madnovel Chapter 27 The Yan Family
Chapter 27 The Yan Family
Members of the Black Fox Gang and disciples of the Beggars' Gang.
Seeing that Liu Sheng was wearing the robes of a true disciple of the Bajiquan School, one could tell that he must be a rank-1 martial artist.
No one dared to speak, and they silently retreated to both sides of the street, making way for Liu Sheng.
"If you want to roll around, do it somewhere else, don't disturb my sleep."
Liu Sheng's voice was not loud.
Yet it carried an unquestionable air of authority.
Upon hearing this, the two groups of people scattered in a flash, leaving behind only a few broken sticks and messy footprints without uttering a single word of protest.
Liu Sheng lowered his head, looked at the robes of a true disciple, and nodded slightly.
Although he hasn't yet earned any money or passed the martial arts examination due to his status as a rank-up martial artist, Liu Sheng has already genuinely felt the effects of his elevated status.
Otherwise, even a month ago, he would probably still be with his father, living in fear, staying indoors, listening to the fighting and shouting outside, worrying that the two gangs would come to collect their dues the next day.
"Study hard, pass the martial arts exam, and then move to the south of the city!"
Liu Sheng silently encouraged himself.
After all, when I live here, no one dares to mess with me, but there are always times when I'm not here, and then my father has to live in fear.
I heard that Gou Xiong, the leader of the Beggars' Sect, has also been promoted to the eighth rank. It seems that my ninth rank is not enough.
He removed the wooden planks from the shop door and entered the courtyard. In the courtyard, he took a shower using the bucket of water next to the well.
In early spring, the well water was still cool.
The moonlight, like water, shone on his slightly yellow skin, and through the water droplets, it shimmered with a faint luster, as if grains of sand were flowing within it.
After taking a shower, Liu Sheng pushed open the door.
He walked with great difficulty to his bedside and began to apply medicine to his wounds.
The difficulty stemmed from the fact that the room was filled with various local specialties sent by the villagers of Yejia'ao.
These were gifts from the villagers, and Liu Sheng couldn't refuse them; he couldn't very well let them take them all the way back.
Ye Qi also arrived at the time and saw that Liu Sheng was wrapped up like a white rice dumpling due to his injuries.
I cried right then and there.
She didn't utter a single word, her nose turned red, and tears streamed down her face as she cried like a young girl.
Later, Liu Sheng heard that Ye Qi had also broken through to the Skin Polishing Realm and had even been taken in as a disciple by his master's wife, Wang Yinsu. Ye Qi then asked for leave, saying he would stay in Ye Family Village for a while until he broke through to the Flesh Refining Realm.
"Sigh, I heard that in this battle, one-fifth of the able-bodied men in Yejia'ao were killed or injured. It's not easy."
Ye Qi probably wants to stay and rebuild his home, and focus on his cultivation. Of course, he can understand that.
The Ninth Grade Skin Polishing Realm is the end for many martial artists. But for him and Ye Qi, it is merely the starting point of their martial arts journey.
The road ahead.
It's still a long way off.
……
A few more days passed.
Liu Sheng had just arrived at the martial arts school.
It was from his senior brother that he learned of a new job that was offered to him.
"To be a sparring partner for the young master of the Yan family?"
Liu Sheng certainly knew about the Yan family.
Not to mention that Old Man Kang had mentioned the story of Martial Saint Yan Chenhu, the skin-smoothing technique he had learned originated from the skin-smoothing technique passed down in the Yan family.
What Liu Sheng was more concerned about was, of course, the daily duration and the percentage of revenue.
Although you can only practice the skin-smoothing method for a maximum of one hour a day, you can still spend some time looking at visualization diagrams and practicing Bajiquan as a supplement.
If you sacrifice too much time for martial arts training just to make money, then you're putting the cart before the horse.
"Don't worry, junior brother, I already asked for you."
It turns out that the Yan family said they already had one boxing master to teach boxing and two disciples from other martial arts schools to spar with, so they only needed to add one more sparring partner.
Therefore, Liu Sheng only needs to go for one hour every morning.
Daily settlement, paid by the hour.
One hour, one tael of silver.
Liu Sheng roughly calculated that if he went for an hour every day, he could earn 30 taels of silver a month.
Although it wasn't enough to cover all my expenses for martial arts training, it was at least enough for meat. I could figure out the rest later.
Most importantly, it doesn't take up much time each day, and the returns per hour are high.
He immediately said no problem.
Now it was Lu You's turn to give instructions:
"Junior brother, you must be careful on your journey. Also, take care of the other two sparring masters."
It turns out that before Liu Sheng, the Yan family had also hired a sparring partner from two other martial arts schools on this street.
These two martial arts schools are Iron Finger Hall and Eagle Claw School.
Before Gao Huang arrived in Yueya County, these two martial arts schools were the two strongest among all the martial arts schools in Yueya County.
Lu You and Lin Yi were only transferred here half a year ago to keep things in order.
Before they arrived, Bajiquan was indeed not very strong, and therefore was often ostracized by the martial arts school street.
During a conflict, a formal disciple of Bajiquan was injured by a disciple from another martial arts school.
