Serve Tea, Bow to a Godfather, Change My Name, and Grant Me a Path to Heaven?

By the pond at the Lin Residence.

Lin Steward, beaten until his flesh was split and his skin torn, so battered he could not even stand, clenched his teeth and lay sprawled over the gravel.

"Master, no matter what, I have served this residence loyally for thirty years. I truly cannot endure this whipping."

"Even if that insignificant groom had come into his own, by all rights, his Slave Status should have been removed."

"But—"

"You entrusted me with the duty of 'steward,' putting me in charge of the 'stables.' I bear the responsibility of oversight and supervision."

"He eats the Lin Residence's food and uses the Lin Residence's things. He leaves late and returns early every day, all for the sake of plotting his own future."

"Why is it that when I punish him, it is as though I have violated some heavenly law?"

"No matter what, I cannot swallow this grievance!"

A little over ten feet in front of where he lay.

Lin Zhenhai held a small handful of fish food and scattered it into the pond.

Watching the brightly colored ornamental fish dart forward in a frenzy to peck it away, he only then spoke unhurriedly.

"The reasoning is sound enough."

"But young people burn hot."

"The moment they become martial artists, they feel they have broken free of their shackles and climbed ashore. This is especially true for those born poor, who exhaust everything they have just to barely reach Entering Force."

"You were not wrong either. The problem was that you crashed straight into the muzzle of his gun."

"Having only just gained some standing, how could he endure such humiliation from you?"

"Back then, I was poor in my youth, born to a hunter's family. I served that old cripple for ten years—an old man whose blood had declined, yet who had entered the Strength Threshold—before I obtained half a move of a 'blade art.'"

"After training it to completion over three years, the first thing I did was hack down the thug in town who collected mountain tolls. Then I entered the mountain roads and became a blade wielder."

"I drifted about for eight years, until I earned the nickname Mountain Piercing Tiger and built up a bit of wealth. Only after entering Anning County, five hundred li wide, did I gradually make something of myself and learn the rules."

"Martial artists all have tempers. It is especially so when they have only just risen to prominence."

"The fact that you still have your life—"

"Already counts as good fortune."

With his hands behind his back, Lin Zhenhai quietly recounted the affairs of his past.

"I have heard the name Ji Xiu."

"Ruyue mentioned that name to me before."

"A while ago, when she returned to the residence and her horse bolted, it was that 'boy's' superb horsemanship that tamed it and prevented trouble from arising."

"Seen that way, he is indeed a promising seedling."

He slowly turned around. In his forties, his temples were half gray, and his eyes resembled ancient wells shrouded in darkness.

Lin Zhenhai.

In his early years, he had opened mountain routes, drifted as a blade wielder, and worked for an escort agency. He had trained formidable skill in his hands and opened trade routes and connections in all directions, only then laying down his foundation.

The businesses beneath him included shops dealing in the firewood market, Fire Kilns, salt transport, and more. Across ten li and eight streets, he was a figure of standing and reputation.

Aside from the yamen, the Three Great Gangs, the Four Great Halls, Lu Manor of the Fire Kilns, and the other local powers of Anning County's five hundred li—

As for everyone else, even without the rumored fact that his eldest daughter had entered a sect—

Whoever came, he could still lock wrists with them.

A sect's name might be resounding, but that was all it was.

If one was not a personal disciple, if one had not reached the Qi Threshold, then wherever one went, people might respectfully call them a "master."

But in truth, that did not frighten many martial practitioners who had tempered their skills for years.

The Lin Residence had come this far largely because of this one Pillar of Heaven: him.

Looking at his steward's miserable state.

Lin Zhenhai merely lowered his head slightly. His eyes, sharp as an eagle's, stared for a long while before he finally said lazily.

"But then again."

"Without rules, there can be no circles or squares."

"He beat you because of a martial artist's arrogance. He could not endure verbal humiliation, carrying all the meaning of 'when a common man's rage erupts, blood splashes five steps away.'"

"Elsewhere, I cannot control it. If I saw it, I might even admire it somewhat."

"But—"

"This is the Lin Residence."

"Whipping you means he has no regard for the rules."

"Instructor Du has already gone to fetch him. When he arrives, let Family Law serve him."

"He gave you thirty lashes, so I will whip him thirty times in return. That settles the score for you. Considering that he has become a martial artist, I will also set out a table of wine. Enmity is better dissolved than forged—how great a matter is this, really?"

"Only—"

Lin Zhenhai seemed to glance casually from the corner of his eye.

"That boy raises horses rather well. I went to take a look some days ago."

"Leaving late and returning early is no great matter, so long as the work is done well."

"You were never one to make such a tremendous fuss before. How did you end up at odds with a mere groom?"

"You have spent years at Third Young Master's side. If he learns this temperament of yours, that would be the real problem."

After those few words.

Although Lin Zhenhai's words already carried the intent to punish Ji Xiu.

Lin Steward, upon hearing them, felt as if some hidden concern of his had been struck. Cold sweat poured down him with a rush.

"Master, I—"

Before he could finish.

A burst of crunching footsteps over gravel sounded out, easing the suffocating silence by a fraction.

Hearing someone arrive, Lin Steward finally let out a breath. Still lying on the ground, he shifted his eyes to the side.

