Chapter 53: Choosing a Son-in-law and Offering Benefits, If Willing... An Opportunity to Join a School
Chapter 53: Chapter 53: Choosing a Son-in-law and Offering Benefits, If Willing... An Opportunity to Join a School
The Lin Residence.
Noon.
A quaint, carved rosewood dining table was covered with a fine, soft brocade tablecloth.
Floral patterns, stitched with gold thread, shimmered faintly in the sunlight filtering through the window.
Steamed fish with black beans, red-braised pork, osmanthus-sweetened lotus root, five-spice stewed goose...
Well over a dozen meticulously prepared dishes glistened with oil, their savory aroma filling the air.
The fresh sea bass was still sizzling faintly, its curled tail an enticing sight.
"Ji Xiu, my boy, please, eat up! Don’t be shy!"
Lin Zhenhai chuckled as he looked at the black-robed young man to his left. Ji Xiu’s expression was composed, his back ramrod straight. Lin Zhenhai couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.
’How long has it been?’
’From a mere servant to a Groom, right here under my nose in the Lin Residence... he was never supposed to amount to much.’
’Even if he became a Martial Artist and was favored by the Young Manor Master of Fire Kiln Lu Manor, the most he could hope for was to become a Sword Carrier and live a more respectable life.’
’In the end, wasn’t he still just an errand boy?’
’Without eight or ten years of struggle, and after the disrespect he showed my family, he wouldn’t even be worthy of sitting at the same table as me!’
’And yet...’
’In less than two short months.’
’This kid had somehow leaped up to become a Hall Master in the Wind and Cloud Association—and not just any hall, but the critically important Medicine Hall!’
’Heavens above.’
His Lin Residence was located next to the Fire Kiln, and he usually procured Pills from Pharmacist Huang at the old Medicine House for his own Bone Tempering and Skin Refining needs.
And while the Lin Residence had many businesses...
...at the end of the day, they were all just shops in the Chai Market and under the Fire Kiln’s shadow. He himself was only at Bone Tempering Perfection, a clear step below the real bosses.
If he hadn’t had a daughter who was also at Bone Tempering Perfection—and even a cut above him in strength...
...he probably wouldn’t even be able to stand up straight in front of Ji Xiu right now!
’After all, when you need something from someone, they can easily make your life difficult. Was he supposed to make a special trip from East Street all the way to West Street to buy Pills and Medicinal Powders from the Three Great Gangs? Or go to the bustling Inner City to buy the Secret Inheritance Pills from the Four Great Halls?’
’That round trip would be a massive pain.’
’But now...’
’...things were different.’
His gaze shifted to the person beside Ji Xiu.
There sat his second daughter, Lin Ruyue. Her jet-black hair was neatly combed, adorned with tassels and a jade hairpin.
Beneath a snow fox fur shawl, she wore a long, pleated skirt embroidered with auspicious clouds. Her eyes were clear as she stared down at her small, clenched hands, her lips pressed together, lost in thought.
A smile touched Lin Zhenhai’s eyes.
"Ji Xiu, I won’t beat around the bush. Let’s put our cards on the table."
"The last time you spoke up, you helped my Lin Residence get rid of some ’rats’ and eliminated a hidden danger for Ruyue. To be honest, I’ve wanted to meet with you ever since."
"You’re too kind, Boss."
"I was fortunate enough to receive the Second Miss’s kindness back then. Without it, I would never have achieved what I have today."
"A gentleman cultivates his own virtue when in poverty; when successful, he shares his prosperity with the world."
"Now that I am secure, it was a simple matter to point out the secret when I happened to run into Miss Ruxue that night. It was nothing, really."
Ji Xiu lifted his chopsticks, picked up a tender piece of sea bass, and popped it into his mouth. With a slight purse of his lips, the smooth, delicate flavor burst on his tongue, and he couldn’t help but praise it inwardly.
’These wealthy families really know how to live.’
’The food at the Fire Kiln and the Wind and Cloud Association was just big chunks of meat stewed into a mush with ingredients meant to replenish one’s tendons and blood. It was far worse than his little sister’s cooking, let alone this feast.’
’Unless you ordered a banquet from Feiyan Tower that cost dozens of taels of silver, nothing else could compare to this meal.’
His unruffled demeanor, combined with his words, made the other three at the table freeze in surprise.
"Cultivates his own virtue... shares his prosperity with the world..."
Shock filled Lin Zhenhai’s eyes.
