Immortality begins in Goose City

Chapter 37 A Magnificent Era - Zhao Ming

Ba Qing's face instantly turned a deep liver color.

He never expected Huang Shujian to pull such a move on the spot!

This clearly shows they don't take him seriously at all!

Ba Qing's chest heaved violently as he stared intently at Huang Shujian, forcing out the words through clenched teeth: "Huang Shujian...you really have some tricks up your sleeve! Forcibly buying women, signing contracts in public, how impressive!"

Huang Shujian seemed oblivious to the sarcasm in his words, and turned to ask Zhao Fumin, "Master Zhao, did I force you to buy your daughter?"

Zhao Fumin shook his head frantically, his voice trembling with tears: "No! It wasn't forced sale!"

"This old man already owes Young Master Huang money! I promised to give my daughter to him as collateral long ago! Ming'er, tell me, did you willingly serve Young Master Huang?"

He tugged at his daughter's sleeve.

The woman trembled all over as he pulled her, unable to utter a complete sentence, only nodding haphazardly.

Huang Shujian said, "Young Master Ba, the matter is settled. Do you still want to stand in front of my Huang family's gate and enjoy the scenery?"

Ba Qing trembled with rage, pointing at Huang Shujian before finally managing to choke out, "Huang Shujian! You've truly survived a great calamity; you're sure to have good fortune in the future!"

"You almost died at Yuchun Garden a month ago, but now... your methods have become quite sophisticated!"

He angrily cracked his whip: "Let's go!"

Accompanied by two guards, he rode away dejectedly, his hooves clattering.

The crowd of onlookers gradually dispersed.

Zhao Fumin looked at Huang Shujian, then at the indenture, his face a mixture of gratitude, reluctance, and deep worry.

Huang Shujian didn't say much, turned around and walked into the mansion: "Come in."

In the small courtyard.

Zhao Fumin pulled his daughter Zhao Ming and knelt down in front of Huang Shujian with a thud.

"Thank you, Young Master Huang! Thank you for saving me!" Zhao Fumin kowtowed.

"If it weren't for you, my daughter would definitely... definitely have fallen victim to that beast Ba Qing's cruelty today!"

"I will never forget your great kindness!"

Huang Shujian sat in the chair, watching them.

Get up.

Zhao Fumin helped his daughter up, but Zhao Ming kept her head down, nervously twisting the hem of her clothes with both hands, not daring to look at anyone.

"Raise your head," Huang Shujian said.

Zhao Ming's body trembled, and he hesitated before slowly raising his head.

Her eyes were still red, her face was streaked with tears, and her eyes were filled with fear, confusion, and a hint of resigned despair.

Huang Shujian then got a clear look at her face.

She has delicate features, not stunningly beautiful, but possesses a unique charm that evokes pity.

Especially her figure... even in coarse clothes, her amazing curves are hard to hide, with undulating peaks that attract attention.

Huang Shujian's heart stirred slightly.

Isn't this the poor woman from Goose City in my past life who suffered an undeserved disaster?

Where is your husband?

Zhao Ming was stunned, seemingly not understanding.

Zhao Fumin hurriedly said, "Young master, my daughter... my daughter is not married yet."

Unmarried?

Huang Shujian suddenly realized something.

Yes, the timeline might not be there yet.

In her past life, when that tragedy occurred, she was already a bride.

In this life, her fate seems to have changed because of his intervention.

"So she's not married yet..."

That's good, it saves a lot of trouble.

"From now on, Zhao Ming will stay in my little courtyard as a maid," Huang Shujian decided directly.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Fumin's expression immediately changed.

He looked at his daughter, and then remembered Huang Shujian's reputation as a "playboy" in Goose City, and felt a deep sense of bitterness.

Having just escaped one wolf's den, has it now fallen into another tiger's mouth?

Huang Shujian seemed to sense his worry, but instead of explaining, he said, "I also have something for you to do."

Zhao Fumin was taken aback: "Young Master, please give your orders."

Huang Shujian looked at him and slowly asked, "I heard... you can forge weapons?"

