Chapter 22: If You Commit a Sin, Atone with Your Name

The evening sun cast a golden glow, as if a sea of pure gold had been overturned, drowning the rockeries of the Xu residence and the entire Sunan Prefecture.

Amidst profound disappointment, Xu Yuanshou heard the words spoken by Chen Zhi'an, who stood in the hall dressed in coarse cloth.

The first to react was the brown-clad steward beside him. He simply could not believe that in this day and age, a commoner would dare speak to the young master of a great house in such a manner. The black-clad guards at the door stirred, waiting only for an order from their young master or the steward to strike the young man down.

Yet, Xu Yuanshou remained silent. His somber face bore a look of suspicion and scrutiny as he watched Chen Zhi'an. He even straightened his slumped posture on the chair. After several heartbeats, he took a deep breath and looked directly at Chen Zhi'an: "You do not appear to be an arrogant or foolish man."

"You should know that such jokes are not funny. If I were a hedonist who lacked learning and acted without reason, half the bones in your body would likely be broken by now."

Chen Zhi'an looked slightly surprised, tilting his head as he replied: "Young Master Xu went to the trouble of inviting me in to humiliate me, only to try and dismiss me with a pittance of money, yet now you claim you are not an arrogant or overbearing man... that is truly laughable."

The steward beside Xu Yuanshou grew even more incensed. He studied Chen Zhi'an’s attire, finding the boy in coarse robes increasingly detestable. As the steward himself had once crawled through the mud of this world, groveling all the way to his current position, he could not fathom why this boy of similarly humble origins refused to grovel.

"Why are you just standing there? The young master gave the order: break his legs."

At the steward's command, the three guards in black stepped forward. They moved with immense speed, crossing the threshold into the hall in a few strides. Standing in the center, Chen Zhi'an could faintly hear the rushing sound of blood flowing within the three guards. Standing silently, he clenched his arms, which were already suffused with blood energy. Beneath his loose robes, his corded muscles braced for action.

Just then, a voice rang out from both the hall and the rockery outside: "Stop."

A powerful gust of wind followed, a violent force rushing into the hall and sweeping behind Chen Zhi'an. The air current stirred the dust on the floor, catching the three black-clad guards in its wake.

*Whoosh...*

As if caught in a spring breeze, the three guards were tossed aside like fallen leaves, flying out of the West Hall. Chen Zhi'an turned curiously to see a middle-aged man in navy blue robes standing beside him. The man looked ordinary, save for his long, thick eyebrows. To Chen Zhi'an, he was a familiar face.

"Steward Zhao?"

On the very day Chen Zhi'an had caught the embroidered ball, this man—who claimed to be a steward of the Xu residence—had come looking for him.

Xu Yuanshou, who had also shouted to stop the guards, now showed a flicker of disappointment as he watched them being intercepted by Steward Zhao. He glanced at the steward, then sat back in his chair: "Head Steward, this is a guest of your compound, yet he speaks such wild words here... He claims he can help the Xu family defeat the Zhou family. You ask him how he intends to do it."

Chen Zhi'an gained a new understanding of the young master of the Xu residence. *Provoked by me, yet still grasping at the slightest glimmer of hope—this Xu Yuanshou is clearly no ordinary hedonist.*

Steward Zhao cupped his hands toward Chen Zhi'an. Chen Zhi'an grinned, reached into his sleeve, and produced a small oil-paper parcel.

Under the watchful eyes of Xu Yuanshou and Steward Zhao, he opened the parcel. Seeing the amber-colored seed inside, Xu Yuanshou’s expression shifted violently. He hurried closer to inspect it carefully. Beside Chen Zhi'an, Steward Zhao’s breathing grew ragged.

"Young Master Chen, this is..."

"These are Buddha-Armor seeds," Chen Zhi'an said, covering the parcel.

"Young Master Chen, where did you obtain these?" Steward Zhao, having seen much of the world, could not hide the tremor in his voice.

Chen Zhi'an smiled: "The quality of this seed should be quite high. Steward Zhao, how does it compare to the Buddha-Armor seeds of the Xu family?"

Steward Zhao stared fixedly at the parcel, answering without hesitation: "It is far superior. Beyond these seeds..."

"I also have seeds for Qinan leaves and Lamp-Gold Silk," Chen Zhi'an said, falling silent as he looked at Xu Yuanshou.

Xu Yuanshou remained silent as well. After several moments, he took a deep breath, clasped his hands, and bowed deeply to Chen Zhi'an. Pressing his forehead nearly to the floor, he said: "Today, Yuanshou was arrogant and damaged the dignity of the Xu family. It was my... blind eyes that failed to recognize a true guest. Please, do not take it to heart."

Chen Zhi'an was astonished. *This Xu Yuanshou knows how to bend.*

As he spoke, Xu Yuanshou straightened up, looked coldly at the others in the hall, and declared: "From this day forward, I shall no longer be called Xu Yuanshou. Call me Xu Jinshou."

The brown-clad steward behind him looked panicked: "Young Master, what about the Master..."

