This was a three-courtyard residence located in the South City of Leping County. It covered several acres and featured an imposing architectural style, but it was clear few people lived here. Even after a thorough cleaning, it still looked desolate.
The main gate wasn't wide or tall; in fact, it was rather narrow. A couplet was posted on the walls on either side of the gate.
"May the three stars shine upon this peaceful home; may a hundred fortunes bless this wealthy family."
Very tacky.
But it fit the image his predecessor had of the old master.
A group of people was already waiting in front of the gate. Seeing the group dismount from the carriage, they all bowed respectfully.
"Greetings, Young Master!"
"Young Master, Young Miss!"
"..."
"Hmph." Zhu Shuang shed the delicate demeanor she had in the carriage. Her pretty face turned icy, and she exuded an air of authority as she stepped through the main gate ahead of the two men.
"Let's talk inside!"
The front courtyard was spacious.
Zhu Shuang pulled Zhu Ju to the main seat by the front gate and made him sit, then pointed a finger at the group that had followed them in.
"From now on, they will all follow your orders."
"Wang Quan!"
"Present." An old man dressed in a long brown robe with a three-inch beard stepped forward, cupping his fist in salute.
"This old one is Wang Quan, currently the Steward of Zhu's Pharmacy. Greetings, Young Master."
As he spoke, he beckoned to those behind him.
"You two, come and pay your respects to the master of the house."
The moment he finished speaking, the two young men behind him bent their knees and knelt on the ground.
"This lowly one is Liu Youx..."
"This lowly one is Hek Yuan. We kowtow to the Young Master."
Zhu Ju, who had never been kowtowed to before, felt his legs tense up, and he subconsciously started to rise from his seat.
Fortunately, he suppressed the impulse as soon as it arose.
He could tell from everyone else's expressions that it was normal here for subordinates without status to kowtow. If he were to step forward to help them up and stop them, it would only cause confusion and unnecessary trouble.
"Yuan Chong."
A short, thin, monkey-like middle-aged man with constantly shifting eyes stepped forward and cupped his hands in a salute.
"Back then, I was fortunate enough to be noticed by Master Zhu, who sent this lowly one to the Forest to be a guard. All these years, I've wanted to thank the Master face-to-face for his favor. I never thought I wouldn't have that good fortune and would instead hear such terrible news."
"Young Master!"
His voice choked with emotion as he said hoarsely,
"I'm from the same village as the Master. I don't have any other skills, but I will definitely help you manage the Forest he left behind to repay his kindness."
"Good." Zhu Shuang's expression was moved.
"I also heard Father mention a fellow villager like you from back home. In the days to come, I'll have to trouble you to look after my little brother."
"It is my duty." Yuan Chong bowed his head.
"This lowly one is willing to serve you to the death!"
"Ahem!" Standing to the side, Luu Pu let out a light cough. He shook his head slightly at Zhu Shuang and stepped forward.
"We came here today to have you meet the master of this place, so you know who's in charge from now on."
"Don't blame me for being blunt!"
His expression darkened.
"If I find out anyone dares to bully my brother-in-law for his youth or outwardly obey while secretly disobeying, don't blame me for what happens next!"
CRACK!
A powerful gust exploded, like a long whip cracking through the air.
The short and stout Luu Pu blurred, dashing several yards forward. He appeared before a rockery in the corner of the courtyard as if by Instant Teleportation, his five fingers clenched into a fist as he punched out fiercely.
BANG!
Before everyone's eyes, the man-sized rockery shattered. The sight drained the color from many faces.
'Inner Qi!'
Yuan Chong's eyes narrowed, and he lowered his head even further.
The others were dumbfounded. Zhu Ju, who had never seen such a 'worldly' display, felt his breath catch in his throat.
But unlike the others, due to his position, he could see Luu Pu's wrist trembling slightly under his long sleeve as he walked back. His expression was also a bit stiff. It seemed that last strike had not been easy for him.
***
Night had fallen.
The study in the rear courtyard was still brightly lit.
Luu Pu paced around the room with his hands behind his back, saying,
"For martial artists, nourishing the body comes first. Since you were a child, you've consumed all sorts of nourishing medicines. Although you haven't really trained to strengthen your body, your constitution is ultimately much stronger than your peers. With the help of Great Medicine, achieving the First Realm of the Thirteen Body Refinement within a month should be no problem."
"Spend a few more years cultivating to the Second Realm, and in a small place like Leping County, it should be more than enough for self-protection."
"Brother." Seeing Zhu Ju's expressionless face, Zhu Shuang thought he wasn't taking Luu Pu's words to heart and persuaded him in a low voice,
"There's a saying: 'Harsh lands breed unruly people.' Leping County has a pleasant name, but in reality, it's never been truly peaceful."
"Just a few months ago, a powerful rogue snuck into the county seat at night and slaughtered an entire wealthy household. So, you must train hard in Martial Arts to protect yourself."
'Slaughtered an entire household?'
'Is it really that dangerous here?'
A sense of alarm rose in Zhu Ju's heart. He nodded heavily.
"I understand."
"It's good that you understand." Seeing he was more obedient than before, a smile appeared on Luu Pu's face, and he continued,
"The Thirteen Body Refinement is divided into External Training and internal training, which are further subdivided into thirteen parts, including the fingers, palms, elbows, arms, and head."
"Once all thirteen parts have been completely tempered, your whole body will be without obstruction, leaving no weak points or vulnerabilities."
"The Entry Level starts with breathing techniques..."
