Fitness Exercise, Husband-Murder Case

Sun Shaozong was still at a loss for words when he saw Baoyu stumbling out of the courtyard ahead, charging forward with tears and snot streaming down his face, all streaked with traces of red!

Sun Shaozong jumped in fright, thinking the boy had wept tears of blood. Looking closer, however, he realized it was merely the rouge from his cheeks mixed in.

When Baoyu saw Sun Shaozong, he ignored him completely and ran wildly along the base of the wall as though mourning a death. Behind him came a string of more than ten maids, old women, Servant Boys, and sturdy servants, trailing after him like a human dragon.

Well then~

They had not even officially begun training, and the main character had already run off!

Sun Shaozong was speechless once more. Fortunately, he had never taken this post as Horsemanship and Archery Instructor too seriously, or he would have been fit to burst with anger.

"Second Brother, I truly apologize."

Jia Lian emerged from that courtyard as well, shaking his head with a bitter smile. "Brother Bao's closest companion, Qin Zhong, has unfortunately passed away. Grief has left him somewhat deranged. I hope Second Brother will not take offense."

As he spoke, he clasped his hands and bowed again and again.

Sun Shaozong could hardly hold it against him. With a breezy smile, he said, "Since a close friend has suddenly died, it is only proper for him to go pay his respects. Come, let us see whether any of your young masters still wish to take their leave."

Those last words inevitably carried a trace of displeasure.

Jia Lian entered the courtyard beside him. Just as he was about to thump his chest and promise that there would be no second Baoyu, a child's voice in the center of the yard began clamoring, "Why does he get to leave whenever he wants, while we gentlemen have to freeze here? In my opinion, we ought to disband right now! When Father holds someone accountable, he'll be the first to take the thunderbolt anyway!"

The moment Jia Lian heard this, anger surged into his head. He strode forward two steps and pointed at the half-grown boy as he shouted, "Jia Huan, you little bastard, what nonsense are you spouting?! Your elder brother went to all the trouble of inviting a famous teacher for you, and you say you will not learn just because you do not feel like it?! Baoyu left because his good friend died. Did one of your sweethearts die too, that you are in such a hurry to go mourn her?!"

Jia Huan shrank his neck like an ostrich under the scolding, yet whenever his slanted eyes furtively glanced upward, they remained filled with resentment and defiance.

It was not only him. Jia Cong and Jia Lan, standing nearby, also wore deeply dissatisfied expressions. Clearly, they too took Baoyu's "desertion at the critical moment" very much to heart.

Tsk~

Seeing these sulky little brats, with the eldest, Jia Huan, barely over ten and the youngest, Jia Lan, only seven or eight, Sun Shaozong felt an added measure of regret. Teaching these pampered little brats was bound to bring no end of trouble in the future.

But since he was here, he might as well settle in. He was already present—he could not simply stand around staring, could he?

So he quietly walked to the weapon rack on the left. With a hook and flick of his toe, he scooped up a stone lock weighing over two hundred jin, then spun it through several flashy flourishes like a butterfly darting among flowers. At once, he drew the attention of the three little brats.

He deliberately showed off a few more moves. Then, without warning, he suddenly hurled the stone lock high into the air toward the three boys!

"Ah!"

"Quick... quick..."

Jia Cong screamed and turned to run. Jia Huan staggered backward while crying out in panic. The calmest was Jia Huan; other than going pale, he remained utterly motionless where he stood.

Boom!

The stone lock crashed to the ground, but it landed more than a zhang away from where the three little brats stood.

Sun Shaozong stepped forward and planted one foot atop the stone lock. Leaning forward slightly, he looked down at the three children and sneered, "With courage like that, you dare call yourselves gentlemen? Stand properly, all of you!"

After that fright, Jia Cong and Jia Lan had long since shed their spoiled, delicate airs. At Sun Shaozong's bark, they hurriedly stood beside Jia Huan.

Jia Cong ordinarily held Third Master Huan in little regard, but seeing today how he remained unflustered even with "Mount Tai collapsing before him," Jia Cong could not help looking at him in a new light.

