Inside the main hall, the smoke from tea rose in wisps, creating a dreamlike atmosphere.

He asked for a cup of hot tea, but didn't drink a drop.

Originally, she wanted to give her a few more words of advice: "Just leave on the day of the competition. The martial arts school in the county has nothing to do with you, and Songjiang County will have nothing to do with you in the future. Even if Master Yang comes back, it won't be your fault."

"Master Ye, I won't see you off."

Upon reaching the door, Shen Yixi bowed to Ye Ci once again.

To be honest, she harbored a deep sense of pride, which she was unwilling to share with outsiders.

She will avenge those who have died.

This is something that should not and cannot be told to others.

Occasionally, she would think about how Wei Ting and his group of literati could all die.

Why can't I die?

Walking through the bamboo forest, I strolled alone along the path. The bamboo branches swayed, their rustling sound seeming to bid farewell.

I will not return after this.

*******

Not long after she left, Wu Tan was seen running over in a panic.

"Master Ye, the general's men want to see you."

Ye Ci frowned deeply.

Then, a figure was seen walking out of the bamboo forest.

The newcomer was an unfamiliar face. Judging from his attire, he should be a soldier of the same rank as Qiu Tang, but he spoke arrogantly.

"The general says, the time has come to use you."

In Zhang Guan's eyes, Ye Ci was nothing more than a dog that Duan Wuxin had taken in.

"Five days from now, you will participate in the county's martial arts competition. Lord Duan will personally take the stage, and the general will observe your and Xiao Hua's performances. Whoever performs better will receive the general's special attention."

"How should I perform?"

"Kill all the people on stage who oppose us."

Seeing Ye Ci's puzzled expression, the newcomer snorted and said, "In this competition, anyone from each martial arts school can participate. You can send five people, or ten people, or even your master can participate."

"A melee ensues; the general wants to see who dares to lay a hand on Lord Duan."

Ye Ci asked, "Isn't it said that those who make it into the top five martial arts schools will be qualified to open their own schools and take on students?"

That's the official explanation.

"The general said that this is to give the martial arts practitioners of Songjiang County a chance. From now on, there will only be one martial arts school in the county, and that will be the martial arts school opened by the general. Whoever performs well will be qualified to serve the general."

'

The visitor's words were brief and to the point, carrying an air of superior arrogance.

Wait for him to leave.

Ye Ci considered what he had said.

He caused some trouble for the previous plans.

If they go on stage to compete, they cannot leave with Master Shen.

If they don't go on stage to fight, they might arouse Zhang Guan's suspicion, and if they don't get far, they might be caught up by Zhang Guan's men.

But there are still five days left, so there's no rush to make a decision.

"Sizzle"

Ye Ci tore open the manila envelope; he wanted to see what this girl was up to.

After all, she said she would give it to Shen Wanzhou when she arrived in Jiangling, but she didn't say that she couldn't see it beforehand.

Inside were layers upon layers of letter paper, showing that the writer had put a lot of care into it, even pressing the creases neatly.

Picking up the top sheet, the letter paper carried a faint scent of pine soot ink. The handwriting was delicate, each stroke revealing seriousness, without a trace of feminine softness, but rather a hint of neatness.

He finally understood why she had let Shen Wanzhou enter Jiangling City before taking a look; it turned out she hadn't intended for Shen Wanzhou to go to Jiangling at all.

Instead, they were going to another place.

Holy Martial City?!

They said that place could prevent the Marquis of Jianwu from retaliating.

Ye Ci was unfamiliar with this place. In her letter, she mentioned that there were several major sects here, and that even the imperial court would not dare to touch them if one could join one of them.

There are many warriors here, and ordinary government officials dare not act rashly here, making it a place to avoid trouble.

But he wasn't in the mood to dwell on Shengwu City right now; he could find a geography book to look at later.

"Not going to Jiangling?"

Ye Ci pondered to himself and continued reading the letter.

This woman meticulously planned his route, personnel, and assets to leave Songjiang, even mentioning how to purchase medicinal herbs to strengthen his bones and how to get him to join a sect.

In other words, following Shen Yixi's advice, she did not want Ye Ci to go to the Qingmu Sect, because the Qingmu Sect was located in the prefectural city, and several of the officials in the prefectural city were also from the Jianwu Marquis's faction. She was worried that they would retaliate against the Shen family's retainer, that is, Ye Ci.

Ye Ci was extremely surprised, but then he guessed what it was.

Why is she so afraid of Marquis Jianwu's revenge?

It seemed she was certain that Marquis Jianwu would retaliate.

After pondering for a while, Ye Ci took a deep breath and decided to leave a letter for Teacher Yang as well.

He knew in his heart that even if Master Yang returned, he might not dare to oppose Zhang Guan.

According to the plan, I was supposed to go to the Green Wood Sect. If I didn't go, it would be good to let him know so that he wouldn't lose contact with Master Yang in the future.

Sunlight streamed through the windowpane, casting soft shadows on the desk in the study.

Ye Ci first resealed the letter, then wrote a letter to Teacher Yang, and then noticed the faint ink marks under the paperweight.

He turned the page over and saw Ling Cang's tiny handwriting.