A Martial Saint Among Men: From Joining a Martial Arts School

With money to pave the way, Li Siyang was exceptionally efficient.

Before the yamen opened, the house deeds, land deeds, and handover documents had already been handed over to Chu Xuan.

From this moment on, even if a hair falls from the sky into this two-courtyard house, it will belong to the Chu family!

By the time Chu Xuan walked out of the inner city, it was completely dark.

As Chu Xuan walked towards the outer city, he sensed something was amiss.

The entire outer city was unusually quiet, with not a single light in sight.

The vast outer city was like a dead city.

When Chu Xuan returned home, he found that his house was in the same condition.

This made his heart skip a beat.

In the past, no matter how late he came home, his mother and sister would always light a lamp and wait for him to return.

"Mother, Xiaohe, I'm back."

Chu Xuan called out and strode into the main room. He saw his mother and sister huddled in a corner, trembling. They breathed a sigh of relief when they saw that it was Chu Xuan who had returned, but their faces were still deathly pale.

"Mother, what happened?" Chu Xuan asked.

"Xuan'er, you... didn't encounter any danger on your way back, did you?" Zeng Ke asked anxiously.

"No! Mother, what exactly happened?" Chu Xuan asked in a deep voice. "Have you forgotten? I am a martial artist! With me here, you don't need to worry!"

Zeng Ke, still shaken, said, "I heard a group of bandits came from outside the city, burning, killing, and looting everywhere! Several villages have been robbed, and many people have died. In Yangjiao Village, the entire Zhao family, numbering in the dozens, was slaughtered. The women were..."

Chu Xuan was also taken aback upon hearing this.

He had also heard of Zhao the Rich Man of Giethoorn. Although he lived outside the city, he was a well-known wealthy man with abundant resources!

The reason they don't live in the inner city isn't because they lack money, but because they built a manor outside the city!

The estate not only had dozens of servants, but its head guard was also a martial artist, so they were fearless!

They were slaughtered too!

No wonder every household in the outer city kept their doors tightly shut. Even though his mother knew he was a martial artist, she was still not at ease.

Chu He chimed in, "Brother, I heard someone mustered up the courage to go and see, but came back terrified. Zhao Family Village was littered with corpses, it was horrific. There were even women... their clothes were all stripped off. That rich man Zhao was hanged from a tree..."

"Mother, Xiaohe, don't worry!" Chu Xuan said softly, "I've already bought a house in the inner city! We'll move tomorrow!"

"move place?"

"Bought a house?"

Both of them were taken aback.

Zeng Ke wasn't surprised; instead, she asked with some apprehension, "Xuan'er, houses in the inner city aren't cheap, are they? Where did you get so much money?"

"Mother, I've found a temporary position at the Jinxiu Pavilion in the inner city. The young master of the Jinxiu Pavilion is very kind; he gave me an advance of a year's salary..." Chu Xuan explained patiently.

He knew that if he didn't explain things clearly, the two of them wouldn't feel at ease even if they moved into the inner city.

"So that's how it is!"

Zeng Ke was relieved. "Xuan'er, you must thank the young master properly."

Chu He was also delighted, asking incredulously, "Brother, we have a new house? And it's in the inner city? Is the new house big? How big is it compared to our old house?"

"Yes!" Chu Xuan smiled and patted Chu He's little head. "Yes, it's a new house, right in the inner city! It's bigger than the old house, and you'll have your own room from now on."

"Very good!"

Chu He jumped up excitedly.

That evening, Chu Xuan and the other two lit oil lamps and began packing their things.

The outer city is becoming increasingly chaotic, and now bandits have arrived, so it's best to move as soon as possible.

The next morning, the family of three set off for the inner city with their luggage.

I didn't bring much; I only brought some essential items.

As for the rest, they were all abandoned at Chu Xuan's insistence.

When they arrived at the gate of the two-courtyard house, both mother and daughter looked on in disbelief.

It wasn't until Chu Xuan handed the house deed to Zeng Ke that the two of them believed it. Then Chu He rushed into the yard, crying and looking at everything with great curiosity.

Zeng Ke stood at the door and shed tears.

Chu Xuan comforted them, and the family happily took their things inside.

