Lu Sui let his thoughts disperse slightly and withdrew from that ruined ancient temple.
Then waves of drowsiness washed over him, and he lay down and fell asleep.
Only when the sun sank behind West Mountain and dinnertime approached did Xiaohuan wake him.
Lu Yulin ran a strict household and placed great weight on rules.
Even meals had to follow proper procedure; no one could be absent without cause.
Lu Sui walked through the rear courtyard on crutches, passing through doorways and corridors. Whenever servants encountered him, however busy they were, they had to stop, bow, and call him "Young Master."
"This home... really is huge."
Lu Sui moved slowly, studying his surroundings closely to familiarize himself with them.
The Lu residence was an extensive compound, with five successive courtyards on either side and over a hundred blue-brick, tiled-roof rooms.
The surrounding wall was seven chi thick and two zhang high, its lowest section built from brick and stone and filled with mortar.
The middle was laid with the finest fired blue bricks and coated in white lime. Even a burglar trained in lightness skills could forget about finding a grip and climbing over.
Watchtowers and lookout towers stood at the compound's four corners, staffed day and night.
Walkways also connected the rooftops. If enemies attacked, gongs and drums could sound the alarm, and the martial instructors guarding the residence could swiftly gather, spears and staves in hand, to form a defensive array.
"Like an iron barrel, not even water could get in."
Lu Sui's heart sank slightly; he felt no joy.
If these were peaceful times, why would wealthy clans and households undertake such construction and make their defenses so tight?
The world had to be in terrible disorder for them to build their homes like fortified strongholds.
"They say banditry is worst here in the Land Beyond the Pass. Mounted bandits, mountain bandits, saber bandits... they never stop cropping up.
Hopefully it's only bandits. Don't throw any supernatural weirdness at me too."
Thinking of the [Arts] and [Methods] fields on the wooden plaque in the main shrine, Lu Sui felt an even greater urgency.
For all he knew, this world really did have demons, ghosts, and all manner of evil spirits!
When he entered the main hall, he saw a man seated upright at the head of a huanghuali Eight Immortals table.
The man was around forty, with a square face and a long brocade robe, and he toyed with a string of eighteen prayer beads.
It was none other than Lu Yulin.
"Father."
Lu Sui lowered his head and greeted him.
Since he was here, he might as well settle in.
He had taken over the man's son's body, after all. There was nothing wrong with calling him Father.
"Mm."
Lu Yulin answered mildly:
"Are your legs moving any more easily? Doctor Lu said that with proper rest and treatment, there would be no lasting damage. In a hundred days, you'll be walking as swiftly as ever."
"Xiaohuan massages me every day to improve circulation, and I've had ginseng to nourish me. My legs have gradually regained strength. I can already get out of bed and walk, without any discomfort."
Lu Sui answered truthfully.
As far as he knew, after his principal wife died of illness, Lu Yulin had kept a few women outside the household.
Among them were a widow he favored in an alley and a young songstress at a courtesan house, but he had never formally brought any of them home.
The only concubine who could openly live in the Lu residence had been taken in at Lu Sui's mother's own suggestion and arrangement while she was still alive.
Clearly, his acquired father was not some weak-willed man blinded by beauty and unable to control his lower half.
With someone like that, he needed to rein in his scheming and avoid trying to be clever.
"Good."
Lu Yulin had always been a man of few words. He raised a hand to indicate that Lu Sui should sit.
Xiaohuan helped Lu Sui into the seat on the left.
Seating arrangements at meals in wealthy households were governed by strict etiquette.
Generally, the master sat at the head, his children on either side, while female family members other than the principal wife ate at a separate table.
Lu Sui had barely touched the stool when Xiaohuan, standing behind him, handed him a hot towel to clean his hands.
Once that was done, she brought him a cup of warm tea to rinse his mouth.
So many blasted rules.
Lu Sui grumbled inwardly.
The bowls and dishes were arranged neatly on the table, all specially fired as a matching set. Their fine bodies and smooth, lustrous glaze marked them as superior wares at a glance.
He did not rashly reach for his chopsticks.
"Serve the meal."
At Lu Yulin's mild instruction, the servants waiting outside hurried forward to lay out the food.
The dishes were not particularly extravagant, merely varied.
There were simple home-style dishes such as cabbage with tofu, radish stewed with vermicelli, and stir-fried lamb with scallions, as well as first-grade bird's nest, whole shark fin, and mushrooms with rich liver.
The former were Lu Yulin's usual fare; the latter were meant to nourish Lu Sui.
The Ganzi Gang's old hands all knew that when their employer had escorted goods on trading journeys, he had eaten and slept alongside his men every day. He was not one to fuss over satisfying his palate.
Only after Lu Yulin took the first morsel did Lu Sui pick up his chopsticks.
That, too, was a rule.
Only after an elder had taken food could a junior begin eating.
Moreover, they could only take food from the edge of a dish, without rummaging through it, much less chewing in great chomping bites or smacking their lips.
Being a wealthy household's only son and heir isn't easy either.
Lu Sui held his bowl in his left hand and his chopsticks in his right, his back straight.
He ate a mouthful of rice with each morsel of food, chewing slowly without making the slightest sound.
He did his utmost to play the young master properly.
"Zhan'ao."
Lu Yulin ate only a few bites before setting down his chopsticks:
"I had Uncle Bing investigate the villain who plotted against you. We've already found some leads.
I'm thinking of sending you to the village in a little while, to stay for a time and lie low. What do you think?"
Zhan'ao was Lu Sui's courtesy name.
As for the village, it was the ancestral home of the Lu family.
"I'll leave everything to you, Father."
Lu Sui tried to appear as obedient as possible.
