Lavish extravagance

"Junior Brother Xu, you really should have agreed. There's no shame in marrying into the Liu Family."

As soon as they stepped outside, Wu Yongfeng spoke up.

Xu Yang had no idea what the Liu Family represented, but Wu Yongfeng knew perfectly well.

Compared with the Liu Family, the Huang Family was simply in a different league.

The Huang Family merely lived in the Inner City, whereas the Liu Family was one of its great lineages.

"The Inner City?"

Xu Yang's gaze sharpened. In all his years, he had never set foot in the Inner City. All he knew was that it was where Qingyuan County's truly rich and powerful gathered, a place where every inch of land was worth its weight in gold.

Still, he had no regrets. Even if it had been the county magistrate's family, he would never have agreed to marry into it.

Besides, even if he had agreed, the bride probably would not have been a daughter of the main wife and direct line. More likely, she would have been born to a concubine or belonged to a collateral branch.

Marrying into a family was humiliating enough. If he married a concubine's daughter on top of that, how much standing could he possibly have in the Liu Family?

Following Wu Yongfeng through streets and alleys, Xu Yang entered the Inner City for the first time. Everything before his eyes made him feel as though he had stepped into another world.

The broad streets were swept spotless, and everyone looked full of vigor. There were no beggars everywhere, nor anyone dressed in patched clothing.

Joy and harmony reigned here.

"Now this is a place fit for people to live!" Xu Yang sighed.

"If I could bring my family here someday, I could die content." Wu Yongfeng quietly clenched his fists.

Even Qi Gathering martial artists found it difficult to secure a home in a place like the Inner City.

The Liu Family's residence was magnificent. Its gateway was more than twenty feet wide, with both a main entrance and a side entrance, and its courtyard walls stretched for dozens of meters.

Two stone lions taller than a man stood on either side. Four burly men with long sabers at their waists guarded the entrance, their bearing tough and capable, their gazes sharp. One look was enough to tell they had trained.

"Don't tell me we'll be guarding the gate from now on," Xu Yang said uncertainly.

"Probably not. However extravagantly the Liu Family throws its money around, it wouldn't have Qi Gathering martial artists guard its gate. These men probably failed to gather qi."

Wu Yongfeng stepped forward, took out Sun Tao's letter, and cupped his hands. "Brothers, we're disciples of Mighty Far Hall. Senior Brother Sun Tao recommended us to apply here as martial artist attendants. Please inform the household of our arrival. This is our letter of introduction."

The four gate guards looked at Xu Yang and Wu Yongfeng. One immediately stepped forward to accept the letter. "Please wait a moment. I'll go inside and announce you."

Without waiting for Wu Yongfeng to reply, he turned and entered through the side gate.

"Our employers have many rules. We can't let outsiders enter without permission. Please wait a moment, sirs. We should have an answer shortly."

Barring any surprises, these two young men would become the Liu Family's martial artist attendants, so the remaining three guards explained themselves. They were not deliberately slighting them; those were simply the Liu Family's rules.

"Please follow me, sirs."

After they had waited a while, the guard returned and led them inside. Soon, they arrived in a side reception hall.

A middle-aged man sat drinking tea in the central chair. Behind him stood another man whose face looked a few years older.

Seeing Xu Yang and Wu Yongfeng, the man drinking tea set down his cup and rose with a hearty laugh. "Welcome, young talents of Mighty Far Hall. I am Liu Yong, the Liu Family's steward of household affairs."

Xu Yang had assumed that recruiting martial artist attendants was important enough for at least one actual decision-maker of the Liu Family to appear. He had not expected to meet only a household steward.

He could not tell whether they were being looked down upon or whether, to the Liu Family, this was merely a matter as trivial as chicken feathers and garlic skins.

"Greetings, Steward Liu!" They both cupped their hands.

"Please, take a seat!"

After inviting them to sit, Liu Yong called outside, "Someone, serve tea!"

Once seated again, Liu Yong looked at them. "Which of you is Xu Yang, and which is Wu Yongfeng?"

