Chapter Nineteen: Appointed to the Tang Family (Seeking Follow-up Reads)

East of the city, the Tang Mansion.

Before even drawing near, Lin Yan could already sense an aura distinct from that of an ordinary wealthy household.

The gate was not ostentatious, yet it was constructed with incredibly solid materials; the two heavy, vermilion-lacquered doors featured door studs the size of bowls, polished to a brilliant sheen.

Understated luxury!

Two guards stood before the gate. They were not brawny men with thick waists and broad shoulders, but rather young men with lean, capable builds and calm gazes. Their temples bulged slightly, and their breathing was steady and long. Although they had not yet reached the "First Skin-Toughening" realm, they were clearly practitioners of martial arts.

"Do you have business here, sir?"

Lin Yan, wearing the disciple uniform of the Yang Family Martial Arts Hall, had naturally caught the attention of the two guards.

"I am Lin Yan, a disciple of the Yang Family Martial Arts Hall, here to take up a post at the Tang Family."

Lin Yan produced a slightly yellowed slip of paper. Xu Hai had given it to him yesterday; it contained only a single sentence: Permit entry to the Tang Mansion for a post.

There was no signature, no seal.

The guards at the gate looked at the handwriting and exchanged glances. Had an ordinary person brought this note, they would have been chased off long ago.

However, a "First Skin-Toughening" disciple from the Yang Family Martial Arts Hall should not be one to forge such a note.

"Please wait a moment, sir."

One guard remained to watch the gate, while the other led Lin Yan to a side room to sit before heading into the mansion to report.

After the time it takes to steep a pot of tea, the guard who had left returned to the side room, following behind a middle-aged man.

The middle-aged man was around forty, dressed in a dark blue fine cotton robe. He was lean, but his gait was steady and even; the distance of every step seemed measured by a ruler, silent yet possessing a peculiar sense of rhythm.

The man's face was ordinary, and his gaze was not sharp or aggressive, but rather restrained. Yet, the moment his eyes landed on him, Lin Yan felt a sense of crisis, as if he were being stalked by a predator.

"Lin Yan of the Yang Family Martial Arts Hall, how did you come by this note?"

"This note was given to me by Uncle Xu."

Lin Yan did not hide anything and recounted Xu Ping's situation. The middle-aged man's expression did not change in the slightest.

This made Lin Yan realize that Uncle Xu was right; in the eyes of the Tang Family, the favor Xu Hai had once rendered had already been bought out.

He had originally thought that if the Tang Family still cherished that favor and were willing to avenge Xu Ping, he would find a roundabout way to reveal that the Wang Family was the mastermind behind the harm done to Xu Ping.

Now, he could discard that notion.

"Given your current strength, there are two posts in the mansion suitable for you. One is guarding the medicinal fields, with a monthly stipend of twenty taels. The other is joining the escort team, also with a monthly stipend of twenty taels, plus a ten-tael silver bonus for every escort mission. Regardless of the post, you may purchase our Tang Family medicinal herbs at seventy percent of the market price."

"This junior chooses to guard the medicinal fields."

Lin Yan made his choice without much hesitation.

Although the escort team offered bonuses, missions would inevitably delay his cultivation. Furthermore, the fact that even the Tang Family needed to hire an escort team meant that such missions carried inherent dangers.

Comparing the two, guarding the medicinal fields was more suitable for him.

"Follow me."

The middle-aged man led Lin Yan into the mansion to register his identity at the accounting office. It was only then that Lin Yan learned this middle-aged man was the head steward of the Tang Mansion.

"You may head to Qingtian Town tomorrow. Someone will inform you of the specific details once you arrive."

"I shall head there tomorrow."

Lin Yan left the Tang Mansion holding a token, but instead of heading home, he went to the martial arts hall.

The hall had rules: disciples taking up outside posts were required to register them at the hall. This allowed the hall to keep track of their disciples' employment, making it easier to provide recommendations should wealthy families require martial artists in the future.

As Lin Yan reached the steps of the General Affairs Room, he happened to run into several senior brothers.

"Junior Brother Lin!"

Li An was as enthusiastic as ever, waving at Lin Yan. "Junior Brother Lin, it just so happens that the Li Family in the city is looking to hire two guards today. Would you like to give it a try?"

"Senior Brother Li, I have already found a post."

Lin Yan shook his head. He was certain the Li Family's compensation would not exceed that of the Tang Family.

"You found a post so quickly?" Li An was somewhat surprised, then lowered his voice. "Junior Brother Lin, if you haven't signed a contract yet, and the pay isn't high, you can turn it down. The Li Family is offering a monthly stipend of fifteen taels."

"I have already signed the contract with the other party."

Li An looked regretful. In his view, a post found in such a rush by a junior brother could not possibly be better than what the Li Family offered.

"Some people just haven't seen the world. They'll take any post for a pittance. If word gets out, it will shame our Yang Family Martial Arts Hall and make disciples of other halls laugh at us for selling our lives for pocket change."

Ge Hui, standing in the crowd, spoke with a tone full of sarcasm. He shared Li An's sentiment, assuming Lin Yan must be penniless and likely struggling to cover the expenses required to maintain his blood and energy, which was why he had been so desperate to take a post.

"Junior Brother Ge, isn't that a bit much?"

Li An did not know the specific conflict between Ge Hui and Lin Yan, but the last time Junior Brother Lin had come to the backyard, Ge Hui's words had been targeted.