After breakfast, Zeng Ke and her daughter packed their things, while Chu Xuan brought invitations to the martial arts school to give to Lu Tong and his fellow disciples, inviting them to the housewarming banquet the next day.

His purpose wasn't to show off, but to let Lu Tong and the others know the location of his home so they could look after him in the future.

Of course, he also had another purpose.

Whether these people come or not is up to them.

We still need to observe proper etiquette.

Afterwards, Chu Xuan went to Zhao's blacksmith shop in the west of the city, but unfortunately Zhao Yuzhu was not there, so Chu Xuan could only leave an invitation.

After that, Ren Yan's father, Ren Mingcheng, the dye shop manager, Wu, the teahouse owner, and other people who had been kind to him, including Ye Ruyi from Jinxiu Pavilion and Chu Xuan, all personally visited him and presented him with invitations.

Chu Xuan even visited the Bai family's Baicaotang (Hundred Herbs Hall).

However, we didn't see Master Bai; I heard he went to personally purchase medicinal herbs.

By the time Chu Xuan arrived at his aunt's house carrying large bags and small packages, it was already completely dark.

The next day, very early in the morning.

Chu Xuan, unusually, did not go to the martial arts school, but instead busied himself in the kitchen, even calling his mother Zeng Ke to help with the fire.

Chu Xuan was fiddling with a large pile of spices he had bought yesterday.

"Brother, what are you doing?" Chu He asked curiously from the side.

"Marine!"

Chu Xuan replied without looking up.

"What are the braising spices used for?"

"Braised pork..."

"Is there any meat at home? I don't see any...?"

"You'll find out soon enough..."

"Brother, what is this?"

"Cinnamon..."

"What about this one?"

"Fennel seeds..."

Like a curious child, Chu He kept chattering and asking questions next to Chu Xuan.

Zeng Ke couldn't stand it anymore and pulled her away, which calmed Chu He down. But she still stared longingly at the pot, wanting to see how Chu Xuan would conjure up meat.

Chu Xuan smiled, offered no explanation, and continued fiddling with the spices.

This was another purpose of his housewarming banquet: to make braised pork!

These days, pig offal is smelly and pungent, and the odor is hard to remove. Rich people don't eat it at all, and even well-off ordinary people rarely eat it.

My aunt's husband, Hu Dazhi, has a lot of leftover pig offal at his pork stall every day, which he usually gets rid of by selling or giving it away at half price.

This world is not without spices, and most spices used to make braising sauces are not expensive; only some particularly rare ones are extremely expensive.

Having spices doesn't guarantee you'll make delicious braised dishes.

Material piling up is material piling up, and training is training!

Two different things!

It all comes down to the recipe!

What truly surprised Chu Xuan was that this world actually had chili peppers! However, they weren't used as a condiment, but rather as ornamental plants and a niche medicinal herb.

Chu Xuan's idea wasn't a spur-of-the-moment decision; he had planned to do so for some time.

He hadn't taken any action before because he had no foundation at the time.

If you actually manage to make braised pork, there are only two possible outcomes: either the recipe will be taken away by someone else, or it will fall into the hands of a gang and become their tool for making money.

But things are different now.

He was already a martial artist, and had become Lu Tong's formal disciple.

With the Lu Family Martial Arts School as a formidable force, it's enough to deter any villains!

The only uncertainty now is whether people in this world can accept braised food.

Therefore, he invited many guests, which can be considered as an experiment.

Fortunately, the people he invited represented almost every social stratum of Qingshan City. If they accepted his invitation, he could then proceed with his plans decisively!

Around noon, there was a sudden knock on the door.

Zeng Ke, the mother, went to open the door, but didn't return for quite a while.

Chu Xuan was worried, so he went out to check and saw his mother standing at the door in a daze.

"Mother, what's wrong?" Chu Xuan asked in surprise.

Zeng Ke pointed to the door and said curiously, "I don't know who knocked on the door. I didn't see anyone when I came out, just these things placed at the door. Could someone have made a mistake?"

She pointed to a pile of brand-new iron pots and pans on the ground, neatly stacked together and tied with hemp rope.

Although they are not worth much money, they are all necessities for daily life.

Chu Xuan looked around, but still didn't see anyone.

He sighed inwardly.

"Mother, don't look anymore, it's a gift for us. I know who sent it!"