The Blade-Wielding Legend

Nearing evening, they finally arrived at their destination.

They saw a village nestled among several hills, with endless wheat fields stretching out in front of them and a meandering tributary of the Wei River passing by. It was clearly a village with excellent fengshui.

Under the setting sun, the golden waves of wheat surged, presenting a pastoral scene of beauty.

"This is Ancient Water Village."

Sha Lifei, leading the way on horseback, explained, "There is an ancient spring on the mountain in the village, hence the name. The biggest landlord here is Landlord Lu."

"This Landlord Lu is quite something. I heard he used to be a wealthy merchant in the Capital, made his money, then returned to buy farmland. See, all these fields in front of us belong to him."

"The key is, he's generous. Who knows how many people have their eyes on this juicy bit of land; if it wasn't for my strong reputation, you guys would only be able to compete with the wheat workers from Longyou..."

Wheat workers are not rare in Guanzhong, but even more come from Longyou.

The people there can endure hardship, work hard without complaints, and aren't picky about food, making them the favorite among the hosts and are known as the kings of wheat workers.

"Big Brother Sha is tough!"

"I told you, following Big Brother Sha, you can't go wrong..."

The crowd praised Sha Lifei, and he became even more proud.

...

Landlord Lu's estate was at the east end of the village.

Just as Sha Lifei had said, it was a true large household.

The whole estate was constructed in a quadrangle layout, with brick and wood architecture, consisting of four courtyards and three main buildings, surrounded by tall walls. Even the blue brick bases on the outside featured exquisite brick carvings.

Archways, memorial arches, and Horse Ties, all were present.

In the glow of the setting sun, it exuded a solemn ancient charm.

The largest landlord of Li Family Castle, Li Huairen, had nothing more than a two-courtyard house. The wheat workers had never seen such luxury and were all amazed.

"My goodness, how rich one must be..."

"This time we've really learned something..."

It was clear that more than one group of workers was employed for Landlord Lu's household.

Outside the mansion's gate was an open space larger than a threshing ground, seemingly watered and rolled flat with stone rollers.

Willows surrounded the area, creating an impressive sight.

At this moment, the space was already filled with groups of people carrying bedding, fastening sickles, squatting on the ground, either chatting idly or puffing on big smoking pipes.

Sha Lifei instructed his people not to wander off and then approached the gate.

There stood a lean old man, neatly dressed, wearing a small hat and with white hair. A pair of black wooden-frame glasses perched on his nose, with several attendants following behind.

Sha Lifei seemed to recognize the man and went up to bow with his hands in respect, his face eager to please, "Housekeeper Lu, these are my people."

"Why have you arrived a day late?"

"We ran into some trouble on the road."

"Alright, wait until the master is done speaking before we make arrangements..."

As the two of them talked, Li Yan looked around curiously.

His sharp eyes, along with his knowledge of the pugilistic world, allowed him to immediately notice many things.

The group on the right came from Longyou. Their accent was different, and their leader was clearly a bladesman from Longyou, no longer young, still wearing a sheepskin jacket despite the heat.

Despite his white hair, his arms were muscular and knotty.

Looking at his hands, he seemed to have practiced the Eagle Claw Skill.

The attendants standing behind Housekeeper Lu, although not in a formal stance, were all broad-shouldered and bright-eyed, obviously protectors and bodyguards for the household.

According to the slang of the pugilistic world, they were the "Pegs" of the "Hanging" faction.

People like them, whether working as bodyguards or escorting valuables, needed real skills and knowledge of the rules of the pugilistic world; not one of them was to be trifled with.

Assuming the roles of servants meant a lifetime commitment, not a temporary hiring.

This Lu family was much wealthier than an average landlord...

"Landlord Lu arrives!"

Just as he observed, accompanied by the chanting of servants, a group of people emerged from the mansion.

The leader, naturally, was Landlord Lu himself.

He was tall and stout, with a kind face and benevolent eyes. His long black beard hung down to his chest. The brocade clothing he wore made him look very imposing.

Following him, in addition to the bodyguards, were two women.

One dressed in white, her appearance pure and pretty; the other in red, her face somewhat enchanting, skin fair, and a beauty mark on her chin.

They differed in their grace and didn't seem old, almost resembling daughters when compared to Landlord Lu at their side.

But it was clear to anyone that they were likely his concubines.

On the square, most were hardworking farmhands, even the bladesman who often visited brothels had never seen women this beautiful, and their eyes immediately glazed over.

Sha Lifei swallowed hard, turned around, and whispered sternly, "Behave yourselves; don't look, and don't even think. If anyone embarrasses us and loses our job, I will kill him!"

After hearing this, the wheat workers all lowered their heads.

Sha Lifei understood the importance of decorum, and from a distance, he saw a group of wheat workers staring with drool practically dripping from their mouths, not caring to manage their own followers.

Li Yan, noticing this, felt that something was off.

Logically speaking, in order to avoid scandal, the concubines of the inner quarters of a wealthy family would rarely appear in the front court to greet guests, let alone in front of so many people.

