Longevity Redeemed, Small Courtyard

Chen Ye neither knew how to raise horses nor how to ride them, so upon returning to the Capital City, he temporarily entrusted the horse gifted by the Cui Family to Su Guang for care and use, returning to Osmanthus Lane alone.

Closing the door, he sat on the edge of the bed, closed his eyes to run through the entire sequence of events in his mind, and only after confirming nothing was missed did he let out a long, heavy sigh.

Although he did not know what arrangements the Cui Family would make next, everything that needed to be done for the moment had been completed.

The rest could only be taken one step at a time.

Chen Ye set aside all thoughts and collapsed into sleep.

Because of this affair, he had not closed his eyes for nearly two days and two nights.

Having gone through another round of struggle, if not for his Mortal Shedding several times over, leaving him with abundant energy, he reckoned he would not have been able to hold out.

Now that the dust had settled, Chen Ye decided to think of nothing and get a good night's sleep.

He was absolutely not going to sleep only four hours a day while continuing to temper his body.

Chen Ye slept exceptionally deeply.

By the time he woke up, the sky had turned completely pitch black.

He pushed open the window; the lane was shrouded in darkness, with only the sound of the night watchman striking his clapper and passing by with a flickering lantern.

Judging by the time, it was already midnight.

Chen Ye lit an oil lamp.

A bean-sized flame leapt up, pushing the darkness away to reveal a small circle of light.

By this light, Chen Ye retrieved the valuables he had sorted during the day from under the bed.

A milky-white, thumb-sized precious pearl rested in his palm.

Su Guang and the others said this was an East Sea Relic Pearl.

A single one was worth six taels.

This item was not easy to sell.

Fortunately, the Pawn System was not picky; as long as the wealth belonged to him, it could be redeemed for lifespan.

These hard-to-sell jewels were perfect for being cleared through the system, killing two birds with one stone.

Chen Ye stirred his consciousness, and the familiar interface appeared before his eyes.

[Remaining Redeemable Lifespan: 146 days]

With a thought, the few pieces of jewelry he had selected vanished into thin air, transforming into a faint glimmer of golden light that merged into the panel.

The numbers on the panel began to jump.

[Current Remaining Lifespan: 595 days.]

[Pawnable Lifespan: 594 days]

[Cumulative Redeemed: 548 days]

[Remaining Redeemable Lifespan: 0 days]

Looking at the number after "Remaining Redeemable Lifespan" having turned to zero, Chen Ye could not help but feel a sense of relief.

It was as if a perpetually wrinkled bedsheet had finally been smoothed out, which was immensely satisfying.

Now that the issue of lifespan was temporarily resolved, he had enough breathing room to take a long, deep breath.

Next, all that was missing was a higher-grade cultivation technique.

As a second-rank noble house, the Cui Family possessed countless books.

There would surely be the martial arts he needed within them.

Cui Family.

Near the northwest corner, there was an exquisite small courtyard.

The courtyard was planted with daylilies and Chinese toon trees, accompanied by sweet osmanthus, angelica, and orchids, forming a scene of "thriving toon and daylily, fragrant orchid and laurel."

In the corner were wolfberry and chrysanthemums, with a yellowhorn tree nearby.

Looking out, it was a scene full of vitality.

Cui Xijun had just finished handling affairs for the Liu Family and returned from outside; before she could even sit down, the courtyard gate was pushed open from the outside.

"Third Sister!"

At the entrance, a young master of about ten years old ran in quickly and dove into Cui Xijun's arms.

The young master wore a red headband and a purple-red long robe, with fine jade hanging at his waist, exuding an air of nobility.

Behind him followed two young women.

The one in front wore a lotus-root-colored beizi, her entire demeanor as steady as water.

The one behind wore a sharp, tight-sleeved short shirt with a belt cinched tight at her waist; as she stepped over the threshold, she habitually leaped over it, not at all like a refined lady.

These people were none other than the siblings of Cui Xijun.

"Cui Kan, stop it."

The eldest sister, Cui Lingyi, gave a soft reprimand, though there was no real blame in her tone.

She walked over to Cui Xijun, looked her up and down, and only let out a sigh of relief when she saw that she was unharmed.

"Steward Cheng told us everything. As soon as we heard you were free, we rushed over to see you."

The second sister, Cui Yingtang, was not as reserved as the eldest. She walked straight up to Cui Xijun, grabbed her shoulders, and spun her around from head to toe to confirm that she was missing no limbs before finally letting go.

"Hong Ling said the ground was covered in corpses. How many desperate outlaws attacked you this time? What was the cultivation level of their leader?"

Cui Xijun's shoulders ached from the grip, but she didn't pull away, replying, "About a dozen or so. The leader was likely at the Dragon Elephant realm."

"Dragon Elephant realm? Then how did you escape? I heard that even the guard Yin was killed."

