Really Damnable

On the way back to the county office, Li Nuo learned from Steward Wu that only two of the people there were in the Martial Arts Second Realm. The rest were ordinary people with no foundation in martial arts.

Looking at the vast procession ahead, Li Nuo said regretfully, "Only two in the Internal Breath Realm? Not a single one in the True Qi Realm?"

The boost to one's lifespan was very different for martial arts experts and ordinary people.

He wasn't asking for anyone as powerful as his wife. Someone in the True Qi Realm would do. He still didn't know how many times the lifespan granted by judging the Third Realm would multiply.

"True Qi Realm? How could that be?"

Steward Wu slowly explained, "A martial arts foundation isn't as common as cabbages. Among ordinary people, only one in a hundred has one. Of those, half will never cultivate Inner Breath in their lifetime. And of those who do, half won't be able to condense True Qi. Anyone who can reach the Object Control Realm can be considered a Martial Dao genius, and that's assuming they train diligently. If they don't, even with talent, they won't achieve much..."

Li Nuo was taken aback. "Is martial arts cultivation really that difficult?"

Steward Wu drew a deep breath and spoke slowly. "Cultivating martial arts isn't like judging cases or working the fields. You need both talent and effort. These pampered officials' offspring—how could they endure the hardships of martial arts? Even if they have a martial arts foundation, most of them will let it go to waste. Someone like that Wang boy, with both talent and diligence, is rare. It's a shame he went astray..."

Hearing Steward Wu say this made Li Nuo feel much better.

Only one out of every hundred people had a martial arts foundation. He was part of the vast majority—the other ninety-nine.

Besides, although he had no martial arts foundation, the guards around him were all martial arts experts of the Third Realm or higher. Thinking of it that way, it didn't seem so regrettable after all...

Then Li Nuo asked another question that had puzzled him for days. "You've said all that, but what exactly is a martial arts foundation?"

Steward Wu thought for a moment before replying, "There's no precise definition of a martial arts foundation. In general, once someone with a foundation begins cultivating martial arts, their strength surges in a short time, and their body grows noticeably tougher. By contrast, those whose strength and physique improve extremely slowly during cultivation don't have a martial arts foundation. Even if they put in ten or a hundred times more effort, they still won't match someone else who just practices casually..."

So even if Li Nuo, who had no martial arts foundation, trained like his life depended on it—practicing twelve hours a day without sleeping—he still wouldn't match his wife's results from casually practicing for a quarter of an hour.

That really was a painful truth...

The path of martial arts was all about talent. Without it, no amount of effort was anything but wasted.

And even among the talented, the gap between one person and another could be as vast as heaven and earth.

Steward Wu had said that Wang Yue, the son of a vice director at the Ministry of Personnel, had a little talent.

To Li Nuo, Wang Yue's talent was a crushing advantage.

But in front of Song Jiaren, even that little bit of talent was nothing.

Li Nuo suddenly thought of Song Mu'er. She was only six, yet it seemed she had already cultivated Inner Breath. He asked Steward Wu, "Mu'er's talent must be pretty good too, right?"

Steward Wu nodded. "Of course. The women of the Song Family are all very talented in martial arts. Those two little girls, as well as Miss Song Zhen, may not be as talented as the Young Madam, but they far surpass ordinary people. If they train diligently, they're sure to achieve great things in the future. At the very least, they can become grandmasters..."

Li Nuo had noticed something strange about the Song Family.

The women in their family were all astonishingly talented in martial arts.

The men, on the other hand, didn't even have a basic martial arts foundation. If Song Yu had possessed even the slightest foundation, he wouldn't have been chased around like a dog by someone wielding a rolling pin.

Could it be that martial arts genes were passed down to daughters, but not sons?

Since they were on the subject, Steward Wu decided to explain in more detail. "Unlike the Way of the Various Masters, a martial arts foundation is passed down through bloodlines. The greater the martial arts talent of one's ancestors, the more likely it is that a martial arts genius will be born among their descendants. The children of two martial arts grandmasters are bound to have decent talent. No one in the Li Family has ever been a powerful martial artist, which is why neither Master nor Young Master has a martial arts foundation."

As he spoke, he gazed eagerly at Li Nuo. "If Young Master and the Young Madam have children in the future, their talent in martial arts certainly won't be lacking. With the Young Madam's bloodline, more of the Li Family's descendants will have a martial arts foundation too. Young Master, the future of the Li Family rests on you. You and the Young Madam must have several children!"

"We'll see." Li Nuo waved a hand. He and his wife weren't very close yet, and the future still seemed a long way off.

Song Yu, Zhou Yu, and the others followed the county office constables for a long time. At last, they finally reached the Chang'an County Office.

As soon as they entered the courtyard, many of them dropped onto the ground and refused to get back up.

"I'm exhausted!"

"My feet are about to fall off!"

"Damn it, why is this lousy county office so far away..."

