Martial Sage from the Vajra Skill

"Junior Brother Xu, you really should have agreed. There’s no shame in becoming a live-in son-in-law for the Liu Family."

As soon as they were out the door, Wu Yongfeng spoke up.

Xu Yang didn’t know what the Liu Family represented, but Wu Yongfeng knew perfectly well.

Compared to the Liu Family, the Huang Family really wasn’t on the same level.

The Huang Family was merely *in* the Inner City, but the Liu Family was a major clan *of* the Inner City.

"The Inner City?"

Xu Yang’s gaze sharpened. He had lived his whole life without ever setting foot in the Inner City. All he knew was that it was the gathering place for the true elites of Qingyuan County, a place where every inch of land was worth its weight in gold.

Still, he had no regrets. He would never agree to be a live-in son-in-law, not even for the County Magistrate’s family.

’Besides, even if I had agreed, I probably wouldn’t have married a true daughter of the main family. It would likely have been the daughter of a concubine or one from a side branch. Being a live-in son-in-law is degrading enough. Marrying the daughter of a concubine on top of that? What kind of status would I have in the Liu Family?’

Following Wu Yongfeng through the streets and alleys, Xu Yang entered the Inner City for the first time. The sight before him was like stepping into another world.

The wide streets were swept clean. Everyone was full of vigor, with no beggars in sight and no one dressed in patched-up clothes.

The atmosphere here was cheerful and harmonious.

"Now *this* is a place for people to live!" Xu Yang sighed.

Wu Yongfeng secretly clenched his fists. ’If I can bring my family into the Inner City one day, I can die content.’

Even for Qi Gathering Martial Artists, a place like the Inner City was difficult to move into.

The Liu Family’s residence was built in an imposing style. The gatehouse alone was over twenty feet wide, with a main gate and side gates, and its courtyard walls stretched for dozens of meters.

Two stone lions, each taller than a man, sat on either side. Four burly men with long sabers at their waists stood guard, their bearing sharp and their gazes piercing. A single glance told you they were trained.

"Don’t tell me we’re going to be guarding the main gate," Xu Yang said, a little uncertain.

"Probably not. As powerful as the Liu Family is, they wouldn’t use Qi Gathering Martial Artists to watch the door. These guys probably failed at Qi Gathering."

Wu Yongfeng stepped forward, produced Sun Tao’s letter, and cupped his fist. "Brothers, we are disciples of Weiyuan Hall. We’ve come on the recommendation of Senior Brother Sun Tao to apply for the position of Sacrificial Martial Artist. Could you please announce us? This is our letter of introduction."

The four guards looked at Xu Yang and Wu Yongfeng. One of them immediately stepped forward to take the letter. "Please wait a moment, you two. I’ll go inside and announce you."

Without waiting for Wu Yongfeng to reply, he turned and entered through a side gate.

"The master’s house has many rules. Outsiders aren’t allowed in without permission. If you two gentlemen would please wait a moment, there should be a decision soon."

Barring any surprises, these two young men would likely become Sacrificial Martial Artists for the Liu Family. That was why the three remaining guards explained things to Xu Yang and his companion—it wasn’t that they were being deliberately neglectful, but that the Liu Family’s rules were just that strict.

"You two gentlemen, please follow me."

After a short wait, the guard who had left returned and led them inside, soon arriving at a side hall.

In a chair in the center of the room, a middle-aged man was sipping tea. Behind him stood a man who appeared several years older.

Seeing Xu Yang and Wu Yongfeng, the man put down his teacup, stood up, and let out a hearty laugh. "Welcome, you two talented men from Weiyuan Hall. I am Liu Yong, the Internal Affairs Steward of the Liu Family."

’I thought for something as important as hiring a Sacrificial Martial Artist, the Liu Family would at least send a true decision-maker,’ Xu Yang thought. ’I didn’t expect to be met by a mere Internal Affairs Steward. I can’t tell if it’s because they look down on us, or if, to the Liu Family, this is just a trivial matter.’

"Greetings, Steward Liu!" The two of them cupped their fists in unison.

"Please, have a seat!" 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

After Liu Yong had them sit, he called out, "Someone, bring tea!"

Once he sat down again, Liu Yong looked at the two of them. "May I ask, which of you is Xu Yang, and which is Wu Yongfeng?"

