A Family

"Cough, cough, cough..."

Shen Xiuhan nearly choked, hastily coughing dryly a few times.

"Mother, there's no rush for marriage. Let's open a restaurant first and build up some savings. Only with silver in hand will we have confidence, and then we can find a better family to marry into, right?"

"That does make sense..."

Madam Zheng nodded in deep agreement, but then her expression turned awkward again. Rubbing the hem of her clothes between her fingers, she hesitated before saying:

"But we're poor folk. Would anyone in the inner city be willing to pay for the crude food we make?"

Before Shen Xiuhan could respond, Shen Momo's eyes lit up in his arms, and she shouted:

"Mother, did you forget? We can sell the yummy noodles Brother makes!"

Madam Zheng's eyes brightened. "That's right! We can sell Blanket Noodles!"

She had personally tasted that bowl of Blanket Noodles Shen Xiuhan had made last time.

Though he had only made them once, their springy, smooth texture and rich, savory fragrance remained unforgettable to her even now.

These past few days, Shen Momo had clamored every day for her to make Blanket Noodles.

Madam Zheng had tried twice, but botched them both times. Somewhat embarrassed, she said:

"But... Mother's hands are clumsy. I don't know how to make such delicate food."

"It's all right. In a few days, when I have time, I'll teach you step by step. It's very simple—you'll learn it right away." Shen Xiuhan smiled.

"Yay!"

Shen Momo bounced happily, cheering with joy. "I can finally eat the noodles Brother makes!"

Listening to her silver-bell laughter, Shen Xiuhan laughed heartily and looked at Madam Zheng.

"Mother, once we move into the inner city, we'll open a noodle shop. You can cook and collect the money, while I go train at the martial hall. Once we make money, we'll send Momo to a private school to study and learn to read with a teacher. When she gets out of class, she can help at the shop, carrying bowls and serving dishes..."

Listening to the lovely scene her son painted—one without killing or hunger and cold, with only the ordinary warmth of rice, oil, salt, and firewood—

Madam Zheng's expression gradually grew entranced.

The fourth day after killing Yu Zhe and Tian Erhu.

Early spring arrived quietly.

On the road.

Shen Xiuhan saw several orioles sweep past, beating their wings as they flew up onto branches where tender buds had begun to sprout.

At Plum Academy, more than thirty disciples had all arrived and were practicing moves in pairs.

Shouts rose throughout the training ground, and fierce gusts surged between colliding fists and kicks.

Xu Chuan and Xiang Yunting had apparently been delayed by something and had yet to appear.

Shen Xiuhan therefore took it upon himself to serve as temporary supervisor.

"Your lower stance is unstable, like duckweed floating on water. Your stance must be rooted like an old tree whose roots coil deep into the earth. Otherwise, no matter how much you train, it'll only be flowery form without substance!"

Having brought the Mystic Eagle Stance to perfection, he could spot the shortcomings of the outer academy disciples at a glance.

Walking to one disciple's side, Shen Xiuhan raised his foot and gave the back of the other's stiffened knee a light kick, reminding him in a deep voice:

"You're holding your strength too rigidly. If the stance is too loose, your qi and blood scatter; if it is too tight, qi stagnates and blood congeals. Between looseness and tension, you must grasp the proper measure yourself."

"Yes, Senior Brother Shen!"

After making a round of inspection, Shen Xiuhan's gaze settled on one figure, and he was slightly surprised.

Hm... Xiao Wen's stance technique has grown increasingly refined.

Over the past few days, Xiao Wen seemed to have suddenly found enlightenment. His progress in stance work had advanced by leaps and bounds each day.

His set of Mystic Eagle Stance flowed as smoothly as drifting clouds and running water. Every gesture and movement faintly carried the intent of a gray eagle spreading its wings, ready to soar.

At this rate, he was not far from minor mastery of the stance technique.

Looking across all of Plum Academy, fewer than one hand's worth of people had trained the Mystic Eagle Stance to minor mastery.

Such comprehension was truly outstanding among the outer academy.

"Haa..."

Xiao Wen slowly withdrew his stance.

