"Do not tamper with these instructions." He said. "It will be done," Jin Sang replied firmly. With that, Luo He departed with Jin Mulan and the remaining guards, escorting the carts of gold back toward the mansion.
By the time they returned, the sun had risen higher into the sky. Not long after, one of the guards approached Luo He and bowed. "My lord, Su Len is making his way toward the mansion."
Luo He gave a small nod, as if this outcome had been expected all along.
"Prepare the doctors," he ordered. "Treat his wounds."
When Su Len finally arrived, barely clinging to consciousness, he was immediately taken in.
His severed arm was tightly wrapped in medicated bandaging, the bleeding controlled, his life preserved just barely.
Later once he had regained enough awareness, Luo He stood before him.
"You will serve in my mansion," he said. His tone leaving no room for refusal.
"As a teacher." Su Len's lips trembled but he remained silent. "You will not be paid," Luo He continued. "Until your debt is fully repaid."
A long pause followed. Su Len lowered his head. "I…I understand." What else could he do? He was completely at Luo He's mercy.
With the money for the initial investment secured, Luo He wasted no time. The land behind the mansion soon came alive with activity. He hired carpenters and masons, their rough hands and experienced eyes carefully inspecting the ground where the silk factory would rise.
Wooden frames were marked, stones measured, and foundations outlined beneath the open sky. "We will need three months," one of the senior masons said, wiping sweat from his brow.
"That is the usual time for such a structure." Luo He stood calmly, hands behind his back. "And the cost?"
"Three hundred gold," the man replied. "For five workers."
Luo He's gaze sharpened slightly.
"Then take as many workers as needed," he said. "And I'll pay 3000 gold if it is completed within one month."
The workers exchanged uneasy glances.
Before they could respond, Luo He added. His tone still calm but now carrying a quiet edge. "If it is not completed on time I can just as easily take your heads instead of your labour."
Silence fell.
No one doubted he meant it. Reluctantly, they agreed. Construction began immediately, the pace far more intense than usual. Overseeing them was a man Luo He had personally persuaded to join him.
A former worker of the wealthiest silk merchant family in the county. Under his guidance, the work progressed with surprising efficiency.
While the factory rose from the ground, Luo He turned inward to preparation.
He summoned both Jin Mulan and his mother. "You will both train with me," he said.
"Mother, you will be responsible for the mansion in our absence. You must be capable of defending it if the need arises."
His mother-in-law's eyes lit up instantly. "Good," she replied with a grin. "I was beginning to grow restless." She was a great fighter once but marriage slowed her down. So, the three of them trained, Day and night.
Wooden swords cracked against one another in the courtyard, their rhythm echoing through the estate. Sweat soaked their clothes, breath grew heavy, and muscles burned but none of them stopped.
Luo He however, approached it differently. He observed. Calculated. Adapted. He discovered something strange almost unnatural. Each swing of a wooden sword granted him 0.01 skill points. A real blade increased it to 0.03. And his black steel blade by 0.05 points. So he practiced.
Not in elegant forms or advanced techniques but in sheer repetition. A thousand swings in the morning. A thousand in the afternoon. Left. Right. Again and again.
Fifteen days passed like this. By the end, his body transformed from the training, his body pushed to its limits but the results were undeniable. He had gained 1500 skill points. His swordsmanship rose to level 64.
Only then did he return to his system.
After his journey to the capital, he had activated a new feature, one that automatically distributed earned skill points into his weakest areas.
Now, as he reviewed it, even he was surprised. He had changed.
Flattery from level 5 → 12
Seduction from level 1 → 14
Negotiation from level 16 → 24
Persuasion from level 1 → 22
Social Awareness from level 18 → 22
Presence from level 11 → 19
Frame Control from level 18 → 22
Humour from level 1 → 6
Charm from level 1 → 8
He wasn't just becoming stronger. He was becoming dangerous in ways beyond the blade.
Next, he turned his attention to poison.
From the knowledge embedded within his armour, he studied compounds, reactions and delivery methods.
