Zhang Xiaoyun then recalled Steward Liuu's background. She quickly walked over to Wen Qingye's side and said worriedly, "Husband, let it go. Steward Liuu, he..."
Wen Qingye waved his hand and said, "Just stand aside. I'll handle this myself."
Seeing this, Zhang Xiaoyun nodded obediently and stood to the side.
"Wen Qingye, let me go! I promise I'll act like nothing ever..."
CRACK!
"Wen Qingye, you just wait until I get my hands on you, or else..."
"Wen Qingye, do you have any idea who I work for? I'm one of Young Master Zhang Chuan's men! If you..."
Wen Qingye's expression turned cold. He frowned and said, "Zhang Chuan!?"
"That's right! Everything I did was on his orders! Let me tell you, Young Master Zhang Chuan is a master at the Qi Cultivation Ninth Layer Heaven! You..."
"I'll be paying him a visit!" Wen Qingye snorted coldly.
CRACK!
Wen Qingye raised the whip in his hand and lashed Steward Liuu relentlessly. In just a short while, Steward Liuu's entire body was a bloody mess, and he passed out.
Wen Qingye walked up to Steward Liuu and kicked him awake.
CRACK!
The moment Steward Liuu's eyes fluttered open, he felt a searing pain all over his body as another lash from the whip struck him.
"Young Master Wen, I beg you! I'll never do it again, I beg you!" Steward Liuu knelt on the ground, his body covered in blood, his words slurred.
The surrounding maids were all stunned, watching the scene before them in disbelief.
'Wen Qingye actually defeated Steward Liuu! Could the rumors have been fake?'
'Steward Liuu is actually kneeling and begging for mercy! He's kneeling to Wen Qingye!'
'Wen Qingye is whipping Steward Liuu just for Yun'Er's sake. Yun'Er is so lucky!'
........
Wen Qingye glanced indifferently at the bloody, kneeling Steward Liuu and said slowly, "The reason I rarely killed back in the day was because there weren't many people left who dared to act so insolently before me. I'm not killing you now, not for any other reason than this: you're not worth it."
Although he didn't kill Steward Liuu for the time being, Wen Qingye knew the man wouldn't live for much longer.
Hearing this, Steward Liuu felt as though he had just survived a catastrophe. He was ecstatic. "Yes, yes! Thank you for sparing my life, Young Master Wen! Thank you for sparing my life!"
Wen Qingye supported Zhang Xiaoyun, who was beside him, and said, "Let's go."
Although Wen Qingye hadn't killed Steward Liuu, he had just used a special Secret Technique. From now on, the steward would be a complete and utter cripple. What would the people of the Zhang Mansion do with a cripple for a steward of a great family?
Under the envious gazes of the many maids, Zhang Xiaoyun departed, her face blushing slightly.
Back home, Wen Qingye had Zhang Xiaoyun lie down on the bed, then took out some simple medicinal herbs.
Wen Qingye said, "Take off your clothes. I'm going to apply the medicine."
"Okay..." Zhang Xiaoyun, moving like a little kitten, nodded her head.
Zhang Xiaoyun took off all her clothes, leaving only her dudou. As she had her back to Wen Qingye, he could see her figure clearly.
Zhang Xiaoyun's skin was very fair, and her bones were prominent—a clear sign of long-term malnutrition. Now, her body was marred by bloody welts, and seeing them made Wen Qingye's heart ache.
Wen Qingye picked up the herbs and slowly applied them to Zhang Xiaoyun's back. She felt a coolness on her wounds, followed by an extremely refreshing sensation.
As Wen Qingye's hand slowly moved lower, Zhang Xiaoyun couldn't help but feel a strange sensation.
"Ngh..."
Hearing Zhang Xiaoyun's soft moan, Wen Qingye couldn't help but blush. "Ahem, it's almost done. Just bear with it for a moment longer."
Wen Qingye finally finished applying all the medicine and said, "You should sleep on your stomach tonight. Otherwise, it will be very painful."
Zhang Xiaoyun gave a sweet smile and nodded. Wen Qingye walked over to the lamp and gently blew out the candle flame.
Lying on the bed, Zhang Xiaoyun felt the coolness on her back and heard the soft breathing beside her. For the first time in her life, she felt a sense of security. A deep feeling of happiness welled up in her heart. Soon, her eyelids just felt heavier and heavier.
........
The next day, when Wen Qingye woke up, Zhang Xiaoyun was already gone.
Wen Qingye walked out of the room and saw Zhang Xiaoyun washing clothes.
"What are you doing? You're still injured! Especially your hands." Wen Qingye walked to Zhang Xiaoyun's side, took her hand, and said, "Look at them yourself. The wounds on your hands haven't healed yet. How can you put them in water?"
Zhang Xiaoyun pointed to the clothes and said dismissively, "We can talk after I finish washing these."
"I'll wash them," Wen Qingye said.
Hearing this, Zhang Xiaoyun grew anxious. "How could you? How could I let my husband wash clothes?"