Xu Yuanshou cut him off: "When one commits a wrong, one must bear the consequences. I disturbed a guest of the Xu family and nearly caused us to lose a golden opportunity. Using my name as penance shall serve as a reminder."

Chen Zhi'an shook his head, the smile fading from his face. He reached into his sleeve again, produced two more small oil-paper parcels, and handed them to Steward Zhao.

"Miss Xu is currently at the government office. It would be unfortunate to miss the military supply grading. Steward, I must trouble you to deliver these as quickly as possible."

Steward Zhao bowed solemnly to Chen Zhi'an, took the three parcels, and hurried away.

Xu Yuanshou and Chen Zhi'an remained in the hall. The young master of the Xu family, not particularly tall, no longer held his previous air of superiority. He bowed to Chen Zhi'an: "Xu Jinshou will now serve tea. Please, Young Master Chen, take the seat of honor."

There was no shame on Xu Yuanshou’s face, only a sincere tone and a look of genuine gratitude.

*The scions of these great houses do indeed have their merits,* Chen Zhi'an thought to himself. *In the countryside, there are few who can suppress their temper this way.*

"No, there are guests coming to my home tonight. It is enough that these three seeds reach Miss Xu safely." Chen Zhi'an waved his hand and turned to leave the West Hall.

Xu Yuanshou followed him every step of the way to the gate, standing there and watching until Chen Zhi'an’s figure vanished at the end of Xiqing Street.

The brown-clad steward followed behind him: "Young Master, he may just be a lucky lad. Why go to such lengths?"

Xu Yuanshou glanced at him, his eyes sharp and chilling: "You are an old servant of the Xu house. You have grown accustomed to throwing your weight around in the name of our family, but how could you not suppress your temper in the residence today?"

"These three seeds are of great importance. You know this as well as I do. Go and take your lashes."

The brown-clad steward trembled, terror filling his eyes.

Xu Yuanshou stood quietly at the gate for a long time, unwilling to go inside even when a light rain began to fall. He was waiting for news from the government office.

—

In the Sixth Chamber of the government office, many prominent medicinal families from Suwu, Qingchuan, Jianghuai, Xinshan, and even Cangding were waiting.

Ordinarily, these powerful figures were held in high esteem, surrounded by sycophants wherever they went. But today, in the Suwu government office, they waited with patience. Some of the older patriarchs were so nervous that their hands trembled as they held their teacups.

Xu Xiyue waited in one of the chambers. Dressed in simple attire, her slender frame and lotus-like, clear gaze made her appear ethereal and refined. Countless young managers of great houses stole glances at her despite the tense atmosphere.

Beside Xu Xiyue, Zhou Xiujing sat in his fine robes, looking entirely unperturbed. He smiled, sipping his tea with patience.

"This Xishan Monkey King tea comes from my Zhou family’s fields in Qingchuan. Xiyue, how do you find it?"

Hearing Zhou Xiujing address her by her given name, Xu Xiyue frowned. Zhou Xiujing, seemingly oblivious to the disgust in her eyes, continued: "The seeds for the Buddha-Armor, Qinan leaves, and Lamp-Gold Silk were not easy to obtain. My mother’s family in the capital is quite influential, and if not for my uncle, I never could have found such high-quality seeds."

"With these seeds, half a year is enough to grow better medicine. Xiyue... we are both from Sunan. I will share some seeds with you, and perhaps I can give you twenty or thirty percent of the Zhou family's supply contract for the Songhuai Army..."

Zhou Xiujing spoke with an earnest tone, as if he truly intended to share the business with the Xu family. But Xu Xiyue was no naive girl. She knew that if the Xu family lost their standing in this contract, a catastrophe awaited them. And if she were to accept his offer, the price she would have to pay would be far heavier.

Xu Xiyue sighed inwardly. She thought of the sunrise over Mount Qixia, the cotton-like clouds, and the breeze in the mountain streams. She found the filth of the mundane world suffocating. As a woman, she should not have had to bear these burdens, but whenever she thought of her father lying on his sickbed and the yearning in his eyes, she knew she could not escape her duty. After today, that duty would only grow heavier, even for one with her Divine Essence cultivation.

*The way of the world is such; no great house lasts forever.*

As she thought this, she glanced at Zhou Xiujing. He was looking at her with a smile, clearly feeling triumphant. Behind her, Xintong spat, "Small men gloating in their success."

But what did it matter? The gloating man was about to crush the Xu residence.

Just as Xintong looked dejected, someone came to the door asking for the Xu family. Xintong went out and returned shortly after. Xu Xiyue looked at her with an inquisitive gaze, and Xintong’s eyes sparkled with excitement.

"Miss, Steward Zhao has brought the seeds."

"What seeds?" Xu Xiyue asked, puzzled.

"The seeds for the Buddha-Armor, Qinan leaves, and Lamp-Gold Silk."

As she spoke, she handed the oil-paper parcels to Xu Xiyue. Xu Xiyue turned away and quietly opened one of them.

Suddenly, a flush of crimson rose to her pale cheeks, beautiful as a peach blossom in spring.