Chapter 17: The Young Maid

Li Zhengshan was very excited.

It was as if he had suddenly discovered a priceless, peerless piece of jade, and this piece of jade had been right beside him all along, only just discovered now.

But Luo Jiaorong quickly poured a bucket of cold water over him.

"Didn't you say that to get results in martial arts, one must start from childhood, and that practicing martial arts requires enduring great hardship, often ending up covered in scars, and even then, one might not necessarily stand out from the crowd?"

The look of excitement on Li Zhengshan's face stalled for a moment.

Luo Jiaorong continued, "Practicing martial arts also requires a Medicine Bath, and eating a lot of meat. Not only that, but one gets injured often, even breaking bones; one careless move and you end up a cripple. Do you think I would let Zijun walk this path? He is a scholar now."

"You are a martial artist yourself; you should know the risks better than anyone."

Hearing her words, Li Zhengshan gradually calmed down from his initial excitement, but still unwilling to give up, he said, "But Zijun really is a martial arts genius. Until now, I have never seen anyone like Zijun, with such a fast cultivation speed."

This time, his tone was no longer as excited as before.

He naturally knew that his wife was right.

He was a martial artist, so of course he knew the difficulty and danger of practicing martial arts.

If they were a wealthy family, it might be one thing, but for a family like theirs, trying to support another martial artist—especially one starting from scratch—was indeed somewhat unrealistic.

If Zijun were to get injured or something else were to happen, given their family's circumstances, they likely could not bear it.

And studying did not require taking such great risks; even if he failed the exams, he could still be healthy and work as a teacher.

"Sigh..."

He let out a sigh, his gaze once again turning to the wooden post that had been cracked by a single punch, secretly lamenting that it was a pity he hadn't discovered sooner that his brother-in-law was a martial arts genius, and a pity they weren't a wealthy family.

Seeing this, Luo Zijun hurriedly comforted him, "Brother-in-law, it's fine. Actually, I still like reading. As for martial arts, I'll just treat it as a hobby; I can practice it occasionally, there's no need to go to a Martial Arts Hall."

Li Zhengshan sighed, "But only by going to a Martial Arts Hall can you get more formal guidance and cultivation techniques. Your talent... sigh, if you don't go, it's such a waste."

Luo Zijun said, "Life always involves trade-offs. Since I have chosen to study, I naturally have to give up some things. One cannot have both fish and bear's paw, can one?"

"What fish and bear's paw? Do you want to eat fish and bear's paw?"

Li Zhengshan was stunned.

Luo Zijun: "..."

Luo Jiaorong, who was to the side, said, "Alright, alright, let's not talk about this today. It's getting late, Zijun, go back to your room and sleep. As for the martial arts matter, that's decided—Zijun can practice occasionally when he returns to keep fit. Your main focus should still be on your studies. If you pass the provincial exam, that will be the time to bring honor to your ancestors and stand out from the crowd!"

Li Zhengshan sighed and said, "The Madam is right, studying is more important. At least it's safe and sound, without any danger."

Luo Jiaorong pulled Luo Zijun away and said, "Go take a bath, that Young Maid is already waiting for you in the room."

"Waiting for me for what?"

Luo Zijun looked bewildered.

Luo Jiaorong smiled and said, "Nothing, just to keep you company and talk. Go on."

"Sigh..."

Watching the two siblings leave, then turning his head back to look at the cracked wooden post, Li Zhengshan still felt it was a great pity.

"Zijun is clearly a dragon among men, talented in both literature and martial arts. It's a pity he was born in the wrong place; it's a grievance to him to be in my home..."

At this moment, Luo Jiaorong suddenly returned with a stern face and whispered, "Li Zhengshan, do you want to get him killed by having him practice martial arts?"

Li Zhengshan was stunned and said, "What does the Madam mean?"

Luo Jiaorong's lips trembled, and a flash of fear appeared in her eyes: "If that person finds out..."

Li Zhengshan was struck with horror.

A full moon rose into the night sky.

When Luo Zijun finished his bath and returned to his room, he found the Young Maid sitting on the edge of the bed with her head lowered. She had changed into a thin nightgown, revealing a pair of slender, delicate jade-like feet beneath the hem. Her face was flushed with a deep red, her eyelashes were lowered and trembling, and her small hands were clutching her clothes tightly; she was clearly very nervous.

