Translator: Kazeyuki_ Editor: Jimmy_
After a night of shopping in River County, Qin Wushuang was prepared to go back to his hometown early in the next morning. Then, he would train with all his strength to build a foundation for the “Family Class Evaluation” that was happening in three years time.
To his surprise, when Qin Wushuang and the other two had departed from River County, they had not met any obstructions on the way back to Eastwood Town. There was no disturbance at all.
Hu Ziyan and Fang Xiaozhong had accompanied him along the way, and they thought the situation incredible. On the road, they had been in constant fear. On the one hand, they felt certain that the Zhang family would send someone to take revenge on them, and on the other hand, they were confident that the feudal authorities would send people to arrest them if they did.
However, they were safe throughout the whole journey until they reached the boundary of the Eastwood Town. Right now, they were only eight or nine miles away from home. The closer they were to their home, the safer they were.
“Big Brother Ziyan, we should be safe!” Fang Xiaozhong said excitedly.
“That’s right. It seems that the Xu and Zhang aristocrats do not control the feudal authorities entirely.” Hu Ziyan also felt like a weight had been lifted from him.
Secretly, Qin Wushuang thought it was funny, but he did not speak.
“Hehe, Wushuang, why don’t you say something. Can this incident be counted as a classic case in which the Humble Class beat the Prominent and the Wealthy Class?” Hu Ziyan was in a good mood after they had escaped from the difficult situation.
“How is it classic?” Qin Wushuang smiled lightly, “Do you guys think we can come back in one piece because the authorities found their conscience, or because they suddenly realized their mistakes and decided to act justly?”
“Is that not it?” Fang Xiaozhong asked while blinked his eyes.
“Wushuang, what do you mean?” Hu Ziyan asked Qin Wushuang, whom he greatly admired.
“Nothing. I’ll only leave these four words—Venerable Da Xi Family!”
Qin Wushuang raised his arm, waved the whip and cracked it over the back of the horse to make it go faster. Suddenly, he was struck with a feeling of wanting to get home as quickly as possible.
……
He wanted to see his father and sister immediately. In his former life, he had never experienced this kind of pleasant feeling in which he looked forward to going home…
When they arrived at the intersection of Eastwood Town, the three of them promised to meet again at the Qin Manor. Then, they went their separate ways.
The news of how Qin Wushuang had killed the aristocratic child of the Prominent Class in River County had already spread to his hometown. The contents of the gossips were much more exaggerated than the gossips in River County.
As Qin Wushuang drove the wagon on the road, many strangers, whether he knew them or not all greeted him with smiles. Not a single person regarded him as an inconsequential martial art student.
Even those people who did not have a good relationship with the Qin family also set aside their disdain and hostility. They put a smile on their face when they saw Qin Wushuang.
Qin Wushuang inwardly sighed as he was bathed in these complicated gazes and smiles. This world was quite pragmatic. Without power, people would look down on you everywhere; with power, even the village people became nicer.
Qin Lianshan had already received the news that his son had come back from River County. Overjoyed, he set off firecrackers outside the manor’s gate to welcome him!
Qin Xiu ran toward him as soon as she saw her brother in the far-off distance. Qin Wushuang jumped down from the wagon and yelled: “Sister, I’ve brought you a lot of gifts!”
As he spoke, he took out a finely packaged box from the wagon. Inside the box, it was revealed to contain numerous expensive cosmetics.
Beaming with happiness, Qin Xiu hugged her brother and kissed him on the forehead, praising him: “Good boy, Wushuang. I didn’t waste my love on you.”
Then, he took out the gifts for his father and all the servants. Each of them received one.
As he handed out the gifts, it helped garner him an unlimited amount of respect from the servants as they all unanimously praised him: “Young Master has grown up and matured. It was a significant change after his studies in the city.”
That afternoon, the Qin household hosted a banquet to celebrate Qin Wushuang’s triumphant return.
Qin Lianshan did not blame his son for killing Zhang Xian nor did he appear overjoyed. However, during the banquet, one could sense the excitement and joy in Qin Lianshan from the way he acted.
He had not hidden his happiness and joy without reason
In this world where the strong ruled over the others, any form of conventional politeness and respect was fake. It only mattered when you overcame your enemies.
Because his son had a sense of shame, he had gathered his courage and climbed up from the bottom. This kind of counterattack and quick revenge were the most efficient and powerful!
For hundreds of years, the Qin family had endured for so long. When was the last time they had done something that had earned them such renown? Qin Wushuang’s fight had helped them regain their momentum and earned back the reputation of the Qin family.
Some of the local powerhouses in Eastwood Town had also sent delegates to congratulate them. Regardless, Eastwood Town’s residents were proud that the son of the Qin family had beaten the child of a Prominent Class family.
Finally, after the banquet, the Qin family gathered together and talked about the changes that had occurred during these months. Qin Wushuang did not elaborate on the details. He only talked about how he had had to kill Zhang Xian because of his provocation.
After hearing his words, Qin Xiu excitedly clapped her hands.
“Good brother. It was a good fight!”
When she saw that her father had only smiled at the news, Qin Xiu could not help but ask: “Father, don’t you think that little brother’s fight was good enough to emancipate our anger?”
“It was a good match. However, Wushuang spoke wise words before. We still need to look forward. Zhang Xian, just a young child of the Zhang, is not our family’s biggest threat.”
Although he said these words, inwardly, Qin Lianshan’s heart was overflowing with joy.
Regardless, it was a classic matter in which a weak Humble Class child had killed the child of the Prominent Class!
Qin Wushuang smiled lightly: “Father, I promised you before I went back to the academy. What I had to do, and what I would not to do. Killing Zhang Xian was a something I had to do.”
