"What's all this shouting? It's the crack of dawn. Have you no sense of propriety?"
Duan Chenzhou calmly pressed the blade down. He looked at Ji Xiu's apologetic expression and waved a hand.
"Go with Lu Yu."
"Come back when you're free."
"I will teach you Blood Forged Tendons."
He practically shooed the two of them out.
Then, he bolted the door.
A moment later,
his once-straight posture...
...suddenly slumped onto a stone stool, where he sat lost in thought for a long while.
'What a "genius" of the Sword Dao...'
'If it's him, once he reaches the threshold, he might actually be able to inherit the legacy of my lineage.'
'But,'
'if I take him as my disciple,'
'in the future, when he leaves this five-hundred-li Anning County...'
'wouldn't I be harming him?'
'But if I don't take him, my lineage's Secret Martial Dao... if I don't just hand it over to the Sect, it will... die with me.'
'To pass it on, or not to pass it on?'
A rare look of confusion appeared in Duan Chenzhou's eyes.
And...
...a faint trace of unwillingness.
...
"Junior Brother, that was incredible! Truly incredible!"
Outside the gate of the Duan Residence,
Lu Yu gave a thumbs-up, sighing with a bit of amazement.
"To train with the saber for only a month and already dare to draw your blade on the old man..."
"No wonder he looks upon you so favorably."
"That kind of courage isn't something an ordinary person has!"
"From that angle just now, I almost thought you were going to finish Master Duan with one strike. It scared me so much I thought I was still half-asleep."
These words made Ji Xiu feel mortified.
'Killing my master...?'
'Heh.'
Ji Xiu recalled the earlier scene and couldn't help but smile bitterly.
The gap between them was too vast. It only seemed terrifying to an outsider.
Just a moment ago, he had snapped out of the state from his 'Ten Steps One Kill' Trait,
and discovered that his Great Success Celestial River Blade, unleashed after ten steps of building power...
...had been caught lightly between just two fingers!
It was like a stone sinking into the ocean, disappearing without a trace.
No matter how much Force he exerted, he couldn't budge it or move it forward an inch.
For a moment, Ji Xiu couldn't help but wonder,
'Is this really something a mere Captain from the Government Office is capable of?'
The Government Office's Captain was skilled in Martial Arts, and most of the Three Shifts of Constables were trained by him.
In terms of status and strength, they were on par with the masters of ordinary Boxing Halls or Martial Arts Halls—all experts in the Bone Tempering Realm.
They were considered prominent figures in the county.
'But the Bone Tempering Realm...'
'...could someone at that level be so casually dominant?'
Especially after what Gu Baichuan had said before leaving.
It completely shattered Ji Xiu's previous assumptions about Duan Chenzhou.
'An ordinary Captain couldn't possibly command the respect of the Young Master of Fire Kiln Lu Manor.'
'I never thought that a careless remark from Qin Biao, back when I was a groom at the Lin Residence, would benefit me so much now.'
'If I hadn't become Master Duan's disciple, even if I'd been lucky enough to study under another Martial Artist of the Bone Marrow Refining Realm, getting my name off the Slave Registry would never have gone so smoothly.'
'Logically, since I can practice martial arts now, I should be thanking him. It's just a pity...'
He remembered when he had whipped the steward, and Qin Biao, along with the manor guards, had swarmed him. For a moment, it seemed his fate was sealed—to be crushed into dust, with little hope of survival.
Ji Xiu lowered his gaze and sighed softly.
He was someone who remembered favors.
Not punching Qin Biao in the face was his way of showing consideration for their past relationship.
As for the magnanimity of 'letting bygones be bygones with a smile'...
Ji Xiu reckoned he just couldn't do it.
...
「Fire Kiln, Lu Manor.」
The Manor Master, Lu Chengfeng, had traveled to Jiangyin Prefecture in his youth. It was said he had studied under a famous Boxer, learning Martial Arts and making a name for himself for ten years.
He eventually returned with his Skin Refining skills, arriving in Anning County like an Overseas Dragon to settle down and build a business...
...only then did the name 'Fire Kiln Continent' gradually become famous, making them one of the three great families of Anning County.
Although they were merely local tyrants, not part of the true elite, their power was more than enough to dominate the five-hundred-li expanse of Anning County.
He supported three hundred Guests, all of whom had succeeded in Entering the Realm.
Over thirty of them carried a Sword Weapon... Their power was considerable, no weaker than the Three Great Gangs, the Four Great Halls, or the other two powerful business-running families.