He saw an attendant hurry to Lin Zhenhai's side, bend down, and whisper several words into his ear.

The moment the attendant finished.

This master, whose gaze had been as still as an ancient well, revealed a distinctly unusual expression. He even smiled for no apparent reason.

"Oh?"

"So that is how it is."

"Interesting."

He lowered his head again, making Lin Steward's heart prickle with fear.

"Then it seems I must take back my earlier assessment of that 'boy.'"

"A boy who could not even afford food, who sold himself into this residence a few days ago to become a groom—if he had possessed such connections before then, he would never have fallen into such circumstances."

"In other words, in less than a month, he encountered such a stroke of fortune?"

Lin Zhenhai rubbed his chin thoughtfully. Then he beckoned to the attendant, straightened his collar, and headed for the main hall.

"Go. Bring that slave contract."

"But if Lu Manor's young master wants me to release someone, then I will release him."

"What my Lin Residence has raised—you have spoken, but that does not necessarily mean it counts."

Lin Residence, main hall.

Ji Xiu followed Lu Yu all the way inside.

It was ancient and elegant, its decorations exquisite.

A broad table of rosewood stood within, set with porcelain and blue-and-white jade vases.

Before the redwood chair in the center, brush, ink, paper, and inkstone were arranged in neat stacks, so clean that not even a speck of dust could be seen.

In the past.

This was a place that a mere 'groom' like him was not even qualified to enter.

After all, his circumstances were no longer what they had once been.

Just as Ji Xiu sighed inwardly.

Lu Yu at his side seemed to see through his thoughts and burst into hearty laughter.

"Don't worry. With this senior brother here, I will get you your freedom today no matter what!"

"But then again—"

"If Master Duan had not kept warning and reminding me before, telling me not to interfere in your affairs—"

He had only gotten halfway through when the rustle of footsteps behind them interrupted him, cutting his words short.

Then.

Lin Zhenhai entered with Instructor Du, his Dragon Walk Tiger Step carrying him forward.

The sound made Ji Xiu, Lu Yu, and the Fire Kiln stewards all turn their heads at once.

The newcomer had broad shoulders and a broad back, his waist straight as a rod. His hands rested behind him, and he appeared loose and relaxed. Yet—

Behind that unrestrained ease, the muscles, bones, flesh, and skin hidden beneath his sweeping black robes appeared, under Ji Xiu's meticulous scrutiny—

To be tightly packed together, as though the force gathered throughout his body had been twisted into a single rope, like the precursor to a volcanic eruption!

At that moment, Ji Xiu was certain.

If this man made a move, then in a flash of lightning—

It would decide victory and defeat!

"This is the master of the Lin Residence, Lin Zhenhai."

"Look at his steps."

Lu Yu introduced him in a low voice by Ji Xiu's ear.

"His strength sinks as heavily as a mountain. His skeletal frame clearly weighs down upon his muscles—he has already reached Great Accomplishment of Iron Bone."

"If that kick struck a person, it would carry well over a thousand jin of force and could crush someone to death alive!"

Great Accomplishment of Iron Bone!

It sounded like tempering the marrow within the bones.

Was this one of the stages within Bone Tempering, the second step of the Strength Threshold that Master Duan had spoken of?

He truly surpassed me by hundreds, by thousands of times!

Ji Xiu pondered inwardly, his body unconsciously tightening.

Then Lin Zhenhai, advancing in Dragon Walk Tiger Step, smiled the instant he entered.

"The young master has come, yet did not send word beforehand. Has the old manor lord been well of late?"

After casually exchanging greetings, Lin Zhenhai sat down in the seat of honor with the bearing of one who commanded the battlefield. He did not speak, merely inspected Ji Xiu from top to bottom.

His gaze flickered, and Ji Xiu felt as though he were sitting on pins and needles.

Yet since ancient times, at a time like this, only one who could hold his nerve was somebody.

So he held his breath and focused his mind. Seemingly without intent, he relaxed his body as well, no longer carrying that tense, awkward unfamiliarity.

Lin Zhenhai's large hand tightened slightly around the armrest, surprise flashing through his eyes before vanishing.

"He truly has come into his own."

He nodded.

Then he waved a hand and had a slave contract brought over. With a ripping sound, he tore it apart!

"From this moment on, boy of the Ji family, you are free."

The light words made Ji Xiu freeze.

This Master Lin had looked at him for so long, and then—

Just let him go?

Could things truly be this simple?

Hearing those words, he came back to himself, joy rising in his heart.

He had just begun to rise and offer his thanks.

However—

The next moment.

Lin Zhenhai spoke again, raising his voice.

"However, your gifts have caught my eye, and they delight me greatly."

"I, Lin Zhenhai, traveled north and south in my early years and have seen a thing or two. Just now, seeing on this slave contract that you are still young, I felt the urge to cherish talent. That is why I tore up your Slave Status and wrote off the disaster of you whipping the steward in a single stroke."

"Boy of the Ji family."

"I have few sons beneath my knee. Today, I have taken a liking to you and am willing to give you an opportunity."

"Let me ask you."

"Would you be willing to enter my household and become my adopted son!"

Serve tea, change my name and surname, bow to a godfather?

Having said that.

A cup of tea, still warm.

Had somehow—

Already been placed at Ji Xiu's side.