Yinlan City, part 8

Su Qing only held a testing attitude, not much hope.

After all, he had just been flushed with anger; it wouldn’t be strange if he didn’t want to come.

But who knew, she actually managed to call him over.

As soon as Yan Jin arrived, he looked at her with a rather curious gaze.

Su Qing found it a little strange, but when she looked back at him, the gaze was gone.

He lightly coughed and asked uncomfortably, “Why are you looking for me?”

Su Qing looked at Bayin, “Teach her spear techniques.”

“Spear techniques?” Yan Jin looked at the thin, scrawny little girl, “Why do you want to learn spear techniques?”

Bayin stared at him in awe.

The little girl murmured to herself, ‘It’s real, alive, the City Lord’s son, and he’s talking to me.’

She quickly snapped back to reality and, somewhat reservedly, began to explain why she wanted to learn spear techniques.

Bayin wanted to participate in the spear technique competition, a mandatory entertainment program at every celebration.

The Yan family army in Yinlan City was renowned for its spear techniques, so the number of people learning spears in the city far exceeded those learning other weapons like axes, halberds, hooks, and forks.

The Yan family’s spear techniques were not as strictly guarded as other family arts, which forbade their disclosure.

The first ten moves of the Yan family spear were not only taught in various martial arts schools across the city but were also specially printed into small booklets and posted in every corner of the city.

Therefore, even children knew two or three moves.

After the banquet, they would compete under the bonfires, and if they were lucky enough to be noticed by the Yan family and recruited into the Yan family army for training, as long as they didn’t die, they would have secured a position.

Bayin was a child adopted by the Old Temple. She was an orphan; both her parents had died in the beast tide.

There were many children like her.

The Old Temple, with over two hundred large and small branches in Yinlan City, not only adopted many lonely orphans but also took in some poor people and offered lodging to the destitute, making it the most famous charity organization in the city.

The Azamu she spoke of was the son of a wine merchant, a big, burly boy.

The wine merchant’s guild would sponsor the Old Temple and send food and cotton clothes for them to eat and wear.

But in return, the children also had to go to his wine cellar to help with winemaking tasks.

The ingredients for winemaking contained a lot of dust and debris, and the first step before brewing was cleaning.

Yinlan City was so cold that washing ingredients in ice water left Bayin’s two skinny little hands covered in layers of red, raw chilblains.

Although these children were small, they worked no less than adults and demanded no wages, so the wine merchant found them very useful.

Sometimes, Azamu, the wine merchant’s son, would come to inspect.

He would stand with his hands behind his back, looking up and speaking loudly, “You must work hard! It’s my father who keeps you fed and clothed!”

Bayin didn’t pay much attention to him.

His father did send a lot of food, but if they weren’t working for him, would he really be so kind?

Moreover, the grain his family sent was always half good and half bad; the spoiled grain was too bitter to eat, numbing the tongue.

But she wouldn’t leave any leftovers.

She worked silently, but Azamu always troubled her because of the terrifying birthmark at the corner of her eye.

Azamu said she was too ugly, enough to scare people to death during the day.

Bayin was indignant, “But the City Lord also has markings around her eyes!”

“The City Lord is a Batal, and I’ll be a Batal someday too!”

Azamu was startled by her boastful declaration, then became furious, “You’re nothing! You don’t even have parents!”

His gaze lingered on Bayin’s defiant eyes. He saw the black mark at the corner of her eye seem to come alive, pulsing with her veins.

He couldn’t control his malice and said, “My father says people with spots on their faces are the unluckiest. Maybe your parents were killed by you!”

He said something truly outrageous.

Bayin trembled all over with anger.

The surrounding children also stopped stirring the ingredients and looked at them.

Some bolder ones even dropped their work and cautiously approached.

But Bayin said, “Don’t come over. I’m fine.”

A few hot tears involuntarily welled up in her eyes, but she held them back, not letting them fall.

Because they still relied on the wine merchant for food.