Lu Chengfeng had one son, one daughter, and a disciple who was his chosen successor.
His daughter, Lu Hongyu, was said to be heroic and striking, with willow-like brows and a slender waist. Her Martial Arts skills were exceptional, and despite being in her twenties, she had yet to marry.
Many Guests, and even the disciple who was his successor, coveted her beauty and the prospects that came with it, all hoping to become the live-in son-in-law of this 'Lu Dabingzhu'.
However, it was said that all of them had been turned away at the door by Miss Lu.
According to rumors, her standards for a partner were a bit high. Even Master Lu was left speechless by it, and over time, he just let her be.
...
Ji Xiu followed Lu Yu, his mind mulling over the rumors about Lu Manor he had heard these past few days.
Soon, they passed through the bustling market of Fire Kiln and, at its center, walked through a stone archway engraved with the word "Lu."
This was Lu Manor.
As far as the eye could see, a vast stone altar carved with dragons and phoenixes stood in the center, looking like a place where Lu Manor held its ceremonies.
Surrounding it were rows of neat and uniform courtyards with green bricks and stone tiles, clean and tidy—likely the residences of the Guests.
And here...
...there were no 'gates' to speak of!
Or rather, it didn't need them.
In this manor, aside from the young servants in green responsible for sweeping...
...everyone you saw, whether in martial attire or plain clothes, was without exception a Martial Artist who had achieved 'Entering the Realm'.
Unauthorized people would not, and dared not, approach this manor.
One could say,
this was the center of all the various businesses in Fire Kiln—the smelting, forging, firing, and other shops both large and small.
A portion of the silver coins they earned had to be paid as taxes to Lu Manor!
Therefore, the status of these Guest Martial Artists was above that of the Shopkeepers and the Stewards they hired!
Those Stewards were merely 'thugs' on the periphery.
But the Guests of Lu Manor...
...were the true 'officials' of Fire Kiln!
As for those who occasionally passed by, able to wear swords and sabers...
...they were the 'trusted confidants' among the 'officials'!
"Junior Brother, after we enter the manor, don't speak carelessly. Whatever rumors you hear, just let them go in one ear and out the other."
"You just need to listen to your Senior Brother... stay quiet, wait for me to take you to see the old man, and once we've secured the benefits, this matter will be settled."
"Stick close to me."
Ji Xiu was still taking in the sights of Lu Manor.
Beside him,
Lu Yu had already clapped him on the shoulder and spoken in a low voice.
This made Ji Xiu pause, and he then frowned almost imperceptibly.
'Could it be...'
'...that there's a complication with the job Senior Brother Lu arranged for me?'
'But isn't he the legitimate son of Lu Manor?'
Just as doubt began to form in Ji Xiu's mind,
the whispered sounds of many people in martial attire, either training or chatting idly, drifted over:
"Is that the Young Master? Tsk... the one behind him, is that the 'Mad Slave' from the Lin Residence?"
"Whipping a Steward is one thing. I heard the Steward was arrogant and insisted on whipping a Martial Artist like him, wasn't he just asking for trouble?"
"But..."
"this kid doesn't know what's good for him. Never mind that the Lin Residence's Boss, Lin Zhenhai, is an expert at Great Success in Bone Tempering. In all of Lu Manor, besides the Manor Master himself, no one can say for sure they could defeat him."
"For a figure like that to want him as an Adopted Son was a great honor, but this kid publicly slapped him in the face..."
"It might have been fine before."
"But now, I hear the Lin Family's young miss, who hasn't been back in nine years, has returned from her studies. They say she's even more formidable than her old man and has an incredible background."
"Looks like the Young Manor Master has brought a hornet's nest back with him this time."
Martial Artists had sharp ears and keen eyes.
As the voices reached his ears,
Ji Xiu immediately thought, 'Just as I expected.'
Things were indeed not as simple as he had imagined.
No wonder Lu Yu had spoken that way.
'If this is what people are saying...'
'it would be completely understandable if Lu Manor didn't want to take me in.'
Watching Lu Yu forge ahead silently, shielding him as he led the way, Ji Xiu couldn't help but feel a surge of emotion.
He had to admit, this senior brother was truly reliable. When trouble arose, he really stepped up.
It was no wonder he was the only apprentice studying Martial Arts under Master Duan.
However, sometimes,
just because you don't want to stir up trouble doesn't mean trouble won't come looking for you.
As a shadow fell across their path, blocking the way,
Ji Xiu's heart suddenly sank.
"Xiaoyu, you're causing trouble for the manor, and for our Master."