Once I enter the pass, great Confucian scholars will surely debate the classics for me.

Self-study is no longer an option.

Thunder is easy to deal with; just wait for the thunderclouds, they'll appear eventually.

Where do we get the karmic fire from? We can't exactly go down into hell to eat it, can we?

No wonder it's ranked number one in the Turbid-level physical techniques; the conditions for mastering it are extremely demanding.

Zhou Qingfeng closed the martial arts manual and decisively went out to seek guidance from Steward Qiu.

As soon as I stepped outside, I saw Ye Tingxiu and Xiao Hongyun, each with two people standing beside them.

A person draped in a black robe whose face was obscured looked like the sixth brother who liked to hide in the shadows.

The other was a burly man over two meters tall, whose presence alone exuded an aura of intimidation.

Ye Tingxiu introduced first: "Old Zhou, this is my master, known as the Shadow Blade, Night Owl."

Xiao Hongyun said, "Old Zhou, this is my master. He is known as the God-Slaying Madman and the God of Martial Arts."

Zhou Qingfeng glanced at them, then at their master, wondering if they had been assigned the wrong master. Before he could think about it, his body reacted first.

"Junior Zhou Qingfeng greets Senior Ye and Senior Wu."

"Hmm." Martial God and Night Owl nodded, then looked at their respective disciples, feeling quite helpless. Madam and Butler Qiu meant for them to make up for Ye Xiao's and his companion's shortcomings as much as possible.

Ye Tingxiu is young and impetuous, fond of fighting and brawling. To put it bluntly, he is brainless and has mastered the art of "seeking death." If he doesn't find a master who is proficient in the art of survival to teach him, he will probably die very quickly.

Night Owl happens to be an expert in the art of survival, and through daily instruction, he can quickly make up for Ye Tingxiu's shortcomings.

Xiao Hongyun is intelligent but lacks courage. He severely lacks the spirit of the brave who wins when paths cross and he will surely lose in a life-or-death battle. That is why he was taught by the Martial God, a man full of fierce energy.

In this way, by making up for their weaknesses, the two will be able to go even further.

Because what usually determines how high a person can go is not their strengths, but their weaknesses.

Otherwise, if the two of them swapped apprentices, they would be able to make better use of their strengths.

The Martial God, hands on his hips, chuckled: "Zhou Qingfeng, I know you're quick-witted. Old Qiu speaks highly of you, and Madam also looks at you differently. But in this turbid world, fists still rule."

"In the next assessment, my martial arts god's disciple will personally defeat you."

"If he loses, I'll break his legs, then set them back up, and then break them again!"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Hongyun's face fell; his leg had just been reattached.

Seeing this, Zhou Qingfeng smiled and maintained basic respect for the strong: "Qingfeng understands. Then please prepare healing medicine in advance, Senior Wu, to prevent Old Xiao from being completely crippled by you."

"Haha, good lad; Night Owl, this kid can take a joke, unlike your silly disciple, who gets angry as soon as you mention it!" Martial God laughed, patted Zhou Qingfeng on the shoulder, and turned to look at Night Owl.

The owl remained silent, its face hidden beneath a black robe.

Ye Tingxiu looked displeased and was about to retort.

Suddenly, Night Owl punched Ye Tingxiu squarely in the stomach, his voice sometimes male, sometimes female: "Idiot, hide your emotions. From today onwards, you can only say three words a day. If you say one more, I'll punch you!"

Ye Tingxiu clutched his stomach, crying out in pain, "I refuse to accept this!!!"

"Let's go." Night Owl said, grabbing Ye Tingxiu by the back of his collar, and his figure flew away like a phantom.

The Martial God reached out and grabbed Xiao Hongyun by the back of the neck, as if he were pinching a chick, and said, "Come on, come with me to train your body. I'll set you a small goal first: flatten a mountain with your fists!"

"Master, I can walk by myself, don't drag me along!"

Zhou Qingfeng watched silently as Xiao Hongyun was dragged away, his lips twitching a few times. He felt that Ye Tingxiu and Xiao Hongyun's future days might not be easy, and they might even live a very abnormal life.

In contrast, Butler Qiu was much more normal.

