Lin Residence, the stables.
The groom, Old Yao, stood before a thatched hut with his hands tucked into the sleeves of his gray jacket. His face was dark as he eyed the newcomers.
"Old Yao, this is the person the Second Miss personally assigned. His name is Ji Xiu. From now on, he'll be just like you, feeding and raising the horses here in the stables."
"Don't you go bullying him just because he's young. He's not one of your apprentices. He's a 'Groom' of the Lin Residence, same as you. There's no difference in rank!"
"These are the Second Miss's exact words, so don't blame me for not warning you."
Qin Biao had led Ji Xiu all the way to the stables.
Along the way, Ji Xiu had subtly complimented him several times.
Qin Biao, who spent his days either fawning over the nobles of the Lin Residence or whipping the timid servants, had rarely heard such pleasant words.
He couldn't stop grinning from ear to ear.
Upon arriving, he slapped Ji Xiu on the shoulder, then his expression hardened. He spoke coldly to the groom known as 'Old Yao,' intentionally adding a little extra spice to his words.
As the old saying goes, if the cook doesn't steal, the harvest will fail. The same principle naturally applied to grooms.
The things those horses ate... were far better than what people like them had.
This little old man had definitely been secretly skimming his share.
When he really thought about it,
his own miserable job as a household guard probably didn't fill his pockets as much as Old Yao's. The old man had lived a comfortable life for so many years. Looking at him, Qin Biao couldn't help the sourness that crept into his tone.
"Since he was brought here by the Second Miss herself, this old man naturally wouldn't dare to stand in his way."
"I'll be counting on Little Brother Ji's support from now on."
Hearing Qin Biao's words, even though he was extremely unhappy about it...
...Old Yao, a man in his fifties or sixties and at an age where common folk could be enjoying a peaceful retirement, naturally wouldn't argue too much.
Even though in terms of status, Qin Biao, a guard who hadn't even entered the path of a 'Martial Artist,' was not higher than a Household Slave like himself who had served the Lin Residence for years.
But his old bones couldn't take any trouble, and he couldn't even let a hint of resentment or reluctance show on his face.
Small people have their own ways of survival.
Having served the Lin Residence and tended its horses for some forty years, Old Yao understood the ways of a High-class Family like the back of his hand.
Since the boy was sent by the Second Miss, Lin Ruyue, he couldn't just drive him away.
After all, how could a servant's opinion clash with his master's?
That was absolutely forbidden!
Even if he was the only one who had truly cared for the horses in this stable for over forty years, even if all other apprentices had been deliberately held back by him—learning only a fraction of the craft and earning the family's disdain, which in turn made skilled 'Grooms' scarce and elevated his own status...
But,
Old Yao knew full well that if he ever forgot his place, Master Lin could replace him in a minute—could have him thrown into the river to make an example of him!
Only he knew just how many benefits he had reaped from this stable over the years.
As long as he wasn't too greedy...
...this place had more than enough perks to let him live out his days in comfort. It would be all too easy!
He had no intention of letting go.
As for someone else showing up to share his benefits?
He was even more unwilling!
'This raising and judging of horses is a true 'craft'. If you don't settle down and study for a few years, with a Master holding nothing back in his teachings, what could he possibly learn?'
'If something happens to the horses, if there's an accident with their feed or their training, or if one day the masters are in a bad mood and decide your horses' coats look dull and withered, won't you be the one they hold responsible?'
'Back when I was sixteen, I coveted the perks of this job. In the dead of winter, I'd even carry the old groom's chamber pot in the middle of the night! I served him for a full ten years!'
'In the end, it wasn't until the old fellow was on his deathbed that he was finally satisfied with me. With his last breath, he had a moment of genuine feeling and passed down all the secrets of the trade to me by word of mouth.'
'That's how I secured my position as the 'supervisor' of this stable for over forty years. Hmph, even if it's nothing compared to the masters, the benefits are something no ordinary person could ever imagine.'
'So what if you're here? You'll stay for two days, won't know a damn thing, and with a little trip-up from me, you'll be sent packing with your tail between your legs.'
'He's sallow and skinny, but his profile is actually a bit handsome. No wonder the Second Miss showed him some favor.'
'But the Master doesn't care about any of that. If you can't do your job, the cane will fall on your own back.'
Old Yao mused leisurely.
Only after he saw Qin Biao walk away did he reveal a kindly expression. He tucked his hands back into his sleeves and looked at Ji Xiu with a chuckle.
"Young man, you've come at just the right time. I'm getting old, and my body isn't what it used to be. The few apprentices I've taken on are all blockheads who can't seem to learn a thing."
