Chapter One: Wine on a Snowy Night

The heavy snow in Yuezhou seemed endless, blanketing the earth in white for a full month. Every morning, people could be seen shoveling snow at their doorsteps—a shroud that covered not just the land, but the tracks of certain people as well.

Small carts, covered in leather, were pushed along with a rhythmic, creaking sound. Only when they jolted over bumps would the blood-stained limbs of the dead be revealed. This scene played out almost every morning during the snow-clearing. Once the officials had passed, the common folk in the alleys would begin to whisper.

"Dead bodies every single day. I’ve only seen this happen once before, twenty years ago, when the pirates were at their most rampant. But aren't they all too terrified to even step ashore these days?" an old man remarked, looking puzzled.

"Grandpa Hou, you don't understand. The people doing the killing now are even more vicious than the pirates," someone said with a meaningful look.

"I reckon it’s all because of that imperial decree."

"I heard that even Magistrate Zhou of the Maritime Trade Office is so terrified he hasn't dared to step outside lately, not even to patrol the harbor."

"Don't talk nonsense! He’s a high-ranking official of the Imperial Court!"

"It's true, though. I saw Magistrate Zhou’s favorite concubine just yesterday, going out in person to buy her favorite jade cakes."

...

By nightfall, at Magistrate Zhou’s villa outside the city, a middle-aged scholar-official in robes adorned with peacock rank badges paced the garden in anxiety. Though the servants had cleared the snow, a faint chill still lingered in the air.

"I wonder if they have arrived yet," Magistrate Zhou muttered, peering into the deep darkness, his heart heavy with worry.

"What is the Magistrate thinking about? Are you wondering if your family and the ten chests of gold and silver you’ve amassed over the years have reached Yangzhou safely?"

Without warning, a figure appeared in the garden pavilion.

"Who—who are you?" Magistrate Zhou gasped, turning to flee, but he was immediately blocked by a man in black at the entrance.

"Please, sit," the stranger said calmly.

Magistrate Zhou walked heavily toward the pavilion. Stealing a glance, he realized it was a young man of striking, almost unreal beauty, accompanied by a youth holding a sword.

"Magistrate, try this. These are the jade cakes from the city. They say only twenty boxes are sold each day. They are quite delicious."

Seeing the cakes on the stone table, Magistrate Zhou’s eyes constricted. He remembered his concubine specifically going out to buy this exact box before she left.

"What do you want?" he asked, his face ashen.

"Nothing much. Just for you to put in a good word regarding the grand deliberation of the six provinces," Kou Li paused. "We are keeping your family and your wealth safe for now. After all, I suspect we are not the only ones looking for you. Once the matter is settled, we will ensure they reach Yangzhou unharmed."

"The Maritime Trade Office is not under my control alone," Magistrate Zhou attempted a final struggle.

"Are you referring to the one close to the Water Dragon Gang? Rest assured, he won't live much longer."

Kou Li brushed the snowflakes from his shoulder and stood up. "By the way, my master will also ensure a bright future for the young son you've been hiding in the Fourth Alley."

"You...!!!" Magistrate Zhou’s eyes bulged, his vision blurring with rage before he collapsed into his seat, defeated. "That young master is of royal blood; why bother stirring up this muddy water?"

"The same reason you, a dignified imperial official, keep private martial artists," Kou Li sighed. "It is a pity that the famous 'Number One Hand' of Ryukyu was simply too weak; otherwise, he might have been able to warn you."

Snowflakes drifted by. As Magistrate Zhou blinked, the young man and his sword-bearing companion were gone, leaving behind only the jade cakes on the table, still emitting a faint, delicate fragrance.

...

On the Nine Dragon River, a boat with a black canopy held a pot of shochu, two cups, and a beauty who was half-drunk and half-sober.

"Why are you here this time?" Kou Li appeared silently on the dark river. The boat was seven or eight zhang from the bank, yet Kou Li’s soles were only slightly damp.

