“The bandits killed by the soldiers were likely from neighboring Baiyang County…”

“Baiyang County suffered a famine this year.”

The next day, after returning to his family home, Wei Tu learned about the origins of those bandits during a conversation with Wei Bao.

Although he had seen the soldiers kill the bandits the previous night, he had dared not speak about it or inquire further, fearing trouble.

Only after arriving to his family home did he feel safe enough to bring it up.

Six years ago, in order to save his family, Wei Bao had not only sold his eldest son but also a portion of the family’s ancestral property.

In recent years, to support his family, he had worked as a wheat gatherer in neighboring counties.

Baiyang County, located northwest of Qingmu County, primarily consisted of dry, sloping land, which allowed the wheat to mature earlier than in Qingmu County.

Wei Bao, as a wheat gatherer, was among the first to hear about the disaster in Baiyang County.

“The current state of affairs is such that it seems chaos is coming soon. The relief grain in Baiyang County’s charity warehouse is missing seventy percent of what the ledger recorded.” Wei Bao said.

Hearing this, Wei Tu nodded.

Though rural people may lack formal education, their experiences and observations often provide insights into possible societal upheavals.

It was similar to how ants move their nests when the weather turns rainy.

After discussing the “disturbances” of the previous day, the father and son fell into silence, unsure of what to talk about next.

Noticing that Wei Tu had a dry tobacco pipe tied to his waist, Wei Bao got up from the small stool, walked to the windowsill, and gathered a small bundle of sun-dried tobacco leaves, handing them over.

“Try some. It’s homegrown,” Wei Bao said.

Soon, the father and son took turns sampling the tobacco.

The room quickly filled with a hazy, moon-like mist.

“I owe you, son. This is some money I’ve saved over the years. Take it, whether you use it to set up a new home or redeem your contract, it should be of some help.”

That evening, Wei Bao called Wei Tu outside. The widower didn’t say many kind or affectionate words. Standing in the shadow of the eaves, he pulled out a somewhat worn, floral cloth bag from his chest and handed it to Wei Tu.

After a moment of silence, Wei Tu accepted the bag.

As soon as he held it, he felt the heavy weight of the cloth bag.

Even if it only contained copper coins, there were at least fifty to sixty coins in the bag. In addition to the copper coins, Wei Tu also felt several small, uneven lumps. He knew they were the silver coins Wei Bao had saved over the years.

However, Wei Bao’s cold, detached words shattered the warmth that had just begun to rise in Wei Tu’s heart.

“You sold yourself. Unless you redeem your contract, as a servant, according to the rules, you cannot enter the ancestral hall to pay respects to the ancestors…”

“That includes your wife.”

Wei Bao stated each word clearly.

Indeed, while country folk did not view selling oneself as a disgrace, they did not allow servants to honor ancestors or enter the ancestral hall.

Because the clan leader treated this matter seriously.

Having servants in the clan would bring shame to the leader’s lineage.

“I understand,” Wei Tu said, feeling a burning sensation on his face due to the repressed anger. He was relieved that he was hiding in the darkened rural house, where no one could see his expression.

He tightened his grip on the money bag, swallowed hard, and said, “I will leave as soon as possible, so the villagers don’t see me.”

It was at this moment that he realized.

For a servant, returning home with a wife was not a proud homecoming but a shameful act that embarrassed the clan.

No matter how open-minded one might be, being looked down upon was never pleasant.

Wei Bao’s gift of money was not only out of a sense of obligation but also an attempt to prevent him from making a scene in the village upon his return.

Leaving Wei Family Village early was better than facing scorn and humiliation.

Wei Bao’s lips moved a few times, paused for a moment, and finally said, “Alright.”

In the morning, the mountain paths were damp with morning dew and somewhat slippery.

Wei Tu and Xinghua walked carefully.

Xinghua, having slipped and fallen, leaned against the mountain wall, rubbing her ankle.

“Wei Ge’er, do you think your father dislikes me? I called him ‘Father,’ but he didn’t respond.”

Tears welled up in Xinghua’s eyes.

“And we didn’t even get to go inside the ancestral hall…”

Xinghua spoke with lingering regret about not being able to enter the Wei family’s ancestral hall to pay respects.

Wei Tu did not respond immediately. He gently patted Xinghua on the head and held her close, letting her tears soak his clothes.

“There will be a day for that,” Wei Tu vowed silently.

During their wedding, he had only made a simple arrangement without the traditional ceremonies. But now, returning home, Xinghua couldn’t even enter the ancestral hall, and they had to leave Wei Family Village in the early morning…

He could not be indifferent to this.

…….

Back at the Li residence, Wei Tu continued his peaceful life.

The matter of renting land for farming was never mentioned again by Li Tongshi, as if she had forgotten about it.

Wei Tu speculated that this was Li Tongshi’s way of testing them, using both the carrot and the stick to manage her subordinates.

He continued to encourage Xinghua to be patient.

Half a year later, as spring approached and planting season began, seeing that Li Tongshi had still not brought up the matter, Xinghua also gave up on the idea of having Wei Tu rent some farmland to earn some extra money this year.

[Turtle Breathing technique (34/100): Practice nine times a day, mastery in five years]

It had been over a year since Wei Tu acquired the Turtle Breathing technique.

One day, while practicing the technique, during the thirteenth repetition, he suddenly felt a gentle tidal-wave like sound coming from within his body. The stance he was holding seemed to gain a unique, inexplicable rhythm.

Moments later, a stronger warm flow than before surged through his body, enhancing his physical strength.

“Could it be that the cultivation has reached the minor success stage?”

Wei Tu checked the progress of his Turtle Breathing technique.

He knew that martial arts were divided into four basic stages: beginner, minor success, major success, and mastery. {1}

At this moment, his cultivation progress had reached one-third, and based on the changes in his body, he was likely at the minor success stage.

“Let’s test with the 200-pound stone lock.” {2}

After the warm flow subsided, Wei Tu adjusted his breathing and turned his attention to the stone locks in the corner of the courtyard.

The stone locks were not expensive. After deciding to practice martial arts, he had spent a little money buying a set from a nearby farmer.

Approaching the stone locks, Wei Tu placed one hand on the 200-pound lock, lifted it with ease, and raised it to chest level, aligning it with his shoulders.

“Success!”

Wei Tu’s face lit up with joy.

While an adult could lift a 200-pound stone lock with effort, lifting it with one arm made a significant difference. Being able to lift it with one arm meant he was qualified to participate in the martial examination.

However, just meeting the strength requirement was not enough to earn a martial title.

The martial examination included tests in swordsmanship, archery, horse riding, and military strategy.

“While practicing archery and saving money, I need to find a way to get rid of my servant status…”

“A servant status makes it impossible for one to participate in the martial examination.”

Wei Tu put down the stone lock and contemplated his next steps.

Given his current situation, the fastest and most effective way to advance socially was to participate in Zheng Kingdom’s triannual martial examination.

Though less prestigious than the civil examinations, a martial title still represented a significant leap in social status for an ordinary person.

Translator notes:-

1. Now the stage of mastery is also sometimes called perfection or consummation. So the endpoint of any technique, and generally one cannot practice beyond that point.
2. Stone locks are traditional Chinese equipment used for weight training. Now the actual weight of the stone lock is 200 jin which is around 100 kg or 220 pounds, but I am not going to change the number and just translate it directly as pound rather than jin to not confuse anyone. Just remember to half the amount for the fellow SI unit followers.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep