Chapter 829: Your Path Has Narrowed!

In the main hall of Ningguo Mansion, the Eight Trigrams Furnace was taken out by Tang Luo and placed there, with the Celestial Dog still lying on top of it.

Yang Jian's voice came out, expressing his dissatisfaction to Tang Luo.

"Look, Zhu Bajie went to the settings of Romance of the Three Kingdoms and Water Margin, and hasn't come back yet. As for the others, you know what kind of temperaments they have—this Jia family is so big, someone has to manage it." Tang Luo said, "I was thinking, isn't this just perfect for you?"

"I need to heal my wounds."

"Managing things won't interfere with your healing, and I'll give you another blessing—come on, come on." Tang Luo said, pressing his hand on the Eight Trigrams Furnace; a faint light flashed, and in an instant, raw rice turned into cooked rice.

"Hey, I don't need any blessing!"

Yang Jian said.

Being forcibly blessed by Tang Luo left him utterly helpless.

"There's nothing we can do—none of us are cut out for managing affairs." Tang Luo said.

Sun Wukong is one of the Seven Great Sages, the Monkey King of Flower-Fruit Mountain, the Heavenly Stable Officer of the Celestial Court, the Guardian of the Peach Garden, and the Great Sage Equal to Heaven—though aside from being the Monkey King, he hasn't done much else well, but serving as the Jia family's martial arts chief instructor is more than sufficient.

Zhu Bajie once served as Marshal Tianpeng, commanding the Heavenly River's naval forces; managing the Jia family would be as easy as reaching into a bag and taking something out.

But Tang Luo and the others can't do that—Tang Luo is only good at fighting and killing.

Ao Yulie is a philandering playboy, while Sha Wujing is naturally taciturn and dull-witted, and also inept at handling various trivial matters.

So, Tang Luo had Yang Jian summoned out.

Besides, Yang Jian being idle is just being idle—managing the Jia family wouldn't affect his recovery in the slightest.

"I've already given you the blessing—now the Jia family is yours to manage. The capable bear more responsibility. You declared yourself king at Guanjiangkou, commanding all those minor deities with ease—so managing a small Jia family should be nothing for you." Tang Luo laughed.

Yang Jian remained unmoved by Tang Luo's flattery: "What state am I in now? Can't you see?"

He is now Yang Jian·Eight Trigrams Furnace Limited Edition.

The Eight Trigrams Furnace is indeed extraordinary, but can a furnace really manage a household? Yang Jian then said Tang Luo had gone mad.

"It's nothing—this is just an age of flourishing martial arts, perfectly normal." Tang Luo laughed heartily, utterly unbothered.

Don't ask—just know it's an age of flourishing martial arts, where anything can happen and nothing would be strange.

He summoned a servant to call Lai Da (manager of Rongguo Mansion, elder brother of Lai Sheng) and Lai Sheng.

The two Jia family chief managers hurried over, saw the Eight Trigrams Furnace placed in the main hall, were somewhat surprised, but didn't dwell on it, knelt down, kowtowed, and addressed him as "Sir."

Although Jia Zhen hasn't died yet and is lying there, everyone treats him as if he were dead.

Jia Rong of Ningguo Mansion, now managing the household, naturally rose from "Eldest Sir" to "Master."

Because Jia Rong is an only son, there's no need to add seniority distinctions like in Rongguo Mansion—no "Eldest Master" or "Second Master," etc.

Tang Luo didn't look at the two men, merely patting the Eight Trigrams Furnace lightly and saying: "Inside this furnace is my closest friend."

The Lai brothers widened their eyes, exchanged a glance, and wondered: What does that mean?

"Because I encountered a slight deviation in my cultivation, I can only stay inside the furnace and cannot come out—hey, Old Yang, say something."

"Pah." Yang Jian, being proud and tsundere.

He expressed his agreement to help Tang Luo manage things in another way—just once.

Tang Luo didn't treat him like a patient and continued: "See, you all heard that—from now on, all internal and external affairs of the Jia family will be uniformly managed by this friend of mine, and you will assist him. You shall call him Yang Eldest Sir."

Lai Da was stunned—this out of the blue, was he about to lose his authority?