"It was a bit of a coincidence. A young man happened to be passing by. Liu Zhao had set up traps in the carriage, and I was trapped inside; it was he who dismantled them for me. When he came out, he was covered in blood. The rest of the bandits must have been killed by him."

Cui Yingtang frowned. "Have you checked the background of that young man?"

"I looked into it while investigating the Liu Family. All I know is that he is an outsider who just arrived in the Capital City to make a living. He happened to be going to Xiangguo Temple to burn incense and bears no ill will toward the Cui Family. I still need to dig a bit deeper."

Cui Yingtang fell silent for a moment, then sat back in her chair and took a gulp of the cold tea on the table.

"What a pity." She paused, then turned to look at Cui Xijun. "If those thugs weren't dead, I would have liked to trade a few blows with them. Let them die for a worthy cause."

Cui Lingyi sighed. "Yingtang, our third sister just survived an assassination attempt. Instead of asking about her injuries, you ask about the cultivation of the killers, and now you're thinking about fighting? How will you ever get married?"

She sat down beside Cui Xijun and asked, "How do you plan to handle the person who saved you?"

Cui Xijun said, "That is what I am thinking: I will see if he is suitable. If he is, I will recruit him into the estate to work. If not, I will give him some silver and send him on his way. What do you think, Eldest Sister?"

"As long as you have a plan. A word of warning: even if you recruit him, he cannot be a retainer of the Cui Family. The clan still has some objections to how you handled things."

Cui Xijun paused for a moment. "If I recruit him, I will keep him by my side for now and not place him in the estate. We can discuss it later when the time is right."

Cui Lingyi did not continue the topic.

She studied her third sister's face and said, "You've lost weight these past two days. I've had someone stew some ginseng soup; I'll have it sent over to you later."

Cui Kan poked his head out from Cui Xijun's embrace and asked, looking up, "Third Sister, when you met those thieves, were you scared?"

Cui Xijun looked down at her little brother. "I was. But fear alone is useless; one must find a way to fight their way out."

Cui Kan tilted his head, thought for a moment, and said very earnestly, "Then when I grow up, I'll be your guard. I promise no one will be able to bully you."

Cui Yingtang let out a scoff from the side. "You should worry about holding your stance for half an hour first."

"Second Sister, you're making fun of me again!" Cui Kan's face turned bright red. He jumped out of Cui Xijun's arms and rushed at Cui Yingtang, throwing punches.

Cui Yingtang pressed a hand to the top of his head, and his fists swung uselessly an arm's length away, unable to reach her.

"Second Sister, you're just taking advantage of your long arms!"

Cui Kan's face was flushed, not from anger, but from the helplessness of being teased by his sister.

Cui Lingyi watched the two of them bicker, the corners of her mouth lifting slightly, though she did not intervene.

She knew Yingtang was just teasing the child; they were used to this kind of play.

Cui Lingyi looked at Cui Xijun and asked, "As for the Liu Family, do you intend to just end it like this?"

"Yes. What should be conceded has been conceded, and what should be coughed up has been returned. It's best to stop while we're ahead," Cui Xijun said calmly. "If we keep pushing, it won't look good for anyone."

Cui Lingyi nodded, not asking for further details.

She took a folded list from her sleeve and handed it to Cui Xijun. "This is what you wanted. I had the accounting office calculate it overnight. You'll have a better idea of things when you have the stewards take over."

Cui Xijun unfolded the list and scanned it. It was densely packed with the accounts of the properties they had seized from the Liu Family, along with the connections behind them.

She looked up at Cui Lingyi, a hint of surprise in her eyes. "Eldest Sister, you even investigated the hidden assets behind these?"

Cui Lingyi smiled faintly. "If you, the 'talented lady with a blade in her skirt,' are out there blocking knives, I can't just sit idly in the estate."

"Come visit my courtyard again when you're done with your work."

With that, she stood up and walked toward the door.

Seeing the eldest sister leave, Cui Yingtang also stood up and followed.

Cui Kan clenched his little fists and said, "Third Sister, just you wait. I will definitely practice my martial arts well. Starting tomorrow, I'll practice my stance seriously."

Cui Xijun reached out and ruffled Cui Kan's hair. "Go find your Second Sister. Tell her that Third Sister says your stance training will be extended by half an hour starting tomorrow, and you are not allowed to slack off."

"I won't slack off!" Cui Kan turned and ran to the door, then looked back and shouted, "Third Sister, get some rest! I'll come see you again another day!"

With that, he scurried away.

The side hall finally fell quiet.

After chatting with them, Cui Xijun's thoughts returned to Chen Ye.

Now that everything had been wrapped up, it was the perfect time to look into his background and see if he was a suitable candidate.

Cui Xijun immediately summoned Steward Cheng and arranged for the task to be carried out.