"...Steward He is interrogating him. Steward Li is also there. The two stewards sent me here to report this to Young Master and request his instructions. Will Young Master go there himself or..."

Outside the courtyard of Ling Zhang's dwelling, Xia Feng was standing at the gateway. After hearing the servants' words, he replied with a cold look on his face, "I'm informed about this matter. Young Master is too busy to be distracted by this. Go back and tell the two stewards to keep the man alive for the moment. Young Master might want to go there and interrogate him himself when he finds the time."

"Yes."

"Did you inform Second Master and Second Mistress of this?" Xia Feng recalled something and asked.

"Not yet. I came here to report to Young Master first," responded the servant.

Xia Feng cast a meaningful glance at him and told him, "That's very thoughtful of you, but the next time this kind of occurrence arises, inform Young Master and Second Master at the same time. Do not report to any of them sooner than the other. Understand?"

"Yes." Uncertain about whether this was a compliment or a criticism, the man was somewhat alarmed and didn't dare raise his head to look at Xia Feng.

"Now go and tell Second Master and Second Mistress," ordered Xia Feng.

"Yes," the man responded and hurriedly left.

Xia Feng returned to the courtyard and entered Ling Zhang's room. He looked around, unsure as to whether he should go inside and report this to Ling Zhang right away.

At this point, Ling Zhang was taking a medicated bath with Yuwen Tong behind him trying to unblock his meridians with his internal energy. Compared with the previous two baths which had been agonizing and torturous, the third bath was much more bearable. Though he still felt miserable, the pains were much less intolerable and he could also spare part of his concentration for something else.

After unblocking his meridians twice, he found that his hearing had become much more acute than before. At night when all was still, he could even hear sounds from the gateway of the courtyard. This time, though he hadn't distinguished the contents of the conversation between Xia Feng and that servant, he was well aware that someone had come to talk with Xia Feng, that Xia Feng was now pacing the floor outside the bathroom.

"Xia Feng, what's going on?"

Ling Zhang abruptly called Xia Feng's name, which took Xia Feng aback. Then he realized that his pacing up and down outside had come to the knowledge of the man inside, so he stopped dithering and replied immediately, "Young Master, Steward He just caught a greedy servant who intended to provide an outsider with inside information about Ling family in exchange for money. The name of the servant is Wu Er'niu. He's an odd-job man in the kitchen. It is said that someone delivered a note to him via a firewood seller offering to buy intelligence about the identity of the kung fu expert hiding in Ling family."

'The kung fu expert hiding in Ling family?' Ling Zhang's heart lurched.

"It seems that someone has noticed something," said Yuwen Tong. Then he raised his voice and asked Xia Feng, "What else did he say?"

Xia Feng was not surprised to hear Yuwen Tong's voice. Having heard no further questions from Ling Zhang, he realized that this was also what his young master wanted to know, so he answered, "The one who made an offer to buy intelligence also intended to find out how many kung fu experts there are in Ling family as well as whether it was the day Young Master went to the herb farm that they entered Ling family."

"Who was the one that offered to buy intelligence?"

"Well... Even Wu Er'niu himself didn't know the identity of the buyer. He said that he ignored the note at first, that it was after he saw the offer of a hundred taels of silver that he was swayed. Tonight he made contact with a person outside the wall to confirm the time and place for their meeting. Wu Er'niu has a one-day leave after two days, and he planned to meet the buyer on that day. Just now, it was a man sent here by Steward He that I was talking to. He asked whether Young Master wanted to go there and interrogate Wu Er'niu. I made an excuse and told him that Young Master was busy. I also bade him to tell Steward He to keep Wu Er'niu alive and wait for Young Master's further instructions."

"Well, you did a good job. What about my uncle? Did you send someone to inform him of this?"

"That servant is on it. I think Second Master probably has already been informed by now."

"I see. You may take your leave."

"Yes."

After Xia Feng left, Ling Zhang said, "Your existence has already attracted the attention of either Jia family or Zhang Chong or somebody else."

"The buyer specially asked about the day when my people entered the city. It seems that some opponent of ours noticed."

"If the buyer works for Zhang Chong, will he have misgivings because of this? If by any chance our plan is compromised..."

