Returning to One Accord Manor, Hanying Takes Command

Li Xian cultivated in peace for several days.

That evening, Li Xian simmered a pot of tiger-bone beast soup. The broth had come to a boil and fully absorbed the flavor. He cracked in two bird eggs, sprinkled in two handfuls of salt and one handful of chopped scallions, then added wild vegetables gathered from the mountains.

Its color, aroma, and taste were all quite good.

Just as he was marveling at the improvement in his cooking and preparing to open his stomach wide and gulp it down, Uncle Fu arrived.

"Master, I brought your wages for you."

Uncle Fu spoke respectfully.

"Hm?" Li Xian froze. "My wages? Why were they with you? Come to think of it, I really had not collected my pay for several months."

Uncle Fu explained the reason.

Black River Village belonged to the Madam's tenant farmers. Every year after winter passed, the village chief had to go to the manor and report on the village's condition.

Whether anyone had died, whether any babies had been born.

For generation after generation, they and their descendants would all be the Madam's tenant farmers. When Uncle Fu went to the manor, Uncle Xiang, the accountant, had him bring Li Xian's wages back along the way.

That saved them another trip.

"Master, things outside are truly chaotic now."

"You haven't seen it—the manor's house guards are so busy they can't tell east from west."

Uncle Fu handed over the money pouch.

Li Xian checked the money. Several months' worth of wages were all there.

"I heard the manor's house guard commander has been replaced. That's a rare thing indeed; quite a few of the guards have been talking about it." Uncle Fu said animatedly.

"Oh? Replaced?" Li Xian's heart skipped a beat. "The commander is no longer surnamed