Radiant Blade of the Wilderness

Chapter 186: Lying in Wait

Ding Songyan looked at Twelfth Madam Luo only once before withdrawing his gaze. He ordered another two small dishes and leisurely poured himself cups from the pot of Jade Spring, perfectly content being alone.

Apart from him, two tables of customers occupied the wine shop. One group seemed to have been eating since noon. Cups and plates lay in disarray, and the patrons were thoroughly drunk.

They refused to settle the bill unless Twelfth Madam Luo came over and greeted her with filthy remarks, prompting the fiery shopkeeper to verbally retaliate. One even pretended to be drunk and tried to take liberties with her, but two light steps brought her behind the young server, Seventh Yu.

Seventh Yu skillfully blocked them. Working with the other server, he courteously escorted the group outside, while the two cooks watched from a distance with sharp cleavers in hand as a deterrent.

Seeing this, Ding Songyan leisurely counted out thirty copper coins, placed them on the table, and slowly left the wine shop.

He followed the group from afar until he confirmed the street and alley where the man who had tried to molest Twelfth Madam Luo lived. Only then did he continue surveying the terrain around Prince Kang’s estate, imagining how he would exploit it, cause trouble, and retreat if he were a heretic.

Near evening, he returned to the courtyard at the edge of the estate.

Bored with nothing else to do, Wu Mo and Fan Chunlin each occupied half the courtyard and practiced martial arts without disturbing the other. Li Baima had placed a stool before the main room. His gaze alternated between staring vacantly and following his colleagues’ techniques.

This courtyard is too small. Only two people can train at once... Ding Songyan circled around the side and approached Li Baima, asking thoughtfully, "Brother Li, can we live outside the estate when we are off-duty?"

"Oh? Planning to keep a beauty hidden away?" Li Baima immediately became interested.

Watching Fan Chunlin skillfully wield Emei piercers, short swords, daggers, and other weapons, Ding Songyan smiled.

"What beauty would I hide?

"I came to the Flame Capital partly to experience the martial arts of different schools and sects, and partly because several friends are here whom I will visit when time permits. If I constantly return late at night, the eunuchs and stewards may misunderstand and damage my Brightnight Sect’s good name.

"With a courtyard outside, I would not have to rush back whenever it grew late. It would also be more convenient for daily training."

Li Baima nodded slightly.

"True. Many ultimate techniques cannot be shown to outsiders. I practice mine only while the rest of you are away."

He paused before continuing, "You may live outside the estate, but the rules limit you to the surrounding streets and alleys. You must also tell us your exact address so we can find you in an emergency.

"However, renting a nearby courtyard costs at least two taels a month, while our monthly salary is only five. Living in the Flame Capital is no easy matter."

This is the difference between an estate guard and a wandering jianghu hero. Any other third-rank Form Transfigured martial artist would not care about two taels in monthly rent. They would already be studying wanted notices and deciding where to earn a fortune... Ding Songyan muttered to himself, then carefully observed Wu Mo’s unarmed techniques. The man truly possessed tremendous strength and remarkable agility.

Late that night, he used visiting a friend as an excuse to leave the estate with his sword.

......

Dark clouds obscured the bright moon. Lamps still illuminated the main streets, but the alleys were pitch-black, and the night watchman’s calls were gradually fading.

Suddenly, someone cried out in pain in the distance, followed by a burst of commotion.

Wearing a short dark-red jacket and a vivid pleated skirt, Twelfth Madam Luo strolled from the darkness. The indistinct sensation of her blending into heaven-and-earth qi fell away.

Her hair arranged in a drooping chignon, she dusted off her hands and walked lightly toward a wooden door along a side path.

It was a typical shop-front, courtyard-back residence. The wine shop occupied the front, with the residential courtyard behind it. One could reach the courtyard through the shop or enter the living area directly through a side or rear door.

Just before entering the side door, Twelfth Madam Luo abruptly stopped.

A figure stood there holding a sword, leaning slightly against the wall.

"It is you." Twelfth Madam Luo’s voice was slightly husky, but her puffy face showed no surprise.

Ding Songyan, dressed in his ordinary guard uniform, smiled.

"Your aim with those stones is quite accurate, Boss."

Twelfth Madam Luo made no attempt to deny it. She raised her chin slightly.

"Serves them right for trying to take advantage of me."

She did not mention their filthy language because her own profanities had been worse.

"So you secretly pelted them with stones?" Ding Songyan asked with amusement.

"What does that accomplish? Apart from venting your anger, it changes nothing. Once the bruises on Wu Mo’s and Fan Chunlin’s foreheads fade, they will return to the wine shop and bother you again."

"None of them knows why they were struck in the head. How could they possibly restrain themselves?"

Twelfth Madam Luo stared at him in astonishment.

"What else should I do? Kill them?

"Their crimes do not deserve that. Not at all."

The shopkeeper repeatedly waved her hands, indicating that she was not so vicious.

Lady, does your mind always leap this wildly? The corner of Ding Songyan’s mouth twitched. He sighed.

"You are treating the symptoms, not the cause. Once their bruises fade, they will return. If you strike them several more times, even fools will realize you are responsible."

"Sigh, natural beauty cannot be cast aside." Twelfth Madam Luo sighed helplessly, mocking herself.

