Chương 25: Jiangxi

"Just leave the tea on the table and go back to keep Tianyue company," Jiangxi instructed.

"Yes, Lady Jiangxi," Xiaoling responded. Stepping inside the library, Jiangxi saw Shu Yang sitting with his head down a book, though he did seem a bit absentminded.

"I'm not disturbing you, am I?" Jiangxi asked, gaining Shu Yang's attention"You're certainly not disturbing me," Shu Yang turned around and responded with a smile, closing his book.

"Have you and Tianyue finished already?"

"No. I just gave her a few problems to think about. I'll go back and check when she's done," Jiangxi answered, taking a seat opposite Shu Yang. Xiaoling left the room after putting down the tray. Jiangxi noticed that Shu Yang looked a little awkward, even though he tried his best not to show it. They hadn't really spent much time alone together. Whenever Shu Yang visited, they usually only had a quick conversation about Tianyue's progress, and that was it. But Jiangxi had something important to talk about today.

"Tianyue told me she has a new brother. Congratulations," She said, pouring some tea for Shu Yang and then herself.

"Thank you," Shu Yang said, "Hopefully the child will take after his sister in the future."

'That's true. Maybe I can test if the boy has inherited the same trait as Tianyue. None of her other siblings seems to have it, though.'

"Tianyue is certainly very smart. Have you ever noticed anything else special about her?" She asked, looking carefully at Shu Yang's reaction.

"Anything special? Like what?" Shu Yang asked.

'I can't really tell if he's genuine…How bothersome. He's just like my brother.'

"Well," Jiangxi hesitated for a moment before deciding not to rush into the conversation.

"It's nothing. She's a lovely girl. I see you're reading about the history of the Shen Empire?"

"Well, yes," Shu Yang said, looking a little confused.

"It's quite interesting; it might seem like ancient history to us. But it wasn't really that long ago. There are even a few old Masters alive today that were once part of the Shen Empire," Jiangxi said, taking a sip of her tea. Looking up, she noticed Shu Yang looking at her eagerly.

'Is he…curious about the Shen Empire?'

"That was 150 years ago…So there really are people able to live that long?" Shu Yang asked carefully.

"Of course," Jiangxi said, smiling slightly. She found Shu Yang's expression rather amusing. She had thought he was a lot better at hiding his emotions than his daughter. But it seems he can't always hide it so well.

"You should know that martial artists live longer than ordinary people, right?"

"Yeah," Shu Yang said, nodding and looking at her with the eyes of a young man curious about the world.

"But I've only heard that Innate warriors live to 110-120 years or so. As for what's above, I'm afraid it's not easy to come into contact with that level here in Kuo County."

"That's true," Jiangxi said, nodding thoughtfully.

"Well, I'll explain it to you, then. Innate warriors are not common even in the capital, but they certainly aren't anything special either. If you are born into a Martial Family, it's basically guaranteed that you will reach the Innate stage just by relying on your bloodline.

"But even among Martial Families, reaching the Master stage is incredibly rare. That is the stage above Innate, and basically the peak of personal power."

"Basically the peak?" Shu Yang repeated.

"Is there a higher stage?"

"Of course, there is," Jiangxi said. She had found out that she actually quite liked teaching ever since she took Tianyue as a student. There was something very satisfying in answering questions and satisfying curiosity. So she continued to explain with a smile, "Above Masters there is technically the Saint stage. But it's impossible to reach that stage without a tremendous opportunity. Most Masters don't even reach the bottleneck to that stage, even after practicing for decades.

Masters who have reached the peak are usually called Grandmasters, but that isn't a separate stage, just a title given to those who have touched the bottleneck to the Saint stage."

"So, Saints are very rare then?" Shu Yang asked.

"Very rare," Jiangxi said, "But some people throughout history have reached it, and it's well documented. Perhaps it's a good thing that it's so rare, though. According to the records, Saints are so powerful it's unfathomable. Truly. A Saint is basically a one-man army. It is said that even a hundred Grandmasters can't touch the clothes of a Saint.

"Of course, it's hard to verify the truth of that. The only known Saint currently alive is the Emperor of the Lishen Empire in the north. Even if there are others, you probably won't find any in the Yan Kingdom."

"What about above the Saint stage?" Shu Yang blurted out. Jiangxi stopped, a little stunned, before suddenly laughing, "You are just like your daughter, it seems." Tianyue would also rarely stop to think things through; she just wanted to rush ahead to the next question.

