A Man in the Snow: Starting with a Sword Challenge to the Northern Liang Prince's Palace

The news of Chen Ping'an taking over as the Hidden Official spread throughout the Sword Qi Great Wall within half a day.

Some believed it, some didn't. Those who believed said the Great Sword Immortal himself had chosen him, so it couldn't be wrong. Those who didn't believe said, "What makes a mere brat from the Vast World who can't even wield a sword?"

A long queue formed in front of the Hidden Official's Mansion the very next day.

Those present were representatives of various factions. There were stewards from major families, leaders of sword-wielding groups, and heads of different sections of the city's defenses. They were ostensibly there to "pay their respects," but in reality, they were there to probe—just who was this new Hidden Official? Was he easy to talk to? Could he command respect?

Chen Ping'an sat in the main hall of the Hidden Official's Mansion, with a pot of tea in front of him, which had already gone cold.

The first person to enter was a middle-aged woman, well-dressed and with a polite smile. She introduced herself as a member of the Li family from the east of the city. The Li family had been operating in the Sword Qi Great Wall for three generations, controlling the supply of materials to three streets. She had come to sound out the new Hidden Official's intentions regarding the allocation of supplies.

After listening to her words, Chen Ping'an nodded: "The Li family's supply contract expires in six months. It will be renewed normally after that, with the terms remaining unchanged."

The middle-aged woman's smile froze for a moment. She wanted to discuss better terms, but Chen Ping'an blocked that path with a single sentence—a normal contract renewal was out of the question.

She sat for about half a cup of tea's time, and seeing that Chen Ping'an wouldn't budge, she got up to take her leave.

The second man was an old man surnamed Wang, who was in charge of the patrol team in the west of the city. He didn't even bother with formalities when he came in, but just casually sat down in a chair, crossed his legs, and said, "Chen Yin Guan, I heard you're a martial artist?"

Chen Pingan: "Yes."

Old man: "You don't know how to use a sword?"

Chen Pingan: "No."

The old man snorted: "Then how are you going to lead us to kill demons? With your fists?"

Chen Ping'an looked at him: "Captain Wang, how many men do you have under your command?"

The old man was taken aback: "Thirty-two."

Chen Ping'an: "How many died in battle last month?"

The old man's face changed. Last month, seven of his patrol members had died in battle, the heaviest casualties in the entire Sword Qi Great Wall. He had always felt it was a problem with the defenses, but no one listened to him.

"Seven." The old man's voice lowered.

Chen Pingan pulled a piece of paper from the table and pushed it over: "This is my revised patrol route for the eastern section. I've combined the original three routes into two and added a fixed sentry post. Take it back and take a look. If you have any questions, come find me."

The old man picked up the paper, glanced at it, and his pupils contracted slightly. He wasn't naive; this route was indeed much more reasonable than the original one. He stood up, cupped his hands in a respectful bow, and left.

The third, the fourth, the fifth.

Some came to test him, some came to make things difficult, and some came to mock him. A young man in his early twenties sat there, facing a group of seasoned veterans who were decades or even centuries older than him, neither humble nor arrogant, firm when he needed to be, and soft when he needed to be.

Ye Yun sat in the tavern, listening to the sword cultivators who had come to drink and discuss.

"I heard that the new Imperial Censor met with a lot of people today, and he wasn't intimidated by any of them."

"Is he just faking it? What kind of skills can a mere kid have?"

"I don't know. But Old Wang's expression wasn't right when he came out, as if he'd been told something."

Ye Yun wiped the wine glass without saying a word. He knew Chen Ping'an could handle it, but he could also imagine how tired the child must be.

In the evening, the tavern door was pushed open.

Chen Ping'an walked in, looking unwell, with dark circles under his eyes. He walked to the counter, sat down, took off the Hidden Official Token from his waist, placed it on the table, and remained silent.

Ye Yun didn't ask him how his day was; she simply took a bowl, poured a pot of "Forget-Me-Not" tea, and pushed it towards him.

Chen Ping'an picked up the bowl of wine, took a sip, put it down, and took another sip. He drank the entire bowl of wine in the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea, without saying a word.

Ye Yun leaned against the counter, not urging him on.

The tavern was quiet. Outside, people were shouting and running, and torches flickered on the distant city walls. But inside, only the faint sound of the oil lamp flickering and the breathing of two people could be heard.

Chen Pingan finally spoke.

"Boss Ye, why do you think they're dissatisfied?"

Ye Yun thought for a moment: "Because you haven't proven yourself yet."

Chen Ping'an looked up at him: "How can you prove it?"

Ye Yun: "Kill demons. The Sword Qi Great Wall only recognizes this."

Chen Ping'an fell silent. He knew Ye Yun was telling the truth. Here, merit was more important than seniority, and the number of demons killed was more important than words. A thousand words from him were not as valuable as bringing back a few heads of powerful demons.

"But I am a hidden official," Chen Ping'an said. "Hidden officials don't need to personally take action."

Ye Yun looked at him: "Then what are you doing at the Sword Qi Great Wall?"

Chen Ping'an was stunned.

Ye Yun poured him another bowl of wine: "If the Hidden Official doesn't go into battle, no one will say you're wrong. But if you want them to respect you, you have to let them see that you're also fighting desperately. The people of the Sword Qi Great Wall don't care how high your rank is, they care how much demon blood is on your blade."

Chen Pingan picked up the bowl and took a big gulp. The liquor was spicy, making him cough twice, but he didn't stop and downed it in one go.

He put down his bowl, wiped his mouth, and asked, "Boss Ye, are there any patrol assignments tomorrow?"

Ye Yun's lips twitched slightly: "Yes. I'll lead the team on the eastern flank of the city."

"I'll go."

"Have you thought this through? This is your first time leaving the city, and you might not be able to come back."

Chen Pingan smiled and said, "If you can't come back, you don't have to pay back the money for the drinks."

Ye Yun didn't laugh, but his eyes were a little brighter than before.

Chen Ping'an stood up, hung the token back on his waist, and walked towards the door. Reaching the door, he placed his hand on the doorframe, turned back, and said, "Boss Ye, what time tomorrow?"

"At the hour of Mao (5-7 AM), at the east gate of the city."

"it is good."

He pushed open the door and went out.

The night wind blew in, carrying the smell of smoke from the torches atop the city walls and the stench of demons from afar. Ye Yun watched Chen Ping'an's figure disappear into the darkness around the street corner and whispered:

"This child is as stubborn as his father."

He was talking about Li Yufu. The one who stood on the cloud and glanced back at him.

Ye Yun closed the tavern door and returned to the counter. He took out the "Longing" wine from under the counter, poured himself a small cup, and slowly drank it. The wine was bitter and astringent, and it burned his stomach after drinking it.

He recalled something from many years ago.

Back then, he was Li Yufu's master, guiding the taciturn boy through sword practice in the mountains. The boy was slow-witted; he needed to practice a single sword move hundreds of times to learn it, but he never complained. After practicing, he would squat by the stream to wash his hands, then run back to ask, "Master, when can I go down the mountain?"

He said, "Wait until you learn how to kill."

The day the boy learned to kill, he went down the mountain and never came back.

Later he learned that the boy wasn't that he wouldn't come back, but that he would never come back.

Ye Yun finished the wine in his cup and blew out the oil lamp.

In the darkness, he sat in a chair with his eyes closed.

Tomorrow, he's taking Chen Ping'an out of the city. He's taking that child's reincarnation to slay demons.

Outside the window, the moon over the Great Wall of Swords is full again.