Chapter 17

Bam!

Bam! Bam! Bam!

The morning sun was shining brightly.

Luo Qingzhou closed the courtyard door and kept punching the big tree in the corner repeatedly.

The heat in his body surged.

His fists, shoulders, elbows, back, thighs, calves, and so on began to heat up under the continuous collisions.

The pain that he felt quickly dissipated because of the hot current surging through his body.

He jabbed and punched the tree with deadly cumulative effect, and his skin membrane changed continuously.

It got from soft to hard, and from hard to soft.

According to the cultivation manual, when one’s skin was tempered, it would become as hard as copper and could withstand punches and kicks. Even ordinary sabers and swords would find it very difficult to cut through the skin, causing the resistance of one’s body to increase greatly.

On top of that, his strength could also be increased to the strength of one ox.

His punches were like the hooves of an ox. One punch could shatter the bones of ordinary people!

As he continued to temper his skin, Luo Qingzhou could clearly feel that his skin membrane was gradually changing.

From the initial softness, it gradually became taut and tough.

At the same time, his strength was gradually increasing.

That inner force cultivation method coupled with the body tempering method would allow him to yield twice the result with half the effort.

Sensing the changes in his body, Luo Qingzhou did not dare to slack off. He ate a simple lunch and replenished water lost during his training. Then, he gritted his teeth and continued to bear with the pain as he tempered his skin.

Two days passed in the blink of an eye.

During this period, other than seeing Xiao Die, he did not see anyone else.

He had never even left the small courtyard.

All the servants knew that he was a scholar and had to study every day so no one came to disturb him.

The surroundings were also very quiet.

During the day, Xiao Die would also go out to chat with other maidservants and learn needlework from them.

In these two days.

Luo Qingzhou tempered his skin during the day and cultivated his internal cultivation technique at night.

Although he was tired, it was very fulfilling.

Following the cultivation of the inner force mental cultivation method, when he hit the tree trunk now, he used more strength, but the pain that he felt did not increase.

Back in the Chengguo Residence, it was strenuous for him to help Xiao Die carry a bucket of water.

Now, he could easily carry a bucket in each hand and walk from the courtyard to the kitchen.

Obviously, his strength had also increased a lot.

In just two days, the effect of cultivation was obvious.

Though the Plum Blossom Manual was casually named, the cultivation technique recorded in it was extraordinary.

On this day.

The sun was setting, and it was already evening.

After Luo Qingzhou finished cultivating, he practiced a few more times the fist technique he learned after secretly watching Luo Yu. He only stopped after he was sweating profusely.

Just as he was boiling water in the kitchen and preparing to take a shower, Bai Ling’s voice sounded from outside the door. “Sir, are you home?”

Luo Qingzhou’s heart skipped a beat. He hurriedly came out of the kitchen and said, “Yes.”

He went over and opened the door.

Outside the door, Bai Ling was wearing a pink dress. Her complexion was rosy, and two shallow dimples appeared on her cheeks when she smiled. She looked so pretty, she was like a flower that had just bloomed.

“Sir, why are you sweating profusely? What were you doing in the room?”

Bai Ling was stunned for a moment before walking into the small courtyard. Her gaze followed the window and looked into the house. Then, her eyes flashed. “Is Xiao Die in the house?”

Luo Qingzhou said, “No. I was boiling water in the kitchen and preparing to take a shower.”

Bai Ling looked at the kitchen and a sweet smile appeared on her face. “Sir’s hands are used to read and write, not to chop firewood and start a fire. I’ll get two servants to come over later. In the future, they’ll be under your command and can help you do some chores. That way, you won’t tire yourself out.”

Luo Qingzhou declined politely. “Thank you, Miss Bai Ling, but there is no need for that. Usually, Xiao Die helps me boil water. For other matters, Xiao Die will be here to help me too. Occasionally, if I help out with the chores, I can strengthen my body. Xiao Die and I are already used to it, so we don’t need any servants.”

“Sir, you really don’t need any help?” Bai Ling asked.

“Nope.”

Luo Qingzhou said.

Bai Ling smiled and did not insist. “All right. I’m here to tell you that you have to wake up early tomorrow. You’ll be going to the Chengguo Residence with Young Miss to give gifts and serve tea to the elders. Be sure to keep this in mind.”

Luo Qingzhou nodded and said, “I’ll remember it.”

Bai Ling’s eyes flickered and she smiled. “Sir, do you want to go?”

Luo Qingzhou was silent for a moment before saying, “No.”

Bai Ling sighed helplessly. “Young Miss doesn’t want to go either. We don’t want to go too. But we have no choice. This is the rule. Even though our Madam is against this marriage, she still reminded us about this today.”

Luo Qingzhou said, “I understand.”

Bai Ling looked at him deeply and said, “Then I’ll leave now?”

Luo Qingzhou nodded with a calm expression.

Bai Ling raised her eyebrows. She could not resist asking, “Sir, don’t you have anything to ask me?”

Luo Qingzhou shook his head.