She couldn’t anger Azamu. If he went to complain to his father and their food was cut off, how would the Old Temple survive the winter?

She lowered her head, no longer looking into Azamu’s eyes, staring fixedly at the holes in her shoes.

Her thin neck protruded from her worn collar, like a bent stalk of grass.

After Azamu said that, he felt a little regretful.

But when he saw that everyone was clearly angry but dared not speak, he felt a sense of exhilaration in his heart.

He gave a forceful “Hmph!”

“Cowards!”

He swaggered away with his servants trailing behind him.

“So, I can’t fight Azamu in private. If I’m going to fight, it has to be openly. That’s the only way it makes sense. Otherwise, offending him will implicate the Old Temple!”

Bayin’s eyes widened, and she gritted her teeth, “I really want to teach him a harsh lesson!”

Su Qing understood her meaning. If Bayin and Azamu fought in private, it would be seen as children being aggressive and violent. The wine merchant might also think she was bullying his son. Although it was hard to say who was bullying whom, he might use it as an excuse to stop sponsoring the Old Temple, or use it as leverage, preventing the Old Temple from gaining any benefit.

She could only fight in the public combat segment. After all, this was a legitimate competition, and even if Azamu lost, it could only be said that he was inferior in skill.

Yan Jin had listened with his arms crossed for a long time, then suddenly sneered, “You’re afraid of him?”

“I…” Bayin was a little afraid to look at him and lowered her head.

Although she was asking this big sister for guidance, she only wanted to learn a move or two at the last minute.

She hadn’t expected this sister to simply call the young master over.

She actually wanted to ask the young master if he could sponsor them a little, but she was afraid of saying the wrong thing and displeasing him.

Su Qing supported her, “Just say it directly.”

Bayin quickly looked up at Yan Jin and was caught staring, but having lived by judging people’s expressions for many years, she naturally saw that Yan Jin held no malice.

So she boldly said, “I don’t want to be afraid, but I don’t have a mother to support me.”

If she had a Batal like City Lord Yan Chi as her mother, she definitely wouldn’t be afraid of anything, but she had nothing.

Her words had a slight implication of Yan Jin relying on his mother.

Bayin felt a little uneasy after saying it, but Yan Jin showed no reaction.

Only weak people refused to face reality, and what she said was the truth.

Yan Jin became interested, “Then if you don’t have to consider anything else, just regarding the matter of you competing with Azamu, are you afraid?”

“I’m not afraid!” Bayin said loudly, “Even though he’s taller and stronger than me, I’m not afraid of pain!”

Yan Jin then said with satisfaction, “In that case, I can barely teach you a thing or two.”

He explained to Bayin, demonstrated a few times, and then had her practice.

Su Qing watched attentively from the side, gaining some insights.

There were also parts of spear techniques and sword techniques that could be mutually referenced, and the Yan family spear even gave her some inspiration for her sword techniques.

However, she also realized that the Yan family spear techniques required extremely high physical conditioning.

Learning it at the last minute like this, defeating Azamu was simply impossible, especially when she learned from Bayin that Azamu was one and a half times her height and twice her width.

Bayin would probably be swept to the ground by a single blow before she even got to use the moves Yan Jin taught her.

“We have to take an unconventional approach,” Su Qing said. “We need to use some unorthodox methods.”

If it weren’t for the ice covering everything, making grass suddenly growing very strange, Su Qing would have wanted Xiaocao to make a pile of small grass grow under Azamu’s feet, entangling his legs and making him stand there to be beaten.

But this plan was a little too cunning and might shake a child’s beliefs, especially a little girl who wanted to be a Batal.

Su Qing asked, “What are the rules of your competition? How do you determine victory and defeat?”

As for how to determine victory and defeat, Yan Jin frowned and said, “Whoever can beat the other wins, whoever can’t, loses.”

“So if one party is knocked to the ground by the other, is the one knocked down immediately declared the loser?”

“Not really,” Bayin said. “It only counts as a loss if they don’t get up within thirty counts.”

