Chapter 13
Zheng Fa picked up Zheng Shan and placed her in their mother’s arms, nodding at Zheng Mu, who had red-rimmed eyes and remained silent.
The cries of his little sister grew louder, but Zheng Fa held back the urge to look back.
The old man driving the cart lightly cracked his whip against the ox's rear and seemed to be speaking to Zheng Fa. “Is this your first time away from home, young Zheng?”
“Yeah.” Zheng Fa wasn’t particularly keen on talking.
“When I was a kid, the first time I went out to drive a cart, my mother looked at me just like that…” The old man took a puff of his pipe. “But young folks, they want to go out, to do something big. Still, if you can look back once in a while, it’s worth it.”
Zheng Fa turned his head to glance at the two figures still gazing into the distance at the ox cart.
The old man’s muttering reached his ears again. “You know, now I wish I could just look back at my mother one more time, but I can’t.”
Zheng Fa opened the large bundle he had slung over his back, revealing a smaller package inside. “You said last time that you liked my mother’s cooking, so she made some more.”
The old man was taken aback and turned to look at Zheng Fa.
“Do you really believe I like your mother’s cooking?”
“My mother believes it.”
“Aren’t you going to tell her?”
“Let her make these; it puts her at ease.”
The old man paused for a moment, picked up a flatbread from the bundle, and took a bite. “You’re better than I was at your age.”
…
When they arrived at the Zhao residence, they still entered through the back door.
But this time, Gao Yuan was waiting for him.
Dressed in a scholar’s robe, Gao Yuan carried a delicate bamboo book box on his back.
Zheng Fa, in coarse cloth, had a large blue bundle prepared by Zheng Mu slung over his shoulder.
They exchanged glances, and it was Gao Yuan who felt a bit shy.
“Let’s go, the Seventh Young Master is waiting for us.”
As soon as he saw Zheng Fa, Gao Yuan hurriedly said, and the two made their way to the Seventh Young Master’s quarters.
The Zhao residence was vast.
The place where the Seventh Young Master lived was deep within the estate.
By the time Zheng Fa and Gao Yuan arrived, his back was already damp with sweat.
The Seventh Young Master’s courtyard—no, it should be called a large courtyard.
It was a typical three-courtyard layout, and looking toward the back, it seemed to have its own garden.
It could be called the courtyard within a courtyard.
This clearly showed the Seventh Young Master’s status and favor within the Zhao residence.
To the right of the main gate of the courtyard hung a brown wooden plaque with three characters:
“Bu Xian Xian” (Not Envious of Immortals)
Zheng Fa thought to himself, in this world ruled by the Immortal Gate, such a sentiment was indeed hard to call anything but arrogant.
The courtyard door was slightly ajar, and Gao Yuan stepped forward to knock gently.
The door opened a crack, and a maid peeked out. Upon seeing the two, she understood immediately: “New book boys? Come in, the Young Master is waiting for you.”
As they entered the courtyard, Zheng Fa and Gao Yuan quickly noticed a very obvious characteristic:
There were no men.
The ones leading, cleaning, and bustling about were all young maids.
Zheng Fa was fine, but Gao Yuan had to keep his eyes straight ahead, clearly quite nervous.
The place where the Seventh Young Master wanted to meet them was in the study of the outer courtyard, and the maid led them to the door.
A figure sat in a chair, deeply engrossed in an ancient text.
Sunlight streamed through the glazed windows, casting a silvery sheen on his white robe, accentuating his delicate and fair features.
Even though the Seventh Young Master’s reputation wasn’t particularly good, Zheng Fa couldn’t help but admire how striking he looked.
As if sensing the footsteps of the three, the Seventh Young Master raised his eyebrows and looked at Zheng Fa and Gao Yuan.
Upon seeing them, he broke into a smile, stood up, and strode toward them, speaking warmly, “You two are my new book boys? Gao Yuan?”
He pointed at Gao Yuan and then turned to Zheng Fa. “Zheng Fa, right?”
He had already remembered their names.
“I’ve been looking forward to your arrival!” The Seventh Young Master seemed genuinely happy, tossing aside the book in his hand and coming over to greet them, even kindly taking Gao Yuan’s book box.
Gao Yuan’s face flushed with excitement.
“Put your things down first. I’ll treat you to a meal at the Yan Yu Tower to welcome you both!”
Even Zheng Fa felt a bit dazed.
This Seventh Young Master was a bit too enthusiastic.
On the other hand, what was the Yan Yu Tower? It was the most famous place for entertainment in Jingzhou City.
This was quite the welcome package for a new book boy… was it a bit too indulgent?
