After leaving Duke Lu's Courtyard, Lin Yan went straight to Second Brother's home.
But coming toward him was a burly young man.
He was Second Sister-in-Law's elder brother, He Zhi, now the District Chief of Sixth Street in Lin Jiang Ward. He had made quite a name for himself in this area.
Lin Yan had also gotten his job at the slaughterhouse through He Zhi's connections.
"A'Yan! You brat, why haven't I seen you these past two days?"
"Evil spirits have been causing trouble in the city these past two days, so I haven't dared go out."
"You're not exactly frail, and you've slaughtered plenty of pigs, yet you're still such a coward. You need to toughen up. One of these days, I'll take you to move some corpses around."
He Zhi threw his head back and laughed. "The older generation says butchers all carry killing intent. If evil spirits see you, they're probably the ones who'll be afraid! They say evil spirits fear wicked men, so what are you afraid of?"
"The city was plagued by evil spirits these past two days, and the slaughterhouse was requisitioned by the Outer City government office. You'll be resting for two or three days. I was thinking that since you haven't had any work lately, I'd have you do some odd jobs. At least you could earn a few dozen copper coins."
He came closer, preparing to chat with Lin Yan for a while.
But just then, a young man came running over in a hurry.
"Big Brother, a nobleman from the Inner City wants to leave the city to hunt. The District Chief has specifically ordered you to receive him."
"How long has it been since the evil spirits attacked the city? Why does he already want to go hunting outside?" He Zhi immediately felt a headache coming on.
At the boundaries between the various wards of Gao Liu City's Outer City, forests and streams had already been set apart.
For instance, Qing Shan Ward and Lin Jiang Ward had Ox Horn Mountain between them.
"Inside the city, the most they can do is enjoy the spring scenery or stroll through the mountains and admire the water. They've found that boring long ago."
The young man chuckled and said, "Those nobles from the Inner City don't have to work to eat their fill, so of course they have to find something thrilling to do! Fortunately, they pay quite generously..."
"All right, then go make the preparations first."
Having said that, He Zhi turned to Lin Yan. "I have something to deal with, so I'll get going. We'll have a meal together when I get the chance."
"Okay."
Lin Yan nodded and waved.
The evil spirits had attacked the city the night before last, leaving many dead and wounded. Quite a few houses in the wards had also collapsed.
Lin Jiang Ward was currently short-handed and had been ordered to clean up the aftermath. Even now, they had not finished clearing everything away.
Yet today, they still had to dispatch a group of people to serve the nobles who had come from the Inner City for entertainment.
Lin Yan turned his head and glanced at the nearby Zhou residence, where white mourning banners had already been hung. His expression grew somewhat grave.
When he entered Second Brother's house, he immediately heard Second Sister-in-Law's voice from inside.
"You went to that girl's house a few days ago to discuss A'Yan's marriage. Why has there been no word since?"
"Our family is a little short on money, but if I asked my elder brother, he'd be willing to lend us the money for A'Yan's wedding."
"I wanted to ask you before, but you changed the subject. What did you mean by that?"
"Could something have happened to A'Yan's marriage?"
"Could that girl have decided our family is too poor?"
Second Sister-in-Law sounded worried as she spoke.
Lin Lei's expression grew even more complicated. He seemed to want to speak, but held back.
It wasn't that the girl thought their family was too poor.
It was that the girl's family was far too poor.
When he recalled the scene that night, Lin Lei's face paled, and a trace of lingering fear surfaced in his heart.
He glanced at his wife, but ultimately did not speak plainly.
If he told her, all it would do was frighten her so badly that she could not sleep all night. It would serve no other purpose.
Besides, if word got out, wouldn't the neighbors gossip everywhere that Lin Yan had been bewitched by a ghost?
How would he find a wife after that?
"You're silent again, like a block of wood. He's your own younger brother!"