Bai Ling blinked her eyes at him and asked curiously, “Sir, aren’t you going to ask about Young Miss? That day at the lake, you almost drooled while staring at her. Since you haven’t seen her for two days, don’t you miss her?”

Luo Qingzhou was silent for a moment before saying, “To be honest, no.”

For the past two days, he had been focused on cultivating.

He cultivated during the day and at night, falling asleep the moment he lay on the bed. He even forgot to touch Xiao Die’s cute little feet, so how could he have the mood to think about anything else?

Moreover, it was useless to think about her as it would only add to his worries.

The most important thing for him now was to cultivate.

If he did not become stronger as soon as possible, it would be wishful thinking if he wanted to keep a low profile and live out his life, let alone be the son-in-law of the Qin family.

He had to make the best use of his time to cultivate. He could not be distracted by external factors.

Only when he possessed great strength would he be truly qualified to have such a beautiful wife!

Otherwise, he would not be able to sleep peacefully at all.

“Liar!”

Bai Ling snorted and said confidently, “How is it possible that you don’t miss Young Miss? She’s your wife! Even Xia Chan and I will miss her if we don’t see her for one day, much less a man like you.”

Luo Qingzhou did not argue further.

It was very irrational to argue with a woman.

Especially those self-righteous women.

“Sir, do you have anything you want me to bring to my Young Miss? If not, I’m leaving.”

Bai Ling glanced at the sky. Seeing that it was getting late, she wanted to leave.

Luo Qingzhou thought for a moment and said, “In that case, tell her to drink more warm water as the weather is cold.”

Bai Ling stared at him speechlessly.

When Xiao Die returned with the food, the sky was already dark.

“Young Master, I learned how to embroider mandarin ducks today. If there’s a chance, I’ll embroider one on the partition…”

“Young Master, Xiao Tao even taught me how to play an instrument today. Guess what instrument it is? It’s not a zither, but a flute!”

“Xiao Tao can play it very well. Once I fully understand how to play this instrument, I’ll play it for you, okay?”

While eating, Xiao Die excitedly talked about today’s events.

Luo Qingzhou nodded and said, “Sure.”

After dinner.

Luo Qingzhou took a shower and entered the study next door to continue cultivating his internal cultivation technique.

He did that all the way until midnight.

He only stopped and got into bed after Xiao Die urged him to do so.

The master and servant were still sleeping in their usual positions.

Luo Qingzhou had trouble sleeping at the thought of having to return to the Chengguo Residence tomorrow. He toyed with Xiao Die’s soft and delicate feet in his palm as he thought about something.

Xiao Die endured for a long time, she finally could not stop herself from asking, “Young Master, you… you only like my… my feet?” Her face flushed crimson.

Luo Qingzhou did not know what to say.

“Young Master…”

Luo Qingzhou started snoring.

Xiao Die stopped talking.

It was late at night.

In the Chengguo Residence.

The oil lamps in Luo Yannian’s study were still lit.

First Madam—Madam Wang—brought some hot tea into the room and stood quietly at the side for a while before saying softly, “Old Master, it’s getting late. It’s time to rest.”

Luo Yannian raised his head and looked at the sky outside the window before closing the ledger. He slowly stood up and said, “Indeed. It’s time to rest. They will still be coming tomorrow, right?”

Madam Wang placed the tea on the table and nodded. “Yes. They should be coming.”

Luo Yannian looked at her. “Is Yu’er asleep?”

A gentle smile appeared on Madam Wang’s face. “Not yet. I went to see him just now and he was still reading.”

Luo Yannian nodded and said, “It’s important to practice martial arts, but he still must read more books. Otherwise, he’ll be mocked when he goes to the Dragon Academy.”

Madam Wang smiled and said, “Yu’er has always been very hardworking like his older brother.”

Luo Yannian pondered for a moment and said, “Yu’er won’t come out tomorrow, right?”

Madam Wang still had a smile on her face as she said respectfully, “If you ask him to come out, naturally, he’ll abide by your order.”

Luo Yannian shook his head. “It’s better if he doesn’t come out.”

Madam Wang frowned. “You mean they still dare to give Yu’er attitude?”

Luo Yannian said indifferently, “I doubt so. However, that girl is originally Yu’er’s bride. She should have become his wife. Ultimately, we’re the ones who broke our promise. Naturally, it’s best if we can prevent the two of them from meeting.”

The smile on Madam Wang’s face disappeared and she could not help but say, “If the Qin family’s young lady has some self-awareness, she shouldn’t blame our family. How is she worthy of Yu’er? She’s just a fool. Even if she’s not a fool, she’s not a pure maiden anymore. Old Master, there’s no need to take her too seriously.”

Luo Yannian sighed slightly.

Madam Wang’s tone turned gentle again as she comforted, “Old Master, you don’t have to feel uneasy. Father is already dead, but if he knew about this, he will agree with our decision. Yu’er has a bright future ahead of him. When the time comes, he will bring glory to the Luo family. His marriage can’t be treated too casually.”

Luo Yannian nodded slightly.

“Let’s go. It’s time to rest.”