Clan Rise: Starting as a Grandfather

Chapter 140: Chapter 136: The Misunderstood Guest

“Who are you?” Yang Zhenshan was frantically guessing in his mind, but calmly asked on the surface.

“I am the Sect Leader of the Sky Blue Sword Sect!” Yu Qingyi said.

The Sky Blue Sword Sect!

Yang Zhenshan had heard of this name, and even though he had not been involved in the worldly society, he knew of some of the stronger martial arts factions in the Liaodong Region.

Of course, he only knew the name; as for how many people were in this faction and how strong it was, he wasn’t too familiar.

“Why try to assassinate Hou Jun?”

“My sect has some grievances with Black Cliff Village!” Yu Qingyi did not go into too much detail; such matters did not need to be explained too explicitly.

Rivalries in worldly society often stem from trivial incidents.

Sometimes, just because one side is displeased, a full-blown fight ensues. If casualties occur, it sows the seeds of enmity.

Then, after a skirmish with the juniors, the seniors get involved, and after the seniors, the elders step in. What starts as a mere verbal dispute might escalate into an all-out confrontation between two factions.

Martial Artists often defy the law, with many holding contempt for the court and legal statutes.

Therefore, when many Jianghu Martial Artists encounter officials, they tend to automatically cast themselves in the role of the villain, often feeling a sense of guilt in the presence of such authority figures.

“You’ve been following Hou Jun!”

“Yes!”

“From where did you start following him?”

“A small courtyard in the west of the city!”

Yang Zhenshan nodded slightly; it seemed that Yu Qingyi had long found the stronghold of Black Cliff Village. Snakes have snake paths, rats have rat paths, and Martial Artists have their own styles and methods of conducting affairs, sometimes more effectively than the government.

“Who was the double-sword Martial Artist who appeared last?”

“I do not know!” Yu Qingyi replied.

Indeed, she did not know. Had she known, she would not have rashly attempted to assassinate Hou Jun.

Yang Zhenshan furrowed his brows; the woman knew nothing but held a grudge against Black Cliff Village.

With this in mind, Yang Zhenshan retracted his spear.

The current issue was how to deal with this woman.

Kill her?

That seemed a bit like unjustified killing.

Let her go?

That also didn’t seem right; if this woman let slip the events of last night, it might alert Black Cliff Village.

Lock her up first!

She could not be kept in the Front Office; there were too many people and loose lips there, which might lead to Black Cliff Village becoming aware.

Initially, there were no ties between the Sky Blue Sword Sect and the garrison office, but if Black Cliff Village found out that Yu Qingyi was held in the garrison office, they might deduce that the people who rescued Yu Qingyi last night were related to the garrison office.

Yang Zhenshan thought it over and felt it was best to keep the woman here. Aside from the Yang Family, idle people could not come to this place. By keeping her here, he could avoid all risks of exposure.

“From now on, you can only stay here. Without my order, you are not allowed to leave. If I find out that you have disappeared, I will go to the Sky Blue Sword Sect to settle accounts.”

A monk may run, but the temple can’t be moved.

Yu Qingyi hesitated for a moment, looking up at Yang Zhenshan; “May I write a letter to Nanny Li who serves me?”

Like a fish on the chopping block at the mercy of the butcher’s knife, Yu Qingyi did not dare to refuse Yang Zhenshan’s demands.

She could disregard her own situation, but she could not fail to consider the Sky Blue Sword Sect.

“No!” Yang Zhenshan unequivocally refused.

Yu Qingyi, having no other choice, bowed her head and complied: “As you command!”

Seeing that she agreed, Yang Zhenshan nodded in satisfaction.

“Then you may rest for a while.”

Having said this, he carried his spear and left the room.

By this time, it was already daylight, and the servants had started to clear the snow in the courtyard.

Overnight snowfall had layered the courtyard in two inches of snow, transforming everything into a world clad in silver.

