A Little Less Than Mature

Zhang Xuezhou's new residence was not far from the Marquis of Tangyi's residence and was also very close to the imperial palace.

He occupied a prime location, and his residence was adjacent to many other grand houses.

For example, the residence of the Marquis of Pingyang.

If he walked several dozen meters, he could also climb over the two-zhang-high wall and enter the backyard area of the Marquis of Pingyang's residence.

Zhang Xuezhou had previously only considered the distance between their main gates, and thus categorized the Pingyang Marquis's residence, which was several miles away, as a distant neighbor.

Little did he know that while he was still adhering to the rules for newcomers to a restricted area, his residence had already been breached by someone scaling the walls.

Clearly, ever since Zhuang Qingdi dismissed the servants from his residence and registered it under the Office of the Jingzhao Intendant, this place has been treated as an abandoned area by some young rascals and has become a gathering place for them.

Zhang Xuezhou followed the sound and found Huo Qubing, still with snot hanging from his nose, having a gathering with more than ten children aged seven to ten, clearly having become the king of the kids.

"My swordsmanship is inherited from a renowned master of the Zongheng Sword School. This school's swordsmanship is so powerful that it can astound the entire land. If I weren't a bit too young and couldn't exert my full strength, I would have already pinned Tian Bukui to the ground and wouldn't need you at all..."

Zhang Xuezhou had known for a long time that Huo Qubing liked to cause trouble, but he never expected that Huo Qubing would cause trouble in his new home.

Watching Huo Qubing, who was holding a wooden sword and instructing many older children on sword practice, Zhang Xuezhou found it difficult to find anything to say.

Judging from their clothing, the children who followed Huo Qubing were not from prominent Aristocratic Clan, but rather children born out of wedlock to officials in the Imperial City District.

Adults have their own world, and children have theirs.

The Great Han Dynasty did not have schools to regularly educate children. Even large Lineage relied on oral and oral instruction for education, and children born out of wedlock were far less well-educated than those born to legitimate parents.

This is probably why Huo Qubing, who was younger, was able to rally a large following.

Huo Qubing's swordsmanship had absolutely nothing to do with the Zongheng Sword School; rather, it belonged to the swordsmanship of military formations and combat. When used in combination with other techniques, it could unleash a multiplied power. The origin of his swordsmanship was most likely Wei Qing.

The rows of footprints, the neatly cut flowers, grass, and low trees all signified that the area had suffered a massive impact.

Zhang Xuezhou was also glad that these people were young, otherwise his place might have really been torn down by them.

"Marquis of Pingyang congratulates Dongfang Shuo on moving to his new residence!"

Zhang Xuezhou recognized the people, but instead of scolding them, he cast a spell using a Demonic Sound Technique.

The loud shout came from afar and drifted towards the area where Huo Qubing and the others were, causing Huo Qubing, who was instructing everyone on sword practice, to change his expression drastically.

"It's all over, it's all over!"

Huo Qubing was not afraid of Dongfang Shuo, but he was very afraid of being rude and unrefined in front of Marquis Pingyang. He had to be clean and tidy before meeting Marquis Pingyang.

Hearing the sounds coming from afar, Huo Qubing was like an ant on a hot pan.

He scooped up a ladle of water and quickly wiped his face clean, but looking at the many anxious older children, he couldn't help but feel a headache, and then quickly changed his plans.

"There's a small door to a woodshed forty meters to the north. There are wooden planks under the wall behind it; one person can easily climb over. Follow me quickly, and whatever you do, don't get caught!"

Huo Qubing offered no explanation, but quickly pointed in a direction and led the group away at breakneck speed.

"Who made this place like this?"

"Hey, what's that group of kids over there?"

"The child with the sword seems to be from the Marquis's mansion!"

Zhang Xuezhou didn't dare to imitate the new emperor's voice to intimidate Huo Qubing in such a place. He imitated the eunuch's high-pitched voice and then spoke a few sentences in his own voice.

Seeing Huo Qubing quickly lead everyone into the woodshed and then frantically lead them over the wall, Zhang Xuezhou felt that the little troublemaker was finally gone.

"Cousin, do you want me to assign two little devils to guard the gate for you?"

Zhang Xuezhou's voice, when using the Demonic Sound Technique, was not loud, sounding just like normal speech.

As A-Qiao entered, she didn't see Huo Qubing and the others, while Rong Tianding followed Zhang Xuezhou and got a clear view.

"Alright," Zhang Xuezhou nodded.

"The kids can guard the main gate, but if they climb over the wall, there's nothing we can do. You'll be in for a lot of trouble later," Rong Tianding said.

