The Status Is Like a Chasm

After stating his name,

Lin Nu’s figure flickered, and he vanished into the darkness like a ghost.

“What a strange name.”

“What kind of decent parents would name their child ‘Slave’?”

Yang An muttered sarcastically.

Out of the corner of his eye, he suddenly spotted something gleaming amid the dust on the ground. He walked over and saw that it was a purple incense burner.

It was precisely the one Monk Yuanxing had been carrying earlier.

It must have fallen from his robes when they exploded to pieces. The monk had been too panicked while fleeing to remember to take it with him.

Yang An recalled what had happened earlier.

After Monk Yuanxing had poured true essence into the purple incense burner, the smoke it released seemed able to pinpoint Yang An’s location.

“So this was how he saw through the Thousand Illusions Mask on my face.” Yang An frowned. “That means the monk came specifically to kill me. But I have no grudge against the White Lotus Sect. I’d never even met them before. Why would they want me dead?”

Yang An could think of only two possibilities.

Either the White Lotus Sect coveted the nameless cultivation technique he possessed as well,

or someone was directing them from behind the scenes.

But without evidence, he had no way of determining which possibility was the truth.

Yang An furrowed his brow. “I’ll discuss it with my brother-in-law when I get home.”

With that thought, he glanced at the incense burner amid the ruins.

Though the purple incense burner was somewhat mystical—

and looked like a valuable treasure—

it was ultimately an evil artifact of the White Lotus Sect. Who knew whether bringing it home carelessly might cause trouble? Yang An simply picked up a large stone and smashed the burner several times, shattering it.

Only after confirming there was no danger did he pick up the broken pieces.

Yang An did not head straight home. Carrying the ruined burner, he took a long detour to a riverbank and tossed it into the river.

He watched as it sank to the bottom.

Only then did he feel at ease enough to turn and head home.

The clouds dispersed overhead, revealing a slender crescent moon hanging high in the chill night sky.

By the time Yang An returned home, it was completely dark.

The moment he pushed open the gate and stepped into the courtyard, he froze. For a moment, he thought he had come to the wrong house. The small courtyard was piled high with gifts draped in red silk. He quickly stepped back out to check the address plaque.

It was indeed his home.

“Why are you only getting back now?”

Hearing the movement, Yang Ning hurried out to greet him. “If you’d come back any later, the food would have gone cold.”

Yang An smiled and followed Yang Ning into the main hall.

The hall was also filled with gifts: delicately crafted ornaments, calligraphy and paintings by famous artists, even jade pieces and antique curios.

Every item looked quite valuable.

They must have cost a considerable sum of silver.

Yang An tossed the little pastries he had bought to Manman, who was sitting at the dining table, then took a seat himself.

The table had already been laid with food.

To keep it from going cold, the dishes had been covered with porcelain basins.

Once Yang An had taken his seat and the whole family was present, Yang Ning happily lifted the basins away. The spread was lavish: cured meat, fresh river delicacies, and several small dishes that Li Yan and Yang An particularly enjoyed.

At the center of the table lay the main course: a pair of braised bear paws.

Because Li Yan practiced martial arts and had a large appetite, the household’s serving basins were specially made, several sizes larger than ordinary ones. At that moment, the two bear paws rested in one such basin, gleaming with oil.

A rich fragrance of spices wafted from them.

The moment the two bear paws were uncovered, Manman’s eager eyes nearly turned into bear paws themselves.

Her little hands clutched her chopsticks tightly.

She swallowed again and again.

Sitting on a tall stool, her tiny feet dangled above the ground, swinging rapidly.

Seeing her like this,

Yang Ning smiled, her eyes curving into crescents. She cut a large piece from the bear paw in the middle and placed it in Manman’s bowl. “Go on, eat.”

In Manman’s world,

Yang Ning had now become the third-best person in the world, after the Princess and Yang An. Happily, she hugged the bear paw and began gnawing on it.

Yang An had followed Li Yan up the mountain early that morning.