As Yang Zhenshan stepped out of the room, Wu Hai was already waiting outside.

“Good morning to the master!” Wu Hai saluted with a fist and greeted him.

Yang Zhenshan smiled and instructed: “Prepare a set of clothes to be sent to the room. Also, tidy up the western room for the visitor to stay in.”

“Furthermore, pass the word that matters regarding this visitor are not to be divulged.”

Wu Hai was slightly stunned; a visitor? When did we get a visitor? And how come I am not aware of one staying in the main residence?

“Master, what kind of clothes should be prepared?”

He naturally would not ask questions that he should not.

“You find a nanny to serve her, and let her decide what kind of clothes she would like,” said Yang Zhenshan offhandedly.

Yu Qingyi’s clothes were quite damaged, so she definitely needed to change into a new set. Moreover, since she would be staying here for a while, other items had to be prepared, and having a nanny by her side would be convenient.

Wu Hai immediately understood the visitor inside was a woman; otherwise, he would have been asked to find a male servant, not a nanny.

He looked up sneakily at Yang Zhenshan’s expression and, seeing it unwavering, couldn’t help but ask: “Master, should we buy some extra servants?”

His question wasn’t due to a shortage of servants at home, but because the household might be gaining a new member, naturally necessitating a few more servants.

Everyone had moved into the main residence; the implication was self-evident.

What kind of people could live in the main residence, other than the Family Head’s wife?

Even if it were a concubine, it would be impossible for her to live in the main residence for long.

Evidently, Wu Hai had misunderstood, and Yang Zhenshan did not even notice this. After contemplating, he also felt there were too few servants at home.

Such a large residence required a good number of hands for proper maintenance, and now that Yang Yunyan and Jiang He were also living at home, even though she was a daughter who had married away, there should be no discrimination. Moreover, Yang Yunyan was now pregnant, making it necessary to provide enough servants for her.

“Go find Ming Cheng, tell him to purchase more servants! Assign some to Yunyan and Jiang He as well.”

“Also, tell him to select some boys around fifteen or sixteen years old, just pick twenty of them!”

Now that he was not short of money, buying more servants was no big deal.

As for the young master, he wanted to train a group of house servants.

Although there are currently twenty soldiers serving as Protectors, soldiers are still soldiers, and Yang Zhenshan cannot always treat them as servants and house servants.

Young servants are good, they can become Martial Artists after a year and a half of training and would be more than sufficient as Protectors.

Those young servants Yang Zhenshan had previously bought, such as Wu Da, Wu Er, Ding Cheng, Ding Lu, and those young maids, have almost all become Martial Artists by now.

However, they all follow their master closely and cannot serve as Protectors.

“Your servant will go and find the Young Master right now!” Wu Hai responded and then left.

Yang Zhenshan, meanwhile, began to practice in the courtyard.

After a short while, Ms. Wang arrived with Nanny Li.

“Dad!”

Entering the main courtyard, seeing Yang Zhenshan practicing with his spear, Ms. Wang bowed respectfully with some unease.

“Hm! What is it?” Yang Zhenshan looked at her in surprise.

This was the time he usually practiced, and the family generally did not disturb him at this hour.

“Housekeeper Wu said Dad has a female guest here, so your daughter-in-law came over to have a look!” Ms. Wang said, while secretly glancing inside the house.

“Oh, you can go in,” Yang Zhenshan said, still unaware of the problem.

Ms. Wang, not daring to say more, bowed again and entered the main house with Nanny Li.

At this moment, Yu Qingyi wasn’t resting at all, her mind was full of thoughts about what to do next.

As a captive at the mercy of others, she was filled with apprehension.

Even though Yang Zhenshan only confined her here and did not do anything to her, she still couldn’t find peace.

When Ms. Wang entered, she jumped up like a startled little deer, watching her warily.

Ms. Wang was at first taken aback seeing Yu Qingyi, then became lost in thought.

