Xiao Wei led Qin Geng through the ceremonial flower gate of the second courtyard, pointing toward a row of inverted-facing rooms on the east side and the stables beside them.
"This will be your one-acre-three-cents of land from now on."
Xiao Wei walked over to the horse trough and patted the railing. "This horse is named Red Charcoal, and it's the master's apple of his eye. This beast is delicate, and its feed has to be fine. Every morning between five and seven, you have to come over, first cutting the forage and then mixing the feed. You have to add black eggs and raw eggs into the feed, cracking them directly in and stirring them well."
"This horse has a big temper and is wary of strangers. Except for the master, ordinary people aren't allowed near it. Be careful when you feed it, and don't get kicked."
Xiao Wei issued a warning, then continued, "After feeding the horse, clean the stable. The manure has to be shoveled clean, and fresh hay laid down without a single trace of foul odor."
Qin Geng looked over and saw an extraordinarily magnificent large horse tethered in the stable. Its entire body was date-red, with a coat as oily and bright as satin. Hearing movement, it snorted, pawed the ground with bowl-sized hooves, and exuded an intense ferocity.
Qin Geng looked at the horse and inwardly muttered Good horse.
Even as he spoke, Red Charcoal seemed to catch the scent of a stranger, abruptly turning its head. Its massive equine eyes glared at Qin Geng, and its front hooves restlessly scraped the blue bricks on the ground, emitting crisp crunching sounds as if it were alarmed.
Qin Geng possessed the intimidation of a fierce beast.
With dragon tendons and tiger bones in his body, he ordinarily walked looking sickly and half-asleep, something ordinary people probably wouldn't notice. But those who had reached a certain level, as well as beasts, could naturally sense it.
"Don't be afraid."
Qin Geng stepped forward to stroke the horse's face, reining in the aura of his dragon tendons and tiger bones.
Red Charcoal snorted and unexpectedly grew quiet.
A trace of surprise flashed in Xiao Wei's eyes, and he then pointed to the side. "Aside from the horse, there is also this litter of slender hounds. The master uses them for hunting in the mountains, and they're precious. They get meat at every single meal. Further in, there's a goshawk on that rack. That's a trained hawk, and you have to look after it too, making sure it doesn't go hungry."
Qin Geng looked over in the direction indicated and indeed saw several slender-bodied hounds crouching in their kennel.
These hounds also seemed like Red Charcoal, spooked by Qin Geng, and hid inside the kennel without coming out, staring fixedly at Qin Geng.
Dogs that bark don't bite.
Qin Geng knew they were afraid, but they wouldn't run. Should there be any unusual movement, they would probably still leap out to snap at him a couple of times.
There was also a goshawk perched on the rack, its talons like iron hooks.
This goshawk was arrogant.
The feeling of a sickly tiger that could frighten Red Charcoal and the slender hounds just now only caused this goshawk to slightly tilt its head.
"The remaining chores are miscellaneous."
Xiao Wei counted on his fingers, leading him over to identify the locations of the woodshed and the well. "Chopping firewood and fetching water, I don't need to teach you that, right? The kitchen's water vat and the hot water used in the back courtyard have to be supplied. The fallen leaves and accumulated snow in the courtyard are daily mandatory lessons. If it happens that the master's family has business and tells you to go to the town to deliver messages or buy things, you'll also need to be nimble on your feet."
Qin Geng listened and mentally calculated.
These chores were not few.
Working from five in the morning until noon, there was basically not a single moment of rest.
If someone with a weak constitution were to replace him, they probably wouldn't even be able to haul those two vats of water, let alone having to tend to such a fierce horse, a litter of slender hounds, and a goshawk.
"I've noted it down."
Qin Geng nodded.
"Alright, since you've noted it down, let's go."
Xiao Wei waved a hand. "Tomorrow between five and seven in the morning, don't be late. The master most detests people who aren't punctual."
"Don't worry, Brother Wei."
Qin Geng went to the front hall to bid farewell to Master Ye.
Master Ye was sitting in the Grandmaster Chair, closing his eyes to rest his mind. Hearing Qin Geng say he had noted everything down, he only gave a faint hmph without even lifting his eyelids.
