Seventy Is Just Right

You had just entered the martial world. Not only had you defused a deadly calamity, but you had also turned an enemy into a friend and grasped the true essence of the martial world: it was not about fighting and killing, but about human connections and worldly affairs.

Task "First Steps into the Martial World" completed. Calculating rewards.

Task rating: S+. Rewards doubled.

You obtained 50 Achievement Points!

Name: Li Rui

Age: 0

Talent: Martial Bones (unseen in ten thousand years, born invincible)

Achievement: 50/100

Li Rui halted, his pupils widening slightly.

A task?

It seemed those grand goals did not only grant Achievement Points upon completion. During the process, points would also be awarded according to the host's performance.

S+.

The system was extremely satisfied with his performance in taking his first steps into the martial world, giving him an exceptionally high rating and granting him a full 50 Achievement Points in one go.

How could it not be satisfied?

He was already seventy. He had walked the martial world more times than he could count and fallen into every pitfall there was. Sending him back to take his first steps into the martial world now was practically a perfect clear.

When he first entered the martial world at twenty, he had stumbled and bumbled along; even earning a D would have been difficult. At seventy, though, it was just right.

Seventy truly was the age for getting things done!

With decades of experience behind him, these beginner-level plots were nothing less than a dimensionality reduction strike.

The opening was important, but even if most people knew that, it was nearly impossible for them to achieve perfection.

It was like knowing in his previous life that the college entrance exam was important, yet still failing to get into Tsinghua. Only after losing it would they be consumed by regret.

But now, he had been given another chance.

Of course he had to achieve a perfect clear!

He had only made a slight move, yet he had earned an S+ rating, pushing his achievement progress past the halfway mark in one stroke.

The clouds in his heart dispersed, and Li Rui's mood immediately brightened.

"A Zhao, mix the dry feed a little finer. Listen to me from now on, and I guarantee you'll have meat to eat."

"M-Master."

Ma Yang had still been putting on an arrogant, overbearing front before Wang Zhao, but the moment he turned and saw Li Rui, he looked as though he had seen a ghost.

Why wasn't he dead yet?

Looking at Li Rui, who appeared completely unharmed, Ma Yang panicked and took half a step back.

The moment he had spotted Li Rui in the Black Market, he had hatched a plan and told the pickpockets there that Li Rui was already seventy years old.

Those people who called themselves the Rong Branch did not merely steal. They had done no small amount of murder, robbery, and plunder.

For an old man like Li Rui, with half his body already in the grave, to encounter such vicious criminals, there was practically no chance of surviving.

Ma Yang had already prepared himself to collect his master's corpse. When the time came, he would shed a few tears, then settle securely into the Groom's position.

But damn it, Old Li had appeared before him so fresh-faced and full of life, without a single thing wrong with him.

Trash. They were all trash!

Ma Yang cursed that lean man ten thousand times in his heart, now only hoping the man had not sold him out.

"Master, you're back."

He forced a smile onto his face.

"Too many beans will make the horses bloated. Give them less concentrated feed for one meal."

Li Rui glanced at the horses' round, swollen bellies in the stable.

"Yes, Master."

As diligent as ever, Wang Zhao picked the beans out from the fodder.

"M-Master."

Seeing that Li Rui had no intention of speaking to him, Ma Yang could not help asking.

"Is something the matter?"

Li Rui glanced at Ma Yang.

"N-No."

In the end, Ma Yang did not choose to confess. Though he did not know what had happened, since his master was still unaware, he was happy to let the matter lie.

The old man's life is tough. Looks like I'll have to think of another way.

Ma Yang lowered his head, a flash of viciousness passing through his eyes.

If you have anyone to blame, blame yourself for offending someone!

The Groom's position might not seem important, but in truth, it was. Horses were great weapons in this era and served many purposes. Second Master Zhu had once wanted to borrow horses in secret, but Li Rui had refused. Second Master Zhu had long been dissatisfied with Li Rui's overly cautious ways.

Not long ago, he had even hinted to Ma Yang that if he could get rid of Li Rui, he could become the new Groom.

Ma Yang's cooled heart began to stir again. He had been watching Li Rui in secret all along. The Zhu Family naturally could not act directly, which was why he had chosen the Black Market.

How had I misjudged him back then? Why did I take in such a foolish disciple?

Ma Yang thought he had concealed himself well, but Li Rui had already seen through his intentions.

Keep a low profile when doing things. Either do not do it at all, or do it thoroughly. That was the principle Li Rui had taught Ma Yang back then.

Li Rui had taught him in earnest, but now it seemed Ma Yang had not listened to a single word.

In the past, Li Rui had lived long enough that he might truly have fulfilled this disciple's wish. But there were some things he could give, yet Ma Yang could not snatch from him.

As for now, he could study properly in his next life.

True disappointment had never been about shouting and making a scene.

Two days later.

"Master, Brother Ma is about to die."

Wang Zhao found Li Rui with an anxious expression.

Li Rui followed Wang Zhao to the room where the two lived.

Ma Yang's eye sockets had sunk deep in, and his entire body was gaunt as though all moisture had been drained from him. He had clearly suffered terribly under the torment of illness.

By the time Li Rui arrived, he was lying stiffly on the bed. After calling to him several times without getting a response, Wang Zhao gathered his courage and extended a finger beneath his nose to feel for breath.

He was dead.

Wang Zhao sniffed mournfully, feeling the grief of a rabbit mourning a dead fox. He and Ma Yang had shared a room, so they could not help having some attachment. Seeing Ma Yang in such a miserable state made him think of his own future.

These days, poor people often came down with all manner of strange illnesses. Medical conditions in ancient times were already backward, and many diseases simply could not be cured. Even if they could be cured, servants like them had no money for treatment.

He still remembered how Ma Yang had first vomited, then begun coughing up blood. He had lain in bed howling day and night, looking utterly miserable.

The lives of the lowly were worthless.

When Ma Yang died, no one paid him any attention. The Zhu Family found it inauspicious and worried that he had died from a contagious disease. In the end, Li Rui and Wang Zhao wrapped him in a straw mat, carried him to a spot in the barren mountains outside the city, and buried him there. They planted a wooden marker, so at least he would not become a nameless ghost.

After all that was done, Li Rui and Wang Zhao's lives returned to normal.

Ma Yang's heart had never been in the stable to begin with, and he often shirked work. Now that one person was gone, Wang Zhao did not feel any more tired.

"Eat."

Li Rui called Wang Zhao over to sit. Wang Zhao sat on the long bench and waited until Li Rui raised his chopsticks before eagerly picking up a mouthful of food.

The Zhu Family's servants actually ate fairly well. They had white rice at every meal, and when the Zhu Family was feeling generous during the New Year, they could sometimes even eat meat.

Wang Zhao's family had been too poor to afford food, which was why they had sold him to the Zhu Family. He was therefore very satisfied with his current life.

Speaking of which, Master had somehow gotten several pieces of Braised Pork the day before yesterday. Just smelling it had been wonderful, but unfortunately, Ma Yang had snatched his portion away. He did not even know what Braised Pork tasted like.

As he thought about it, Wang Zhao suddenly froze mid-bite. He seemed to have thought of something, and a chill ran down his spine.

He looked at Li Rui before him.

I must be overthinking it.

Li Rui's expression remained perfectly normal as he carefully chewed his food.

It was only killing someone. Why think so much about it?