Unfamiliar with Worldly Affairs

The next morning, Yan Nu went to eat breakfast.

He had been busy all night, refining a full eighty jin!

After all, practice makes perfect. Moreover, he discovered that every time he exhausted his True Qi and then replenished it with grass, it would grow stronger than before.

True Qi would wax and wane. By this morning, with just one more jin of steamed buns, it had increased by another ten percent.

However, strangely, he found that the growth of True Qi wasn't from eating until full, but rather from eating grass or steamed buns. The shack also served rice porridge, but after drinking two bowls, he found it had no effect.

"What a glutton! Eating so much... Get to the forging! If you don't forge three hundred and fifty jin tonight, you're not eating," Steward Liao shouted coldly from in front of the food shack.

Yan Nu let out a satisfied burp and said cheerfully, "Just you wait! I'll definitely forge it for you!"

Afterward, he took two lashes and ran back to work.

Uncle Hong felt heartbroken. "Silly boy, what's wrong with just admitting defeat?"

Yan Nu chuckled. "I'll definitely meet the quota today!"

Uncle Hong could only shake his head and immediately put in twelve points of effort, forging desperately.

The sounds of clanging and banging from the forging grounds were ceaseless, everyone buried in their work.

By noon, everyone was already hungry. They could rest and drink water, but there was no food.

When evening finally arrived, the crowd was exhausted and had no energy left. Only then did Steward Liao arrive, fashionably late.

He led his men, inspecting each forge one by one. When he reached Uncle Hong and Yan Nu's station, there was a hundred jin, which startled him.

"Heh heh." Yan Nu, covered in sweat and looking weary, still managed a proud smile.

Steward Liao frowned, glancing at Uncle Hong, who was equally exhausted. He thought to himself, Is this Hong fellow on steroids? Can he alone, with an apprentice, forge a hundred jin?

He was surprised, but Uncle Hong was indeed one of the top veteran craftsmen in the fort. His True Qi, cultivated over ten years of blacksmithing, was considered low-grade, but he was still half a Martial Artist.

Perhaps he hadn't forged much before because he was hiding his strength. Had he finally shown his true abilities today? It seemed these lowborn commoners needed a push. As soon as they were told they needed three hundred and fifty jin, their output immediately increased.

"Hmph! So you've been holding out on me, haven't you? You weren't putting in your full effort before, were you? Tea Mountain Fort took you in, and this is how you repay the Fort Master? Where else outside can you find a place that feeds you?" Steward Liao berated Uncle Hong angrily.

Uncle Hong had worked himself to death today, but he didn't dare retort. He just lowered his head and listened meekly.

Steward Liao said no more. After inspecting everything, he stated indifferently, "Three hundred and forty jin. In the past, this would have been enough, but I said today it must be three hundred and fifty jin! You're still short... No one eats!"

"Don't do this, Steward..." everyone cried out with empty stomachs.

Steward Liao said coldly, "You can't rely on me every time! Go hungry. If you want to blame anyone, blame Yan Nu'er!"

With that, he turned to leave.

The craftsmen panicked. He was serious this time; the Steward had decided to starve them tonight!

They would have to endure the night and only eat again tomorrow morning.

Even though it was just one night, for these workers who did heavy manual labor, those with weaker constitutions might faint from hunger, or even fall ill!

The Steward wouldn't care, would he? Why would he care if they got sick?

For a moment, the place was filled with wails and pleas!

"It's enough! It's enough! You can't starve everyone!" Yan Nu'er's voice rang out again.

Steward Liao snorted coldly. Here he comes again. Yesterday, I let my guard down and Yan Nu'er secretly went to re-weigh. Today, to prevent this, I specifically had the steel loaded and guarded by over a dozen strong men.

Indeed, it was enough. But what if he understated the amount? It didn't matter as long as the ledger was correct. These lowborn commoners couldn't read anyway.

However, when he turned around, he saw Yan Nu'er carrying several steel ingots.

"Here! There's another ten jin!"

Looking at the steel ingots being handed over, Steward Liao was astonished. "Where did this come from!"

