The Liu Family

The day passed quickly. Xu Yang had gained some understanding of cultivating in the Qi Gathering realm. It was hard!

He had cultivated for most of the day, but neither the Turtle-Snake Great Stance nor the Mountain-Shaking Bear Fist had made any progress.

He estimated that he would need to cultivate for at least another day before the progress of either technique changed.

In other words, with his current Bone Root and Comprehension, it would probably take him over two years to advance the Turtle-Snake Great Stance to the next level, and over three years to advance the Mountain-Shaking Bear Fist.

Since his Bone Root was inferior to Lu Ren's, it wasn't unreasonable that so many people looked down on him.

His Bone Root was already only Grade B, and he was this slow. If he still had a Grade C Bone Root, forget Marrow Cleansing—he might even struggle to reach Major Success in Qi Gathering.

"Luckily, both my Bone Root and Comprehension can improve. They aren't set in stone. I have the Martial Dao Longevity Panel, and all the time in the world."

Thinking of this, Xu Yang cheered up again. He had found another path to longevity and had plenty of time to make slow, steady progress.

The next day, Xu Yang returned to his usual routine and arrived at Wei Yuan Hall early to practice his fist.

"Junior Brother Lu, that move was well executed. It already has a hint of the 'Explosive Bear Force.'"

"Junior Brother Lu, let me spar with you. The 'Explosive Bear Force' is the core of the Mountain-Shaking Bear Fist. The sooner you grasp it, the better."

"With your Bone Root, you'll understand it in two or three months at most."

Nearby, several senior brothers who had entered the Inner Courtyard earlier gathered around Lu Ren, taking turns sparring with him to help him practice.

The Mountain-Shaking Bear Fist was a martial art for killing and self-defense. The best way to understand the mysteries of force and true qi was through actual combat.

Lu Ren had an excellent Bone Root and had become an Attendant of the Huang Family. His future was bright, so plenty of people were willing to befriend him and lend him a hand.

Xu Yang had been judged to have reached the limit of his potential, so of course no one wanted to waste their energy on him.

"Junior Brother Xu, how about we spar?"

Xu Yang wasn't the only one being left out. The senior brother before him, Wu Yongfeng, was in the same boat.

He was the one who had successfully reached Qi Gathering in the Outer Courtyard before Xu Yang and Lu Ren. But it had taken him nearly three months, and he had no backing, so no one in the Inner Courtyard paid him any attention either.

They were both unwelcome, so naturally they stuck together.

Xu Yang cupped his hands. "Please instruct me, Senior Brother Wu."

"We'll help each other improve."

Wu Yongfeng smiled, and the two soon fell into a flurry of blows.

A quarter of an hour later, both men were panting.

Xu Yang finally understood why the senior brothers in the Inner Courtyard rarely practiced and spent most of their time resting.

One spar was more exhausting than an hour of nonstop fist practice. Though they had held back, a few injuries were unavoidable.

Of course, it worked well too. It was much better than grinding away on his own.

"You two should ask the other senior brothers for advice more often. Don't be too embarrassed. The senior brothers in the Inner Courtyard are decent enough. You've only just reached Qi Gathering, and you haven't grasped force yet. You should seek guidance from those who have." Sun Tao walked over.

"Greetings, Senior Brother Sun!" The two stood and cupped their hands.

They knew that, of course, but the older disciples weren't interested in them. Even if they swallowed their pride and asked, the others might not be willing to teach them.

Xu Yang had plenty of time to make slow, steady progress. He didn't want to go out of his way to court a cold shoulder.

Sun Tao nodded, then turned to Xu Yang. "Junior Brother Xu, the Liu Family in the city asked me to pass on a message. They'd like to hire you as an Attendant."

Xu Yang wasn't surprised. Now that he had successfully reached Qi Gathering, people were bound to take notice. Wei Yuan Hall also had channels for recommending disciples to the wealthy families in the city.

He didn't know the Liu Family's standing, but he wanted to hear what they were offering.

Sun Tao said, "They want you to marry into the Liu Family. They promise to provide you with resources worth at least fifteen taels a month, and you'll also be able to practice the Liu Family's inherited martial arts."