"Anyway," Jiangxi continued, "I have never heard or read of any man or beast reaching a higher stage. Becoming a Saint already makes you invincible, so maybe it wouldn't be known even if someone like that has ever existed."

"I see…So how long do these Masters live?" Shu Yang asked, bringing the conversation back on track.

"Right. It differs, but it shouldn't be difficult for a Grandmaster to live to 150. So, a few people from back when we all were a part of the Shen Empire are indeed still alive, but they wouldn't have held any important position. The people I'm talking about are the Saints from back then. During that time, with such a large area under the control of a single force, the Shen family could nurture quite a few Saints.

"Even if the only public Saint is the Lishen Emperor, it doesn't take a genius to realize that there are other Saints out there." Jiangxi herself knew of a few, but she didn't plan on sharing everything she knew. She had come here to discuss two very important matters. She set her teacup on the table and continued speaking with a slightly more serious expression.

"Anyway, that wasn't what I came here to talk about. You should have heard about what happened in Jin Town, right?"

"I've heard," Shu Yang said, nodding gravely. Jiangxi wasn't surprised. This kind of news couldn't be contained. It was probably being discussed in homes all over the Yan Kingdom by now. Jin Town was a small town in Lijia County, directly to the west of Kuo County. About a month ago, there was an incident where a few Innate warriors and dozens of other martial artists suddenly went on a killing spree in the middle of the town. They were eventually stopped when reinforcements from the Lijia County Office arrived.

But the damage was done. The town had become a complete ruin, with almost the entire population slaughtered.

"Do you know who is responsible?" Jiangxi asked. Shu Yang shook his head. Jiangxi had guessed that Shu Yang was unaware. Even she would have been in the dark if it weren't for her brother, who made sure to visit a few days ago to warn her.

"It's been revealed that they are from the Wen Kingdom," Jiangxi revealed with a somber voice, "Apparently, the Wen family has managed to make contact with a power in the Far West. They seemed to have received some sort of evil martial art from there and brought it back here. I don't know all the details, but it seems this art can help a martial artist break through bottlenecks by killing other people. How that works, I have no idea.

"It shouldn't come without a price, though. These 'Evil warriors' all seem to age a lot quicker than they would normally. And it's lucky that's the case, or I don't know how many people would try to get their hands on this art and then start slaughtering. But the art is perfect to use for soldiers. You send them across the borders where their mission is to kill and cause chaos and instability. If they die, it doesn't matter, as they didn't have much talent to begin with.

But if they can continue to kill without getting caught, they can grow to become incredibly powerful Masters." Shu Yang's expression turned more and more grave as Jiangxi talked.

"This…Are they preparing for war?" Shu Yang asked, his brows furrowed in worry.

"Most likely," Jiangxi said. She waited as Shu Yang processed what she had said. She knew he had a lot more to worry about than she did. If war broke out, his family could very well be caught in the middle of it. And Shu Yang's meager strength as a 1st-grade martial artist wasn't much to rely on. The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. Jiangxi would, of course, be willing to take care of Tianyue if anything happened; she was her student.

But she really didn't have the ability to take care of the entire Shu family. Even protecting Tianyue would take some effort. Jiangxi wasn't exactly the most popular in her family clan.

"It isn't time to panic yet," Jiangxi added, lest he worry too much.

"I just wanted you to know so you could be prepared."

"Thank you, Lady Jiangxi," Shu Yang said gratefully, "For everything."

"It's nothing. But really, there is no need to despair. The Yan Kingdom isn't weak, and even if things continue to escalate from here, a full-blown war should still be a few years away." Shu Yang leaned back in his seat and sighed. After a moment of silence, Shu Yang chuckled and said, "I guess I need to become stricter with Tianyue's martial arts training in the future. She doesn't have Tianren's talent, unfortunately, but every bit of strength counts."

"I suppose so," Jiangxi said, offering a comforting smile, "But I wouldn't get my hopes up. Some people just aren't meant for martial arts. I can tell your daughter is like me. No matter how much my family tried to get me to train, I just wanted to spend my time reading."

'Of course, with my bloodline, I still easily reached the Innate stage even without putting in much effort.'

"Her mother is the same way," Shu Yang said, shaking his head.

"Some people are just like that. But martial prowess isn't the only way to measure strength, even if most people seem to think so. Your daughter…" Jiangxi began, but drifted off and turned silent.

