Immortality begins in Goose City

Chapter 6 The Whistleblower

at the same time.

On the west side of Huang Family Manor, in a secluded corner of a small garden.

There is a carved stone window here, with a large gap in the window frame, through which one can see a narrow back alley outside the wall.

Xiuer tiptoed to the stone window.

She was so short that even when she stood on tiptoe, the top of her head could only reach the bottom of the windowsill, so she couldn't see outside at all, and people outside couldn't see her either.

"Feed?" she whispered softly through the gap in the stone window.

"Yes." A male voice immediately came from outside the wall, carrying a slick, worldly air.

Xiuer knew he was Liu San, a waiter at the Yellow Crane Restaurant.

"Young Master Shujian has almost fully recovered these past few days. This morning he even went out of the city with Instructor Wu to slay demons at Biyou Pool!"

"But I think they're just watching from afar, adding to the show."

Xiuer spoke very quickly, but her voice was very low.

"After he came back, he went to find Wu Zhichong again, saying that he wanted to practice martial arts."

"I guess he was terrified by what happened at Yuchun Garden last time and wants to learn some skills to protect himself."

"But what real skills can that big-bearded Wu Zhichong teach besides drinking and bragging?"

"They'll definitely try to squeeze more money out of the young master, it's infuriating!"

Liu San listened quietly outside the wall, and only after she finished speaking did he whisper, "Keep watching."

"If Young Master Huang Shujian makes any progress in his martial arts training or does anything special, be sure to tell me."

Upon hearing this, Xiu'er pouted, her tone revealing a hint of grievance and confusion:

"Young Master... Young Master is actually quite good to me."

"When he came back today, he even ruffled my hair...that's a true testament to the bond between master and servant!"

"Am I...doing this a bad thing?"

She paused, her voice lower but still incredibly clear: "...It costs extra!"

There was a moment of silence outside the wall, followed by a suppressed cough.

"Okay, it's usually two silver dollars, but today it's three."

As soon as he finished speaking, three shiny silver coins were tossed in through the gap in the stone window and landed in the grass in the corner of the wall.

Xiuer's eyes lit up, and she quickly squatted down to pick it up.

She skillfully placed the three silver dollars to her lips one by one, blew a breath, and then quickly brought them to her ear.

"Buzz—" A crisp and melodious vibrato sounded.

it is true!

Xiuer smiled, but still couldn't resist complaining, "Only three yuan... Brother Liu, you're too stingy..."

There was no sound outside the wall, and no one had disappeared.

"Hmph, they ran fast." Xiu'er muttered to herself, put away the silver dollars, and turned to leave the small garden.

Instead of immediately returning to Huang Shujian's side, she carried the silver dollars and jogged through several corridors to the main hall of the main building, where she found Hu Qian, the chief steward of the inner palace.

Hu Qian was a tall, thin man who always had a stern face, wore a dark gray long gown, and had shrewd eyes.

He was Huang Silang's true confidant, in charge of all affairs of the inner court and the expenditure of money.

Xiuer bowed respectfully.

Hu Qian didn't ask any more questions, but simply nodded slightly, signaling her to follow.

The two remained silent as they climbed the stairs to the fifth floor, arriving at the large open-air balcony with a superb view.

The sun had almost completely sunk below the horizon, leaving only a dark red and deep purple hue on the horizon.

Huang Silang remained slightly bent over, his eyes pressed against the eyepiece of the expensive high-powered telescope, slowly moving the telescope tube as he looked down at Goose City, which was gradually being shrouded in twilight.

Xiuer didn't dare to disturb them and stood aside with her hands at her sides.

Hu Qian stepped forward and whispered, "Master, Xiu'er is here."

Huang Silang did not turn around immediately. He looked at it for a while longer before slowly straightening up.

"Master." Xiu'er quickly bowed and repeated almost verbatim what she had said to Liu San earlier, adding at the end.

"...Liu Xiaoer from the Yellow Crane Restaurant asked me all sorts of questions today, and Xiuer told him the truth about the young master going out of the city to practice martial arts. He gave Xiuer a silver dollar."

As she spoke, she opened her palm, revealing a silver coin that still gleamed faintly in the twilight.

Huang Silang gazed into the distance without turning back.

"Liu Xiaoer... is nothing but a lackey of the county government, stingy and only has one silver dollar to spare."

His tone was flat, revealing neither joy nor anger, and he casually instructed Hu Qian beside him, "Give her five yuan."

"Yes, sir." Hu Qian immediately took out five brand-new silver dollars from a small satchel and handed them to Xiu'er.

Xiuer quickly accepted the gift with both hands, clutching it tightly in her palms along with her own piece: "Thank you for the reward, sir!"

"Go down." Huang Silang waved his hand, then turned his gaze back to the binoculars.

Xiuer carefully stepped off the balcony and went downstairs.

Once she reached a secluded spot, she breathed a sigh of relief. First, she blew on each of the silver dollars, then took out two more from her bosom, making a total of eight dollars. She held them heavily in her hand, feeling cool and reassuring.

She thought for a moment, then took out a small purse, poured out six silver dollars, held them in her hand, and turned to walk towards the courtyard where Huang Shujian was.

……

In the courtyard, Huang Shujian slowly sheathed his sword, the tip of his ghost-head saber pointing towards the ground.

His brows were furrowed, his forehead was covered with fine beads of sweat, and his breathing was slightly rapid from the practice he had just done.

Sweat soaked the back of the shirt, clinging to the skin and creating a slightly sticky feeling.

But his inner turmoil far outweighed his physical discomfort.

Because no matter how hard he tried to cultivate, the cultivation technique section on the deep blue panel in his mind remained unchanged:

[Technique: Tiger Subduing Absolute Blade Technique (Beginner Level)]

Not moving.

"Could it be because this body's foundation is too weak?"

"Or is the compatibility between the Mountain Lord's Heart and this cultivation technique not as high as I imagined?"

"Or perhaps, my martial arts talent is too poor?"

His mind raced, and he felt a growing sense of unease.

Just then, a knocking sound came from the courtyard gate, interrupting my thoughts.

"Come in."

Huang Shujian adjusted his breathing and calmed down.

The courtyard gate was pushed open, and Wu Zhichong entered.

Behind him followed two burly servants, who together carried a large pine bathtub covered with thick linen.

White steam rose continuously from the edge of the bathtub, carrying a rich and unique herbal scent that instantly filled the courtyard.

"Young Master!"

Wu Zhichong clasped his hands in a salute.

"This is tiger bone blood-strengthening soup; we've already prepared it."

He gestured for the servants to carry the bathtub into the house, then stepped forward and pointed to the tub, explaining:

"This herbal soup contains more than a dozen medicinal herbs that are highly effective in replenishing qi and blood and clearing the meridians, including aged ginseng, top-quality Polygonum multiflorum, Astragalus membranaceus, and Angelica sinensis, in accordance with the recipe."

"Most importantly, it also incorporates the fiery blood of a fierce tiger!"

"The medicine is at its most potent now, which is the best time for absorption."

"Young Master, bathing and circulating your internal energy, using the medicinal properties to cleanse your muscles and bones and improve your blood circulation, should greatly benefit your understanding of the 'Tiger Subduing Absolute Blade Technique'!"

Huang Shujian looked at the steaming bathtub and nodded.

Since I can't get the hang of it even with my own hard work, perhaps this medicinal bath is the key.