Amid the ruins, two cold corpses lay on the ground. One had a blade in his throat, the other a caved-in chest.
"Young Master!"
Elder Qin hurried toward the pale-faced Zhu Ju, his voice tinged with joy.
"Are you alright?"
"I'm fine." Zhu Ju shook his head and looked toward Luu Pu, who had appeared on the scene at some point.
"Brother-in-law, didn't you already leave?"
"I received word that your father's enemies were planning to take revenge on his descendants, so I deliberately left to lure them out," Luu Pu said, his expression grave.
"But I didn't expect..."
"...that they would move so quickly. Thankfully, you're unharmed. Where were you hiding just now?"
"Over there." Zhu Ju's eyes flickered as he pointed to an inconspicuous corner behind the house, changing the subject. "Brother-in-law, will more people be coming?"
'I was lucky to escape this time. If more assassins come, I might not be so fortunate.'
"Hmph!"
Luu Pu snorted, his face grim.
"Feuds don't extend to family. That's a rule of the Martial World."
"Rest assured, the Hall Master will personally look into this. If anyone else dares to show up, San Fen Hall won't show them any mercy!"
WHOOSH...
Letting out a slow breath, he looked directly at Zhu Ju.
"But ultimately, you have to rely on your own strength. If you can master the Thirteen Body Refinement, you'll have the power to defend yourself in situations like this. So you must focus on your Cultivation."
"Yes." Zhu Ju nodded.
"I understand."
After a few more words of instruction, Luu Pu left in a hurry, departing that very night. This time, he was truly gone.
...
「Two days later.」
A letter arrived from Hejian Prefecture.
'My second brother is actually dead?'
'San Fen Hall is attacking the Qinghe Gang, using their breach of the Martial World's rules as a pretext. The entire Prefecture City has been thrown into chaos.'
Zhu Ju put down the letter, lost in thought.
'In other words, the only ones left in the Zhu Family are my eldest brother, who suffers from consumption, and me, who knows no Martial Arts.'
'Could it be that San Fen Hall orchestrated this themselves, framing the Qinghe Gang to create an opportunity to strike?'
'Father's death happened while he was suppressing bandits for the Court. If his descendants are harmed, even the Government Office can't easily intervene. San Fen Hall can seize this chance to annex the Qinghe Gang...'
Shaking his head, Zhu Ju sighed helplessly.
'In any case, with all of San Fen Hall backing me now, no one should be reckless enough to come after me.'
'I transmigrated to become a rich young master, yet I still have to live in constant fear. I can't even leave the house, let alone visit the pleasure quarters for some music. Did I transmigrate for nothing?'
'I'm too young, anyway. That sort of thing would be bad for my health...'
"Oh, well!"
With a somewhat helpless sigh, Zhu Ju stood up and walked slowly into a bedroom.
In the room was a wooden tub so wide it would take three people to encircle with their arms, and as tall as a man. It was already filled with hot water.
He took out the Great Medicine and poured it into the water. Only when the medicinal liquid had fully mixed did Zhu Ju strip off his clothes and step inside.
HISS...
The scalding water made his skin and flesh tighten, turning red at a rate visible to the naked eye. At the same time, a searing heat surged through his open pores and into his body.
The Great Medicine!
Closing his eyes, Zhu Ju silently regulated his breathing, tempering his body according to the Method described in the Thirteen Body Refinement.
'Not bad!'
'I just need to soak in a hot bath every few days, no need for arduous Cultivation day and night, and I can reach the Entry Level. It doesn't even matter that I lack a foundation in Martial Arts. This technique is truly perfect for me.'
'It has its downsides, though.'
'The Great Medicine is difficult to concoct, and ordinary families can't afford it. The Cultivation progress is slow, and it's easy to injure oneself in the later stages, which makes the body stiff. Only a top-tier Body Refining genius could cultivate it to Great Success. These many drawbacks are why truly wealthy families look down on such a Method.'
