Yang Shichang Arrives

"Little sister, brother-in-law."

When Yang Shichang arrived at South Mountain Courtyard, he found Xu Mingwei walking with Yang Ronghua. She held a baby wrapped in silk in her arms.

Both were smiling as they played with the child.

At the sight, Yang Shichang's heart finally settled.

"Brother, you're here!"

The moment Yang Ronghua saw her brother, she burst into tears of joy.

As Yang Shichang approached, Xu Mingwei cupped his hands. "Brother-in-law."

"Come, let me see my eldest nephew."

Yang Shichang took Xu Dezhao from Yang Ronghua and played with him, grinning all the while.

Xu Dezhao's dark, bright eyes stared right back at him.

"Say uncle. Come on, say uncle."

"No crying or fussing. He's a brave one."

Yang Shichang laughed and handed him back to Yang Ronghua. "He has the same name as Father. The old man is delighted."

"Does 'Dezhao' have a particular meaning?"

"A gentleman esteems virtue, and his character shines for all to see. My husband chose it."

"Mm." Yang Shichang nodded and strolled with them. "I brought a Bloodline Stone to test for Yang Household blood."

"Father said that if Zhao'er's bloodline is pure, he might apply to the Lineage to have our Yang Household martial arts taught to him."

"The Xu Household isn't short of martial arts," Xu Mingwei said.

"But how could those compare with our Yang Household martial arts? Brother-in-law, you may not know this, but a special bloodline paired with an Inherited Martial Art can greatly increase one's combat strength."

"Of course, there's no telling whether it'll be approved. Let's test his bloodline before discussing anything else."

Xu Mingwei nodded slightly.

They went to Xu Mingwei's study, where Yang Shichang began the bloodline test.

It, too, required a drop of blood.

Xu Dezhao was pricked with a needle and immediately wailed. Yang Ronghua hurried aside to soothe him.

The pigeon-egg-sized Bloodline Stone lit up with a pure red glow.

Delight spread across Yang Shichang's face. "He really has inherited our Yang Household martial bloodline, and it's remarkably pure—far purer than mine."

"With a bloodline like this, he'll certainly become a Xiantian Martial Artist even if he trains on his own. If he's given every resource, becoming a Grandmaster won't be a problem. He might even have a thirty percent chance of reaching the pinnacle of that realm."

"If the Yang Household produced a qilin son like him, Father would grin from ear to ear."

"Zhao'er has Yang Household blood too. Naturally, he counts as one of you."

"Haha! Quite right, quite right. Your brother was thinking too narrowly."

Yang Ronghua looked over with a smile. "I was right to ask you to make the trip, Brother. Still, I'd rather Zhao'er inherited his father's talent."

"Brother-in-law's talent certainly isn't lacking!" Yang Shichang laughed. "I'll head back to the Commandery Seat this afternoon and tell Father the good news."

"So soon? You rushed here for Zhao'er, and the Xu Household hasn't even had the chance to host you properly."

"Just treat me to a drink at noon. I've sorely missed the wine from your Thousand Gold Distillery."

Yang Shichang patted Xu Mingwei's shoulder. "Everything your Xu Household produces is good. Even in the Commandery Seat, such things are rare."

"Similar goods there cost more than twice as much, sometimes three times as much. I really have missed your fine wine and food."

"By the way, does the Xu Household intend to expand into the Commandery Seat?"

"With Zhao'er's talent and my father putting in a word, the Yang Household should lend you a hand in establishing yourselves there."

Xu Mingwei wasn't about to tell him everything. He smiled. "My second brother handles all business matters. Even my father rarely asks about them."

"But from what I've seen, I doubt we have any such plans for the next year or two."

"After all, the Xu Household hasn't even firmly established itself in Qingjiang County."

"Haha, brother-in-law, you're too modest. Even if the Xu Household isn't Qingjiang's foremost Aristocratic Clan, it must rank near the top."

Xu Mingwei smiled without answering directly. "Since you like our goods, take some perfume for Mother-in-law when you leave this afternoon. I'll prepare wine for you and Father-in-law."

"Oh, and if your wife becomes pregnant, be sure she doesn't use the perfume. It could affect the child."

"Then you have my thanks, brother-in-law." Yang Shichang continued, "By the way, how about a spar? I've reached the Houtian Peak now, just one step from becoming a Xiantian Martial Artist."

