My Master is a Recommended Man

The living room of the Huang Residence.

It looked considerably more opulent than the living rooms of the Li Residence or the Dan Residence.

The furnishings in the living room appeared to be of extremely fine quality. Some porcelain ornaments bore the red stamp of the imperial kiln, and the calligraphy and paintings on either side were the works of currently famous artists. The landscape painting in the center hall, in particular, was an ink wash masterpiece by the renowned Grand Scholar Ouyang, known throughout the court and the country.

Wei Tu believed that his stance should make Master Huang, a shrewd man, understand that he had no intention of relying on the Huang family's wealth.

"Brother Wei, are you interested in calligraphy and painting?" Master Huang asked with a smile. He knew that some martial artists from humble backgrounds were particularly fond of displaying a refined taste, even if they didn't understand it.

Wei Tu shook his head.

He knew that at this moment, Master Huang likely held a stubborn prejudice against him.

It was like when he was seeking to redeem himself; Madam Li only understood what he meant after he said he was going to take the Martial Arts Examination twice.

And at the time, he had spoken very clearly and logically.

Master Huang's expression darkened slightly, and he put down the teacup in his hand. "Brother Wei, are you perhaps looking to hire a famous master to teach you Martial Arts and Military Strategy, so you can make up for your shortcomings in future examinations..."

Master Huang admired Wei Tu's ability to discern the importance of fame and fortune at a glance. A little wealth was naturally inferior to the honor of a Martial Graduate.

—With the status of a Martial Graduate, one could soar to great heights, and a little wealth would be easily obtained.

However, Wei Tu's greed still made Master Huang feel somewhat uncomfortable. It meant that the Huang family would have to give up more to satisfy him.

Dusk in the western sky.

Outside, a bleak north wind began to blow, making the withered bamboo leaves in the courtyard rustle and creak.

The dim, yellow sunlight shone through the louvered window onto Wei Tu, clearly illuminating the surprise on his face. Even the maidservant standing outside the door could see it.

Wei Tu looked at the portly man sitting in the main seat and said earnestly, "Uncle-in-law, there's no need for you to worry about this matter. Wei Tu has a Master to guide him, so there's no need for the Huang Residence to hire anyone else..."

—He truly couldn't understand why Master Huang had thought of hiring a famous master for him in his previous words.

This was very strange.

"A Master? He's likely not a famous one. Well, it's true that with your martial arts skills, you wouldn't have them without a master's guidance."

Master Huang was not surprised by Wei Tu's reaction. The general consensus among gentry about Wei Tu was that he lacked guidance from a famous master, not that he lacked a master altogether.

The difference between "famous master" and "master" was significant.

Upon hearing this, Wei Tu solemnly stood up and bowed to Master Huang. "Uncle-in-law, my Master is indeed a famous master. I hope Uncle-in-law will speak with caution."

If Master Huang had belittled him, it wouldn't have mattered much. Disagreements between relatives were not uncommon. But Dan Wu Ju was his Master, and insulting him was a very serious matter.

At best, it would lead to animosity.

At worst, it could lead to a fight to the death.

Instantly.

The hall fell silent.

Cui Liu, the maidservant from the second household keeping watch outside the door, immediately became anxious. Wei Tu's words were a direct confrontation with Master Huang.

She knew that it must have taken Second Mistress Wei Hong considerable effort to have Master Huang acknowledge Wei Tu as his nephew.

In terms of status, Wei Tu was in no position to compare with the wealthy Master Huang. Master Huang's willingness to acknowledge Wei Tu as his nephew was an opportunity painstakingly secured by Second Mistress...

But now, Wei Tu's words had undoubtedly ruined all of Second Mistress Wei Hong's efforts, and could even implicate her.

How could she not be worried and anxious?

"I... I was rude," Master Huang said, his eyes narrowing, his expression turning displeasive. However, he maintained his etiquette and did not commit any further rudeness.

He picked up his teacup, took a sip, and then gave a look to the maidservant beside him, signaling her to show Wei Tu out.

However—

Just as the maidservant was about to speak, using Master Huang's poor health as an excuse to send Wei Tu away, Wei Tu spoke again.

"Uncle-in-law, my Master is Dan Wu Ju from Sanyuan Township. Master Dan should be a famous master..."

Wei Tu said slowly.

In the hall, the maidservant, who was about to speak, immediately stopped. She stood respectfully to the side, lowering her head.

The identity of a Martial Graduate.

It was naturally unremarkable in the eyes of officials, as there were too many statuses higher than that of a Martial Graduate.

But Master Huang was not an official; he was merely an ordinary merchant. Although his wealth was considerable in the county town, he was not yet a magnate who could associate with officials.

