Pervert

Xu Yang shook his head and said, "Uncle, do you know the Liu Family in the Inner City?"

Zhou Shunchang nodded. "Naturally. The Liu Family is a prominent name even in Qingyuan; the Huang Family isn't even in the same league."

Xu Yang smiled. "The Liu Family previously wanted to marry their daughter to me and offered fifteen taels of silver in cultivation resources every month, but I refused."

Zhou Shunchang was stunned. If that was the case, the Huang Family was certainly playing a clever game. His own nephew had actually caught the eye of the Inner City's Liu Family, who had offered such generous terms.

The next moment, his eyes widened. "You brat, why would you refuse something like that without consulting me?"

"They wanted me to marry into their family!"

Xu Yang laughed, and Zhou Shunchang's expression softened; marrying into a family was indeed out of the question.

"The Huang Family doesn't require you to marry into theirs," he said. "They don't even want a dowry."

Xu Yang shook his head again. "To be honest with you, I have no intention of getting married right now. If I were willing, the Liu Family would likely still be open to it, though the money might be less. Please turn down the Huang Family's proposal."

Zhou Shunchang began to feel a headache coming on. If he were to pressure Xu Yang into marriage, he would naturally want him to marry the Liu girl, who offered better conditions. The Huang Family was clearly trying to get something for nothing and tie his nephew down.

Yet, he was a member of the Huang Family, and it wouldn't be easy to refuse them directly.

"It's fine. Just mention the Liu Family matter to them and say I'm still considering it; they'll understand."

Xu Yang added, "If they still won't give up, I'll meet them and find an excuse to turn them down then."

He didn't want to make things difficult for his uncle, as these were orders from the head of the family.

"That will have to do," Zhou Shunchang nodded.

After chatting with Zhou Shunchang for a while longer, Xu Yang rose to leave.

Time flew by, and another seven days passed.

At the Liu Family, he spent his days in the Retainer Courtyard. Whether it was because the Liu family didn't trust him or simply had no use for him, he had never once accompanied anyone from the Liu family when they went out.

Of course, it wasn't just him; Wu Yongfeng and the others were in the same boat.

Every day, they would go to the Liu residence, practice their martial arts there, and then eat before returning to Wei Yuan Hall.

That day, news came from the Outer Courtyard that Qian Jiaxing had failed his breakthrough.

By the time Xu Yang rushed over, Qian Jiaxing had already left, so he didn't get to see him in his state of despair and dejection.

Two days later, Zhang Yong and Zhang Hong both successfully gathered their Qi and entered the Inner Courtyard.

Out of the ten people selected by the Huang Family in their batch, four had finally succeeded in gathering Qi and becoming martial artists.

Both of them had taken three months to succeed, just like Wu Yongfeng. Even though they entered the Inner Courtyard, few people paid them any mind, so they had no choice but to stick with Xu Yang once again.

Including Wu Yongfeng, the four of them formed a small group, exchanging pointers and sparring without needing to suck up to anyone.

It was also on this day that Xu Yang's comprehension reached 30, and his progress in his cultivation techniques accelerated significantly.

"Why the long face?"

Returning home at dusk, Xu Yang found that little Xu Qing wasn't practicing her writing, but sitting there with a miserable expression.

"That annoying guy from the Yang family became a martial artist. Xu Laoer and Zhang Cuiting brought him over today to show off. The way he acted so high and mighty, I really wanted to stomp on his face," the little girl pouted.

"I didn't expect him to be able to gather Qi!"

Xu Yang looked surprised upon hearing this.

Gathering Qi was indeed a matter of luck.

At Wei Yuan Hall, he dealt with such people every day.

Among those he had met, Yang Jun was arguably the most useless—even Zhou Yang was better than him, possessing a firm heart and working hard—and he couldn't even compare to people like Qian Jiaxing.

Yet, he had somehow succeeded in gathering Qi, seemingly even past the three-month mark.

"Xu Laoer's good days should be coming to an end soon," Xu Yang laughed.

Xu Qing didn't quite understand, but only a few days later, Xu Laoer showed up at their door, bruised and swollen, crying for help. He had not only been beaten by Yang Jun but also kicked out, and he hoped Xu Yang and Xu Qing would take him in.

