The Yao Family's Contempt

Wei Luo had long been thinking of moving out of Yellow Mud Alley.

The reason was that this place was far too unsafe.

Yellow Mud Alley was where fishing households gathered, and it was also Pingjiang Town's slum.

Being so close to the city gates, if anything happened, this place would be the first to bear the brunt.

"Move? Where would we move to?"

"There are still several houses beside the Sun Family Estate. If we move there, it'll be more convenient to practice martial arts in the future."

Zhao Clan was stunned upon hearing this. The Sun Family Estate stood by the inner city's edge, surrounded by grand residences and courtyards.

"Aren't the houses there all terribly expensive? How could we afford to live there?"

Wei Luo smiled. After breaking through to the Second Refinement, Sun Chai had first expressed the Sun Family's goodwill by giving him five hundred taels.

The two carp whiskers had sold for fifty taels, and the Yao Family had raised his monthly pay to thirty taels a month.

Adding everything together, he could afford even a house in the inner city.

Besides, with Qin Changfeng stationed at the Sun Family Estate, it was probably safer than the inner city itself.

"Mother, don't worry. We can afford it."

Before long, Wei Luo followed a real estate agent to the area near the Sun Family Estate.

There were quite a few vacant houses nearby. After passing through a quiet alley, the agent pushed open the gate of one courtyard.

The bluestone walls were covered in patches of green moss, and the weeds inside stood over half a meter tall. It looked as though no one had lived there for a long time.

Even so, Zhao Clan's eyes lit up at the sight.

A spirit screen, a garden, a courtyard well, covered walkways.

The residence wasn't large, but it had been built in the style of a wealthy estate.

After taking a quick look around, aside from several leaking spots, there were no major flaws.

"Young Master Wei, the previous owner of this house was a wealthy man. I heard a martial artist emerged from his family, so they moved into the inner city."

"If you find it suitable, I'll arrange for people to repair the roof and renovate the whole place right away."

This agent had been introduced by Zhao Xiu and knew Wei Luo's identity, so his attitude was extremely respectful.

Moreover, prices had risen these days, yet housing prices had instead dropped considerably. The agent was eager to close the deal and was even willing to renovate it for free.

The house wasn't expensive, only a little over a hundred taels.

Seeing the fondness on his mother's face, Wei Luo paid fifty taels as a deposit on the spot.

The next day, they moved out of Yellow Mud Alley and into the house.

At Wei Luo's request, the agent also arranged for several martial arts training items to be installed in the courtyard.

There were now hardly any jobs in the city that could put food on the table. Coupled with Wei Luo's generous spending, merely renovating the house had drawn several dozen workers.

In less than ten days, the residence would be completely transformed.

Yao Family.

Inside the accounting room, the abacus clicked without pause.

After a long while, Yao Song finished checking the accounts.

"This month, our several shops earned more than a thousand taels combined."

Yao Song looked at his eldest brother, Yao Cheng, who sat beside him, and spoke with a frown.

They had earned over a thousand taels, setting another record, but Yao Song's expression was far from pleasant.

If this trend continued, in another two months, ninety percent of Pingjiang Town's people wouldn't be able to afford grain.

What would follow then would be the collapse of trade, and after that...

The collapse of the entire system.

Yao Cheng rubbed his forehead as well and asked, "Can we still collect any grain?"

Yao Song gave a bitter smile.

"It's no longer possible outside the city. If we want to buy grain, we'll have to go several hundred li away. The roads are impassable, and the boats transporting goods by water are demanding astronomical prices."

Upon hearing that, Yao Cheng sighed again.

After a moment of silence, Yao Song spoke again.

"Big Brother, what we need to consider now isn't business anymore. It's whether our Yao Family can survive what comes next."

"I've asked around. The Sun Family hasn't begun seeking a live-in son-in-law yet. As for Wei Luo, if Xiao Ya is willing, we still have a chance to win him over."

Refugees outside the city were besieging it, while undercurrents churned within.

Yao Song had visited the area around Shanyang County, so his gaze reached far beyond the present.

Without the protection of a powerful martial artist, the Yao Family would very likely drown in the monstrous waves.

The moment he finished speaking, the door flew open with a bang, and a graceful figure suddenly rushed in.

"Third Uncle, I'll never marry that Wei Luo! Isn't he just some lousy fishing household brat!

"We've already lowered ourselves so much, and he still refused us. He simply doesn't know what's good for him!

"I'll tell him to his face. The Yao Family's door isn't so easy to enter either."

Yao Ya wore a yellow dress, and her slender brows and eyes were filled with embarrassment and anger.

"Xiao Ya, how can you be so insensible! This concerns the survival of our Yao Family. You don't get to decide this."

Seeing his niece act so immaturely, Yao Song immediately hardened his expression.

There weren't many descendants in the Yao Family. Yao Ya, in particular, had been doted on by her father Yao Cheng since childhood, and had developed the willful temperament of a spoiled young miss.

Ordinarily, it wouldn't matter if Yao Ya threw a little tantrum.

But things were different now. Yao Song feared that without a martial artist's protection, the Yao Family wouldn't make it through this.

