Seeing My Little Brother Again, Assessment Day (Please Follow)

Li Xian patted Li Xiaofan on the shoulder. Even through the tattered burlap clothes, it still felt hard against his hand. Seeing his little brother all skin and bones, malnourished and frail, he felt a pang of pity.

Li Xian asked, "I've been in the manor for nearly a month now. Little brother, have you eaten any meat?"

"Brother, I'm not stupid. Other than buying books, I spent all my money on meat. I've even eaten fatty pork several times." Li Xiaofan gave an embarrassed smile.

"Is that so?" Li Xian raised a brow. "Then how much is left?"

Li Xiaofan shrank back slightly and said guiltily, "More than half has already been used up."

Li Xian reached out and snatched the cloth pouch containing the money from Li Xiaofan's chest.

"Brother..."

Before Li Xiaofan could react, Li Xian had already untied the string. There were still three hundred and eighty copper coins inside.

Over the past month, he had spent only one hundred and twenty copper coins.

Li Xian calculated aloud:

"At the west side of the city, pork jerky sells for fifty copper coins per catty. If you buy pig scraps, minced meat, and mixed cuts, thirty copper coins will be enough."

"If you ate meat once every two or three days, there's no way you would have spent only one hundred and twenty copper coins. Not to mention you also needed to buy books. Little brother, your body is the foundation of everything. When it comes to food, you absolutely cannot shortchange yourself."

"Now that you have money, eat meat when you should. What are you saving for?"

Li Xiaofan lowered his head without arguing. How could he bear to use his brother's money from selling himself to buy meat?

How was that any different from eating his brother?

That was why he ate by digging up wild vegetables beyond the city every day. As long as they filled his stomach, that was enough.

Every copper coin had to be spent on the blade's edge. Only then could he be worthy of his brother!

Seeing him like this, Li Xian let out a long sigh, then smiled. "Sigh, I'll take you out for a meat meal, and we'll get you a change of clothes while we're at it."

Over the next half day,

Li Xian accompanied Li Xiaofan for a meal of fatty pork.

Considering that winter had already arrived, and there were neither quilts nor windproofing in the room, he also bought him a padded coat.

These were hard times.

Wearing new clothes would surely draw covetous eyes, so Li Xian told his little brother to wear the new clothes underneath, with their father's burlap clothes wrapped around the outside.

He was to avoid unfamiliar places as much as possible.

After finishing all that, Li Xian also visited Auntie Liu next door. He gave her thirty copper coins and asked her to look after Li Xiaofan a little during this time.

Auntie Liu was a kind woman. After taking the money, she readily agreed, praising Li Xian over and over for having made something of himself and being such a good big brother.

"Brother, are you leaving again?"

Li Xiaofan's eyes brimmed with tears. He knew his brother would not stay for long.

Li Xian gave all of this month's wages to Li Xiaofan and solemnly instructed him, "This is eighty copper coins. Remember: eat meat, eat meat, eat meat."

"I understand." Li Xiaofan clenched his fists tightly.

"I know you're clever, but you can't fool your brother." Li Xian smiled. "Repeat it three times yourself."

"Eat meat, eat meat, eat meat." Li Xiaofan obediently said, "Brother, I'll remember."

"Alright, it's getting late. Hurry back." Li Xian waved his hand and turned to leave quickly.

His figure turned past the corner of the alley and vanished completely. Li Xiaofan chased after him a few steps, his gaze dimming before he returned to the small, broken thatched hut.

The house was bare to the four walls, with only a rickety wooden bed. He lay on it, took out his wrinkled books, and settled down to read.

Only through studying could there be a way out.

On a mountain path three to five li away from One Accord Manor,

The cold wind blew, adding a touch of bleak desolation.

Four men walked together, their conversation drifting out from time to time:

"Fourth Brother, it's a pity you didn't come. You have no idea how seductive the women there were."

"They say brothels are gold-devouring dens. That really isn't wrong."

"Yeah. One breath from that woman, and my whole body went limp."

"Sigh, thinking back on it now, I really regret it. I couldn't restrain myself and threw away more than half a month's wages."

On the way back, Zhao Han and the other two talked about the revelry of the brothel—beauties in their arms, breath like orchids, fragrance curling around their noses—and still savored the memory endlessly.

Unfortunately, Grade-D menial workers held positions too low and had too little authority. Even when taking leave, they could not spend the night outside the manor.

Seeing that night was drawing close, they returned to the manor together.

"Ah!"

"Commander Pang!"

