Old Yao was sweating profusely.
His eyes darted around nervously, and he sighed with anxiety in his heart:
'This Ji the kid, he really doesn't listen to an old man's advice.'
'I already told him that the steward of the Lin Residence is extremely displeased with him arriving late and leaving early from the stables. Why did he have to go and walk right into the line of fire?'
'And of all days, Steward Lin came to the stables for an 'inspection' today. But the kid just had to arrive even later than the past few days and got caught red-handed.'
'Now, according to the rules... he's definitely in for a thirty-lash whipping. Not even the Second Miss would step in to mediate for a mere groom.'
'Sigh.'
He shook his head.
Getting whipped was a minor matter.
But if he lost this good post because of this incident and was reassigned to the tenant farms, the latrines, or other servant jobs—bitter, demeaning work where you couldn't skim anything off the top all day long...
...then his life would truly be over.
When he saw the tardy Ji Xiu arrive, still carrying that Wooden Blade of his,
a stifled anger, like 'trying to plaster a wall with mud,' welled up in Old Yao's heart. He looked at Qin Biao, who was mixed in with the three or five Nursing Homes behind Steward Lin, having been specifically summoned, and felt an urge to point at his head and curse him out.
'Why did you have to tell him about Martial Artists, about fists and blades?'
'Now look what's happened.'
'He got himself completely wrapped up in practicing, and now he's in deep trouble!'
Meanwhile, Qin Biao was also cursing his luck internally.
This Steward Lin served the nobles of the Inner Residence and the Boss. Although he wasn't high-ranking, he still held some power.
A Nursing Home like him, who had little authority and was only a half-assed martial arts practitioner...
...was of course someone who could be ordered around at will as soon as the steward arrived.
In the Lin Residence, the highest status belonged first to the shopkeepers of the Boss's various businesses and establishments, followed by the Boxers and Martial Artists who protected those places.
Next were the stewards who managed miscellaneous affairs like the stables, the kitchens, and the tenant farms; they held some authority.
Further down,
were the Nursing Homes like them.
In truth, for a large, influential family like this, it was rare for some fool to show up at their door looking for trouble.
The greatest use for the Nursing Homes they kept was to punish and control the servants and tenant farmers below them.
If anyone broke the rules, they would be dragged out in front of everyone and viciously whipped as a warning, a way to keep the restless ones in line.
Initially, following Steward Lin, Qin Biao had assumed it was the usual business—teaching a lesson to some petty thieving servant. But the further they walked, the more he felt something was off.
It wasn't until they reached the stables and he saw Old Yao that he realized who they were here to discipline today... It was Ji Xiu!
But this kid had treated him to food and drinks several times recently and had always been respectful.
Qin Biao had taken a liking to him. In that moment, he couldn't help but shrink back, an embarrassed look on his face.
He especially winced when he saw the Wooden Blade tucked at Ji Xiu's waist:
'This kid's truly obsessed!'
'If I'd known, I wouldn't have given him any pointers back then. Doesn't he realize? With his meager background, what real skills could he possibly learn? Sigh!'
At that moment, Qin Biao lowered his head, afraid Ji Xiu would spot him.
Just then, the steward in the blue robe, who had been standing there with a whip for some time, finally saw the 'main character' arrive and was about to start his tirade.
But when he saw the plainly dressed youth before him—his complexion ruddy, his eyes bright, looking completely unharmed—the steward's eyes widened in surprise.
'Didn't Qiao Jin go to take care of him last night?'
Steward Lin frowned, sensing something was wrong.
Logically speaking, a guy from a gangster background who had struggled for years to finally make a name for himself couldn't possibly pass up on such an easy sum of silver coins.
But he didn't dwell on it.
'Whatever,' he thought. 'So he wasn't taken care of. It just means a little more work for me.'
Although the horses he raised were all sleek and strong,
that was just his duty—what he was supposed to do.
But even if he was good at raising horses, having no discipline was a major taboo!
The kid had given him an excuse to act.
Now, even if he bestowed a whipping upon him, the boy would have nothing to say.
Once he was whipped so badly he couldn't get out of bed... they could just replace him. Simple as that.
CRACK!
The whip cracked, sending gravel flying!
"Ji Xiu, I warned you a few days ago. No matter your reasons or excuses, you should understand that the Boss's work is more important than anything."
The steward in blue glanced at the Wooden Blade tucked at his waist and sneered.
"Once you enter the Lin Residence, if you want to leave, even if you were sold for a mere three taels of silver coins, you'd still have to work for ten years and then offer up another ten taels just for the *possibility* of leaving with nothing but the clothes on your back."
"And even then, whether you're allowed to leave... still depends on the master's mood!"
"Spending all day daydreaming, fantasizing that becoming a Martial Artist means you can change your status and get rid of your slave contract?"
"Today, I'll 'reward' you with thirty lashes to teach you a lesson!"
"So you'll understand that some things are not for you to covet... things you shouldn't even lift your head to look at in this lifetime."
"Otherwise, if you accidentally glimpse a corner of the Celestial Palace, you'll find yourself in a state where you can neither live nor die!"
"Kneel in this yellow mud, stay down, and accept your whipping!"
A torrent of curses rained down on him.
The Nursing Homes, gathered in groups of three and five, watched like tigers.
Old Yao's pity.