"The pressure is too much, so I came to drink with you," Young Master Huang said, eyes misty with intoxication. He looked at Kou Li with a captivating allure and gestured with a slender white wrist. "Come, drink with me."

Kou Li sat down calmly. "You are from the palace. You know more than anyone and have already seized the initiative. What are you worried about?"

"A strong dragon struggles to overcome a local serpent, and I am merely a canary that escaped the imperial city," Young Master Huang pouted, tears streaming down his face. "There is nothing here—no food from the royal kitchen, no songs from the Hu dancers, no brilliant scholars—but I love it here. It has something the imperial city could never possess: freedom."

"Look, I can drink as much as I want, however I want, and I can even soak my feet in the water."

With that, Young Master Huang stumbled to the edge of the boat, dipped his tender, lotus-like calves into the water, and swished them back and forth like a playful young girl.

"It’s a pity that if I fail, all of this will vanish. I escaped the palace, and I never want to be dragged back." The melancholy in his voice was heart-wrenching.

Kou Li stared at him for a long time before saying, "No matter what you say, I cannot sell you the roster of the Water Dragon Gang right now."

Young Master Huang’s back stiffened, the intoxication vanishing from his eyes. He gritted his teeth and hissed, "What exactly do you want?"

"A deal must be fair. You helped me once, and I am helping you win over these officials. But if you want the roster, you must pay a different price. With this, you can topple the Water Dragon Gang and seize their influence. With such a massive benefit, how can you not expect to bleed for it?"

Young Master Huang bared his teeth like an enraged kitten, his sorrow replaced by fury. "Give me the roster, and I will teach you my martial arts!"

"Not now. It is not yet time to bring down the Water Dragon Gang. You wouldn't offer a high enough price, and I can wait," Kou Li replied indifferently. "Besides, I am not lacking in martial arts techniques at the moment."

"Is our relationship nothing more than a transaction to you?!"

"If you are willing, you could always loan me a few secret manuals. We can talk about 'feelings' then."

"Aah! I could bite you to death! I’ll have Lin Su'e poison you!"

Regardless, Young Master Huang did not get what he wanted, and Kou Li was still waiting for his own objective. Without the lure of the roster, the other party might not have taken his requests seriously.

Though this great beauty appeared charming, playful, and temperamental, Kou Li knew that deep down, he was utterly cold and ruthless. Aside from a handful of people, he cared for no one’s life. Though, Kou Li suspected, he might now have a place in that small circle.

...

Kou Li returned to his residence, which was a hundred times more luxurious than his room at the martial arts school, filled with pearls, jade, and rare treasures. Had he not firmly refused, there would likely have been three or four high-class beauties waiting for him as well.

Over the past month, he had done much for Young Master Huang—kidnapping, extortion, arson. Tonight’s task was among the simplest, yet he had faced dangers several times worse than an ambush by the Water Dragon Gang.

Yet, with his martial arts, he had emerged unscathed.

As the times changed, so did the human heart. Since the imperial decree was issued, the reshuffling had begun. Wealth and power could truly make men bow and scrape.

In this vast, strange, and chaotic world, all Kou Li could do was hold fast to his original intent, unmoved by external joys or sorrows, and knock upon the gates of immortality through his martial path.

Slowly, as his "Chain-Hand" internal energy pulsed, his blood seemed to roll like glass beads on an oiled plate. Simultaneously, the "Tiger Fist" lung power began to circulate, accelerating this rhythmic flow.

The fusion of his mastered internal energy and his refined breathing technique commenced. The "Bone Refining" stage of the Four Refinements was meant to shatter old bones and replace them with new ones, regenerating blood and strengthening the organs. Conversely, the resonance of the blood pressured the marrow, the very principle of the unique "Mercury Energy."

The power flowed from hand to foot and back again, intermingled with the transformation of blood and marrow. Every movement stored and unleashed energy. The deeper the accumulation, the more explosive the power, eventually reaching the force of a cascading river.

In the lamplight, Kou Li’s shadow danced and shifted, appearing like a clawing demon.