CHAPTER 80: CHAPTER 79: A LETTER TO QIAN YULIU

Le Yu had already prepared himself to be rejected. After all, they all lived by the blade—their very nature was to be cautious and careful.

Yet, for reasons he couldn’t quite fathom, Yin Minghong, after pondering for a few seconds, actually agreed to the deal.

"Do you know anything about the Silver Blood Association in the Dongyang District?"

Le Yu searched through Yinyin Yin’s database, "Hm... The Silver Blood Association is an alliance of merchant nobility in Dongyang. They reject any power that tries to meddle in Dongyang, and they hire assassins to eliminate their enemies’ leaders."

To be more precise, the Silver Blood Association was one of the biggest patrons of the Nameless Organization. Yinyin Yin had received lots of takeout orders from them—delivering warmth to their enemies in the dead of night. Yinyin Yin even suspected that the Silver Blood Association might be the actual founder of the Nameless Organization. Even if they weren’t, they at least had huge influence over it—because Yinyin Yin had never seen a single order targeting the Silver Blood Association.

Assassin Organizations didn’t care about any so-called ’Assassin’s Creed.’ They took the money, did the job, and if the price was right, would kill the client right after the target. "A job’s a job, nothing shameful." But there really were no orders against the Silver Blood Association—proof enough of the connection between them and the Nameless Organization.

"Though it’s a bit simplified, your summary is spot-on," Yin Minghong said, "But besides merchants and nobility, there are officials and the military too—they’re all under the Silver Blood Association’s domain. Dongyang District’s Governor Quan Yuan, Xuanzhu County’s Governor Yun Qinghe, Heyang Army’s Commander Gai Shiwen, and Lord Wang Hai Pubian Xiuwen... These four top military-police family heads are all Silver Blood’s leaders."

"Then under them, there are eighty-eight wealthy merchant houses: salt, iron, weapons, textiles, seafood, grain, gambling... anything you can think of is a Silver Blood business. Internally, they coordinate and keep a united front, manipulating the prices. Dongyang residents—what they wear when they’re born, the coffin they sleep in when they die—all of it means paying the Silver Blood."

Yin Minghong suddenly handed Le Yu a knife, pointing at a red circle on the scabbard. "Any Silver Blood product will have this red circle logo. Do you know what that means?"

Le Yu said, "Monopoly exploitation."

"At first, they set up factories and paid high wages to workers, flooding the market with cheap industrial goods and ruining the small workshops. Then, they bought those workshops for a pittance. Same playbook, over and over for decades, until all of Dongyang became their machinery and everyone spent a lifetime working for them."

"And even then, it wasn’t enough for them. While the Imperial Court wasn’t able to govern Dongyang, they used a strict system for ’long-term workers’ to cover up what was really slavery, squeezing the last drops of profit from slaves and workers alike."

Yin Minghong said, "There’s a saying—’Every piece of Dongyang soil flows with silver and blood’... That’s the Silver Blood Association."

Le Yu said, "Sounds like White Night should have picked Dongyang as their starting point. Topple the Silver Blood and White Night gets limitless labor and assets."

Yin Minghong gave a bitter laugh, "We actually thought the same. We even figured that the lives of ordinary Dongyang people were basically as bad as refugees in the sky. If we just spread our message, we ought to get a ton of followers."

"In fact, we did set up a number of grassroots branches, waiting for the right time to overturn the Silver Blood. But..." Yin Minghong shook his head, "Before we could act, there’d always be a traitor. Then the army comes to crack down, and the rest either surrender or resist, but in the end it’s always just another suppressed riot."

"Eventually we analyzed it and realized—the Silver Blood used propaganda and public opinion to brainwash the workers and poor. They broadcast the beautiful lives of the upper class, using the lie that ’work hard and you can live like this.’ That killed their desire to resist. Not only did it help grind more labor out of them, it poisoned their minds with money, so Dongyang people couldn’t even tell right from wrong and only cared about profit."

"They have a whistleblower system. Anyone who successfully rats on a Backlight Particle or other organization’s spy gets a reward from Silver Blood—a fortune, luxury, the works. With things like that, even White Night Walkers are struggling."

So familiar. Capitalists really were the same everywhere... Le Yu asked, "Sounds pretty impossible to take down from the inside. Maybe you should build up other districts as bases, then lead an army to flatten Dongyang."

"That’s actually White Night’s strategic plan for Dongyang," Yin Minghong nodded, "But us Dongyang people, we can’t just sit and wait for White Night to save us. Even if the odds are slim, we’ve got to do what we can to topple the Silver Blood mountain. Even if... even if it just makes life a little less miserable for Dongyang, our effort is worth it."

At this, Yin Minghong could not help but let out a cold laugh, "Because of those stillborn ’uprisings,’ the Silver Blood did slightly improve workers’ treatment... Before that, this mine would see at least a dozen dead a month. Now, it’s down to just a few—and if we’re lucky, sometimes none."

Le Yu blinked. Even though Yin Minghong sounded angry, he still couldn’t quite cover up the offhandedness of it all—whether it’s a dozen dead or just a few, to him, it was like a farmer losing a couple of bad melons—it was simply business as usual.

