Master Zhao Sent an Invitation

Master Zhao Sent an Invitation

Watching the two figures lingering at his door, Liang Qu frowned.

Who the hell were these two? Not sleeping in the middle of the night, yet hanging around outside his house.

At the door stood a middle-aged man and a lean, wiry Servant, one before the other. The one who had spoken was the fair-skinned middle-aged man. His clothes were clean and neat; no matter how one looked at him, he did not resemble an ordinary commoner.

Looking at the middle-aged man, who clearly had some standing, Liang Qu quickly searched his memories.

Seeing Liang Qu remain silent, Zheng Xiang assumed he was still hesitating. He waved a hand, and the Servant beside him immediately lifted a sack and pulled open its mouth.

Zheng Xiang rolled up his sleeves and reached inside. By the moonlight, Liang Qu saw him pull out a large handful of gleaming white polished rice!

Liang Qu swallowed. The stomachache from when he had first arrived had truly left him with a lingering shadow.

Zheng Xiang slowly poured the rice in his hand back into the sack. "Well? As long as you acknowledge our Master Zhao as your adoptive father, this dou of polished rice will be yours. And from now on, this is the kind of good rice you'll eat!"

Adoptive father!? At that word, it was as though some switch flipped in Liang Qu's mind—but not the switch of "If my lord does not disdain me, Bu is willing to acknowledge you as his adoptive father." Rather, it was the switch that connected all the causes and consequences of this entire affair.

The middle-aged man before him was Zheng Xiang, one of the stewards at Master Zhao Estate in the neighboring town, the one with the Cold Pond!

Their purpose here was simple: to buy a slave! Since they had come right to his door, who the slave being bought was went without saying.

As for why buying a slave was being dressed up as acknowledging an adoptive father, it was because the founding emperor of Da Shun had decreed that ordinary people were forbidden from keeping private slaves. Thus, many wealthy old men took in servants under the guise of adopting godsons and goddaughters. All they needed was a witness to certify it. It had much the same ingenuity as later generations.

Logically speaking, with the original owner of this body living in such hardship, selling himself was not necessarily a bad way to survive. A steward, fine grain—this was truly giving him plenty of face.

But that was precisely the crux of the matter. What household recruited servants with such care? Rumor had it that Master Zhao favored men!

When Liang Qu had first arrived, he discovered that not only did the boy whose body he had crossed into share his name, he even looked remarkably like him. He could be called a parallel-world version of himself. Though years of following his father out fishing had left his skin dark and rough, his features were excellent and his appearance well-proportioned. With a little care, he would definitely be no worse than anyone else.

Putting the two together, that so-called "rumor" was probably true.

At the thought, Liang Qu shuddered, revulsion crawling all over him.

"Have you considered it?" Zheng Xiang asked again.

The last time he had come, Liang Qu had brushed him off by saying he needed to think about it. But now Zheng Xiang was absolutely certain that if the boy still refused his terms, he would probably starve to death at home within days!

Zheng Xiang had even brought someone from the Brokerage along as a guarantor, lest Liang Qu sell himself now, then turn around and go report them to the authorities, claiming the Zhao Family had forced a decent person into slavery.

It was not that the Zhao Family feared being sued. Who liked inviting trouble? Even wiping one's buttocks cost a few sheets of paper.

The Brokerage Servant beside him chimed in, "Exactly, exactly! Young sir, being able to enter the Zhao Residence is a blessing ordinary people like us couldn't cultivate in several lifetimes! Why keep braving wind and rain like this, only to go a whole year without eating more than a few bites of grain?"

Damn your grandmother. Whoever wants to enjoy that blessing can enjoy it. Hope they don't end up unable to wipe their ass clean after shitting.

Liang Qu cursed inwardly, but outwardly he calmly declined. The Zhao Family was too powerful for him to offend right now. "My apologies, Steward Zheng. My fate is too thin to enjoy such towering good fortune. I feel bad for making you come all this way for nothing. How about you take this Yellow Croaker back as my apology?"

The Brokerage Servant stared, dumbstruck.

Zheng Xiang's expression changed. He had never expected Liang Qu to refuse. He suddenly stepped forward, forcing Liang Qu to retreat two paces, yet the distance between them still closed considerably. At once, Zheng Xiang noticed something unusual.

Why did Liang Qu look so healthy? He did not look like someone who had gone hungry for days at all! And where had this Yellow Croaker come from? Had he caught it himself?

Zheng Xiang's thoughts spun. He could not understand how a young orphan with no one to rely on could have his fortunes turn around in just a few short days.

Liang Qu was startled. Just as he was about to say something to save his own little life, Zheng Xiang instead calmed down first. "No matter. It was already a transaction based on mutual willingness. There is no need for an apology. Catching a Yellow Croaker is no easy matter; young sir, keep it. It is late, so I will not linger. Farewell!"

As he spoke, Zheng Xiang had already left with the Brokerage Servant, leaving only Liang Qu at the door, holding the Yellow Croaker.

Had he offended him or not? Liang Qu's expression shifted uncertainly. In principle, whether he agreed or not was his own freedom, but when a Weakling refused a Strongman, that in itself was a mistake.

