After signing the affiliation contract, Yan Sanniang immediately arranged accommodations for Xia Ci and his sister in a small courtyard not far from Notsecond Manor. It was free of charge, as the house already belonged to Yan Sanniang and was fully furnished with all necessary household and kitchen items.
That night, the siblings moved in.
The next day, at dawn, Xia Xiayin had already bought rice, oil, salt, and other necessities. By the time Xia Ci woke up, the meal was prepared, timed perfectly.
This was the tacit understanding the siblings had developed over the years.
Since Xia Xiayin was seven years old, Xia Ci had taken her along as they roamed the martial world. The siblings had traveled far and wide to many places. At that time, they had a clear division of labor: Xia Ci was responsible for earning money, while Xia Xiayin handled domestic matters like food, clothing, shelter, and transportation.
Xia Xiayin knew Xia Ci's daily routine like the back of her hand, which saved them a lot of time. The reason for such time efficiency was that Xia Ci not only needed to earn money but also had to practice martial arts. Regardless of the season, he never slackened. This was the main reason why he could master forty-eight forms of the Mysterious Sword Skill without anyone's guidance—it was due to his diligence and persistence.
After finishing breakfast,
Xia Ci began instructing Xia Xiayin on sword techniques.
Xia Xiayin found it amazing that although Xia Ci couldn't see, he could always spot the flaws in her technique, even pointing out the most minute details.
Xia Xiayin couldn't help but tease, "Brother, if you had been this skilled earlier, I would have become a great hero long ago!"
"That would have required my eyes to go blind earlier."
Xia Xiayin pursed her lips and said, "Then forget it. I would rather you weren't so strong. But seriously, Brother, just looking at your martial arts, you seem like a different person."
"What about as a person?"
"Hmm, your personality hasn't changed, your habits haven't changed. It's just your demeanor that has somewhat transformed, giving off a sense of enlightenment!"
Xia Ci smiled slightly.
He indeed had experienced a kind of enlightenment.
Buddhists say there is great terror between life and death, and great confusion between reincarnations.
He had encountered a major change, awakening old wisdom.
To say he had changed, he truly had changed; to say he hadn't changed, he was indeed still the same person.
However, regarding his martial arts realm, it was indeed because the Nine Yang Divine Skill had elevated him to a level that most people couldn't reach in a lifetime. He was slightly below the realm of returning to simplicity and naturalness of a grandmaster, yet far superior to ordinary first-class experts in the martial world.
Of course, this was just the martial arts realm, not combat ability.
Combat ability was difficult to evaluate.
It was similar to the Old Saber Handler they had dealt with last night. In his youth, he had been a famous first-class expert. Now, after decades of immersion, his martial arts realm should far exceed ordinary first-class experts, yet he was scared to fight by Xia Ci's exquisite internal energy technique.
Combat ability and martial arts realm weren't completely correlated.
...
While Xia Ci was guiding Xia Xiayin in sword practice, he heard footsteps outside the courtyard. Although he hadn't heard any voices yet, he could tell it was Yan Sanniang and her bodyguard, the swordsman called A-Qi.
"Knock, knock, knock"
There was a knocking at the door.
Xia Xiayin opened the door, and it was indeed Yan Sanniang and the black-clothed swordsman called A-Qi who entered.
"Young Hero Xia," Yan Sanniang asked upon entering, "Do you plan to rest for a while before taking on a mission, or are you ready to start now?"
"Anytime is fine," Xia Ci asked, "Do you have many missions available?"
"Of course, I do," Yan Sanniang said, "However, I'd like to ask Young Hero Xia to capture a major bandit. As you know, my Pursuit Tower has just opened and needs to build a reputation. The best way, naturally, is to complete a few impressive bounty hunting missions."
"Tell me about it," Xia Ci asked.
Xia Xiayin came out with a teapot to pour tea and casually said, "Madam Yan, please don't give us an impossible mission like capturing the leader of the Demon Sect. We're bounty hunters, not aspiring corpses."
