Chapter 20 Showing Off One's Talent:
Rong Xie settled the Shen family's children, gave the innkeeper some money, and told him to find reliable people to take care of the children and not let them leave the inn before dark, until Steward Shen returned.
"Don't worry, Immortal Master, I recognize that dark-skinned, thin steward. He stayed here last night," the innkeeper said with a smile.
"Then I'm relieved. Thank you, boss." Rong Xie cupped his hands in thanks.
"By the way, Immortal Master, that dark-skinned, thin steward left in a hurry this morning, leaving behind two people. Could you check if they are—"
Before the innkeeper could finish speaking, a familiar shout came from the stairs:
"Wang Mu, hurry up and kowtow to your brother Rong! Beg him to take in your poor, unwanted little brother!"
Immediately following, a series of rapid footsteps rushed down the stairs, reaching Rong Xie's back before he dropped to his knees with a thud.
Rong Xie felt a tug on the hem of his clothes and had to pull up his belt. He turned around and, as expected, saw the familiar topknot of his head, which was turning back to look at his mother's instructions.
Rong Xie was delayed at the inn for some time, and by the time he set off again, the sun had already risen.
He felt a growing anxiety, wondering how things were going with Shen Bingsi. He quickened his pace, but the two people he was dragging behind him couldn't keep up.
The foster mother dragged Wang Mu along, the old woman and the young boy straining to keep up with Rong Xie's pace, but it was not easy.
Rong Xie stopped and sighed.
“Mother, the examination for the page is very strict. Wang Mu may not be able to pass. Do you really want to take him with you?” Rong Xie asked.
The foster mother smiled and said, "The past is the past, of course it's the past. How would you know if you don't try?"
“Alright, wait a moment, I’ll set off and take you there,” Rong Xie said.
Under the astonished gazes of his foster mother and Wang Mu, Rong Xie took out a stack of talismans that Shen Bingsi had written beforehand, placed them on the ground in the corresponding positions, and pointed at each one with his finger. Then he stood up, quickly formed a spell with his hands, used his spiritual power to activate the spell, and slowly lifted his feet off the ground.
"Wow, he's flying! He's flying!" Wang Mu shouted excitedly.
“What do you mean ‘him’? Call him Brother Rong!” The foster mother patted Wang Mu on the shoulder. “Learn from Brother Rong. He is a senior cultivator who was properly admitted to the inner sect of the Spirit Mirror Sect. He knows as much about talismans and spells as the Second Young Master.”
Rong Xie knew that his adoptive mother was saying these words at this critical juncture to curry favor with him and hope that he would make an exception for her during the assessment. However, it was quite remarkable that his adoptive mother still remembered that he had once studied in the inner sect.
"Mother, please come and hold my hand." Rong Xie reached out his hand to the old woman and the child.
In the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the three landed in front of the gate of Huanxue Manor.
As soon as Wang Mu landed, he darted off. Rong Xie tried to stop him but couldn't, so he had to take care of his foster mother first.
The foster mother hadn't said a word the whole way, holding Rong Xie's arm tightly. Only when her feet were firmly on the ground did she release Rong Xie and let out a deep breath.
"I was terrified, terrified!" the foster mother said, clutching her chest.
"Mother, rest for a while before going in." Rong Xie put away the talisman and rubbed the inside of his upper arm, which was throbbing from being pinched. "Uncle Chen and the others should have already started."
The gate was half open, and voices could be faintly heard coming from the courtyard. The foster mother immediately became anxious and whispered a scolding to Wang Mu, telling him to get over here quickly.
Wang Mu was peeking through the crack in the door when he heard his mother calling him. He then came down the steps, jumped to the old woman's side in a few quick steps, and said in a low voice, "Mom, this trip was for nothing. Let's go back!"
"What nonsense are you spouting! You good-for-nothing!" Upon hearing this, the foster mother flew into a rage and slapped Wang Mu hard on the head, causing him to stagger.
Rong Xie was horrified watching from the side, but Wang Mu was quite resilient. He rubbed his head and said nonchalantly, "Mom, they're doing exam papers inside. We're not cut out for that. We can't write or compose essays. Why would we want to join in?"
"What do you mean you can't write! Where are the 'Thousand Character Classic' and 'Children's Language' that your Uncle Qiu taught you to write?" The foster mother's anger, which had just subsided, flared up again. She raised her hand to slap Wang Mu, but her hand couldn't fall in mid-air, as if it was blocked by an invisible wall of energy.
"What's all the noise about!" a voice came from the lakeside, and someone walked over quickly.
“Rong-ge’er, don’t worry about it, this child just deserves a beating—” The foster mother stopped halfway through her sentence, realizing that it wasn’t Rong Xie who had just spoken to dissuade her. Her neck stiffened, her cheeks tingled, and she slowly turned her head away.
A handsome young man of about twenty-six or twenty-seven years old walked along the river, his steps were swift, and he was radiant. He was clearly no ordinary person.
The foster mother stared wide-eyed as the young man approached.
The young man glanced at her face, frowned, said nothing, and began talking to Rong Xie.
