Everything was fine—until that one "but"!
Chen Bao's face was exceptionally bitter, tinged with regret. "A strange man once said that to cultivate this technique, one must be under twenty and male. Women absolutely must not practice it!"
"Your father was just over twenty at the time, but he refused to believe such nonsense and forced himself to cultivate it, damaging his primordial yang... After you, he never had any more children!"
Chen Qianyu...
No wonder her father and mother had remained deeply loving for so many years, yet had only one daughter!
This Yang Tian Jue was like chicken ribs to Chen Bao.
But in the end, it still gave him a sliver of hope that one day he might find a way to overcome its flaw, which was why he had never been willing to show it to anyone.
He had also feared that once his daughter found out, she would refuse to believe it just as he had and secretly practice it, so he had kept it hidden from even her.
Now that Su Mo was a rare commodity, after thinking it over, he still decided to take it out and form a good karmic connection with Su Mo.
Not to mention that the Chen family could rely on the Imperial Guard's strength to expand rapidly.
Once Su Mo became an official and came into contact with the immortal cultivators and experts of the imperial court, perhaps he could even indirectly obtain a way to overcome the Yang Tian Jue's flaw through Su Mo!
Of course, it would be even better if his daughter could marry Su Mo.
Even becoming a concubine would be far better than selling illicit salt at Chen Village!
Born in Chen Village and fond of waving knives and guns, what else could she do if she did not sell illicit salt?
Become a chivalrous hero?
Hmph!
That was merely the naïve fantasy of a little girl.
Did chivalrous heroes not need to eat?
If they went around upholding justice every day without working, where would their money come from?
Was it not all robbed?
How were they any different from illicit salt sellers?
Chen Bao opened the brocade box with a complicated expression.
Chen Qianyu also leaned over curiously.
Inside the brocade box was a jade scroll strung together with golden threads. It was ancient yet exuded a mysterious air; at a glance, it was clearly no ordinary object.
Chen Bao gazed at it reluctantly for a long while, but in the end he closed the brocade box, handed it to his daughter, and added, "Give the brocade box to Su Mo!"
"Remember to remind him of the taboos of cultivating this technique. You must not secretly practice it either, or you will regret it for the rest of your life!"
Chen Qianyu nodded heavily.
A woman's greatest fear was being unable to bear children!
Her father's fate was a warning from the past. She did not dare treat this as a joke!
Afterward, Chen Bao took his daughter and headed straight for the residence where Madam Qian and the others were staying.
Eagle Ravine Dock was actually not far from the county town.
When Madam Qian learned that her husband and nephew were both safe, she was naturally overjoyed and was no longer willing to remain at Chen Village.
No matter how good the hospitality in someone else's home was, it could never feel as reassuring as one's own home.
They had merely been enjoying an outing in the countryside.
Chen Qianyu volunteered to escort Madam Qian and the others back.
Chen Bao went with them to the county town as well.
This was a great opportunity to draw closer to Su Mo. An old fox like him naturally would not let it slip away.
Besides, the journey back to the city might not be peaceful.
There were plenty of bandits and outlaws beyond the county town, and there might even be mountain spirits and demons harming people. He was afraid that Chen Qianyu, a young girl fresh out of the nest, would be unable to handle them.
Chen Bao drove the carriage escorting Madam Qian.
On another carriage, Chen Hu held the reins, while Chen Qianyu, Qin Bi'er, and Dian Dian shared the carriage.
Looking at Qin Bi'er's fair and lovely face, Chen Qianyu had to admit that although the other woman was not as tall and slender as she was,
her temperament was gentle and graceful, with the delicate charm of a girl from a modest household and the scholarly air of a young lady from a distinguished family. She must have possessed considerable allure for men.
Her large eyes rolled around.
As the art of war said, know yourself and know your enemy, and you can fight a hundred battles without danger.
Chen Qianyu decided to begin with subtle probing and sound out Su Mo's situation.
Sister Qin did not look very calculating. As long as she used a little strategy, was there any chance she could not make her say whatever she wanted?
"Sister Qin, I heard Father say that you were bullied by the Subordinate Clerks before, and a servant rescued you?"
Chen Qianyu tilted her head and thought for a moment. "Mm... That servant seemed to be called Su Mo?"
Qin Bi'er looked at Chen Qianyu in surprise.
Although this girl was somewhat simple and naïve, she seemed to have a good heart.
She had already learned that Zhou Meng had been brought to justice, so she no longer needed to conceal anything for Su Mo.
