Oh! Time to Show Off Again

"Smack..."

The whip lashed across Jin Cheng's body, ripping straight through his leather armor and leaving a bloody welt on his flesh.

Jin Cheng's face twitched. He simply could not believe it.

Lady MuLan had always loved her soldiers as if they were her own sons, and she had thought highly of him in particular. Yet for the sake of a mere Shen Lang, she had actually whipped him.

In Jin Cheng's eyes, Shen Lang was merely a temporary human signboard brought in as a live-in son-in-law. His status was nowhere near that of a talented young man like Jin Cheng, who had grown up in the Earl's Manor.

MuLan said coldly, "There are two reasons I struck you. First, because you stood by and watched someone die, betraying the principles of our Xuanwu Earl's Manor."

"Second, Shen Lang is my Husband, which makes him your master. Your attitude was not respectful enough!"

"Correct your attitude from now on," MuLan said.

Jin Cheng's face trembled slightly. Lowering his head, he said, "This subordinate understands."

Then MuLan and Shen Lang continued carrying Big Fool on the stretcher into the Earl's Manor's courtyard specifically meant for treating the wounded and ill.

By then, Doctor An of the Earl's Manor had already come out to meet them.

He swiftly examined Big Fool's body and said, "The most serious injuries are broken ribs and internal injuries to the organs. There is internal bleeding in the lungs and stomach, and perhaps a small amount of seepage in the liver as well."

Shen Lang was amazed. Doctor An's medical skill truly was exceptional. He did not have X-Ray Vision, yet relying entirely on experience and external wounds, he could still judge the situation with seventy to eighty percent accuracy.

Shen Lang was highly skilled in medicine and wanted to step forward to treat Big Fool alongside Doctor An.

What worried him most was that Doctor An might fail to determine the bleeding points and bruised areas in Big Fool's internal organs. At such a time, he could step in and point them out precisely.

Doctor An carefully inspected the external injuries, then used a brush to mark Big Fool's body.

"These injuries were caused by a tiger, not a martial arts expert, so the external and internal injuries correspond to each other. That makes the internal bleeding points easy to identify," An Zaishi said. "The first step is to drain the blood, then set the shattered ribs."

Shen Lang noticed that the bleeding points and areas of pooled blood An Zaishi had marked inside Big Fool's body were basically correct as well.

What an expert!

Of course, Shen Lang's medical skill was still superior, especially when it came to difficult and complicated illnesses. Coupled with X-Ray Vision, it would be nearly impossible to find anyone in this world whose medical skills surpassed Shen Lang's.

But when it came to treating Big Fool, Doctor An was immensely professional.

Even given the current conditions, Shen Lang would have found it difficult to do any better than him.

MuLan asked, "Doctor An, can he be cured?"

Doctor An said, "No problem. He can be cured. It will just take some time and require many precious medicinal ingredients. This big fool has an incredibly strong body. Anyone else would have died long ago."

Next, he began treating Big Fool with meticulous care.

Beside him, his assistant fed spoonful after spoonful of fine Ginseng Soup into Big Fool's mouth.

Big Fool's body truly was strong. After a little Ginseng Soup went down, some color returned to his face, and his breathing gradually became stronger.

Doctor An said in surprise, "This fool's body is truly one in a thousand. Rare indeed."

He expertly and precisely drained the pooled blood from Big Fool's body. Big Fool's vital signs grew increasingly stable, and his breathing became steadier and steadier.

"Husband, your elder brother is out of danger now," MuLan said.

Shen Lang said, "He's Big Fool, not my elder brother. Wife, you're so mischievous—are you happy now?"

At that moment, the Earl walked in and said, "Shen Lang, come with me to the study."

Shen Lang looked reluctantly at Big Fool.

MuLan said, "Husband, don't worry. There will be no problem. Father has something important to discuss with you."

Inside the study, the Earl's face was as cold as frost.

"Shen Lang, do you know what you did wrong?"

Shen Lang shook his head. "Father-in-Law, this son-in-law does not know."

