"Master Li, today it’s your turn to lead our patrol shift."
Just as Li Xian was lost in thought, a C-class nursing home guard hurried over with a flattering smile.
His name was "Fu Yongfa," and he was overweight and already in his forties. But when he called out "Master Li," it couldn’t have sounded smoother.
"Alright."
Li Xian adjusted his breathing, balancing his Qi-blood.
B-class nursing home guards lead daily patrols, with usually two C-class guards and seven D-class guards in the team.
The patrol route was relatively remote and usually required going outside the manor.
"Wait a moment, I don’t know who’s in the team yet, I’ll go get the list first," Li Xian said.
Fu Yongfa laughed, saying, "Master Li, no need to get the list; if we call them out, they know themselves well, and no one dares not come."
With that, Fu Yongfa’s expression changed from obsequious to fierce, shouting to the crowd: "Anyone patrolling with Master Li today, quickly report, or if you’re late... Master Li is lenient and wouldn’t mind."
"But I, Fu Yongfa, am not so easy to talk with. I count to three."
"Three..."
As soon as he finished speaking, several people in the crowd scrambled over in panic, their clothes disheveled, afraid they’d be three seconds late.
These D-class guards were most attentive to the patrol shift lists to avoid offending the senior guards.
They knew perfectly well who they were patrolling with today.
Li Xian hadn’t been among the D-class guards for long and hadn’t experienced this, so he wasn’t very clear on it.
However, he didn’t want to understand the subtleties of it either.
The team quickly gathered, two C-class guards, seven D-class guards, plus Li Xian, totaling ten people.
Among the seven D-class guards was a familiar figure, Zhuo Yilei, who had once shared the same dorm with him. He kept his head down, not daring to look at Li Xian.
"That Jade Palm mark is still there..." Li Xian glanced over, noticing the purple-blue palm mark hadn’t faded, and murmured in his heart.
The matter with the Jade Palm had always been on his mind.
He thought to himself:
"Soon I’ll enter the Leisure Martial Pavilion to select an Entry Martial Arts technique."
"Choosing what kind of martial arts actually doesn’t make much difference to me, so I might as well pick that Jade Palm. Once I’ve mastered the palm technique, I can effortlessly settle this cause and effect, why not?"
Li Xian said, "Since everyone’s here, let’s go."
The patrol route this time was long and winding, taking a good two hours, and we needed to go outside the manor.
Before setting off, Li Xian led everyone to the Vegetarian Restaurant to collect adequate portions of hot dry cakes.
Each person got two pieces; D-class got plain cakes with no filling, C-class got vegetable-filled, and B-class had meat-filled, including beef, full of fat.
Li Xian had a big appetite and was growing, so he took three pieces.
"Today’s patrol might not leave us time for lunch, so we’ll manage with the cakes for a meal," Li Xian called out.
"Let’s move out!"
Li Xian walked at the front of the team, passing through two large curves and entering an abandoned garden where the Yin Qi was chilling and sent a bone-chilling cold through the body.
But after walking for a quarter of an hour and exiting the garden, the scene opened up, and a few more steps brought us to the manor’s side gate.
B-class nursing home guards were strong, and leading a patrol usually required going outside the manor.
They needed to go to some mountains, forests, and fields to check the situation. The routes were all pre-planned.
After all, the madam’s property wasn’t just inside the manor.
A cool breeze blew in our faces, invigorating everyone.
Li Xian stretched lazily, looking around. Among these mountains and forests, how could it not be a splendid scene?
Thousands of trees wrapped in silver, frosty winds and leftover snow revealed sunny skies.
The beauty stretches for miles, yet it all belongs to the owner. Only the cool breeze and the thin sunlight were generous enough to be shared among all.
"Master Li, should we go to the forest or the silk garden first?" Fu Yongfa asked.
"Let’s head to the forest first."
To the west of the manor lay a forest; all cooking and heating firewood came from the forest.
Seven or eight miles away lay a vast sea of trees. Today’s southwestern wind blew, and from afar, the leaves appeared to be swaying, a vast ocean of green.
This was "Evergreen Wood," thriving even in winter without losing leaves, growing rapidly.
A manor with over a thousand people consumed an unknown amount of firewood daily.
Li Xian led the team through the forest, inspecting for anyone stealing wood.
"Who goes there!"
Fu Yongfa suddenly shouted sternly, and the two D-class Nursing Home members beside him leaped forward, diving into the bushes.
In a short while, they dragged out a beggar child. One Nursing Home member jabbed with their toe, kicking the child behind the knee, then pressed down with both hands, forcing the beggar to kneel on the ground.
"Oh..." cried the beggar in agony.
"Ah, daring to steal firewood, are you? Hit him!" Fu Yongfa raged.