Wu Yongfeng looked envious. Fifteen taels of silver a month was already as much as Lu Ren received from the Huang Family. Add in the inherited martial arts, and Xu Yang's offer might even be better than Lu Ren's.

But Xu Yang had no intention of marrying into the family. He refused without a moment's thought. "Senior Brother, I have no intention of marrying into a family."

Families generally arranged marriages with their hired martial artists to cement their ties.

A few demanded that the martial artist marry into the family, while most married off a daughter. But Xu Yang wanted neither.

He simply didn't want to be tied down too tightly. That was why he had deliberately waited a few days to break through after Lu Ren.

Sun Tao froze. Xu Yang had actually turned down such a good offer.

For a country bumpkin like Xu Yang to marry a Liu Family young lady was like having his ancestors' graves glow with good fortune.

If he hadn't successfully reached Qi Gathering, he wouldn't even have had the chance to meet her.

"Junior Brother Xu, you're being foolish!"

Sun Tao shook his head. "When a wealthy family hires an Attendant, they usually arrange a marriage even if they don't demand that he marry into the family. Once he becomes one of their own, they won't begrudge the money they spend cultivating him."

The great families' plans rang out like abacuses clacking. They turned you into one of their own, and the money they spent came right back to them.

He continued, "Take it from your senior brother: the Liu Family is a major force in Qingyuan, far stronger than the Huang Family. They're offering you only fifteen taels a month, but once you marry into the family and become one of their own, there'll be room to negotiate about resources.

"Your Bone Root is inferior to Lu Ren's. Without a faction to cultivate you, I'm afraid you'll have no hope of Marrow Cleansing.

"The Liu Family is only willing to take a gamble on you because you broke through just a few days after Lu Ren. They want to see if you're truly as talented as he is, rather than having gotten lucky. You should face reality."

His meaning was clear: the Liu Family was gambling too, betting that Xu Yang hadn't just gotten lucky but really did have talent to rival Lu Ren's.

"Marrying into a family isn't shameful. If you achieve something in the martial arts someday, whether to establish your own household will still be up to you."

Xu Yang shook his head. "Thank you for your concern, Senior Brother, but I still don't want to marry into a family. I don't want to get married for now, either."

Seeing this, Sun Tao stopped trying to persuade him. "If you don't want to marry into a family, the Liu Family will only offer you five taels a month to hire you as an ordinary Attendant. The same goes for you, Junior Brother Wu. The Liu Family is the only one looking for people right now. If you're unwilling, you'll have to wait."

Martial artists were scarce, but that didn't mean jobs were waiting for them everywhere. Otherwise, people like Li Sanhe wouldn't have gone outside the city to prey on the poor.

Wu Yongfeng had reached Qi Gathering nearly half a month before Xu Yang, yet he still hadn't found any work.

Wu Yongfeng agreed right away. If he missed out on the Liu Family, he didn't know how long he'd have to wait.

Five taels would do. It was better than sitting around and eating through his savings.

Ordinary Attendants generally received ten taels, but that was on the condition that they married into the family.

Xu Yang didn't want to marry into a family, while Wu Yongfeng's talent was too poor for any family to want him. He didn't even have the chance to marry into one.

Xu Yang hesitated. "Senior Brother Sun, won't the Liu Family hold this against me?"

Sun Tao gave him an amused look. "Don't overthink it. To the Liu Family, this is just a deal that didn't go through. Whenever they recruit someone, they try to arrange a marriage with anyone who shows promise. You're not an exception."

Hearing that, Xu Yang agreed to become an Attendant for the Liu Family.

"I'll write you a letter of introduction. The two of you can report to the Liu Family in a little while."

Sun Tao left, then returned a moment later with a letter and handed it to them.

They took the letter and soon left.

"What a fool. The Liu Family wanted him, and that alone means his ancestors' graves are glowing with good fortune, yet he turned them down."

When Jiang Ping heard that Xu Yang had refused to marry into the Liu Family, he couldn't help finding it ridiculous.

So many people wanted to become the Liu Family's son-in-law, but weren't even qualified.

"Everyone has their own ambitions. There's no need to force it."

Sun Tao smiled at Lu Ren. "The Huang Family must have asked you for the same thing, Junior Brother Lu."

Lu Ren nodded. "I'm willing to marry into the family, but the Huang Family isn't good enough for me to marry into it."