Dragons and Serpents

While everyone was still talking about him, Huang Tian changed into a brand-new Platoon Commander's standard uniform: a dark black robe embroidered with a one-horned horse rearing on all four hooves, exuding an aura of stern majesty. Hanging his waist token and white jade pendant, but leaving his saber behind, he stepped out the door, hailed a carriage at random, and headed toward the Huang Manor. The carriage wound through the streets and eventually came to a halt in front of a manor. Telling the driver to wait at the entrance, he stepped down, glanced at the familiar main gates and lintel, and walked over at an unhurried pace. The two servants guarding the entrance saw someone approaching and looked up. Familiar! Far too familiar! "Fourth Young Master?!" the shorter servant blurted out in shock. The taller servant noticed the attire he wore. *Isn't that the uniform of the Martial Restraint Guard? And it looks like the kind only a Platoon Commander can wear?!* As gatekeepers of the Huang Manor, they had a sharp memory for official garments and waist tokens of every sort. "Fourth Young Master, are you here to..." "Open the gates." Feeling the oppressive pressure washing over him, the tall servant nodded repeatedly and pushed the gates open, clicking his tongue in silent amazement: *How did the Fourth Young Master become a Platoon Commander in the Martial Restraint Guard? Could he have already become an eighth-rank martial artist? Good heavens, how many days has it been? Not even a month!* Watching Huang Tian step into the estate and head toward the East Wing, the tall servant said, "Keep watching the main gate. I'll go report to the master and tell him the Fourth Young Master has returned." "Alright, go ahead," the short servant replied. The tall servant then hurried along the pathway to the main hall. As it happened, Huang Xunjiu was sitting there sipping tea with an air of leisurely ease. Seeing the servant rushing in so flustered, he frowned and snapped, "Why all this panic? Where are your manners?!" The tall servant rested his hands on his knees, gasping for breath. "M-Master... Four—" Huang Xunjiu's expression changed, and he slammed his teacup onto the table with a sharp clatter. "What 'Master die'?! What utter rubbish are you babbling, you fool!" The tall servant fell to his knees in a panic, kowtowing like pounding garlic. "This servant spoke wrongly! I misspoke!" "Enough! What is it, exactly? Out with it!" The servant stopped kowtowing. With his forehead reddened, he swallowed hard and said, "The Fourth Young Master has returned!" "Huang Tian?!" Huang Xunjiu frowned. Though busy with many matters these days, he still kept an eye on his four sons at the Guard Academy from time to time, so he knew that Huang Tian had entered the ranks in ten days and severely thrashed Huang Rui. At the time, he had felt heartache for Huang Rui while being stunned by Huang Tian's martial aptitude. He had considered finding an opportunity to ease tensions with his fourth son, but after thinking it over, he could not bring himself to lose face and decided to wait and see. After all, martial cultivation required resources above all else. Without the clan's backing, Huang Tian would sooner or later come begging him for help. It would not be too late to mend relations then, and he would still hold the upper hand. Pleading to make peace himself would severely compromise his dignity as a father, which he was unwilling to do. "The fourth one has actually returned? But if I recall, isn't the Guard Academy's rest day tomorrow?" Huang Xunjiu asked, puzzled. The tall servant hurriedly said, "The Fourth Young Master was wearing the uniform of a Platoon Commander. It seems... it seems he has become an eighth-rank martial artist..." Huang Xunjiu's face changed drastically. "Are you sure you didn't mistake it?!" "This servant has seen that uniform countless times. How could I mistake it?" "A Platoon Commander... the eighth rank!" Huang Xunjiu shot to his feet. "Where is he now?" "It looked like he was heading for the East Wing." "The East Wing? Right, many of his old belongings and two servant girls are still in the East Wing..." With that thought, he immediately set off toward the East Wing. Meanwhile, in a quiet, secluded courtyard in the East Wing. Aunt Qin was lighting the stove in the kitchen, while Heng'er, dressed in green, was rhythmically chopping vegetables with a steady clatter. Huang Tian pushed open the courtyard gate and stepped inside at an unhurried pace. What met his eyes was still a familiar scene: The ground paved with bluish-gray square bricks, a stone table with several stone stools, a large vat filled with water, and a lush pomegranate tree growing in the corner. Walking across the blue bricks into the main room, he found it spotless, devoid of even a speck of dust, the table and chairs polished clean. Pushing open the door into the room where the original host had lived, the furnishings and arrangement were almost identical to the day he had left. *They've been truly thoughtful.* Huang Tian sighed softly with emotion, stepped out of the room, and went over to the kitchen. Standing by the doorway, he looked with a faint smile at Heng'er, who was standing on tiptoe as she chopped vegetables, and Aunt Qin, who sat before the stove. The sunlight cast his shadow into the kitchen. Being observant, Heng'er spotted the shadow on the floor at once. Startled, she looked back and froze on the spot. "Fourth Master?!!" Her soft lips parted slightly, her almond eyes grew wide and round, and her mind went blank. Aunt Qin was startled by her daughter's cry. Turning her head, she stood up in shock. "Fourth Young Master, you're back?!" She hurriedly wiped her hands. "Young Master, didn't you go to the Guard Academy? How have you returned in less than a month? Wait, this outfit of yours... it looks like an official uniform?" "This is the uniform of a Platoon Commander in the Martial Restraint Guard," Huang Tian said with a smile. "A gentleman must undergo transformations like dragons and serpents. Before leaving, didn't I say I would come take you away soon? Today, I have come." Aunt Qin looked at the imposing official uniform on Huang Tian with pleasant surprise. Suddenly realizing something, she lightly tapped Heng'er on the head. "Silly girl, why are you still daydreaming? Hurry and pour some water for the young master!" Only then did Heng'er come to her senses. Looking at Huang Tian, a radiant smile bloomed across her face, joy nearly spilling from her eyes. "T-This servant will fetch water right away!" Putting down the kitchen knife, she was about to rush to the main room. "No need for the trouble. I already drank water before coming; I'm not thirsty," Huang Tian said. "Go pack your things now. In a moment, we will leave for the new residence." Hearing this, Aunt Qin felt delighted, but a troubled look crept over her face. "Heng'er's and my employment contracts are still with the manor..." Employment contracts were agreements of hire, not deeds of indenture; they were far less restrictive upon a person's freedom. However, they were generally signed for ten or twenty years. When Aunt Qin and Heng'er first entered the Huang Manor, they had signed a ten-year employment contract, and several years remained before it expired. "No matter. Since they are not deeds of indenture, they can be terminated, and the master's household cannot stop it. It is merely a matter of paying some silver in compensation." Besides, the compensation would not amount to much. In the end, they were merely an older woman and a young girl; at most, it would cost twenty or thirty taels of silver. To Huang Tian, such an amount was not worth mentioning. "Go and pack." "Right, yes! Heng'er and I will go pack our bags right now!" Aunt Qin nodded repeatedly, taking Heng'er by the hand as they left the kitchen. Huang Tian walked into the courtyard and sat down on one of the stone stools. A light breeze blew gently, sending leaves drifting down in utter serenity. *Patter, patter...* A flurry of hurried footsteps came from outside the courtyard. With a creak, the gate was pushed open, and Huang Xunjiu, clad in brocade robes, strode in accompanied by several stewards and servants. The moment he stepped into the courtyard, he caught sight of Huang Tian's Martial Restraint Guard Platoon Commander uniform. A smile instinctively began to form on his face, but the words that reached his ears froze it dead in its tracks. "Patriarch Huang has arrived? Please, take a seat."