Even if Jia Rong, as Eldest Sir, has risen to Master and will one day become clan head and inherit the title, able to overshadow Rongguo Mansion (since Ningguo Mansion takes precedence over Rongguo Mansion),

this still isn't something that can be taken from him with just a single sentence—his authority as Chief Manager of Rongguo Mansion.

The ancestors are still around, after all.

Even if the ancestors were gone, trying to reach into Rongguo Mansion would look utterly shameless—wouldn't he fear being laughed at by the whole world?

In Lai Da's view, and that of the vast majority of people.

The current situation in Ningguo Mansion is this: the seemingly useless Jia Rong appears to have gained some benefit, made progress in martial arts, and once entered the imperial palace with the Jia family ancestors.

The Emperor Kaiyuan, recalling the Jia family's past merits and present circumstances,

waved his hand and let Jia Rong inherit the title of Duke of the State, bestowing upon him the title "Xuan State Duke" as a mark of favor.

To let everyone understand: although the Jia family's martial arts have declined, at least heavenly favor remains—deep in the Emperor's heart.

Regarding the school grounds matter, Emperor Kaiyuan Tu Ling has already ordered it sealed; he suspects Tang Luo seems unwilling to expose himself.

Adding to that, a bunch of masters have lost face—who could say such a thing openly?

Those well-informed only speculate that Jia Rong might have become a God-Refining Martial Artist, nearing the level of a master.

That's why he was granted the title of Duke of the State.

As for Lai Da, he only knows that since Jia Rong returned, he has demanded the Jia family revive martial arts—which is quite normal.

A new official sets three blazing fires upon taking office—revival is just revival, after all.

But to take away his authority? That is absolutely impossible! He is the Chief Manager of Rongguo Mansion, not yours from Ningguo Mansion!

In the entire Jia family, only Jia's mother could strip him of his authority with a single sentence.

He has indeed heard his mother (Lai Po Po) mention slightly that the ancestors are hidden martial arts masters.

This information Lai Da naturally keeps buried in his belly, and at this moment it has become his confidence.

Lai Da lifted his head, about to retort, but Lai Sheng bumped into him, displeased, he glanced at his brother, and swallowed his words back down.

Tang Luo didn't even look at them: "Now that the Jia family is reviving martial arts, expenses in all areas have surged greatly—you lot, who have been embezzling money all these years, hand over every last cent to me, for the use of martial arts."

Among the Jia family's managers, few are not corrupt.

And the Lai family belongs to the major embezzlers—capable of embezzling enough to fund an entire garden.

Now, Lai Da is no longer "absolutely impossible"—he is directly filled with righteous fury.

Just as he was filled with righteous fury, preparing to stand up and voice his dissent, a whistling wind sounded from beside him.

A heavy slap landed hard on Lai Da's face.

Before Lai Da could even comprehend why his brother would suddenly strike him, a second blow followed immediately.

"Pa-pa-pa!"

The sharp sound of slaps echoed in the main hall.

Lai Sheng began slapping Lai Da hard, showing no mercy.

Lai Da was a martial artist, but unfortunately just a flowery showpiece who never fought; having lost the initiative, he could only endure the beating.

After seven or eight slaps, Lai Da was beaten into a pig's head by his brother, lying on the ground dizzy and seeing stars, feeling as if he were about to die.

Then he heard another round of "pa-pa-pa" slap sounds.

What's going on?

Why are there still slap sounds?

Lai Da strained to open his eyes, only to see Lai Sheng, having finished slapping him, now furiously slapping himself.

While slapping, he wailed loudly: "I know my fault! I know my fault!"

Like a madman.

Lai Da didn't know Tang Luo was a grandmaster, but he knew Jia Mu was formidable.

Lai Sheng, however, was exactly the opposite.

Each served their own master, each had their own information; Lai Sheng certainly didn't want Lai Da to get himself killed and drag him down too.

Acting decisively, after furiously slapping his brother, he slapped himself hard, hoping to save his life.

"Enough, get out." Tang Luo finally glanced over, "Remember, fall short, and the whole family dies with you."

"Thank you, sir, for your grace! Thank you, sir, for your grace!"

Lai Sheng immediately breathed a huge sigh of relief, then gave himself a hard slap, knocking out several teeth outright, to show his remorse.

It hurt, but compared to the heartache of losing wealth, it was nothing.

And the pain of losing wealth paled beside the great terror of life and death, not worth mentioning.

