Chapter 193 - 192: A Joyous Housewarming
「Three days later.」
Summer was nearly over, but the weather hadn’t cooled down much.
Standing under the sun during the day, anyone without Martial Cultivation would be drenched in sweat in less than fifteen minutes.
But in a slightly remote corner of Jianghuai City’s Black Tortoise District, nestled among several car dealerships and logistics centers, Cangwu Garden was refreshingly cool.
The place had been revitalized after changing hands. Not only had the interior undergone a series of renovations, but even the vegetation had become denser and more orderly, shedding its former dilapidated state.
Lush greenery cast deep shade, and all manner of life flourished... It was just a shame that no one would come here for a leisurely stroll.
Deep within Cangwu Garden, the grand Yang Residence, a blend of traditional and modern architecture, stood imposingly.
The Yang Residence consisted of three courtyards—inner, outer, and rear. The outer courtyard featured red corridors and verdant gardens, green-tiled roofs and white walls, rockeries and ponds, and flowers and trees for every season.
Looking inward, the staggered, terraced layout of the inner courtyard came into view. At the center of the tallest four-story building hung a plaque bearing the two words "Ancestral Hall."
Inside the ancestral hall, four adolescents knelt on cushions, their backs to a tall, dignified young man.
Yang Shen placed three incense sticks in the burner, then turned to face the four youngsters.
"Without rules, nothing can be accomplished. Today is very important... Lei Yi, wake up! We’re talking about something serious!"
Lei Lv nudged his younger brother, who quickly wiped the corner of his mouth.
In the corner, Tao Ying covered her mouth and chuckled softly.
It had taken them two days to finish moving and unpacking. Today was the first day everything was truly in order, so they were holding a small ceremony.
Yang Shen resumed pacing as he spoke, "Now that our family has settled into our new home and the ancestral hall is complete, I’m taking this opportunity to establish a few rules. Listen carefully!"
The four youngsters answered in unison, looking prim and proper.
Kids loved this sort of thing—it was like playing house.
Yang Shen cleared his throat.
"The Yang Family Rules are as follows:
Easier said than done; punish evil, but be judicious in kindness.
Keep our techniques secret; choose friends with care. Revere Martial Arts and uphold virtue; constantly hone your skills.
If a descendant is slow, teach them with persistence. If they are a genius, know that talent without virtue is worthless.
Though enemies rage without, never break your spine. Treat internal strife like a poison, and excise it at the root.
Let your word be your bond; value trust above all. Train diligently without rest, for the clan to prosper and the nation to thrive..."
[The following 109 characters have been omitted.]
Why not round it up? Because one more character and they’d have to call the police!
"Memorize the full text. I’ll be doing spot checks soon."
Yang Shen recited the "Clan Rules v1.0" that he had painstakingly devised, rattling them off in one long breath.
Perhaps living in a traditional grand residence was starting to rub off on him.
In order to access the treasures of the Qi Storage Pavilion sooner, he had spent his summer vacation catching up on all the history and culture that most Martial Artists disdained to learn.
That was why he had racked his brains to come up with these "Yang Family Rules."
Yang Shen felt they had real practical significance.
The four youngsters responded half-heartedly, "We’ve memorized it, Big Bro!!"
Yang Shen sighed. "You’re supposed to say, ’The disciples of the Yang Clan will remember’... But never mind. I probably shouldn’t make this too archaic."
’Just because I’m living in a traditional residence doesn’t mean my mindset has to get old, too.’
He was a model student raised by the Yanhua Martial Arts Society, not some reclusive old Taoist master.
Having sorted out his thoughts, Yang Shen dropped the formal language. "School is starting soon for you all. Three in middle school, one in elementary school. They’re all the best schools in the district, so you need to work hard when you get there."
Below, Yang Mo and Yang Man’s expressions were calm, while Lei Yi looked indifferent.
Only Lei Lv was nervous... He hadn’t even taken elementary school seriously, and now he was being thrown into a middle school in the big city—and a famous Jianghuai school at that, Purple Bamboo Middle School.
He was panicking internally.
Yang Shen knew what Lei Lv was worried about, but he didn’t say much.
’Once he starts school, he’ll realize just what a monster he is...’
Purple Bamboo Middle School was the best middle school in the Black Tortoise District. Even in all of Jianghuai, it ranked in the top three. It was a top-tier, prestigious school with both a middle school and a high school division.
It boasted that its entire teaching staff was at the Innate realm (anyone below Innate was just a temp or contract worker).
Its Tier 1 university acceptance rate was 97% (because the underachievers were "encouraged" to drop out in their first year of high school).
It commanded the best social resources (prime dealer status with major financial institutions, offering low collateral and high leverage).
It had extensive partnerships with the most advanced biopharmaceutical companies (and was a registered clinical trial site for multiple new experimental drugs).