"I don't think Zhang Chong is the one behind this, but if the buyer is from the Jia family, Zhang Chong will be informed very soon. However, it doesn't matter whether Zhang Chong knows about it or not. They have no clue whatsoever who that kung fu expert is. Zhang Chong is now a local despot nobody dares to defy in Tangyang. He's not necessarily going to be alarmed by this matter." Yuwen Tong appeared totally unworried.

"Anyway, it will never occur to him that it was me who had been crossing him in Tanyang. As regards other people, whom do you think he possibly fears?"

Ling Zhang didn't know how to respond.

He had to admit that Yuwen Tong's words made sense.

A man like Zhang Chong who had always been acting domineeringly like a tyrant in Tanyang would never be worried by an issue of this kind.

"If it bothers you, I'll have Yao Yi go and do some interrogating. That Wu Er'niu will take a day off in two days. We can just send someone disguised as him to meet the buyer."

"I'll handle it. Currently, this matter is the focus of all people's attention in Ling family. I must do something to send them a message, to remind them that there are some things they should do but there are also some they must not do, that no matter how much money they are promised, they need to consider whether they would be able to live long enough to spend it before saying yes."

Yuwen Tong gave a smile. "All right."

The medicated bath was over and Ling Zhang didn't pass out this time. He still felt exhausted, but after moments' rest, he regained enough strength to get dressed by himself.

Yuwen Tong appeared faintly regretful. Beneath Ling Zhang's gaze, he left the bathroom, face full of regret.

Of course Ling saw this distinctly, the color of his face alternating between red and normal. As he recalled that it was Yuwen Tong who had helped him change on the previous two occasions when he fell unconscious after bath, his cheeks burned with embarrassment. Then the regretful look Yuwen Tong had on his face a moment ago re-appeared in his mind, and he couldn't help clenching his teeth. 'Asshole,' he thought.

"Marshal, why did you come back so soon today?" Yao Yi couldn't help but ask when seeing that Yuwen Tong returned sooner than he did the previous two times.

Clothes in hands, upper body naked, Yuwen Tong walked straight into his room. "This time he didn't faint."

Yao Yi uttered "Oh" and understood. This time the marshal failed to take advantage of Childe Ling.

"How's it going in Zhang Chong's encampment? Any unusual movements of his troops?"

"Yesterday Zhang Chong received a letter from the capital city and was informed that his memorial to the throne had been intercepted. He got furious, but after reading another letter, the writer of which stays unknown, his fury dissolved considerably. The last batch of ore he purchased from the mine of Jia family is about to be used up, which means that he's probably going to set about hiding this batch of armament in a couple of days. I've already bidden our men to keep their eyes peeled for all their activities."

After getting changed, Yuwen Tong walked outside and said, "The writer of that letter is probably Zhou Mingshen. It was merely an attempt to appease Zhang Chong. We must find out where Zhang Chong has been hiding those armaments in the next few days, because it won't be long before word about me being in Tangyang spreads here from the capital city."

"Yes!"

"How's Little Liu doing in the brothel?"

"Lady Jingwu really knows her stuff. That mine director of Jia family decided to spend the night in the Pear Blossom Garden again. Little Liu has already set about forging the account book."

Yuwen Tong nodded before saying, "Go and check whether there are any rumors about our entering the city on that day. If there are, find out the contents."

"Yes, Marshal."

...

The next morning, Ling Zhang summoned Steward He.

"How's Wu Er'niu?"

"He received ten staff blows yesterday and is now lying in bed. He's okay for the moment," answered Steward He respectfully.

"Are you sure he doesn't know who the buyer is?"

"Wu Er'niu indeed has no idea who that person is, but they have already agreed on the date and place for their meeting. As long as we follow up this lead, we will find out the identity of the buyer," replied Steward He. "Wu Er'niu and the buyer agreed to meet in a noddle stand in the eastern part of the city at early Chen Hour (07:00-08:59 a.m.)."

"Send for a physician to treat Wu Er'niu. Make sure that he gains his mobility in two days."