"Why did you take so long to get back? I've been waiting outside for ages," the young man complained, but his tone carried a hint of intimacy.
"What are you waiting for outside? Uncle Shen won't let you in?" Rong Xie laughed.
"How could that be? It's because I don't want to see him. If I see him, he'll just ramble on and on about a bunch of nonsense. Oh, right, he's still giving a speech inside right now." The young man gave a thumbs up and pointed to the half-open door behind him.
"He can even recount it himself? How did you give him the exam paper?" Rong Xie asked curiously.
"I put it on the stone table and cast a flash spell. They'll see it as soon as they go in. The courtyard is surrounded by barriers, so they can only stay there and do their papers obediently; they can't go anywhere." The young man proudly boasted to Rong Xie how he managed to handle everything without showing his face.
"Hmm... clever!" Rong Xie clapped his hands.
The young man smiled broadly, seemingly quite pleased.
The foster mother's suspicions were beginning to hold true, but she still couldn't believe that this young man was the famous Second Young Master. How could someone as noble as the Second Young Master be talking so much with Rong Xie, a mere steward? Although the two had been close friends since childhood, their social status was different, and their relationship should have faded with age. The last time she came to Huanxue Manor, she heard Shen Bingsi's impatient voice through the communication jade pendant, which the foster mother always thought was the normal attitude.
Just as she was wondering if she had made a mistake, Rong Xie turned around.
"This is Wang, the wet nurse of the Shen family manor, and this child is her youngest son, Wang Mu," Rong Xie introduced to the young man.
The young man nodded, the last trace of a smile on his face vanishing, seemingly impatient with the outsiders who had come today.
Then, Rong Xie turned to his adoptive mother: "Mother, you haven't seen him for a long time, so you may not recognize him. This is the Second Young Master."
The foster mother stared at Shen Bingsi for a long time with wide eyes.
Suddenly, she straightened her shoulders, raised her arms, and bowed deeply to Shen Bingsi, proclaiming, "This old servant greets the Second Young Master—"
Shen Bingsi's expression changed, and she turned half a step to the left to avoid the woman's deep bow. At the same time, she used her spiritual power to create a cushion to support her adoptive mother's arms, preventing her from bowing down.
After performing this series of practiced actions, Shen Bingsi even had time to give Rong Xie a look, which meant—"I knew this would happen."
Rong Xie smiled helplessly and stepped forward to help his adoptive mother up: "Mother, there's no need for such a grand gesture. Aren't you going to take Wang Mu in for the exam? It's getting late, so let's go in quickly."
The foster mother was usually a quick-witted person, but when she saw Shen Bingsi, she became speechless and stammered. While responding, she pulled Wang Mu along and led him into the half-open door.
Only Rong Xie and Shen Bingsi remained outside the door.
"Why did those two come here?" Shen Bingsi asked.
"We met on the road, and..." Rong Xie hadn't expected it either.
"Aren't you always known for your strong principles? If they're not on the list, they shouldn't have been included." Shen Bingsi never gave these two people who were taking advantage of her kindness a friendly look.
Rong Xie sighed helplessly. When did he become so principled? As for Shen Bingsi, she had clearly agreed to listen to him on the matter of recruiting servants, but she repeatedly acted capriciously and shirked her duties.
Shen Bingsi reached out and smoothed Rong Xie's hair.
Rong Xie snapped back to his senses, instinctively shifting half a body distance away, and looked at Shen Bingsi with a puzzled expression, his ears burning unnaturally.
Shen Bingsi's hand paused in mid-air, then lowered again: "We recruited people to save spiritual energy, but now we're using spiritual energy for them."
Rong Xie immediately averted his gaze, his heart still racing. It turned out that Shen Bing Si had discovered he had flown over. His voice became muffled: "Um... actually it's alright, I used the flying talisman you wrote..."
Infusing spiritual energy into the talisman beforehand is like having a ready-made spell. When needed, you simply need to infuse it with a small amount of spiritual energy to activate the spell. Using this method, as long as you prepare in advance, you can save a lot of spiritual energy.
After the medical practitioner gave his diagnosis, Shen Bingsi prepared many such talismans for Rong Xie.
"Really?" Shen Bingsi didn't believe it. "I think we should ask an outer disciple for help. At least we won't have to start teaching from scratch."
"...Didn't we already agree on this?" Rong Xie sighed. "You're not taking on any apprentices, so it's not good to have people come here to do odd jobs."
"Why do I need it to sound nice? When have I ever cared about those things?"
"Whether you mind or not, public opinion is a powerful force..."
"Alright, I'll maintain my proper demeanor as the head of the manor. As for the rest, you can handle it."
As they were talking, the sound of arguing came from inside the door.
The two exchanged a glance, not bothering to talk privately, and hurriedly walked towards the front yard.
Upon entering the front yard, one could see Granny Wang and Steward Shen each occupying one end, each holding half of a test paper, clearly torn apart during a struggle.
When the two women entered, Wang's nanny immediately threw down the exam paper and cried out, "Rong-ge'er, you have to stand up for me! You promised to let Wang Mu take the exam, how come you won't even give him a paper!"
