Reputation

The carriage slowed as it entered the bustling market district.

As the wheels rolled on, crossing paths with pedestrians' footprints, they kicked up clumps of filthy snow.

As they passed a lively restaurant, Qi Yu suddenly heard his name amid the din.

Someone was actually discussing him!

A little surprised, he lifted the curtain slightly.

It was Pin Hai Restaurant.

The restaurant belonged to the Qian Family.

The Qian Family primarily ran a merchant guild and a bodyguard escort business. With connections spanning far and wide, they were able to serve sweet shrimp from the North Sea and various exquisite slices of raw fish at Pin Hai Restaurant. Their signature "Pin Hai Fish Cake" was also an absolute delicacy.

"Old Gu, go to the restaurant and buy a serving of Pin Hai Fish Cake for my mother."

"Yes, Young Master."

The coachman named Old Gu slowly drove the carriage forward for several yards, chose a place to stop, and then hurriedly climbed down.

Although he was in the Ninth Rank Leather Armor Realm, he was an old hand in the martial world. He had come with Qi Yu's mother, Madam Liu, back then, making him a longtime servant. He was unfailingly loyal and had extensive experience in the martial world, which was why he had become Qi Yu's coachman.

After Old Gu got down, Qi Yu leaned against the carriage wall and listened to the voices discussing him.

"Have you heard? The young master of Third Master Qi's family actually turned over a new leaf. He's been practicing martial arts these past few days."

"What do you know? I heard that young master has always been practicing martial arts in secret. He's merely revealed it now. With the Qi Family being such a massive lineage, how could Third Master's young master really be a wastrel?"

"I heard that Young Master Qi Yu is a first-rate martial arts prodigy. Hall Master Song praised him for having excellent natural endowments."

"How do you know?"

"My cousin's son is at the Spirit Serpent Martial Hall. He heard it with his own ears."

"That's truly remarkable. This Young Master Qi Yu is probably going to become a rising new star in Mount Wei's martial world."

"Indeed. Apparently, the porridge distributed outside the city this morning was arranged by Young Master Qi Yu, who sent people from the estate to handle it. Though they only set up two stalls, they still saved quite a few refugees."

As Qi Yu listened, his expression grew stranger and stranger.

Before transmigrating, he had read novels where transmigrators were mocked at every turn. If he had heard these people saying things like, "Although Third Master Qi's young master has been going to the martial hall these past few days, a leopard can't change its spots. He must be doing it for the young lady of the Spirit Serpent Martial Hall," or, "You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. Give it two or three days—just you wait, he definitely won't last," or, "He's nothing but a good-for-nothing who knows neither study nor skill," he would not have found it strange...

But now, he had only been transmigrated for two days and had only gone to the Spirit Serpent Martial Hall for two days. Yet a place like Pin Hai Restaurant, with its enormous flow of customers and especially frequent visitors from the upper and middle classes, had already begun lavishly praising and fawning over him. It was simply absurd.

At that moment, Old Gu returned.

He carefully placed an exquisite food box inside the carriage and said, "Young Master, I bought it."

Qi Yu asked, "What's going on?"

Old Gu blinked, then suddenly laughed in realization. "They're only speaking the absolute truth."

Looking at the old fox's smile, Qi Yu understood. He waved his hand. "Back to the estate."

The moment Qi Yu returned to the estate, Madam Liu pulled him over.

Madam Liu was his mother. She came from a humble background, the daughter of a fallen minor lineage, and she had been the one to pursue Qi Changshun back then.

She had seized upon Third Master Qi's chivalrous heart at the time. With one Honghu Dance, one pipa melody, and one drunken night over fine wine, she became pregnant with Third Master's child and won his vows of eternal love.

Afterward, by an unfortunate coincidence, Third Master Qi suffered severe injuries and could no longer father children. Madam Liu had seized the opportunity and successfully risen to prominence with remarkable speed.

Madam Liu carried herself with dignity and wore a luxurious brocade robe. The peony patterns were nearly works of art. Her hair was coiled high atop her head, and her gaze toward Qi Yu was filled with doting affection.

This was her son.

He was also her true support within the Qi Family.

Behind Madam Liu stood two personal maids and three tall, burly older women—two surnamed Zhao and one surnamed Wang.

The older women were all members of Madam Liu's maternal family. At that moment, the three of them watched him with kind smiles, but Qi Yu had seen their ferocious faces outside. He also knew that these three older women were his mother's information network. Their three pairs of ears stood high, and at the slightest stir within the estate, Madam Liu would know immediately.

