A New Look

Revenge against the Xu family and making money were important, but first he had to go home. His father was gravely injured, his brother's leg broken—he had to return immediately to treat them.

His family hadn't seen him in three months. He could only imagine how worried and heartsick they must be.

"Young Master Shen, let's go," said the thirteenth and fourteenth adopted sons under Tian Heng's command. "Or do you need us to carry you back?"

These two would keep a constant eye on Young Master Shen, giving him no chance to escape.

Young Master Shen stretched his whole body, then continued walking toward home.

The Yue Kingdom lay to the southeast of Great Yan. This was hilly terrain—the mountains weren't tall, but there were very many of them.

In such complex terrain, the roads were surprisingly well-built. Even the paths between villages were about four meters wide and fairly level, allowing three horses to pass side by side. This was far superior to ancient China in every way.

After dawn, Young Master Shen saw many farmers out working. Their clothing resembled that of ancient China, but their physiques seemed slightly better—taller and more robust.

Moreover, along the way, almost every village had a sturdy stone fortress, with militia patrolling on top, swords at their waists, and a few even carrying bows on their backs. This was very surprising. In most dynasties of ancient China, bows and swords were prohibited items. Yet here they appeared openly in villages. The martial spirit of this world far surpassed that of ancient China.

He walked until noon the next day before finally reaching Maple Leaf Village, where his home was.

The entire village lay in a valley, with about six hundred people. It also had a stone fortress and over twenty militiamen. Most of the villagers lived clustered together—hundreds of houses crammed on both sides of the river. Only Young Master Shen's home stood apart, isolated on the mountainside.

That was because Young Master Shen's family were outsiders, having moved here from elsewhere only a dozen years ago.

Such villages were very conservative and exclusionary. On top of that, Young Master Shen's parents never interacted with the villagers, so they had never managed to fit in.

Climbing halfway up the mountain, Young Master Shen looked at the mud house before him. This was his home.

It was terribly dilapidated—even more so than in his memory from three months ago.

The yard, which his father had once kept so neat, was now overgrown with weeds. The mud walls had developed several holes from wind and rain. The roof had no tiles at all, only thatch.

Such poverty was shocking. It couldn't even keep out the wind and rain.

Before he even reached the door, Young Master Shen heard his mother's sobbing, his father's violent coughing, and his younger brother's cries of pain.

"Go to the Xu family right away, bring Da Lang home... bring Da Lang home..." his father said hoarsely, coughing between words. The injury had festered and damaged his lungs. His breathing sounded very labored—there must be severe inflammation, even a hematoma in the lungs.

"Father, I'll go bring big brother home tomorrow," his brother said.

His mother wept. "Old man, you keep coughing up blood and can't even get out of bed. Er Lang has a broken leg—how can he go? Tomorrow I'll go to the Xu family myself. If they won't release Da Lang, I'll smash my head against their gate and die."

"My Da Lang, so honest, so kind—in a den of wolves and tigers like the Xu family, he must be bullied beyond belief. My son..." his mother said between sobs. "I don't even know if he gets enough to eat or wears enough to keep warm."

"My son has never suffered hardship, never left our side. Who knows how much he's suffering now."

Hearing his mother cry, his brother couldn't bear it. "Mother, I'll make myself a pair of crutches right now. Tomorrow I'll go to the Xu family and bring big brother home. Even if I have to risk my life."

Listening to these words, Young Master Shen's whole body burned, and his heart ached with bitterness.

He rushed straight through the door, knelt before his father and mother, and said in a trembling voice, "Father, Mother, your son is unfilial. I've come home."

His parents and brother were stunned at first, then burst into overwhelming joy.

His mother immediately rushed over and hugged Young Master Shen tightly, crying loudly, "Da Lang, it's really my Da Lang! You're back! I thought I'd never see you again. Am I dreaming?"

His father was so excited he tried to struggle out of bed, which set off another violent fit of coughing, blood-flecked foam appearing at the corners of his mouth.

His brother sat up abruptly, then let out a cry of pain.

Young Master Shen said, "It's me. I'm back."

His mother said, "My son, it's good that you're back. We're never leaving again. The Xu family is vicious. You won't go back, will you?"

Young Master Shen nodded firmly. "Yes, son will never go to the Xu family again."

"Good, good. That's right, that's right." His mother joyfully wiped away her tears.

His father also said happily, "My son has finally learned to be sensible."

These parents doted on Young Master Shen far too much. Just saying he wouldn't go to the Xu family was already considered sensible.

Young Master Shen quickly went to help his father sit up, focusing his mental energy into his eyes to examine his father's injuries.

