Wang Ping stayed at the Su household that very night.
As for what he had said to Madam Su... in truth, he had simply laid out the facts.
Why had Madam Su treated the prominent local families and the yamen constables with such cold disdain? In Wang Ping's view, it boiled down to a harsh reality: the two sides were not on equal footing.
Whether it was the wealthy clans in town or the constables of the county yamen, both sought to claim both her wealth and her person. They wanted her silver just as much as they wanted her body.
Moreover, there was one unavoidable truth: both the local magnates and the constables held an overwhelming advantage over Madam Su. She had no leverage whatsoever against either of them and could only drift with the current. In all likelihood, she would be discarded the moment she outlived her usefulness.
That was the true reason behind her attitude.
Though she lived secluded from the world, she hailed from the imperial capital and lacked neither discernment nor worldly wisdom. She might harbor faint illusions, but she would never deny reality.
Because of this, she was bound to see how Wang Ping differed from the others.
"He is an orphan, his parents long dead, entirely alone in the world. He has no heirs and no background—only decent talent and a body of martial skill."
Inside her bedchamber, Madam Su smoothed her skirt and sat upright.
She knew very well that with Chen Haoyan dead, her family estate could not be preserved. The only question was how to strike the best possible bargain.
Thus, the town's prominent clans were ruled out immediately. Those men aimed to devour everything to the bone; no matter how she sold, she would lose.
Next were the senior constables. They were formidable in strength and had deep roots in the county, but precisely because of that, they already had families and households of their own. Selling out to them would yield no better outcome.
As for the young constables without backing, their martial cultivation was far too feeble. They had no ability to protect her. Even if she wished to sell to them, they simply could not afford the price.
If Wang Ping had not appeared, she had already planned to pick whichever constable seemed relatively kindest, hand over all her businesses, and strive to keep only this current residence. After all, this was the first courtyard compound she had purchased with her own earnings—her final keepsake.
Yet Wang Ping had appeared.
A young constable with neither background nor wealth, who nonetheless possessed genuine martial might, remarkable talent, and a bright future ahead of him.
The perfect buyer.
At least, far better than the others. If she sold to Wang Ping, how much could a solitary man spend? The medicinal nourishment required for martial training was expensive, but it would not clean her out entirely.
When the time came, besides the residence, she might retain a sum of silver for living expenses, buying herself enough time to get in touch with her ancestral clan in the capital.
Naturally, Wang Ping had also promised that he would never behave disrespectfully toward her. Madam Su did not believe a word of it, assuming he was merely putting on an act to win her trust. She no longer cared regardless; so long as she was not left completely destitute, what did such a sacrifice matter?
While Madam Su weighed her future, a steady sound of footsteps suddenly approached outside the bedchamber.
*Tap, tap, tap...*
It was a man's gait. Madam Su snapped back to awareness and looked up instinctively toward the door.
A voice came from just outside.
"Has Madam not retired yet? Please rest assured, the lobbyists sent by the town's prominent families have all been dismissed by me, Wang. They will not come to harass Madam again."
Wang Ping had spent the entire day dealing with those nuisances. Since Madam Su had taken him in, driving off the greedy guests attempting to swallow the Su family's assets was his duty, and he had even traded blows in several scuffles.
However, at this point, unless an expert of completed exterior cultivation stepped in personally, no one in town could match him. Not to mention, he was clad in the official robes of the law.
"...Madam?"
Seeing no response from inside, Wang Ping furrowed his brows slightly and gently pushed the door open. Pale moonlight spilled like flowing water into the bedchamber.
Looking inside, he saw a gentle, graceful woman seated upon the bed, clad in mourning garments, her beautiful eyes brimming with tears. Like a blooming snow lotus with morning dew clinging to the tips of its petals, she gazed desolately at him. As their eyes met, she closed her eyes in resignation.
It was as though she were saying, *Do with me as you will.*
At the sight, Wang Ping could not help but shake his head. Far from stepping into the chamber, he took a step back of his own accord. "My apologies. I have offended Madam."
"Please rest assured, Madam. Since I promised not to overstep, I will never break my word."
With that, he pulled the door shut.
"I will be staying right next door to Madam. If anything happens, call me at any time."
Only as his words faded did Madam Su open her eyes in astonishment, hearing his footsteps recede into the distance until his shadow vanished entirely.
***
At the county yamen's stables.
After leaving Madam Su's room, Wang Ping hurried back to the yamen without a moment's pause and led the curly-maned horse he had been fretting over into the Su Family Residence.
Naturally, he used his spiritual sense throughout the trip to ensure no one was following.
Once settled, he channeled his spiritual sense and employed a few bowel-loosening techniques, coaxing the curly-maned horse to void the small elixir vials it had previously swallowed.
Wang Ping wasted no time. He selected the pills he needed for tonight, resealed the remainder, and fed them back into the horse's belly.
Having done all this, he patted the horse's neck. "Rough on you. Bear with it a little longer."
"*Neigh...!*"
For some reason, Wang Ping felt as though his horse had rolled its eyes at him and let out a huff, appearing far more spirited and intelligent than when they had first met.