Lai Sheng dragged the trembling Lai Da away.

Lai Da wasn't a fool; his brother's intense reaction truly frightened him, stirring fear in his heart, so he simply played dead.

"Look, I've cleared the obstacles for you—aren't you moved?" Tang Luo said with a smile to Yang Jian.

"Are they even obstacles?" Yang Jian replied that even if he were the Eight Trigrams Furnace limited edition, he had ten thousand ways to deal with these pampered servants.

"If you're moved, say it out loud—don't hold it in, it's bad for your health."

"Get lost."

————

Two months later, capital, Martial Arts Pavilion.

This is a wine tavern, but its main function is not for dining.

Rather, it is for a group of aristocratic youths and noble clan children to gather and settle disputes.

Backed by the current Third Prince, its background is intimidating.

In the imperial capital, high officials and noble clans abound; randomly smash someone on the street, and you might well be connected to some big shot.

Families like the Jia clan are not few.

Many clans are thriving, with elders in high positions, the younger generation eager and restless, diligently practicing martial arts, hoping to achieve glory and honor their ancestors.

Quite the opposite of the Jia family.

The court needs families like the Jia clan, law-abiding and steady, and also needs these vibrant, energetic clans.

But everyone here practices martial arts, with vigorous blood and energy, from childhood holding noble status, looking down on others, nostrils flaring when they gaze at people—conflicts are inevitable.

Hence the Martial Arts Pavilion exists: for any dispute, come here—to the specially prepared training ground and arena on this floor—to settle things with martial prowess; whoever backs down is the grandson.

The Martial Arts Pavilion has nine floors; only those of extremely high status may ascend to the top floor.

There are only five private rooms.

One of them, at this moment, is noisy and lively; a group of aristocratic youths have just gathered, mostly male, with two females.

Their aura is imposing, not inferior to the men beside them.

It can be seen that these people are led by a young nobleman.

This person is named Li Lin, his status so exalted that, looking across the Great Qian, few can surpass him—only a few imperial princes of the heavenly family.

Because he is the son of Grandmaster Li Lin Dao, and himself is a top-tier third-rank martial artist in the Qi Refining stage.

He is only twenty-five years old this year; a future grandmaster is expected, and even the Kaiyuan Emperor has praised the Li family for having this qilin son, a blessing for Great Qian.

Moreover, Li Lin Dao, besides being a grandmaster, is also a senior minister in the military, holding command of troops.

His authority and influence are immense, drawing sideways glances.

In the imperial capital, aside from the imperial clan, the Li family stands above all.

Even those royal relatives by marriage cannot compare.

"Can't go up, can't go up."

While eating and drinking, outside suddenly came a commotion; a servant's panicked voice arrived, then someone smashed the main gate, charging toward the table laden with exquisite dishes.

Immediately someone stood up, intending to intercept the servant—not because they cared about the servant's safety, but to prevent him from ruining the dishes.

But upon contact, a tremendous force surged forth; that person couldn't withstand it at all.

Together with the servant, they crashed onto the dining table, instantly creating a mess.

"Who dares to act recklessly here!"

"Which idiot!"

A group of noble youths, unable to dodge in time, were splattered head to face with dishes, furious beyond restraint—because they thought they could catch it, but it didn't come that way, and when they tried to dodge later, they couldn't avoid it.

Only Li Lin dodged in time, looked toward the two people outside the door, narrowed his eyes: "Lin Daiyu?"

Outside the door, Lin Daiyu wore black clothes, matching her lovely face, slightly petite and delicate frame, giving a unique charm, yet showing no threat.

She frowned slightly, ignoring Li Lin, and instead looked at Xichun, who was even shorter: "Is it him?"

Xichun, her face slightly pale, nodded; though she was Jia Jing's daughter and Jia Rong's aunt, in reality she was only a year or two older than Jia Lan.

Any younger, and Tang Luo would not have let her and Sun Wukong run about causing trouble.

"Good."

Receiving the affirmative answer, Lin Daiyu stepped forward, flexed her hands, and said, "Daring to touch even my Jia family's Flower-Fruit Mountain Taibao, and bullying the weak with superior numbers. Sun Zi, your path has narrowed!"

As she spoke, a fist blasted out!

Tyrannical beyond compare, the Great Strength Monkey King Fist!