One of the maids was named Qing Dai. Clever and honey-tongued, she was skilled at reading people's expressions.

The other maid, Green Bamboo, had a cool personality and carried a sword on her back. She was clearly a martial artist, having reached the Eighth Rank. Above her head floated a combat power of "32~52," which could be considered quite high.

Green Bamboo was also a member of Madam Liu's maternal family. After coming to the Qi Family, Madam Liu discovered that she had a talent for martial arts, so she spared no resources in cultivating her and even secured her a chance to train at the Wei Mountain County Breeze Sword Hall. Under normal circumstances, Green Bamboo spent most of her time training at the martial hall, but she would also return to the estate every so often to visit Madam Liu.

Looking at the pinnacle of palace intrigue within Third Master Qi's residence, Qi Yu called out, "Mother."

Madam Liu smiled and glanced at the food box in his hands. "Did you bring your mother fish cakes from Pin Hai Restaurant?"

"I knew you liked them."

Madam Liu's face filled with gratification. She turned to Granny Wang and said, "Granny Wang, take the fish cakes and have the cook make fish cake soup. Add it as a dish tonight, and let Master have some too. Our Yu'er is becoming more and more considerate."

"Right away." Granny Wang's face piled high with smiles as she stepped forward to take the food box.

"Bring out the cloak I had custom-made for Yu'er from the Heaven Cloud Clothing Shop," Madam Liu ordered again.

Very soon, an older woman came forward carrying a scarlet cloak.

The cloak was dazzling, like a mass of burning flames. It was made of top-grade material, with snow-white marten fur along the edges and a band of golden cloud patterns around the bottom, displaying extravagant splendor and nobility to the fullest.

"Yu'er, try it on."

Qi Yu looked at the red cloak but did not move.

Yesterday, Master Chen of the Umbrella Sect had just said, "Wearing red brings you good fortune," and today his mother had actually prepared such a scarlet cloak for him.

Madam Liu smiled benevolently. "Mother knows you may not like Uncle Chen from yesterday, but Mother would never harm you. No one in this world wishes more than I do for you to live well."

Seeing that Qi Yu remained silent, Madam Liu did not bother avoiding the people around them. She simply asked with a smile, "What are you worried about?"

Qi Yu said, "Why must we associate with an evil cult like the Umbrella Sect?"

Madam Liu froze for a moment, then laughed with overwhelming gratification. "Yu'er has grown up. You've learned to think things through."

Her smile faded slightly as she patiently explained, "Besides, where in this world is there any distinction between good and evil? There are only those who can bring benefits to the Qi Family. Don't worry. Mother understands this matter too, and there's no problem. Stop fretting."

Seeing his mother soothe him as if he were a child, Qi Yu took the cloak and said no more.

For him, the most important thing at present was to practice martial arts diligently and improve his strength. Only by becoming powerful would others take his voice seriously.

He put on the cloak. It fit perfectly and made him look even more noble.

Madam Liu and the two maids stared at him intently. Green Bamboo remained silent, her gaze calm, while Qing Dai chattered praise. "Young Master looks so handsome and dashing in this cloak, with such elegant bearing."

Qi Yu said again, "Mother, you were the one who sent people to spread those rumors outside, weren't you? Stop spreading them. I don't want to stand out so much."

After saying that, he did not press her further and turned to leave.

The moment Qi Yu walked out of the room, Qing Dai smiled and praised him. "Miss, Young Master is so clever. He actually guessed it. It seems he really has come to his senses."

Madam Liu smiled faintly. "So what if he guessed it? I still have to keep having people do it. Originally, all those great lineages' daughters avoided him because of his reputation as a wastrel. Now that I've cleared his name, the opportunities for marriage alliances have returned."

Qing Dai said, "Hasn't Master already arranged a marriage between Young Master and the Spirit Serpent Martial Hall? Besides, Young Master has been going to the Spirit Serpent Martial Hall quite often lately."

Hearing that, Madam Liu could not help laughing.

Qing Dai immediately understood what Madam Liu meant and playfully stuck out her tongue. "This servant failed to think it through."

Of course, Madam Liu did not believe that her son had truly turned over a new leaf.

As for going to the Spirit Serpent Martial Hall now, he was probably just looking for something fresh, trying to use the old childhood betrothal as an excuse to test that female martial artist Song Xue's mettle... How could he really be practicing martial arts?

Was martial arts really that easy to learn?

If it were truly that easy, she would have sent the three older women around her, along with Qing Dai, to practice martial arts long ago.