Chapter Thirty-Five: Root and Branch

Sunlight filtered through the leaves, falling on the people below and making one feel lazily drowsy. Chu Bing leaned against the tree trunk behind her, watching Li Haoran running tirelessly with the secret guards, a trace of admiration in her eyes.

His wrists and ankles were bound with sandbags weighing about ten kilograms. Most young masters wouldn’t be able to finish even the first lap, but he persisted without a single word of complaint.

For someone of such rank to endure this, his strength of character was evident.

“So, what have you learned from this?” The system, which had been feigning dead silence, suddenly spoke in Chu Bing’s mind.

Chu Bing was startled, raising her brows slightly. “Learned what?”

“That young master knows to work hard, and look at you! He has guards who are just as diligent behind him, but you have nothing!”

The system’s words struck her like thunder, exploding in her mind.

She lowered her arms and straightened her posture, her gaze grave.

Indeed, everyone else was striving forward—she could not afford to stagnate. After all… she couldn’t rely on the system forever.

Without hesitation, Chu Bing tied sandbags to her own wrists and ankles as well, following after them at an unhurried pace.

“Miss Chu?” Li Haoran turned his head, surprised to see Chu Bing running beside him. “Why are you here too?”

Chu Bing snorted, face unreadable. “I can’t experience what training feels like?”

Li Haoran offered a wry smile and lowered his voice. “If it’s too hard, you should rest. Don’t push yourself.”

“...Alright.” Chu Bing replied, but in her heart, she resolved to persevere no matter what. Otherwise, wouldn’t these secret guards laugh at her?

Yet, although running laps seemed easy, persisting was another matter entirely. After who knew how many rounds, Chu Bing’s legs were numb, sweat soaked her hair, and her vision blurred.

She pressed her lips together tightly—she could not stop!

A gentle breeze stirred, swirling leaves down from the trees to nestle in her hair, making her look even more disheveled.

The tree shadows swayed; a flash of silver mask flickered by.

Li Yuxi stood on a branch, hands clasped behind his back, quietly watching Chu Bing grit her teeth and endure. There was admiration in his eyes.

He had never seen such a woman before, training among men without a single word of complaint—her determination was extraordinary.

The branch shook, and a man dressed in black leapt over, bowing slightly. “Master.”

“What is it?” Li Yuxi turned sideways.

“We’ve found out who the corrupt official was behind the scheme against Lord Liu.”

“Oh?”

Li Yuxi’s eyes flashed. The court was full of lackeys, but there were always a few upright ones. He happened to know one, but after a single family letter, the man was branded a traitor, and his entire household—over a dozen people—were not spared.

The man was dead. All Li Yuxi could do was bring the truth to light for the deceased.

“Where is he?”

“In a house on the outskirts of the city. The others are already there; I’ll take you.”

Li Yuxi cast a final glance at Chu Bing, who was fading into the distance, and concealed his expression. With a few swift movements, he vanished into the bamboo grove.

“Master, this is the place.”

Li Yuxi approached the simple, ancient house, his face expressionless.

From within the courtyard came the sharp screams of women.

“What’s happening?” His voice was calm, betraying no emotion.

The subordinate bowed his head, voice tinged with panic. “I don’t know, Master.”

Li Yuxi glanced at him. “Don’t make a sound.”

With that, he leapt onto the wall.

In the courtyard knelt a group of ornately dressed women, each clutching children of various ages, glaring defiantly at the black-clad men surrounding them.

Among them, a man cowered on the ground, muttering incessantly, “Let me go, please let me go!”

“Let you go? You framed a loyal official and caused our master’s friend, Lord Liu, and his entire family to perish. I’ll tell you the truth—you’re dead today!” a black-clad man sneered.

Pinned beneath him was a young girl, her face streaked with tears, barely conscious.

“I’ve never tasted the likes of an official’s daughter before—today won’t be a wasted life!”

“You’d best deal with them quickly. If the master returns and sees this, you’ll be done for.”

“What’s there to fear? These people are all doomed. Would the master really take issue with me, who’s followed him through life and death for over a decade, for the sake of a bunch of corpses?”

The man laughed smugly, his actions growing more brazen. The others, though uneasy, did nothing to stop him. To them, everyone in the courtyard was already as good as dead, undeserving of pity.

Li Yuxi watched the scene, the air around him growing cold, his face hard as stone.

The subordinate beside him turned deathly pale, head bowed in fear. “Master, they… they lost their heads for a moment…”

Li Yuxi had already leapt down from the wall.

Now, everyone saw him.

The black-clad man who had been assaulting the girl immediately scrambled to his knees before Li Yuxi.

“M-Master!”

Li Yuxi spared him not a single glance, striding directly to the shivering, naked woman curled in the corner.

He tore off his cloak and draped it over her.

This action seemed to give the corrupt official a glimmer of hope. He threw himself at Li Yuxi, kowtowing and weeping bitterly. “Master, please spare me. My family—my wife, my children… I swear I’ll never do evil again, never be an official again!”

Li Yuxi drew his sword, its cold light reflecting on his armor, making his expression seem all the more icy.

Everyone held their breath, not daring to make a sound.

Li Yuxi strode toward them, the blade scraping the ground with a piercing screech that set everyone’s nerves on edge.

With a clang, the sword fell against the official’s neck.

He froze, the hope in his eyes flickering out.

“Master, please spare my family.”

Li Yuxi glanced at the women and children nearby; their faces were filled with fear and hatred.

With a swing of his sword, blood spattered in all directions.

“Leave no roots behind.”

“…Yes.”

Wails of grief sounded in the courtyard, chilling to the bone.

Li Yuxi did not look back.

These people were filled with hatred for him. If he showed mercy now, there would be endless trouble.

The black-clad man, who had been kneeling, finally let out a sigh of relief, thinking he had escaped disaster. But before he could rise, Li Yuxi’s sword had already pierced through his chest.

His eyes widened as he slowly fell.

Standing at the gate, Li Yuxi did not look back, his tone inscrutable. “If anything like this happens again, each of you had better prepare for your own burial.”

His men would never be counted among beasts.