Qin Biao's buried guilt.
The moment Ji Xiu stepped into the stables,
a hundred different faces of humanity were reflected in his eyes.
It made him sigh internally:
'Today, I'm afraid this won't end well.'
Originally, he had planned to report to the Boss, speak nicely, and have the Lin Residence's slave contract annulled.
But...
Ji Xiu truly hadn't expected Steward Lin to be so 'swift and decisive'!
Just because he was a minor inconvenience, the steward had to be so aggressive, to crush a living person into the dirt and dust?
Instantly, anger flared in Ji Xiu's heart, and the veins on his forehead bulged.
'He really is suited to be a steward,' Ji Xiu thought sarcastically.
'Every single sentence was a stab to the lungs.'
'We were all born from a mother and father. Who is more noble than whom?'
'Even a man made of clay would have his Heart Fire flare up at this moment.'
'Make me kneel and take thirty lashes?'
'Old bastard, you've gone too far!'
Ji Xiu's eyes sharpened. His five fingers formed a palm, and with a swift motion, he reached out to snatch the whip!
The Lin Residence was, after all, a wealthy household in the County. He'd heard they had backing, and the Boss, Lin Zhenhai, was not someone to be trifled with.
He had come to get his slave contract annulled this way because he wanted to part with the Lin Residence on good terms, without creating animosity.
If he went directly to the Government Office, he could also get it annulled,
but that would likely be extremely troublesome and require a great deal of effort.
But now...
Ji Xiu couldn't tolerate it anymore.
"What, you're not convinced?"
Steward Lin was taken aback. Seeing the fire erupting in Ji Xiu's eyes and the flash of ferocity, he felt his heart pound despite his advantage in numbers.
So, he frowned and retreated behind the crowd.
He waved his hand forward.
"Get him! Pin down this mud-legged peasant who doesn't know his place!"
"He was sold to the Lin Residence, a slave whose life is worth three taels! If he's whipped to death, so be it..."
"I'll just compensate the Boss a little and find a new one!"
The Nursing Homes surged forward, cracking their knuckles.
Their purpose... was only now being put to use.
Only Qin Biao hesitated for a moment before gritting his teeth and following behind.
'Ji the kid... even if I don't go, the others can hold you down. It makes no difference.'
'I still have to make a living in this residence, so don't you blame me.'
'I...'
Qin Biao muttered guiltily in his heart as he shuffled forward.
But before he could even process it,
SLAP, SLAP, SLAP!
Three crisp sounds rang out!
A scene Qin Biao couldn't have imagined even in his wildest dreams unfolded.
The few hulking Nursing Homes who had charged forward and gotten closest...
...were met by the youth's large palm, which whistled through the air as it came down on their heads, slapping them so hard their cheeks bled and swelled up like pig heads!
Ji Xiu's muscles trembled violently, his great dragon-like spine driving his hips and waist as he swung those solid slaps...
Even men weighing a full one or two hundred catties!
Were sent flying through the air, spinning, before crashing headfirst into the yellow mud one after another!
It was utterly against the natural order!
Qin Biao stared so hard his eyeballs nearly popped out of his head.
'What the hell?'
Yet Ji Xiu didn't stop.
He walked a straight path right up to Qin Biao.
Seeing the large palm rise, casting a shadow, Qin Biao shuddered and was jolted back to reality.
"Ji... Ji..."
He stammered, unable to finish his words.
Then he saw Ji Xiu stop, his expression indifferent.
"Nursing Home Qin, the bond between us is now settled."
With that,
he moved past him, reached out, and grabbed Steward Lin, who was trembling behind Qin Biao and about to flee. With a merciless kick, Ji Xiu sent him sprawling to the ground.
His face a mess of yellow mud, snot, and tears, Steward Lin finally realized something was terribly wrong.
"You succeeded? You..."
But before he could finish, he let out a cry of pain!
Ji Xiu's expression was cold. He snatched the whip, and with a ruthless kick to the old dog's spine, he stomped him straight into a mud puddle.
"I'm a very reasonable person,"
"You want to give me thirty lashes? Fine."
"But..."
"...I don't mind stepping on this head of yours and letting you taste what it's like to be held down in the mud, to be crushed and whipped!"
CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!
As the sun rose, by the stables, several skilled Nursing Homes lay on the ground, groaning.
Meanwhile, Old Yao, who had been hiding his face, and Qin Biao...
...were staring, dumbfounded, as Ji Xiu whipped Steward Lin—the once haughty man in charge of the stables and the outer courtyard's affairs—again and again...
...flogging him until he was crying for his grandpa and grandma, howling his heart out!
A full thirty lashes!
Not one less!
After finishing, he tossed the whip aside, let out a long breath, nodded to Old Yao, and strode away without a backward glance!
Leaving Qin Biao clutching his chest,
his hands...
...trembling like a sieve.
It was as if he were dreaming and had yet to wake up.
'That kid... he's Entered the Realm!?'
First came the shock.
It was replaced by endless regret.
'Why did I have to be such a worthless fool today and come here?!'
'Now look what I've done...'
He plopped onto the ground, utterly dejected.
More than ten years of bitter cultivation...
...were ultimately no match...
...for another's single month.
It turned out that it wasn't impossible for dragons and snakes to turn the tables in this world.
He had simply been too ignorant to have ever witnessed it before.