Sure enough, internal injuries. His lungs and stomach were damaged, especially the lungs—there was a large amount of pooled blood. His ribs also had cracks, but after three months of healing, the broken ribs had mended—though very unevenly, with many bone spurs.

It was clear how viciously the Xu family's servants had struck three months ago. His father's internal injuries were so severe. If his younger brother hadn't borrowed five gold coins to hire a doctor, Young Master Shen would never have seen his father again.

Five gold coins for medical treatment—that was an astronomical sum for an ordinary farming family. But even so, his father's internal injuries hadn't fully healed. Without proper treatment, his father's life was still in danger.

In an instant, Young Master Shen formulated a treatment plan: make a tiny incision in his father's lungs to drain the hematoma, then use herbal medicine to reduce inflammation and restorative herbs to rebuild his strength. In a few months, he would recover.

"Father, your son has been unfilial. I will never let you and mother worry again." As he spoke, Young Master Shen placed his palm on his father's forehead.

He had a fever—inflammation was present. It had to be treated immediately, or his life would be in danger within days.

His father's eyes were fixed on Young Master Shen's face. He held back his coughing with great effort, his gaze filled with boundless affection.

"Da Lang, you've become sharper."

A father who loved his son as much as his own life was indeed keen—he noticed the change in Young Master Shen right away.

Both parents doted on Young Master Shen, but they also knew their son well. He was... a person of low intelligence. Though they were unwilling to admit it, deep down they knew their beloved eldest son was a useless waste. His eyes had been vacant, his expression dull.

They never expected that this time, when he came back, he had become sharp.

That was enough. His father was overjoyed. Even if he was still a waste, at least he no longer looked dull. Maybe he could even find a wife—even a widow would be fine.

Their mother stepped forward, cupped Young Master Shen's face, and studied him for a long moment before exclaiming joyfully, "Yes, yes! Our Da Lang has sharpened up—these eyes are so likable, so full of spirit. Heaven be praised, heaven be praised."

Young Master Shen had been wondering how to explain his change, but there was no need. His parents loved him so deeply, and were overjoyed to see him sharper, that they didn't ask for any explanation at all.

"Brother, did the Xu family kick you out?" his younger brother asked.

Young Master Shen nodded.

"Good riddance, good riddance!" his mother said. "I couldn't bear to have my son stay in a house full of such heartless people. We may be poor, but your father, your brother, and I will work hard to support you. We won't let our Da Lang suffer."

Her favoritism knew no bounds. From the way she spoke, Young Master Shen would still do no work at home, just eat for free every day.

"Before, you married into the Xu family because you wanted a wife. Once your father and brother recover, they'll earn money and find you a bride," his mother continued. "What about Widow Liu in the village? She's three years older than you, but she's pretty and knows how to take care of a man."

It wasn't that his parents thought little of him—given their family's circumstances, Young Master Shen's poor reputation, his low intelligence, and his lack of any survival skills beyond a handsome face, marrying a widow was already a good catch.

Young Master Shen smiled, then walked to his brother's bedside and lifted his pant leg. The calf was swollen purple and black, with a large bruise, and the right shinbone was broken.

"Brother, I'm fine. I'll just lie in bed for ten days or half a month. At worst, I'll end up lame. The family still has you to carry on the line," his younger brother Shen Jian said. "Besides, being lame might work out. I'll go to Xuanwu City every day and fake getting hit by carriages to extort money. I'll throw myself under the wheels and demand compensation."

That was his brother—good to Young Master Shen, but absolutely unreliable.

With a broken leg like that, if left untreated, he'd die even faster.

"When did this happen?" Young Master Shen asked.

"The day before yesterday," his brother replied. "I hadn't heard from you in almost a month, so I went to the Xu residence to ask around. I didn't even get past the gate. On my way home, I was ambushed and my right leg was broken."

The Xu family had kept Young Master Shen's illness a secret, so his family had no idea. But a mother's heart knows her child; his parents grew worried after not hearing from him for so long and sent their younger son to find out what was happening.

The leg was broken right after he left the Xu residence—there was no way the Xu family wasn't involved.

What a vicious household. Young Master Shen's handsome face turned cold as frost, and the corner of his eye twitched.

"I'll treat your broken leg in a bit," Young Master Shen said. "It'll hurt a lot. You'll have to bear it."

"Brother, since when do you know how to treat injuries?" his brother asked.

Before, Young Master Shen couldn't even dress himself without his mother's help—how could he possibly set a broken leg?

Back on modern Earth, Young Master Shen had spent every day treating patients. He wasn't a top-tier doctor, but his clinical experience was vast.

His father's and brother's ailments were nothing in his eyes. And with his X-ray vision, even in this underdeveloped otherworld, healing them was a trivial matter.

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