My daily cultivation progress is calculated.

Chapter 24 Master Qi's Troubles, The Duke's Family Affairs

These past few days, Shen Yan has been either working in the prison or drinking with Master Qi.

While he was at it, he also learned some oracle bone script. Shen Yan swore he had never learned anything so easy in his life.

After a few days of study, I can already understand a small part of the contents of the ancient scroll. At this rate, I can finish it in less than a month.

It was much faster than he had expected, and many of the words were repeated.

Of the martial arts techniques obtained from Prison No. C, Shen Yan chose the lightness skill "Swift Wind Step" to practice.

He didn't know if there was an upper limit to the skills he could learn, and he didn't want to try it lightly. Learning lightness skills would make him faster when running away.

As usual, he carried the wine and went to Master Qi's house.

Seeing Qi Xiu's gloomy expression, as if he had something on his mind, Shen Yan asked him.

"Old Qi, what happened? Tell me."

Qi Xiu sighed softly: "It's all because of that incident. The eldest master has been away on a campaign to quell a rebellion for two years and hasn't returned home. With no one in the manor to keep order, the second master and the others started causing trouble."

"The situation is getting more and more intense. Yesterday at the school, Shen Jingzhao and his brothers from the second and third branches of the family ganged up on Shen Yun. I couldn't stand it and stepped in to stop them. The boys went home and complained, which made the second mistress and the others hold a grudge. They reported it to the second master and they want me replaced. Sigh! I don't know if I'll still be able to drink with you in the future."

The Shen Yun that Qi Xiu mentioned is the third daughter of Duke Dingguo, Shen Moxuan. She is the youngest and has not yet reached the age of marriage.

Shen Yan did not expect that the Duke's mansion was not peaceful either. The Duke had been away on a campaign to quell a rebellion for two years.

The White Lotus Sect hasn't been eradicated yet, and now things are starting to get unsettled in the mansion as well.

Shen Moxuan had three brothers and a younger sister who married the fourth prince and went on a military campaign, so she was not in Bianjing City.

Perhaps Shen Moxuan absorbed his brothers' talent and luck, because none of his three younger brothers were any good.

He was neither good at literature nor martial arts, but he used Shen Moxuan's name to do some business outside.

Listening to Master Qi's words, Shen Yan thought to himself, "Could it be that these three are still plotting to seize power? Shen Moxuan is a top-tier expert; he could easily suppress them with one hand. I wonder where they got the courage."

Qi Xiu was merely caught in the crossfire; he became an innocent bystander in the internal strife within the Duke's mansion.

However, the Duke of Dingguo is not without talent; Shen Moxuan's two sons are both quite promising.

The second young master, Shen Ci, works in the Ministry of Works and is now a fifth-rank official with a promising future.

The third young master, Shen Jianxin, is obsessed with martial arts. He inherited Shen Moxuan's martial arts talent and is said to be a middle-grade martial artist now. Given some more time, reaching the upper-grade level should not be a problem.

Shen Yan offered Qi Xiu some advice.

"If they can file a complaint, why can't you? In the next few days, go and ask the Second Madam for your resignation. She will definitely find out the reason and won't let you leave so easily."

"I can't teach this book anymore. Seeing someone bullying the weak and not being able to speak up to stop it violates professional ethics and makes you unworthy of being a teacher. Tell me about Shen Yun's situation, and I don't believe he'll let you go."

Qi Xiu was somewhat conflicted, his old face scrunched up.

"What should I do if the Second Madam lets me leave without asking any questions?"

Shen Yan glanced at him and said casually.

"Is there a difference? The second branch of the family is targeting you. How can you continue as a schoolteacher? You'll be leaving sooner or later anyway, so you might as well try to fight for it. Shen Moxuan is still the one who calls the shots in this Duke's mansion. No matter how much the second branch tries to cause trouble, they're just grasshoppers in autumn."

"Don't worry, if the Second Madam were really that despicable, the Second Branch wouldn't have been suppressed for so long. Rest in peace. If you're going to be even more ruthless, secretly tell Shen Jianxin about Shen Yun being bullied."

"Tsk tsk! If the older brother doesn't stand up for his younger sister when she's being bullied, he's just too useless."

After hearing this, Qi Xiu thought it through, then downed the wine in his bowl in one gulp, and his brows relaxed.

"You're the one who comes up with the right ideas. It's a waste of your talents to be a jailer. You should get out of here as soon as possible and take the imperial examinations."

Shen Yan shook his head, unconcerned. Everyone said the Heavenly Prison was bad, but after he went in, he found it wasn't that bad.

"This prison is like stinky tofu; it smells bad, but tastes good. All you see from the outside is the bad, but all I see from inside is the good."

"Whatever, I don't understand you young people's thinking."

With his inner conflict resolved, Master Qi felt much better, and Shen Yan took out the text he had previously made rubbings to ask him for advice.

Master Qi, upon seeing this, said with a smile.

"You're just like me when I was young, you like these strange and unusual things. If I hadn't studied these things back then and had instead read the Four Books and Five Classics, I don't know if I would have been able to pass the imperial examinations."

Shen Yan casually replied, "With your talent, you'd be more than a scholar, let alone a top-ranking official. Tell me quickly what this character means."

Master Qi was very happy to be coaxed by Shen Yan.

"You have a nice way of speaking; you're good enough to be an official, what a pity."

After studying for several hours, Shen Yan felt it was getting late and went home.

I reviewed what I had learned today and practiced my skills for a while.

It was late at night when Shen Yan finally went back to his room to sleep.

"Swift Steps" and "Emperor Taizu's Long Fist" are similar, both being rather rudimentary techniques. Even if mastered to perfection, they would only qualify for the ninth rank.

However, the Swift Wind Step is not widely known, and this kind of light-footed skill is disadvantageous when fighting with others.

Ordinary martial artists only practice one or two martial arts techniques in their entire lives, and few people spend time on them.

However, he didn't care about these things; he learned this skill so that he could run faster than others.

The Swift Wind Step, once perfected, grants a speed comparable to a mid-level rank martial artist—this is what Shen Yan valued most.

The next morning.

A powerful force erupted from Shen Yan's body; the strength beneath his skin darted about like a little mouse.

He suddenly woke up, regulated his breathing, and controlled the violent energy within his body.

A powerful aura rose from his body and gradually grew stronger.

The morning light from the window shone on him.

A golden light enveloped him. Shen Yan closed his eyes to regulate his breathing, then suddenly opened them.

A glint of light flashed in his eyes, and his body was already soaked with sweat, like someone who had just fallen into the water.

"ha!"

With a soft shout, his strength suddenly erupted, and his aura became even stronger.

Shen Yan now looks like a tiger that has just awakened, exuding a dangerous aura.

I don't know how much time passed.

He let out a soft breath.

"call!"

His face lit up with joy; after many days of cultivation, he had finally broken through to the eighth rank.

With such skill, one would be considered quite skilled even among martial arts gangs.

He was already qualified to be a centurion in the army, commanding a hundred soldiers.

"Among the eighth-rank martial artists in the Heavenly Prison Guard, apart from the commander, there doesn't seem to be anyone higher than me."

The lower three ranks may not sound high, but they represent the limit that ordinary people can achieve.

After taking a shower in the courtyard, Shen Yan set off to work at the imperial prison.

It was late autumn, and the weather in Bianjing was already quite cool. The cold water splashed on him cooled his blood and calmed his mind.

There are countless experts in Bianjing. Even if he breaks through, he must act carefully, because such rapid advancement is likely to attract attention.