The Earl's expression froze, and he could not help but stare blankly.

Normally, whenever he put on a stern face, no one in the entire Earl's Manor even dared breathe too loudly.

The moment he asked, "Do you know what you did wrong?" the other party would surely drop to their knees at once.

Yet Shen Lang had so righteously said that he did not know where he had gone wrong.

The Earl said gravely, "Then I would like to hear it."

Shen Lang said, "Big Fool is my only friend. From childhood until now, he has always protected me. Seeing him severely injured and on the verge of death, how could I stand by and watch? Bringing him into the manor broke the rules, but the manor's doctors are skilled and its medicinal supplies complete. He stood a better chance of recovery after being brought into the Earl's Manor. Of course, I apologize to you for breaking the manor's rules."

"No, you did the right thing in this matter," the Earl said. "But did you commit any other absurd acts today?"

"The matter with Tian Heng and the Black Clothes Gang?" Shen Lang asked.

Father-in-Law, you're impressive. You heard the news so quickly?

"You know about it too?" the Earl said. "Not long after you left the Black Clothes Gang, they came here to file a complaint. They claimed that you used borrowed power to extort one thousand gold coins from Tian Heng, and that you even intended to have his Adopted Son's legs broken. What a display of power! Do you know Tian Shisan is also a Hundred-Household Officer in the City Lord's Manor militia?"

Tian Heng had come to lodge a complaint?

The Earl said, "City Lord Liu Wuyan came personally, asking me to properly restrain you, this lawless man."

Shen Lang was stunned. The City Lord had personally come? How intense had the conflict between the two sides become? Shen Lang said, "Father-in-Law, when the Xu Family drove me from their home, they spent one hundred gold coins to have Tian Heng kill me. To save my own life, I wrote Tian Heng an IOU for one thousand gold coins. If I failed to pay those one thousand gold coins within three days, he would kill my entire family."

The Earl's eyes narrowed. "Continue."

Shen Lang said, "I invented a new formula for Golden Yellow Dye and planned to sell it to Lin Mo of Brocade Pavilion for two thousand gold coins. Just as we were about to close the deal, the Xu Family claimed that I had stolen the dye formula from their family..."

Shen Lang told the Earl the entire course of events exactly as they had happened.

"The Xu Family, Tian Heng, and the Lin Family—these three factions wanted me dead," Shen Lang said. "Tian Heng in particular sent his Adopted Son, Tian Shisan, to seize my entire family in order to force me to hand over the formulas for purple and Rainbow Color materials. Under such circumstances, was I wrong to retaliate against Tian Heng?"

The Earl fell silent for a moment. "You were not wrong."

The Earl said, "Tian Heng sending men to arrest your parents was entirely legal in procedure. Your parents truly did privately reclaim mountain land and failed to pay taxes. The arrest warrant was issued by the City Lord's Manor. There was not a single flaw in it."

Naturally, Shen Lang knew that.

The Earl said, "Shen Lang, I did not particularly like you at first. But since MuLan chose you, you are the son-in-law of my Earl's Manor, which makes you half my son. I will seek justice for the grievances you have suffered. No one can bully my son-in-law and still walk away scot-free."

Shen Lang could not help but tremble at those words.

Once again, he was moved.

"But the Earl's Manor must act according to rules. The New Policy is raging like a prairie fire, and Tian Heng belongs to the City Lord's Manor. As an old-established fief-holding noble, the Monarch most fears that I will interfere in local government affairs," the Earl said. "Countless pairs of eyes are watching us now. Zhang Chong, the Nujiang Prefecture Prefect, and even Governor-General Zhu Rong, who stands high above us, are waiting for us to make a mistake. The moment we reveal a weakness, they will pounce and tear into us."

This was not exaggerated in the slightest. The truth was even more serious than that. It was simply that the Earl was indeed very conservative in how he conducted himself.

"Shen Lang, when I say I will seek justice for you, I will certainly do so," the Earl said. "But we must wait for the right opportunity. We cannot violate any national law or leave anyone any handle to seize. Do you understand?"