Yu Qingyi, though twenty-eight, still had a beautiful appearance, with a mature woman’s allure and some of the Jianghu female’s heroic aura.

Her black attire added a sense of cool detachment.

Ms. Wang had never seen such a woman before.

Strictly in terms of appearance, Yu Qingyi was beyond Zhou Lan, and in the Yang family, there was almost no one who could compare—well, perhaps Yang Yunxue could match her in a few more years.

Faced with such a graceful woman, Ms. Wang couldn’t help but feel uneasy.

If Dad married her, wouldn’t she become my mother-in-law!

Mother-in-law!

She didn’t know if this mother-in-law would be easy to get along with, and what should she do if not?

What if she dislikes me!

What if she’s not satisfied with me!

What if…

Ms. Wang’s mind was filled with countless fantasies, while also recalling her former mother-in-law.

Although the Yang family was poor in the past, Yang Zhenshan and his wife treated their daughter-in-law quite well.

At this moment, Ms. Wang really wished her former mother-in-law was still here.

Yu Qingyi, unaware of Ms. Wang’s wild thoughts, relaxed a bit seeing a plump woman entering.

“May I ask who this lady is?” Yu Qingyi asked softly with her head lowered.

Ms. Wang, twisting her sleeves, said somewhat awkwardly, “I, I am the eldest daughter-in-law of the Yang family, Ms. Wang!”

She didn’t know how to introduce herself, nor how to address Yu Qingyi.

Yu Qingyi wore her hair up in a married woman’s style, which normally would be addressed as ’madam,’ but Ms. Wang didn’t know which family’s madam Yu Qingyi was, and it seemed inappropriate to assume any.

Yu Qingyi was older than her; she could have been addressed as elder sister, but what if Yang Zhenshan really intended for Yu Qingyi to enter the family? Wouldn’t calling her ’sister’ be getting the generations mixed up?

Ms. Wang felt like crying, this was too hard!

Dad, how could you just bring someone home without giving us a heads up?

Ms. Wang felt panicked inside, but she wasn’t the unworldly village woman she was before, having been the lady of the house for two years, she gained some of the Yang family matron’s poise and had gained her own opinions.

“Dad asked me to come and see if you need anything? If there is anything needed, please tell me,” Ms. Wang said, steadying her mind.

“No need, no need, I don’t need anything!” Yu Qingyi hurriedly waved her hands.

She was now a prisoner and had no right to make demands.

Ms. Wang’s heart was filled with doubts, this person did not seem very difficult to deal with.

“Then I’ll first prepare a few sets of clothes for you to change into!”

Saying this, Ms. Wang sized up Yu Qingyi’s figure, but as she did, her eyes revealed envy.

Her figure looks really good!

Why am I so fat?

Ms. Wang really wanted to cry. In the past, she had felt fat but didn’t care much about it because, in the countryside, there’s a saying that being fat is a sign of good fortune.

Only those with good fortune could be fat and would be fat.

But now, seeing Yu Qingyi, and comparing, her face seemed rather chubby.

“Would it be too much trouble?” Yu Qingyi asked, somewhat conflicted.

She too wanted a few sets of clean clothes, but she really didn’t dare to hope too high.

She was still very afraid of Yang Zhenshan; first because of his status, and second because Yang Zhenshan had just pointed a spear at her, the sharpness of which made her palpitate.

It wasn’t that Yang Zhenshan’s strength oppressed her, but his decisiveness and killing intent made her realize that if she dared any small actions, Yang Zhenshan would definitely not hesitate to use deadly force.

“Please wait a moment!”

Ms. Wang didn’t know what to say and felt it was better to go and do something.

Setting up clothes and taking care of her food, shelter, and travel couldn’t be wrong.

After speaking, she bowed and left the room with Nanny Li.

Meanwhile, Yang Zhenshan was practicing the Kui Niu Skill, completely oblivious to Ms. Wang’s expression.

Ms. Wang sneaked a glance at him and quickly left.