Hearing his footsteps, the Young Maid bit her lip, her body trembling slightly; she was clearly even more nervous.

Luo Zijun glanced at her a few times and was about to exit the room when Luo Jiaorong, who had followed, pushed him inside, immediately closed the door, and scolded from outside, "It's your own maid, what are you afraid of? You're a grown man, acting so timid—it's laughable! Get on the bed and sleep!"

Luo Zijun hurriedly said, "Sister, isn't the bed a bit small?"

Luo Jiaorong said from outside the door, "Small? What's small about it? It's enough for the two of you to sleep in. Xiaohuan is so tiny, she won't take up much of your space! Less nonsense, hurry up and get to bed!"

Luo Zijun said again, "Sister, I'm going out to take a leak first."

"Hold it in, you're not allowed to pee!" Luo Jiaorong's tone was very stern, sounding somewhat frustrated that he wasn't living up to expectations: "You silly boy, what, do you need your sister to come in and teach you?"

"Ah, no need, no need..."

Luo Zijun's expression changed; he didn't dare to stall any longer, hurriedly went over to blow out the lamp, felt his way to the bed, and whispered, "Xiaohuan, let's sleep."

He got onto the bed first.

Xiaohuan gave a low "Mm" and shyly got onto the bed as well.

"You sleep at that end, sleeping at one end is crowded."

Luo Zijun whispered.

"Mm."

The two of them each took an end, slipped into the quilt, and lay down.

Luo Jiaorong stood guard outside the door, pressing her ear to listen, but she couldn't hear a single sound, and she felt secretly suspicious.

!

At this moment, Li Zhengshan's voice came: "Madam, what are you doing?"

Luo Jiaorong whispered, "This is the first time for both Zijun and Xiaohuan, I'm afraid neither of them knows what to do. I'm thinking, should I go in and teach them?"

"Oh, stop meddling. Why are you interfering in such matters? Let them take their time. If it really doesn't work, wait until Zijun goes to the Pharmacy tomorrow, then you can teach Xiaohuan in private. How can you go in and teach them now? Do you want to scare them to death?"

"Fine, fine, I'm leaving."

The sound of footsteps gradually faded away.

Only then did Luo Zijun let out a sigh of relief.

After waiting for a while longer, seeing that there was truly no movement outside, he sat up.

Xiaohuan, sleeping at the other end, suddenly trembled, squeezed her eyes shut, her little face burning like fire, her two small hands clutching the bedsheet tightly.

"Xiaohuan, you go to sleep first, don't disturb me, I am going to cultivate."

Luo Zijun sat cross-legged and continued to cultivate his Inner Cultivation Method.

With a fragrant little Young Maid who had just finished bathing suddenly in the quilt, it was impossible not to let his thoughts wander; after all, he was a man full of vigor.

Therefore, it was better to cultivate.

Once he entered a state of cultivation, all desires would vanish into thin air.

"Everything is fake!"

"They are all NPCs!"

He reminded himself of this, quickly closed his eyes, and entered a state of cultivation.

"Hoo..."

His heart beat, and his breath entered his body.

As a stream of Qi flowed through the meridians in his body, the light spot the size of a mung bean in his Dantian Sea began to flicker slowly.

By the time he woke up, the Young Maid had already fallen asleep.

Luo Zijun's emotions had calmed down; he savored the gains from his recent cultivation for a while before lying down, preparing to sleep.

The Young Maid's body in the quilt was petite and exquisite, soft and warm; even though there were clothes between them, it still caused ripples in his heart.

He closed his eyes, turned to his side, faced away from her, and forced himself to fall asleep quickly.

Forget it, he should think about Bai Niangzi instead.

She was a very large, very thick, and disgusting snake; although she transformed into someone as beautiful as a flower, she was still a snake!

Right, when the time comes, he could take Xu Xian to see a snake, and incidentally let him get bitten by a snake a few times, so that he would develop a serious psychological trauma regarding snakes.

Then, he would frequently take him to the Brothel to mess around.

If he met Bai Niangzi again then, he would secretly tell her that Xu Xian loved visiting prostitutes the most, and that he never wore a condom.

"Uh, I am so despicable..."

Thinking this, he indeed fell asleep very quickly.

(End of this chapter)