Near the manor gate, Zhao Han still carried a trace of drunkenness when he suddenly caught sight of Pang Long. His drunken haze vanished at once, and he hurried over to salute him.

Pang Long swept an indifferent gaze across the four of them. "You collected your wages and took a day off just to seek amusement in a brothel?"

"Y-Yes." Zhao Han scratched his head.

"As long as you do not violate manor rules, where you go is none of my business," Pang Long said blandly.

Then his gaze fell on Li Xian. He frowned, sighed, and shook his head, disappointment appearing on his face. "Li Xian, you are still in your assessment period. They indulge themselves because they have already gained a firm foothold."

"But you have only just become a guard. Instead of seizing the time to diligently practice the Four Directions Fist, you waste away your body like this. You disappoint me greatly."

"Commander Pang, you misunder—" Li Xian smiled, about to explain.

"No need to say more. Martial arts do not lie."

Pang Long waved a hand. "When the assessment day comes, I will personally attend. If you do not meet my standards and have not reached Initiation in this martial art, then go back to being a menial worker."

He turned and strode away.

Li Xian watched Pang Long's retreating back. Hearing the disappointment in his voice, however, he remained very calm.

It was certainly best to be appreciated by others. But iron had to be hard before it could be forged. Rather than rack his brains trying to win someone's approval, he might as well walk his own path steadily.

He knew what he wanted, and he knew what he was doing.

"Fourth Brother... how about the three of us explain it for you?" Zhao Han asked awkwardly.

"There's nothing to explain." Li Xian shook his head with a smile. "Besides, is it wrong for a real man to visit a brothel?"

Second Brother Wang Chun's eyes widened. "You can make visiting a brothel sound so righteous and confident. Fourth Brother, Fourth Brother, I cannot compare to you."

In the blink of an eye, the day of the assessment had arrived.

That morning, the guards went through their usual morning training. Li Xian stood in a quiet corner, legs spread apart as he threw punches in an orderly rhythm.

[Four Directions Fist]

[Proficiency: 658/1000 Proficiency]

Li Xian felt as though he was gradually entering a better state. When throwing a punch, he no longer needed to recall the routines in the fist manual. With a single thought, his fist's edge immediately struck forth.

He was getting faster and faster.

In martial artists' terms, he had reached the realm of "leaving the manual." He had cast off the fist manual and begun to develop his own understanding, nurturing his own style in his mastery of the fist art.

"This Four Directions Fist has helped me greatly."

"Though this fist art is basic, it is systematic. It passes down experience in how to face enemies and how to defend against them."

Li Xian sensed a warm current in his lower abdomen.

His inner strength had accumulated to the size of a fist. With a thought, he directed the inner strength to cling to his fist. A single punch could stir up a gust of wind, accompanied by a series of pah pah pah sounds.

The exquisite part of this fist art lay in how to borrow force to strike with force and maneuver cleverly when attacked from both front and back.

For a guard, it was entirely sufficient.

[Skill: Running]

[Proficiency: 164/1500 Minor Accomplishment]

[Description: Swift as flying, breath flowing like a river, surging without cease. Through climbing mountains and crossing waters, you have grasped the mysteries of Running. Your vitality and blood have increased slightly.]

"Morning-training runs barely consume any stamina for me now."

"But they are just right for warming up."

Li Xian was immersed in his gains.

"Commander Pang is here!"

A cry suddenly rose from the crowd. Turning his head, he saw Pang Long striding into the courtyard.

Li Xian withdrew his stance and walked toward Pang Long.

"Li Xian, today is your assessment day. I do not think I need to say anything more," Pang Long said without preamble.

All the guards came over, forming a large circle around Pang Long and Li Xian.

Every guard had to undergo a newcomer's assessment. To put it bluntly, a guard's talent for martial arts could be seen clearly through the newcomer's assessment.

But people differed, their conditions differed, and naturally the martial arts they learned differed as well.

Some had long legs and were suited to learning the Four Directions Leg Technique. Some were short and learned the Ground-Drilling Skill. Some had tough skulls and learned the Iron Head Skill.

"Commander Pang, I understand." Li Xian nodded heavily.

"Sigh!" Luo Tongyun sighed at the right moment, revealing a look of regret.

"Luo Tongyun, Li Xian was taught by you, so you will naturally be the one to test him." Pang Long continued blandly. "Do not show favoritism, or you will be punished as well. What should be done will be done."

"Brother Li, you heard him too." Luo Tongyun shrugged helplessly and stepped forward.