"Just stand aside. I'll do it, it's fine." After speaking, Wen Qingye took Zhang Xiaoyun's place and began washing the clothes.
Watching him, Zhang Xiaoyun couldn't help but feel touched.
As if remembering something, Zhang Xiaoyun looked at Wen Qingye and asked, "Husband, I saw half a pack of medicinal herbs on the table. What are those for?"
Wen Qingye smiled. "Oh, I'm using those to make a medicinal bath for my cultivation. Unfortunately, I only bought a small amount. There's only enough for one more use."
"Oh." Zhang Xiaoyun nodded, though she seemed to have something on her mind.
After Wen Qingye finished washing the clothes, he had Zhang Xiaoyun go rest. Then, he went to prepare the medicinal bath himself.
Four hours later!
Wen Qingye emerged from the room feeling completely refreshed. The medicinal bath was showing quick results in boosting his cultivation.
After this medicinal bath, his cultivation broke through to the Qi Cultivation Sixth Layer Heaven. He could finally practice one of his own relatively Low Level Palm Techniques.
The Great Heaven-Tearing Monument Hand! It was divided into three forms.
First Form: Celestial Hand!
Second Form: Tear Monument Hand!
Third Form: Great Heaven-Tearing Monument Hand!
The third form was a combination of the first two. Its power was immense, capable of easily tearing muscles and shattering bones. However, it was definitely impossible to execute with a cultivation at the Qi Cultivation Sixth Layer Heaven. Wen Qingye estimated it would require the Eighth Level of Qi Cultivation at the very least.
"Celestial Hand!"
Wen Qingye thrust out his palm. A fierce wind erupted around him, sending dry leaves spinning into the air.
BANG!
A Palm Seal struck the wall, leaving a massive crater.
"Tear Monument Hand!"
Wen Qingye's entire body lunged forward. A series of CRACKLING sounds erupted from his arm as he circulated all the Primordial Qi in his body.
Wen Qingye practiced for a while, only stopping after he had rediscovered that old, familiar feeling. He then nodded in satisfaction.
If one were to classify the Great Heaven-Tearing Monument Hand, it would be considered Fifth-Grade Martial Arts. In a place like Phoenix City, Fifth-Grade Martial Arts were already considered quite extraordinary. The entire Wen Family, after all, possessed only a single Fifth-Grade Martial Arts technique, and it was guarded with extreme secrecy.
When Wen Qingye was twelve, he accidentally saw Wen Xu practicing the Fifth-Grade Martial Arts technique, Celestial Eagle Claw. For that, Wen Xu forced Wen Qingye to kneel in the ancestral hall for ten hours straight. During that time, he wasn't allowed to take a single step out, nor was anyone allowed to visit him. One could only imagine how seriously they took their secrecy.
Martial Arts are divided into nine grades. First Grade is the lowest and Ninth Grade is the highest. In the Celestial Martial Country, Eighth-Grade Martial Arts were the highest available. Rumor has it that the Celestial Martial Country's Royal Family possessed one set of Eighth-Grade Martial Arts, a technique obtained from a Sect, which only members of the Royal Family were permitted to practice.
In Wen Qingye's heart, he had always been perfectly clear about gratitude and grudges. He would never forget how the Wen Family had treated him. Since the Wen Family valued Wen Tongyu so highly and treated him like an abandoned child, why would he ever give his Martial Arts to them for free?
"Husband, it's time to eat."
Zhang Xiaoyun came out of the room at that moment and called out to him.
Wen Qingye nodded and walked to the kitchen.
As soon as he entered the kitchen, Wen Qingye glanced at the food on the table and asked, puzzled, "Porridge again? And it's all just vegetable dishes?"
Hearing this, Zhang Xiaoyun's face went pale. "If you don't like it, Husband, I'll go remake it for you right now."
Seeing her reaction, Wen Qingye quickly said, "No, no, that's not it. I was just curious. Look how thin you are. You can't just eat vegetables every day; you should have some meat."
Zhang Xiaoyun looked down and said, "It's fine. I don't like meat."
Wen Qingye shook his head. "Even if you don't like it, you still have to eat it. It's the only way for your body to get better."
With her head still lowered, Zhang Xiaoyun chewed her food slowly. After hearing his words, she nodded.
Wen Qingye noticed that all the dishes had been placed on his side of the table, while Zhang Xiaoyun was only eating the food closest to her. He couldn't help but reach out, place some more vegetables in her bowl, and say, "Here, eat more."
Staring at the food in her bowl, Zhang Xiaoyun's body trembled slightly. A chord deep within her heart had been struck.
She had lived in the Zhang Mansion since childhood. Because of the scar on her face and the fact that she was born after the Zhang Family Patriarch had a drunken affair with a maid, her status was lowly—sometimes even lower than that of a servant girl.
The only person who had ever been good to Zhang Xiaoyun was her mother, but she had passed away not long ago. Just a few days after her mother's death, Zhang Hua had married her off to Wen Qingye.
Wen Qingye simply smiled, then picked up his chopsticks and began to eat.