The body's original owner had been sensible, compliant, and rather soft by nature.
Ordinarily, he had merely enjoyed watching plays and listening to songs, occasionally scattering money to support a few girls with fine figures.
By the standards of a wealthy household, he had certainly kept himself out of trouble.
Seeing Lu Sui agree, Lu Yulin's expression softened. Then he said coldly:
"If that wretched leftover wants to whip up wind and waves in Changle County and stir up trouble right under the Lu family's nose, we'll see whether he has the ability to reach the heavens."
As his acquired father uttered that threat, killing intent spilled from his brow, and he looked imposing indeed.
He truly deserved his standing as the foremost local saber-and-spear strongman who dominated Changle County!
Lu Sui muttered inwardly:
They probably haven't caught the mastermind yet.
Given Lu Yulin's way of doing things, had he caught the culprit, he would likely have had the man trussed up and brought into the main hall by now, to be disemboweled before everyone, his heart and liver gouged out as a warning.
The saber-and-spear strongmen of the Land Beyond the Pass had always lived by the six-word maxim: "Without ruthlessness, you cannot stand firm."
Every one of them was the sort to exterminate a household over a feud and uproot the roots when cutting down weeds.
Letting a surviving remnant of Wind and Sand Saber escape could be called a rare failure.
Once he was seven or eight tenths full, Lu Sui wiped his mouth with a hot towel and rinsed it with clear tea.
Feigning hesitation, he said cautiously:
"Father, I'd like to learn some martial arts from the master instructors here."
Lu Yulin frowned slightly, seemingly surprised, and looked at Lu Sui:
"Why the sudden change of heart? Before, whenever I wanted you to practice with spear and staff, you were unwilling a hundred times over."
Lu Sui was the Lu family's only son. Their vast estate would all be handed over to him one day.
The Ganzi Gang's trade took them far and wide. How could its head simply stand aside and wait for his share of the money?
Sooner or later, his subordinates would strip him of power, betray his interests, and fleece him clean.
Thus, from the bottom of his heart, Lu Yulin hoped Lu Sui would learn martial arts.
For one thing, he could defend himself and preserve his life. For another, robust blood and Qi would give him a strong, ringing voice, ensuring he did not lose his presence on important occasions and could keep others in line.
Unfortunately, Lu Sui had lost his mother young and was soft by nature. He could not endure the hardship of tempering his body, training through the coldest winter days and hottest summer days.
After forcing him several times without results, Lu Yulin had reluctantly given up.
Lu Sui said solemnly:
"Don't you often say it, Father? People can try teaching you and get nowhere, but one lesson from experience is enough.
After what happened, your son truly feels that even thousands upon thousands in gold cannot buy a healthy body."
Lu Yulin nodded slightly. Lu Sui's words struck a deep chord with him.
After a moment's consideration, he said:
"You've only just recovered from a serious illness, and your body is depleted. You shouldn't practice unarmed combat or weapons yet. There's no need to rush.
How about this? Uncle Wen acquired a health-nurturing art in his younger days called the Turtle-Snake Stance. Learn it from him and treat it as strengthening your foundations."
Lu Sui nodded:
"I'll be sure to follow Uncle Wen's instruction and practice diligently."
Lu Yulin looked deeply gratified, as though a difficult matter had been resolved.
He reassured him once more:
"Zhan'ao, don't worry. I've already sent people into the mountains to invite an expert. I absolutely won't let that wretched leftover harm a hair on your head!"
"Mm."
Lu Sui answered, then had Xiaohuan help him rise and take his leave.
On the way back to the inner courtyard, he reflected that his acquired father, Lu Yulin, had four extraordinary men under him, each with exceptional abilities.
The "Uncle Bing" mentioned earlier was named Yang Kunbing and nicknamed "Divine Eye." He could see in the dark and identify countless treasures by sight.
As for "Uncle Wen," he was the chief steward who managed the Lu residence's affairs inside and out. Ordinarily, he kept his mountains hidden and his waters concealed, showing no sign of what made him formidable.
But the original owner's memories contained a few scattered details about the man.
Uncle Wen's original name was Dou Xiaowen. He had once been the son of a wealthy household on Dragon's Mouth Plain, but bandit troubles had ruined his family, forcing him to become an itinerant merchant, drifting through the world like duckweed.
As the saying went, when a man was unlucky, even cold water would get stuck between his teeth.
Perhaps Uncle Wen had been dogged by ill fortune: none of his ventures amounted to much. After several wasted years, he had instead lost his family fortune, and even his wife had remarried.
With no road left to take, Uncle Wen had decided to head for Shaqing Pass and venture into the boundless wilderness of the Nine Ridges and Ten Mountains.
This was a tradition in the Land Beyond the Pass: shun the Gold-Squandering Den when rich; take Shaqing Pass when down and out!
Shaqing Pass was a strategically perilous gateway. Beyond it lay the Nine Ridges and Ten Mountains, holding endless dangers and opportunities.
Of the countless heroes and influential figures in the vast Land Beyond the Pass, most had come down from those mountains!
That was why people said, "Take Shaqing Pass when down and out."
It meant that when someone reached a dead end, with nothing left to hope for in life, they might as well stake their life on one last gamble.
No one knew what Uncle Wen had experienced. In any case, by the time he reached fifty in the blink of an eye, he had come down from the mountains and become the Lu residence's chief manager.
Since he's a tough character who ventured through Shaqing Pass, he must have genuine skills.
Lu Sui's heart stirred with anticipation.
He hoped the Turtle-Snake Stance Uncle Wen had acquired could bring some change to that ancient temple and its main shrine in the depths of his consciousness.
Of those two fields, [Arts] and [Methods], you've got to give me at least one.