"Give me another two or three years to hone myself, and I'll surely make the leap."

"That's quite a bit faster than Father managed back then."

Yang Ronghua pressed her lips together but said nothing. She stood in the courtyard corridor and quietly watched the two men spar, with a maid attending her.

Xu Mingwei sparred with Yang Shichang.

When it ended, sweat poured off Yang Shichang, and his pupils kept contracting. Xu Mingwei, by contrast, looked much the same as before.

"That felt great!"

"It did," Xu Mingwei agreed.

"Wait." Yang Shichang quickly noticed something wrong. "Your breathing isn't even the slightest bit unsteady."

"Don't tell me you've broken through to Xiantian?"

"I remember you reached the Houtian Peak less than two years ago. How hard is it to sense the power of heaven and earth and draw qi into your body through your own efforts?"

"Even with the help of a Qi-Inducing Pill, it could take six months, perhaps over a year, before you had a chance."

Disbelief filled Yang Shichang's eyes.

Yang Ronghua walked over and handed him a cloth. With a soft laugh, she said, "Brother, my husband entered Xiantian more than half a year ago."

"And when the Xu Household opened a Martial Arts Hall, the three major Martial Arts Halls in Qingjiang County tried to suppress it. On opening day, he defeated the Black Wind School Master single-handedly."

"The Black Wind School Master?!" Yang Shichang's heart jolted again. "Master Wang, the one past sixty?"

"He became a Xiantian Martial Artist over a dozen years ago. You actually beat him?"

He circled Xu Mingwei, then sighed and raised a thumb. "I have to admire your talent, brother-in-law."

"Perhaps Zhao'er's Yang Household bloodline is so pure precisely because he's your son."

"Speaking of which, I've been here quite a while without paying my respects to your father. That was discourteous of me. Take me to see him, would you?"

"Of course."

That afternoon.

Yang Shichang set off for the Commandery Seat on horseback.

Everything he was taking had been prepared, though traveling by horse meant he could carry little.

"Little sister, brother-in-law, come to Moonlake Commandery City when you have the chance. I'll make sure you're well looked after."

Yang Ronghua had moved to Qingjiang County with Yang Zhao and his wife shortly after she was born. She had no memory of the Commandery Seat at all.

Only after Yang Shichang's figure disappeared beyond the horizon did she lower her head and wipe away her tears.

Xu Mingwei drew her into his arms. "Don't worry. We'll have a chance to visit your brother and your parents in the Commandery Seat."

"It won't be long."

He knew his father's ambitions well. Qingjiang County would not be able to contain the Xu Household's hidden dragon forever.

In the blink of an eye, May arrived.

Three months had passed without rain.

The heat was fierce. The water in the rice paddies had nearly dried up, and even the river had fallen too low to divert water for irrigation.

As their rice withered and died, cries of despair rose from countless commoners.

Those crops were the foundation of their survival.

The Xu Household owned over five hundred mu of rice paddies, more than three hundred mu of farmland, and over three hundred mu of woodland. Naturally, it had been affected too.

But they had acted in time, and the losses remained bearable.

Over the past month, the prices of fruit, vegetables, and grain in Qingjiang County had risen again and again.

Seeing no other way to survive, some commoners in Dongxi Village sold their paddies and fields to the Xu Household and became its long-term laborers.

For now, the Xu Household was the only one that could afford to take people on.

The Xu Lineage had declined steadily over the past few years. It had let many household servants go, let alone long-term laborers.

Heart-Questioning Courtyard.

Xu Chuan's study.

The brothers Xu Mingwei and Xu Mingyuan were both there.

"Father, our Household has bought more than four hundred mu of rice paddies, over three hundred mu of farmland, and more than two hundred mu of woodland recently. Because of the drought, prices are less than half what they used to be. But if the heavens won't send rain, the drought will only worsen, and there's no telling when it will end. We can't keep buying like this, can we?"

A deep crease formed between Xu Mingwei's brows, his worry plain to see.

Xu Mingyuan stood beside him, his expression equally grave.

"They're our neighbors. If we don't help them now, they may end up as beggars—or starve to death."

"Father, are you trying to win the people's hearts?"

Xu Mingyuan lowered his eyes briefly, then looked up at Xu Chuan.