On hearing this, Steward He had a general idea what Ling Zhang intended to do. He hurriedly responded, "Yes. I'll send for a physician the moment I return."

"On top of that, tell all servants who know about this matter not to disclose anything about it to anybody. Otherwise they'll be convicted of the same crime as that of Wu Er'niu."

"Yes."

"Did my uncle give any instructions?"

"Second Master bade me to ask you for your opinion first, Young Master. He said that if you don't have the time to deal with the matter of Wu Er'niu, you could inform him."

Touched by his uncle's thoughtfulness, Ling Zhang said, "I see. I'll talk with my uncle. Now go and send for a physician."

"Yes."

While Ling Zhaowen was still at home, Ling Zhang hurried to his dwelling and told him his plans.

"All right. Do it your way. If you need any help, let me know."

"I will. For the moment, everything's within my grasp."

Ling Zhaowen nodded. He was more and more impressed with Ling Zhang's competence.

"By the way, word has it that you've officially started to teach those guards how to perform the Trap-and-Kill Formation of Twelve. How's it going?"

"They are still familiarizing themselves with the first array. I'm going to ask Yuwen Tong to do me a favor and have someone enter the formation to test it out."

Ling Zhaowen let out a laugh. "You're trying to deal a blow to the confidence of our guards by asking the marshal's man to test the formation."

"I prefer to think it'll be a motivation for them."

"Fine. Just be moderate and don't go too hard on them. You don't want them to think that they're hopeless, do you?"

"I understand."

"But, just now you mentioned the first array, so there's a second one? Is this Trap-and-Kill Formation of Twelve really so complicated?"

"This formation consists of twelve arrays. I plan to have our guards learn three of them first."

Ling Zhaowen was startled. He had never expected that this formation consisted of as many as twelve arrays. Since it was so complex, he was very worried that those guards might not be able to live up to Ling Zhang's expectations.

"Maybe you should go and watch them training a couple of days later, uncle. You'll find out about their exact proficiency in the formation."

Ling Zhaowen smiled gently and began to discuss the effects of the guards' training with his nephew in high spirit.

After Ling Zhang left, a thought struck Ling Zhaowen. He abruptly looked in the direction of Ling Zhang's receding figure.

'Deducing from what Zhang'er just said, Marshal Yuwen has already known that our guards have been practicing the formation?' thought Ling Zhaowen. After thinking for a while, Ling Zhaowen felt that he should have realized this earlier. All subordinates of Yuwen Tong were masters of kung fu. He probably knew almost everything happened in Ling family.

'Never mind. If Zhang'er and Yuwen Tong actually get married, Yuwen Tong will know about these things sooner or later anyway. But... exactly what is Zhang'er thinking about? Is he willing to marry Yuwen Tong or not?' Ling Zhaowen wondered.

"The physician said that he prescribed Wu Er'niu some potent medicine, that Wu Er'niu would be able to walk the day after tomorrow."

In the morning, when Ling Zhang was still in the guards' yard, Xia Feng went to the yard and told him that a physician had treated the wounds of Wu Er'niu.

"I see. Bid the physician not to disclose the injury of Wu Er'niu to anybody."

"Rest assured, young master. I've already told him this. Physician Lin has always been on good terms with us. On top of that, he is a man of discretion."

Knowing that the physician who had treated Wu Er'niu was Physician Lin, Ling Zhang said no more, since Physician Lin had always been in cooperation with Ling family and Ling Zhang trusted him.

It was the third day after the guards of Ling family started training the Trap-and-Kill Formation of Twelve. They were getting more and more proficient in it. Back on the first day of the training, the guards' yard was designated a restricted zone that nobody was allowed to enter without permission. At this time, guards formed up into the first array of the Trap-and-Kill Formation of Twelve. The atmosphere in the drill field instantly became tense. Even a leaf carried by a wind, once it entered this array, wouldn't be able to get out of it.

Xia Feng standing beside Ling Zhang felt exceptionally nervous after merely watching the array for a few moments. These guards had really changed drastically and were not who they used to be. Though he was merely standing in front of the formation, he still felt great pressure. He believed that if he was trapped in the formation, there was a very high chance that he wouldn't be able to get out of it.