Time passed.
The sun rose and set, and an unknown amount of time passed.
「One day.」
SPLASH...
Zhu Ju's eyes flew open as he leaped out of the tub.
External Training First Realm!
Skin and Flesh Realm!
Success!
'A little over a month, just as Luu Pu predicted. It seems my aptitude is as unremarkable as he said.'
Mastering the External Training First Realm—the Skin and Flesh Realm—of the Thirteen Body Refinement in just over a month was, by conventional standards, already quite fast.
However, this was only because the body's original owner had laid a good foundation, not because Zhu Ju's own aptitude was outstanding.
Quite the opposite.
According to Luu Pu, his aptitude was unremarkable, the kind of person who would struggle to achieve anything even with desperate Cultivation.
Otherwise, his father wouldn't have let him simply fool around while he was alive, and Luu Pu wouldn't have gone out of his way to find a Method like the Thirteen Body Refinement, which doesn't rely heavily on aptitude or Comprehension.
Stretching his limbs, Zhu Ju could clearly feel the surging power coiled within his body.
He walked over to a desk, grabbed a corner, and easily lifted the heavy, solid-wood table.
'I can casually toss around something that weighs forty or fifty pounds with one hand. I could probably send a hundred-pound adult flying. And this is after just one month of Cultivation. I could already crush the professional boxers and strongmen from my past life.'
'The Martial Arts...'
'...are truly miraculous!'
Putting down the table, his eyes gleaming, Zhu Ju picked up a pair of nearby scissors and prodded his skin.
He didn't dare use too much force, just testing it lightly, but he could already feel the toughness of his skin's outer layer.
'My Skin and Flesh are firm. Without real force behind it, even a sharp blade would struggle to break the skin. I wouldn't even need to fear clubs. Once I cultivate to the Second and Third Realms, withstanding swords and blades from ordinary people will be no problem at all.'
'If nothing else, this Cultivation Technique's life-preserving capabilities are truly first-rate.'
'Hmm...'
'It's just that my movements and reactions are a little slow, even worse than before I started practicing Martial Arts.'
Zhu Ju now felt as if his body were wrapped in a thick, heavy layer of cowhide. His sense of security had increased dramatically, but his movements were restricted.
'It's probably an illusion,' he muttered, shaking his head lightly.
"Compared to the huge increase in my Strength, my speed has barely changed. It just feels like I've gotten slower."
'With slow reactions, you can only take a beating. No wonder people look down on this technique.'
"Young Master," a maidservant's voice called from outside the door.
"Steward Yuan from the Forest asks for an audience."
Yuan Chong?
'What's he doing here?'
He changed his clothes and stepped outside. A cold wind hit his face, making Zhu Ju realize that winter was approaching.
'In that case...'
'...the Forest probably won't generate any income for the next few months.'
*
*
*
「Courtyard.」
The short Yuan Chong moved like an agile macaque, leaping and dodging back and forth across the courtyard.
As the Forest Guard Chief, he naturally possessed a certain degree of skill.
He was demonstrating his skills in the courtyard at Zhu Ju's request.
Monkey Fist!
The movements of this Fist Technique looked somewhat comical, like a monkey at play, but each strike was actually insidious and vicious, aiming for the eyes, the throat, or a man's groin.
Coupled with an agile Body Technique and strikes that were shockingly fast, it was a truly formidable Fist Technique.
At the very least,
Zhu Ju knew that as he was now, he was no match for him.
"Elder Qin."
Watching Yuan Chong demonstrate the Monkey Fist, Zhu Ju was completely baffled and could only whisper to the expert beside him, "what do you make of it?"
According to Zhu Shuang, Elder Qin was the greatest legacy his parents had left him—a man of absolute loyalty.
In fact, Elder Qin had watched over him since he was a child, and their relationship was more like that of a father and son than master and servant.