At that moment, Yao Cheng, who hadn't spoken for a long time, saw the grievance on his daughter's face, and his old habit of spoiling her flared up again.

"Third Brother, stop talking."

"Xiao Ya is right. Wei Luo must be thinking of marrying into the Sun Family. Clearly, he looks down on our Yao Family."

"Isn't he merely a boatman for the Sun Family? Why insist on inviting him?

"Tomorrow, I'll visit the martial arts schools. Once I invite a Second Refinement martial artist to stand guard, would we still need to fear not getting through this crisis?"

Yao Ya had originally been too frightened to speak after being scolded by her third uncle. But upon hearing her father say this, she immediately straightened her back again and repeatedly voiced her agreement.

"Big Brother, this isn't something where we can just hire anyone..."

"Say no more. It's decided. I'm the Yao Family's head."

Yao Song still wanted to persuade him further, but Yao Cheng had already risen and left with Yao Ya.

Hire an outsider with money again?

The Yao Family had already suffered at Feng Sihai's hands, yet Yao Cheng still hadn't learned his lesson.

The first time Wei Luo protected the Yao Family, he had dared oppose Feng Sihai over a mere dozen taels of silver.

He had resolved the Yao Family's crisis without demanding an exorbitant price. What Yao Song valued was precisely that sort of character.

Yao Song watched his elder brother and niece leave with a helpless expression, able only to hold his forehead and sigh deeply.

What he didn't know was that, not long afterward, Yao Ya prepared a carriage and left home, heading straight for the Sun Family Estate.

Sun Family Estate.

Liu Changle had finally broken through to the Second Refinement the day before yesterday.

With the boost from the Treasure Fish, his breakthrough had gone fairly smoothly.

Now, among those from the same batch who had entered the estate, aside from Shen Wu, only Wei Luo and Liu Changle had broken through to the Second Refinement.

Master Qin's final disciple had also been chosen. He was an old boatman named Liang Jun.

This man usually kept a low profile. Wei Luo had only learned about him from the veteran boatmen after he was selected.

Liang Jun was the sort of person who advanced steadily, step by step. Since entering the estate, he had neither stood out nor shown any shortcomings.

But this time was different. Ever since Master Qin had publicly displayed Layered Wave Force, Liang Jun had mastered it at the fastest speed.

At the training ground, Wei Luo was sparring with Liang Jun while Liu Changle watched from the side.

With the Visualization Diagram, coupled with the Great Thousand Revelation's breakdown, Wei Luo's Layered Wave Force had progressed at an astonishing pace.

Previously, using Layered Wave Force required a long buildup. Now, he could make strength erupt at will, every move carrying multiplied force.

Wei Luo's fighting style had also changed drastically. When he had sparred with Zhao Xiu before, he had always been the one getting pressed and beaten.

Now, against Liang Jun, Wei Luo was the attacker, while Liang Jun constantly dismantled his moves.

"Hah!"

After several probing exchanges, Wei Luo threw a simple straight punch.

As the fist reached Liang Jun, its momentum abruptly shifted. The straight punch became an elbow strike, driving toward Liang Jun's chest.

Liang Jun raised an arm to block, but the elbow caught him completely off guard. He stumbled back several steps, his entire arm numb, and could only admit defeat.

Liu Changle immediately grinned even more happily than Wei Luo did.

"Well done, Wei Luo! I'd say you're not much worse than Shen Wu now."

Wei Luo merely shook his head lightly.

"Shen Wu has already reached Three Refinements. If I fought him now, I probably couldn't last fifty exchanges."

Liu Changle was startled. "Damn, how do you know that?"

Liang Jun smiled and answered Liu Changle's question.

Because Li Yue had been blocking the estate entrance every day these past few days, Shen Wu hadn't returned.

In truth, Shen Wu had been hiding in the western courtyard. Every day, Wei Luo and Liang Jun saw him when they went to view the Visualization Diagram.

Shen Wu was at Three Refinements. There was a gap between them, and there was nothing embarrassing about admitting it.

After practicing boxing for so long, Wei Luo had come to understand a few principles.

A gap wasn't frightening. Recognizing the gap, narrowing it, then eventually surpassing it—that was the proper path of martial arts.

Besides, he had the Great Thousand Revelation. One day, he would certainly surpass Shen Wu.

[Folding Waves Fist Progress: 78%]

Wei Luo calculated the fist technique's progress. He wasn't far from ninety percent, the point of major mastery.

The growth of his blood and vitality strength was also not slow.

After returning from Falling Geese Gorge, Wei Luo had bought Blood-Strengthening Powder from the medicine shop for several taels per dose.

After spending nearly two hundred taels, Wei Luo felt that less than half the distance remained before the Three Refinements threshold.

If he had something similar to the Treasure Fish to assist him again, he could touch the blood and vitality threshold within a month at the earliest.

Liang Jun was the kind of person with an easygoing temperament who got along with everyone.

Even after being defeated by Wei Luo, who had entered the estate after him, Liang Jun held no grudge. Instead, he praised Wei Luo for practicing Layered Wave Force better than he had.

Just as the three were chatting, a beautiful figure in a yellow dress rushed in from outside the courtyard.

"Who's Wei Luo? Come out here!"