"I refined it! You weighed it wrong!" Yan Nu grinned.

"You..." Steward Liao looked at the several large baskets nearby, guarded by over a dozen people. He knew Yan Nu couldn't have stolen them. This was indeed steel that hadn't been inspected yet.

The craftsmen immediately stopped crying and broke into smiles, clapping their hands. "Three hundred and forty jin, plus ten more jin, we've met the quota!"

"Met the quota, my foot! You all misheard. We only counted three hundred and twenty jin before, not three hundred and forty!" Steward Liao changed his tune on the spot.

Everyone's spirits deflated instantly, leaving them stunned like wooden statues.

"Was it really three hundred and twenty jin?" Yan Nu stared at him, demanding an answer.

Steward Liao held up the ledger. "It was three hundred and two! Even with yours, we're still twenty jin short!"

Uncle Hong quickly pulled Yan Nu aside, whispering, "Don't argue. If he shorted us, he shorted us."

Unexpectedly, Yan Nu burst into laughter. "It's fine, it's fine! Only twenty jin short. I didn't sleep last night and worked overtime. It's definitely enough!"

"What!"

At that moment, all the craftsmen were stunned. Even the militiamen standing guard, armed with armor and weapons, looked at Yan Nu in astonishment.

Even Shen Leling, who was secretly observing Yan Nu with her Spiritual Sense, was a bit bewildered.

Shen Leling understood Steward Liao's actions perfectly. He was deliberately making things difficult and controlling these craftsmen.

No matter how much they produced, he would just say it wasn't enough!

Everyone else probably understood that in this situation, you could either resist bravely, which was no different from seeking death.

Or you could just bow your head, try to please the steward, and satisfy their demands. That's what any normal person would do.

But this young man had a surprisingly clear mind! He worked overtime last night, processing and refining the steel all night, planning to use it to negotiate a better price during inspection.

Ridiculous! Stubborn!

Everyone watched as Yan Nu ran back to the furnace and pulled out piece after piece of refined steel. Soon, a large basket was filled and moved in front of the steward.

The entire area erupted in murmurs. Uncle Hong stared at Yan Nu in astonishment, never expecting that he had actually worked overtime all night and produced so much steel by himself!

The steward was even more dumbfounded. Having been in charge of inspections for years, he could tell at a glance that this basket contained about seventy catties!

Not only was it enough, it far exceeded the quota. There was no way he could suddenly change his tune and deduct seventy catties, right?

The steward never imagined anyone would willingly work overtime. The fort's property belonged to the Zhang family, and no matter how much the artisans produced, it wasn't theirs; they just needed to earn a living.

Yet, Yan Nu, this fool, worked so hard without sleep, desperately toiling for the Zhang family. They couldn't possibly say he was wrong to work overtime.

The steward's expression shifted, and he finally roared, "You... you dare to hoard it!"

Yan Nu calmly replied, "I didn't hoard anything. Didn't I bring it out now?"

"Why didn't you bring it out during my inspection! You were clearly trying to hoard it!" the steward could only say, unwilling to be outsmarted by Yan Nu'er.

However, Yan Nu retorted righteously, "Because you definitely would have shortchanged me. I had to wait until you finished weighing and confirmed the amount before bringing it out!"

"You... you!"

Yan Nu's words made the steward's face turn green and then white! In his eyes, wasn't this accusing him of acting unscrupulously right to his face?

Crack! Crack! Crack!

The steward's whip landed heavily.

Blood welts appeared on Yan Nu's body, yet he still shouted, "Is that enough?"

Crack! Crack! Crack!

"Is it enough now?"

He endured the blows, even though he could barely stand and the pain was unbearable, still asking with anticipation.

The steward had no choice. With this addition, the total amount exceeded four hundred catties. Furthermore, Yan Nu had exposed his intentions, and repeatedly changing his demands would only make him lose face. He could only announce that the artisans had completed their quota for the day.

"Good, good, good! It's enough, you've more than made up for it!" the steward sneered repeatedly.

"See! I said it would be enough today!" Yan Nu was overjoyed to finally meet the quota.