She smiled and said, "Qianyu, why did you suddenly ask about that?"
Chen Qianyu hurriedly said, "It's nothing!"
"I was just a little curious!"
"Aren't those servants and Subordinate Clerks all bad people? Why would one save you?"
She blinked. "Could it be that he liked Sister Qin?"
Qin Bi'er's pretty face flushed slightly. She glanced at Dian Dian, who was already asleep in her arms, and did not deny it. She answered softly, "Mm... probably... But..."
Chen Gan had made the decision for her to become Su Mo's secondary wife. Perhaps she would move into the Su household in a few days, so there was no need to hide anything.
After all, she had been through it before. She usually showed her face in public to make and sell pancakes, unlike a sheltered young lady who was so coy and bashful.
Chen Qianyu immediately followed up. "But what?"
Qin Bi'er hesitated for a moment. "But he's also an extremely good person normally. He isn't like those Subordinate Clerks who enjoy bullying the common people."
"If another woman had been bullied, he definitely would not have stood by either."
Chen Qianyu thought secretly, Could it be that Father did not lie to me?
Is Su Mo really a good person?
Unable to hold back, she asked again, "Sister Qin, you should like Su Mo too, right?"
"Is he very good-looking?"
Qin Bi'er was speechless...
Was this something a young woman should be asking?
But the other girl had grown up in a mountain stronghold. She had probably developed a straightforward personality, making her somewhat different from the women in the city.
Her pretty face reddened further, and she nodded lightly. "He... he's all right."
As she spoke, Su Mo's slightly youthful yet resolute face, which resembled that of a scholar, involuntarily surfaced in her mind.
She always felt that Su Mo possessed an air different from other men, though she could not say exactly how it was different.
Mm, it was probably his openness!
Qin Bi'er had never seen that quality in anyone else.
Other people—even women—would look at her strangely.
They felt that as a widow, going out in public to sell pancakes disgraced a woman's dignity.
Qin Bi'er disagreed with them from the bottom of her heart.
She earned her food with her own hands. She did not steal or rob. What right did they have to look down on her?
Was it merely because she was a widow and a woman?
Was she supposed to let herself and her child starve to death before that counted as feminine virtue and dignity?
Even the current ruler was a woman.
Why did they not go criticize the Empress for lacking virtue?
Precisely because she felt that Su Mo did not discriminate against her, and treated her daughter Dian Dian the same way,
when Qin Bi'er heard that Chen Gan wanted her to marry Su Mo as a secondary wife, she tacitly agreed. If it had been someone else, she would have refused even at the cost of her life.
Things were lively on Su Mo's side.
After the yamen closed for the day, his wife and daughter had yet to return from Chen Village.
Chen Gan went back to the residence to retrieve fifty taels of silver, then came over to Su Mo's place at once.
Seeing the congratulatory gifts filling the main hall, Chen Gan's old face twitched, and he could not help cursing under his breath, "Damn it!"
Su Mo was sorting the congratulatory gifts into categories. Seeing Chen Gan's reaction, he could not help asking, "Third Uncle, what's wrong?"
"What's wrong?"
"You made quite a bit of money, didn't you?"
"How much are they worth?"
He swept his eyes over them and added with a chuckle, "They must be worth five or six taels of silver!"
As he spoke, he began calculating inwardly. If he also rose to Regular Servant, how much congratulatory money could he receive?
It had better not be less than his nephew's.
Would that not be humiliating?
Had Captain Lin not said that those who made contributions at the Locust God Temple could have their rank as Assistant Servant raised to Regular Servant?
If his nephew made a few more connections, would not becoming a Regular Servant be as secure as a rock?
Su Mo did not hide it from his old uncle. "These odds and ends should be worth eight or ten taels."
Chen Gan nodded, just about to say that it was already quite good.
Su Mo immediately added, "Besides that, I received quite a bit of silver and copper cash—probably around thirty taels in total!"
Chen Gan...
He really wanted to curse!
It was better not to compare himself with this nephew, lest he bring humiliation upon himself!
Besides, his nephew's glory did not mean that his old uncle's glory was any less, right?
Su Mo was somewhat puzzled and could not help asking again, "Third Uncle, what exactly is going on?"
"Twenty taels of silver can buy the position of Regular Servant."
"But I've received dozens of taels in congratulatory gifts!"
Chen Gan...
Could he curse or not?
If he did not curse, his Dao heart would feel blocked!
He would even become constipated every time he took a dump from now on!
Before you continue