Chapter 5: Young Master, He Has Entered the Ranks

Chapter 5: Chapter 5: Young Master, He Has Entered the Ranks

Liuu Zhao did not like Lu Yuan.

For one, Lu Yuan had been smart and quick to learn since childhood, easily winning their teachers’ favor, whereas Liuu Zhao was relatively dull and constantly singled out for criticism. Secondly, Lu Yuan’s father, Lu Ming, worked in the Government Office as a Chief Constable, while the Liuu Family had been merchants for generations. Although the Liuu Family was far wealthier than the Lu Family, their social standing was vastly inferior.

What made him even more jealous was that Lu Yuan had a beautiful childhood sweetheart. Her father was a Military Officer, reportedly serving in the Demon-slaying Bureau. Three days ago, word had it that Lu Yuan and she had officially gotten engaged. In short, Liuu Zhao was intensely jealous of Lu Yuan in every possible way.

"See him? My family just bought him for me. A Ninth Grade Peak Martial Artist!" Liuu Zhao raised an eyebrow, pointing to the guard behind him who was holding a saber in one hand and cradling a roasted goose in the other. "It didn’t cost much, really. Just five hundred taels of silver."

"Oh, five hundred taels..." Lu Yuan waved his hand with a nonchalant reaction. "Are you done showing off? If you’re done, hurry up and leave. Don’t be an eyesore."

"You..." Liuu Zhao’s chest heaved violently.

He hated Lu Yuan’s nonchalant attitude the most. It made him feel like everything he said was total nonsense and that he was utterly worthless. He thought, "Why aren’t you the least bit angry? Why don’t you care at all? On what grounds?! Why?!"

"Didn’t you brag earlier that you were about to break through to the Ninth Grade? Do you dare to fight my guard... No, as long as you can withstand a single move from him, these one hundred taels of silver will be yours!" Liuu Zhao sneered.

He pulled a hundred-tael silver note from his chest pocket and flaunted it in front of Lu Yuan.

"Take one punch from me. If you don’t die, I’ll give you a hundred taels," Lu Yuan said, a cold sneer curling his lips. He thought, "Fighting a guard? That’s beneath my dignity. If we’re going to fight, it should be master against master. Bring it on!"

"You..." Liuu Zhao subconsciously shrank back.

He was no match for Lu Yuan. Although he didn’t believe Lu Yuan could kill him with a single punch, he certainly wasn’t going to risk it.

"Do you even have a hundred taels? Can you even take out a hundred taels?! Keep bragging! But today, you have to take his punch whether you want to or not," Liuu Zhao mocked, taking a quick step back to let his guard step up. "Luu Er, beat him up!"

He didn’t forget to snatch the roasted goose from the guard’s hands as he retreated.

"Yes, Young Master!" Luu Er didn’t say another word. He immediately charged at Lu Yuan and threw a heavy punch, carefully controlling his strength to use only seventy percent of his power.

SHING!

Lu Yuan directly drew his saber and slashed forward.

SWISH SWISH SWISH SWISH!

In an instant, he unleashed four slashes!

Four Wind-Breaking Slashes!

Luu Er’s pupils shrank instantly, and he hastily pulled back his fist to dodge. However, Lu Yuan’s saber had already sealed off all his escape routes—front, back, left, and right. There was simply nowhere left to hide.

The Wind-Breaking Slash was all about speed; it was a fast Saber Technique. Its main focus was on finishing battles quickly and catching opponents completely off guard. Luu Er was only at the Ninth Grade, and he had lost the initiative...

BAM!

The guard was sent flying by the flat of Lu Yuan’s saber.

CLANG!

Lu Yuan sheathed his blade and strode toward Liuu Zhao.

"Wh-what do you want?" Liuu Zhao backed away continuously in terror.

He thought in panic, "How is this possible? How?! When did Lu Yuan become so strong? My Ninth-Grade Guard was actually defeated by him in a single move. Saber Qi! Lu Yuan actually unleashed Saber Qi just now. That’s the sign of peak mastery in a Saber Technique!"

"Where do you think you’re going?" Lu Yuan knocked Liuu Zhao down with a single punch.

THUD THUD!

He followed up with two more punches. Then, he fished out the hundred-tael silver note and grabbed the roasted goose.

"The roasted goose! What are you doing taking my roasted goose?" Liuu Zhao asked, his face full of confusion. It was one thing to take the silver note, but stealing his food too?

"It’s a waste to let you eat it," Lu Yuan said, tearing off a goose leg and offering it to Yaoyao.