Zhu Ju wore a serious expression. To avoid missing anything, he even took out a brush and paper to copy down Luu Pu's every word, asking for detailed explanations whenever he didn't understand until he was completely clear.
For things he truly couldn't grasp, he would first note them down and mark them, planning to slowly comprehend them later when he had time.
This earnest attitude toward learning brought a look of gratification to Luu Pu's eyes, and he taught with even greater diligence.
"Martial Arts cannot be rushed. Let's stop here for today."
He took a sip of tea to moisten his throat and waved his hand gently.
"Practicing Martial Arts to strengthen the body is just for self-protection and to avoid being bullied. Being relentlessly tyrannical in this world is also not advisable. Knowing how to conduct yourself is very important."
"Your sister also has things to discuss with you."
"Mhm." Zhu Shuang nodded and handed over the organized ledgers.
"These are the income and expenditure statements for the pharmacy and the Forest for the last two years. I took a look. Last month's total income was three hundred twenty-seven taels of silver."
"PFFT..." Luu Pu, who had just sat down, spat out a mouthful of tea, his face etched with astonishment.
"How much?"
"Three hundred twenty-seven taels in one month?"
This was no small sum. Over three hundred taels a month meant nearly four thousand taels of silver a year.
Forget the county seat; that was a considerable amount even in the Prefecture City.
You have to understand, Luu Pu fought life-and-death battles all year, and his official income was only a few hundred taels of silver.
Zhu Ju, on the other hand, whether it was his predecessor or his current self, had no concept of prices, so he didn't react much to the news.
"That's before expenses." Zhu Shuang shot her husband a look and said,
"Purchasing medicinal herbs, repairing buildings, and paying the workers' wages—none of these can be skimped on. After deducting all that, the net profit is just over one hundred taels."
"One hundred taels." Luu Pu nodded, his surprised expression slowly receding.
"That's still quite a bit."
"It's more than enough to live alone. But if you start a family and have to deal with social obligations, I'm afraid it won't feel so well-off."
Getting married and starting a family wasn't as simple as just adding one more person and another set of chopsticks.
It meant adding a pile of relatives.
And many indispensable social comings and goings.
If you had children, and more than one or two, a mere one hundred taels of silver would be nowhere near enough.
In short,
as long as you didn't get married, everything was fine.
The moment you got married, you were no longer well-off. As someone with experience, Luu Pu was crystal clear on this point.
"It's not one hundred taels." Zhu Shuang sighed.
"Once winter comes and heavy snow seals the mountains, the income from the Forest will plummet. We might even have to spend money to cover the workers' wages. All told, there are about four months a year with no income from the Forest."
"And there's the Great Medicine..."
"If you want to practice Martial Arts, Great Medicine is essential. That will cost several tens of taels each month. All in all, life won't be easy."
After a moment of contemplation, she waved Luu Pu away.
"You can go out first."
"Wife!"
Luu Pu raised an eyebrow at her words.
As if he had guessed something, a hint of displeasure flashed in his eyes, but he still shrugged and turned to leave.
"Brother."
Once Luu Pu's footsteps had faded, Zhu Shuang took out several silver notes from her clothes and placed them in Zhu Ju's hand.
"This is three hundred taels in silver notes..."
"Sister." Zhu Ju was taken aback and quickly pulled his hand back.
"How can I accept this?"
"And why not!" Zhu Shuang's eyes widened as she forcibly stuffed the silver notes into his hand.
"This is from the dowry I brought from home when I got married. It came from the Zhu Family in the first place, so what's wrong with giving it to my own brother?"
"Also..."
"I had your brother-in-law prepare a few doses of Great Medicine in advance. You won't have to worry about Body Refining for a short while, but you must study Martial Arts diligently."
'This is...'
'The so-called Voldemort?'
'But it feels pretty good, actually.'
Looking at the silver notes in his hand and the priceless packets of medicine, Zhu Ju fell silent, his expression complex.
*
*
*
「Two days later.」
"Brother-in-law."
Looking at the sky, Zhu Ju frowned and spoke.
"It's already so late. Do you really have to leave now? The roads aren't safe at night. Why not set off tomorrow morning instead?"
"I can't." Luu Pu's expression was serious.
"There's an emergency at the hall, I have to go back immediately. After we leave, you focus on your Cultivation. Don't slack off."
"Yes." Zhu Ju sighed.
"Brother-in-law, Sister, be careful on your journey."
With red-rimmed eyes, Zhu Shuang boarded the carriage. Only when the carriage was far in the distance did she reluctantly lower the curtain.
Their departure made the already sparsely populated estate feel even more empty.
"Young Master."
Elder Qin spoke in a low voice.
"You've been busy all day. You should get some rest."
"Mhm." Zhu Ju nodded.
He strolled to his room. Just as he closed the door, he felt a vicious gust of wind pounce at him from behind.
'What was that?'
He reflexively rolled to the side, just in time to hear the sound of the door splintering.
"Die!"
Two Black-Clothed Men, who had somehow hidden in his room, took advantage of the fact that he was still on the ground and lunged at him with their blades.
'I'm done for!'
Zhu Ju's eyes went wide. Utterly powerless, he had no way to fight back against such vicious assailants.
The next instant.
His figure abruptly vanished, causing the incoming blades to slice through empty air, leaving the two Black-Clothed Men staring at each other in bewilderment.
"How dare you!"
Elder Qin's furious roar immediately followed.
"You dare to harm my Young Master? You're courting death!"