Daily Life in Xingzhuo's Courtyard (Part 1)

The next morning.

Hyuga Kenshi woke up early.

To be honest, he often endured the punishment of the Caged Bird Seal, and although every part of his body felt painful afterward, especially his eyes.

He was not as fragile as Young Master Xingzhuo thought.

He had even sent someone to deliver breakfast this morning, letting him eat in his room.

This treatment was practically the same as a young master's.

"How is your recovery?"

Hyuga Shiin suddenly pushed the door open and asked with concern.

Kenshi didn't really want to talk, but he couldn't ignore her concern.

So he had to tell the truth:

"I'm fine, I can go back to work."

Hyuga Shiin, however, pressed him back onto the bed.

"Don't be in such a rush. Young Master Xingzhuo gave you three days of sick leave. You don't have to go to the Dessert Shop after your leave ends; from now on, you'll follow the young master as a guard."

Kenshi was a bit stunned by this.

What was sick leave?

Was it the literal meaning?

And he didn't have to go to the Dessert Shop anymore?

Did he have to go back to being a guard who was often beaten and tortured?

As expected, was it all a lie?

A series of questions surfaced in his heart, but he quickly suppressed them.

He lowered his head, not even knowing why he said such things:

"But if there are no ninjas watching over the Dessert Shop..."

Hyuga Shiin watched the boy mumble these words, understood a little, and spoke with more patience:

"The young master has already asked the clan for someone else to fill your vacancy."

"However, Kenshi, are you reluctant to leave your job at the Dessert Shop?"

"Actually, there's no need. As one of our own, you can go to the Dessert Shop and the Barbecue Shop to eat for free whenever you want."

Hyuga Kenshi looked up, bewildered.

What did she mean by "one of our own" and "eat for free"?

Such unfamiliar words.

And Hyuga Shiin continued:

"Only those valued by the young master can become guards. From now on, you, Yun Fei, and Lian will take turns protecting the young master—one day each, followed by two days of rest."

"According to the young master, it's 'work one, rest two.' You can allocate your time however you like during your rest days; you can spend the whole day at the Dessert Shop or eat whatever you want at the Barbecue Shop. Of course, I personally suggest that you shouldn't neglect your training while relaxing. I think the young master gives you so much free time so that you can become Jonin sooner."

As she spoke, she winked and added, "You know what I mean."

After Hyuga Shiin finished her instructions, she left.

Hyuga Kenshi lay on the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling.

"I know what she means? How could that be?"

"The Caged Bird Seal and the branch family system have lasted for a thousand years; how could they be broken?"

"But, but..."

He didn't really believe Xingzhuo's promise.

Yet, a small flame suddenly ignited in his heart.

This flame was even brighter than the "farewell" he had always longed for.

He struggled with his doubts for a long time, eventually settling on a single whisper to himself:

"But, what if it's true?"

Holding onto this thought, accompanied by the pain in his body, he soon drifted into a dream.

And this time, the dream was no longer about kneeling and begging for mercy, nor was there any fear of tomorrow or the future.

The next day, Hyuga Kenshi was visited by Yun Fei.

"How are you? If you're feeling better, let's go get some breakfast."

Yun Fei said as soon as he entered the room.

Kenshi was somewhat surprised by the other's initiative to bridge the distance between them.

Kenshi propped himself up and decided to go get breakfast together.

The place for dining was still within this large compound.

And this breakfast changed many of his perceptions.

With the same tables and chairs as the Dessert Shop, members of the Main House and Branch House sat at the same table, chatting and laughing during the meal, and the food was all novel and delicious.

It seemed that everything here defied the rules.

At the very least, it subverted Hyuga Kenshi's understanding.

When breakfast was nearly finished, Hyuga Hoshishaku suddenly clapped his hands to attract everyone's attention.

Upon hearing this, Kenshi immediately put down his chopsticks and looked toward Young Master Hoshishaku, his expression becoming a bit more serious.

"Everyone, except for Aunt Ziyin, come to the backyard later. I intend to teach you the Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm."

As he spoke, the young master also looked at him.

"Kenshi, you come too. I'll have Yun Fei move a chair over for you later; just sit in the chair and listen. Staying cooped up in the room all day is bad for your mood."

After saying this, the young master stood up and left.

He, however, remained stunned in his chair, feeling somewhat at a loss.

Teaching the Vacuum Palm?

Was it the same Vacuum Palm he knew?

And, he could sit and listen?

Huh?!

No matter how shocked or confused Hyuga Kenshi was.

What was meant to happen would always happen.

In the small training ground in the backyard, Hyuga Kenshi sat on the chair feeling extremely uncomfortable, as if there were needles under his seat.

But the young master had already held him down twice; he dared not defy the young master's decision, so he had no choice but to sit and listen to the lesson.

To the side, Yun Fei and Lian were holding back laughter, looking as if they were enjoying the show.

Kenshi was anxious and embarrassed, not knowing how things had turned out this way.

It wasn't until Young Master Hoshishaku began teaching the Vacuum Palm that the atmosphere on the field quieted down.

"The principle of the Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm isn't actually much different from the standard Eight Trigrams Palm. You only need to apply a certain acceleration when outputting chakra. I will now inject chakra into your wrists, and you must memorize this sensation..."

After speaking, Hyuga Hoshishaku began teaching the Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm to each of them one by one.

But when it came to Kenshi, a problem arose.

"I'm sorry, Young Master, I didn't learn it."

He lowered his head, the self-reproach and guilt in his heart threatening to overflow.

Yet, the young master patted his own forehead and actually began to blame himself first:

"My apologies, my mistake. I forgot that you haven't learned the Eight Trigrams Palm yet. How about this: I will teach you the Eight Trigrams Palm individually first, then we'll learn Rotation, and finally the Vacuum Palm."

Hearing these words, Hyuga Kenshi was shocked yet again.

He had lost count of how many times he had been shocked today.

The young master of the Main House was actually personally teaching secret techniques of the Main House to someone like him, who had made no contributions?!

However, whether he believed it or not, it was destined to happen.

For the entire day that followed, Hyuga Hoshishaku taught Hyuga Kenshi the Eight Trigrams Palm hand-in-hand.

Benefiting from previous teaching experience, Hoshishaku taught smoothly, and Kenshi learned quickly.

After training for the whole day, the boys walked into the bathroom, covered in sweat.

Hyuga Kenshi was sixteen years old this year and had already reached his growth spurt.

As the oldest one, he felt very shy about bathing in the same room as thirteen-year-old Yun Fei and seven-year-old Young Master Hoshishaku.

In the past, he had always bathed in the single-person bathhouse in the Branch House compound; where had he ever seen such a communal bathhouse?

But how could Hyuga Hoshishaku, who was a Northeasterner in his past life, coddle him?

Shy?

Everyone is the same, what is there to be shy about?

After Hyuga Kenshi finished washing up in the bathroom, he was grabbed by the young master and tossed into the medicinal bath.

Young Master Hoshishaku didn't spare him with his words, saying:

"Look at you, thin as a weak chicken. Once you're here with me, you'd better fatten up quickly."

Hearing these words, which sounded like a reprimand but were actually expressions of care, Hyuga Kenshi's eyes suddenly misted over.

He let out an "en" as a response to Young Master Hoshishaku's words.

Then, he turned his body to the side, not wanting the young master or Yun Fei to see his tears.