Its stats on paper were just insane.
Overwhelmingly so for a middle schooler.
Normally, students would only start Body Forging in high school. At Nanliang High School, for example, Yang Shen had learned the "Sixth Set" in his first year.
But if you tried to apply the mindset of a suburban school to a high school ranked top three in Jianghuai and top ten in the nation, you’d be hopelessly out of touch.
Kids of the same age there were winning first-prize awards for Martial Arts innovation in middle school, co-developing new Cultivation Techniques with their PhD fathers, undergoing training to build up medicinal tolerance, and spending their summer vacations climbing the highest peak on Cyan Blue.
Starting Body Forging in high school? You’d just be left in the dust!
But Yang Shen was confident that none of this would be a problem. Lei Lv, Yang Mo, and Yang Man would be the ones leaving everyone else in the dust.
If he had a choice, Yang Shen would have actually preferred for the four youngsters to have a more relaxed and happy childhood. After all, Purple Bamboo Middle School was basically a "Nanliang High School Plus Pro Max" edition.
But there was no other choice. All the prestigious schools in Jianghuai City were like this. He couldn’t just skip the good ones and deliberately send them to a bad one, could he?
Yang Shen couldn’t help but sigh. ’In the end, my own power is still insufficient...’
’If I were truly powerful, I’d build a school for my siblings. Now *that* would be a true boss move. It would solve everything in one go.’
With the ceremony in the ancestral hall finished, Yang Shen announced the Yang Family Rules and helped the four youngsters to their feet one by one. "Now that we’ve moved, we have a dedicated space for Body Forging. From now on, come find me at the Martial Arts Arena in the mornings."
As the family walked out of the ancestral hall, their eyes fell upon the estate that now belonged to the Yang Family.
When he had come here alone, it had only felt vast and desolate.
But looking at it now, surrounded by family, he felt absolutely incredible!
’The reason I, Yang Shen, have achieved so much today is all thanks to my diligence, hard work, generosity, and pure kindness... and just a teensy, tiny, insignificant bit of help from the System.’
Tao Ying shielded her eyes with her hand, her heart filled with a thousand emotions as she watched her nephew’s back...
Two months ago, Yang Shen had told her, "I’ve had my eye on a residence, and I’ve already bought it."
She thought he was just being humorous, using the word "residence" instead of "house"!
Yang Shen had long been in charge of the family’s finances, and Tao Ying had complete trust in the rapidly maturing young man. But when she actually saw the still-under-renovation Cangwu Garden, she had to fight the urge to beat him up.
’I told him to spread his wings, not fly off to the moon!’
’Buying a whole park for six people to live in—is he insane?!’
Especially when she heard they had to help the Municipal Government maintain the park, at a cost of three million a year... Her world came crashing down.
Fortunately, Yang Shen explained that a family Secret Technique could handle the maintenance, so they wouldn’t need to spend that three million a year.
On the contrary, for the ten-million-plus they had spent, they could have only bought an ordinary suburban villa elsewhere in Jianghuai. It couldn’t compare to this.
Now that she had actually moved in, she had to admit...
This was the life.
The kind of life filled with the songs of birds and the fragrance of flowers.
The six members of the Yang Family laughed and joked as they made their way toward the outer courtyard.
Meanwhile, on the top floor of the ancestral hall, a figure flickered behind a window before vanishing into the shadows.
"Well, now that our family business is settled, it’s time to open the doors and welcome our guests."
Smiling, Yang Shen pushed open the main gate of the inner courtyard.
In the outer courtyard, Xu Bamboo, Lin Yuebai, Zhao Mengmeng, Huang Gang, and the Eight Disciples of the Yang Family had been waiting for a long time!
Today was the Yang Family’s housewarming banquet.
Yuan Rui and Cao Wei dropped to their knees with a THUD, startling everyone else. The others behind them quickly followed suit, calling out in unison, "Master! Congratulations on your new home!"
Lin Yuebai exclaimed, "Patriarch, this residence is even more impressive than what I’ve seen in the Si Realm! And it has electricity and internet!"
Huang Gang held up several books. "Be honest, how much did you make from that endorsement deal? I bought a copy of every book you’re in, so at least one brick in this place was paid for by me!"
Zhao Mengmeng clapped her hands. "Yang Shen, are you still growing flowers? Are all the flowers and plants in the rear courtyard?"
And then there was Xu Bamboo. In any crowd, she was always the first person Yang Shen looked for.
The tall girl stood with her hands behind her back, not crowding in with the others. A charming smile graced her lips. "Shenzi, congratulations on the new home."
Yang Shen pulled Xu Bamboo to his side. "What are you congratulating me for? You’ll be living here soon, too."
Xu Bamboo’s face turned a little red...