"Senior Brother Li, I am only speaking the truth. The stipends our disciples demand for outside posts have always been higher than those of martial artists from wild backgrounds. If Lin Yan breaks the rules, how will the outside world view our Yang Family Martial Arts Hall?"

Watching Ge Hui act like a clown, Lin Yan narrowed his eyes slightly. The day he reached the second stage of skin-toughening would be the day of Ge Hui's demise.

"Senior Brother Li, no need to say more."

Lin Yan stopped Li An, who was about to speak again, and walked toward the counter of the General Affairs Room on his own.

The senior brother in charge of the General Affairs Room glanced up at him, pushed over a worn ledger, and handed him a fine-tipped brush.

Lin Yan took the brush, dipped it in ink, and wrote his name in the "Name" column. He then moved to the "Place of Attachment" column, finished the last stroke, set the brush down, and gently pushed the ledger back.

The senior brother in charge took the ledger and lowered his head to look. His originally indifferent expression froze slightly. His gaze lingered on that line of text for two breaths before he looked up, re-evaluating Lin Yan.

"Junior Brother Lin, your attachment has been recorded." The senior brother's tone was several degrees warmer than before.

Ge Hui stood by the door, still muttering, "What, too afraid to say it? Afraid of losing face?"

This time, the senior brother in charge frowned, his expression turning cold. "Has Junior Brother Ge already reached the third stage of skin-tempering?"

"Senior Brother Qin, you... what do you mean by that?"

"Anyone who didn't know better would think you were already at the third stage of skin-tempering and were the head senior brother of the martial arts hall, given how much you're meddling."

Qin Cheng did not give Ge Hui any face in his words; in terms of strength, he was already at the second stage of skin-tempering, and his family background was far superior to Ge Hui's.

The other disciples at the door sensed something was wrong and silently distanced themselves from Ge Hui.

Senior Brother Qin had a gentle temperament and was in charge of the General Affairs Room, effectively managing all matters of the martial arts hall, and he held the deep trust of their master.

Ge Hui laughed sheepishly and explained, "Senior Brother Qin, I was just worried that the faction Lin Yan attached himself to was too poor and would make our martial arts hall lose face."

"If attaching to the Tang Family counts as losing face for the martial arts hall, then I wish such 'loss of face' would happen more often."

Qin Cheng's voice was not loud, but it was like a needle, precisely piercing through Ge Hui's incessant chatter.

"What Tang Family?" Ge Hui's voice faltered, and he asked instinctively.

However, Qin Cheng did not answer him.

Ge Hui's expression stiffened.

A silence fell over the scene for a moment.

No one present was a fool; there was only one "Tang Family" in the entire Guangping County that could warrant such a remark from Senior Brother Qin.

The Tang Family of the East City!

Many of the disciples who had been watching the show now looked at Lin Yan with changed expressions—filled with surprise, scrutiny, and a newfound, solemn sense of re-evaluation.

From Ge Hui, they knew Lin Yan came from the bottom of society, yet someone from the bottom could attach themselves to the Tang Family?

This Junior Brother Lin was not as simple as he appeared on the surface.

Li An was also stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter and patted Lin Yan on the shoulder, perhaps a bit too hard. "Junior Brother Lin, you really pulled off something impressive without saying a word."

He didn't say anything more, only turned to look at Ge Hui.

That look said nothing at all.

But sometimes, saying nothing is harder to endure than saying anything.

As for Lin Yan, he didn't even spare Ge Hui another glance.

Returning home from the martial arts hall, Lin Yan informed his aunt of the good news.

"Yan'er, you must repay the Xu Family's kindness if you ever have the chance."

While happy for Lin Yan, Liu reminded him, "When your parents were alive, they always taught your uncle that the Lin family must act with a conscience and always remember the kindness of others."

"Aunt, I will keep the Xu Family's kindness in my heart."

"Good." Liu didn't say anything more. "Qingtian Town is quite far from the city. I'll go pack some clothes for you to change into."

"Aunt, why don't we move to the South City?"

Lin Yan looked at his aunt. Gang warfare in the West City had spilled over into the North City, and since he would be heading to Qingtian Town and likely only returning once or twice a month, he feared he would be unable to help if anything happened at home.

The South and East sides of the city were home to many wealthy and powerful families, and the security there was much better.

He couldn't afford a grand estate with the money he had, but a small, single-courtyard house in a quieter area should be manageable.

"Move to the South City?"

Liu hadn't expected her nephew to suggest moving. Knowing he was worried about her safety, she smiled and comforted him, "Yan'er, don't worry about me and Mo. I can do some sewing for the wealthy families, and I won't get into any trouble. You are at a stage where you need money; you must spend it on your martial arts training."

Seeing his aunt's firm attitude, Lin Yan didn't press the issue. He didn't have much money on him right now, so he decided to wait until he reached the second stage of skin-tempering before considering the move again.

Taking advantage of his free time that day, Lin Yan went to the Xu Family again to inform them of his situation at the Tang Mansion, quietly leaving five taels of silver on the table before he left.

After leaving the Xu house, Lin Yan went to the Might-Vast Escort Agency, but Zhang Wei was not there; he had gone out on a mission with the escort team.

Escorts needed people to push the cargo carts, and that wasn't a job for skin-tempering martial artists.

Failing to find Zhang Wei, Lin Yan thought about looking for Monkey, but he wasn't at the pharmacy either; he had gone to procure medicinal herbs with his uncle.

The playmates of his youth were finally beginning to follow their own life paths; they were no longer a group that could be gathered with a simple shout.