I should get down to business. Ye Tingxiu and Xiao Hongyun have already started cultivating, so there's no reason for me to slow down.

……

Qiu Chengde was the steward, and his living quarters were different from others; he had his own independent courtyard in the city lord's mansion.

Upon entering the courtyard, Qiu Chengde was nowhere to be found.

He asked a passing servant and learned that Qiu Chengde had been summoned by his wife for a meeting.

So Zhou Qingfeng sat quietly on the stone bench in the courtyard for a long time. Quiet sitting can temper one's temperament and eliminate impatience.

In the inner courtyard, by the Tianshui Pond, the First Lady, still dressed in her platinum nightgown, sat calmly on the fishing platform, fishing with great interest. Fifteen exquisitely beautiful sword attendants surrounded her, guarding various high points.

Butler Qiu stood ten steps away, silently watching the two adopted sons of the lady before him.

Young Master Ma and Young Master Mao, each dressed in a yellow brocade robe, stood quietly with their heads bowed.

Silence, stillness.

Apart from the sounds of the lady fishing, no one dared to make a sound that might disturb her enjoyment.

"Hey, a big fish has taken the bait!"

The First Lady smiled as she fished up a large fish.

The big fish struggled, but could never escape the First Lady's hands.

"The fish is so big it's practically a spirit!"

"This fish has grown so big and has experienced countless dangers, so it has become extremely intelligent."

"But such a clever fish, knowing that there is a hook in the bait, still bites the hook anyway."

"Brother, why do you think this is?"

Upon hearing this, Young Master Ma broke out in a sweat. He understood perfectly what the First Lady meant: "Mother, the explosion of the alchemy furnace that killed four servants was not something I ordered. It was just a coincidence."

The First Lady looked at Young Master Ma, placed the large fish on the shore, and let it thrash about.

Then he slowly walked up to Young Master Ma.

Young Master Ma quickly explained, "Mother, I really didn't..."

"Slap!" The First Lady slapped Young Master Ma across the face.

Young Master Ma stumbled from the slap: "I didn't..."

"Slap!" The First Lady slapped him again, one slap after another, causing Young Master Ma to stagger backward and lose his balance until he was completely stunned and speechless. Only then did the First Lady slowly lower her hand.

Young Master Mao was so frightened that he stood to the side, not daring to breathe.

The First Lady stared coldly at Young Master Ma: "Young Master, we are family. It's okay for family members to make mistakes. As long as they admit their mistakes and correct them, everything will be fine. But you must be honest with your family. That's the bottom line."

Young Master Ma knelt down on both knees and kowtowed to the ground: "I'm sorry, Mother. It was my doing. I was blinded by greed and thought that this would cover up my mistake of embezzling public funds. I know I was wrong. Please punish me, Mother."

Upon hearing this, the First Lady walked back to Diaoyutai State Guesthouse with a blank expression and released the dying fish back into the pond: "No matter what method you think of, you have one month to make up for the money you embezzled and misappropriated over the past three years."

Young Master Ma knelt down and bowed his head: "Yes, Mother."

The First Lady casually reached out her hand, and Jianwu, who was serving her, immediately took out her personal handkerchief and handed it to her. The First Lady wiped her hands and said, "You don't need to manage the five major workshops anymore. Go to the Hall of Punishment and receive your punishment!"

Young Master Ma stood up, bowed, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and slowly stepped back: "Yes, Mother, I take my leave."

The First Lady glanced at Mao Ershao.

Mao Ershao immediately explained, "Mother, I'm not as stupid as my eldest brother. I really didn't kill those two brats in the caravan. The caravan's profits have been decreasing year after year simply because the trade routes are unsafe and frequently robbed. I'm trying to find a solution."

The First Lady nodded and said, "Second Brother, go visit your third sister more often; she listens to you the most."

Upon hearing this, Second Young Master Mao cupped his hands and smiled, "Understood, Mother."

The First Lady sat back down on Diaoyutai and waved her hand.

Upon seeing this, Young Master Mao bowed and retreated, fleeing the city lord's mansion as if running away.

Butler Qiu stepped forward at the opportune moment, cupped his hands, and said, "Madam, the matter you asked us to investigate has yielded results."

"explain."

"The culprit behind the destruction of Yumi City is the Renxin faction."