From slave trader to the Immortal Lord of Ten Thousand Laws

The Xu family mansion.

In a small courtyard, wooden stakes and stone locks lay scattered about.

"Bang!"

With a muffled thud, a fist the size of a vinegar basin slammed into the wooden dummy, and the back of the dummy bulged out like a bulge, bursting open with a hole the size of a bowl.

"Phew~"

Li Nian exhaled white breath as his fist passed through the stake, his knuckles slightly red, and as he pulled back, it kicked up a clump of rough wood splinters. He reached out and took the handkerchief handed to him by the maid, wiping his fist and knuckles, then turned to look at the burly man beside him:

"Niu Da, are you saying... these past two days, Jiang She has only been resting in the back room and hasn't been teaching anything?"

"That's right!"

The burly man scratched his head, revealing a set of white teeth on his dark face. He pointed at the tall, thin man beside him and laughed:

"Not only me, my second son saw it too."

"Oh?"

Li Nian shifted his gaze, glancing sideways at the burly man's side, where he saw a tall, thin man with a sallow face.

These are the three Niu brothers under his command.

"The eldest son of the Niu family is as honest and simple as an ox, the second son is as cunning and treacherous as a monkey, but the one who should not be underestimated is his third son, who is as clever and resourceful as a white fox."

Li Nian pondered this inwardly, but outwardly looked at the second son of the Niu family and asked, "Is what your elder brother said true?"

"That's true."

Niu Er clasped his hands in a respectful gesture and responded, then voiced his doubts:

"I noticed that young Sun Tou always had sunken eyes when he was on duty, as if he hadn't slept for a long time. I was afraid that Jiang She might be up to some dirty tricks behind my back, so I came to let Brother Li know."

"A dirty trick?"

Li Nian frowned: "That's impossible!"

"Although I have been at odds with Jiang She since childhood, I know his character and conduct. He is usually upright and honest, and he would never stoop to such despicable acts."

"It's because you dogs look down on people."

After Li Nian finished speaking, he waved his hand and dismissed the others. His father, Li Wengu, was the head guard of the courtyard. The Xu family provided him and his son with a quiet and secluded courtyard to live in, unlike Jiang She, who lived in the back room for servants.

Since childhood, he had always been superior to Jiang She in martial arts, so he had long been convinced that his martial arts were superior to Jiang She's.

But then he listened to what Niu Er said.

But he also said in a sinister tone:

"My father and I have spent our money and daily on medicinal baths to strengthen our bodies. How can we possibly be defeated in the martial arts by this lone wolf, Jiang She!"

...

Outside the courtyard.

A boy squatted on the stone steps, idly plucking at the short, wild grass growing in the cracks of the rocks, his eyes fixed longingly on the moon gate:

"I wonder what my two brothers said inside..."

Before he could finish speaking, Niu Da and Niu Er came out of the courtyard looking dejected.

"Brother!"

The boy shouted.

Niu Da looked up and chuckled, "Third brother, I thought I misheard, but it really was you calling me!"

The boy responded with a smile.

Niu Er, with a gloomy expression, glanced at the boy and said irritably, "Third brother, it's all your fault for coming up with this terrible idea. Not only did we not get any benefits, but we also got scolded for nothing."

"Alas!"

Niu Da hurriedly shook his head, trying to smooth things over: "You can't blame the third brother, it's just that I'm bad at talking and I blurted things out."

"Elder brother, you must not take the blame for him anymore."

Niu Er was furious, his tone somewhat indignant.

The boy, however, was remarkably calm. He listened to his second brother's insults without getting angry, only frowning and stroking his chin as he said:

"Second brother, please calm down and tell me in detail what happened in this courtyard just now?"

"Sigh!" Niu Er sighed, "Brother Li is of a proud and aloof nature, and he disdains to talk nonsense with us. Your brilliant plan will probably remain buried in your heart."

Upon hearing this, the boy felt somewhat relieved:

"Alas, so this is how it is."

He smiled, calming his brother's anger, and said softly, "Brother, don't be anxious. I expected this."

"But I forgot to tell my two elder brothers."

"Hmph!" Niu Er snorted irritably, "You're having a good time, but it makes me the villain."

"How dare I?"