Yet when Qin Geng left, the old man looked at Qin Geng's retreating back with brilliant light flashing in his eyes, and suddenly chuckled.
"That Old Eight really knows how to pick people."
Master Ye smiled and continued closing his eyes to rest his mind.
Leaving Crouching Ox Alley, Qin Geng returned to the shack to fetch his cart.
For the entire afternoon, he pulled his cart and shuttled through the major and minor streets of Tianjin.
When dusk fell, a cold wind stirred up withered leaves on the ground, making them spin.
Qin Geng parked his cart beside the Stewed Delight stall.
"Boss, the usual, two large bowls of stewed meat with extra garlic."
"Coming right up!"
The steaming hot stewed meat was served, and Qin Geng slurped it down.
The hot soup went into his belly, dispelling the chill and waking up his mind.
He felt around in his pocket for copper coins and furrowed his brow.
"I don't have any money on hand right now."
Those thirty silver dollars from before had all been poured into Hundred Herb Hall.
Right now, he only had a few copper coins left on his person, not even able to scrape together a single silver dollar.
"Business has been passable these past few days. After deducting the tribute money, I can probably bring home over two hundred cash a day."
Qin Geng silently calculated in his mind.
Two hundred cash sounded like a lot, enough for an ordinary family of three to get by for a few days.
Yet to him, it was merely a drop in the bucket.
"A single dose of Dragon-Tiger Decoction costs three silver dollars. According to the current market rate, one silver dollar can exchange for a thousand copper coins. Three silver dollars means three thousand cash."
"Saving two hundred a day, it'll take half a month just for a single medicinal bath."
Qin Geng chewed on a piece of lung meat, his gaze growing heavy.
This speed was far too slow.
Scholarship Is Cheap, Martial Arts Are Expensive; the ancients truly did not deceive him.
Having reached the level of Bright Force, relying solely on bitter cultivation wouldn't work; one needed resources piled up.
If the medicine were cut off, advancing his martial arts would probably be terribly slow.
"Are there any more profitable routes?"
Qin Geng ate while scheming in his mind.
Running a cart company?
The thought had just popped up before he ruthlessly snuffed it out.
Previously, Ping'an Cart Company had nothing much to it, and with Bright Force in his body, he wasn't afraid of openly running a cart company himself.
Yet Ping'an Cart Company was gone.
The current Hongsheng Cart Company was a wolf that ate people without spitting out their bones.
Their boss dared to sink people into the river and even colluded with foreigners to handle some kind of Snake Corpse. To run a cart company right under their noses at this time was like the God of Longevity hanging himself—tired of living.
"I need to expand into other professions."
Qin Geng swallowed his final baked wheat cake, his gaze shimmering.
With the Book of a Hundred Trades, he couldn't hang himself from a single tree.
"A physician is a good profession. It brings in money quickly, earns respect, and allows one to compound medicines oneself. It's just that this trade has a high threshold; one needs medical texts, and someone to lead the way."
"Or perhaps... Tomb Raiders?"
Recalling the pole-climbing techniques he had witnessed at Bell Mountain that night, Qin Geng felt somewhat tempted.
That was a truly exorbitant industry; unearthing a good ancient tomb could easily yield hundreds or thousands of silver dollars.
Yet it was also genuinely dangerous, and the mountains were not peaceful right now.
Go to the docks to haul cargo?
Or sell this martial prowess of his?
Or perhaps go underwater to salvage things?
Any of them seemed feasible.
Selling martial prowess, however, seemed like the most direct option.
"Armed escorts are not bad. They can travel a thousand miles, and it's also selling martial prowess while focusing on combat. Neither profession gets left behind."
"No wonder those House Guards go off to sell their martial might; practicing martial arts is simply too expensive."
Just as Qin Geng was lost in thought, a fit of coughing interrupted his train of thought.
"Cough, cough..."
A slightly hunched figure swaggered over, holding a birdcage in his hand.
Master Zhu Xin pulled over a low stool and plopped down directly opposite Qin Geng.
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