Chapter Sixty-One: An Arm

Li’s fame has indeed grown considerably, chiefly because he accomplished what had not been achieved in Qingyang County for decades.
He vanquished the mountain bandits!

Barely months after Li Zhao—Head Constable Li—arrived in Qingyang, several bandit strongholds had already been eradicated. Coupled with his formidable martial prowess, and the constables’ constant praise, Head Constable Li’s name had resounded throughout Xuanzhou.

Head Constable Li smiled and said, “So I suppose I’ve made a modest contribution. Do you think, Magistrate, that this merit might help you rise in office?”

Magistrate Xue shook his head slightly. “When I finish my term as Qingyang’s magistrate, I will retire and return home.”

Magistrate Xue was over forty, nearing fifty. At his age, still holding a county magistrate’s post, his prospects for advancement were slim. No wonder he felt disillusioned with officialdom.

Seeing the magistrate’s demeanor, Head Constable Li rose, stretched, and laughed, “In any case, it is good that the court has resolved to suppress banditry. But why do you seem so unenthusiastic, Magistrate?”

“Wiping out bandits in Qingyang is easy; doing so in Xuanzhou isn’t difficult either. But the empire is vast, with so many provinces.”

“Can all the bandits in the realm truly be eradicated?”

“Of course they can,” Head Constable Li replied. “It’s a matter of human effort.”

Someday, nine-tenths of the bandits in the realm would be wiped out. Whether this would happen under the current dynasty, however, was uncertain.

After chatting with Magistrate Xue and reporting on the bandit suppression, Li Yun took his leave and made his way to the county office. At that moment, Chen Da and the constables were escorting a group of mountain bandits, and Qingyang’s Inspector, Jiang Cheng, was leading the constables to receive them.

Seeing Li Yun approaching, Inspector Jiang hurried forward, gave him a thumbs-up, and said with a smile, “Brother Li, you are incredible! In such a short time, you’ve wiped out three or four strongholds, haven’t you?”

Head Constable Li’s smile was calm. “It’s all thanks to the county office working together. I merely contributed a little effort—it’s nothing, Inspector Jiang, you praise me too highly.”

Jiang Cheng beamed. “Tonight, I’ll treat you to a drink, Brother Li. You must honor me with your presence.”

Li Yun shook his head slightly and said, “Inspector, I appreciate it, but I was injured in yesterday’s campaign against the bandits. For the next ten days or so, I’m afraid I won’t be able to drink. Once I recover, I’ll invite you for a drink.”

Jiang Cheng frowned imperceptibly, but his smile soon returned. He nodded slowly, “Very well, take your time to recover, Brother Li.”

With that, he walked away, hands behind his back.

Li Yun watched him go, and at that moment, both men were likely thinking the same four words.

What a nuisance!

Li Yun had no interest in forging close ties with these officials of Qingyang, nor did he intend to linger in officialdom. He served as Head Constable mainly to leverage the power of the office for his own expansion.

His relationship with Magistrate Xue, the “big man,” was already quite good; thus, there was no need to seek favor with Jiang Cheng, the “fourth man.”

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Master Li of the mountain stronghold disliked scheming and intrigue.

After lingering in the county office for a while and watching the constables escort the bandits to the county jail, Li stretched and returned to his courtyard in the county town for a nap.

For most of the following half month, Head Constable Li rarely ventured out. He spent much of his time leafing through geographic records borrowed from Magistrate Xue, and occasionally rode out to Cang Mountain to inspect his base.

As the days passed, the weather gradually cooled. One day, Li Yun was in the county office, practicing with a spear, the shaft whirling in his hands with vigorous skill.

Beside him stood an elderly man, around fifty years of age, who watched for a while and then shook his head. “Head Constable Li’s strength is certainly sufficient, but you don’t know how to use a spear. Spearmanship requires not just force, but skill.”

This old man’s name was Chen Xin, known in the county town as Chen Qi, or more respectfully, Master Qi.

He was the finest spearman in Qingyang County. In his youth, he had seen battle, and Li Yun had invited him to the office to teach him spear technique.

After his last bout with Pei Zhuang, Li Yun had realized his own shortcomings. His foundation was solid, but most of his fighting relied on brute force or years of brawling experience.

Such prowess was enough to overwhelm ordinary men, or those who had trained for a few years. But against someone of Pei Zhuang’s caliber, a mistake could prove costly.

Moreover, Li Yun’s current skills were not suited to leading a charge.

After careful consideration, he decided the spear would be most appropriate.

If he could master spearmanship, combined with his robust foundation and armor, his combat ability would ascend by one or even two levels!

Yet Qingyang was a small place. The spear master he had painstakingly found could only teach him the basics.

Nevertheless, it improved his control over his strength.

After practicing several spear routines, Li Yun was drenched in sweat. He turned to the old man and said with a smile, “Thank you for your guidance, Master Chen.”

Chen Qi laid down his own spear and shook his head. “Head Constable Li has done a great deed for the people of Qingyang. It is my honor that you value my modest skills.”

He gazed at Li Yun’s bare, muscular torso and sighed, “Even without learning the spear, Head Constable Li could probably capture me with a single move.”

Li Yun shook his head. “Mere brute strength—nothing worth mentioning.”

Master Chen clasped his hands in farewell. “These days, I’ll be making a spear at home for you, to aid in your campaign against the bandits.”

Li Yun clasped his hands in return. “Thank you, Master Chen.”

“If it costs anything, just let me know.”

“No need, no need,” Master Chen waved him off, “I’ll give it to you for free.”

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With that, he took his leave.

Li Yun escorted him to the gate of the county office. Still bare-chested, he stepped out into the street, where many women caught sight of him and cried out, covering their eyes with their hands, but peeking through their fingers to sneak glances at Head Constable Li.

Li Yun paid no mind. After seeing Master Chen off, he was about to return to the office when someone called out, “Head... Head Constable.”

Li Yun turned and saw Skinny Monkey Li Zheng, who had somehow returned to Qingyang from Cang Mountain. Li Yun frowned and hurried over. Once close, he asked quietly, “What is it?”

Li Zheng seemed downcast. “Second Brother, let’s talk back at home.”

Li Yun nodded, and without bothering to retrieve his shirt from the office, walked with Li Zheng back to his rented courtyard, drawing more cries from the young ladies along the way.

Once inside, Li Yun pulled Li Zheng to a seat and frowned, “Why the long face? Did the land purchase fail?”

“The land deal went smoothly. We’ve bought over a hundred acres. But...”

He looked up at Li Yun, drew a deep breath, and said, “Second Brother, didn’t you ask Old Ninth to send men to scout out the Ten Kings Stronghold near Lingyang Mountain?”

Li Yun frowned, grunted, and said, “And?”

“Old Ninth sent a few brothers, but Heizi didn’t return. He must have been captured by the Ten Kings Stronghold.”

Heizi, one of the second generation of the stronghold, had grown up with Li Yun’s group.

“And then, and then...”

Li Zheng swallowed and whispered, “The day before yesterday, at the entrance of Li Family Village below the mountain, someone threw down a wooden box. Inside was an arm...”

He looked up at Li Yun, his voice hoarse, “It was probably Heizi’s arm, cut off by them.”

“He still hasn’t returned.”

Head Constable Li’s face was expressionless, silent for a long time.

After a while, he nodded.

“I... understand.”