Chapter Twenty-One: Journey to Qingzhou

"The information on Qingzhou will be delivered shortly, so I won't disturb you any further, Young Master," Lei Fu said as he rolled up the scroll and left Lei Yan's courtyard.

Watching Lei Fu’s departing figure, Lei Yan mused inwardly, "Lei Fu, you’ve lived long enough. It's time I prepared a little gift for you."

Stepping out of the Northern Garden, Lei Yan made his way to a secluded courtyard in the northwest corner of the Lei Residence, where several rooms formed the family’s pharmacy. On the surface, this courtyard stored only common medicinal herbs, but few knew that the Lei family’s rarest treasures were also hidden here.

"Young Master!" The two guards at the entrance saluted in unison when they saw Lei Yan approach.

Lei Yan waved his hand and entered without a word. Though his standing in the family was not high, this was still his home, so the guards offered no obstruction.

Cinnabar, kale, wolf’s tooth, realgar… Dozens of ordinary herbs were gathered by Lei Yan, who, using the pharmacy’s equipment, transformed them into pills and powders. With these at hand, Lei Yan felt confident he could handle any innate-level experts who might come his way.

Not long after returning to his courtyard, Lei Fu arrived carrying the information on Qingzhou. "Young Master, this is the information you requested. Take a look."

"Why is there so much dust?" Lei Yan remarked as he brushed the documents, sending fine, invisible powder drifting toward Lei Fu.

Lei Fu paused, unsure what Lei Yan was up to, and could only respond with a neutral, "If there’s nothing else, I’ll take my leave."

"Mm," Lei Yan nodded, secretly thinking, "Though you deserve death, the Lei family still needs you. For now, I can only let this poison lie dormant in your body. Five years should be enough for you."

Several days passed in the blink of an eye. Lei Yan had just turned ten and now stood before a grave in the northeastern corner of the Northern Garden, whispering softly, "Mother, I am about to leave. Who knows when I will see you again…"

"Young Master, your carriage is ready. You depart tomorrow for Feng City in Qingzhou, where someone will meet you," Lei Fu's voice abruptly interrupted Lei Yan’s farewell, and a sudden murderous glint flashed in Lei Yan’s eyes. "Lei Fu!"

Lei Fu shivered despite himself when he saw the killing intent in Lei Yan’s eyes. He did not understand how a useless boy could frighten him so, and instinctively took several steps back. "I won’t disturb you any further," he said.

Lei Yan suppressed his anger, thinking, "If you were not still useful to the Lei family, I would have killed you already," but he showed none of this before his mother's grave.

At dawn, beneath a hazy sky, the side gate of the Lei Residence stood wide open. A carriage rolled out, followed closely by two guards.

"Wait!"

A voice called out from behind the carriage, catching Lei Yan’s attention. "Is there actually someone here to see me off?" He lifted the brocade curtain and saw a man in a green robe approaching, flanked by two guards.

"Uncle Han, why are you here?" Lei Yan was surprised and immediately alighted from the carriage.

"Young Master, you are already ten," Han Yu said with a sigh. "It is time for you to journey out and temper yourself. The road ahead is long—these two guards are my brothers. The one on the left is Han Li, the one on the right, Han Yi…"

"Subordinate Han Li, at your service, Young Master!"

"Subordinate Han Yi, at your service, Young Master!"

The two spoke almost in unison.

"Commander Han, did the Lord instruct you to do this? It seems a little irregular," one of the carriage guards questioned before Han Yu could finish.

"And who are you?" Han Yu asked, eyeing the approaching guard.

"Subordinate Fang Jin, ordered by Commander Li to escort the Young Master to Feng City in Qingzhou," Fang Jin replied respectfully.

"If you are under Commander Li, you should know what to ask and what not to. Do your job," Han Yu reprimanded him sharply.

"Yes, understood," Fang Jin retreated, for none dared show disrespect to a commander in the Lei Residence.

"From now on, if you fail to protect the Young Master, the Lei Residence will have no further use for you," Han Yu whispered a few words into Han Yi and Han Li’s ears. Their faces changed, and after a helpless glance at Lei Yan, they both nodded.

"Uncle Han, why go to such lengths? How will you explain this to my father?" Lei Yan smiled bitterly, not knowing exactly what Han Yu had said, but certain it could not be good news for the two men.

Han Yu clapped Lei Yan on the shoulder with a laugh. "What expression is that? A man must know responsibility!" Whether this was meant for Han Yi, Han Li, or Lei Yan himself was unclear.

"Go, and take care on your journey," Han Yu said.

"Old Zhang, let's go," Lei Yan said as he climbed into the carriage.

"Yes, Young Master, hold on tight! Yah!" At the crack of a whip, the carriage shot out through the bamboo forest, with four guards in close pursuit.

Shortly after the carriage departed, a man emerged from the side gate. Han Yu stepped forward at once. "Master, you’ve come as well."

"Hmph," Lei Tiechuan snorted coldly. "Han Yu, you’re getting bolder by the day! Acting on your own without my command!"

Han Yu quickly donned an aggrieved expression. "Master, you wrong me—I only did as you instructed!"

"You claim I told you to see Yan off? That I told you to provide him with two guards?" Lei Tiechuan retorted.

"If the master knows and does not object, is that not tacit approval? What’s the difference?"

"I have no time for your sophistry," Lei Tiechuan said, flicking his sleeves as he strode back into the residence.

"Clearly worried about Lei Yan, yet pretending not to care," Han Yu muttered to himself as he returned inside.

"Yah…" With Old Zhang's call, the carriage wheels spun furiously, plunging into the morning mist. The guards behind struggled to keep up, forced to draw upon their inner strength to run alongside.

For centuries, the Lei family of Jiangzhou had abided by a strict and intricate set of rules, unchanged to this day. One of these rules stipulated that when the master rode, the guards must go on foot. Though many guards had resented this over the years, none dared disobey. But Fang Jin and Fang Tong, with ulterior motives, were beginning to chafe.

The journey proceeded smoothly. Lei Yan sat within the carriage, his body swaying with each jolt. From his sleeves, the fine powder drifted steadily out the window, a process that had continued for nearly a day and a night. In that span, the carriage had already crossed the Clear River, which traversed all of Jiangzhou.

Beyond the Clear River, the territory was no longer under the Lei family’s control, yet the carriage did not slow, and all who saw it quickly made way.

"Big brother, that wretch seems to be tormenting us on purpose—he hasn’t stopped once," one guard complained to Fang Jin as they ran.

Fang Jin glanced back; the Clear River was nearly a line on the distant horizon. He smirked coldly, "No hurry."

"But big brother—"

Fang Jin’s expression darkened as he glanced at another guard beside the carriage. "Hold your patience. Those two are no mere decoration."