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 recuperate.

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

But at night, once everyone in the household had fallen sound asleep, he secretly slipped out to practice horse stance and boxing, continuing his martial training.

His body had recovered far faster than it appeared to outsiders.

It was just past noon that day.

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

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

Suddenly, the sound of hoofbeats came from afar.

Clip-clop, clip-clop.

They struck the yellow dirt road, dull yet powerful.

Horses rarely came to Willow Village.

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

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

The hoofbeats turned into the mouth of the alley.

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

"Who's coming now?"

Before her words had faded, a horse stopped outside the courtyard gate.

The rider leapt down, and before his feet even hit the ground, a voice arrived first.

"Third!"

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

Before him stood a woman in a blue cotton dress, 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 tossed the reins over the saddle and strode into the courtyard, her cloth shoes smacking against the ground.

"Are you trying to get yourself killed?!"

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

The clothing over Zhou Yan's shoulder was pulled askew, revealing the patch of bruising that had not fully faded.

Zhou Xing stared at it for two moments, tears welling in her eyes.

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

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

"Does it hurt?"

"It doesn't."

"Bullshit. That bruise is so huge, and you're saying it doesn't hurt?"

Zhou Xing looked at the scar on his face again, her brows knotting into a tight ball.

"You've ruined your looks. It'll be even harder to find you a wife now."

"..."

Zhou Yan said nothing.

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

"What are you here for?"

"My little brother nearly died in the mountains. Am I not allowed to come?" Zhou Xing straightened up and dusted off her hands.

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

There was still someone standing outside the courtyard gate.

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

He stood half a head taller than the average village man, his shoulders as broad as door planks.

He wore a dark gray fitted outfit with tight cuffs. The leather sheath at his waist had been polished bright with wear, and a short blade 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 off their necks, then finally walked inside.

"Where's Father?" Zhou Xing asked.

"In the fields." Madam Liu clearly did not care for this eldest daughter of hers, replying from the kitchen.

"Zhou Ping!" Zhou Xing called toward the house. "Go get Father from the fields. Tell him your eldest sister and brother-in-law are here, and that there's something to discuss."

Zhou Ping came out of the house.

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

When he saw Zhao Shan, he froze at first, then his gaze circled Zhao Shan's fitted outfit.

"What are you staring at? Go on." 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 airs of an older brother before 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 coarse black bun.

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

His eyes widened round as saucers.

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

Zhao Shan grinned, pressing a large hand atop 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 bosom. Inside were several sesame cakes.

"I bought them from town. Li Family Village doesn't have these." She stuffed the packet into Zhou Yan's hand.

The sesame cakes were browned and crisp, their surfaces sprinkled with white sesame seeds. Grease had seeped through the paper.

Zhou Yan smiled and broke off a piece.

"When I got word last time that you nearly died in the mountains, my legs went weak."

"I've got a tough life," Zhou Yan replied with a smile.

Zhou Xing truly treated him well.

When the original owner had been growing up and there had not been enough food to fill his stomach, his eldest sister had secretly saved half her own meals for him.

"You're an idiot. You sold your life for a single tael of silver!"

"Two taels," Zhou Yan corrected.

Zhou Xing gave a laugh and raised her hand to smack the back of his head.

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

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

"Father." Zhao Shan stood.

Zhou Dazhuang nodded and leaned the hoe against the base of the wall.

Zhao Shan sat on a stone stool in the courtyard.

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

Zhao Shan cleared his throat.

"Father, Mother, Xing'er and I came back this time for two matters. First, we heard that Third Brother had gotten into trouble, so we came to see him. We kept worrying ourselves sick, but now that we've seen Third Brother is all right, we can rest easy. As for the second matter, do you know the Sun Family in the county seat?"

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

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

At this, Madam Liu's eyes widened somewhat.

"Every shopfront along two streets in the county seat belongs to the Sun Family. Their estates outside the city stretch in unbroken tracts, and they have more than a dozen stewards just collecting rent. Their guard force keeps dozens of men year-round, with instructors specifically training them."

As Zhao Shan spoke, his fingers unconsciously touched the hilt of the blade at his waist.

"Even the other great households in the county have to send gifts to the Sun Family during holidays and festivals. Before Master Sun, they all have to speak politely."

"Last year, while I was hunting in Blackwind Ridge, I happened to save the second young master of the Sun Family."

"It wasn't really anything major. 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 took me into their guard force."

Zhou Ping, who was listening nearby, had his eyes roll shrewdly.

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

Zhao Shan paused. "Xing'er discussed it with me. She wants to recommend Third Brother to give it a try."

The instant those words came out, the courtyard fell silent.

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

Zhou Dazhuang leaned against the threshold. The mud he had been rubbing between his hands had dried, falling down in soft flakes.

Zhou Xing took over. "Mother, don't worry. The monthly pay is five mace of silver, with food and lodging included. There are even people in the guard force specifically teaching boxing and kicking techniques."

As she spoke, she counted on her fingers. "Five mace of silver a month makes six taels a year. How much does Father have left after farming for a year and paying the rent?"

Madam Liu's throat bobbed.

Six taels of silver!

Zhou Dazhuang worked with his face to the yellow earth and his back to the sky for an entire year. After deducting tenant rent and seeds, he did not even have one tael left.

"If he performs well, he can even train in martial arts, study cultivation methods at a martial hall under the Sun Family, and become a Martial Adept!" Zhao Shan added.

Cultivation methods!

Those two words were like stones crashing into water.

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

He crossed the distance to Zhao Shan in a few swift strides.

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

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

Those hawk-like eyes swept over Zhou Ping.

"Being a guard isn't just a way to muddle through for meals," Zhao Shan said. "Last year, the guard force had a bloody clash with a gang from North Street. Four people died in a single fight."

"The Sun Family doesn't get to sleep soundly on a high pillow in the county seat, either. They have plenty of enemies!"

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

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

"Last month, when Black Tiger Hall came looking for trouble, more than a dozen guards died!"

At that, Zhou Ping's face turned white with fright.

He took a step back, sat down where he had been, and fell silent.

Zhou Xing glanced at him, her lips curling downward.

She knew that her second younger brother could play small tricks well enough, but if he were truly sent to the Sun Family, he would probably lose his life before long.

Just then, Zhou Dazhuang suddenly spoke. "Last time they felt your bones. Third, Inferior Middle Grade. Second, Inferior Lower Grade."

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

"Fine, then 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'll 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, stepping around the loose planks on the floor.

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

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

The roots were twisted and gnarled. The hollow beneath it was still there, and the broken stones and dry grass around its 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, producing a rustling sound.

Under the moonlight, the broken silver glinted gray-white. There were 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 opening.

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 not having one were worlds apart. Though he had managed to feel his way into the Body-Tempering Realm, the Qi-Gathering Realm and everything after becoming a Martial Adept were not merely a little more difficult. Right now, he was utterly in the dark.

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