"He's holding back," said Elder Qin. With his grizzled hair, he looked like an ordinary, unassuming old man, yet he possessed the Cultivation of someone who had just entered the Inner Qi Realm.
His gaze swept over Yuan Chong in the courtyard as he continued in a low voice,
"Young Master, this man isn't as simple as he appears. You must be careful."
Zhu Ju nodded slowly.
As the Steward of the Zhu Family Forest, he earned a salary of several taels of silver a month. With the cost of living in Leping County, it was impossible that he couldn't even afford a decent set of clothes.
Yet Yuan Chong had deliberately come to see him dressed in rags. Perhaps his finances were truly tight, but it was more likely an intentional act.
"What is his true level of skill?"
"He's close to Great Success in Entering Strength, and his mastery of his Fist Technique isn't bad. You could just about consider him at that level," Elder Qin said with a placid expression.
"At his age, that's as far as he'll go. But in a small place like Leping County, he's more than capable enough to watch over the Forest."
A martial artist reaches their physical peak around the age of thirty, after which their condition steadily declines. At Yuan Chong's age, his power will only grow weaker. It would be impossible for him to get stronger unless he had some heaven-defying means to change his fate.
Never mind Yuan Chong; even Elder Qin's strength was no longer at its peak. His only advantage over his younger self was his wealth of experience.
"Then..." Zhu Ju thought for a moment before asking, "when will I be stronger than him?"
"Well..." Elder Qin frowned, considering for a moment before replying, "As long as you cultivate the Thirteen Body Refinement to the Second Realm, Young Master, your foundation will be comparable to his. But to gain a decisive advantage, you'll need to reach the Third Realm or master your late father's Mixed Element Iron Hand. By then, someone like Yuan Chong will be beneath your notice."
"If you cultivate diligently, three to five years should be enough."
'One or two years to reach the Second Realm, another two or three years to reach the Third Realm... that adds up to three to five years, right?'
Elder Qin had already given the shortest possible estimate to avoid discouraging him. After all, it was common knowledge that the Thirteen Body Refinement grew more difficult in its later stages.
Reaching the Third Realm in three to five years already indicated a decent Talent for Martial Arts.
Zhu Ju shook his head gently.
He, however, didn't think it would take that long. It wasn't because he believed in his own Talent, but because of his wealth.
Aside from arduous practice, the Thirteen Body Refinement could be supplemented with medicine. As long as one was willing to spend the money, one's Cultivation could advance by leaps and bounds.
It just wasn't very cost-effective.
Spending thousands of taels of silver to advance a single realm was an extravagance not even his father would have indulged in when he was alive.
'The Great Medicine is expensive. With my current finances, I can barely support the cost. But the expenses will only increase as I advance, and my income will gradually fail to keep up. Still, there are plenty of ways to make money.'
"Young Master."
Yuan Chong stopped his demonstration, panting for breath. He cupped his fist and said,
"My Martial Arts are crude. Please forgive the poor display."
"Steward Yuan, you're too modest," Zhu Ju said, shaking his head with a smile.
"Although I don't know much about Martial Arts, I can still see that your Fist Technique is agile and your Strength is remarkable."
"Hmm..."
"Since the weather is turning cold, a drop in the Forest's income is unavoidable. Once the snow begins to fall, you can halt operations there."
"Yes," Yuan Chong replied, lowering his head to hide the gleam in his eyes.
"Rest assured, Young Master. Even if it's freezing, as long as the mountain is accessible, I will be sure to send men up. I would never dare to slack off."
"That won't be necessary," Zhu Ju said, shaking his head.
"Just follow the old rules."
After seeing Yuan Chong off, Zhu Ju paced to his study. Once he confirmed that no one was around, his figure began to vanish, bit by bit.
SWOOSH!
His vision blurred, and he suddenly found himself in another, equally ancient-looking world.
'My greatest secret, and my easiest way to make money, was, of course, to travel to another world!'