Brother-in-Law

Half a month later.

Zhou Yan's injuries had mostly healed.

For the past half month, he had continued lying in bed during the day, pretending to recover.

Whenever Madam Liu brought him medicine, he drank it. Whenever someone came to visit, he closed his eyes and pretended to sleep.

But at night, after everyone in the household had fallen asleep, he would secretly slip out to practice stances and boxing, continuing his martial training.

His body was recovering much faster than it appeared to outsiders.

It was just past noon that day.

Zhou Yan sat lazily in the courtyard, basking in the sun.

Several scrawny chickens scratched at pebbles by his feet, clucking away.

Suddenly, hoofbeats sounded in the distance.

Clop, clop, clop.

They struck the dirt road, dull yet powerful.

Horses rarely came to Willow Village.

The last time had been when people from White Cloud Martial Hall had ridden into the village.

Zhou Yan did not move, still leaning against the base of the wall.

The hoofbeats turned into the alley.

Madam Liu poked her head out from the kitchen, still clutching a handful of dried vegetables.

"Who is it this time?"

Before she had finished speaking, a horse stopped outside the courtyard gate.

The rider leaped down, and before their feet even touched the ground, their voice arrived.

"Third!"

It was a woman's voice, and somewhat familiar.

Before him stood a woman in blue cotton clothes, her face tanned dark red by the sun.

Zhou Xing.

Zhou Yan's eldest sister, who had married into neighboring Li Family Village three years ago.

Zhou Xing hooked the reins over the saddle and strode into the courtyard, her cloth shoes slapping against the ground.

"Are you trying to get yourself killed?!"

She grabbed Zhou Yan by the collar and yanked it down.

The clothes on Zhou Yan's shoulder were pulled askew, exposing bruises that had not yet fully faded.

Zhou Xing stared at them for a moment, tears welling in her eyes.

"You even dared enter Blackwind Ridge! Do you think you're a Martial Adept?"

Though her mouth was scolding him, her hands were already checking his shoulder.

"Does it hurt?"

"No."

"Bullshit. That whole patch is blue, and you say it doesn't hurt?"

Zhou Xing looked at the scar on his face again, her brows twisting into a knot.

"You've been disfigured. It'll be even harder for you to find a wife now."

"..."

Zhou Yan said nothing.

Madam Liu stood at the kitchen entrance, water dripping from the dried vegetables in her hand.

"What are you here for?"

"My little brother nearly died in the mountains. Can't I come?" Zhou Xing straightened up and patted the dust from her hands.

Madam Liu's lips moved, but she said nothing more and turned back into the kitchen.

There was still someone standing outside the courtyard gate.

A dark-faced, brawny man in his early thirties, with a fierce-looking face.

He stood half a head taller than most men in the village, with shoulders as broad as door panels.

He wore a dark gray fitted outfit with tightened cuffs. The leather sheath at his waist had been polished bright with wear, and a short saber hung from his belt.

Zhao Shan!

Zhou Xing's husband, Zhou Yan's brother-in-law, and a hunter from Li Family Village.

He tied the two horses to the old elm tree outside the courtyard gate, patted the dust from their necks, then walked inside.

"Where's Dad?" Zhou Xing asked.

"In the fields." Madam Liu clearly did not care for her eldest daughter and answered from the kitchen.

"Zhou Ping!" Zhou Xing shouted toward the house. "Go get Dad from the fields. Tell him your eldest sister and brother-in-law are here, and we have something to discuss."

Zhou Ping came out of the house.

He was still wearing that gray hemp shirt, with two patches on the elbows.

When he saw Zhao Shan, he froze for a moment, then his gaze swept over Zhao Shan's fitted outfit.

"What are you standing around for? Go." Zhou Xing said.

Zhou Ping cautiously answered and ran out of the courtyard.

His eldest sister had beaten him plenty when they were children. He could still put on the air of an older brother in front of Zhou Yan, but before Zhou Xing, he was still rather timid.

Zhou Xiaoshi also poked his head out from the doorway, barefoot and clutching half a dark steamed bun.

He first looked at Zhao Shan's short saber, then at the horses outside the gate.

His eyes went round as saucers.

"Brother-in-law, can your horse be ridden?"

Zhao Shan grinned and pressed a large hand onto Zhou Xiaoshi's head. "No problem. I'll take you for a couple laps later."

Zhou Xing sat down beside Zhou Yan.

She took an oil-paper packet from her clothes. Inside were several sesame cakes.

"I bought them in town. Li Family Village doesn't have these." She shoved the packet into Zhou Yan's hands.

The sesame cakes were golden brown, their surfaces dotted with white sesame seeds, grease soaking through the paper.

Zhou Yan smiled and broke off a piece.

"Last time, someone brought word that you nearly died in the mountains. My legs went weak."

"I got lucky," Zhou Yan replied with a smile.

Zhou Xing truly cared about him.

When the original owner had been growing and never had enough food, his eldest sister would secretly save half of her own meals for him.

"You're such an idiot. You sold your life for one tael of silver!"

"Two taels," Zhou Yan corrected.

Zhou Xing laughed and smacked the back of his head.

"You're pleased with yourself over two taels?"

Just then, Zhou Dazhuang returned from the fields with a hoe over his shoulder. His feet were still muddy, and his trouser legs were rolled up to his knees.

"Dad." Zhao Shan stood.

