Martial Dao Four Realms

Chen Ye withdrew his hand from the door.

When he turned around, his face was already plastered with a smile.

"The young master just rewarded me with silver, and I was just thinking of heading out to find some fun."

"Your top priority right now is to go into seclusion and practice your martial arts; don't lose sight of what's important!" Zhang Tieyi's expression turned stern, his gaze sharp as he said, "Once you have achieved success in your training, there will be plenty of time for you to enjoy yourself."

As he spoke, his gaze lingered on Chen Ye's face for a moment.

"Also, remember your status. You are a servant of the Gao Family and must obey the arrangements of the Gao Family. Do not harbor any other thoughts!"

Chen Ye's heart skipped a beat.

The tail end of the man's sentence had been pressed down, sounding like a warning.

Had Zhang Tieyi noticed something?

He had transmigrated here only seven or eight days ago, working from dawn till dusk every day. He had encountered fewer than five people, and the total number of words he had spoken likely didn't exceed one hundred.

He shouldn't have made a mistake in that regard.

The problem likely lay in his mindset.

The previous owner of this body was an honest and dutiful servant.

Chen Ye was not.

When interacting with others, he had never placed himself in a position of inferiority.

It must have been his failure to notice this that led to him being detected.

The sudden sense of crisis made Chen Ye feel that it was best not to resist openly.

He lowered his eyes, nodded, and said, "Yes, I understand."

Chen Ye turned away, feeling a chill on the back of his head, his hair standing on end.

It felt as if someone were holding a needle point against the back of his neck.

He didn't know if Zhang Tieyi was still watching him, but this sensation persisted for at least three breaths before slowly fading away.

Zhang Tieyi's expression turned cold. He knocked on the tightly shut door and ordered those outside, "Tell everyone to stay far away; don't be an eyesore here."

Back in his room, the calm on Chen Ye's face vanished completely, replaced by an icy chill.

Would a member of the Xie Family, who was about to enter the capital, be short of a servant who had been trained for less than a month?

Something was wrong.

He remembered Gao Yunheng saying that Lord Xie of the Inspection Bureau would be entering the capital in a month, and there could be no mistakes.

"There could be no mistakes."

Chen Ye lined up these clues in his mind.

They could be connected, but he still couldn't piece together the full picture.

However, one thing was certain.

The Gao Family was not training him to be a good guard in the future, but for something else.

Yet, regardless of the Gao Family's purpose or what they would require of him later, there was only one thing he could do now.

Practice.

Practice until he was strong enough—strong enough that no one could take his life.

He stood up, intending to pawn his lifespan to improve his cultivation.

However, the moment the thought crossed his mind, Chen Ye suddenly stopped, thinking:

I cannot do it here.

Zhang Tieyi is nearby, and the changes that occur when pawning lifespan might not be hidden from a martial arts expert.

Chen Ye temporarily suppressed this thought, planning to first get a clear understanding of the situation in this courtyard.

He would improve his cultivation when a suitable opportunity arose later.

Chen Ye sat on the bench, pondered for a while, and poured out all the silver from his pouch to count it.

Twenty taels.

More than ten times what the original owner had saved.

One tael of silver could redeem four days of lifespan.

Twenty taels meant eighty days.

It wasn't a lot, but it wasn't a little either.

Chen Ye shifted his consciousness and chose to redeem his lifespan.

Thirteen taels of silver in his hand vanished into thin air instantly.

[Current remaining lifespan: 3 years and 52 days]

He tucked the remaining seven taels of broken silver back into his pouch.

Just as he pulled his lapels shut, a knock sounded at the door.

"Who is it?"

"It's me."

The voice of Gao Qiaoniang came through the door panel: "Lord Xie told me to pass on a message: get ready quickly, it's time for training."

"Coming." Chen Ye stood up and straightened his clothes.

Before stepping out, he glanced through the square window; the two guards who had been chatting and laughing were gone.

