He Yi Ming deliberately chose this moment to enter the inner keep, having calculated that most people would be taking their midday meal and unlikely to remain in their quarters.
Having gained entry, he moved to the bedside without hesitation, lowering himself down.
His sharp gaze swept beneath the bed. Though the light there was dim, to his eyes, nothing was concealed. The space under the bed held only some miscellaneous clutter, revealing nothing immediately suspicious. Yet, He Yi Ming’s attention fixed upon a wooden frame fastened beneath the bed planks.
The dust on this particular frame was noticeably lighter than elsewhere—a telltale sign, he surmised, that it was handled frequently.
He reached out, gently testing the frame a few times, and immediately sensed the secret mechanism.
This section of the frame was indeed movable. He slid it free, revealing, just as he expected, a rectangular book wrapped in oiled cloth tucked inside.
A slight smile touched He Yi Ming’s lips. He lifted the oilcloth package and carefully unwrapped it. It was, sure enough, a manual of cultivation techniques as profound as the Fierce Fire Art. Opening the first page, he clearly read the three large characters: Withered Wood Skill.
Having secured the manual, He Yi Ming was overjoyed. He tucked the volume into his robes, patted the spot twice, and made no move to reset the mechanism under the bed.
After all, when Hong Anzhi returned and saw the broken lock, he would certainly notice the disturbance beneath the bed. But He Yi Ming was equally certain that even if the man's head were on the line, he would never dare breathe a word of it.
He ambled out of the room, closed the door behind him, and walked calmly outward.
On his way, he encountered two unfamiliar faces. He Yi Ming did not actively avoid them; instead, he offered them a smile and a greeting. The two men returned the gesture with puzzled expressions, inwardly wondering when they had acquired such a neighbor.
Walking on, He Yi Ming mused inwardly on how well he was embodying this alter ego, growing increasingly practiced in deception. At this rate, he thought, one day he would be able to perfectly impersonate any man or ghost.
This time, he did not resort to scaling walls. Instead, he strode openly toward the exit of the inner keep.
During the past few days of observation, he had noted a very interesting pattern.
For outsiders to enter the inner keep, they needed either to be escorted by someone of authority or possess a specific tally or token, and they were subject to inspection upon entry. However, he noticed that no one was ever stopped when leaving the inner keep.
Therefore, there was no longer any need for him to climb walls.
Yet, just as he reached the inner keep’s gate, He Yi Ming froze. Standing before him was Xu Yuchang, the man who had brought him into the fortress, currently engaged in conversation with one of the guards. They appeared to be quite familiar with one another.
Seeing He Yi Ming emerge from the inner keep, Xu Yuchang stopped talking, his face a mask of disbelief.
That an outer-keep lodger, admitted less than ten days ago, should be walking out of the inner keep so openly—this was something he simply could not comprehend.
Seeing that avoidance was impossible, He Yi Ming cursed his luck internally but kept his expression steady. He advanced, offering a slight bow with cupped hands: “Brother Yuchang, I trust you are well.”
Xu Yuchang managed a few noncommittal sounds. No matter how much he speculated, he could never have guessed that He Yi Ming had sneaked in with the sole purpose of taking what belonged to a thief.
After all, such a breach had never once occurred in the hundred-plus years since the establishment of the Xu Family Fortress; it was entirely beyond his imagination.
Noticing He Yi Ming nod briefly and turn to leave, Xu Yuchang hesitated, bid a hasty farewell to the guard at the gate, and then hurried after him.
The guard also felt a surge of surprise. This man looked entirely new; when exactly had he gone inside? However, the rule that inner-keep guards permitted egress but not ingress was deeply ingrained, so he certainly wouldn’t dare question the matter.
Xu Yuchang closed the distance in two swift strides, catching up to He Yi Ming and asking quietly, “Brother Xiao, how did you come to be in the inner keep?”
He Yi Ming offered a cryptic smile, subtly tinged with genuine delight, though inwardly, he felt a deep sense of unease. Indeed, why had he gone to the inner keep?
However, seeing the expectant look on the other man's face, He Yi Ming could only improvise, letting his tongue run freely: “Brother Yuchang, today while practicing my Soft Palm technique on the training grounds…” He paused, searching for the right lie to weave next.
But Xu Yuchang’s eyes lit up, filled with surprised joy: “Brother Xiao, could it be that one of the great lords in the inner keep has taken a liking to you?”
He Yi Ming blinked twice, momentarily stunned, then smoothly followed the lead: “That’s right, Brother Yuchang. How did you know?”
Xu Yuchang laughed heartily. “Brother Xiao, the lords in the inner keep often watch from the outer-keep grounds. If one of them takes an interest, promotion follows swiftly.” He paused. “This has happened many times before, but for someone to be noticed so quickly as you have, Brother Xiao, is quite rare.”
Only then did He Yi Ming grasp the context. He glanced at Xu Yuchang with gratitude; the man had handed him a perfect excuse the moment he broached the subject.
