Bloodline Tree

Chapter 32 - Planning

After two days of traveling, Shu Yang arrived in Kuo City once again. He hadn’t seen the shadow of his son Tianhu on the way. He guessed he must have avoided the roads in case he came after him.

‘Wouldn’t it have been better to just tell me about it? I could’ve taken him over there myself since I’m heading to Fugu City soon anyway. At least that would make sure he was safe during the journey.’

‘Thankfully, the Yan Kingdom is pretty peaceful at the moment. No one should harm a traveling teenager for no reason. I just hope he remembers to come home and show us he’s alright in the future.’

Shu Yang could feel his son was alive and well through the Bloodline Tree, but Qianyue would want to see him in person to make sure he is safe.

‘If he doesn’t return after a while, I’ll head over to the Sword School myself to find him.’

Shu Yang put his second son out of his mind for the moment; Tianhu had his own life to live, and since he had chosen to leave home and make his own way, Shu Yang could only wish him luck. This could very well be an opportunity for him if he was smart and managed to get some instructions from an experienced swordsman.

He had other business to take care of in Kuo City besides looking for Tianhu, so he made his way to the mansion where Tianyue and Lady Jiangxi lived.

The guards at the gate recognized him by now, so he made his way to the front door without issues.

It didn’t take long after knocking before Xiaoling opened the door and let him inside. She excused herself and went to get Tianyue and Lady Jiangxi.

“Dad! You’re here to visit again,” Tianyue appeared first, running toward him and giving him a hug.

“How are things at the County Office?” Shu Yang asked.

“It’s good, but…what’s different about you?” Tianyue said, taking a step back and looking him up and down.

‘Different?’

“You’re actually an Innate warrior?” Lady Jiangxi’s surprised voice came from further down the hall.

‘Oh, right. That.’

“You’re an Innate warrior, Dad?” Tianyue asked, her mouth wide open.

“That’s right,” Shu Yang said, feeling quite pleased with the surprised expression of his daughter and Lady Jiangxi. “You should take me to the Office tomorrow so that people there know that you have a strong father for support.”

“Okay,” Tianyue said, nodding happily with a slightly dazed look. “Oh, right! I can help you get land.”

“Land?” Shu Yang asked.

“Yeah, there is a policy in place that gives a few hundred acres of land to any Innate warrior who chooses to stay in the county. I’ll make sure you get the best piece of land, Dad,” Tianyue said.

“There’s actually such a good thing?” Shu Yang asked. But thinking about it, it wasn’t that surprising. Shu Yang had suspected something similar years ago, but it had slipped his mind now that he himself had advanced.

Considering that there was actually plenty of land in the Yan Kingdom, it didn’t seem like a strange policy. It is good to have something to tie the Innate warriors to the area. Besides, if they get too poor, they might just turn to robbery and murder, and that would be disastrous.

The Yan Kingdom was very harsh on murder, and always has been. When the Shen Empire collapsed 150 years ago, there was widespread chaos for a while, and a large portion of the population died. There needed to be stability after that, to increase population and national strength. And one of the things you absolutely needed in order to have stability was a strict enforcement of laws.

That’s why it was rare for any Innate warrior or Master to run around killing people. Besides the harsh punishments, there were also benefits in place for the strong, so most people weren’t stupid enough to cross the line.

Of course, Shu Yang wasn’t stupid enough to believe that a Master would actually be punished by death if he killed an unknown farmer, but he could still suffer from it if it was discovered by an enemy of equal power.

Shu Yang himself was only an Innate warrior, so he still had to be careful. If he handled the Liang family in a lawless manner, he could very well receive a visit from a righteous Master from Huji City to punish him. The Yan Kingdom looked favorably upon a strong population, but only if they obeyed the rules.

So it was important that he did everything by the book, which is why he traveled to Kuo City to discuss everything with Lady Jiangxi once again.

“I still can’t believe it, I never knew you were so talented, Dad,” Tianyue said, looking up at him with admiration.

“Neither did I,” Lady Jiangxi said with an intrigued look, “How did you…Never mind. Come inside and have a seat. You must be tired from the journey.”

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Shu Yang went on to join Tianyue and Lady Jiangxi for dinner. As it got late, Tinayue went to bed, and Shu Yang and Lady Jiangxi discussed his plans for dealing with the Liang family.

“If it were before, I’d advise you not to rush. But since you are at the Innate stage now, there shouldn’t be any problems,” Lady Jiangxi said, “Tianyue and I can arrange things from our end here in the County Office, just let us know when you want us to set out.”

“Alright,” Shu Yang said, feeling a little excited, “I have a few things to handle here first. I’ll let you know before I leave.”

“Just make sure everyone is ready to testify. It’s always best to avoid complications,” Lady Jiangxi said.

“I know. Don’t worry, I’ve already hinted at this a few times before and received a positive response. Now, when I announce my advancement, I’m sure there won’t be anyone who hesitates,” Shu Yang said.

