Helping the Leng Household in a Fight

"Wow, Brother, is this really our home?"

Zhou Tong set down her luggage and looked around the house with fresh wonder, touching this and that, delighted beyond measure.

"Of course. You don't trust your brother?"

"Brother, you're the best."

Xu Rou sat in a chair, looking over everything in the new home, her face also covered in smiles.

"Mother, there's even a well in the courtyard, and there's a door at the back leading straight to the riverside. It's so convenient."

Zhou Muyun led the two of them to the well and drew up a bucket of water right before their eyes.

The two touched it, and Xu Rou even cupped some water in both hands and drank it.

"This water is wonderful," Xu Rou praised.

"Yeah, and it's so cool! We won't have to carry water home to drink anymore!" Zhou Tong chimed in.

Every household in Withered Well Alley had originally relied on that one well for drinking water, but later, the well ran dry.

Everyone could only go to the neighboring alley to carry water back. Not only was it troublesome, they also had to endure the mockery of others.

Worst of all, their water was charged for too. Every month, they had to pay twenty copper coins to the leader of that alley.

Now that their own home had a well, the two of them were naturally overjoyed.

Zhou Muyun then took them around to familiarize them with their new home. At the same time, he unpacked their luggage and arranged everything anew.

After finishing all this, Zhou Muyun stood in the courtyard and watched his happy mother and younger sister, his heart feeling incomparably at ease.

Now that he had settled his worries at home, he could devote all his attention to improving his strength.

Only by constantly growing stronger could he protect his family in these troubled times.

In the Leng Household's accounting room, the younger generation of the Lineage and the accounting staff stood in a row.

A middle-aged man dressed in luxurious casual robes, with several streaks of silver in his hair and an air of authority even without anger, sat before a table.

The rustling of turning pages tugged at everyone's heartstrings.

The middle-aged man was Leng Feng, the current head of the Leng Household.

Not only did he possess the strength of the Blood Exchange Realm, he handled everything personally and valued practical results.

Under his leadership, the Leng Household, once ranked last among the Four Great Families, had forcefully surpassed the Liu and Li households in strength and was now second only to the Song Household.

The monthly audit had also become a nightmare for the Leng Household's descendants and accounting staff.

If there were errors in the accounts, the accountants would receive beatings with rods at best; at worst, they would be crippled and driven out of the Leng Household.

If a clansman squandered money without cause, anything over one hundred taels had to be repaid personally. Anything over one thousand taels meant immediate execution under family law.

When Leng Feng had first become household head, the Leng Household's accounts had been riddled with holes, while its clansmen lived in extravagant excess.

The factions within the Lineage had been even more tangled and chaotic, but with his iron-blooded methods, he had forcibly executed two branches of the Lineage and replaced every accountant.

From that moment onward, the Leng Household's skies changed.

If one wanted money, status, or to practice martial arts or conduct business, everything depended on one's own ability.

After a long while, Leng Feng closed the account book, his eyes slowly sweeping over everyone.

"There are indeed no problems with this month's accounts."

Upon hearing this, the tightly drawn strings in everyone's hearts immediately loosened.

"However." Leng Feng abruptly changed the subject, his fingers tapping lightly against the tabletop.

Everyone immediately tensed up again. Had someone misused money?

"Ni'er stays. The rest of you may leave."

The others immediately breathed sighs of relief. They glanced at Leng Ni with the eager eyes of people watching a spectacle, then exited the accounting room.

Before long, only Leng Feng and Leng Ni remained in the spacious accounting room.

Leng Ni's heart thudded like a drum. Had she done something wrong?

"Ni'er, you're at Greenwood Martial Hall, correct? Who is this Zhou Muyun?" Leng Feng asked.

Hearing that Leng Feng was asking about Zhou Muyun, Leng Ni calmed down somewhat and slowly replied, "Reporting to Eldest Uncle, Zhou Muyun is my junior brother. He entered the hall only four months ago, yet he has already reached the Organ Refinement Realm. His potential—"

Leng Feng waved his hand, cutting her off as he slowly analyzed the matter and offered his suggestion.

"That's enough. No need to say more. Reaching Organ Refinement in four months is not slow, but why did the monthly sponsorship suddenly rise to one hundred and fifty taels yesterday?

"Although the maximum sponsorship I grant you is two hundred taels per month, it must be worth the value.

"The promising disciple at Greenwood Martial Hall is the one named Bai Yu, isn't he? He is that Li Qingliang fellow's final disciple.

"If there is no special reason, I think this sponsorship should return to its original amount. That way, you can sponsor another disciple as well."

When the Four Great Families sponsored martial hall disciples, whether they recruited them into their families in the future or simply maintained a good relationship with them, it was always a profitable investment.