He had barely eaten at noon and was already starving. Seeing how deliciously Manman ate, his own appetite was stirred. He lifted his bowl of rice and shoveled it down in great mouthfuls.

Yang Ning’s cooking was as good as ever.

Every dish suited his taste perfectly.

Seeing her younger brother, her husband, and Manman all eating with such relish, Yang Ning proudly straightened her back, her heart brimming with accomplishment.

With three food lovers in the household,

no matter how much she cooked, nothing ever went to waste. Before long, the table that had been laden with food was swept nearly clean. Aside from the two especially enormous bear paws, every dish had been emptied.

When they had eaten their fill,

Yang An looked at his sister and brother-in-law, then asked curiously, “What’s the story behind all these gifts at home?”

Yang Ning said, “Isn’t it all because your brother-in-law was promoted? An eighth-rank official is no longer some insignificant clerk, especially when he has been appointed Judicial Affairs Officer—a vital post that can command the Martial Guard.”

“Many well-informed merchants in Yunzhou City want to establish ties with your brother-in-law in advance. They’ve been coming to the door with gifts one after another. We couldn’t turn them away even if we tried.”

So that was it.

Yang An teased Li Yan, who sat beside him. “Ha! Brother-in-law, you’re quite the important figure in Yunzhou City now.”

Li Yan replied with a stern face, “Most of these people probably have guilty consciences—that’s why they’re rushing to bring gifts to my door. Who knows whether the things they send are clean or dirty? Who knows whether they’re stained with blood?”

“Your sister and I have already discussed it. Later, we’ll seal away all these valuable gifts. When I take up my post, I’ll bring them to the magistrate’s office and register each and every one.”

Li Yan was simply that kind of man.

He could truly be called upright and incorruptible. He had no notion of going along with the crowd; otherwise, he would never have offended the son of Lin Yeping, Yunzhou’s military governor, over an ordinary passerby.

Naturally, Yang An hoped that every official in the world could be like his brother-in-law, Li Yan. But reality was not so kind.

On the contrary, men as upright as Li Yan

had always found it difficult to gain a foothold in officialdom. Unless someone stood behind them to protect them, they simply could not survive.

Worried that Li Yan might suffer for it,

Yang An wanted to offer some advice, yet he did not know where to begin.

At that moment, Yang Ning sighed. “Besides those merchants, many of our neighbors have come with gifts as well.”

“Ever since the Divine Sovereign ascended the throne, life has only grown harder. This year, Yunzhou had barely recovered from the drought before being struck by floods. Now the snow has fallen far heavier than in previous years. The skies have only just cleared these past few days. So many of our neighbors can barely afford to eat, yet they still tighten their belts and bring gifts...”

“See that packet of rice cakes? Widow Chen from the west end sent them over. I didn’t want to accept them, but she thought she’d somehow offended us. She was so frightened she nearly dropped to her knees.”

Such was Great Xia.

Though officials and commoners differed by only a single word, the gap between them was as vast as that between gods and mortals.

Brother-in-law was merely an eighth-rank official.

It did not sound like much.

Yet it already placed him beyond an unbridgeable chasm from ordinary people. In the eyes of the villagers, Li Yan and the entire Yang family stood high above them—people who had to be shown proper respect.

Yang An knew that his sister had the kindest of hearts.

She could not bear to witness the suffering of others.

Yang An thought to himself, Back then, I lacked the ability to help. But now that I can, if I can lend a hand to these fellow townsfolk—people who have lived in the same neighborhood as us and known us for over ten years—then of course I should.

“Big Sister, are you worried that the villagers won’t make it through the winter? That’s easy enough to solve.” Yang An smiled. “That black bear Brother-in-law and I brought down on Yunling Mountain today weighed three or four thousand jin, while the black hawk must have weighed one or two thousand jin.”

“The authorities strictly forbid the private sale of ferocious beasts, but they never said we can’t give them away. Isn’t Brother-in-law being promoted? We can hold a banquet tomorrow to celebrate and invite all the neighbors over for some lively festivities. Then we can distribute the black hawk’s meat among them—ten or twenty jin for each household.”