“There you have it then,” Su Qing said with a smile, pulling the little girl close and whispering in her ear, “You listen to me…”

Bayin’s eyes slowly lit up.

Yan Jin also wanted to listen. Logically, he had a somewhat awkward personality, but at this moment, he boldly stepped forward and occasionally offered a few suggestions.

Su Qing glanced at him, realizing something, but she didn’t say it aloud. As long as the result was the same, it was fine.

Calling one person, and getting to know another, she considered it a gain.

Bayin spent a long time deliberating. By the time she hurried back to the bonfire, the spear technique competition was already drawing to a close.

The person standing in the ring was indeed Azamu. At this point, he already considered himself the top contender, proudly holding his long spear and shouting excitedly, “Who else? Who else dares to challenge me?!”

His wine merchant father proudly beat a hand drum, cheering for him.

Little General Jiang, the most trusted personal guard by Yan Chi’s side, was in charge of hosting this competition.

She looked at the children around who wanted to try but were too timid to come forward, her gaze encouraging, and said gently, “Does anyone else want to try?”

The children looked at Azamu, who was acting like a young bull in the competition ring, and all hesitated.

In terms of spear techniques, Azamu wasn’t particularly outstanding, but he was tall and strong, with thick arms and legs, possessing innate brute strength that no one could rival.

For a moment, everyone was silent, and the wine merchant laughed heartily, “A tiger father has no dog son!”

Little General Jiang waited for a moment longer. Still, no one stepped forward, so she was about to end the competition when she saw a little girl run over with great urgency, raising her hand and saying, “I’ll try.”

Behind her, two figures followed at a distance. Little General Jiang recognized them at a glance. One was the new representative of the Sword School, who, according to the gossipy reports from her comrades, had just defeated their young master.

She had followed General Yan Chi for many years, staying by the twins’ side when they were small, mediating their daily disputes. She immediately recognized the other person as Young Master Yan Yao, though she wondered why she was wearing Yan Jin’s robe. But if Yan Jin knew, he’d probably throw a fit again.

So, she decided she absolutely must not let him know.

Little General Jiang withdrew her gaze and asked kindly, “Good child, come here. What’s your name?”

Azamu never expected that this ugly and weak Bayin would dare to challenge him. He hid behind Little General Jiang, making faces and mocking her.

Bayin said loudly, “My name is Bayin, Noribayin.”

She picked up a long spear from the rack and stepped forward, “I want to challenge you!”

Bayin gripped the long spear tightly, breathing steadily. She had practiced spear techniques for many days; if it came to spear techniques, she should be confident.

There was a ten-meter-long circle on the ground, serving as the arena for this competition. Little General Jiang had the two stand on opposite sides of the circle, waiting for her command.

“Listen to my count: three, two, one.”

Azamu, slyly, charged out the moment the word “one” was uttered.

He rushed towards Bayin with his long spear, wielding it with fierce power. His strength was immense, swinging the long spear as easily as if it were a whip.

‘Cannot retreat, cannot retreat.’

Bayin also charged forward with her spear.

Almost instantly, he was in front of Bayin. He swung his right hand forcefully, and the long spear swept, knocking Bayin to the ground. Bayin nimbly blocked with her spear held horizontally.

Azamu roared, raising his long spear again and fiercely stabbing at Bayin, each strike more powerful than the last. Bayin dodged nimbly with small, quick steps.

Azamu grunted in frustration. He forcefully used his hand to pry up the long spear in Bayin’s hand, then slammed his sturdy shoulder into her.

When her footing was unsteady, he picked up the long spear again and struck her hard.

He was already fourteen and a half, while Bayin was only eleven and developed like an eight- or nine-year-old child. Her arms were so thin they looked like they would break with a snap.

How could she withstand such a stormy assault? She was quickly sent flying by his blow, tumbling twice on the ground, then lay motionless.

“Bayin!”

The surrounding children watched in fear. The children from the Old Temple rushed forward to help her up but were stopped.