"No... no... master, I was just passing by..." the beggar quickly pleaded.
The Nursing Home member ignored their explanation and was about to strike when Li Xian said, "This person holds no axe or firewood, evidently not a thief. Release them."
"Master Li, such a lowly scum, even if they don’t steal today, they’ll surely steal tomorrow."
"Why not beat them to death and bury them? Hehe, if this one is so fond of wood, let them become the nutrients for the wood, fulfilling their wish. Maybe they’ll thank us in the Underworld."
Fu Yongfa suggested obsequiously.
The beggar child shook their head furiously, terrified and crying.
"Oh?"
Li Xian found the suggestion deeply displeasing, and seeing Fu Yongfa’s contemptible attitude—the way he curries favor yet oppresses others—felt no goodwill towards such people.
Reflecting further, killing and burying beggars was evidently common practice, the lushness of the forest perhaps not without such reasons.
If Li Xian went against the grain, naturally, the people would obey outwardly but gossip behind his back. Better to use this to establish authority, instilling fear among them, thus reducing many troubles.
Instantly, he swung his hand back, slapping Fu Yongfa’s face with a loud "slap". "Does it hurt?"
Fu Yongfa was stunned, a handprint appearing on his face. He didn’t understand why Li Xian hit him, but dared not feel anger or resentment, oblivious to the humiliation, he chuckled, "Doesn’t hurt, doesn’t hurt, for Master Li to slap me is my honor."
Li Xian swung back again. This time, he infused his Inner Qi, implying the ethos of the Four Directions Fist. Though it was merely a soft slap, it felt like pressure from all directions, frightening Fu Yongfa into shaking all over.
He sensed the aura of death, wanting desperately to evade. But there was no place to hide, with a "bang" sound, Fu Yongfa was slammed to the ground.
Blood flowed from his nose.
"Thank you, Master Li, thank you, Master Li."
Fu Yongfa covered his face, kneeled and kowtowed, snot and tears flowing. If Li Xian hadn’t held back, he would have been slapped to death.
Shocked internally, this Master Li, though young, had a deep mastery of Martial Arts. Without a doubt, he wouldn’t dare harbor even half a notion of being disrespectful.
"Release him." Li Xian said calmly.
The D-class Nursing Home members dared not disobey, quickly releasing the beggar.
Li Xian said, "Do not return here in the future."
"Yes... yes, thank you, Master, for sparing my life." The beggar child fled wildly.
Such a person wouldn’t have the guts to steal firewood; likely they wanted to sneak some fruit, got lost last night, used the bushes to shield themselves from the wind, and fell asleep in a daze.
Releasing the lost beggar, he continued patrolling the forest.
Not far away, a group of servants were cutting down firewood. Normally at such times, Nursing Home members would make a special effort to pass by, enjoying the envious gazes from everyone.
Li Xian found it troublesome, glanced from afar, and left the forest directly, heading to the "silk garden."
Upon arriving at the silk garden, he was even more awed.
The madam’s estate was vast, with tens of thousands of acres of fertile land—that alone—but the silk garden also occupied a vast area.
Moreover, nestled among the mountains here, the wind and snow did not blow over, and during winter, it was extremely warm.
Around a hundred Sang Girls were employed here, managing the mulberry fields and raising silkworms. The extracted silk was crystal clear, hard to break, evidently these mulberry trees and worms were not ordinary.
The silk garden was well-organized, the leaf-pickers were picking leaves, the silk extractors were extracting silk. The Sang Girls, deft and agile, performed their tasks expertly, slowing the steps of the patrolling crowd.
"What is this silk usually used for?" Li Xian stopped a Sang Girl, curious.
"Ah! Such a young B-class attendant, I haven’t seen you before." The Sang Girl brightened.
Li Xian smiled, "I’ve just been promoted."
The Sang Girl answered the previous question, "Many things, like making clothes and fabrics, lots and lots of uses, even making ropes."
"The goods are sold to clothing shops in town, and sold to Jianghu sects as well, so many many uses, I can’t describe them all at the moment."
The Sang Girl was hired, not sold.
Regarding her status, it wasn’t low.
The more seasoned Sang Girls in the silk garden could even direct Nursing Home members in their tasks.
"The madam’s enterprise is truly immense."
Li Xian was ostensibly patrolling, but was actually gaining a broader perspective.
Gradually understanding a principle, Martial Artists who undergo Rebirth possess incredible strength and immeasurable lifespan, yet are not ethereal immortals, they remain grounded on earth!
They need a foundation of assets to support them!
Martial Artists stand above reality but do not completely disconnect from it.
Observing a Martial Artist, one must look not only at their power but also at the resources behind them!