Hong Yi quickly retreated into his shell. The maids knew martial arts and had sturdy physiques; he wasn't particularly surprised. Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh! The two maids curtsied, then one went out to buy things while the other went to pour tea. "The Southern Procurement Bureau has a lot of human traffickers who do illicit business. They'll stop at nothing to amass wealth. Lady Zhao's family is a great clan in the south—I wonder if they're connected..." The four maids were Zi Yu, Hong Yu, Huang Yu, and Lan Yu. "My body isn't strong enough yet. I can't just practice this breathing technique recklessly." Hong Yi was aghast. Still, after secretly observing them these past few days, he'd gotten a sense of the maids' abilities. Realizing this, he was quietly shocked. With each breath, his blood and qi surged. He nearly passed out. He yawned. Thinking of the Tiger Demon Bone Refining Fist, Hong Yi stretched lazily. Unintentionally, he pictured a stance from the manual in his mind, and his body at once fell into the posture of "Tiger Demon Stretches Waist." "I can't force myself to practice the Tiger Demon Bone Refining Fist until my muscles, flesh, and skin have been fully tempered." Hong Yi finally understood why the martial arts had to be practiced step by step. Bone refinement involved the skin, muscles, and flesh. If they weren't tough enough, forcing bone refinement would seriously harm the body. But this was exactly the effect he wanted. It would give Lady Zhao the impression that someone powerful was backing him, so she wouldn't dare do anything to him. Hong Yi recognized this warrior; he'd been accompanying Luo Yun. Hong Yi was imagining the worst when a thought suddenly struck him. He called out to the servants outside. A sharp pain shot through his waist, like he'd thrown it out, pulled a tendon, and torn his skin. It was excruciating. "These petty people are like flies—so irritating. But you can tell they're not simple." Hong Yi knew a little about the backgrounds of Zi Yu, Hong Yu, Huang Yu, and Lan Yu. They'd been sent over by Lady Zhao's second son, Hong Kang. What's more, the observant Hong Yi had noticed faint signs that some of his clothes and books had been moved. Fortunately, he'd been prepared: he'd kept the Amitabha Sutra pressed against his body, and he'd already memorized and burned the dozens of Martial Classics. He hadn't left anything suspicious behind. If he could just make it through this month, then after the imperial examinations, he'd be like a dragon diving into the sea, free to soar beneath the vast sky. Just then, another maid came in—Lan Yu—with a tall, resolute-looking warrior following close behind. Everything before his eyes turned white. Needles seemed to pierce him all over! It was as if he were trapped in a sea of flames! He couldn't see a thing. He nearly lost his soul in terror. Hong Yi reckoned that even now, after practicing the Ox Demon Great Strength Fist to the Martial Disciple level, he could beat at most two of them in a fight. Against all four, he'd have no chance. The maids' smiles didn't seem genuine to Hong Yi, but there wasn't a single flaw he could point out. They'd clearly received very strict training. "With these irritating flies watching me, I can't practice properly." These past few days, Hong Yi hadn't practiced martial arts. At most, he'd silently studied the techniques or moved his body around a little. Hong Yi knew a little about Lady Zhao's background, but not much. He only knew that she came from a prominent southern clan whose members had served as grand secretaries at court for three generations. But judging from the clues he'd found, there was probably more to them than that. His martial arts had reached the Martial Disciple level. He still had one layer of skin-tempering to complete; once he'd perfected it and his muscles, flesh, and skin were fully refined, he could begin bone refinement. All this was normal. But Nanny Zeng's case was not. "Young Master Yi, the guards of Princess Zhennan have come to invite you. Her Highness is holding a gathering at Flower Scattering Pavilion and has invited Su Mu, Yujing's foremost beauty and literary talent. She asks you to join them in composing poetry and discussing the Dao." Lady Zhao had assigned these four maids to Hong Yi to serve him—pouring tea, washing his face and feet, doing his laundry, helping him change, and tending to all his daily needs. Now, however, they'd become four of the most formidable flies watching him. These past few days, the Marquis Mansion had been undergoing extensive renovations in preparation for Consort Yuan's imminent arrival. Still, under the mansion's orderly management, everything had proceeded