Membrane

Splash, splash~

Warm water was scooped up by a small hand and splashed over that fierce, muscular body.

Droplets rolled down along the lines of his muscles...

Amid the swirling steam, that small hand slowly moved back up and began kneading him gently.

Qi Yu leaned back against the edge of the tub with his eyes closed, enjoying A Bi's service.

The day's Provincial Examination and the successive battles had felt like continuous burning beneath the glaring sun. But now... it was deep into the silent night.

Day and night, time was so evenly balanced. It was heaven's reminder to mankind: battle and rest, each taking half.

Crackle...

The charcoal fire popped softly.

The candlelight remained perfectly still, casting the furniture's outlines onto the wall in shades deep and pale, as if ink had been washed over it.

The play of light and sound only made the room seem quieter.

"Come in."

Qi Yu suddenly spoke, breaking the silence.

A Bi's fingers stiffened. Then, delighted, she slipped off her outer robe, leaving only a moon-white silk undergarment. Lightly touching the ground with her toes, she lowered her long legs entirely into the spacious tub...

In the past, she would still have hesitated, then whispered into the young master's ear, saying things like, "This servant wouldn't dare," or "Young master, you mustn't. What if Madam finds out?" But things were different now.

In this inner residence, the young master could already make his own decisions.

She would no longer be given away, nor would anyone be able to snatch her away.

She had been inseparable from the young master since childhood. She had given both her body and her heart to him. When she imagined staying by his side and caring for him until the day she died, then caring for the young mistress, and afterward caring for the young master's children, hearing one of them call her "Aunt Bi," A Bi felt that her whole life would be complete.

A drunken flush spread across her gentle face. She draped both arms over the tub's rim and softly hummed...

The ripples swayed...

Tonight, as long as the young master did not speak, she would not have to sneak back to the side room clutching her embroidered shoes.

The next morning, at dawn.

Qi Yu lay comfortably on the couch. The little maid wore a smile at the corners of her lips, like a small white lamb clinging to him, and the two of them were nestled together in the warm blankets.

The news that he had taken first place in the Provincial Examination did not cause much of a stir. His father did not specifically seek him out for a long talk either.

Everything remained as usual.

Just as his older female cousin had said: he did not need to worry about the petty struggles and grubby schemes. Every lineage and every faction needed a pure martial artist to serve as the sharp tip of its sword.

All he had to do was become stronger. That was all.

The moment he moved, A Bi woke as well.

Once awake, A Bi hurriedly sat up and cried out in panic, "It's already daylight! This servant... this servant..."

In a fluster, she climbed out of the blankets, hurriedly put on her stockings, dress, and embroidered shoes, then turned around to wash and dress Qi Yu.

Before long, breakfast was brought in.

Qi Yu looked up and saw that the person carrying the meal today was Granny Wang, who served at his mother's side.

In the red-date ginseng porridge that he usually ate, there were additional red grains today, mixed among the white rice. The grains had been cooked together with the rice, but they did not seem to add any fragrance.

"Granny Wang, what is this?" Qi Yu asked.

Granny Wang answered with a broad smile, "Reporting to you, Young Master, this was specially added when the cook prepared it at the First Madam's order. It's called Blood Spirit Rice. You're the only one in the entire family who received a bowl."

"Blood Spirit Rice?"

Qi Yu had never heard of it. He guessed that it must have come from the spirit fields in a secret land. Naturally, he would not press a granny for details. He simply assumed that, because of his outstanding performance yesterday, the family's investment in him had increased by another measure.

After one bowl of red-date, ginseng, and Blood Spirit Rice porridge went down, Qi Yu felt a warm current rise from his lower abdomen and slowly spread through his limbs and bones. His entire body grew pleasantly warm, and he felt indescribably comfortable.

A Bi cleared away the bowls and chopsticks, while Qi Yu walked leisurely toward the stables, intending to call Old Gu to drive him to see the examination rankings.

As soon as he reached the stables, he saw Old Gu's face glowing red, staring at him with an expression of extreme delight.

Shock?

Old Gu had already been shocked last night.

The young master was too powerful.

Old Gu knew perfectly well what coming first in the Provincial Examination meant.

First, entering the Seventh Rank was as certain as nails driven into wood. Second, it represented the Qi Family's rise. After all, back then... the Second Master, who was now the Poison Water Army Commandant, had only come third in the Provincial Examination.

"Old Gu, prepare the carriage."

"Young master... this old servant can't drive for you anymore."

"Why not?"

"Thanks to you, Old Gu has been promoted to steward and is going to manage an herb shop."

"Which herb shop has been assigned to you?" Qi Yu asked, somewhat amused.

Being the steward of a Qi Family herb shop was a lucrative position. Because such shops often handled secret medicines, their status was extraordinary. Not only were the returns substantial, but their connections were broad as well. They were core family businesses, equal in status to the Wang Family's famous money pit—the Golden Hook Quarter.

However, with only one spirit field remaining in the family, the herb shops had always been managed by trusted men appointed by his father. How had it come to Old Gu?

Old Gu lowered his voice and said with a laugh, "Master summoned me last night and said that three more herb shops would be opened today. There simply aren't enough people to go around, so he transferred me there."