Azamu poked her with his long spear, but she remained motionless, as if she had fainted.

He waited a few seconds, and seeing that she truly had no intention of getting up again, he excitedly raised his hand, signaling his victory. His wine merchant father also heavily beat the hand drum in response.

“That kid won again…” someone whispered. “He’s almost as tall and strong as his father, and they still put him in the children’s group. Even if he won, it wasn’t by spear technique.”

“One could only say that being tall is a type of strength.”

Azamu continued to hold up his long spear, shouting, “Who else?!”

But just then, the little girl who had been lying prostrate behind him suddenly got up silently.

She charged at him with her spear without hesitation.

She still remembered the young master’s teaching: ‘Don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid. Believing you can win is the first step.’

‘Eyes must be accurate, hands must be steady, heart must be ruthless.’

Her spear shaft was taut, the spearhead pointing directly at Azamu’s neck.

At this moment, Azamu also realized something was wrong amidst the surprised gasps of the onlookers.

The wine merchant shouted, “Forward!”

The onlookers debated, “Is this against the rules?”

“It’s not thirty counts yet, so it’s not a foul.”

Azamu heard his father’s words and instinctively moved forward, dodging Bayin’s attack. Only then did he turn around, his face flushed red with anger. “You tried to sneak attack!”

In his haste, he again used his effective sweeping spear technique, striking left and right, forcefully driving his opponent away.

‘The long spear is not used like this,’ Bayin muttered. ‘The Young Master said that spear technique is not brute force; it’s flexible and adaptable.’

‘If you can’t win with brute strength, you can retreat a step first, and then—’

‘Steady with the feet, quick with the hands.’

Bayin took a step back to stabilize her center of gravity. She dodged Azamu’s attack sideways, aiming for the gap when he extended his spear and had no time to retract it. She kicked up the butt of the spear with her toe, and the shaft rapidly slid through her palm, almost flying. She gripped it firmly, the spear tip pointing directly at Azamu’s throat.

The spear tip almost pressed against Azamu’s throat; another millimeter closer and it could have pierced through.

Azamu saw Bayin’s eyes, burning like tempered steel. He felt struck, his anger flaring immensely.

Since it was a children’s competition, the spear tips were not sharpened. Azamu knew this well. He forcefully tilted his head to dodge, then used his long spear with all his might, sweeping Bayin away.

This time he used his full body strength, and Bayin couldn’t dodge.

She fell to the ground, rolling several times uncontrollably, landing outside the circle.

She lost.

Azamu raised his fist high, “I won!”

But no one paid him any attention.

No one cheered for him; instead, they eagerly called another name, “Bayin!”

“Bayin!”

His father wanted to continue beating the hand drum but was fiercely glared at.

Everyone angrily said, “If it were a real spear, Bayin would have won!”

“Exactly!”

The wine merchant immediately jumped up and cursed loudly, “That doesn’t count! My son knocked her down first!”

“Why doesn’t it count?”

Someone who had long disliked him retorted, “She didn’t go out of the circle, and she got up within thirty seconds!”

The wine merchant angrily said, “My son went easy on her!”

That person didn’t humor him, saying sarcastically, “What ‘went easy’? This is pride leading to defeat!”

Seeing that neither side would yield and an argument was about to break out, Little General Jiang stepped forward to mediate.

She said, “If this were on a real battlefield, no one would wait thirty counts, and no one would use an unsharpened spear. Both sides take a step back; we’ll call it a draw.”

As soon as she spoke, it signified that the matter had a conclusion.

But a draw would mean another round of competition. How could little Bayin have any strength left to get up and compete again? So, would the final victor actually fall to Azamu’s head again?

Little General Jiang listened to Yan Yao desperately transmitting messages to her from below.
[I don’t want him to win!]
[I don’t want him to win!]
[I don’t want him to win!]

Little General Jiang had a slight headache from the noise, but she didn’t show it on her face.