So Gao Huang went to the martial arts schools on the street to seek justice for his disciple and beat them all up in turn.
These two schools were no exception; their owners were defeated, their reputations were damaged, and many of their apprentices left.
They were forced to lower tuition fees to stabilize the situation somewhat.
After that, other martial arts schools no longer dared to let their true disciples bully the younger ones by fighting against the formal or entry-level disciples of Bajiquan, but they could not avoid "sparring" with each other at the same level.
Liu Sheng was extremely embarrassed upon hearing this.
The master is indeed quite domineering, and it's good that he stands up for his disciple and protects his own.
But this protection seems a bit excessive.
Well, let's just see how it goes. Let's go see what's going on first.
At least I have my Spirit Eyes. I can decide whether to fight or not, and run away if I can win and find another opportunity later.
Then Lu You briefly explained some basic information about the Yan family to Liu Sheng.
For example, in this generation, the head of the Yan family has eight younger brothers and two sons. It is said that the eldest son ran away from home some years ago, and there has been no news of him since.
Liu Sheng's training partner this time was his youngest son, his only remaining son.
Seeing that he had confessed enough.
Liu Sheng set off at the agreed time.
We arrived in the south of the county town ahead of schedule.
He was dressed in a clean robe of a true disciple of the Bajiguan School, with narrow black sleeves, dark red brocade, and gold thread patterns and nine-colored deer patterns that were faintly visible in the morning light.
With his almond-shaped eyes, radiant complexion, and the effects of skin smoothing, he exudes vitality and has an upright posture—truly a handsome young man!
On the streets of Chengnan, it also attracted the attention of passersby.
Crescent Lake, a clear spring, lies quietly nestled in the embrace of the Singing Sand Dunes. Its surface reflects the morning light and the shadows of the dunes, resembling a crescent-shaped piece of glass embedded in the golden sand.
The water is crystal clear and has never dried up in thousands of years.
However, in this early spring, there are still some thin pieces of ice around the spring, swaying with the waves.
Willows sway gently by the spring, reeds sway lightly, water vapor rises, birds circle overhead, and the air carries a sweet scent.
Beside the spring, there are the residences of the Yan, Kang, and Yin families. A little further away are the other second-tier wealthy households in the city.
On the road, guards from the three families and yamen runners from the county government were patrolling everywhere; not a single gang member could be seen.
Although the Yan family mansion was not as large as the neighboring Kang and Yin families, it was still quite impressive. High walls and deep courtyards, vermilion gates, and two pairs of imposing stone lions in front of the gates, with pavilions and towers with upturned eaves faintly visible inside.
Standing outside the door, Liu Sheng thought of the low, dilapidated mud houses in the north of the city, and his own little shop, sweltering in summer and freezing in winter, and sighed with emotion:
"Is this the foundation of the wealthy and powerful families in the southern part of the city?"
His resolve hardened, and he studied diligently to pass the martial arts examination.
Only by obtaining legal status can I earn more money so that my father, who has been working hard all year and whose temples are turning gray, can move in sooner and enjoy a peaceful retirement.
Although he had inquired and found out that in the south of the city, even a small courtyard house had a starting price that was astonishing.
But given my current rate of progress, there's still hope for the future. Besides, since there's still a path forward, why can't I live a more comfortable life?
Composing himself, Liu Sheng quickened his pace.
Knock on the door knocker.
A servant boy stepped forward in response.
Liu Sheng and his servant announced their names and purpose.
Seeing that he was dressed in the robes of a true disciple of the Bajiquan sect and possessed an extraordinary aura, the servant did not suspect anything and immediately said politely:
"Please follow me. The young master and the steward are already waiting at the training ground."
So they led him inside, through corridors and courtyards.
The interior of the Yan family residence appears even more spacious than from the outside, with bluestone paving and neatly arranged flowers and trees.
The two walked through several courtyards and arrived at a training ground about half an acre in size.
The weapons racks on the sidelines were filled with a dazzling array of weapons. Although the laws of the Great Tibetan Empire were followed and there were no bronze or iron weapons, they were carved from fine hardwood into swords, spears, halberds, axes, hooks, and forks, making them look quite authentic.
Next to the weapons rack was another armor rack, which was full of simple helmets, inner armor, shoulder pads, knee pads, elbow pads and other complete sets of protective gear made of camel skin, felt and other materials.
There was a large, eye-catching rocking chair made of rosewood on the side of the field, with an open book on it.
Liu Sheng looked closely and saw that the cover was written in the Daqian script as "Yan's Golden Bell Cover".
Two people were standing next to the rocking chair.
A steward, dressed in an indigo robe, appeared to be in his fifties with a kind face, but possessed a distinct skin membrane characteristic of entry-level martial artists. He was bowing slightly and speaking to someone.
The other was a wealthy young master, about ten years old, who was listening impatiently to the butler's nagging with a downturned mouth.
It's clear that the former is patiently comforting the latter.
When the steward saw the servant leading the man over, he was initially delighted upon seeing Liu Sheng's attire; then, upon observing his age and complexion, he frowned slightly, but quickly regained his composure.
Liu Sheng saw all of this.