From slave trader to the Immortal Lord of Ten Thousand Laws

The Xu family mansion, with its elegant triple courtyard.

Xu Qingyue, dressed in a floral-patterned silk robe, with slender shoulders, a graceful waist, a long, elegant neck, and fair skin, sat gracefully at the desk, frowning as she gazed at the man above her.

"Uncle, I have already sent someone to summon Jiang She, but he is a useless person who has lost all his martial arts skills. Why should you worry about him?"

"Could it be that Uncle suspected him and killed the Third Madam?"

"That's hard to say..."

A steady voice came from the head of the table.

Xu Ningyuan held a white porcelain teacup with blue and white flowers in his hands. He gently tapped the rim of the cup with the lid, took a sip, and said with a solemn expression, "I have carefully examined that courtyard. The Third Madam died quickly. The whole house was filled with scenes of rape and murder. But the more quickly it happened, the more I suspect that it was not a rape and murder."

"What is that?"

"It must have been a crime of passion."

A crime of passion?!

Upon hearing this, Xu Qingyue's pretty face froze for a moment, and she said, "Uncle, don't speak recklessly. Third Sister is naturally virtuous and has lived alone in the West Wing for many years. How could she attract the attention of wild grass outside the courtyard?"

"Ha ha!"

Xu Ningyuan burst into laughter: "Yue'er, you've been fooled by her. Have I ever personally witnessed her secretly meeting her lover under the moonlight?"

"W-what?!"

Xu Qingyue was stunned. This news was like a bolt from the blue, leaving her ears ringing. She could only mutter to herself:

"She didn't uphold the virtues of a woman, so she deserves to die."

As she spoke, she became worried again: "I'm afraid that when Father is seriously ill and finds out about this, he will scold himself for not recognizing people."

Xu Ningyuan shook his head: "Yue'er, don't worry. I only let her go because I was worried about my brother's illness."

"Then why suspect Jiang She?"

Xu Qingyue asked, puzzled, "Could it be that because the Third Madam has been spending more time with Jiang She lately, Uncle has become suspicious?"

Xu Ningyuan smiled and said, "Yue'er is easy to guess."

"But I have seen it. The way she looked at Jiang She was like a wolf, infatuated and drooling, even more so than when she looked at those young men. She probably wanted to stick her butt out to the sky."

Upon hearing this, Xu Qingyue frowned.

Just as he was about to say something, his uncle interrupted him, saying, "When that scoundrel Jiang She arrives, you should ask him according to the rules. If he does anything unusual, I will show you my bird then."

"Yes."

Xu Qingyue responded gently, but before she could finish speaking, she heard three or five footsteps approaching from outside the door.

She glanced up.

"Uncle Zhong, the person has arrived."

"Um."

Xu Ningyuan nodded, then picked up the birdcage, listened intently to footsteps outside the door, his brow slightly furrowed, thinking to himself:

"There are three or five women walking lightly here, but one of them is weak and listless. He doesn't seem like a martial arts expert who has practiced for many years, but rather like a good young man who has been working hard all night."

"Could it really be that scoundrel Jiang She?"

Xu Ningyuan pondered and went into the study. He had only been suspicious at first, but after hearing the footsteps, based on his many years of martial arts experience, he felt more certain.

...

Jiang She, dragging his still-healing steps, used his Divine Eye and unleashed his divine sense. Within a radius of ten feet, every detail was clearly visible, whether up, down, or in all directions. He followed slowly behind the group of maids, observing as he went. He noticed that the Xu family's pavilions contained many hidden guards, and immediately thought to himself:

"The Xu family is truly frightened. Along the way, they've encountered at least a dozen buildings, each one concealing archers and guards to protect their young lady. Is Xu Qingyue some kind of exceptionally fine horse?"

"That's hard to say."

He shook his head inwardly, searching through Jiang She's memories, and remembered something: "I only heard from the servants that Master Xu was unwell, but I don't know if he was bedridden or terminally ill. But seeing the array of secret guards now, Master Xu probably doesn't have much time left and is going to put Xu Qingyue in the position of head of the family."

"No wonder other businesses wanted to kill her."

Jiang She pondered, then scanned the towering buildings on both sides with his divine sense, and saw crowds of people, clustered together in groups.

"With divine sense combined with insightful eyes, and further aided by my golden finger, it becomes a means to probe a person's cultivation level with numerical values. However, these guards' values ​​are only three or four, all of them are not yet at the first rank."

"But he's certainly capable of roaming the martial world."

An ordinary person's physical fitness, when converted to a numerical value, is approximately "1". These guards, whose fitness values ​​are three or four, are already considered top-notch and would be more than capable of roaming the martial world.

Jiang She was pondering this when he heard footsteps stop ahead. He looked up and saw Xu Rong, who was walking ahead, gently knocking on the door.

"Knock knock knock!"

"Miss, this servant has invited Young Master Jiang."

"Let him in."

"Yes."

Xu Rong obediently agreed, and then respectfully curtsied through the wooden door. After completing the ceremony, she turned around and gracefully gestured "please" to Jiang She.

"Young Master Jiang, please come in."