To this, Xu Yang had only one word: "Get lost."

"A-Yang, I am your father, after all. How can you just ignore me?"

Xu Laoer stood outside the door, not daring to enter because of the aura Xu Yang exuded.

"We have already severed ties; your life or death has nothing to do with me. Didn't you say Yang Jun became a martial artist and you could bask in his glory? Why don't you go do that?"

Xu Laoer's face flushed red. He hadn't expected that after years of enduring, Yang Jun would become a martial artist and immediately find an excuse to kick him out.

"Get out. If you dare to harass us again, not only will Yang Jun beat you, but I will too. Even though you're my father and I can't lay a hand on you, if I ask the Tri-Union Gang, I'm sure they'd be happy to oblige."

Recalling how Xu Yang had calmly let Li Sanhe chop off a man's arm that day, Xu Laoer didn't dare to pester them further and had no choice but to go beg his own older brother for shelter.

"He's still our father, no matter how bad he is. Are we really not going to help him?" the little girl asked, feeling a bit soft-hearted.

"Don't worry, he's a grown man with hands and feet; he won't starve to death."

Xu Yang shook his head.

Xu Laoer had never acted like a decent human being, so he found no reason to forgive him. As for whether others would call him unfilial, he couldn't care less.

After a night passed, he had already forgotten about Xu Laoer and headed to the Liu residence early the next morning.

Just as he arrived at the Retainer Courtyard, he saw Zhang Bo standing there with a grave expression, a blade unusually strapped to his waist.

"What happened?" Xu Yang asked Wang Yun, another retainer, in a low voice.

Wang Yun whispered, "A lecherous thief called Jade Butterfly has appeared in the city, specializing in preying on the young ladies of wealthy families. Several families have already come forward about their daughters falling victim, and there's no telling how many more haven't reported it. As for the Liu Mansion, there are over a dozen young ladies, both young and old..."

Xu Yang was startled. "Have any of the young ladies in the mansion been harmed?"

He had heard Qiu Wenjie mention a flower-plucking thief before, but he hadn't expected such a talent to actually exist.

Wang Yun glared at him and said, "No, but with someone like this on the loose, the young ladies in the mansion are in danger. From now on, whenever they leave the estate, they must be accompanied by a retainer. Our easy days are over."

After a while, everyone had gathered, and Zhang Bo began to issue instructions: "Keep your wits about you. The masters have supported us for so long; now is the time to prove our worth. Don't you dare embarrass the Retainer Courtyard.

"No cultivation today. Rest up and stay sharp, ready to act at a moment's notice.

"When you accompany the young ladies outside, do not give that thief any opportunity. Do your jobs well, and the masters will not be stingy with their rewards."

Hearing about the rewards, Wang Yun, who had just been lamenting the end of his easy life, began to rub his hands together in anticipation.

Working for a wealthy family, the monthly stipend was only pocket change; if one could perform a meritorious deed, that was where the real money lay.

He even secretly hoped that Jade Butterfly would show up at the Liu Mansion so he could capture him in one fell swoop and gain both fame and fortune.

Anyone who dares to target wealthy families can't be a mediocrity. If our half-baked skills run into him, we probably won't even know how we died.

Xu Yang had no desire to seek glory. Since Jade Butterfly had done so much and remained unscathed, he must have formidable abilities. As someone who had only just entered the Qi Gathering stage, he knew he lacked the skill to prey on so many young ladies from wealthy families.

"Brother Zhang Bo, what kind of methods does Jade Butterfly use, and how old is he? Tell us so we can be prepared," a retainer named Bao Gang asked.

Zhang Bo replied, "It is said he excels at using poison and possesses peerless light-body techniques. If you encounter him, hold your breath immediately."

Just as they were speaking, a woman dressed as a maid walked over and said, "Retainer Zhang, the Fifth Young Lady wishes to go to the Plain Maiden Hall. Please arrange for a retainer to escort her."

"Very well, please wait a moment!"

Zhang Bo nodded, his gaze sweeping over everyone's faces before finally landing on Xu Yang. "Xu Yang, you go and escort the Fifth Young Lady."