Next, Wang Ping thoroughly cleaned the area and settled the horse once more. He kept his spiritual sense expanded the entire time to make certain no eyes were upon him. Only then did he return to his room, retrieve the elixir, mix it with water, and swallow it in one gulp. He then continued to digest the medicinal potency, feeling the physical transformation taking place throughout his body.
As for Madam Su, he had long cast her to the back of his mind.
What a joke—how could women ever compare to the thrill of martial cultivation?
Besides, he had never come here for female charms in the first place. The martial arts in Chen Haoyan's possession were his true objective; how could he waste time on such distractions?
Moreover, if Chen Haoyan truly had hidden martial arts manuals in secret, Madam Su was the person most likely to know where they were stashed.
Under such circumstances, force was even less of an option.
He had to boil the frog in warm water, taking it one step at a time.
And so, the night passed without further incident.
***
The following morning, when Madam Su awoke from her slumber, she realized it had been her most peaceful rest in seven days—so sound that she had even overslept.
Pushing open the door, Madam Su stepped into the courtyard, only to see a robust young man wielding a long saber. As he strode across the grounds, saber light crisscrossed in a chilling aura; every cleaving strike produced a sharp, ringing whistle, interspersed occasionally with punches and kicks. The synchronized resonance of his sinews and bones sounded like the accompanying roar of dragons and tigers.
Madam Su stood frozen, staring blankly at the scene.
Memories of the past surged into her mind all at once, leaving her momentarily entranced. Her fingers moved unconsciously, tracing the shifting forms of Wang Ping's saber technique.
The Dashun Dynasty had been founded on martial might.
Though she was a woman, she was born in the capital, and in a realm where martial prowess was revered above all, how could she have lacked interest in martial arts? Long ago, she too had been a young girl fond of wielding weapons and sparring.
Yet as the saying went, *The poor study the classics, while the rich practice martial arts.* Ever since she had been cast out of her clan and forced to wander far from home, she had lacked the means to cultivate. What martial arts she had learned had long since fallen into neglect.
Had that not been the case, with the talent she possessed back then, so long as she had trained without cease, she could have relied on herself to preserve her businesses and family estate even after Chen Haoyan died.
Alas, the martial path had always been a matter of advancing or falling behind. Having gone years without training, her martial arts were far inferior to her youth. Her constitution might still be sturdy enough to grant her a long life, yet it could no longer sustain life-or-death combat.
Originally, after earning money and building her own businesses in Longxing County, she had hoped to take up martial arts once more. But that man's appearance had shattered every one of her aspirations.
"Chen Haoyan..." Madam Su ground her teeth softly.
When that bastard had first approached her, he had indeed helped her considerably. Yet before long, he lost his patience and revealed his true colors. Not only did he seize the businesses she had labored years to build, but he also treated her as his private possession, locking her away in this residence. Apart from calculating accounts and managing ledgers, she had nothing else to do. If anything displeased him in the slightest, beatings and scoldings followed, and she was even forced to attend to his daily needs.
Thinking of this, Madam Su felt a wave of despondency wash over her.
She looked around at her surroundings, only to find that this sprawling courtyard, so familiar that she could distinguish every flower and blade of grass, now stirred an inexplicable fury within her chest.
What saddened her even more was that in the very next instant, she reined in her anger almost by instinct, burying all her emotions deep within her heart as she stood dazed where she was.
It felt like a caged canary suddenly fluttering its wings, only to discover it could not fly out, leaving it no choice but to drop back to its perch... It was only natural. She had long become a domesticated bird; how could she still dream of one day escaping the cage and soaring into the heavens?
Madam Su lowered her eyelids, her demeanor growing increasingly bleak and fragile.
"Madam?"
A soft call broke through her melancholy. Madam Su looked up to find that the young constable had stopped his saber dance at some point and walked over to stand before her.
"Would you care to practice together?"
Wang Ping smiled faintly. "I noticed the movement of Madam's fingers just now. It seems you have practiced martial arts before, which saves me quite a bit of effort in trying to persuade you."
"Persuade me?" Madam Su frowned.
Wang Ping nodded. "I originally intended to urge Madam to practice some martial arts no matter what. After all, I cannot live in this residence forever to protect you. Therefore, it would be best for Madam to learn some martial arts. That way, you will have the means to protect yourself, and even if I, Wang, am not here in the future, you will still be capable of defending yourself."
As his words fell, Madam Su somehow recalled the day Chen Haoyan had locked her in this courtyard. He seemed to have spoken similar words to her back then.
Only the message had been the complete opposite.
*Why should a woman practice martial arts? If you ruin your figure, I won't even be able to take you out to meet people. Just stay home obediently. Don't worry, I will take good care of you.*
—Utter bullshit.
And now, another man had extended a hand to her. Yet instead of telling her to stay obediently at home, he was telling her to pick up what she had once cast aside.
Madam Su could not describe what she felt.
Yet when memory and reality overlapped before her eyes, she still took an instinctive step back, like an ostrich burying its head in the sand.
