Chapter 28: The Secret Manual of the Golden Blade Sect

"Go and get to work."

Ye Liuyun said nothing more; he had only spoken out of a sudden impulse. He waved his hand, signaling that Si Nan and Shi Sheng were free to leave.

As they walked aside, Shi Sheng thought for a moment before he couldn't resist leaning over to whisper to Si Nan. "What did you just understand?"

"You'll know when you reach my age."

"..."

Damn it, I’m pretty sure I’m older than you. Do I grow younger as time passes?

"Do you still want those three hundred taels or not?"

"!"

I suppose those who owe money are the ones in charge, aren't they?

...

Half an hour later, the wealth of the Golden Blade Sect was carried out, box by box. Looking at the quantity, it was truly substantial. According to the rules of the Imperial Secret Police (Jinyiwei), all of this was meant to be confiscated by the state, but few people actually followed those rules. Ye Liuyun was no exception.

"Leave one box for the brothers to divide, take one box each for yourselves, and have someone deliver the rest to my residence," he said, gesturing to Si Nan and Shi Sheng.

That was how Ye Liuyun operated. He ate meat, but he also made sure his men got some soup to drink. He wasn't like some others who, let alone the soup, would walk off with the entire pot.

"Yes, my lord!"

Hearing Ye Liuyun's words, everyone’s faces lit up with joy. With this much money, even just a portion would be equivalent to more than half a year’s salary.

"This..." Only Shi Sheng hesitated. After all, in his past experiences with such matters, the money seized was always directly confiscated by the treasury.

Without needing Ye Liuyun to speak, Si Nan said directly, "You don't really think that the money you handed over in the past was actually put into the public treasury, do you?"

"What?" Shi Sheng widened his tiger-like eyes. This was something he had never paid attention to before.

"If you turned in ten thousand taels, the amount that actually made it to the treasury probably wouldn't even be ten taels. It would have long since been divided up by the people above." Si Nan was well-versed in these matters.

Seeing Shi Sheng looking like he couldn't accept it and wanted to go argue with those people, Si Nan added, "Forget it. Going there is useless. Just take it honestly. If you don't take it, someone else will anyway. You’re lucky it’s our lord; if it were any other centurion, you probably wouldn't even get ten taels!"

Before Ye Liuyun, Si Nan had served under other Imperial Secret Police officers, and he was well aware of their stinginess.

...

Seeing Shi Sheng fall silent, Ye Liuyun said calmly, "If you want to change things, work hard to become stronger. When you are strong enough that no one in the entire Imperial Secret Police can oppose you, then you can decide how things are done. But until then, use this money to improve your strength."

Practicing martial arts costs money. Shi Sheng had good talent, but if he wanted to break through to the Houtian realm, he couldn't do it without purchasing precious medicinal herbs.

"I understand. Thank you, my lord!"

Shi Sheng was not a pedant. Once Ye Liuyun put it that way, he understood. He was right; if he didn't take the money, someone else would. It was better to use it to buy things to improve his cultivation. As Ye Liuyun said, once he was powerful enough to make the entire Imperial Secret Police listen to him, he wouldn't need to worry about corruption.

Seeing Shi Sheng accept it, Si Nan chuckled and took items worth about three hundred taels from Shi Sheng’s box. "Heh heh, we’re all square now!"

"..." Although Shi Sheng didn't stop him, he still gave Si Nan a disgruntled look. *What a miser.*

...

After the business with the Golden Blade Sect was concluded, Ye Liuyun told everyone to go home and not to return to the Imperial Secret Police headquarters. Having come into money, some of the closer ones were already planning to group up and go out to celebrate. Others planned to save up to get married, or like Shi Sheng, spend it on martial arts supplies.

"Master!"

Inside the residence, Xing'er was the first to greet Ye Liuyun upon his return. After taking his outer robe, her expression changed. "Is the master injured?" Seeing bloodstains on the robe, her heart tightened.

"I was out investigating a case today. This isn't my blood; it’s the enemy's." As he spoke, he stretched his limbs to show he was fine.

"It’s good that the master is unharmed." Seeing that he truly didn't seem injured, Xing'er felt relieved. "In that case, I will have someone heat up water so you can wash off the scent of blood."

"That works." Ye Liuyun thought about it and didn't refuse. However, looking at the well-behaved Xing'er, he felt a bit curious. "Does the mistress not have much for you to do lately? Why does it feel like you’ve been spending more and more time by my side?"

As Sheng Lanzhi’s personal maid, Xing'er should have been serving her most of the time. Why was she always attending to him lately?

"The mistress doesn't have much going on over there, and there are other maids, so there is no need to worry. Is the master annoyed with me, thinking I’m not doing my job well?" Fearing that he was displeased with her, Xing'er looked at Ye Liuyun with eyes that seemed on the verge of tears.

"That’s not what I meant." He waved his hand helplessly. "I’m just worried that if you spend too much time with me, the mistress might give you trouble."

That was the truth. Moreover, Xing'er was meticulous and thoughtful; Ye Liuyun liked having her around, so how could he be annoyed?

Seeing that Ye Liuyun wasn't tired of her, Xing'er felt relieved. "Master, don't worry. This was arranged by the mistress herself, asking me to serve by your side."

"That’s good then!" Knowing it was Sheng Lanzhi’s arrangement, Ye Liuyun had no objections. He nodded and led the way back to the side courtyard.

...

After bathing, Ye Liuyun didn't rush to practice martial arts or rest. Instead, he started browsing through books in his study. Xing'er had wanted to ask how to handle the money sent back by the Imperial Secret Police that afternoon, but Ye Liuyun hadn't paid much attention, simply telling her to arrange it as she saw fit. He didn't care; his daily needs in the residence were managed by her, and he could just ask when he needed money. He waved his hand, signaling for Xing'er to leave.

During the search of the Golden Blade Sect, apart from the money, Si Nan had also found two martial arts manuals and had secretly handed them to Ye Liuyun. Martial arts manuals were even more important than money. Some were priceless; even if you had the money, others might not necessarily sell them to you.

*The Thirteen Blades of the Golden Gate!*

Judging by the name, it was likely the sect’s own blade technique. Ye Liuyun flipped through it briefly and quickly grasped its essence. This blade technique was on the same level as the Pine Wood Blade Technique he was currently learning. The difference was that the Pine Wood technique focused on steady progress, while the Thirteen Blades of the Golden Gate was more aggressive.

Learning more techniques of the same level would only provide more options in combat; it wouldn't significantly boost his overall strength. Thus, Ye Liuyun set it aside after a quick look. Even if he didn't learn it, it was nice to keep as a collection.

"This purple-grade 'Unity of Man and Blade' talent is truly beyond my imagination!"

In the past, he would have had to practice something several times to grasp its mysteries. Now, he could understand the basics after reading through it just once.