Xu Yang and Wu Yongfeng stood up again and identified themselves.

Xu Yang expected Liu Yong to mention the matter of him becoming a live-in son-in-law, but he didn’t. Instead, he started talking about the monthly salary.

"I’m sure you both learned about the monthly salary from Brother Sun Tao, but I should still go over it."

"For a regular Sacrificial Martial Artist, the Liu Family provides a monthly salary of five taels of silver. However, if you perform meritorious service, there will be bonus silver. During festivals and holidays, there will also be gift money.

Of course, as your Cultivation improves, your monthly salary will increase accordingly.

As for your duties, there aren’t too many. Most of the time, you will live in the mansion and be responsible for its security. Occasionally, you may be required to accompany the young masters or the old master as bodyguards when they go out..."

Liu Yong went on for quite a while. The rest was basically indoctrination: be loyal to the Liu Family, be loyal to the young masters and the old master. Even if you die, you cannot let them come to harm.

Don’t be afraid of death or injury; the Liu Family will take responsibility.

Of course, he also mentioned some benefits. The Liu Family had numerous businesses, and they would be able to purchase many things from the family that couldn’t be bought outside.

Finally, Liu Yong said seriously, "If neither of you have any questions, then we’ll consider the matter settled."

Naturally, neither of them had any questions. They had come here to sell their lives.

Xu Yang had paid back Zhou Shunchang’s money and still had seven or eight taels of silver on him. But at the end of the month, he had to pay his apprenticeship fee to Weiyuan Hall again. With no other income, he wouldn’t even be able to afford that.

Liu Yong stood up. "Please, follow me. I’ll take you to the Sacrificial Hall."

The two followed Liu Yong deeper into the Liu Family’s courtyard complex. They passed many people along the way, but they were all maids and servants; they didn’t see a single actual member of the Liu Family.

"There are many women in the mansion. If you have no official business, you should stay in the Sacrificial Hall as much as possible."

Along the way, Liu Yong explained many of the Liu Mansion’s rules.

The two men nodded in acknowledgment, and soon they arrived in a courtyard.

The courtyard was very large, somewhat resembling Weiyuan Hall’s Martial Arts Arena. It was filled with all sorts of training equipment, including sabers, spears, staves, and clubs.

Several burly men were practicing their Pile Skill in the courtyard. When they saw Liu Yong, they quickly stopped their training and gathered around.

"Steward Liu, have new people arrived?" a middle-aged man at the front asked, cupping his fist toward Liu Yong.

Besides him, the other four were young men like Xu Yang, looking to be about seventeen or eighteen years old.

Liu Yong smiled and gestured to Xu Yang and Wu Yongfeng. "These two are Xu Yang and Wu Yongfeng. I’ll have to trouble Brother Zhang to show them the ropes."

The man called Brother Zhang shook his head. "It is my duty."

This Brother Zhang’s full name was Zhang Bo. Liu Yong had mentioned him on the way here—a powerhouse with a Great Achievement in Qi Gathering Cultivation, just one step away from Marrow Cleansing. He was the leader of these Tributors, and from now on, they would have to obey his orders.

At that moment, the man who had been standing behind Liu Yong came forward, carrying several sets of clothes and two waist tablets.

This was the uniform for the Liu Family’s Tributors. From now on, whenever they were in the Liu Mansion’s service, Xu Yang and Wu Yongfeng would have to wear these clothes. The waist tablets were their credentials for entering and leaving the Liu Mansion.

Liu Yong soon departed.

Zhang Bo then took Xu Yang and Wu Yongfeng, assigned them rooms, and told them to change into their uniforms.

"How extravagant!" Xu Yang marveled.

’The Huang Family and the Liu Family truly aren’t in the same league,’ he thought. ’The Huang Family could only afford to support Lu Ren; they couldn’t even afford one more person like him.

Of course, the Huang Family probably had other Martial Artist Tributors, but definitely not many.

But just now, I saw the rooms here—there are more than thirty of them. This means the Liu Family likely has twenty to thirty Tributors like me.’

Moreover, Zhang Bo had also mentioned that the Martial Artist Tributors serving the Liu Family were divided into shifts. Each shift had about five or six people, and there were four shifts in total, like theirs. They were responsible for ensuring the Liu Family’s safety at different times, waiting to be summoned.

The two of them changed into their new clothes and walked out of their rooms.