She continued, troubled but not overly concerned, "I will delay matters as long as I can. I expect to leave the Flame Capital after another year or so. If someone suspects me before then, I will simply leave early."

She pointed at the side door.

"We can discuss anything else inside. If we remain here talking, the people in the watchtower will become suspicious."

She walked openly past Ding Songyan, unlocked the side door, and entered the courtyard.

The courtyard was small but still held a swing. The wine shop stood to its left and three rooms to its right. A wooden shed against one wall was piled with coal and firewood. Beside the stone table and stools in the courtyard’s center stood a section of log with a hatchet embedded in it.

Ding Songyan stopped only two steps inside the side door. After surveying the courtyard, he looked at Twelfth Madam Luo.

"Where are your physical abnormalities?"

Twelfth Madam Luo flicked her hand, sat on a stone stool, and chuckled.

"I have my methods."

Methods? Ding Songyan inexplicably thought of the Celestial Heart imprint and followed up,

"Why conceal your physical abnormalities and run a wine shop here? Your shop does not appear capable of earning you money. The cooks, servers, and bookkeeper receive all the benefits."

Twelfth Madam Luo’s gaze swept over Ding Songyan as she countered with a smile,

"Then why are you concealing your Dharma Realm strength, pretending to be a Great Proliferation Realm martial artist, and serving as a guard at Prince Kang’s estate?"

She... She can see that? Ding Songyan’s gaze sharpened.

A Brightnight Sect Grandmaster’s physical abnormalities look no different from those at the perfected Great Proliferation Realm... Even the Gold and Silver Twin Swords failed to see through me!

He instinctively wanted to deny his strength, but after weighing the matter, he chose to ask, "How did you see through me?"

"If Li Baima and Wu Mo knew you possessed the strength of the perfected Dharma Realm, they certainly would not treat you that way." Twelfth Madam Luo’s smile did not fade as she answered a different question.

She can even tell that my strength has reached the perfected Dharma Realm... Although my Chaos foundation still lacks five external apertures, when I derive the Candlelit Nocturne Sutra or Celestial Stars Scripture, I truly am at the perfected Dharma Realm... This means Twelfth Madam Luo still cannot perceive the true nature of my art... Ding Songyan wanted to quietly derive Mirror Lake Divine Reflection and listen to the shopkeeper’s thoughts. However, such a change might alert her and allow her to infer the truth, so he ultimately restrained himself.

He feigned helplessness and pressed, "How did you determine that I possess Dharma Realm strength?"

"I have my methods." Twelfth Madam Luo shook her head with a smile, making no attempt to hide her satisfaction.

She considered for a moment, and her voice softened.

"Do not worry. Few possess a method like mine. Anyone else would need to reach the Spirit Platform Realm before they could tell you are at the Dharma Realm."

Tell that I am at the Dharma Realm... Ding Songyan pondered her choice of words but changed the subject aloud.

"When did you come to the Flame Capital?"

"Around March or April last year." Seated on the stone stool, Twelfth Madam Luo casually answered while straightening her vivid pleated skirt.

"Why did you choose to open a wine shop here?" Ding Songyan played the role of a conscientious guard.

"As a woman living alone, if I opened a wine shop near a market or dock, I would have to fight every day. How could I conceal my martial arts?" Twelfth Madam Luo lightly pounded her thigh, as though she had walked too much earlier.

Without waiting for another question, she explained in one breath, "I bear Prince Kang’s estate no ill intent.

"I run a wine shop because I enjoy it. I can experience the struggles of ordinary life while hearing all manner of jianghu news.

"Someday, you too will temper your heart in the mortal world.

"I do not rely on the wine shop for money. I often wander throughout the Flame Capital, observing its people, scenery, and affairs.

"I enjoy this life so much that I often forget I am cultivating.

"Once I grow tired of the Flame Capital, I will move elsewhere. Perhaps next time I will open an inn instead of a wine shop.

"There, I have finished. What else do you wish to ask?"

Tempering the heart in the mortal world? The sect has no records of that... Is it because part of our inheritance was lost? I remember Miss Xiao Qing mentioning that her aunt often walked among ordinary people... Do both the Heaven-Man and Spirit Platform Realms require this? Ding Songyan considered for a moment, then smiled at Twelfth Madam Luo.

"Whatever the case, when someone as formidable as you appears near Prince Kang’s estate, I must investigate thoroughly as a guard for my own peace of mind.

"May I ask which sect or school you come from, Twelfth Madam?"

Twelfth Madam Luo remained silent for a while before answering, "May I... decline to answer?"

Obvious pleading entered her eyes, and her tone weakened considerably. She still seemed afraid that Ding Songyan would make a serious matter of this.

"A brief answer will suffice. You need not provide details." Ding Songyan cared more about the martial art she cultivated and why she could perceive his Dharma Realm cultivation.

As for Prince Kang’s estate, its safety was not yet his responsibility.

Twelfth Madam Luo thought for a moment and lightly bit her lip.

"Luo Mingyin. I have some connection to Ditai."

Ditai... Ding Songyan’s brows shifted slightly.

The Secret Classic of Mountains and Seas recorded a deity named Ditai. In the present martial world, however, Ditai referred to the foremost of the Five Sacred Grounds. Located in the Gan Kingdom, it inherited the Celestial Thearch lineage’s Thearch Scripture, also known as the Nine Canons or the Celestial Thearch’s Nine Canons.