"If they come again, it'll just be dirtier and messier!"

Zhang Xuezhou didn't plan to house many people in this mansion; even if they did, it would be very quiet, and Zhang Xuezhou wouldn't be able to guard it all.

For the well-regulated Imperial City District, this place was a good spot for children to gather.

Most importantly, if one is willing to climb over the wall, his place is very close to the Marquis of Pingyang's residence.

Zhang Xuezhou had always preferred to use the internet for convenience, never expecting that someone else would use his home for their own convenience.

"I'll find some day laborers to clean up tomorrow!"

A-Qiao glanced at the messy mansion, then at Zhang Xuezhou, who seemed to have a slight headache, and took over the matter.

She said a few words, which made Zhang Xuezhou nod.

For Aqiao, who had once worked as a steward in the King of Huainan's Household, she didn't need to solve problems herself, but rather knew how to find people to do the work in the Imperial City District.

Her volunteering solved Zhang Xuezhou's headache and also surprised Rong Tianding, who felt that if Aqiao was not someone planted by the King of Huainan's Household, then they would be much easier to talk to.

"Open the door! Huo Qubing congratulates Dongfang Gao on moving to his new home!"

Zhang Xuezhou and his entourage entered the mansion and followed Rong Tianding was familiar with the mansion, to inspect the various living areas.

In just a moment, Zhang Xuezhou heard the sound of the door knocker being pulled and shouts coming from inside.

"They actually dare to openly knock on doors and visit people. Whose children are these?" Rong Tianding asked in astonishment.

He's braver than you think!

Zhang Xuezhou thought about it.

Huo Qubing was not a normal child; the word "precocious" is insufficient to describe him.

Perhaps it was the influence of the dragon's blood, perhaps the influence of the painted demon, perhaps the influence of Sage Kong's decree, or perhaps other reasons, but Zhang Xuezhou felt that Huo Qubing possessed wisdom far surpassing that of his peers from a very young age.

This advantage becomes more pronounced with age.

From the current perspective, the other party not only possesses intelligence beyond that of children of the same age, but their courage is also growing.

At least when Zhang Xuezhou was a child, there was no way he could have turned around and pretended to be a good guy.

"Having such a large mansion isn't necessarily a good thing; it seems we'll need to hire someone specifically to open the gate from now on!"

The sound of the door knocker being pulled on the gate continued incessantly, showing no sign of stopping, prompting Rong Tianding to grumble in frustration.

I suddenly miss an old friend!

Zhang Xuezhou thought about how Divine Lord Zhenyuan's Dharma Heaven Technique allowed him to easily open doors with both hands, so he had no choice but to get up.

He moved with incredible speed, each step as if he were sailing a boat cutting through the waves.

As for the abilities that Zhang Xuezhou has already demonstrated, he is not concerned that this ground-based leaping technique has been reported to the King of Huainan's Household by A Zhang Xuezhou.

After swinging through the empty area, Zhang Xuezhou stood behind the mansion gate.

After unlatching the iron bolt used for deadbolts and pulling the gate halfway open, Zhang Xuezhou saw Huo Qubing, dressed in full regalia, standing at the door with a group of people.

May the auspicious yang bring peace and prosperity, and may the five blessings bring you abundant joy. Dear friend from the East, I wish you great fortune in your new home, and may you have many more such joyous occasions to come!

Huo Qubing, standing at the main gate, greeted the crowd without batting an eye, his eloquence revealing no trace of the damage he had caused to the mansion earlier.

"Okay, I understand!"

Zhang Xuezhou nodded, then pushed the door shut.

"Open the door! We're here to make a good impression, you can't just brush us off with a simple 'I know'!"

The knocking and shouting rang again, and Zhang Xuezhou had no choice but to open the door once more.

"For just one hundred and a half taels of silver, we can clean your mansion, even sweeping up the fallen leaves on the ground, ensuring that not a single penny of your goodwill is wasted, and guaranteeing your satisfaction!"

When Zhang Xuezhou tried to close the door again, Huo Qubing quickly made a statement.

Just as Zhang Xuezhou was about to nod in agreement, thinking the matter was worthwhile, he suddenly remembered that the mess in his residence was caused by these very people.

This quickly extinguished his initial feeling that it was a good deal.

The contradictory feeling that Huo Qubing was both mature and immature also welled up in Zhang Xuezhou's mind.

Before even entering the mansion, Huo Qubing knew that it needed cleaning, which clearly gave him away.

The other person is very mature, but ultimately still a little bit naive when facing adults.