"Sister Xiayin is joking," Yan Sanniang said, "Even if you wanted to capture those demonic masters, I wouldn't dare let you. My Notsecond Manor couldn't withstand the wrath of those demonic masters, and I don't have the ability to obtain intelligence on such figures. Besides, I'm counting on your brother to help me make money. It would be a huge loss for me if your brother were to die."
Xia Xiayin poured tea for Yan Sanniang and A-Qi, then sat beside Xia Ci without speaking.
Yan Sanniang took out a stack of paper and said, "This is the intelligence I've gathered. Young Hero Xia, have you heard of the Flying Horse Gang?"
"You mean the horse bandits who usually roam in the northern desert?" Xia Ci asked.
"Correct," Yan Sanniang said, "I see Young Hero Xia is familiar with them."
Xia Ci nodded.
Having escorted goods with the Changfeng Escort Agency for several years, he naturally paid attention to organizations like bandits and horse thieves.
The Flying Horse Gang was a group of horse bandits that escort guards like him focused on. They roamed the northern desert year-round, readily massacring villages and families. Of the escort guards who encountered them, very few escaped alive.
This group of horse bandits was extremely cruel. Most bandits and thieves robbed primarily for wealth, and victims who surrendered their valuables could generally survive, at most with beautiful women being taken away.
But the Flying Horse Gang was different.
This group always took both lives and possessions. They especially enjoyed massacring villages, gathering all villagers together and then starting to slaughter, competing to see who could kill more people. Their methods were extremely brutal, sparing neither the elderly nor children and infants.
The government had launched multiple campaigns against them, but with minimal success.
This was because these horse bandits never stayed in one place, constantly moving around. Most importantly, the Flying Horse Gang was mainly led by Flying Dragon; the other members weren't important. When one died, another immediately took their place. Over the past decade or more, the Flying Horse Gang's membership had changed many times, with only the leader, Flying Dragon, remaining the same person throughout.
Yan Sanniang said, "Recently, this group of bandits has appeared in Linjiang County."
Xia Ci asked with confusion, "The Flying Horse Gang hasn't left the northern desert for over a decade. Why would they suddenly come to Linjiang County?"
Yan Sanniang said, "They've encountered a formidable opponent. A swordsman has emerged in the northern desert who has recently gained great fame in that area. People in the martial world call him the Flying Swordsman. He appeared suddenly, and no one knows his name, so some call him Nameless.
This person seems to have a grudge against the Flying Horse Gang and is relentlessly pursuing them without rest, constantly hunting them down. Moreover, this person's swordsmanship and lightness skill are exceptionally superb, forcing the Flying Horse Gang to flee the northern desert.
In just half a month, they have committed three village massacres in Linjiang County. The Six Panels Office has been vigorously hunting them down. Although they've captured a few members of the Flying Horse Gang, they haven't been able to catch Flying Dragon. The magistrate's office has increased the bounty to one thousand taels."
Xia Ci said, "One thousand taels, wouldn't that drive bounty hunters crazy?"
"Yes, and not only that," Yan Sanniang said, "Some martial arts factions and wealthy merchants have also posted rewards. Altogether, it exceeds three thousand taels. Completing this mission would be enough for an ordinary person to live comfortably for a lifetime."
Xia Ci asked with curiosity, "Do you have leading intelligence?"
Yan Sanniang nodded and said, "Yes, absolutely the first-hand intelligence in the entire martial world. The Flying Horse Gang committed three atrocities in Pingze County. Currently, all clues and intelligence about the Flying Horse Gang are concentrated in Pingze County and its surroundings. However, I have the latest intelligence that Flying Dragon has already fled to the Zhushan County area. Are you interested?"
"Let's give it a try!"
Just then, Xia Ci heard a system prompt in his mind:
[New target detected]
[Wanted target—Flying Dragon]
[Mission level—3★]
[Mission reward—SSS-level Mastered Dragon Subduing Eighteen Palms]