The Leng Household's principle was that if it could not obtain the best, settling for the next best was acceptable—but at such times, the gains had to be weighed.

Sponsoring several more people was the best choice.

Clearly, in Leng Feng's eyes, aside from Bai Yu, none of Greenwood Martial Hall's other disciples were worth investing nearly an entire sponsorship allotment in.

Leng Feng's words were not without reason, and Leng Ni naturally understood that.

But when she thought of Zhou Muyun's relentless diligence in training, as well as his performance in the rear courtyard that day—

She immediately rejected Leng Feng's suggestion in her heart and decided to support him to the end.

After hesitating for a moment, she steeled herself and said, "Eldest Uncle, I don't think the allotment can be changed. Junior Brother Zhou will certainly achieve something in the future."

Leng Ni's father was second in seniority, so she addressed Leng Feng as Eldest Uncle.

Hearing this, a trace of surprise flashed through Leng Feng's eyes, and he immediately became interested in Zhou Muyun.

He knew Leng Ni's temperament. She never spoke carelessly. Since she said this, she must have had grounds for it.

"Very well. There has been an issue with the allotment at the herbal shop in the west of the city, and the other side has demanded a boxing match to settle it.

"Since you think so highly of this junior brother of yours, how about having him step forward and win this boxing match for our Leng Household?"

"The Dragon Household actually proposed a boxing match?"

Surprise appeared on Leng Ni's face, though she also looked somewhat troubled. She knew about this matter.

Aside from the Four Great Families, Yunlin County had no shortage of families large and small.

The Dragon Household was one of them. It mainly dealt in medicinal herbs in West Market, though its strength was far inferior to that of the Four Great Families.

The two households had clashed constantly in ordinary times, with the Leng Household winning more often than not.

But recently, several martial artists of considerable strength had suddenly appeared in the Dragon Household, and the balance had been broken at once.

The Leng Household had many businesses that all required people to guard them, and for a time, it could not spare additional manpower.

Fortunately, the herb trade was not one of the Leng Household's main businesses, so the impact was not great. Thus, the problem had been dragged out until now.

But Leng Ni had not expected the Dragon Household to take the initiative and propose a boxing match.

"Could it be?" Instead of agreeing immediately, Leng Ni voiced her guess.

"Eldest Uncle, could the Dragon Household be trying to take all of our Leng Household's allotment? Did Hundred Herbs Pharmacy agree?"

Both the Leng Household and the Dragon Household supplied Hundred Herbs Pharmacy with several medicinal herbs that promoted blood circulation.

But to prevent a monopoly, Hundred Herbs Pharmacy had always had each household gather one batch.

"Strange, isn't it? Hundred Herbs Pharmacy actually agreed, and there are also those martial artists who suddenly appeared in the Dragon Household.

"According to the information I have, none of this can be separated from the Song Household!"

When he spoke the words "Song Household," Leng Feng narrowed his eyes slightly, and his tone turned several degrees colder.

The Song Household had plainly begun targeting the Leng Household.

After all, over the past ten years, the Leng Household had risen too quickly, causing the Song Household to faintly feel some pressure.

Upon hearing this, Leng Ni suddenly understood.

With the Song Household's involvement, it was no wonder the Dragon Household had become so arrogant, daring to make such demands. Hundred Herbs Pharmacy's concession was naturally understandable as well.

Although losing the herb trade would not have much impact on the Leng Household, it would ultimately be a slap to its face.

Presumably, Leng Feng did not wish for such a thing to happen either.

But since Leng Feng had already raised the matter, Leng Ni knew she had no reason to refuse.

Eldest Uncle had always been a man whose word was law in the Leng Household. Since he had chosen Zhou Muyun, he must have had his reasons.

"Eldest Uncle, since this concerns the Song Household, I'll accept the boxing match on behalf of Junior Brother Zhou. When will it be, and who is the opponent?"

"Seven days from now, at West Market Arena. As for the opponent's information, take it and have a look.

"I hope to hear news of victory reaching my ears."

Leng Feng rose and walked over to Leng Ni. After handing her a sheet of paper, he pushed open the door and left the accounting room.

Leng Ni carefully read the information on the paper: Long Qian, eighteen years old, had entered the Organ Refinement Realm half a year ago, skilled in leg techniques...

In a corner of Greenwood Martial Hall, Zhou Muyun, who had been practicing, was called over by Leng Ni.

His face was full of confusion. Leng Ni rarely sought him out in ordinary times; at most, she would ask about his martial arts progress.

Could something special have happened?

Looking at Zhou Muyun's puzzled eyes, Leng Ni slowly said, "Junior Brother Zhou, I'm afraid I need to trouble you with something. Help my Leng Household win a boxing match."