smoothly. Hong Yi's quarters, the Osmanthus Chamber, were meant for guests. Several courtyards and a grove of osmanthus trees lay between it and the rest of the mansion, so even if the place was in an uproar, his room remained quiet. "Zi Yu, you've served me well these past few days. This is your reward." After contemplating the Amitabha Buddha several times and grasping the state of an unmoving mind through countless lifetimes, all things as one, Hong Yi finally repaired his damaged soul. "Right away." Two maids of fifteen or sixteen hurried in, their eyes fixed on Hong Yi as they answered with smiling faces. Hong Yi suspected that even if he got up to relieve himself at night, all four maids would know and report it to the First Madam. Inhaling and exhaling, drawing in and releasing breath, a great flow of air stirred his blood and qi. If the outside of his body wasn't tough enough, his blood and qi couldn't circulate properly; the inside and outside wouldn't connect or work in harmony. Practicing that way would do far more harm than good. "These maids were bought from the Southern Procurement Bureau. They know martial arts and have sturdy bodies, so that's not surprising. But that Nanny Zeng by Lady Zhao's side is exceptionally skilled—and she can even send her soul out of her body. That's strange. Who exactly is Lady Zhao? I only know that her family is a prominent southern clan, with grand secretaries at court for three generations. But now it seems they're no ordinary household..." "Let's see if I can use the breathing technique." Seeing the money on the table, a flicker of surprise passed through the maids' eyes, but neither moved to take it. Zi Yu said, "Madam instructed us that serving Young Master Yi is our duty. How could we accept a reward? You should put it away, Young Master Yi." In the south, there were procurement offices that specialized in buying little girls from poor families when they were young. They trained them to be clever and nimble, and taught them music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, then sold them to wealthy households or brothels. "Zi Yu, pour me a cup of tea. And Huang Yu, I've run out of paper. Go to Pine and Bamboo Studio and buy three reams for me—the fragrant bamboo paper that costs one tael a ream. Also, buy some wine from the pharmacy, along with Suhe fragrant pills, dried ginseng, angelica, golden cicada..." He knew his martial arts and Daoist practice had both reached a bottleneck. It would be very difficult to make further progress. Hong Yi sat before the broad writing desk, eyes flashing as he gave his orders offhandedly, as though he expected everyone to jump at his command. "Oh!" These were the red-gold coins Consort Yuan had given him that day, currency used exclusively in the imperial palace. "Martial arts must be practiced step by step; I can't rush for quick gains. Then I'll try soul cultivation." Hong Yi simply sat in silence and focused his mind. Suddenly, his soul leaped out of his body. Hong Yi looked at the two maids. A thought stirred in him, and he said a few words to the obviously older one, Zi Yu. Then he pulled a red-colored coin from the purse at his waist and set it on the table, waiting for Zi Yu to take it. Hong Yi now had a modest amount of money to his name. Ten red-gold coins were worth two hundred taels of silver. Hong Xuanji had authorized a hundred taels for him from the account, and Lady Zhao had given him another three hundred. After calculating his expenses these past few days, he still had more than five hundred taels of silver. The Tiger Demon Bone Refining Fist was engraved in Hong Yi's mind. He knew every move by heart, as if each one had been carved into a printing block. Hong Yi pictured the first stance of the Spirit Turtle Breathing Technique, "Spirit Turtle Basking in the Sun," along with its key points. He hunched his back, clasped his hands behind his head, and breathed in two short bursts and three long ones, focusing his thoughts on his heart and lungs. Only then did he realize the sun was directly overhead. The four maids Lady Zhao had sent over were all quite skilled. Light on their feet, quick and nimble as cats, they each had flexible, resilient muscles. In Hong Yi's estimation, though they were slender, any one of them could easily take down two or three strong men. Hong Kang was an official in the south; sending over a dozen well-trained maids to serve Lady Zhao was perfectly normal. What a disaster! But Hong Yi didn't feel the least bit of peace and quiet. The reason was those four maids. Hong Yi knew that this little scene would reach Lady Zhao's ears within the hour. "Red-gold coins..."
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