However, Xu Yuchang misinterpreted the look. He quickly smiled and said, “Brother Xiao, this is your own fortune; it has little to do with me. But tell me, which lord noticed you, and when might you be taking up an office in the inner keep?”
The envy clear in his expression showed how invested he was in the possibility.
He Yi Ming hesitated slightly. “Brother Yuchang, please don’t misunderstand, but I have only received a small measure of favor. It is still a long way before I can enter the inner keep, and the patron in question prefers to keep things quiet.”
Xu Yuchang quickly made a gesture of understanding. “Brother Xiao, say no more, I comprehend.” He chuckled. “If you secure a post in the inner keep later on, Brother, you must not forget to pull little old me up with you.”
He Yi Ming quickly cupped his hands in return. “We must support each other, support each other…”
The two men exchanged smiles, their outward demeanor one of perfect harmony.
Suddenly, He Yi Ming inquired, “Brother Yuchang, I need to make a trip to the county town. To whom should I request leave?”
“What business do you have in the county town, Brother Xiao?” Xu Yuchang asked curiously.
An expression of slight embarrassment crossed He Yi Ming’s face. “Since I have this opportunity for advancement, naturally I don’t wish to miss it. So, I want to go to the county town to purchase some specialized items. This…”
Xu Yuchang instantly understood, nodding with realization. He smiled. “If you have such intentions, Brother Xiao, then by all means go. There is no need for hesitation.”
He Yi Ming nodded with a full smile and walked toward the outer gate.
Xu Yuchang hesitated for a moment, then suddenly asked, “Brother Xiao, if you are heading to the county town, are your finances sufficient? I have some savings here; if you need them, I can fetch them for you immediately.”
He Yi Ming looked at him with surprise. Though he knew this was an investment, and that even if he pocketed the money, there would be no repercussions, his own moral lines were apparently thicker than that. He smiled. “Thank you kindly, Brother Yuchang, but I have wandered for many years and still have some savings of my own.”
With that, he nodded firmly and turned to leave.
Xu Yuchang accompanied him to the outside of the Xu Family Fortress, waving until he was finally out of sight before turning back inside.
Watching Xu Yuchang return to the castle hidden behind the walls, He Yi Ming sighed inwardly. While a flourishing population within a clan was a good thing, once numbers swelled, limited resources could no longer be distributed equitably.
Xu Yuchang, Xu Yude, and Xu Yucai were clearly of the same generation, yet their treatment differed drastically.
The latter two would look down with utter disdain upon an outer-keep guest who had only achieved Fourth Layer Inner Strength, seeing no point even in speaking to them.
Yet, when Xu Yuchang saw a chance for rapid ascent for an outer-keep guest favored by an inner-keep lord, he immediately cast aside his managerial role to court favor obsequiously.
Witnessing this fundamental unfairness among the Xu family cousins suddenly cast a pall over He Yi Ming’s spirits, dulling some of the joy he felt from obtaining the Withered Wood Skill.
He vaguely felt that although the He Family Village had not yet shown such stratification, if it continued to expand and grow powerful, such a situation might become inevitable within a generation or two.
He glanced subconsciously at the imposing Xu Family Fortress, built against the mountainside, feeling a profound melancholy.
Finally, he turned, waved his wide sleeve, and departed with composure.
This sort of thing was far beyond his control, and he couldn't halt development simply because of such distant concerns. Since that was the case, he resolved not to worry about such ephemeral matters.
As He Yi Ming had predicted, no report of theft emerged from the inner keep.
However, by the next day, Hong Anzhi had left the Xu Family Fortress, vanishing without a trace.
After all, he carried the heavy burden of guilt. Upon returning to his room after lunch, he was scared witless. Three generations of his family had infiltrated the Xu Family Fortress under orders, pouring untold effort into securing the management rights to the inner treasury.
They had spared no effort to obtain those two divine cultivation manuals. To find them gone in the end was devastating. Terrified and panicked, he dared not linger in the fortress a moment longer and fled far away.
Hong Anzhi’s disappearance immediately drew high-level attention from the Xu Family Fortress. Subsequent investigations uncovered only faint clues, but by then, everyone was gone. Not only had Hong Anzhi vanished, but his widowed mother’s whereabouts were also unknown. As for the woman named He Hua in Xu Family Town, inquiries yielded only blank stares.
Ultimately, the matter was dropped, but it led to a permanent change in the Xu Family Fortress rules: from then on, individuals without direct blood ties could never again hold management rights over the inner treasury.
Xu Yuchang also sensed something was amiss when Xiao Qin failed to return. He vaguely guessed at the truth but never dared investigate further, choosing instead to feign ignorance.
Ps: It seems there’s a strong push next week. Brothers, have your recommendation votes been prepared? [bookid=1429437,bookname=《The Warring States Period’s Heterodox Thinker, Lü Buwei》]