Three days passed as he refined his understanding, discarding unstable mixtures and perfecting suitable ones.
Finally, he succeeded. A poison so refined it required almost no force.
He named it The Vixen's Kiss. Administered through the lips by a good kiss, it would bring death within seconds. Silent. Intimate. Nearly untraceable.
Luo He stared at the vial for a long moment before sealing it away. Soon after, he called for a family meeting. The atmosphere was serious.
"Tomorrow morning," Luo He began. "I, Jin Mulan and father-in-law will depart for the Pirate King's stronghold." Jin Quan frowned. "You intend to attack it?" He asked in surprise.
"No we will take it," Luo He corrected calmly. "With two thousand men. Along with enough food and alcohol to sustain several thousand." He said confidently.
"That will cost at least six thousand gold," Jin Quan said. "Then it must be purchased." Jin Quan leaned forward.
"Even so how do you plan to capture a fortress considered impregnable? Plus the Pirate King has a thousand men, and the sea supplies him endlessly."
Luo He's lips curved faintly. "Yes. It is impregnable, so long as he lives."
A pause.
"If he falls, the pirates will fracture. Their loyalty will turn to chaos." Understanding began to dawn.
"We strike during that chaos," Luo He continued. "While they are divided."
"And how will you kill him?" Jin Quan asked expectantly. Luo He turned to Jin Mulan. "I will enter disguised," he said. "As a woman." Even Jin Mulan blinked in surprise. "With you as my protector." He said.
A faint silence followed.
"I will get close to him," Luo He added. "Earn his trust and end his life when his guard is down." Then without hesitation he turned to the two women.
"Mother. Mulan. You will have to teach me." He said. "Teach you what?" his mother-in-law asked, though her eyes already hinted at amusement.
"How to carry myself," Luo He replied. "How to move, speak and command attention without suspicion. Simply to be a woman." He said.
That night, the training changed. It was no longer about swords. It was about presence. Luo He stood awkwardly at first, his posture too rigid, his movements too deliberate.
His mother circled him slowly, correcting him with sharp taps to his shoulders and arms. "Too stiff," she said. "You look like a child pretending to be a soldier." She said firmly.
Jin Mulan tried to guide him as well, though she found herself hesitating more often, less confident in her corrections.
"Relax your steps," she said softly. "Don't think about each movement let it flow." His mother scoffed lightly. "Flow comes after control. Again."
They adjusted everything his posture, his gaze, the tilt of his head, the subtle shifts in expression. Even the way he breathed was corrected.
Luo He was surprised. His mother adapted quickly, almost effortlessly, understanding the situation with sharp precision. Jin Mulan, though skilled in combat, struggled more in this unfamiliar field.
Hours passed. By the end of the night, Luo He had changed. Not perfectly but enough. Enough to deceive.
At dawn, preparations were complete.
The air was cool, the sky just beginning to lighten. Luo He, Jin Mulan, and Jin Quan stood ready to depart.
Behind them, Jin Su remained at the mansion, tasked with overseeing both the estate and the construction of the silk factory.
"Take care of everything," Luo He said.
Jin Su nodded firmly. With that they mounted their horses. And as the first light of the sun broke over the horizon, they departed toward the Port. From there they took 20 ships with the Jin family flag Ship and departed.
Luo He got dressed as a woman, and the transformation was astonishing. Draped in flowing silk, his figure appeared slender and graceful, his movements refined to a natural elegance.
With delicate features enhanced by subtle makeup, he looked more beautiful and fragile than most women.
"From the moment we set foot ashore," he said softly, his voice now light and measured. "I am Jin Mulan and you are my handmaiden, Bing.
Do not forget who we are." Jin Mulan gave a slight nod, her expression composed, though her sharp eyes studied him with a hint of admiration.
Even she found it difficult to believe this was her husband. Luo He then took out a small lipstick container. With steady hands he added a few drops of the poison he had so carefully prepared.
The colour remained unchanged vivid and alluring but now carried silent death within it. He closed the container and slipped it away, his expression calm almost indifferent.