The Three Great Lineages' Calculations

When Ye An went to the North Granary to collect his pay after reaching Second Body Tempering, he saw Steward Liu still sorting through the records. He waited beside him until Steward Liu had finished.

"Second Body Tempering?" Steward Liu's voice was as rough as sandpaper scraping iron.

"Yes."

"Second Body Tempering means double pay."

"Eight taels a month, paid at the end of the month."

Ye An cupped his fists. "Thank you, Steward Liu."

"Don't thank me." Steward Liu waved a hand. "Those are the rules. You're paid according to your level. The North Granary doesn't shortchange anyone."

Ye An was about to step over the threshold when Steward Liu called after him, "Things have been unsettled lately. Watch yourself."

Ye An nodded.

Eight taels a month.

Add Qian Duoduo's three Body Tempering Pills each month and the gear Liu Yin had dropped, and Ye An still knew his resources were a little thin for reaching Third Body Tempering.

When he got home, three strangers were standing outside the Ye family courtyard.

One wore a blue-green robe and a thin mustache and held a folding fan. Another was burly, dressed in gray, with a jade token at his waist. The third wore a brocade robe and a small cap.

All three approached as soon as they saw Ye An.

"You must be Young Master Ye An?" The man in blue-green spoke first, smiling broadly as he cupped his fists. "I'm Zhou Tong, a steward of the Zhou Family. I heard you reached Second Body Tempering, so I came to pay a visit."

The Zhou Family.

Something stirred in Ye An's mind, but his face gave nothing away.

"I'm Sun Fu, a steward of the Sun Family." The man in gray cupped his fists too, his voice booming. "Congratulations on your breakthrough. The Sun Family has prepared a modest gift as a token of our regard."

"I'm Li An, a steward of the Li Family." The man in brocade came forward with a chuckle. "Young Master Ye, you've reached Second Body Tempering. Your future knows no bounds."

Ye An looked at the three of them and went straight to the point.

"What do you want?"

Zhou Tong spoke first. "The Zhou Family would like you to become a retainer. We offer generous terms: five Body Tempering Pills a month, plus twenty taels in pay."

Sun Fu followed at once. "The Sun Family offers six Body Tempering Pills and twenty-five taels."

Li An laughed. "No need to fight over him, you two. The Li Family is willing to offer eight Body Tempering Pills and thirty taels. What do you say, Young Master Ye?"

Three of Anping County's Four Major Families had come calling.

Ye An studied them, his expression unchanged while several thoughts raced through his mind.

A Second Body Tempering martial artist was certainly somebody in Anping County. But for the Zhou, Sun, and Li families to send people at the same time and offer such high prices? That was not normal.

Besides, all Four Major Families had recently begun recruiting First Body Tempering martial artists. Now they were courting him, a Second Body Tempering martial artist, with offers that kept climbing. Ye An feared he might live to take the money but not to spend it.

"Thank you for your kind offers." Ye An cupped his fists. "I've only just reached Second Body Tempering, and my level isn't stable yet. I need time to consolidate it. For now, I'm not considering becoming a retainer."

All three men's faces changed.

Zhou Tong recovered first, his smile never fading. "Of course. Consolidating your level comes first. Once you've settled in, you can come to me anytime."

"Exactly, exactly," Sun Fu agreed. "Focus on your training. There's no hurry."

Li An's smile vanished. He nodded. "Then we won't disturb you any longer. Farewell."

The three cupped their fists and left with ingratiating smiles.

They had not gone far when Ye An heard them speaking in low voices.

"That brat doesn't know what's good for him!"

"Easy. Once he learns how hard it is to train without resources, he'll come to us."

"True. Without pills, a Second Body Tempering martial artist could train until the year of the monkey and the month of the horse."

Ye An ignored them, pushed open the courtyard gate, and went inside.

His father, Ye Shouzhuo, sat on a stone stool in the courtyard, a letter in his hand and a deep furrow between his brows.

His eldest brother, Ye Ping, stood beside him holding several more letters, his expression complicated.

His second brother, Ye Ning, leaned against the wall, paying no attention to the letters.

All three looked up when Ye An entered.

"Father, Big Brother, Second Brother." Ye An greeted them in turn.

Ye Shouzhuo stood and raised the letter in his hand. "These all arrived today. The Zhou, Sun, Li, and Wang families want you as a retainer."

Ye An walked over, took the letters, and skimmed them. They all said much the same thing—congratulations on his breakthrough, an invitation to become a retainer, and generous terms.

Ye An set the letters on the stone table.

"I turned them all down."