Seeing his joyful and righteous expression, Shen Leling, who was watching from the shadows, found it both amusing and exasperating.

Good, very spirited. But is that the point? What's the use of just being in the right?

He only considered what Steward Liao would do, not what he was thinking! The steward is a real person, and a petty one at that!

Yes, he successfully forced the steward to admit the quota was met, but what about himself? Did he consider the consequences?

"Heh heh heh... Interesting. You think everyone else is as stubborn as you are... what a simpleton."

Shen Leling thought about it and could only describe him as a simpleton. After all, calling him stupid wouldn't be accurate; he was quite resourceful! He had indeed solved the problem of 'the steward preventing them from meeting the quota.'

It was like solving a math problem to get the desired result, yet he seemed oblivious to the other person's malice.

"Your thoughts are naive, but... that's fine! From now on, you belong to me."

Shen Leling liked him very much. She had already taken notice of Yan Nu for his lack of worldly desires, and since his intentions were straightforward, he would be useful to her.

Meanwhile, Yan Nu was also very happy. Although he had been beaten, the quota was met!

"Steward, Steward, we've exceeded today's quota, tell Grandpa... sob sob sob..."

Uncle Hong quickly covered his mouth, his heart filled with anxiety. Why was he asking about news now when the steward was clearly furious?

"Don't say anything more. Wait for Uncle to ask for you."

Uncle Hong quietly advised him, and Yan Nu finally calmed down. Uncle Hong then forced a smile and said, "Steward, this silly boy doesn't know any better. Please don't hold it against him..."

Steward Liao's face turned red with suppressed rage, and he laughed angrily, "Yes, yes, yes. You all did a beautiful job today. Go eat!"

"You can all go, but he stays with me!"

"Guards, take Yan Nu'er to the execution ground! Give him a hundred lashes first!"

Several militia members swarmed forward, grabbed Yan Nu, and dragged him away.

"Why!" Yan Nu asked.

"I have my reasons!" Steward Liao couldn't even be bothered to find an excuse, lest Yan Nu find another loophole and corner him again.

Uncle Hong was startled and immediately knelt on the ground, begging, "Steward, please spare him, I beg you."

He now deeply regretted his few words yesterday.

"Scram!" Steward Liao kicked Uncle Hong away and left angrily.

Yan Nu caught a glimpse of this, his fists clenched slightly, but he felt he couldn't win and it would only bring more trouble to Uncle Hong, so he let himself be dragged away.

Uncle Hong hurriedly got up and chased after the steward, his heart burning with anxiety. He blurted out that Yan Nu possessed True Qi.

Steward Liao paused slightly, turning back with a dismissive sneer. "He's learned martial arts too?"

"I've taught him a little..." Uncle Hong lied. "This child learned some basic energy cultivation from me since he was young. He has good aptitude. After a few years of practice, he's only fifteen now, and his cultivation far surpasses mine!"

Steward Liao knew Uncle Hong's skills were utterly low-grade, only useful for swinging a hammer.

"Tch, so what!" he said contemptuously. There were easily eight hundred or a thousand martial artists affiliated with the Zhang Family! Just within Tea Mountain Fort, there were over three hundred skilled fighters.

As for people like Uncle Hong, with some crude cultivation, weren't they still doing manual labor just to make a living?

Uncle Hong chuckled obsequiously. "I just wanted to say that Yan Nu has decent aptitude. If you spare his life and recommend him to a few instructors, he could serve the Fort Master..."

"If Yan Nu trains well in the future, it will be your credit too! He'll definitely be grateful to you!"

"Is that so..." Steward Liao narrowed his eyes and said indifferently, "I understand."

Uncle Hong looked up, watching Steward Liao's departing back, his expression lost.

What did 'I understand' mean? Was it a yes or a no? Was he going to be let go or not?

Uncle Hong slumped down, miserable. Being brushed off like that left him completely clueless.

"He's just desperate and grasping at straws!" Shen Leling, hidden in the shadows, mocked faintly. "Originally, Yan Nu might have had a chance to live. The steward was just venting; whether he lives or dies was still up in the air! Now... he's certainly going to die."