’This kid is surprisingly well-read and articulate. Where on earth did he learn all this?’
’With such ambition, no wonder he’s unwilling to settle for mediocrity.’
Thinking of the current situation, his tone took on a more sincere, advisory quality.
"Kid, when I took you in as my Adopted Son before, it was to avoid losing face in front of the Young Manor Master of Lu Manor."
"Otherwise, if I had to release a man just because some young master showed up, what would become of the rules of my Lin Residence? All my guards and instructors would be nothing but decorations."
"That’s why I didn’t want to let you go so easily. But..."
"...now, I’ve sincerely had a change of heart."
His expression grew much more serious.
"You were in the thick of the Wind and Cloud Association’s troubles a while back, so you must know what happened."
"A Qi Cultivation Grandmaster from Jiangyin Prefecture gave the bosses of the Three Major Professions an opportunity—a key to enter the Prefecture City."
"But after all their bold and decisive moves, they couldn’t even gain a firm foothold."
"You have to understand, here in the five hundred li of Anning County, the Four Great Halls are backed by guilds and Noble Clans, not to mention the County Yamen and the Government Office."
"There’s an old rule that a Qi Cultivation Grandmaster would never come to a poor backwater like this. No matter what the Wind and Cloud Association does, the most they can do is send a figurehead to represent them."
"But a mighty dragon can’t crush a local snake. Besides, Yang Daohan broke through the second stage of Skin Refining to become an Outer Gang Martial Artist. For him to be confident enough to half-cripple Lu Chengfeng—can you really say he has no one backing him?"
"The waters here are murky."
"Those who drift through the Jianghu are bound to get cut."
"If you continue to wade into this mess, you’ll inevitably get dragged in deep and ruin your own Cultivation."
He sighed.
"My younger daughter is in the bloom of her youth at sixteen. And though I have three sons, I have no true heir. For years, I have been meaning to choose a husband for Ruyue."
"Ji Xiu."
"I intend to choose you as my son-in-law. What... are your thoughts on the matter?"
Lin Ruyue buried her head even lower, suddenly silent.
Ji Xiu’s raised hand froze in mid-air.
He glanced sideways at Lin Ruyue, whose neck was faintly flushed, and fell silent for a moment.
’At his age, full of vigor, it would be impossible to say he had no desires.’
’But he had always lived in an oppressive environment, gritting his teeth and holding his breath just to climb higher.’
’Back when he was a Groom, if Lin Ruyue had shown him favor and Lin Zhenhai had chosen him as a son-in-law, he would have been ecstatic. But...’
’...his mindset had changed.’
"If you agree, I can give you the opportunity to settle in the Prefecture City."
"The School I belong to is called the Little Five Decline Sword Sect. It possesses a true Secret Martial Dao. Since you’ve already formed the rudiments of Golden Muscle and Jade Veins, I will take you and your little sister to Jiangyin to become disciples under my esteemed master."
"The legacy of a Qi Cultivation Grandmaster. A chance to leap to a higher social class."
"You... should consider this carefully."
"A high-ranking position in the Wind and Cloud Association can’t offer you this."
However, before Ji Xiu could refuse, Lin Ruxue, who had been silent all this time, suddenly spoke.
Her few short sentences...
...left him...
...utterly stunned.
’A School? The Prefecture City?’
He had heard rumors about Jiangyin Prefecture from Lu Hongyu.
Old Huang would also sometimes come back from watching plays and say with a wistful grin that the Hundred Trades and Livelihoods of Jiangyin Prefecture were leagues beyond this poor, remote five-hundred-li stretch of the Mountain Dao.
In Anning County, only those born into somewhat wealthy and famous households had the chance to practice martial arts.
But in Jiangyin Prefecture, no matter which trade you entered—even the so-called five base professions of couriers, boatmen, innkeepers, porters, and brokers—each had its own paths, its own halls, and a complete system for a Martial Artist’s advancement.
An old saying went:
In the five-hundred-li Mountain Dao, you couldn’t produce a single Qi Cultivation Grandmaster in a lifetime.
But in Jiangyin Prefecture—a hydraulic hub for Cangzhou and even the entire Great Xuan, controlling thirteen ferry crossings from north to south—if you couldn’t become a Qi Cultivation Grandmaster, you weren’t even qualified to found your own sect!
The difference was immense.
This alone was enough to show the vast disparity.
Therefore...
Ji Xiu couldn’t help but feel a Heartbeat.