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But this Landlord Lu seemed not to mind; he even appeared a bit proud.

Facing everyone, he stroked his beard and smiled slightly, "Fellow villagers, returning to my roots, I may have acquired some wealth, but I'm not one to be rich without benevolence."

"As for harvest time, when the grain is grabbed by the dragon's mouth, if you work hard, the Lu family will definitely not let you suffer losses. Openly eat your fill of white flour buns and mutton offal soup!"

"In addition, two liters of wheat as reward for every mu of land."

"The more you work, the more you get!"

The wheat harvesters below suddenly widened their eyes.

In the past, cutting one mu of land would only yield one liter of wheat, a little over two pounds.

Many times, the reward would even be cut down.

But this Landlord Lu was offering two liters right away, along with free white flour buns and mutton offal soup.

Although it was offal, it was still meat!

"Landlord Lu is benevolent!"

The wheat harvesters immediately bent over to thank him in unison.

"Hahaha, you're welcome, you're welcome."

Landlord Lu smiled as he cupped his hands in greeting and then turned to enter the mansion with his people.

Housekeeper Lu stepped forward, his face slightly stern as he said, "The master has a kind heart, but rules must be followed."

"There's enough white flour buns for all to eat, but you cannot take any with you..."

"No one is allowed private entry into the inner courtyard of the mansion, if there's an issue, please send someone to report it. Anyone who dares step through this door without permission, do not blame me for being heavy-handed..."

"Those who cheat, play tricks, or hide things will be sent straight to the authorities..."

"Work begins at the hour of Yin, and only after the wheat is properly harvested and stored can you rest..."

Housekeeper Lu was also formidable, organizing everything in an orderly manner.

The wheat harvesters all nodded in agreement.

Though the rules were strict, the offered reward was high.

They hadn't had such good fortune in previous years...

After the arrangements, the wheat harvesters were escorted to the head of the village.

There awaited the shelters that had been set up in advance.

For the duration of their stay there, they would work from dawn till dusk, with no spare time other than for eating and sleeping.

It was tough, but this was what the harvest season was like; otherwise, how could they earn money?

And next to the shelters, more than a dozen large pots had already been set up.

The bone-white broth of lamb boiled, with chopped mutton offal swirling within.

Several stories' high wooden steamers exuded the aromatic steam of wheat.

The wheat harvesters had come from all directions, having sustained on cold water and coarse grain cakes during their travels. Upon smelling this aroma, they drooled instantly.

Competing to line up, they squatted on the ground with large bowls, devouring their food.

Then Housekeeper Lu's assigned helpers laughed and said, "Everyone, eat to your heart's content, but remember one thing: don't eat too much and get sick. You won't be able to work tomorrow."

An old harvester chuckled, "Don't worry, young man, although we're peasants, we know the difference between a full meal and an excess."

"Hahaha..."

The people eating around him burst into laughter.

They felt gratified; with such a host, they had nothing to complain about.

Even Li Yan couldn't help but agree.

He had been to the temple fairs in Lantian County, but the mutton offal soup there was made for the poor, with no attention to detail.

Sometimes, there would even be lamb's wool and flies floating in the greasy broth—something he could not stomach.

The food cooked by the Lu family's cooks at least looked clean; they even poured spicy chili oil over the mutton soup, sprinkling it with scallions and coriander.

Together with the white flour buns, it was blissfully delicious!

Being a young man with a big appetite, and also training in martial arts to build up his strength, Li Yan wolfed down five large buns and drank four bowls of mutton offal soup before wiping his mouth, putting down his bowl, and getting up to walk towards Sha Lifei.

Because of the previous incident, everyone had been rushing on their journey without much talk. Now that they had settled down, it was the perfect time to ask about the itinerary.

Sha Lifei was bragging with a few bladesmen.

Seeing him come over, seeming to guess what he would ask, Sha Lifei shifted the subject and said with a teasing smile, "Fellow travelers, let me introduce you. This is Li Yan. His father is the famous 'Guanzhong's Sick Tiger'—you must have heard of him."

Upon hearing this, Li Yan immediately felt displeased.

He hadn't come out here to make a name for himself in the pugilistic world.

Even if he were after Xiang Man'er, he wouldn't use his father's fame, much less needed Sha Lifei to be so talkative.

But since the topic had already been brought up, he could only smile and salute with cupped hands, "Greetings to the seniors."

The old bladesman from Longyou, dressed in sheepskin, was squatting on the ground smoking and nodded at Li Yan's words, saying in a husky voice, "I've heard of Tiger's reputation, a man of righteousness, just a pity… Ah."

The others also chimed in, "The young master looks extraordinary; he's sure to become a famous figure in Guanzhong someday."

That's how things go in the pugilistic world; everyone knows how to say nice things.

As long as it's not about competing for interests, they mostly compliment one another.

But a young man sitting far away scoffed, "Tsk tsk, Li Hu's son, already out in the pugilistic world at such a young age. Your whiskers haven't even grown in yet, have they?"

"The wind and waves are rough in the pugilistic world; don't go hurting your back..."

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