Without exception, they were the sons of officials. Whenever they went out, they either rode in sedan chairs or took carriages. They'd never walked such a long way. Once they reached the Chang'an County Office, they took off their shoes, rubbed their feet, and cursed incessantly.

Seeing this, Lieutenant Wang said sternly, "This is the county office. What kind of conduct is this? All of you, get up!"

But no one paid him any attention.

The law couldn't punish everyone, as the saying went. Every one of the twenty-odd people there came from a family with some influence, and they hadn't committed any serious crime. They didn't take a mere Chang'an county lieutenant seriously at all. Zhou Tao, still rubbing his feet, even urged him, "Sir, we've already arrived at the county office. If you're going to punish us, then say so..."

Lieutenant Wang ignored him. Instead, he respectfully bent at the waist and bowed to a young man entering the county office. "Young Master, how would you like these people dealt with?"

Zhou Yu and the others were stunned, confusion appearing on their faces.

The Chang'an county lieutenant had been so arrogant in front of them, yet he was bowing and scraping to this young man, who was even younger than they were. He looked like a completely different person... Who exactly was this young man?

Unlike Zhou Yu and the others, Song Yu's face was filled with shock.

Brother-in-law?

What was he doing here?

In the blink of an eye, Song Yu thought of a possibility. Could it be that Li Nuo had learned he was going to fight Zhou Yu and the others, worried about his safety, and brought people to lie in wait nearby? Then, when Song Yu was in trouble, he had sent the Chang'an county lieutenant and his men out to save him...

If not, how else could he explain the people from the Chang'an County Office arriving at just the right moment?

That's what family was for!

At that moment, Song Yu was not only moved; he was filled with deep regret.

He'd treated his brother-in-law so badly, yet Li Nuo had put the past behind him and treated him so well. And just yesterday, Song Yu had even doubted him...

Thinking of how he'd acted before, Song Yu wanted to slap himself twice... He really was damnable!

Li Nuo didn't notice Song Yu's face flushing with shame. Holding a copy of the Great Xia Codex, he said slowly, "Zhou Yu, Zhou Tao, Song Yu, and the others gathered outside Yunmeng Academy and engaged in a mass brawl, causing a serious disturbance. Under the Great Xia Codex, Zhou Yu, Zhou Tao, and eight others will receive ninety strokes with the rod; Song Yu, Wang Hua, and eleven others will receive seventy strokes of the cane. This will serve as a warning to others. Do you have any objections?"

Song Yu was moved when he heard this. Although he didn't know why Li Nuo was the one judging them, his brother-in-law was still his brother-in-law. It was the same fight, yet the others had been sentenced to ninety strokes with the rod, while they'd only received seventy strokes of the cane. Their sentence was much lighter than Zhou Yu's group...

Flogging was a harsher punishment than caning. Caning caused little more than pain and bruises, but a flogging could break bones and even kill...

Before Song Yu could say anything, Zhou Yu immediately objected. "I have an objection. This is unfair! We were all involved in the same fight. Why are they only getting caned, while we're being flogged? You're showing favoritism! This is a wrongful judgment!"

Li Nuo certainly hadn't made his judgment up out of thin air.

He opened the Great Xia Codex to a certain page and pointed to a passage, explaining to Zhou Yu, "According to Article Fifteen of the 'Disputes and Litigation' section of the Great Xia Codex, 'Those who strike another with their hands or feet shall receive forty strokes of the cane. Those who assault another with a weapon shall receive sixty strokes with the rod. If three or more people jointly assault someone and cause injury, the punishment shall be increased by one degree; five or more, by two degrees; ten or more, by three degrees.'

"Although you were all involved in the same fight, Song Yu and the others were unarmed, so the law calls for forty strokes of the cane. Since more than ten people took part in the brawl, their punishment increases by three degrees, with ten strokes added per degree, bringing it to seventy. You were armed, so the law calls for sixty strokes with the rod. Since more than ten people were involved, your punishment likewise increases by three degrees, with ten strokes added per degree, bringing it to ninety... Is there anything else you don't understand?"

Li Nuo had cited the statute and followed the law to the letter. His reasoning was sound, the penalties were correct, and even the numbers were exact—not one stroke too many or too few.

After explaining everything, he left the matter in Lieutenant Wang's hands and went to the county office's rear hall to have tea with Pei Zhe.

Zhou Yu and the others stood rooted to the spot.

They vaguely recalled that when they'd studied the law at the academy, their teacher might have taught them this.

But as sons of military families, they were bound to serve in the army in the future, and they didn't necessarily need to pursue the Imperial examination. At the academy, they'd never paid attention to any classes other than military strategy, horsemanship, and archery. They'd either skipped law class or slept through it. How could they possibly remember any of this?

But after today, they would certainly remember this statute for the rest of their lives.

Knowledge they hadn't learned in the classroom had been etched deep into their minds outside it, in the strangest way.

The update time has changed to noon. There won't be an update at dawn tomorrow, so there's no need to wait.