Yin Minghong had gotten used to it. Yinyin Yin had gotten used to it. Qian Yuliu didn’t even care... So, "when will I get used to it too?"

Le Yu suddenly felt a little nostalgic for Chen Fu, the guy who liked dragging him out for drinks after a dirty job, only to get wasted and then hang onto him, whining, "Brother Qian, are we really doing the right thing?"

Le Yu drifted off for a moment, and finally Yin Minghong moved onto the main topic, "My current target is the nominal master of the Red Moon Mine Fortress—Jing Family’s direct-line heir, Jing Zhengwei."

"The Jing Family is ranked top-ten among Silver Blood’s eighty-eight merchant houses, mainly running mines and plantations—part of the aggressive, militant faction. As the Jing Family’s direct-line first-in-line heir, Jing Zhengwei was obviously the next patriarch. But after his mother died a few years back, her Qian family’s ties to the Jing Family fell apart and that tanked his status. Now his brothers, Jing Zhengwu and Jing Zhengtang, are thriving and quietly rallying clan members to fight for the top spot. But as long as Jing Zhengwei is the rightful heir, they can’t go too far."

"The Jing patriarch is over sixty and basically bedridden. If Jing Zhengwei dies, his two brothers will definitely tear each other apart for the family head. If other houses eager for Jing resources get involved, the Jing Family is sure to fracture, never recovering its current standing."

Le Yu made sense of all that and said, "So your plan is to break up the Jing Family by killing Jing Zhengwei?"

"Yes. Because of the industry they’re in, the Jing Family is also one of the most voracious buyers of slaves. Of all the slaves Boss Huo captures, at least half go to the Jing Family," Yin Minghong nodded, "What’s more, the Jing Family despises the Backlight Particle—regularly torturing workers and slaves. White Night can barely infiltrate their turf."

"Once the Jing Family is in chaos or its industry shifts, we can expand White Night’s branches and build up our base in the shadows. Even setting that aside, other houses don’t need slaves as badly as the Jing Family does. Take them down, and Dongyang’s slave trade takes a hit."

No buyers, no killing—so kill the buyers, and there are no more buyers... Le Yu got it. "What do you need from me?"

Yin Minghong was silent for a moment, "Jing Zhengwei is a rich brat, constantly getting into trouble, can’t do anything right. Killing him is easy—but he’s got a squad of bodyguards, and two masters at the Integration and Mastery level. My plan was to lure those two away myself and give the others their shot at the assassination..."

"Risky plan—I’ll need to play it by ear. But Jing Zhengwei almost never leaves Xuanzhu County, so I have to take my shot now. However, when he’s in bed, the two experts aren’t there—that’s the best chance to strike."

Le Yu rubbed his chin, "So you want me to sneak into his room at night?"

"Impossible. Masters at Integration and Mastery can hear a pin drop for miles—nothing gets past them," Yin Minghong said, "Jing Zhengwei always keeps his doors and windows tightly shut when he’s asleep. You’re not getting anywhere near him if you make a sound."

True. Even in a new body, with his Intermediate Biting Battle Technique, Le Yu’s senses were still razor sharp. This was with Yinyin Yin’s weak body. If it were one of those real masters at the intermediate level, every stat would be as high as Le Yu’s.

"Then what am I supposed to do?" Le Yu asked, "Sounds like there’s no way around those two experts!"

Yin Minghong paused for a moment, "He’s a playboy, sees himself as a lady’s man."

"Uh-huh, and?"

"Womanizing’s only one side of it. He also likes pretty things—crafts, art, gold, jewels, all of it."

"Uh-huh, and?"

"Put simply, if it’s nice to look at, he’ll never say no."

"Uh-huh, and... huh?"

...

...

Yanjing.

At the grand main gate of the Royal Academy, gilded stone pillars stood on either side, the Grand Ancestor’s statue looking down over all. Students poured out in droves—some all smiles, some worried, even a few openly crying as they walked.

Today was the Royal Academy’s annual entrance exam. Any student who had an "Excellent" mark on the national graduation test and was the right age could come. The test lasted three days, one round each day, and every student could only take it once.

"Yuya!"

Just reaching the gate, Qian Yuya saw Li Ying waving at her. Everyone was already there. She walked over and politely asked, "How’d your test go?"

Lin Xue replied calmly, "Should be fine."

Kui Nianruo fiddled nervously with her braids, stammering, "Um... um..."

"Enough already, forget the test!" Li Ying didn’t answer at all, just dragged them along, "Didn’t we say we’d hit Yuqing Restaurant today? I heard their osmanthus cakes and truffle fish are amazing. After a day of exams, I’m starving. Come on, let’s go~"

They’d arrived in Yanjing early yesterday morning, rested up at their place for a night, and then came to take the Royal Academy entrance exam. Qian Yuya had planned to spend a day reviewing and take the exam on day three, but Li Ying wouldn’t hear of it, going on about "Get it over with early" and "Last-minute cramming doesn’t work," dragging them all into round two instead.