She looked around and said, “No winner was decided today. Let’s end it here and compete another day.”

When Bayin woke up again, she found herself lying in Su Qing’s arms.

She hadn’t had such intimate contact with anyone in a long time, so she was a little embarrassed, burying her head in Su Qing’s chest with a blush.

It was indeed the same sensation as when she bumped into her: rock-hard, but very reassuring.

She was very sad, feeling like she had failed everyone’s guidance, “I didn’t win.”

“In my heart, you won. We all think you did very well.” Su Qing stroked her soft hair.

She remembered the beast blood wine Bayin wanted during the parade and looked at ‘Yan Jin’ beside her, saying gently, “You want beast blood wine, right? The young city lord here has plenty.”

Bayin looked at ‘Yan Jin’ in surprise, “Really?”

Yan Yao nodded, confirming, “Really. Enough for you to bathe in it.”

When Yan Yao returned to the banquet, she saw Yan Jin frowning and looking towards the Sword School.

Just now, during the Yan family army’s internal spear technique competition, he had taken off his outer robe to participate.

It was at this time that Yan Yao received the paper crane sent to call for help.

She thought about the beast core that had been given away and decided she couldn’t let Yan Jin have too much fun. She casually draped Yan Jin’s clothes over herself and left.

Since they were twins anyway, outsiders probably wouldn’t be able to tell the difference.

But she always felt that Su Qing had actually recognized her halfway, she was truly perceptive.

Yan Jin saw her return and asked, “Where did you go? Did you see my outer robe?”

Yan Yao had taken it off on her way back.

She said without changing her expression, “It might have gotten some wine on it and was taken away.”

“It must have been you.”

Yan Jin breathed a sigh of relief. He knew that if he gave away her beast core, Yan Yao would retaliate, but losing a jacket was nothing.

He instructed his personal guard, “Bring me that red brocade robe, the one with the gold embroidery, and a set of jade pendants too. Yes, the set stored deepest inside.”

Yan Yao was speechless, “It’s almost over. In the dead of night, with barely any light, can you stop putting on a show?”

Yan Jin almost jumped up in furious embarrassment, knocking over the wine goblet on the table. “You, what nonsense are you spouting?!”

“I advise you to save your effort.” Yan Yao thought about her brief time with Su Qing, and looking at Yan Jin, she felt even more disgusted. “You’re not good enough for her. Just follow her around for a few years; don’t even think about a proper title.”

Yan Jin turned his face away, stubbornly saying, “I don’t know what you’re talking about…”

Inside the Old Temple.

Bayin felt she had experienced an incredible night.

She actually received beast blood wine, personally bestowed by the City Lord.

Thanks to that rock-hard big sister from the Sword School; she was truly kind.

But when she took the beast blood wine, Bayin couldn’t help but recall Granny Alan’s words: it wasn’t being showered with beast blood wine that made one a Batal, but becoming a Batal that led to being showered with beast blood wine.

So, she wasn’t greedy and only asked for a small wineskin.

It contained only a little liquid, enough for her to taste it. Any more would have to wait until she became a true Batal and personally retrieved it herself.

She hid in her secret base and slowly drank all the wine.

Her secret base was actually inside the Buddha statue enshrined in the Old Temple.

Once she climbed into the long offering table, she could enter from beneath the statue.

The Buddha statue was very large, making it easy to hide a thin child.

However, this beast blood wine was truly too potent for a small child. Before long, Bayin drifted off to sleep in a daze.

Her body seemed to enter a state of fake death, but her soul felt as if it were floating above her body, hearing everything clearly.

Someone came in.

“Are all the Concealing Sound Talismans in place?”

“Long ago. You’re too cautious. This place is full of old, weak, and sick, or just poor wretches. No need to worry.”

“Do you know that Yan family soldiers searched the Old Temple tonight?”

‘Did they discover the Inner Subsidiary City stronghold? But if the Yan family knew that the fog was our doing, they would have attacked long ago… They must not have discovered it yet.’