He raised a sleeve to wipe the sweat from his brow. When he looked up and saw Shen Xiuhan standing beside him, he called out somewhat awkwardly:

"Senior Brother Shen..."

"Not bad. Your foundation is very solid."

Shen Xiuhan looked approvingly at him and patted his shoulder.

"Keep training with this momentum. Given time, you'll surely knock open the gate to Blood Tempering and enter the inner academy."

"Thank you for your encouragement, Senior Brother..."

Xiao Wen smiled shyly. His lips moved as though he had something to say.

But before he could speak, a burst of noisy clamor and footsteps suddenly came from outside the courtyard.

Shen Xiuhan looked toward the sound.

Xu Chuan and Xiang Yunting were the first to enter.

Behind them followed seven or eight middle-aged men dressed in brocade and fine robes, looking like stewards.

Further behind came a long procession of maids and servants carrying registers and tea sets.

In the blink of an eye, the group had packed the open ground of the outer academy to the brim.

Xiang Yunting casually beckoned over an outer academy disciple and gave him a few quiet instructions.

The latter nodded repeatedly and promptly led several people running into the inner academy.

Shortly afterward, several grand armchairs and square tables were arranged in a row beneath the covered walkway.

The potbellied stewards in brocade exchanged cupped-hand greetings, made small talk, and took their seats.

The maids and servants skillfully served warmed tea, then stood quietly at the side with their hands lowered, silent as cicadas in winter.

This was...

A placement meeting?

What an imposing display!

Shen Xiuhan's eyes flickered. Xu Chuan had already walked over from the side and lowered his voice.

"Junior Brother Shen, the placement meeting is about to begin."

"Besides you, the skilled fighters among the outer academy will also be brought out for a showing, to see whether they can catch the eye of these aristocratic families and merchant firms and find work as guards or errand runners."

Shen Xiuhan nodded lightly.

Plum Academy's income had always been limited, relying almost entirely on disciples' tuition fees to stay afloat.

This was completely different from other martial halls.

Take Through-the-Back Martial Hall, for instance.

Under its name were countless hall-run businesses—restaurants, gambling houses, secret brothels, and more.

Disciples with connections or hard enough fists could be placed internally without trouble.

But if Plum Academy disciples wanted to earn money, they could only seek opportunities among major aristocratic families, merchant associations, and escort agencies through these placement meetings.

In the courtyard, Xiang Yunting selected eight or nine disciples with solid stance work and lined them up. One after another, they demonstrated their skills before the stewards.

Xiao Wen was among them.

Perhaps the first two disciples were nervous; their Mystic Eagle Stance was soft and powerless.

The stewards merely watched coldly, drinking tea and chatting. They did not even lift their eyelids.

The third was a disciple from a small inner-city family.

The man was broad-shouldered and round-waisted, with thick, sturdy bones and muscles. At a glance, he possessed quite an imposing air.

As he displayed his wide-opening, wide-closing stance, his moves were fierce and domineering, whipping up a gust of wind that howled through the air.

At last, the stewards sat up straighter, stroking their beards and nodding as they whispered among themselves.

After he withdrew with cupped hands, panting heavily, two stewards set down their tea cups and called out their offers in turn.

"Longwind Escort Agency is hiring three outer-route escort hands!"

"If you are willing, the monthly pay is one tael of silver, plus one jin of salted fish, three jin of fresh fish, and two bowls of medicinal soup to nourish qi and blood. If you encounter an ambush during an escort run and dare to draw your blade and spill blood, there will be additional rewards calculated by the head!"

"Benevolent Heart Hall is hiring two guards to watch the premises!"

"The monthly pay is also one tael. We do not provide meat, but you will receive three bowls of qi-and-blood medicinal soup. There is also one benefit: anyone from Benevolent Heart Hall may purchase one Blood-Nourishing Pill from the hall each month at cost price."

Seeing that people had made offers for him, the disciple's face flushed red with excitement.

But upon hearing the vastly different terms offered by the two sides, hesitation took root beneath his feet.

After struggling for a moment, he piled a smile onto his face and walked toward the pale, plump steward from Benevolent Heart Hall.