"With you here, you can share a lot of the work. If you want to raise horses well... the most important things are mixing the dry feed, preparing the refined fodder, and walking them."
"To be favored by the Second Miss, you must have some skill. Since that's the case, I'll entrust the twenty-some fine horses in the East Stable to you. That'll put my mind at ease."
"As for the manure and whatnot produced each day, I'll just have my apprentices clean it up for you."
"You're a man with a craft. This kind of rough, dirty work should be left to those who know nothing. Otherwise, they're just eating for free."
Old Yao pulled a hand from his thin jacket, took a straw cigarette from a nearby apprentice, and took a puff. Then, he immediately rapped the apprentice on the head.
"Did you hear me? Get a move on! I'm talking to you!"
"Don't you know how to be a little sharper? If you did, you might've been able to take my place by now, instead of us needing Little Brother Ji to come help!"
The freckled youth, who had been adopted by Old Yao and was named 'Yao Shi,' was about a year younger than Ji Xiu. He cried out in pain and anxiety,
"But weren't these things always..."
Before he could finish, Old Yao kicked him in the rear and glared, shouting,
"I told you to go, so go! Where's all this nonsense coming from?"
Taking another drag of the straw cigarette and blowing out a puff of smoke, Old Yao turned back to Ji Xiu with a grin.
"Little Brother, my apprentice here is disobedient. I was just teaching him a lesson. He doesn't know the rules, doesn't know the rules, haha. Please excuse the embarrassing display."
Looking at the fine horses in the right-hand stables and Old Yao's shift from arrogance to feigned deference...
Ji Xiu was silent for a moment, a faint, unreadable smile on his lips.
"It's no trouble, Mr. Yao."
"In fact, I, Ji Xiu, will have much to ask of you in the future..."
Xiang Zhuang may wield the sword, but his target is the Duke of Pei.
However...
This old groom had likely picked the wrong person to mess with.
[Horse Riding Skill: Introductory]
[Tame a horse one thousand times to achieve success!]
[Current Progress: 0/1000!]
'Only twenty-some horses?'
'He is...'
'...underestimating me!'
...
「Nightfall.」
Taking advantage of a break, Ji Xiu hurried back to take care of Ji Wei. Then, without stopping to rest, he returned to the East Stable.
As a 'Groom,'
from now on, he had to be here day and night, with no time for himself.
After all, the horses were more valuable than a human life. If anything went wrong... he didn't have enough lives to pay the price!
However...
[Feeding hay, rice flour, and eggs. The fine horse snorts, feeling great pleasure!]
[Horse Riding Skill: 1/1000!]
[Leading the horse, untying the reins, releasing its nature. Walking the horse for a quarter of an hour. Horse Taming Success!]
[Horse Riding Skill: 2/1000!]
...
[Horse Taming Success. Count +1!]
[Horse Riding Skill: 26/1000!]
Feeding a horse once and walking it once counted as one Horse Taming Success.
But a single horse, fed four times and walked four times a day, could provide Ji Xiu with four full counts.
The East Stable held over twenty horses. In this one night alone, with each horse providing just one count, he had already paid back more than twenty points of the cost he had pre-paid for his 'Horse Riding Skill.' And not only that...
As he tamed the horses, Ji Xiu could clearly feel his foundation in 'Horse Riding Skill' steadily improving.
'So, the moment I pre-paid for the Horse Riding Skill was just the beginning.'
'As I continue to pay back the cost, I... will become even more proficient!'
'If it's like this for a mere art,'
'then what about the dao or the sword?'
Under the vast night sky,
though Ji Xiu's body was thin and weak, an unquenchable fire burned in his dark, deep eyes.
He tilted his head back, gazing up at the bright moon. He was like an ant trying to glimpse the heavens.
But no matter how insignificant he was...
...he could, in the end, see a glimmer of hope.
The rest was up to him. All he had to do was work for it.
'Soon, soon...'
'I just have to wait for the reward money that the Lin Residence's Second Miss, 'Lin Ruyue,' mentioned. Once that comes in, and once I've completely paid back the cost for the pre-paid 'Horse Riding Skill,''
'I can start to subtly pry some information about this world's 'Martial Dao' from that Lin Residence guard, 'Qin Biao.''
A Groom was still a servant for life. The days might be a little better, and you could sneak some horse feed,
but you still had to live on your tiptoes, staring at the tips of other people's shoes!
But a Martial Artist was different!
A great man who does not feast from five cauldrons in life should be boiled in five cauldrons in death.
What good was there in being a servant for one's whole life?
He, Ji Xiu...
...since he possessed such a fortunate opportunity,
...would—
...stand at the very peak!