Chapter 69: Handling the Funeral

Zhou You returned to the Inner Courtyard.

The two hall masters were chatting and laughing naturally, the previous tense atmosphere of swords drawn and bows bent gone; it seemed they had reached an agreement.

"Mao Lang accidentally beat your beloved disciple to death; he should be punished!"

Mao Laoliu cupped his hands, "I will personally give him one hundred lashes; how does that sound to you!"

Hearing the words "beloved disciple," Zhou You felt no ripples in his heart, and upon hearing the punishment of one hundred lashes, he knew it was just for show.

If one truly intended to punish, ten lashes could take a life, but looking at Mao Laoliu's favoritism toward Mao Lang, these one hundred lashes were equivalent to "self-punishing with three cups of wine," at most breaking a bit of skin.

Mao Lang was held to the ground by two Senior Brothers, his outer garment removed to reveal a back covered in scars.

Mao Laoliu held a leather whip and lashed down fiercely with a *pop-pop* sound; judging by the noise, it was not faked, and seeing the skin tear and flesh fly, the scene was extremely bloody.

If it were an ordinary person, a few lashes would surely have rendered them unconscious on the spot.

But Mao Lang had strange tendons and bones, and was at the level of skilled Jinli, so his body naturally generated a force to weaken the power of the whip.

After watching a few times, Zhou You determined that for him, one hundred lashes were just like an itch being scratched.

He weighed the ebony box Zang in his sleeve and walked behind Lu Qiang, "Senior Brother Wu has passed."

When he said this, Zhou You noticed Lu Qiang's body tremble slightly, his gaze somewhat dim.

"Understood, I will tell Master."

Zhou You then handed the box containing the shop Property Deed to Lu Qiang, "This is what Senior Brother Wu specifically asked me to give to the hall master before he left."

Without opening the box, Lu Qiang knew what was inside; it was light and contained no gold or silver.

He glanced at Zhou You and asked, "Did he entrust you with anything?"

"Indeed, Senior Brother Wu entrusted me to send his wife and child back to their hometown; does Big Senior Brother have any instructions?"

Zhou You thought to himself that it was as expected; the other party had guessed that Wu Yanyi had given him a benefit.

Now it depended on Lu Qiang's attitude, whether that 100 taels of gold needed to be handed over.

Lu Qiang sighed softly, "No, go ahead and do it; let Wu Yanyi leave with peace of mind."

Although the two spoke softly, the gazes of the Inner Court Disciples swept over them a few times; they were clearly sharp, knowing what had happened.

*Pop-pop* a few times!

Mao Laoliu finished the one hundred lashes, and Mao Lang, who was lying on the ground, pricked up his ears and was about to use his arm strength to spring up, but was stepped on at the waist and could no longer move.

You silly boy, you don't even know how to play dead; if you jump up full of vigor now, what will Wang Laohu think?

"Enough, Lu Qiang, you handle Wu Yanyi's funeral affairs; withdraw 300 taels from the account."

300 taels was not gold, but silver, including the funeral expenses and the solatium for Wu Yanyi's wife and child.

It had to be said, it was too little.

Zhou You stood silently to the side, thinking that although the title of "Master" contained the word "father," it was ultimately incomparable to one's own kin.

Wu Yanyi's estate had been picked clean by the martial arts hall, and they only gave 300 taels in compensation, not even as much as the amount he had extorted from the Wild Fox Gang.

"This old man will also contribute 500 taels."

Mao Laoliu opened his palm and shook his five fingers.

The value of a human life was thus set.

Afterwards, Lu Qiang took several Apprentices and began to clear out Wu Yanyi's corpse and house.

The blood-stained bedding and quilts were all moved out of the house, either discarded or burned.

Wu Yanyi's funeral lasted for three days, and his wife and child hurriedly packed up, preparing to return to her maiden home in the countryside.

They had to leave; they couldn't stay in the city.

As mentioned earlier, Wu Yanyi had started from scratch and only began to build his family business after entering the martial arts hall.

Those two shops were both in good locations and were purchased at low prices; the process inevitably involved force and coercion, leading to grudges with others.

Now that Wu Yanyi was dead, the shops reverted to the martial arts hall, but the trouble was left to his wife and child.

