Chapter 25: The Arrival of All the Attendants and Guards

The next day.

"Caiyun, do we have any charcoal at home?" Lu Jin called out as he stood in the courtyard.

Caiyun, who was watering the flowers, put down her ladle, wiped the sweat from her brow, and looked at Lu Jin. What was the young master up to now? "Why do you need charcoal, sir?"

"I need it for something. Just find me some." There was no way to explain it all at once; if he said he needed it for writing, she'd probably run off and sell him out to her mistress.

Lu Jin basked in the sun in the courtyard for a while, feeling so warm he nearly drifted off to sleep.

At last, after a long wait, he saw a little maid sent by Caiyun bring him charcoal. The girl carried several chunks in her hands—couldn't they have used a bag? Her hands were pitch black.

Lu Jin took the charcoal and started tinkering in the courtyard. He found a knife and carefully cut the charcoal into small sticks, then hurried to the study to try them out, running back and forth several times.

In the end, the maids watched as their young master, looking like a coal burner, trudged out of the study with both hands blackened.

Caiyun thought to herself: I’ll say nothing. I’ll just watch him make trouble and see what nonsense he comes up with.

Lu Jin created nothing at all. Using this stuff was worse than a brush—how could it be used for writing? It was more like burning charcoal. The sticks couldn’t be made thin enough, and broke at the slightest force. After several attempts, he hadn’t written much, but was entirely covered in soot. If he wanted to write properly, he’d need a pencil; charcoal sticks simply wouldn’t do.

Lu Jin’s first inventive attempt in Da Liang ended in failure.

Caiyun thoughtfully brought a basin of water for him to wash his face and hands, saying nothing the whole time. Clearly, her training was effective.

Lu Jin was wiping his hands when suddenly two young boys came into the courtyard, saluting him. “Sir!”

Who were these now? Were they here to arrest him again? Had Shen Yanxi betrayed him too?

“Who are you?” Lu Jin asked with suspicion.

“Sir, Miss sent us to serve you,” one of them answered.

Hearing this, Lu Jin remembered what Shen Yanxi had said yesterday. The girl was quick to act—he’d give her credit for that. Having finished sizing them up, Lu Jin looked carefully at the two.

The one on the left was a young man in martial attire, clearly trained. His build was tall and lean, probably over 1.8 meters, and looked about sixteen or seventeen. His jet-black hair was tightly bound atop his head; his face was roundish and skin dark, under thick eyebrows his small eyes shone sharply, nose high, lips thin, and a faint stubble on his chin.

The other on the right was clearly younger, about twelve or thirteen, with delicate features. His hair was wrapped in a cloth, his fair face small and well-proportioned, still childish. His eyes were bright, and he didn’t seem foolish.

“What are your names?” Lu Jin asked.

“Sir, my name is Yuan Fang. Miss sent me to be your bodyguard. My mother, Yuan Hui, is Miss’s wet nurse,” the older one replied.

“Sir, I’m Miss’s page, assigned to you as your attendant. My name is Xiao Bai. My father and mother are also servants in the Shen household,” the younger chimed in.

Lu Jin felt uneasy as he looked at these two. Yuan Fang looked trained, but at his age, how skilled could he be? Just two people to follow him—who was guarding whom, really?

Noticing Lu Jin’s doubts, Yuan Fang clasped his hands and said, “Sir, I’ve trained in martial arts since childhood with my master and learned some skills. Most people can’t get close to me. If you’re uneasy, we can have some house guards accompany you when you go out.”

House guards? Hopefully not those thugs who beat him up the other day.

“No, no need,” Lu Jin quickly declined. If there were too many people, how could he carry out his plans?

With the boys present, Lu Jin had nothing more to say. Shen Yanxi probably wouldn’t joke about this. He sat down, thinking.

“Why don’t you show me some moves… Let me see…” Lu Jin was curious about the martial prowess of this world.

Yuan Fang hesitated. He’d learned killing techniques, not street performances—how could he just show off?