Zhou Dazhuang nodded and leaned the hoe against the wall.

Zhao Shan sat on a stone stool in the courtyard.

Zhou Xing jerked her chin at him and gave him a look.

Zhao Shan cleared his throat.

"Dad, Mom, Xing'er and I came back for two reasons. First, we heard that Third had gotten into trouble and came to check on him. We've been worried sick, but seeing that he's all right puts us at ease. Second, do you know the Sun Family in the county seat?"

Madam Liu and Zhou Dazhuang exchanged a glance and shook their heads.

"The Sun Family is from the county seat. They mainly deal in medicinal herbs, and their business is enormous."

At that, Madam Liu's eyes widened somewhat.

"Both streets of shops in the county seat belong to the Sun Family. Their estates outside the city stretch in one continuous expanse. They have more than a dozen stewards just collecting rent. Their guard corps keeps dozens of men year-round, with instructors specifically training them."

As Zhao Shan spoke, his fingers unconsciously brushed the hilt of the saber at his waist.

"Even the other wealthy families in the county must send gifts to the Sun Family during holidays. When speaking before Master Sun, they all have to be polite."

"Last year, while I was hunting at Blackwind Ridge, I happened to save the Second Young Master of the Sun Family."

"It wasn't much, really. Someone had set an ambush in the mountains, and I happened to be nearby, so I fired two arrows. The Sun Family was grateful and accepted me into their guard corps."

Beside them, Zhou Ping's eyes rolled as an idea formed.

"Recently, for some unknown reason, the Sun Family has been urgently recruiting guards."

Zhao Shan paused. "Xing'er discussed it with me. We want to recommend Third to give it a try."

As soon as he said that, the courtyard fell silent.

Madam Liu opened her mouth as if to say something, then closed it again.

Zhou Dazhuang leaned against the threshold, dry mud crumbling from his hands.

Zhou Xing took over. "Don't worry, Mom. The monthly pay is five mace of silver, with food and lodging included. There are people in the guard corps specifically teaching martial arts."

As she spoke, she counted on her fingers. "Five mace a month means six taels a year. Dad farms for a whole year—after paying rent, how much is even left?"

Madam Liu swallowed.

Six taels of silver!

Zhou Dazhuang worked the fields all year with his face to the soil and his back to the sky. After tenant rent and seeds, he did not even have one tael left.

"If he performs well, he can even train in martial arts, go to the martial hall under the Sun Family's name to learn cultivation methods, and become a Martial Adept!" Zhao Shan added.

Cultivation methods!

Those words were like stones crashing into water.

Unable to suppress the excitement in his eyes, Zhou Ping shot to his feet. "Cultivation methods? I can train in martial arts?"

He hurried over to Zhao Shan.

"Brother-in-law, do you think I could do it?"

Zhao Shan glanced at him and shook his head. "No. You're too old. You've already passed the best age to train in martial arts."

His hawk-like eyes swept Zhou Ping from head to toe.

"Being a guard isn't just a way to get meals," Zhao Shan said. "Last year, the guard corps fought a gang from North Street. Four people died in one fight."

"The Sun Family isn't safe and sound in the county seat either. They have plenty of enemies!"

Zhao Shan's tone remained calm. "I've been in the corps for over a year. The dead men I've seen couldn't all fit around one table."

Zhou Ping's mouth twitched. "D-Dead people?"

"Last month, Black Tiger Hall caused trouble, and more than a dozen guards died!"

At that, Zhou Ping's face went pale with fright.

He stepped back and sat down where he had been, falling silent.

Zhou Xing glanced at him, her mouth curling downward.

She knew her second brother could manage a little cleverness, but if he were truly sent to the Sun Family, he would probably lose his life before long.

Just then, Zhou Dazhuang suddenly spoke. "That bone test last time. Third, Inferior Middle Grade. Second, Inferior Lower Grade."

Zhou Xing slapped her thigh. "Did you hear that?"

"All right, I'll go." Zhou Yan nodded.

With that, he stuffed the remaining half of the sesame cake into his mouth, chewed, and swallowed.

Zhou Xing smiled. "We leave tomorrow morning. You'll go with your brother-in-law."

Late at night.

Zhou Yan suddenly opened his eyes.

He put on his shoes in the dark, avoiding the loose floorboards on the ground.

He walked two steps along the courtyard wall, then climbed over it.

After traveling half a li, he arrived beside the old locust tree.

Its roots twisted together, and the hollow beneath it was still there. The loose stones and dry grass at the entrance had not been touched.

Zhou Yan crouched down, moving the stones aside one by one and pushing the dry grass away.

His hand touched the cloth bundle, making it rustle.

Under the moonlight, the broken silver glimmered gray-white, amounting to roughly forty taels.

Besides that, there were three packets of Body-Tempering Decoction and one Qi Gathering Pill.

Zhao Shan's visit today had also given him an opportunity.

He could not remain in the village any longer!

Whether it was martial training or resources, the village was far inferior to the county seat.

He could not rely solely on killing people and looting corpses for money!

Besides, having an instructor and lacking one were completely different matters. Though he had fumbled his way into the Body-Tempering Realm, reaching the Qi-Gathering Realm and beyond as a Martial Adept would be far more difficult. Right now, he was completely in the dark.

Perhaps the Sun Family's recruitment of guards this time was also an opportunity.