On their way to Yuqing Restaurant, Qian Yuya asked, "By the way, did you invite Big Sis Nai? She’s looked out for us so much, we should treat her to a meal."

"Of course, don’t worry!" Li Ying replied.

The Nai they were talking about was actually the super-cool big sister Nai Qingni. When they got off the train, totally lost, she found them and helped set up their accommodations and itinerary.

They’d thought, at first, maybe Big Sis Nai was some kind of creep. But Nai Qingni showed them letters from Qian Yuliu and Li Mingsheng, saying she’d been asked to take care of them. Plus, Lin Xue apparently already knew her.

Worth noting—after Nai Qingni gave them the letters, Lin Xue pulled her aside to chat for ages. When she came back, her eyes were red.

Originally, Kui Nianruo was supposed to have someone else looking out for her, but she really wanted in on this adventure, so in the end, they all squeezed into one little house together.

Qian Yuya suddenly said, "It’s been two days. There should be a new train to Yanjing by now..."

"Got it, got it—your brother’s gonna visit you soon!" Li Ying snorted, "By the way, did you see that proctor just now? So handsome! And young! Wonder what he teaches? If I took his class, I’d be at the top of the list for sure!"

Kui Nianruo sounded a bit jealous, "My dad... Actually, never mind, he’s not coming."

Lin Xue said, "Trains might not run again that soon, but you could always write home. Letters should get through just fine."

She paused. "Big Sis Nai probably has some special channel to reach Star Engraving. We can ask her later."

"Plus, tomorrow’s the third round. Once that’s over, the second round’s results come out. If we make the list, we can write home and tell everyone to celebrate. Isn’t that great?"

Li Ying raised a sharp question, "What if we don’t make the cut?"

Lin Xue just smiled, saying nothing. Clearly, she never even considered the possibility.

"Write a letter, huh... Come to think of it, we’ve never actually done that."

Qian Yuya looked out at the bustling street ahead, lost in thought.

The group made it to Yuqing Restaurant, but even after dinner, Big Sis Nai was nowhere to be found. When they got home, they saw she’d left a note in the living room.

"Sorry, something urgent came up, won’t be home tonight."

"Wonder what could be so urgent—don’t tell me it’s... a date with her boyfriend!?" Li Ying sounded curious. Qian Yuya and Kui Nianruo didn’t react, but Lin Xue’s face changed just a little.

They chatted for a while, then washed up and went to bed. They’d split into two rooms—Li Ying and Lin Xue (the tall ones) in one, Qian Yuya and Kui Nianruo (tiny and... tiny) in the other.

Kui Nianruo finished showering first and crawled into bed with an eager look. Seeing Qian Yuya still at her desk, she patted the bed, "Yuya, aren’t you coming to sleep?"

Qian Yuya calmly answered, "I’ll sleep soon, you go ahead."

Qian Yuya didn’t mind sharing a bed with Kui Nianruo. Sure, she always hugged her in her sleep, but all in all, it wasn’t a bad experience.

She pulled out a piece of letter paper and started writing. Ever since Lin Xue’s suggestion, she hadn’t been able to shake the idea from her mind.

"She didn’t need to know tomorrow’s test results—because it didn’t matter."

"To my brother Yuliu,

It’s been days since we parted—are you well? I’ve arrived safely in Yanjing and made a bunch of new friends. The lady you sent, Nai Qingni, is graceful and thoughtful. She’s taken care of everything and kept me out of trouble, making this unfamiliar city much less scary."

"It’s always flower season in Yanjing. Now it’s time for yinyong flowers—their petals make a bright, clear sound whenever you touch them. It’s odd—sounds a lot like when you practice."

"The city’s roads have three lanes: pedestrian, car, and express. Pedestrians walk along the sides, car lanes are on each side, running both ways. The express lane is in the middle, only about shoulder-width for two people. Apparently it’s for those super-fast imperial couriers, though I haven’t spotted one. But yesterday I saw a bus just like the one you took."

"Today I ate out with friends at Yuqing Restaurant. The food was a bit heavy—not as good as Star Engraving’s lighter dishes. Next door was a ’Battle Card Association’—seems like a club for Battle Card fans. I bet you’d like it."

"There’s a drink called milk tea that’s popular in Yanjing right now. You can have it hot or cold—kind of like your Five-Flower Tea with honey."

..."

Qian Yuya wrote up what she’d seen in Yanjing these past couple days, and at the end of the letter she added,

"Respectfully, Qian Yuya"

After finishing, she turned out the light, ready for sleep. She sat in the darkness for a bit, then abruptly flicked the light back on and added, right before the last line,

"When are you coming to Yanjing? Brother, I miss you."

Qian Yuya felt her cheeks get hot. She quickly stuffed the letter into the envelope, as if afraid someone would see. By the time she climbed into bed, Kui Nianruo was already half asleep and naturally hugged her, even burrowed in like a kitten, making soft little noises, as if she’d found a safe place at last.

PS: Today is launch day—this is the last free Chapter. I wrote five thousand words, did my best. Been in a bad mood these days—mostly due to gaming frustration.