Li Chuan sat idly in the tearoom, waiting as he watched the sand trickle through the hourglass.
"Tap, tap!"
Footsteps drew nearer, their hurried pace unmistakable.
Soon, Luo Zheng appeared in the doorway.
He wore a heartfelt smile. Grabbing Li Chuan's hand, he said excitedly:
"I've got good news from https://??????.??????"
"A-Chuan, my father agreed. You can live in that house in the Inner City!"
He agreed?
Li Chuan was stunned.
Truthfully, he hadn't held out much hope to begin with.
After all, Luo Zheng wasn't the one in charge of the Luo Family. His word wasn't enough; it all depended on what his father thought.
And as the head of a great family, his father had to put the family's interests first.
This arrangement clearly didn't benefit the Luo Family.
After all, Li Chuan was only a Dark Force practitioner with a Low-Grade Bone Constitution...
That was precisely why Li Chuan felt the house was all the more precious.
Li Chuan smiled wryly.
"Senior Brother Luo, I owe you one for this."
Luo Zheng glared at him.
"What do you mean, 'owe me one'? Don't say that!"
Li Chuan changed tack.
"I mean, I owe you two more buns..."
Luo Zheng nudged him with his elbow and scolded him with a laugh.
"You rascal, I told you I wanted noodles!"
"By the way, when do you plan to bring your family over? I can take you anytime."
Li Chuan thought it over.
"Let's do it now. Every day they stay in the Outer City is another day they're in danger."
Luo Zheng nodded.
"Then let's go now!"
The two rode in a Luo Family carriage, traveling all the way from the southern part of the city to the north.
Li Chuan stopped in front of the rented house and gently knocked on the door.
"Who is it?" Li Qing called out warily.
"Big Brother, it's me."
With a creak, the door opened.
Li Qing lowered the kitchen knife in his hand and let out a sigh of relief.
"I wondered who it was. You gave me a fright."
"These past few days, we haven't felt very safe in this house. Every time we hear a knock, our hearts start pounding."
Qin Sanfeng shot Li Qing a glare.
It seemed to say he shouldn't say things like that and worry Li Chuan.
She smiled as she explained.
"Don't listen to A-Qing's nonsense. We've been sleeping just fine these past few days!"
Li Chuan raised his head and looked around.
The tiled roof was low, and there wasn't even a window.
Perhaps because sunlight couldn't reach inside, the air felt damp and musty.
Four beds filled the room, taking up nearly all the space in the cramped little place.
Compared with their old shop, it was like heaven and earth.
Li Chuan couldn't help sighing inwardly.
He knew his aunt was lying to him.
With conditions like these, and the threat of an assassination attack hanging over them at any moment, how could they possibly sleep well?
"Chuan'er, you're back. Who's the person behind you?" Wang Xiumei came over and asked.
Li Chuan introduced him.
"This is my second senior brother from the Martial Hall, the eldest son of the Luo Family Apothecary."
"Madam," Luo Zheng greeted her openly.
Wang Xiumei covered her mouth in astonishment.
"The Luo Family Apothecary?"
Her exclamation brought Grandpa Li Nian over as well.
Who in the Outer City could claim they'd never bought medicine from the Luo Family Apothecary?
They'd always assumed that people from a powerful family like that would never have anything to do with them.
After all, the two sides simply weren't in the same league.
They were only running a breakfast shop, one of countless insignificant businesses in the Outer City...
For a moment, Wang Xiumei seemed flustered.
Li Chuan smiled.
"Mother, there's no need to be nervous. Senior Brother Luo and I are very close. Just treat him like your own son."
Wang Xiumei glared at Li Chuan. "You child, how can you talk to him like that?"
Luo Zheng chimed in. "Madam, A-Chuan's not wrong. Just treat me like your own son—though he'll have to call me 'big brother'!"
His words dispelled the tense atmosphere, making Wang Xiumei laugh until she could barely stop.
Behind them, Li Nian felt a surge of emotion.
This was the cultivation of someone born into a great family. One could glimpse the whole leopard from just a few words.
Li Chuan continued.
"Mother, pack up your things. Senior Brother Luo found me a place in the Inner City. We'll move there in a little while!"
Wang Xiumei was astonished, then quickly protested.
"How can we accept that?"
She hurriedly pulled Li Chuan aside and lowered her voice.
"Chuan'er, we're doing just fine here. Don't worry about us."
"Property in the Inner City costs a fortune. If they let us move in, just how big a favor will you owe them?"
Li Chuan replied helplessly.
"Mother, I can repay any favor, no matter how big."
"If you don't move into the Inner City, I won't be able to focus on training at the Martial Hall."
Luo Zheng suddenly leaned closer and smiled.
"Madam, no one in my family lives in that Inner City house. It's just sitting empty, so it's no trouble."
Only then did Wang Xiumei relax.
Li Nian, however, wore a complicated expression. He was thinking further ahead.
An Inner City house was priceless and precious, even if it stood empty.
It wasn't a waste just because no one lived there.
It seemed... he and the others were benefiting from his grandson's standing after all.
Everyone packed quickly, getting all their belongings ready in just over an hour.
They hadn't brought much when they left in such a hurry.
Outside, Luo Zheng had already arranged a carriage to take them.
Once they'd loaded everything, the carriage soon set off.
Along the way, Li Nian kept leaning out to look at the sights.
Many people who saw him wore envious expressions.
Being able to ride in a Luo Family carriage meant you weren't just anyone.
The carriage soon reached the Inner City.
Li Chuan got down to help, and they spent some more time unloading.
Only after his family had all settled in did he finally breathe a sigh of relief.
"My family is safe for now. I can prepare for the Martial Exam without any distractions..."
Li Chuan didn't want to waste time and soon returned to Pine Wind Martial Hall.
Amid a chorus of "Senior Brother Li," he entered the Inner Courtyard.
Ever since becoming an Inner Disciple, his accommodations had changed.
He'd gone from the Common Dormitory to a small private courtyard.
It wasn't large, but it had everything he needed.
"Most importantly, I have my own space to practice Thunder Shadow Leg!"
Li Chuan looked at the wooden posts in the courtyard and nodded in satisfaction.
"First, I should check how much silver I have. Then I can make plans."
Li Chuan sat on a bamboo chair and took out all the silver he had to count it.
He'd gotten thirty taels in silver pieces from the Wave-Breaking Gang. After giving ten taels to his family, he had twenty left.
He'd also just received fifteen taels of this month's salary in advance from Senior Brother Luo.
That made thirty-five taels in all!
He hadn't eaten the ten catties of tiger meat his Master gave him, and Senior Brother Luo had given him another ten catties for this month.
That made twenty catties of tiger meat!
In other words, he now had thirty-five taels of silver and twenty catties of tiger meat.
"Now I understand the joy of being a hoarding hamster..." Li Chuan felt nothing but contentment.
To a martial artist, silver was like money to a man.
It was the greatest source of security!
With these thirty-five taels of silver and all that tiger meat, he had enough to train in peace until the Martial Exam!
"Once I pass the Martial Exam, my family will be exempt from taxes and corvée labor. I won't have to spend every day worrying about being conscripted to the front lines!"
All he had to do was bring Thunder Shadow Leg to Major Mastery over the next month and a half!
[Technique: Thunder Shadow Leg (Initiation)]
[Proficiency: 103/500]
He hadn't had time to train in this powerful leg technique before, because he'd been focused on making progress in Mountain-Holding Stance and Through-Arm Fist.
Now that everything had been taken care of, he could finally devote himself wholeheartedly to improving!
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