'It should be okay to talk about. With Tianyue as my student, I'll be involved with her family in one way or another. And I really am curious…'

"What about my daughter?" Shu Yang asked.

"Would you mind lying to me?" Lady Jiangxi asked back, wanting to make sure.

"What?" Shu Yang rose slightly in his chair and looked at her with a confused expression.

"I'll explain soon. Just tell me a lie. Anything," Jiangxi requested once again.

"Then…my name is Jianxi?" Shu Yang said uncertainly. Jiangxi focused carefully, but she just couldn't tell.

"Just like I thought," Jiangxi said, smiling to herself. Shu Yang just stared at her with a questioning look.

"I'm sorry. What I'm about to tell you isn't exactly a secret, but I would prefer it not to spread more than it has to," Jiangxi said. Her ability was well-known in the big families, but she would prefer that as few people as possible knew.

"Of course. I won't say a word," Shu Yang promised. Jiangxi just shook her head, smiling. She couldn't tell if he was truthful or not.

'How uncomfortable. It's better with Tianyue, she's still young, so the truth can be seen clearly on her face most of the time.'

"You should know about bloodlines, right? How the members of Martial Families all manage to advance quickly and easily, thanks to the power of their bloodline?"

"I know the basics," Shu Yang said, nodding. He gestured to the book he was reading and continued, "The author of this book thinks that the current Martial Families are all descendants from the Imperial Shen family of the old Empire."

"The vast majority is, that's for sure. But not quite all. It isn't impossible for a family to rise from nothing and establish a Martial Bloodline; it's just incredibly difficult. But over a long period of time, a few will inevitably pop up," Jiangxi explained. She knew most of the other Martial Families in the Yan Kingdom were just branches of the old Imperial Shen family, just with a new surname. But there were also a few families that had risen up since the Yan Kingdom's founding 150 years ago.

"Oh? How do they manage to increase the rank of their bloodline?" Shu Yang asked curiously. Jiangxi smiled to herself. She guessed Shu Yang would be interested in increasing his bloodline. She had rarely seen such an ambitious farmer. And he did have quite the talent for martial arts, considering his poor bloodline.

'Unfortunately, increasing the power of your bloodline isn't that easy.' Jiangxi still explained, though, "Just because your bloodline is poor doesn't mean you can't practice martial arts. Some people are simply born talented. And as they advance, the power of their bloodline will increase. Of course, reaching the Master stage requires an incredible amount of talent. But those geniuses do exist.

"The ancestor of the Imperial Shen family was such a rare genius. But the most important part was that he wasn't just talented, he was also incredibly lucky. He stumbled upon the remains of a rare and powerful beast and used the power still remaining in its bones and flesh to take another step further, finally reaching the Saint stage.

"With his strength and ambition, he united the world under his rule and established a family that ruled for generations."

"I see, so even without a powerful bloodline, there is hope. If you manage to make it, you can pass it on to your children, and they can enjoy the blessing of your bloodline," Shu Yang said.

"Well, it's not quite that easy," Jiangxi said, shaking her head, "It's known that a new bloodline has to be tempered through three generations to truly last. And that is easier said than done. Most Masters can only watch as their children fail to inherit their talent and bloodline, with it growing weaker each passing generation.

"It was only because the Shen family ancestor took over such a large piece of land that he could gather the resources necessary to have his child and grandchild reach the Saint stage and temper the bloodline properly.

"But nothing can last forever. If the coming generations fail to produce a new Saint, the bloodline will eventually thin out, even after it has been tempered."

'Otherwise, the Lishen family wouldn't be the only ones of the Imperial Shen family branches to successfully foster a new Saint.'

"But a Saintly Bloodline is a rare exception throughout history," Jiangxi clarified. She only knew of the Shen ancestor who had managed to succeed.

"Most Martial Families only need to foster Masters to keep the bloodline strong." Jiangxi took a sip of her tea to moisten her throat. She had ended up talking a lot more than she had intended.

"Anyway, I'm getting sidetracked. What I wanted to get to was that bloodlines are more than what most people think. It's not only about Bloodline Power, allowing for easier advancement," Jiangxi said, finally getting to the matter she wanted to discuss.

"You see, in rare cases, a bloodline can also give rise to a unique trait, and my family's bloodline happens to have such a trait." Shu Yang raised his brows slightly. But he didn't seem very surprised.