Xiao Bai, meanwhile, watched Yuan Fang with excitement, clearly looking forward to it.

So, it was all nepotism after all—probably not much skill, but plenty of attitude. Lu Jin complained inwardly, no longer expecting much.

Seeing Lu Jin’s disappointed expression, Yuan Fang couldn’t hold back any longer. He clasped his hands. “Forgive me for offending your eyes…”

Without waiting for Lu Jin’s reply, he stepped back and took his stance on the open ground. Lu Jin’s eyes followed him closely, eager to see what tricks he had.

Yuan Fang sank slightly at the waist, right hand gripping his sword’s scabbard, left hand on the hilt, radiating a fierce aura.

Suddenly, a gleam flashed and a metallic sound rang out. Lu Jin involuntarily blinked. Huh? Didn’t he draw his sword? Why was he standing there as if nothing happened? Was that it? Was that the whole performance? Was he making fun of him?

“Sir!” Caiyun called from the side.

Lu Jin turned and saw Caiyun glaring angrily—and somewhat aggrieved—at Yuan Fang.

What was going on? Why was she aggrieved? He, the young master, should be the aggrieved one, with Shen Yanxi sending him such a fool. Wait—what was she doing with her hair down? Was she rebelling…? Oh my heavens!

Lu Jin snapped awake and looked at Yuan Fang, who had already stopped his stance and stood quietly aside. Xiao Bai and the two little maids were confused, not understanding Caiyun’s reaction.

Lu Jin hurried over to Caiyun, who held her broken hair tie in two pieces, her expression shamed and angry beneath her black hair. Lu Jin looked at the ground—no hair had fallen, and none on her person. He was stunned. Was it really that impressive?

“Are you sure he didn’t hurt you, and your hair didn’t fall out?” Lu Jin asked Caiyun.

“Sir, no hair fell out, just the tie snapped.” She finished with another fierce glare at Yuan Fang, who looked embarrassed and turned away.

Impressive—he didn’t look it, but the boy was bold. Yet this didn’t quite match what Lu Jin knew; weren’t TV martial artists all about flying and dazzling moves? Here it seemed much simpler.

Was all the martial arts here like this, or was it just this boy’s style?

“Yuan Fang, can you leap over walls and onto roofs, just zip away and suddenly appear in trees…?” Lu Jin asked.

Yuan Fang didn’t even want to respond—what was this young master thinking? His ideas were even more ridiculous than his own. Such feats didn’t exist.

“Sir, skilled fighters can climb walls and trees with ease, but what you described—just flying off in a flash—doesn’t exist…” Yuan Fang patiently explained.

So it was like that. Perhaps this wasn’t a high-powered martial world, but much like ancient times in history.

Lu Jin was somewhat disappointed—his dream of being a wandering hero ended before it began. How could he ever roam the martial world now?

“Then show me how you climb a tree…”

Yuan Fang was speechless. Could he tell Miss he didn’t want the job? He wasn’t a monkey, and now had to demonstrate tree climbing.

Caiyun, meanwhile, stifled laughter, thinking the young master would show them all. How was his mind so different from others?

“Can you climb or not…?” Lu Jin pressed, puzzled by Yuan Fang’s silence.

Yuan Fang glanced at an old tree in the courtyard and stepped forward. He gathered himself, then suddenly sprang up the tree. In a flash, he disappeared, leaving only the branches swaying.

Lu Jin hurried to the tree and looked up, seeing Yuan Fang standing on a high branch, arms folded, gazing into the distance. Ah, this show-off—was he his lifelong rival?

“Come down,” Lu Jin said, exasperated. Returning to his stool, he turned to see Yuan Fang already standing nearby, arms folded, eyes forward, holding his sword.

Who taught him to act like this at such a young age? With him around, what place was there for Lu Jin?

The young ones around were clearly excited, finally looking at Yuan Fang with admiration.

Lu Jin grew more and more unhappy.