Steward Shen also looked at Rong Xie, his face dark, and scolded, "Little Rong, this is your fault. We agreed on eleven people, not one more. How come there's another one? That's not how things are done. You can't give Granny Wang special treatment just because she's your foster mother! Taking advantage of your close relationship with Master Shen, you've gone against the master's wishes. This is not the behavior of a proper steward!"
Seeing the two of them attacking simultaneously, Rong Xie's good intentions had instead become evidence that put him on the hot seat. Shen Bing Si's eyelids twitched slightly. He had already anticipated the endless trouble that would follow these people's arrival. Just as he was about to step forward to shield Rong Xie, he saw Rong Xie step forward himself and calmly say:
"Uncle Chen, please calm down. These are two different things. The manor has never said that it will only recruit people from the list you have. Recruiting people is a big deal, so naturally we will open up many avenues and look for talents everywhere. As long as you pass the initial screening, you can take the exam. The final result will be determined by the exam results. All of this is publicly verifiable, so how can you say that we are opening a back door?"
"This..." Butler Shen choked up.
Granny Wang clapped her hands with delight: "That's right, Rong-ge'er has seen the world, how could he stoop to your level?"
Shen Bingsi also raised her eyebrows, staring intently at the person next to her.
“But…” Butler Shen, unwilling to be outdone here, forced himself to bow and kowtow to Shen Bingsi, “Master Shen, please understand, it’s not that I’m speaking ill of Steward Rong, but he’s been throwing his weight around for so many years, relying on your backing! Granny Wang and Wang Mu are from our Shen family estate, so of course I should be the one to recommend them. I already wrote them on the recommendation list, but they didn’t meet Steward Rong’s strict requirements, so I filtered them out. Now you’re bringing them up again, it’s really unreasonable…”
Rong Xie had thought that Steward Shen would come up with something more, but he didn't expect this. It seemed that he had really run out of ideas. Rong Xie smiled and said, "Uncle Shen, why do you say that? The list you sent consisted of 33 copies. After removing duplicate entries, there were 276 people in total. Wang Mu was never on it."
“Wang Mu is eight years old this year. His family are all servants of the Shen family. They are all law-abiding. Wang Mu has the four spiritual roots of metal, wood, water and earth, which are suitable for learning various daily spells and handling complicated manor affairs. He does meet the selection criteria, but he is not on the list. So I think we should give him a chance.”
Steward Shen was speechless, staring at Rong Xie, unable to utter a word for a long time.
Wang the wet nurse laughed so hard she almost fell over. Beside her, Wang Mu reached out to support her, his mouth half-open, staring blankly at Rong Xie.
The person who had been standing to the side, trying hard to maintain the image of Master Shen, couldn't suppress the corners of his mouth, and clenched his fist tightly behind his back.
"Well done," Shen Bingsi shouted in a low voice.
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He Li, a third-year robotics major, was interning at a major company with a promising future when she was suddenly transported into a melodramatic martial arts novel that nobody read.
He Li: Pills.
Fortunately, his workshop and inexhaustible materials accompanied him through the time travel. He could continue making robots, or even jump off a cliff.
First, create a robot vacuum cleaner to handle cleaning; then create a chatbot to keep you entertained; a drone to explore the surrounding terrain; and a robot dog to guard the house.
After some time, He Li, who was living a self-sufficient life, became a legendary reclusive master and the number one spiritual doctor in the world. It is said that he can bring the dead back to life, heal the wounded, and create lifelike bodies for wandering ghosts. Those who are reborn and given bodies by him will stay in his courtyard and serve him as his servants for a period of time.
For example, the short, sweeping boy hadn't shaken off his habits from when he was a ghost; he liked to crawl in the shadows of the yard and sometimes squat in a corner, lost in thought.
For example, the black-clad shadow guard with superb agility, who flies around on rooftops and treetops all year round, is said to be a scout from ancient times who died in a brutal battle and whose soul became an immortal.
For example, there was that veiled beauty with an extremely beautiful voice. Everyone who heard her speak would fall in love with her. Legend has it that she was the most beautiful courtesan in Jingzhou in her lifetime, and countless people spent a fortune on her, but she died unjustly in a vicious political conspiracy.
For example, that big yellow dog that guards the house... it can speak human language.
He Li: (Scratching his head) It seems like the people here have some kind of eye problem...
However, becoming a reclusive big shot has many advantages. He can arbitrarily set all kinds of rules, and when he goes out to travel, he is received with high-level reception from all sides. Even the leader of the martial arts alliance and the leader of the demonic sect have to bow down in front of him.
The only recent trouble is that a damp female ghost keeps bothering him, demanding that he make her a new body so she can avenge some deep-seated hatred.
He Li: Our bodies and hair are given to us by our parents. Besides, you are so beautiful, why waste your life on hatred?
The damp female ghost: ...I am a man.
***
He Li transmigrated into the body of a male supporting character who is merely a tool. Everything he does is rationalized by the world's consciousness, so the robots he creates are seen as all sorts of weirdos by others.
A slice-of-life farming story set in the martial arts world.
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