He narrowed his eyes and pushed the door open.

Zhang Tieyi was already standing in the center of the courtyard, hands clasped behind his back.

The morning sun hit from his side, casting his nearly two-meter frame into a dense, dark shadow that exerted immense pressure.

Gao Qiaoniang stood to the side, holding a wooden tray.

On the tray sat a bright red pill, crystalline and translucent, emitting a rich medicinal fragrance.

"Eat this," Zhang Tieyi said.

Chen Ye stared at the pill of unknown origin, his heart filled with resistance.

But as a servant, he had no right to question his master's arrangements, let alone the right to refuse.

He stepped forward, his face full of compliance, and said: "Thank you, Lord Xie, for the medicine!"

With that, he took the pill and swallowed it.

As the pill slid down his throat, a thick, metallic sweetness spread through his mouth.

At the same time, the numbers on the Pawn System panel flickered without warning.

[Current remaining lifespan: 3 years and 30 days]

Chen Ye felt a violent jolt in his heart.

If he had any doubts before, he was now certain.

These treacherous people are trying to harm me!

A mere pill had cost him over twenty days of his life.

He kept his breathing steady.

So steady that even Zhang Tieyi, standing two steps away, did not notice that his breath had actually hitched for two beats.

Zhang Tieyi spoke: "This is a Blood Ginseng Pill. It stimulates a martial artist's blood and qi, which is of great benefit to cultivation. After taking it, you will feel your whole body heat up; training now will yield twice the result with half the effort."

No sooner had he finished speaking than Chen Ye felt a scorching heat rise from his stomach, as if he had downed a bowl of strong liquor, leaving his entire body burning.

"Take your stance," Zhang Tieyi said, tilting his chin: "Next, I will teach you the breathing technique that accompanies the Tiger-Capturing Fist."

Chen Ye took his stance as instructed.

The heat rampaged through his blood vessels, making his fingers tremble slightly.

"Martial cultivation is divided into four realms based on physical transformation: Mortal Shedding, Dragon Elephant, Bridge Sea, and Xiantian."

Chen Ye struggled against the burning sensation inside him while trying his best to memorize Zhang Tieyi's words.

"Although there are only four levels, the achievements of each person within those realms vary wildly. In the Mortal Shedding realm, some shed their mortal coil once and reach a limit of two hundred catties of strength, while others can shed it three times, mastering a thousand catties of force."

Zhang Tieyi stared at Chen Ye as he continued.

By now, beads of sweat were trickling down Chen Ye's temples, and the heat of the Blood Ginseng Pill felt like a nest of ants crawling over his muscles, yet he kept his stance perfectly still.

"What if one reaches the Xiantian realm?" Chen Ye asked, his voice raspy: "Can one achieve immortality?"

"Immortality? Never heard of it. Even if one achieves Xiantian and ranks among the sages, one cannot escape the cycle of life and death."

"What about extending one's life? Does martial arts have that effect?"

"Naturally." Zhang Tieyi's tone was flat: "There is no shortage of techniques and pills in martial arts that nourish one's lifespan, and they are highly sought after by high-ranking officials and nobles. Especially among the great clans and sects in the capital, such techniques are particularly common."

Chen Ye committed this to memory.

He needed this.

Only by replenishing his lifespan would the Pawn System truly be useful.

"This breathing technique and the Blood Ginseng Pill have the effect of nourishing one's lifespan. They are extremely rare and worth a thousand gold," Zhang Tieyi said, his tone shifting to entice him: "You may pass this down to your family in the future, but you must not reveal it to outsiders."

The corner of Chen Ye's mouth twitched.

If not for the numbers that had just flickered on his panel, he almost would have believed him.

He dismissed the thought and let a look of gratitude surface on his face: "Thank you, Lord Xie."

Zhang Tieyi was very satisfied with Chen Ye's expression.

In his view, dealing with a naive servant was a matter he had firmly in his grasp.