Wu Yanyi's wife was a typical delicate beauty; hearing the bad news, her eyes were already red from crying, and she held her five or six-year-old son, feeling helpless.

As the saying goes, when a person leaves, the tea goes cold; the martial arts hall's signboard was no longer effective, and many enemies were secretly gathering strength, thinking of taking revenge.

At this time, Zhou You came in handy.

As a Zhengshi Xuitu with Jinli Level, he represented the martial arts hall, staying behind to assist with the funeral.

Every day he did nothing, just moved a stool and sat at the door, which was enough to scare off many covetous fellows.

After three hurried days...

"Junior Brother Zhou, sorry to trouble you."

Wu Yanyi's wife held her son, carrying a bundle, and thanked him.

The gate behind them was already locked, and a long strip of white silk still hung from the door frame, fluttering in the wind.

The mother and son were leaving Gongliang City today, following a merchant caravan back to her maiden home in the countryside.

This matter was arranged by Zhou Laodie, but Senior Brother Shen Sijing had also been informed in advance, as it was his family's business after all.

"Wu Yanyi, what a pity!"

"Zhou You, you only need to know that you are different from him; I am looking out for you."

Shen Sijing's words were profound, making Zhou You ponder for a long time.

What was certain was that although Wu Yanyi was from the city, he had not joined Shen Sijing's camp, so no one helped him when trouble struck.

Saying Zhou You was different from Wu Yanyi was a reminder to remember his own camp.

The escort went very smoothly!

"You'er, this is the manager of the caravan."

Zhou Laodie introduced the manager of the caravan to Zhou You, a shrewd middle-aged man.

The manager was very polite because Shen Sijing had greeted him in advance, "Young Master Zhou, leave everything to me."

Zhou You brought Wu Yanyi's wife and child over, "I ask that the Chief Steward please help look after them a little; Zhou You is endlessly grateful."

The merchant caravan's Chief Steward immediately arranged a carriage and also assigned a young attendant following the caravan to provide personal care.

Before leaving, Wu Yanyi's wife bowed in thanks repeatedly and handed a set of keys to Zhou You.

"The old house in the city was never sold, and leaving it vacant is no solution; I must trouble Junior Brother Zhou to help look after it."

This was a polite remark; while she said it was a trouble for Zhou You to help watch the house, in reality, it was equivalent to giving him a house for free.

Given the situation of Wu Yanyi's wife and child, the prospect of returning to Gongliang City was remote and indefinite.

Although the deed to this old house was still in their possession, given their family's circumstances, they could not hold onto it, so it was better to hand it over to Zhou You.

Zhou You did not decline; he cupped his hands and said, "When my nephew grows up, have him come find me to retrieve the keys."

Wu Yanyi's wife said nothing more, performed a deep bow to him, and had her son kowtow to Zhou You several times before leaving.

Zhou You watched Wu Yanyi's wife and child depart and let out a sigh of relief.

Beside him, Zhou Laodie patted his shoulder, "Stop looking; for an orphan and a widow to escape unscathed, you have done enough."

Zhou You handed the keys to Zhou Laodie, "Father, you keep them; it is inconvenient for me while I am at the martial arts hall."

"Very well, I will hold onto them for now; don't go spreading this around, as many people would be green with envy over a property inside the city."

Their Zhou Family was still renting a place to live even now!

A property in Gongliang City was expensive; for a well-off family, it would take three generations of accumulation to purchase one if things went smoothly.

Wu Yanyi's wife appeared weak, but she actually possessed great wisdom; a house is an immovable asset that cannot be taken away, so she used it to befriend Zhou You.

With several hundred taels of silver on her person to take back to the countryside, it was enough to guarantee a prosperous life.

With the favor of having gifted the property, if trouble arose in the future, could Zhou You really sit by and do nothing?

"That woman sees the ways of the world clearly; she will surely be able to raise her young son to adulthood, and your Senior Brother can rest in peace."

Zhou You and Zhou Laodie walked side by side on the street, chatting idly.

As they talked, Zhou Laodie said again, "Sigh, You'er, when you look for a wife in the future, find one just like this—someone who can manage a household and raise children."