Seeing the doubt on Qi Yu's face, he leaned closer and continued, "Master was extremely happy last night. He said the Second Branch had spat out the entire Herb Gathering Pavilion. Now, the Herb Gathering Pavilion, together with the Ten Square Spirit Fields in the secret land, all belongs to the First Branch, with the Third Branch jointly managing them. That's why the herb shops suddenly appeared."

Qi Yu froze for a moment.

His father and uncle really were capable of anything.

He had merely fought for first place in the Provincial Examination, yet his father, uncle, and the others had already been working behind the scenes to maximize the benefits.

The Blood Spirit Rice this morning was probably... new produce from the spirit fields as well.

Qi Yu could imagine that the secret medicines they had once scrimped and saved would, from now on, be something he could eat like rice.

"Old Gu, congratulations."

Qi Yu nodded with a smile, then asked, "Then... what should I do if I want to leave the residence?"

Before he had finished speaking, a broad, tiger-backed figure walked over from the distance. A long saber was strapped to his back. It was Ding Yi, the residence's chief guard commander—and the only Seventh-Rank martial artist in the entire residence.

Ding Yi came before Qi Yu, saluted solemnly, and said in a deep voice, "The coachman bears the responsibility of guarding Young Master when accompanying him outside.

"In the past, when Young Master had not practiced martial arts, Old Gu was still capable of handling it.

"Now that Young Master is an Eighth-Rank martial artist and has also come first in the Provincial Examination, the coachman must at least be a Seventh-Rank martial artist.

"The family is currently looking for a new coachman for Young Master. Until a suitable candidate is found, I, Ding, will drive for Young Master."

Qi Yu nodded lightly to show that he understood.

The sound of wheels faded into the distance.

Third Master Qi's residence, study.

Qi Changshun sat opposite a man in red.

Qi Changshun smiled and said, "Master Chen's return has made this humble home shine."

The man in red wore a dark expression and said coldly, "Your son has quite some ability. With a single martial contest, he crippled one of our Black Umbrellas."

Qi Changshun sighed. "That child doesn't know how to hold back. I gave him a harsh scolding last night."

The corner of Master Chen's mouth suddenly twitched, then curled upward, and he burst out laughing.

"Hahahaha! I was only teasing you~~

"Old Qi, do you truly think I came to demand an explanation? Hahaha!"

Qi Changshun laughed along with him.

Master Chen stopped laughing and said, "The first time I saw that child, I knew he was no fish in a shallow pond. He was someone capable of accomplishing great things."

Qi Changshun said, "Master, did you come to arrange for Yu'er to join the sect?"

Master Chen replied, "To defeat Zhen Tianshuang without undergoing the Cipher Text Baptism... the sect attaches great importance to him."

As he spoke, he chanted softly, "When snow falls, carry the great Black Umbrella; a weak woman needs a strong man for company; in the twelfth month, do not visit the graves; eight bearers carry the yin coffin... These actually represent the four kinds of power within the Umbrella Sect.

"Ordinarily, since your son was once infatuated with one of our female disciples and even donated a residence to her, she should have been the one to recommend him into the sect. Unfortunately... she is no longer worthy of him.

"Quite a few female disciples in the sect have already set their sights on your son. They want to become his recommender and partner."

Qi Changshun slapped the table. "Naturally, his recommender should be you, Master Chen."

Master Chen was stunned, then immediately laughed. "That can certainly be arranged."

Qi Changshun crossed his hands and rested them beneath his chin before continuing, "A weak woman still needs a strong man for company... The Umbrella Sect's powers are mostly yin and soft, and one must directly face the Myriad Umbrella God. Women possess yin and soft constitutions, making it difficult for them to withstand the erosion of divine power. That is why they need men with vigorous yang energy as partners.

"The more abundant the man's yang energy, the more divine power the woman can withstand. In return... the man can obtain power like Zhen Tianshuang's. How much he receives depends on the female partner; how much he can endure depends on his own aptitude. Is that correct?"

Master Chen nodded. "The Silken Membrane is a layer of divine power covering the body's surface. For a martial artist to injure the body beneath it, he must first break through this membrane.

"Zhen Tianshuang became an idiot after being stimulated, yet he was filled with hatred... Perhaps because of that, he became especially devout and gained superior aptitude.

"It happened that one of the Umbrella's Shadows had lost his partner, so he offered a sacrifice on Zhen Tianshuang's behalf, completed the Cipher Text Baptism, and first used him temporarily as a trial partner."

Qi Changshun's Adam's apple bobbed. He asked nervously, "Yu'er is still young... Does he... need to hunt sacrifices himself?"

Master Chen said, "Han Yan of the Black Bear Martial Hall also hunts in teams. There is no problem with martial artists forming hunting parties. Besides, didn't you, Qi Changshun, lead people to hunt sacrifices before as well?"

Qi Changshun fell silent for a moment. Then he suddenly turned around, opened a hidden cabinet, and took out a purple sandalwood box.

The lid was barely lifted, and a rich medicinal fragrance immediately filled the room.

"Master, now that my Qi Family has joined the Umbrella Sect, Yu'er is naturally also one of the sect's people. As for his partner... I'll have to trouble you to take some time, help us look, and keep an eye on the selection..."

Master Chen accepted the medicine box and nodded. "We have been old friends for so long. Yu'er even calls me uncle. Naturally, I will look after him."