"Train for another day, brothers. Tomorrow I'll find someone to test out your formation. I hope you won't let me down."

"We won't!"

They had practiced for quite some time. The teamwork among them had reached such a whole new level that they actually made their responses in unison.

After all these days' training, every one of them noticed the changes that had been brought to them. Apart from better teamwork, everybody discovered that their bodily movement techniques had improved significantly. Sometimes, when they were sparring in pairs, they would, in an almost subconscious manner, perform the footwork that they had memorized to sidestep the blow of the opponent. Among the twelve guards, Wang Dashan and Liu Yi had the best kung fu skills. In order to confirm their discovery, the other ten guards took turns to spar with Wang Dashan and Liu Yi at dusk every day during the past few days, and never once had they been disappointed.

This kind of discovery was a pleasant surprise for them who were kung fu practitioners.

As a result, when Ling Zhang said that he would find them a training partner, the enthusiasm of all guards ran high.

"Young Master, is it the bodyguard of our distinguished guest?" Wang Dashan asked in haste.

"Yes." Ling Zhang was not surprised that Wang Dashan guessed right.

Wang Dashan and other guards were overjoyed at this answer. They exchanged glances and said, "Rest assured, Young Master. We won't fail you!"

Ling Zhang made no response. 'It's a good thing that they have confidence in themselves, but... I hope they'll be able to recover from the setback that they're going to suffer tomorrow."

At the time when Ling Zhang was training his guards, a large-scale murder hunt had just come to an end outside Tanyang. Soldiers of the Prefecture Guards were the main force, but they still failed to find any clues to the criminal who had murdered Lu Kui. As if the murderer had vanished into thin air, they didn't find a single trace of him or her whatsoever.

"Commander, we've been searching for three full days. Today is the fourth day already, but there's no trace of the guy who killed Lu Kui. Some citizens are complaining about our repeated large-scale search."

Zhang Chong darkened his face. "What did those bastards say?"

"They said that the murderer was not one of them, that they didn't send anyone to kill Lu Kui."

"Humph! As far as I can tell, they just don't have the balls to admit what they've done!" Zhang Chong thundered. "Surely they won't tell me the murderer is an outside burglar!"

"Please calm your anger, Commander. I've sent some men to conduct a covert investigation into this. If it was really some local gang that was behind the murder, there are definitely traces to be found."

"Yet how long do you think it'll take you to find the truth? That old bastard Tao Feng still refuses to let go of the position of the Right Tongzhi no matter how hard I try to make him to. If it weren't for that his mentor is one of the most influential figures in the Imperial Court, I would have cut off his head long ago!"

His subordinate lapsed into a frightened silence before Zhang Chong's fury.

"Send word to those bastards. None of them is to leave their mountain strongholds for the duration of the murder hunt. Anyone who dares to go downhill shall be killed on sight! In addition to this, since those cowards refuse to admit and are covering for each other, each gang is to make a compensatory payment of 10,000 taels of silver to the Prefecture Guards to cover the expense of this murder hunt! If they refuse to pay compensation, I'll flatten their strongholds in five days!"

"Uh... Commander, are you not worried that this might arouse their grudges?"

"Grudges? As far as I can tell, they just have been slacking for too long, and they could use a reminder of who's the boss. If any of them should hold grudges against me because of this, tell them to come and talk to me. Those who still resist shall be put to my saber! The emperor has just turned me down. Another opportunity to make a request is the very thing I'm seeking." Zhang Chong's voice was cold and harsh like the sound of a saber scratching someone's bones, which scared his subordinates to such an extent that none of them dared to dissuade him again.

Soon, Zhang Chong's order spread through all mountain strongholds of bandits near Tanyang.

"Chief, why is Zhang Chong doing this? We've already told him we're not the ones responsible for the murder. Why is he being so pushy?"

"Tell me about it! Forbidding us from leaving the mountain is synonymous with forbidding us from robbing people. And he also wants us to pay 10,000 taels of silver in compensation. Isn't he trying to starve us to death? Zhang Chong is even greedier than we are!"

"Screw it! Zhang Chong scares many, but not me. I'll grab my saber and go down there to fight him right now!"