Family Assets

Duan Rong completely treated Kong Bin and the other two as if they were air, focusing only on his own concerns.

It was not until broad daylight, when the menial disciples in the dormitory had risen one after another and begun heading to the Front Courtyard dining hall for breakfast, that Duan Rong joined the crowd and left the courtyard.

Holding a bowl of thin porridge and two steamed buns, Duan Rong squatted in a corner and, in three strokes and two swipes, swept every last bite of food into his stomach.

Yet his belly still felt hollow.

The two steamed buns and bowl of porridge were like offerings poured into a bottomless pit.

"It had never been like this before?"

Duan Rong felt that his appetite was especially strong this morning. His eyes flickered, and he immediately understood why.

Because the training he had done this morning was real training. He had trained before as well, but it had never produced any results.

But things were different now. He possessed the experience of the entry-level Five Tigers Herd Sheep Saber in his mind.

He had practiced according to a proper entry-level Martial Skill. The toll it took on his body was naturally far beyond that hollow, empty-frame style of training from before.

So his voracious appetite was a good thing—it meant he was on the right path.

But it was also a problem. If he kept consuming himself like this without replenishing it through food, his body would eventually be left depleted.

Duan Rong placed his empty bowl into a large wooden basin the size of a millstone nearby. The kitchen's menial disciples would wash everyone's bowls and chopsticks together each day.

Duan Rong left the dining hall courtyard through a side gate, passed through several Covered Corridors, turned east at a screen wall, and walked straight for a while before he heard the faint sound of horses snorting.

Duan Rong entered the Horse Stable. Old Sun, who was in charge of the stable, had already begun soaking the fodder.

Old Sun was over fifty. His back had begun to stoop, the crown of his head surrounded by graying hair was already bald, exposing a shiny, oily scalp.

He too had entered as a menial disciple in his younger days. After failing to be selected as an apprentice, he had spent his whole life doing menial work at the Yuan Shun Escort Agency.

When Duan Rong came in, Old Sun merely glanced at him before continuing with his work.

Neither of them was much of a talker.

Old Sun actually rather liked Duan Rong. The boy worked steadily and had no crooked schemes in his heart. He believed that if Duan Rong failed the assessment in a few days, he would remain at the Horse Stable and become a decent helper.

Old Sun had never considered the possibility that Duan Rong might be chosen as an apprentice. It was not so easy for a menial disciple to advance to apprentice.

This round was personally overseen by the escort agency's Chief Instructor, Xiao Zongting.

That old stubborn mule would not show anyone the slightest bit of favor.

"Old Sun, I'd like to ask for half a day off," Duan Rong said respectfully as he stood at Old Sun's side.

Old Sun frowned. Duan Rong had already missed several days because of his illness a few days ago, and now he was asking for leave again.

Old Sun turned his head and gave Duan Rong a strange look. Just as he was about to speak, Duan Rong grinned and cut in first. "Don't worry, sir. I really do have private business to handle—I'm not trying to dodge work. Just feed the horses. Leave the job of shoveling manure to me; I'll come back and do it this afternoon!"

Old Sun's words caught in his throat. Seeing Duan Rong's cheerful grin, he found it hard to say anything more. After pondering for a moment, he said, "Go on, then."

"Thank you, Old Sun." Seeing that Old Sun had relented, Duan Rong answered and headed out.

Watching Duan Rong's retreating back, Old Sun muttered, "After burning up once, his mind seems to have gotten a lot sharper. This kid never used to talk so slickly!"

Duan Rong left the Yuan Shun Escort Agency and headed east along the street.

Menial disciples naturally had days off as well. They could request leave for two days each month without having their monthly pay deducted. But Duan Rong had already used three days when he was sick.

If he asked for leave again today, Old Sun could have refused him outright.

But Duan Rong also knew that the original owner had always worked hard, and Old Sun had a favorable impression of him. It was only by relying on that that he had dared to make the request.

Duan Rong's home was still some distance from the Yuan Shun Escort Agency.

The original owner's parents had long since passed away, leaving him alone in this world.

There had originally been several mu of poor farmland at home, but all of it had been sold to pay for his father's treatment. Even so, his father's illness was too deeply rooted to be cured, and he ultimately breathed his last.

Once his father fell ill, the family became even poorer, and their relatives stopped associating with them as well.

The present Duan Rong possessed only an empty, dilapidated house.

Guided by the original owner's memories, Duan Rong walked for about the time it took an incense stick to burn before arriving at the gate of his home.

Duan Rong took a key from his inner pocket, opened the courtyard gate, and entered.

He went straight into the inner room, crawled beneath the bed, and felt around in a corner until he found a dust-covered jar.

Duan Rong opened the jar and felt several pieces of broken silver from its bottom.

He looked them over and estimated that together, they amounted to only a little more than one tael.

This was all the original owner had to his name.

Duan Rong sighed. "The economic foundation determines the superstructure. This little money is only enough to improve my meals for a while."

Duan Rong had already calculated it. This money was only enough for him to eat two bowls of lamb stew with flatbread a day for the next few days.

But once he advanced to apprentice, his monthly pay would increase. By then, perhaps things would not be so tight.

After all, menial disciples received only sixty copper coins a month, while apprentices received three qian of silver each month—five times as much.

It was not that the escort agency was being generous. Once one became an apprentice, one had to train hard in Martial Arts, and anyone who failed to meet the standard after three months would be dismissed. Without sufficient pay and enough food to keep up, it was easy to train one's body into ruin.

Duan Rong was quite confident that he would be selected as an apprentice. After all, he already possessed the experience of the entry-level Five Tigers Herd Sheep Saber. He only needed to improve his physical condition enough to bring that experience into play.

So the most urgent thing was to endure this stretch ahead!

This small amount of silver was all the original owner possessed. With the original owner's temperament, he would never have dared spend it so freely. But Duan Rong saw things differently. In his view, the best investment was an investment in oneself.

In fact, this property was old and remote, and it was a house in the county town, making it slow to sell and impossible to fetch much of a price. If not for that, he would certainly have sold it and converted it into silver to pay for his food and drink.

Why should he care whether this house was a keepsake the original owner's father had left behind?

After all, both of them were dead, while he was still alive. Could a dead man's keepsake possibly be more important than a living person?

Duan Rong put away the silver and left the house, buying two meat buns from a street-side stall.

The steaming meat buns were wrapped in dried lotus leaves. They satisfied his cravings and filled his stomach. As Duan Rong ate, he mulled over several matters.

Quite a few problems had indeed been lingering in his mind lately. It was not just the approaching assessment; he also could not find the way into the Inner Power Cultivation Method.

But what he was considering now was another matter—the ability to Devour Artifact Spirits.

The ability to Devour Artifact Spirits was undoubtedly the foundation of his development after his soul had crossed into this world. He had to understand and completely master this ability.