Most importantly, the entire matter felt deeply off. It was riddled with doubts.

The Zhao Family was a prominent household in neighboring Ping Yang Town. How had they learned so quickly that there was an orphan in Yi Xing City who was about to be unable to survive? LaiTou Zhang... could he be connected to the Zhao Family? "Looks like I need to become a Martial Master as soon as possible. Once I become a Martial Master, the Zhao Family won't be able to do anything to me."

Burdened with worries, Liang Qu fell into a deep sleep.

Early the next morning, amid the astonished gazes of passing fishermen, Liang Qu carried the Yellow Croaker to the most luxurious restaurant in Yi Xing City and sold it for eighty Copper Coins.

It was still far from the time to pay fishing taxes and other miscellaneous levies. Neither he nor his ancestors had ever rented anything from the Fishing Wharf, so there was no need to be exploited for debts. And Yi Xing City was close to a major city, with good public order and no fishing tyrants. The money he earned would basically all end up in his own hands.

In some poor mountain ravines, though, things were miserable. Fishing tyrants and Fishing Wharves would both descend at once, stripping you clean to the bone. People lived constantly on the brink of rebellion, lacking only someone to shout a slogan.

After receiving the money, Liang Qu found a cheap Small Restaurant and ordered two jin of meat, a bowl of rice, and a plate of vegetables, then feasted heartily.

Yi Xing City was truly small, however. Before long, news that he had caught a Yellow Croaker and sold it for eighty Copper Coins spread Sky Full Of everywhere. People came from all around to ask where he had gone Fishing, hoping to try their own luck. It was endlessly irritating.

"You brat, where did you catch that Yellow Croaker? Spill a little." A young man two or three years older than Liang Qu threw an arm around Liang Qu's Shoulder. Yet while speaking, his hand was anything but honest, reaching for the fatty meat on the plate—only to have Liang Qu smack it away with his chopsticks.

"Hiss! You brat, that was way too hard." The young man bared his teeth and shook his hand.

Liang Qu remained unmoved. There were only so many people his age in town, and they all basically knew one another. Li LiBo was one such person, though they were hardly close. At the very least, when Liang Qu had borrowed grain, Li LiBo's family had not lent him any.

It was not enough to breed resentment. In an agrarian society, productivity was so limited, and everyone survived by selling their lives through hard labor. No household had it easy, so refusing to lend was normal. Those Relatives, on the other hand—not only had they refused to lend anything, they had insulted him as well. That was truly infuriating.

"I already told you. It's Just As you go three li to the right from Shang Rao Wharf, over by the Reed Marsh."

"I don't believe you. You definitely didn't tell the truth. If it were me, I wouldn't tell anyone if I really knew a place where I could catch Yellow Croaker either. I'd keep it to myself and quietly make a fortune."

Seeing that there was no meat to eat, Li LiBo could only pour himself a pot of tea and drink alone. He Was Already an idle drifter. Upon hearing Liang Qu had caught a Yellow Croaker, he had come over to freeload.

But it was precisely Li LiBo's nature that made him well-informed about bits of gossip. Thinking of recent events, Liang Qu had a sudden idea. "Let me ask you something. Answer well, and there'll be meat for you."

Li LiBo's eyes lit up. "There's such a good thing? Ask, ask!"

"How much do you know about the Martial Arts Schools in Ping Yang Town?"

Li LiBo looked Liang Qu up and down, then grinned. "Makes sense. Who doesn't dream of becoming a Martial Master? But you came to the right person by asking me."

"Tell me in detail."

"There are three Martial Arts Schools in Ping Yang Town. The strongest is Master Yang's Martial Arts School. The heads of the other two schools came from wild, unorthodox paths, while Master Yang retired from the army! And I, Li LiBo, will soon be going to become Master Yang's disciple!"

Rather than answering, Li LiBo was more like boasting.

"You?" Liang Qu deliberately sounded doubtful.

Li LiBo immediately got worked up, spilling everything at once. Liang Qu Suddenly Realized, gaining some understanding of this world's extraordinary cultivation system.

It was very simple: temper the foundation, then take a Medicinal Bath; temper it again, then another Medicinal Bath; finally, make a Breakthrough.

Skin, flesh, bone, blood—four minor gates. Once all were passed, one could be called a Martial Master. Before that, one could only be a Martial Artist. It was said there were further realms beyond, but they were not things Ordinary People could know.

The Martial Arts Schools' enrollment requirements were not difficult. There was no need to look at one's Root Bone; they only looked at whether one had money! Master Yang's Martial Arts School charged seven taels of silver without food or lodging, ten taels with lodging, and twenty taels with lodging and Medicinal Baths. Meals were charged separately. It was slightly more expensive than the other two schools, which fit its stronger reputation.

Just seven taels of silver was not too difficult. Liang Qu pondered. "Then wouldn't you—"

"Shh, don't tell anyone. In another two months, my family will send me to the Martial Arts School." Li LiBo beamed with pride. "Once I get there, I'll definitely be stronger than that LaiTou Zhang. He practiced a few moves too, didn't he? Still got beaten up all the same."