'Has he noticed something in his bloodline?' Jiangxi couldn't help but get a little excited. She had been dying of curiosity for the past eight months.

"The ability I've inherited from my bloodline is the ability to sense whether someone is telling the truth or not. It's not all-powerful, of course. I can still be fooled if it's a Master I'm speaking to, but it's very rare.

"This trait isn't unique to me; it manifests in a few members of my family in every generation. It might not seem like much if you compare it to the raw power of martial artists, but it's been instrumental to my family ever since the trait first appeared." Jiangxi herself might not have made much of a career of her ability, but her younger brother had been incredibly successful in uncovering the plot of the Wen Kingdom.

Anyone with a little strength could defeat those evil warriors, but it was a lot more difficult to get any information out of them.

"The thing that interests me so about Tianyue, and indeed you too, is that my ability seems ineffective when it comes to you two," Jiangxi continued, looking at Shu Yang expectantly. She had never come across anyone she couldn't get a read on, except for other members of her family with the same ability and a few powerful Masters. When she first met Tianyue in the jewelry store, she had first just thought she seemed like a very clever and endearing child.

But she had been caught completely unaware when Tianyue managed to lie about her age. Even if it was just a small lie, and completely unimportant, Tianyue certainly had the intention to deceive when she told Jiangxi she was eight. That intent was the important part. Jiangxi really shouldn't have missed it.

"It's ineffective?" Shu Yang asked. Jiangxi pursed her lips slightly. Shu Yang seemed to be unaware. But she really couldn't tell if he was truthful or not.

"It seems you haven't realized anything?" Jiangxi asked.

"I'm afraid not. It's just that Tianyue has always been very clever for her age, but other than that, I haven't noticed anything. Do you think I might have some hidden trait in my bloodline that blocks your ability?"

"That's the only thing I can think of," Jiangxi said, "And it should be far from useless. If it can block my ability, it should be a trait on the same level."

"Well…I really can't think of anything besides intelligence," Shu Yang replied, looking quite honest.

"That's fine. I was just curious," Lady Jiangxi said with a small smile. But she was pretty disappointed inside. It was rare to come across a unique bloodline trait, especially outside the Martial Families.

'Well, I guess I will be able to find out one day. As Tianyue grows up, she should notice something eventually.' Jiangxi stuck around for a few more minutes of small talk, and then got up to leave. She had warned Shu Yang about the war and asked about his bloodline trait. It was time to go back and check on Tianyue. Jiangxi was curious what answers the girl had come up with to her questions. Tianyue had a rather unique way of thinking.

Thinking about her cute student, Jiangxi smiled and let go of the disappointment of her unsatisfied curiosity. Shu Yang was left alone in the library once again. He rubbed his forehead, frowning. He had gained a lot from the conversation with Lady Jiangxi, but he had a lot more things to worry about now.

'To think Lady Jiangxi would have such a strange ability. It's good that it doesn't work on me, it would be unnerving not being able to lie without being discovered.'

'But it seems that bloodlines can vary a lot in what traits they possess. I need to keep that in mind in the future. You never know what strange ability your enemy might have.' Thinking about Lady Jiangxi's ability, Shu Yang couldn't help but feel a little jealous. Being able to tell truth from lies would definitely come in handy in the future.

'If I match one of my sons with a member of her family, wouldn't they give birth to a grandchild carrying that trait? If so, I would be able to gain it as well.'

'Well, that's still far off. Lady Jiangxi's family should be far out of my league for now.'

'But how come her ability is ineffective against me? Is it because of the Bloodline Tree? No, that wouldn't explain why she can't see through Tianyue.'

'The only thing we have in common seems to be the trait 'Clear mind.' Could that be the reason? Could there be more to that trait than I thought?' Shu Yang shook his head slightly. These things would become clear in the future. He had other things to worry about at the moment. Thinking about the war that might be coming, Shu Yang felt cold. There was only the small Lijia County between Kuo County and the Wen Kingdom. That was far too close for comfort.

'I guess I've been pretty blessed to be able to grow in peace with my family for as long as I have.'

'But now I need to make some preparations in case war comes…Maybe I should try to expand my business further east. I can save some money and set up a shop in the neighboring prefecture. That way, my family will have a safe place to run to if we need to escape.'

'That seems like it could work. I'll need to plan everything properly once I get home.'