Ye Shouzhuo blinked. "All of them?"

"Mm."

"Probably for the best. As someone else's retainer, you'd certainly have to do their bidding someday. There must be something behind offers this generous," Ye Ping, ever the scholar, said with keen insight.

Ye An nodded, agreeing with his eldest brother. "That's what I thought too."

Rumors had been circulating at the Martial Hall. Gu Changfeng had apparently been held up again, and there was movement at Blackwind Stronghold. The Four Major Families had no choice but to recruit Anping County's martial artists as best they could to protect themselves.

Ye Shouzhuo looked at his youngest son and fell silent for a while. His eyes held so much—relief, pride, and a trace of something bittersweet. Ye An had once been an ordinary person. Now all Four Major Families had sent people to invite him.

"You've grown up," Ye Shouzhuo said, his voice tinged with that same bittersweet feeling.

Ye An could hear the pride beneath it.

"Your grandfather would be happy if he knew." Ye Shouzhuo fell silent after saying it. With his grandfather the way he was, who knew whether he would be happy?

"Second Body Tempering?"

"Mm."

After a moment's silence, Ye Ning offered his praise.

"Not bad."

Ye Ning's voice was cool and unreadable when he said it, as though it were a casual remark. But Ye An knew his second brother was not cold toward him. He simply was not good with words.

Ye Ning would never say something like "I'm proud of you." From him, "Not bad" was the highest praise there was.

Ye Ning got to his feet. He had said his piece in two simple words, but before leaving, he added, "Third Body Tempering is the real dividing line. Don't get smug too soon and squander the support Father and Big Brother have given you."

Ye An watched his retreating back and gave a stifled laugh.

Qian Duoduo came to the Ye family home that evening.

Ye An could see that Qian Duoduo looked troubled.

"What's wrong?"

Qian Duoduo spoke gloomily.

"I told my family."

"Told them what?"

"That you reached Second Body Tempering."

The Qian family home.

Qian Duoduo came home, dropped his money pouch on the table, and said to Qian Wanguan, who was working on the accounts, "Father, remember that Ye An I told you about?"

Qian Wanguan kept writing. "The First Body Tempering martial artist from Green Bamboo Martial Arts Hall? What about him?"

"Ye An reached Second Body Tempering," Qian Duoduo replied simply.

Qian Wanguan's brush paused. He looked up at Qian Duoduo, his gaze searching and appraising. He stayed silent so long that Qian Duoduo thought his father was about to lose his temper.

"Second Body Tempering. Four months," Qian Wanguan finally said, his voice low. "First to Second in four months."

Qian Duoduo nodded.

Qian Wanguan set down his brush, leaned back in his chair, and tapped the armrest twice.

"How long have you been at Green Bamboo Martial Arts Hall?"

"Almost a year."

"How long have you known Ye An?"

"About seven months." Qian Duoduo counted it out.

Qian Wanguan nodded as though tallying an account. "This time, you stumbled into the right choice."

Many people got stuck at a level and needed several attempts to break through. Qian Wanguan had not expected Ye An to be so lucky: with High-Grade C Bone Structure, he had succeeded on his first try. Or perhaps it was his own son who was lucky? Had he spotted a pearl among stones?

Half the weight lifted from Qian Duoduo's heart.

"Since Ye An is already a retainer of the Qian Family, his terms should naturally improve," Qian Wanguan said. "Six Body Tempering Pills and twenty taels a month. Also, tell him the Qian Family won't demand anything of him, but when we need him, I hope he won't refuse."

Qian Duoduo nodded, committing every word to memory.

Qian Duoduo was about to leave when his father spoke again behind him. "Duoduo."

Qian Wanguan's expression softened.

"You did well this time."

Of course, Qian Duoduo did not tell Ye An everything.

He only said that Ye An's terms had improved.

After hearing Qian Duoduo's account, Ye An asked,

"What else did your father say?" Ye An was not the sort to take a free meal. If he accepted someone's generosity, he naturally had to do something in return.

"Nothing else." Qian Duoduo stood, ready to leave Willow Alley. "That's all. Train hard, and don't let me down."

On an August night, the wind blew in from the north, carrying a pleasant coolness.

Ye An stood in the courtyard and looked up at the sky. The moon was round, and the stars shone bright.

"Third Body Tempering is the real dividing line."

Ye Ning was right. Second Body Tempering was only the beginning. Third Body Tempering was his next goal, and Meridian Opening the one after that.

[Azure Cloud Finger (Third Level): 16/500]

[Qi-Nourishing Formula (Micro): 99/200]

The road ahead was long, but he was already on it.