Furthermore, unlike civil graduates who had to wait for appointments from the Ministry of Personnel to become officials, a Martial Graduate could be directly appointed as a military official and serve in local government.

Master Huang would still have to be polite to a civil graduate, let alone a Martial Graduate.

"So... Brother Wei's master is Dan Wu Ju. It seems... Uncle-in-law guessed wrong and almost did harm by trying to help..." Master Huang's expression changed again, and he forced a smile onto his face.

He raised his teacup again, took a sip of the Cloud Mist tea, which cost three taels of silver per liang, to moisten his throat and conceal his embarrassment and trembling fear.

A disciple of a Martial Graduate was not particularly impressive, unless they were the direct son of a Martial Graduate and inherited their wealth and prestige.

But... a disciple of a Martial Graduate who could lift a "five-hundred-jin" stone lock was different.

That's a potential Martial Arts Master!

A Martial Arts Master under thirty, even younger!

Since ancient times.

The common folk do not fight against officials.

Master Huang knew the consequences of offending a future local military official. Even if that official's jurisdiction didn't directly cover him, officials protected each other, and their authority could be "borrowed."

At that point, even if Wei Tu couldn't destroy the Huang family, he could easily cripple them and severely damage their vitality.

As for whether Wei Tu's apprenticeship to Master Dan was genuine...

Master Huang didn't believe Wei Tu would lie or joke about such a matter.

Besides.

If that weren't the case.

Wei Tu wouldn't have so easily refused his offer to hire famous teachers for him just now.

"Uncle-in-law is too kind," Wei Tu said, reseating himself and taking a sip of the cloud-mist tea.

After arriving in the county town, his composure when facing the Li and Huang families stemmed not only from his confidence in his own martial strength but also from his confidence in his background.

This background was sufficient for him to converse as an equal with the head of the Li Residence, Master Huang, and others.

"Brother Wei, do you have confidence in achieving official success by participating in the Martial Arts Examination this year?" Master Huang asked with a smile, his expression returning to calm.

"It's hard to say..."

"With a top score in the county examination, even if my performance in the later stages isn't as good, I can still be recommended for the Prefectural Examination..."

"However, the competition in the Prefectural Examination is fierce, and I can't confidently say I'll be able to obtain the status of a student from it."

Wei Tu shook his head and said.

As he spoke, he also paid attention to his word choice, changing his self-reference from "Wei Mou" to "nephew" to show intimacy.

In the hall.

The two chatted happily.

Not long after.

Wei Hong led a half-grown boy in a green robe quickly into the room and came to Wei Tu's side. She instructed the boy, "Yuanshan, quickly greet your cousin..."

Half an hour earlier, she had heard from the maidservant Cui Liu about Wei Tu's apprenticeship to Master Dan. Without a moment's delay, she had hurried to the back chambers, woken up Huang Yuanshan from his sleep, and had him pay his respects to her nephew, who had a promising future.

"Cousin."

Huang Yuanshan called out, a hint of reluctance on his face.

"You child," Wei Hong pinched Huang Yuanshan's ear, annoyed by his lack of ambition.

"Second Aunt, Yuanshan is still young and doesn't understand," Wei Tu smiled.

It was then that he noticed Wei Hong had changed her makeup, looking somewhat different from when he had seen her at the City God Temple earlier.

Wei Tu didn't know that this was the "Golden Swallow Rouge" makeup Wei Hong had deliberately put on to curry favor with him. He simply assumed it was the elaborate etiquette of prominent families, requiring a fresh makeup for meetings.

He glanced at it and then looked away.

Thanks for the 100 Qidian coins from hu飞 and the 100 Qidian coins from 力量.

Please don't hoard the books. The competition on Qidian is too fierce right now. If the read-through rate is low, some recommendations won't be available.

Also, recommending a book: Title:

I Established the Underworld in a World of Gods and Ghosts

Synopsis:

In this world, there are demons, ghosts, immortals, and Asuras, but no order.

In this chaotic world, humans are like ants, and lives are like grass!

Just a few days after transmigrating, Chen Qingyun faced a life-or-death crisis and nearly died at the hands of a fierce ghost.

Fortunately, he brought the Underworld with him and could transform into an Underworld Emissary to capture lost souls and evil spirits.

He could also absorb the Power of Incense and Faith to establish the Underworld in this foreign land and gain supreme authority!

From then on, a new order began to emerge.

Many years later, the Underworld was complete.

With a stroke of the Book of Life and Death, all beings – humans, demons, ghosts, and gods – entered the Underworld!

"All living beings, who is not under my control? If I decree they die at the third watch, they will not live to see the dawn."

Chen Qingyun, who had become the Great Emperor of the Underworld, looked down upon the Three Realms and said.