“That way, whether they keep it for themselves or sell it to the authorities, the villagers should be able to make it through this winter.”

When Yang Ning heard that Yang An intended to share the prey with the villagers, she hesitated.

“Ah An, you hunted all of this. And you need meat for your martial training. How can you go without it?”

They were only a few hunted beasts.

Compared with making his sister happy, they were nothing at all.

Yang An smiled. “Don’t worry, Sis. Your little brother has strength to spare. We’ll keep the black bear for ourselves. Once we’ve nearly finished it, I’ll just head into the mountains and hunt another one.”

Only after Yang An put it that way did Yang Ning reluctantly agree.

They continued chatting as they ate. After nearly half an hour, Yang An and Li Yan were so stuffed they felt ready to burst, yet more than half of the bear paw remained.

Manman, however, was still not full.

She continued clutching her bowl, staring longingly at the remaining half of the bear paw.

With a hearty laugh, Yang An placed the rest of the bear paw beside Manman. Then he called Li Yan aside for tea and told him about the White Lotus Sect.

Li Yan was utterly shocked after hearing it.

“The White Lotus Sect was once a branch of the Buddhist Pure Land Sect. For some reason, it suddenly fell out with the Zen and Esoteric sects. Now, it is one of the largest rebel forces in all of Great Xia. Second Brother, how did you manage to offend such an evil cult?”

“I don’t know either,” Yang An said.

“Could it... have something to do with the Cui and Lin families?” Li Yan asked.

From the three dream fragments last time, Yang An knew that the people seeking to harm him and Yang Ning were likely not limited to the Cui and Lin families. Nor could he determine whether Cui Wenyan and Cui Wenli, the two brothers, had colluded with the White Lotus Sect against him. He gave a bitter smile.

“There’s no evidence in hand right now. It’s hard to say.”

“Then forget the Cui and Lin families for the moment. Keep an eye on the White Lotus Sect first,” Li Yan said coldly. “Second Brother, don’t be afraid. We have the Great Xia imperial court at our backs. Even if those White Lotus Sect rebels have set their sights on us, there’s nothing to fear.”

“Brother-in-law will be taking up his new post in a few days.”

“Once I take up my post, I’ll mobilize the Wuhou Guard to conduct a thorough investigation. The White Lotus Sect has always hidden itself away in rural villages and isolated temples. I’ll have the surrounding towns and villages searched properly. If there truly are traces of the White Lotus Sect in Yunzhou, I will certainly uproot them completely.”

Hearing that his brother-in-law intended to mobilize the Wuhou Guard to crack down on the White Lotus Sect for his sake, Yang An suppressed a laugh and teased, “Brother-in-law, wouldn’t that count as abusing your authority for personal gain?”

Li Yan’s expression stiffened for a moment. Then he declared righteously, “The White Lotus Sect is guilty of heinous crimes. As the Judicial Affairs Officer of Yunzhou, it is my duty to preserve peace and order in this region. How could I tolerate such an evil cult causing trouble within my jurisdiction? I am suppressing bandits for the imperial court—how could that possibly be called abusing my authority for personal gain?”

Yang An had originally worried that his brother-in-law might suffer for being overly upright.

He had planned to explain to him the wisdom of “blending in without losing oneself,” but seeing that Li Yan’s principles could be rather flexible even before family, he was reassured. Smiling, he said, “Then this humble commoner must thank Just Official Li in advance.”

Li Yan’s old face reddened, and he said no more.

With that, their conversation ended.

Yang Ning had already cleared the dining table.

Manman was still happily gnawing on half a bear paw. Seeing that it was getting late, Li Yan and Yang Ning went to heat some water before returning to their room to rest.

Before leaving, Li Yan turned back to Yang An and said, “Oh, right, Second Brother—I nearly forgot to tell you. I left that bear heart for you in the kitchen. That black bear can barely be considered a ninth-rank ferocious beast. If you refine its essence and blood, it may give your strength a bit of a boost. Don’t forget to eat it tonight.”

Yang An gave an affirmative reply.