The young man apologized and whispered in her ear, "If my family wants to be on good terms with the Li family, we must observe their words and expressions carefully and not act on our own. If we believe Li Nian without question, it will only show that we lack magnanimity."

Niu Er nodded: "You can tell me this all you want."

"Of course." The boy nodded and smiled. "No outsider is as close as one's own siblings."

He paused, a sinister glint flashing in his handsome eyes. "Li Nian is shrewd. It's not that he doesn't want to explain things to you; he just doesn't want to be the villain."

Niu Er frowned deeply: "I do know that."

"But I am but a nobody, how dare I comment on him?"

The boy shook his head: "But I'm not asking my elder brother to explain in detail."

"Oh? How so?"

Niu Er questioned him, and the young man's face darkened. He said in a low voice, "He is unwilling to be the villain, but my family is. To save our master's life is called loyalty; if things are exposed, we can also make him sever ties with my family so as not to ruin his reputation. This is called benevolence and righteousness."

"If one can be both loyal and righteous, then one can climb up to the Li family."

Niu Er frowned and said in a gloomy voice, "What a vicious devil who eats people without spitting out the bones!"

His anger had completely subsided, and now he could only admire his younger brother's trickery. However, he also understood the unspoken meaning behind the words and dared not speak out in detail.

Instead, the honest-looking Niu Da frowned and said:

"Third brother, I didn't understand. All I know is, didn't you say that my family shouldn't make decisions on our own?"

"Brother! To plot against one's master is nothing but acting on one's own initiative. Throughout history, which successful person didn't have many subordinates who dared to draw blood on their behalf?"

The boy's voice wasn't loud, but it was kept extremely low.

"But my brother almost made a mistake."

Niu Da scratched his head and said worriedly, "But if my family suffers a disaster, it won't be a family anymore."

The boy ignored him and said in a low voice, "So that my two elder brothers know that little Sun is close to Jiang She, but there is a woman here who has been familiar with the two of them since childhood."

"Oh?"

Upon hearing the word "woman," Niu Er's eyes immediately lit up.

The young man didn't take it seriously, saying, "That woman is working in the kitchen right now. She and Little Sun are secretly in love. Let's start with her. If we take turns capturing her for a while, I'm afraid Little Sun won't panic."

"Ha ha."

Niu Er laughed loudly for a while, then looked at his underling and said, "I underestimated you."

...

"Ha!"

Jiang She grunted and assumed a boxing stance.

He then kicked his legs, twisted his waist, swung his arms, and stomped his feet, making a whistling sound in the room.

"Bang! Bang!"

The wind howled from the punch.

After punching a few times, Jiang She's back was soaked with sweat.

"As expected of a celestial cultivation technique, the moves in 'The Great Use of Heaven and Earth' look simple, but they are not easy to master."

The techniques in "The Great Use of Heaven and Earth" are numerous and not limited to just "Cloud Crane Hundred Solutions". Practicing them is fraught with difficulties and obstacles. Not only that, but after a few punches, one's magical power is gone. His magical power recovers slowly, and he doesn't have any sophisticated breathing techniques. It takes about three days for one's magical power to recover completely naturally, so he can only practice it sporadically.

After practicing a few times, Jiang She gained a wealth of insights, as if he had practiced this punch countless times and could detect the flaws in the move in an instant.

This ensures that he will always be on the right path in his cultivation!

Jiang She roughly estimated that if he practiced for a few more days, he would be able to reach the threshold of mastering this move.

"But I don't know if it's thanks to Jiang She."

Jiang She pondered carefully. In his memory, Jiang She had also had similar insights when practicing boxing, but not many. Unlike him, he could not gain such profound insights after practicing a few times.

"I'm afraid that the punch I unleash could surpass the enlightenment others gain by expending hundreds of units of magical power."

Could it be that the elixir not only inherited Jiang She's memories?

"But it really made me feel good!"

Jiang She was delighted. He rolled up his sleeve, wiped his sweat, and glanced out the window to see dusk settling in.

He paused, then thought:

"Young Master Sun and Yunniang's wedding is approaching, and I must prepare some generous gifts for the newlyweds, as Jiang She is about to be in charge."

"Tonight, I'll go to the ghost market in the capital."

The Ghost Market in the capital city only opens once a month. Jiang She waited a long time before he was finally able to go to the Ghost Market to buy those herbs.