Before she could speak, however, Wang Ping took the initiative. Her fair, slender hand was firmly grasped by another, broader, firmer palm calloused from training. One was delicate, the other rough; the contrasting textures caused both of their hands to quiver faintly at the same time.
Madam Su's body instantly went rigid.
Wang Ping, on the other hand, wore an ordinary expression, as though finding nothing amiss. Instead, he spoke in a solemn, serious tone: "Madam, you must harbor no stray thoughts while training."
"......"
A blush immediately washed over Madam Su's usually pale cheeks.
Next, under Wang Ping's firm directions, she complied, settling into the postures, stirring her blood and qi, and stretching her limbs as she practiced martial arts in the courtyard.
*I didn't want this either. He forced me. I had no choice...*
Even as Madam Su tried hard to convince herself, her fingers formed a hand seal and pressed like a lotus against her flat lower abdomen. Her body relaxed unbidden.
What Wang Ping taught was the Planting a Lotus in Fire hand seal. This seal was the most suitable for beginners to learn. Madam Su practiced with mounting immersion, her blood and qi circulating continuously through her channels. The color in her face grew richer, and a comforting warmth spread through her entire body. Throughout the practice, Wang Ping repeatedly reached out to guide her on how to adjust the hand seal.
This only made Madam Su's cheeks flush even deeper.
Every time Wang Ping helped her adjust the seal, that thick, calloused palm would lightly brush across her lower abdomen, carrying a startling heat.
At the thought, Madam Su could not help pressing her legs tightly together.
"It's... a bit warm..."
By the time Madam Su came to her senses, she was already drenched in fragrant sweat. She could not resist stealing a glance at Wang Ping, only to find him looking straight ahead, his gaze entirely unfaltering.
Was it intentional, or accidental?
"Madam?"
Suddenly, Wang Ping frowned slightly and finally turned his gaze toward Madam Su, looking thoroughly dissatisfied. "Focus. Your hand seal has slipped, and your blood and qi circulation is off."
*Smack!*
A strike that was neither heavy nor light landed squarely against Madam Su's lower abdomen. In an instant, she felt as though an electric jolt had rippled through her entire body.
Her mind dissolved into utter chaos. She could only comfort herself with the thought that he was a trained martial artist, young and strong; if he truly wished to do anything, she would be powerless to resist anyway.
Over the next three days, Wang Ping traveled back and forth between the county yamen and the Su Family Residence every day. Aside from his official duties and daily cultivation, he also took the opportunity to instruct Madam Su in martial arts. He was thoroughly conscientious, frequently correcting her posture and movements by hand.
Madam Su put up what resistance she could, though her efforts grew feebler with each passing day.
*I cannot trust him...*
She desperately dredged up the past, trying to use Chen Haoyan's example to convince herself not to be swayed. Yet the moment she returned to reality, she saw Wang Ping's face before her.
"Madam, you may rest now."
A genial smile appeared on the young constable's face as he offered his praise: "You have practiced exceptionally well. From now on, you likely will not need my instruction anymore."
With that, he took a step back of his own accord.
In that single breath, the warmth that had remained within arm's reach for days suddenly retreated, causing Madam Su's body to sway involuntarily. She nearly took a step forward on her own.
Yet in the very next second, she caught herself.
The flushed color drained from her cheeks, turning her pale. An emotion that was either shame or fury made the jade hairpin in her chignon tremble.
That jade hairpin had been a gift from Chen Haoyan.
She despised it, yet she had never dared take it off, for removing it would enrage Chen Haoyan every time. Like this residence, it was a cage that held her captive.
"It is a pity, really," Wang Ping's voice interrupted her thoughts once more. "The martial arts I know are few. Archery requires immense strength, which is temporarily unsuitable for Madam to learn. Saber techniques are bestowed by the imperial court and cannot be taught to outsiders. I have only these minor tricks for strengthening the body to teach Madam. Please do not take offense."
"...Is that so?"
Madam Su froze upon hearing this, speaking instinctively before she could think: "If that is the case, Lord... Chen Haoyan hid several manuals in a butcher shop on the west side of town before he died..."
"Hm?" Wang Ping turned around to look at her.
Only then did Madam Su realize what she had just blurted out. A crimson blush washed over her exquisite, fair cheeks once more, making her breathtakingly radiant.
She hurriedly explained:
"I-I am only lending them to you temporarily to read, because you said you had no more martial arts to teach me... O-once you master them, you must come back and teach me."
The words sounded reasonable enough, yet they seemed completely wrong at the same time.
Though she had known about those martial arts manuals, she had never considered telling anyone else. She had originally planned to retrieve them in secret after securing her family estate to see if she could cultivate them herself...
*How have I become like this?*
At the thought, Madam Su felt far too ashamed to remain where she stood. Covering her face, she turned and fled, only to catch sight of the mourning hall where Chen Haoyan's coffin was laid out along the way.
*Is it still resting in there?*
*Has the first seventh-day passed yet? How many days remain until the official burial?* These past few days had felt like a dream; she could not remember in the slightest, unable to recall for the moment.
*Never mind. It doesn't matter...*
Chapter 24