At that time, Qin Lianshan didn’t know that his son had been planning such a thing. Right now, he spoke surprisedly as he thought back: “So, Wushuang, you were planning it since the beginning?”
“Yes, but Zhang Xian’s death is only a beginning. There will be more strife in the future.”
Qin Lianshan’s face immediately became serious. He nodded and said: “That’s right. These Wealthy and Prominent Class aristocrats will not give up on our family’s large inheritance.”
“Not giving up? Then let them try. Since they want to steal our family’s assets, can we also steal something of theirs?” Qin Wushuang leisurely stretched and stood up. He put a steam bun into his mouth and muttered, “Father, Sister, I am going off to train.”
Qin Lianshan’s eyes were filled with gratification as he watched his son walk out. Then, he stood and smiled: “Xiu’er, clean this up. I am going out.”
Inside the ancestral hall, Qin Lianshan respectfully lighted up nine incense sticks. (Incense sticks are a unique and skinning candle which people use to pray to their ancestors, the deceased or the gods in China). He prayed in a small voice: “My dear ancestors, I know you are watching. The offspring of the Qin family did not shame our ancestors. Wushuang has won both the principle and interest this time compared to his previous failure! With ancestors watching from above, if the Humble Qin family prospers, I will shoulder the responsibility for all disasters. And my son, Wushuang, will enjoy all the favors…”
……
Since he had returned home, Qin Xiu oversaw Qin Wushuang’s daily life, and there was much less disturbance than the academy. Thus, Qin Wushuang became much more focused and spent all his time training.
A day of training would earn you a day’s worth of power. If you did not train for a single day, you would lose ten days’ worth of power. The longer you trained, the less chance you would lose the power you’ve gained.
You cannot be sloppy when you trained.
Eastwood Town lay in the shadows of the towering Great Cang Mountains that stretched for thousands of miles. You would make a living from the mountain if you lived by the mountain. The Great Cang Mountains that stretched for thousands of miles had always been an important source of life for the residents of Eastwood Town.
To be honest, Qin Wushuang thought that the Great Cang Mountains behind Eastwood Town was hundreds of times better than the academy as a training ground.
Regardless of extreme cold or intense heat, boiling weather or freezing snow, everyday Qin Wushuang would climb one of the perilous peaks. It had become one of his mandatory training exercises.
On the steep mountain road, Qin Wushuang walked forward with his strong feet. Right now, he had tied sixty-kilo chunks of iron onto both of his feet. Even with the weight, his running speed was still as fast as if he were flying. His speed did not lose to the macaque that flipped across mountains’ ridges.
He based his journey up the steep mountain road to the peak of the Great Cang Mountains as his challenge. Not once did he slack off, nor would he have even if knives rained from the sky.
When he returned to Eastwood Town, Qin Wushuang felt like a fish back in the water. He had increased his training level a lot. Since he had based the Great Cang Mountains as his training ground, he could do whatever he wanted.
After what he had encountered, Qin Wushuang had a deeper understanding of the cruelty of this world.
Although Zhang Xian’s matter had caused a little disturbance to his mind, it did not affect him too much. However, based on this incident, he could see the difference between the Humble Class Qin family and the other aristocrats!
It was a huge responsibility for him regarding how to bridge this difference.
After he had come to understand this difference, Qin Wushuang better knew why his father had been so worried that the family might fall.
As a son, he must respect his elders.
In his previous life, Qin Wushuang did not understand much about this principle. However, he had gained a new understanding of it in this world. He no longer held a vague view regarding this reason. On the contrary, this principle gradually became apparent as he understood his duty to fulfill the filial piety to his father and respect to his sister.
Mainly, if he did not shoulder the family’s responsibilities when the family was weak, they would lose the Humble Class seat after four years.
They would be cut off from their aristocratic benefits once they lost their nobility seat. It would be catastrophic for the Qin family. Needless to say, as the heir of the Qin family, he would also suffer the calamity!
When his thoughts reached there, Qin Wushuang became much more determined to achieve his goals!
He must think of a way to protect the Qin family. He must do it for himself, for his respectable father and his lovely sister!
Of course, in the current stage, his primary task was to train.
This situation reminded him of a motivational quote from his previous world– a man must have a great goal and have the determination to achieve it!
The old man that had taught him martial arts in his old world had often used this quote to encourage him. A student of Confucius, named Ceng Can, had spoken these wise words, but Qin Wushuang had not cared. However, after the old man had explained to him the meaning behind these words, he immediately took a liking this ancient erudite.
A man of noble character must seek to achieve great goals!
In other words, you must never be satisfied with being ordinary. While you were living, you must have ambition and aim to achieve them!
From Qin Wushuang’s understanding, there was no Confucius and Confucian theory in this world. If he just looked at the growth of the society, he would not be able to determine the current dynasty. Most likely, he felt that the current world was not in the same dimension as Earth.
The only thing he was sure was that the humans of this world had high reproduction abilities. His father, Qin Lianshan had told him that there were about seven or eight billion people in Bai Yue Country alone.
Qin Wushuang was extremely surprised by this number. He thought about the ancient history of his former world where the population never reached half of the amount even during the most prosperous times.
Besides, people in this world pursued martial arts and liked to solve problems through violence. Thus, unavoidably, there were a lot of casualties. How did the population increase?
There were many interesting things in this world for him to learn. The more he came to know about this world, the more he felt that his horizon was too narrow.
Thus, Qin Wushuang gained a new motivation. From his heart, he felt an urgent desire to go out and to see the world.
In his former world, Wu Xinghe was invincible in the ancient martial arts world. In this life, what will his peak be?
Inwardly, Qin Wushuang naturally desired to never admit defeat. He was able to achieve the highest level of martial arts in his former world. In this world, the training environment was exquisite, what would prevent him from reaching that level with his full strength?