Once his sister and brother-in-law had left, he glanced at Manman, who was still hugging half a bear paw and chewing away. He picked her up by the back of her collar, went to the kitchen, and retrieved the black bear heart from the large bowl.

Then he returned to his room.

The essence and spiritual vitality contained in the bear heart far surpassed those in the bear paw. The moment Manman saw that bright-red heart, the bear paw in her hands instantly lost its appeal. She stared eagerly at Yang An, her little eyes full of longing.

Yang An set her down on a small stool beside him.

“What are you up to now?” he asked irritably.

Manman held out the half-eaten bear paw to him, her eyes fixed unblinkingly on the bear heart in his hand.

“You want to trade with me?”

Manman nodded her little head like a pecking chick.

Her face was full of expectation.

Thunk!

Yang An raised a hand and rapped her pretty little forehead. “In your dreams.”

Manman winced in pain.

A little red bump immediately rose on her lovely forehead. Frowning, she glared angrily at Yang An, ready to cross his name off her internal list of good people.

But Yang An tore the bear heart in the bowl in half first.

He held one half out to her. “Eat.”

Princess Anle’s side had nearly gathered all the materials needed for a perfect foundation establishment, and Yang An no longer lacked the resources provided by a single bear heart.

Looking at the half bear heart before her—

Yang An’s standing in Manman’s heart soared at once. He was practically on par with Princess Anle now!

She gave Yang An a radiant smile.

Stretching out her little hand to take the bear heart from him, she grabbed only air as Yang An lifted his hand away. With a genial smile, he said, “Don’t be in such a hurry. Answer one question for me first. If you get it right, I’ll give you this half of the bear heart.”

Manman swallowed, then nodded her little head.

Thinking of Qin Guo’er’s kindness.

Yang An was planning to bring the princess a small gift the next time he visited her residence, but he had no idea what Qin Guo'er liked. So he asked Manman, “Do you know what the princess usually enjoys?”

Manman thought for a moment. “Pretty dresses.”

Every time he saw Princess Anle, she wore a different dress, each one exquisitely made.

Yang An could not tell what material they were made of.

But he reckoned that the price of a single dress was probably enough to feed an ordinary family for several lifetimes.

If he simply bought her some random dress as a gift—

With that Dog Woman’s temperament, she would probably think he was insulting her with cheap goods. Then he would end up getting kicked again.

Yang An asked, “Other than dresses?”

“Jewelry,” Manman replied.

Jewelry cost money too, and Yang An had none.

Gesturing with his hands, he asked, “Is there anything else? Something a little more special?”

Manman could not understand what Yang An meant by “special.” She merely shook her little head blankly.

Fine. Asking this little dummy was pointless.

Yang An sighed and gave Manman half of the bear heart. Heavenly treasures could be eaten directly, whether raw or cooked.

Manman accepted it with delight.

In two or three bites, she crammed the half bear heart into her stomach, chewing away noisily. Her eyes shone sweetly, as though she had eaten candied fruit, sparkling bright in her large face.

Seeing how adorable she looked, Yang An reached out to rub Manman’s little head. But the instant he touched her hair—

Bang!

Manman’s small fist slammed into his stomach.

It nearly sent him straight to meet his great-grandmother in the afterlife.

Yang An’s face went pale, and he nearly vomited up the dinner he had eaten that evening. Furious, he said, “Why did you hit me again? I gave you food, and you still hit me! What an ungrateful little brat!”

Manman replied obediently, “The princess said that if you touch Manman, Manman should hit you.”

“But the last few times I patted your head, you didn’t do anything!”

“The princess said it only counts if you touch Manman when it’s just the two of us.”

“...”

You win!

Yang An clutched his stomach and rested for a while before getting back to his feet.

Then, suddenly, inspiration struck him.

That Dog Woman had a theater troupe at her residence. Did that mean she liked opera? Perhaps he could find time to write a script and give it to her the next time he visited the princess’s residence.

Should he write *The Butterfly Lovers*?

Or *Legend of the White Snake*?

Or *The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl*?