While it was true that the Yan Kingdom enforced its laws strictly, that was only for the most vile crimes. In less serious cases, it depended a lot more on connections to the local Office.

The Liang family hadn’t crossed the line so far, but they had done plenty of things that, if investigated carefully, weren’t exactly lawful. Normally, no one in a powerful position would bother investigating these cases. And the less powerful would be even more hesitant, afraid to offend the Liang family.

But now, there was an Innate warrior with connections in the Office who wanted to make a big deal of the Liang family’s misdeeds. And that someone was Shu Yang.

If the Officials in the County Office had to side with someone, they would definitely side with Shu Yang, who was an Innate warrior, over the Liang family. At least if it could be proven that the Liang family was in the wrong.

‘It might not be the most straightforward, but it's effective. I’m still too weak to do things without thinking them through carefully. When I reach the Saint stage in the future, I imagine I can just give the word, and the world will have to align itself with my will.’

Of course, She Yang didn’t exactly dream of dominion; he took no pleasure in other people’s suffering. But he did wish to be strong enough that no one would dare have thoughts of harming his family.

After talking with Lady Jiangxi for a while, Shu Yang headed to his own house in the city to spend the night.

The next morning, Shu Yang went to the center of the city and bought a few expensive gifts. The total cost came to about 200 gold coins, which stung slightly, even if he was a wealthy man these days. But Shu Yang thought it was worth the money in order to proceed with peace of mind.

With his gifts wrapped in a nice paper, Shu Yang headed over to the Bearing Boulder Hall.

Stopping in front of the gates, Shu Yang glanced at the sign hanging above, resembling the one he had smashed to pieces in Chunsi Town almost six years ago.

“Excuse me. My name is Shu Yang, a recently advanced Innate warrior from Chunsi Town. I’d like to speak with the Head of the hall, if you’d let him know,” Shu Yang introduced himself politely to the guard to the side.

“Of course,” The guard, a boy not much older than Tianren, said with a small bow. “Please follow me inside.”

‘I know I should be above it all. But it really feels good to have status.’

Shu Yang was led into a reception hall where he was served with refreshments as soon as he took a seat.

He didn’t have to wait long before an old man stepped inside the room, greeting him with a smile. “So a new Innate warrior has appeared in our Kuo County, congratulations.”

“Thank you, Head Guo,” Shu Yang said, rising to his feet.

“Please, sit down,” Head Guo said, before sitting down himself. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“I’m afraid it’s about one of your students, Liang Huang. Do you remember him?” Shu Yang asked, looking carefully at Head Guo’s expression.

“Of course. He has set up a branch of my hall in Chunsi Town,” Head Guo said, looking back at Shu Yang with scrutinizing eyes, “Has he caused you any trouble?”

Shu Yang sighed and answered, “I’m afraid we have had quite a few disputes over the years. It all started when his younger brother had someone beat up my son. Even if he has now advanced to the 1st-grade stage at the young age of 17, the injuries delayed his training quite a bit.”

“I see,” Head Guo said slowly, seemingly deep in thought.

‘It seems he doesn’t have a very deep relationship with Liang Huang. That’s good.’

“If you allow me to speak frankly. Now that my family is on the rise, and I have reached the Innate stage, I will have to settle this grudge. Otherwise, I don’t know where I’d put my face if it got out that I’ve had my son bullied by a 1st-grade martial warrior.

“I will, of course, not do anything underhanded. I have already notified the County Office. But it looks like Liang Huang might have to suffer because of his younger brother’s wrongdoings. It’s unfortunate, as it might affect your hall in Chunsi Town. I brought a small gift to apologize to you in advance.”

Head Guo paused for a few seconds, before smiling and accepting the gift. “You’re too polite. This is simply the way of the world. If my student has done anything unjust and caused trouble with the County Office, he only has himself to blame.”

Shu Yang smiled in relief, seeing that the matter was settled.

This visit might have been unnecessary. There wasn’t really any need to give so much face to another Innate warrior. But Shu Yang would rather be safe than sorry. If the relationship between Liang Huang and his master was closer than he had heard, it could cause a lot of problems. What if they were as close as son and father, and Head Guo came to take revenge, not caring about the consequences?

That’s why he came to give Head Guo the heads up, so he could gauge how close they truly were. If it turned out that Head Guo would protect his student despite what Shu Yang told him, he would have to reconsider his plans.

But fortunately, Liang Huang really was just one of many 1st-grade warriors Head Guo had brought up over the years.

Shu Yang stayed and conversed with the old man for a while before excusing himself.

‘I almost feel like a scheming villain. But I really have no choice. I have to make sure everything is safe before making a move, or not just me, but my entire family could be in danger.’

After leaving, he headed straight for Lady Jiangxi’s mansion to tell her that everything could proceed.

‘When this is all over, my Shu family will truly be the sky in the area around Chunsi Town.’