Looking at Gao Yuan beside him, he suddenly turned pale and said, “Seventh Young Master, your last book boy was sent back after being beaten by the Madam for coaxing you to go to the Yan Yu Tower, right?”
The Seventh Young Master froze, dropped the book box to the ground with a thud, and clapped his hands.
“You’re quite well-informed.” The smile on his face slowly faded. “So tell me, do you two prefer to leave on your own or be sent away like the last fool after a beating?”
The book box hit the ground with a clang and cracked.
Just like the expression on Gao Yuan’s face.
---
**Chapter 15: Cold Violence**
Zheng Fa rarely felt a twinge of sympathy for Wang Gui.
The Seventh Young Master, who had seemed like an enthusiastic youth earlier, was indeed hard to tolerate when he turned unkind.
He tossed Gao Yuan’s book box to the ground, his lips curled in a semblance of a smile, but his eyes held no trace of mirth.
Clearly, the earlier remark about Zheng Fa and Gao Yuan leaving was genuine.
“Not talking?” Seeing that Zheng Fa and Gao Yuan didn’t respond, the Seventh Young Master seemed to understand their thoughts. “Did someone tell you that following me would lead to a life of luxury and wealth?”
“Bullshit! Am I really that easy to serve?”
To be fair, he had a clear understanding of himself.
The Seventh Young Master glanced at the two, then slumped back into his chair, crossing his legs in a nonchalant manner.
“Are you hoping that once I become the head of the family, you’ll be my lackeys, able to strut around outside?” He curled his lip. “Let me be frank with you, it’s just because I’m young. Once I grow up, who cares about being the head of the Zhao family? I won’t take that role! You better wake up from this daydream!”
Gao Yuan turned pale.
He knew the Seventh Young Master had a reputation for being unruly within the estate.
But this level of defiance was beyond his expectations.
Zheng Fa, however, didn’t feel disappointed—his purpose for coming to the Zhao residence was clear: to experience the martial arts of this world and improve his family’s situation.
As for who the Seventh Young Master was, it mattered, but not that much.
As for leaving after hearing those two sentences?
Zheng Fa wasn’t that naive; the Zhao residence had summoned him for an assessment, and he had no choice. Whether he became a book boy or not, he had even less choice.
The Seventh Young Master, seeing their reaction, was clearly overreacting.
This cold mockery didn’t even seem directed at Zheng Fa and Gao Yuan.
Seeing they still wouldn’t speak, the Seventh Young Master waved his hand dismissively. “Not willing to leave, huh? Then stand outside, don’t block my view.”
Zheng Fa and Gao Yuan stood at the door, looking through the translucent glazed windows, watching the Seventh Young Master pace around the room, seemingly angry, then sit back down to pick up that book again.
Then, as he read, he seemed to get frustrated and stood up to pace again.
He looked very earnest, very helpless, and oddly familiar:
Just like that type of student you see in an exam room, clearly trying hard but utterly confused.
In short, a classic underachiever.
Zheng Fa was a bit curious; putting aside everything else, this determination to learn despite not grasping the material didn’t quite match the Seventh Young Master’s earlier demeanor.
He just didn’t know what book he was reading.
Time passed slowly, and no one paid attention to Zheng Fa and Gao Yuan standing at the door.
The sun in the sky rose higher, and as noon approached, the sunlight became exceptionally scorching.
Both Zheng Fa and Gao Yuan had set out early in the morning, hardly having a drop to drink, and under such a blazing sun, they felt hot and thirsty, quite uncomfortable.
Gao Yuan beside him kept licking his dry lips, but it seemed that the more he licked, the drier they became, and the skin on his lips cracked.
Both of them were feeling a bit dazed from the heat when suddenly, a light footstep approached from behind. A maid was walking toward them, holding a pale blue porcelain plate.
On the plate was a large bunch of clean, glistening grapes.
The grapes had sparkling droplets of water on them, shining in the sunlight.
Zheng Fa could clearly hear Gao Yuan swallow hard beside him.
The maid seemed to deliberately walk right in front of them, even circling the grapes under their noses before lifting the curtain of the study and stepping inside.
As the curtain was lifted, Zheng Fa felt a cool breeze wafting from within the room.
He couldn’t help but curiously peek inside.
There was no ice basin, and it couldn’t be modern air conditioning.
Where was this cool air coming from?
He suddenly noticed a subtle blue pattern on the floor, which seemed to be faintly glowing.
The cool breeze seemed to be blowing from that corner.
“Is that a formation?” Zheng Fa thought to himself. “Or is it just a simple living formation?”
What surprised Zheng Fa even more than the fact that the Seventh Young Master could enjoy such a formation was that this world actually had formations created specifically for comfort—
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