Yaoyao stared at it intently. Her eyes were filled with longing, but she didn’t dare to take it.

"If I give it to you, just eat it. Be a good girl!" Lu Yuan shoved the meat into Yaoyao’s hands, then tore off a goose wing for himself and started eating.

Yaoyao gripped the goose leg, looked at it carefully, and then began to devour it with large bites.

"Slow down, don’t choke," Lu Yuan said as he walked and ate.

"My roasted goose! My roasted goose..." Liuu Zhao muttered, unable to let it go. He then glared at his newly bought guard. "You’re totally useless! You couldn’t even defeat an unranked Martial Artist."

"Young Master, he is ranked!" Luu Er replied indignantly. If he hadn’t been misled by the young master, he wouldn’t have been defeated in a single move.

"What?!" Liuu Zhao’s face instantly turned an ugly shade of purple.

Back at the Lu Family home, the roasted goose was just finished by the two of them. Yaoyao’s small belly was bulging, and her large, wide-open eyes looked much more spirited. Lu Yuan was also half-full.

"Hm? Why did you bring a child back?" Lu Ming asked, having just returned from his shift.

"I bought her. She has the Blue Demon Bloodline, and from now on, she’s a part of our family," Lu Yuan replied.

"Blue Demon Bloodline!" Lu Ming was slightly taken aback. He carefully examined Yaoyao, taking special note of her pale blue eyes. "There must be some catch, right? Otherwise, where would you get that much silver?"

"The human trafficker said she stopped growing, so... who knows," Lu Yuan shrugged.

"Oh," Lu Ming realized.

If she had stopped growing, she wouldn’t be worth much. Those with the Blue Demon Bloodline were born beautiful, but if she remained trapped in the form of a child forever, who would be willing to buy her? Still, this boy of his...

"Since you brought her back, let her stay. Our family isn’t short on a bite of food," Lu Ming said.

"Mm," Lu Yuan nodded.

The father and son headed inside just as Mrs. Lu, Wei Huiling, walked out from the backyard.

"I was wondering where you went; turns out you went looking for your father. Huh? Who is this child..." She couldn’t help but freeze upon seeing Yaoyao. Why was a little beggar following the father and son?

"I bought her. She’ll help you with chores and housework from now on," Lu Yuan grinned.

"To work? You bought such a tiny thing?" Wei Huiling glared at Lu Yuan. She thought, "Is she going to help me, or am I going to have to take care of an extra mouth? This boy is trying to be charitable, but he’s just leaving his old mother to suffer the consequences."

"Mom, take her to wash up and find her some clothes," Lu Yuan said shamelessly.

"Do I need you to tell me?" Wei Huiling quickly walked over, grabbed Yaoyao’s hand, and prepared to lead her away.

However, Yaoyao resisted. Her big, sparkling eyes stared at Lu Yuan, filled with unease as she waited for him to give the word.

"Go on. She’s the boss of this house," Lu Yuan smiled. He pulled out the slave contract and shoved it into his mother’s hand. "Keep this safe."

"You brat, I’ll settle the score with you later!" Wei Huiling snatched the contract and pulled Yaoyao away.

"Since you just got engaged, you’ve already prepared a maid for Siyao. You’re quite thoughtful. When do you plan to get married?" Lu Ming teased.

"That... is hard to say for now." Lu Yuan’s eyes flickered slightly. Originally, he had planned to marry at twenty, but now...

"Right. It’d be best if you waited until you reach the Seventh Grade..." Lu Ming nodded.

Once a person got married, their responsibilities multiplied, which could easily cause distractions and affect their Martial Dao training. One’s strength in the Martial Dao was the very foundation of their existence and the reflection of their worth.

Originally, the Lu Family’s standing was decent, and Lu Yuan’s talent was respectable enough. But compared to the monstrous prodigies of the Lin Family, Lu Yuan fell short... Regardless, he would have to put in more than a hundred percent of his effort moving forward. Only by rapidly advancing and breaking through in his cultivation would he earn their respect and avoid being looked down upon by his in-laws.

"Mm, I know," Lu Yuan silently clenched his fists.

He thought, "A true man should wield his blade to carve out his legacy and conquer the lands! As a man, I must be stronger than Lin Siyao. I must be stronger than the Lin Family." He definitely didn’t want to be a live-in son-in-law.

"You’ll be sixteen in another three months. What are your plans? Do you still want to join the Demon Suppression Bureau?" Lu Ming asked.