Second Sister-in-Law sighed and said helplessly, "A'Yan is old enough to start a family. Just look at those rhymes he teaches the children. What are they? 'Lowering my head, I think of a young maiden'..."
"He's clearly using the children to remind the two of us that he wants to get married."
"Now that he has a girl he likes, you have to go and arrange this marriage for him."
"If you delay and someone else comes to propose, ruining A'Yan's marriage, won't you blame yourself for the rest of your life?"
As Second Sister-in-Law continued, Second Brother's expression gradually became complicated as well. He began wondering whether he really ought to find his younger brother a wife.
Outside the door, Lin Yan's expression grew increasingly complicated.
With Second Sister-in-Law's talent, it was truly a pity that she did not write books, compose works, and create stories.
"Lowering my head, I think of a young maiden..."
Lin Yan watched the little girl come toddling over, loudly calling, "Little Piggy, Little Piggy."
He drew a deep breath and said helplessly, his expression complicated, "You little stupid pig, you've ruined my reputation..."
He had no choice but to pick up the little girl and walk into the room. "Second Brother, Second Sister-in-Law, I'm hungry."
With Lin Yan present, the siblings-in-law ultimately did not mention the "marriage" that had yet to be settled.
After eating, Second Sister-in-Law washed the dishes and played with the child.
Lin Lei, meanwhile, built a wooden ladder in the courtyard.
Lin Yan took the initiative to fill the water jars, heated a pot of water, and bathed in the inner room.
First, he opened the medicine packet and simmered it in water. Then he ladled the medicinal water into the bathing tub. He repeated this many times until the dregs had lost all their color from being boiled.
By then, the bathwater was no longer scalding. Its temperature was just right.
He took off his robe and lowered himself into the tub.
The warm steam made him feel extremely comfortable.
The qi and blood within his body gradually began to circulate.
"The ingredients for a medicinal bath that strengthens the body cost at least five taels of silver for one set if bought and mixed from medicinal shops outside."
"And this set of ingredients is clearly the one commonly used by the Dao Protector beside Duke Lu. It is medicinal bath material for the Essence Refining Realm."
"Duke Lu asked me to add three taels of silver. That means this single tub of medicinal water cost eight taels of silver."
"In Gao Liu City, many people work themselves to death and earn only two or three taels of silver, barely scraping by, or even struggling to survive."
"Even my elder brother, despite He Zhi's help and his diligence, would need half a year to save enough for one set of these medicinal ingredients."
"The path of martial cultivation truly isn't something an ordinary family of commoners at the bottom can hope to pursue."
As Lin Yan thought this, he slowly closed his eyes and mused, "But from now on, appearing before others as a minor flag officer of the Lin Jiang Department will free me from quite a few shackles..."
He slowly closed his eyes and sensed how his physical body was absorbing the medicinal power.
With his powerful perception, he could detect that once the water cooled, the medicinal effect had weakened to the point of being nearly negligible.
This proved that he had absorbed the medicinal effects almost perfectly, reaching ninety-nine percent.
He took a deep breath and sensed the progress of his cultivation.
Cultivation: Essence Refining Realm (652/3650)
Then, when he opened his eyes, his face had nearly turned black.
"I spent eight taels of silver, and it only increased by one point?"
"One medicinal bath only increases my cultivation by one point?"
"If I rely solely on medicinal baths to increase my cultivation, won't it take a full ten years to reach the peak of the Essence Refining Realm?"
"And my constitution is already special, allowing me to absorb more than ninety percent of the medicinal power."
"If it were another martial artist's constitution, even if they cultivated to the Essence Refining Realm, and even if they could take one medicinal bath every day, wouldn't they still have to endure for twenty or thirty years before reaching the peak of the Essence Refining Realm?"
"No, that's not right. A human body's qi and blood flourish to their height before declining. Once a martial artist passes the age of forty, they are considered to have climbed to the summit of their prime. After that, they gradually grow old and wither."
Before you continue