"This son-in-law understands," Shen Lang said.

The Earl said, "Do you know who else came to file a complaint today?"

Shen Lang said, "I do not."

The Earl said, "Not only did the City Lord come personally, but Zhang Jin, the commander of Xuanwu City's garrison, came as well. For such a trivial matter, these two great figures of Xuanwu City personally came to my manor to complain. On the surface, they were accusing you. In truth, they were slapping my face."

The struggle in Xuanwu City was even more complicated than Shen Lang had imagined.

The Earl said, "You said in front of everyone at Tian Heng's place that tomorrow, you would make him personally break Tian Shisan's legs. Is that correct?"

"Yes," Shen Lang said.

"You are young and impulsive, so I will not blame you," the Earl said. "But forget about this matter. Do not leave the manor for the next while."

Shen Lang said, "Words once spoken are like water splashed out! If I cannot do it tomorrow and instead cower inside the Earl's Manor, would my dignity not be utterly lost?"

The Earl said, "Which young person has never made wild boasts? Breaking a promise and growing fat on one's words is not shameful! I have promised to seek justice for you, and I will certainly do it. Do you not trust me?"

"I trust you." Shen Lang bowed. "Father-in-Law, I still have to go tomorrow. I must do what I said I would do. I said I would make Tian Heng personally break his Adopted Son's legs, and I will do it. Moreover, this is my own grudge. I can only avenge it myself."

"Nonsense..." The Earl was truly angry.

Shen Lang said earnestly, "Father-in-Law, please trust me. I will definitely accomplish it within the bounds of national law. There will not be the slightest flaw or any handle for others to grasp. If I do not go tomorrow, it will not only be me who loses face, but the entire Earl's Manor."

Then Shen Lang's voice became even more sincere. "Father-in-law, they may bully me, but they cannot slap the Earl's Manor's face or your face. Tomorrow, I will definitely make Tian Heng break Tian Shisan's legs in front of me!"

Hearing this, the Earl felt a warmth rise in his chest.

He felt that though Shen Lang was troublesome, the boy was still quite thoughtful.

However, he remained stern. "No means no. From this moment onward, you are under House Arrest. Stay in the Earl's Manor and do not go anywhere."

Young people did not understand proper conduct. As an elder, he had to teach them well. Shen Lang's parents had entrusted their child to him, and he had the responsibility to manage him properly.

"Jin Zhong, take four men and stand guard outside. The son-in-law is to remain in the study. He is not permitted to go anywhere," the Earl ordered.

How could that work?

Words once spoken were like water splashed out. Shen Lang had said he would make Tian Heng personally break Tian Shisan's legs. If he could not do it, and even hid in the Earl's Manor without going out, would he not be laughed to death and become a turtle shrinking into its shell? Would Tian Heng not become even more smug? But his Father-in-Law was doing this for his own good, and Shen Lang understood that. He absolutely could not fail to appreciate kindness.

Moreover, when dealing with a traditional, stubborn elder like the Earl, he had to coax him with gentle methods. He absolutely could not confront him head-on.

Shen Lang immediately said respectfully, "Yes, Father-in-Law. This son-in-law will certainly obey your words."

"Teachable indeed." The Earl nodded in satisfaction.

Shen Lang said, "Then may I ask, Father-in-Law, when will my House Arrest Order be lifted? When may I come and go freely again?"

The Earl thought for a while. He could not keep Shen Lang confined in the study forever for no reason, could he? That would make him, as an elder, seem unreasonable and overbearing.

Very quickly, the Earl came up with a plan. He pulled a book from the shelf and said, "This is the 'Jin Family Instructions,' passed down by our ancestors. It is the heirloom of our Jin Family. The reason our Jin Family has stood firm for hundreds of years is, to a great extent, because of these family instructions."

"Once you have memorized this thick volume of the 'Jin Family Instructions,' you may regain your freedom. And let me tell you: it took me an entire month to memorize it!"