Yet after admiringly sizing Jia Huan up and down a few times, he suddenly seemed to discover a new continent. Pointing between Jia Huan's legs, he shouted, "Third Brother Huan wet his pants! Third Brother Huan wet his pants!"

Jia Huan was desperately squeezing his legs together, but he still could not conceal the spreading, hot, stinking wet patch.

After being delayed for most of the day amid the Bustling Crowd of Rongguo Mansion, Sun Shaozong did not set out for home with Ruan Rong until evening.

Though he had spent the entire day teaching only a set of Fitness Exercise, it had truly drained both his mind and energy, leaving him more exhausted than a full day's work at Shuntian Prefecture.

Thus, Sun Shaozong could not even be bothered to ride a horse. Once they exited the side gate of Rongguo Mansion, he plunged straight into the carriage and rested his head on Ruan Rong's lap.

Ruan Rong thoughtfully massaged his temples, but teased him, "A hundred or so salt smugglers were no match for you, so how did a few half-grown children wear you down like this?"

Sun Shaozong gave a bitter smile. "You do not understand. Those little brats ordinarily wish they could have someone carry and support them even when walking. Their bodies are so weak it is ridiculous. They start panting after only a few simple movements, and after five minutes of practice... cough, cough, after less than a quarter of an hour, they are itching to rest for a whole shichen!"

Then he added with immense relief, "Luckily, I do not have to watch over them every day. I have already assigned them a month's worth of progress. I will come back on the fifteenth next month, take a look, and go through the motions."

Ruan Rong's hands paused. Somewhat worried, she asked, "If you muddle through things like this, will Second Master become dissatisfied?"

"Do not worry. What I taught them, if practiced for half a shichen every day, will be enough to loosen their sinews, promote circulation, and strengthen their bodies. Once they have built up a foundation, it will not be too late to teach them something else."

When Sun Shaozong finished, he saw that Ruan Rong wore a thoughtful expression. He reached out and flicked the tip of her breast, pretending to scold, "When Husband is speaking, how dare you not listen with ears washed clean?"

"What are you doing? Be careful someone sees!"

Ruan Rong hastily slapped away his mischievous hand, then shot him an embarrassed, irritated glare before saying, "If it truly works, teach me that Fitness Exercise when we get home. Then I can have Daiyu practice it too—her constitution is probably even weaker than the young masters of Jia Manor."

Sun Shaozong put on a stern face and said solemnly, "My Fitness Exercise has always been passed to men, not women. It is not impossible for you to learn it, but first you must master that upended-candle move, and then I—"

Before he could finish, Ruan Rong angrily punched him.

"Ah!"

Sun Shaozong let out an exaggerated cry. "What a vicious woman, plotting to murder her own Husband..."

"What a vicious woman! In broad daylight, beneath the bright heavens, you actually dare murder your own Husband?!"

Before he could finish, however, someone outside the carriage window began cursing indignantly.

That voice did not sound like a joke. Both Sun Shaozong and Ruan Rong froze, then hurriedly lifted the curtain and looked toward the sound. They saw a group of people shoving along a woman bound hand and foot, crying and shouting at the street corner:

"My poor brother! You worked yourself to the bone supporting the family—who would have thought you would end up with such a cursed woman? Not only did she put a green hat on you, she even cruelly took your life!"

"Drown her in a pig cage! We have to seize that wicked woman and drown her in a pig cage, so Brother Zhang's spirit in heaven may rest in peace!"

"Yes! Drown her in a pig cage!"

"Drown her in a pig cage!"

As they spoke, no one knew where they had found an enormous bamboo cage. They forcibly stuffed the woman inside, hoisted it up, and headed straight for the nearest pond.

The woman had been trussed up tight and gagged with a towel. All she could do was roll and struggle desperately inside the bamboo cage. The crudely woven bamboo strips gouged her until she was covered in wounds, blood pouring from her, yet she still refused to stop. Instead, she glared with eyes wide and round, as though fire might burst from them!

The moment Sun Shaozong saw this, he flung open the carriage curtain without a second thought and roared, "All of you, stop right there! Put that woman down!"