……

Zhao Fumin accepted the task of forging weapons, carefully held the few black and cold strange infant fingernails, and withdrew with profuse thanks.

Huang Shujian specifically instructed Hu Wan to allocate him a sum of money to purchase the necessary high-quality materials and to set aside a secluded courtyard in the Huang residence as a temporary workshop.

Xiuer then led the still-shaken Zhao Ming to a side room in the backyard, found her a suitable maid's outfit to change into, and explained the various rules of the mansion.

Where you can go, who you should avoid, how to greet the master and young master, etc.

Zhao Ming simply lowered her head and responded softly, her fingers tightly gripping the rough hem of her clothes.

Huang Shujian returned to his study alone.

A bowl of warm pumpkin porridge was already on the table.

The porridge contains several medicinal herbs that nourish qi and blood, such as ginseng, goji berries, and red dates, and is cooked until it is thick, fragrant, and sweet.

He picked up the bowl and drank slowly, the warm liquid sliding down his esophagus into his stomach, bringing a sense of comfort.

He put down the bowl, opened the desk drawer, and took out the thick notebook that recorded all sorts of bizarre events in Goose City.

Turn it over.

Three cases of evil spirits that he highlighted.

Jack the Ripper (the baby brothers), resolved. Checked.

There are two items left.

"A headless zombie, lurking in the south of the city at night, possesses immense strength and kills by leaping."

"The vengeful spirit of Lan Xiaodie, a leading actress from Xingli Garden, was beheaded and skinned. Her head was missing, and it is suspected that a vengeful spirit is seeking revenge."

I wonder how many free attribute points I would gain if I killed the people behind these two cases?

A hint of anticipation flashed in Huang Shujian's eyes.

Attribute points are the resource he craves most right now.

His thoughts drifted back to the giant catfish he had hunted in the Azure Pool when he followed Wu Zhi out of the city.

The catfish was shot to death by the servants, not by him, so he did not gain any attribute points.

This seems to suggest that either you need to do it yourself, or... although that giant catfish is terrifying in size and eats people and kills them, in essence, it may not be considered a true evil.

Forget it, the catfish is already dead anyway, and its bones were used to make soup. There's no point in worrying about it.

His gaze returned to the notebook, his fingers slowly moving between the two lines of text.

Headless zombie... South of the city...

The vengeful spirits of the skinned dead... Apricot Orchard...

"The area south of the city is too large, and Xingli Garden is a clear target," he muttered to himself. "Besides, the theater is crowded and noisy; if there really is a vengeful spirit at work, it might be easier to leave traces..."

He closed his notebook, having made up his mind.

"Let's start with you..."

In the afternoon, at the training ground next to the shooting range in the backyard.

Huang Shujian changed into a neat black training uniform and was warming up his hands and feet.

The training ground was flat and covered with fine sand. Stone locks and weapon racks were placed around it, making it a suitable place for hands-on practice.

His gaze, however, was fixed on the entrance to the training ground.

There were a few people standing there, looking somewhat uneasy under the watchful eyes of several servants.

An old woman with gray hair, leaning on a cane, had a stubborn look in her eyes and her lips tightly pursed.

Two middle-aged women, one holding a seven or eight-year-old boy with a chubby face, the other with a thirteen or fourteen-year-old girl with braids standing beside her.

Apart from the two children who were curiously looking around, the other three adults had tense and fearful expressions on their faces as they anxiously surveyed the imposing high walls of the Huang mansion and the armed servants around them.

Wu Zhichong stood next to Huang Shujian, rubbing his hands together, a hint of embarrassment and helplessness on his face.

"Young Master..." Wu Zhichong whispered.

"We did indeed go to invite the three masters to our residence for a chat, as you instructed."

"But... but as soon as they heard that we wanted to borrow their secret knowledge, their expressions changed immediately. They said that their ancestral precepts were hard to disobey and that they would rather die than submit, and refused to come no matter what."

He paused, glanced at the anxious group of people, and lowered his voice even further: "I was just angry for a moment, so... I invited their families back. That way, they won't have to come knocking on our door."