Jiang She nodded, pushed open the hanging flower gate, and saw that there were corridors on both sides, each with east and west wing rooms. In the center was a pavilion surrounded by a waterside pavilion. Outside the pavilion stood a screen, long like a shadow wall, with sunlight shining on it, reflecting the image of a woman in the pavilion holding a book and sipping tea.

Upon seeing this, Jiang She hurriedly lowered his head, avoiding looking at the beautiful figure on the screen, and thought to himself:

"With my status, I should never be allowed to enter the third courtyard. I just didn't expect Xu Qingyue to welcome me into this first courtyard. This courtyard is usually only for maids and servants. Even guards are not allowed to trespass into it without permission."

"Let's see what she's up to..."

Jiang She had just finished thinking when Xu Qingyue put down her teacup and looked at him, but didn't ask any questions, only saying:

"Jiang She, are your injuries any better?"

Upon hearing this, Jiang She quickly lowered his head and replied, "Thanks to Miss, my injuries are no longer serious, but..."

"Just what?"

Xu Qingyue held the book and asked.

Jiang She looked troubled and said sadly:

"However, my meridians are damaged and I have lost all my power. I am afraid I will no longer be able to serve as your bodyguard in the future."

"That's easy to handle."

Xu Qingyue turned the pages of the book and smiled sweetly, "Your family has served as servants for three generations. They have worked hard and made great contributions, and they have also protected me. Even if I support you for nothing, it is nothing."

Jiang She clasped his hands in a gesture of apology and said with shame:

"Miss, this is unacceptable! I cannot accept undeserved rewards. If I were to eat and drink for free at the Xu family's house, wouldn't that bring shame upon my elders? I would surely be scolded in the afterlife."

His words and actions were no different from Jiang She's, and even those who knew Jiang She well thought he was just being filial.

Therefore, Xu Qingyue did not suspect anything and continued to ask while holding onto the book:

"If that's the case, what property do you wish to reclaim?"

"Miss, you've misunderstood."

"Oh?"

Xu Qingyue's jade-like fingers, which were turning the pages of the book, paused for a rare moment, and she asked, "So, what do you want?"

Jiang She shook his head: "I don't care about the money from the employer, I just hope to get a leisurely job, such as a doorman or a gardener."

Xu Qingyue smiled slightly: "I don't need any gardeners, but I do have a vacancy for a gatekeeper and a storeroom."

"Would you like to go there and do that kind of work?"

Xu Qingyue asked.

Jiang She clasped his hands in a fist and replied, "I will obey your orders, Miss."

Seeing his response, Xu Qingyue looked listless. Qiao'er, the maid serving tea, noticed her expression and immediately understood. She leaned closer and whispered:

"Miss, when Young Master Jiang was a bodyguard, his monthly salary was three taels. If he were to take over as a gatekeeper, his monthly salary would be less than one tael, I'm afraid..."

Before she could finish speaking, she handed the money to Xu Qingyue, frowning as she said, "The monthly allowance is too low, which is difficult to handle. If others see this, they might accuse me of being too harsh."

Qiao'er, quick-witted, immediately came up with a consolation:

"Miss, why don't we keep Young Master Jiang in the courtyard as an instructor? Although he has lost his martial arts skills, his vision is still quite high. He should be more than capable of teaching those guards."

"And this month's pay..."

"Then it will still be paid at three taels per month."

As Qiao'er spoke, Xu Qingyue nodded in agreement, then turned to Jiang She and asked, "Jiang She, what do you think of this matter?"

Ah!

What do I think?

No one's getting a raise?!

Jiang She inwardly complained, but outwardly thanked him, kneeling on one knee and clasping his hands in a fist salute:

"I wouldn't dare; I'll obey your orders, Miss."

As he said this, he thought to himself, "It's all just pretense. I'm afraid Xu Qingyue never intended for me to go to that storeroom. Qiao'er is just putting on an act with her."

"But my words were not without the fear of being attacked from behind. In the end, the 'pharmacist' mentioned by the three ladies still knows which member of the Xu family he is. If he finds out that I didn't tell Xu Qingyue that I was going to be a doorman, he might try to harm me..."

"But I did bring it up today, only the host refused. So you can't blame me for that."

"What's more... there's a ruthless one here!"

Jiang She's gaze sharpened, and he scanned the study with his divine sense, only to see a man sitting there with imposing bearing and considerable combat power above him.

"25!"

"He's probably the only one in the Xu family with double-digit numbers of members left!"

Jiang She pondered for a moment, then made another excuse and bowed and left. After he left, Xu Ningyuan, who was hiding in the study, carried the birdcage and stepped into the pavilion.

"Father Zhong."

"Um."

Xu Ningyuan nodded.

Xu Qingyue put down the book in her hand and asked, "Uncle, since you haven't released the caged bird, does that mean Jiang She is still usable?"

"good."

Xu Ningyuan nodded emphatically: "This fellow is fine. Keeping him in the courtyard as an instructor will allow us to keep an eye on him every day."

"But his skill..."

"But it has truly been lost."

"really?"

"Ha! Yue'er, don't you believe your uncle? Have you forgotten that your uncle is skilled in observing, listening, questioning, and palpating when it comes to determining fate!"