Xu Yang and Wu Yongfeng stood again and introduced themselves.

Xu Yang had thought Liu Yong might bring up marrying into the family, but he did not. Instead, he began discussing their monthly pay.

"I'm sure Brother Sun Tao has already told you about the monthly pay, but I'll explain it anyway."

"An ordinary martial artist attendant receives five taels a month from the Liu Family. If you render meritorious service, you'll also receive a reward in silver, and there are festive bonuses for the New Year and other holidays.

"Of course, as your cultivation improves, your monthly pay will increase accordingly.

"As for your duties, there really aren't many. Most of the time, you'll live on the estate and be responsible for its security. Sometimes, you'll need to accompany the young masters and masters outside as guards..."

Liu Yong spoke at length. Most of the latter part was indoctrination: they had to be loyal to the Liu Family, loyal to its young masters and masters, and keep them safe even at the cost of their own lives.

They need not fear death or injury. The Liu Family would take responsibility.

Of course, he also mentioned some benefits. The Liu Family owned many businesses, and plenty of things unavailable elsewhere could be purchased through the family.

Finally, Liu Yong said solemnly, "If neither of you has any objections, we'll consider the matter settled."

Naturally, neither had any objections. They had come here to put their lives on the line for pay.

After repaying Zhou Shunchang, Xu Yang still had seven or eight taels left. But once this month was over, another apprenticeship fee would be due at Mighty Far Hall. Without any income, he would not even be able to afford it.

Liu Yong rose. "Please follow me. I'll take you to the Attendant Courtyard."

They followed Liu Yong deeper into the Liu Family's estate. They encountered quite a few people along the way, but almost all were maids and servants. They did not see a single actual member of the Liu Family.

"There are many women in the household. From now on, unless you have business elsewhere, please remain in the Attendant Courtyard as much as possible."

Along the way, Liu Yong explained many of the estate's rules.

The two acknowledged his instructions, and soon they reached a courtyard.

The courtyard was large, somewhat like Mighty Far Hall's Martial Training Ground, with sabers, spears, staffs, and all sorts of other training equipment.

Several burly men were practicing stance training inside. Seeing Liu Yong arrive, they hurriedly stopped and gathered around.

"Steward Liu, are these new recruits?" The middle-aged man at their head cupped his hands toward Liu Yong.

Apart from him, the other four were young men like Xu Yang, looking around seventeen or eighteen.

Smiling, Liu Yong gestured toward Xu Yang and Wu Yongfeng. "These two are Xu Yang and Wu Yongfeng. Sorry for the trouble, Brother Zhang, but please help them settle in."

The man addressed as Brother Zhang shook his head. "It's part of my duties."

Brother Zhang's name was Zhang Bo. Liu Yong had introduced him on the way over. He had reached major attainment in Qi Gathering and stood just one step away from Marrow Cleansing. As the leader of these attendants, he would be giving them their orders from now on.

At that moment, the man who had stood behind Liu Yong approached, carrying several sets of clothing with two waist tokens resting on top.

These were the standard uniforms of the Liu Family's attendants. Whenever they were on the estate, Xu Yang and Wu Yongfeng would have to wear them. The waist tokens would serve as their passes for entering and leaving the residence.

Liu Yong soon departed!

Zhang Bo then took Xu Yang and Wu Yongfeng to their assigned rooms and told them to change.

"Now this is lavish!" Xu Yang marveled.

The Huang Family and Liu Family truly were in different leagues. The Huang Family could only afford to support Lu Ren; it could not afford even one more martial artist like Xu Yang.

Of course, the Huang Family probably had other martial artist attendants, but certainly not many.

Yet he had just seen more than thirty rooms here. In other words, the Liu Family probably had twenty or thirty attendants like him.

Zhang Bo had also explained that the martial artist attendants serving the Liu Family were divided into shifts, with five or six men in each. There were four shifts like theirs in total, ensuring the Liu Family's security at different times and remaining ready to carry out its orders.

After changing, the two stepped out of their rooms.