Chapter 32
Chapter 32
Shen Lang noticed that the areas Doctor An had marked on Big Dummy's body—the points of internal bleeding and blood stasis—were quite accurate.
‘He truly is a master physician!’
Of course, Shen Lang’s own medical skills were far superior. With his X-ray vision, he could perform incredibly difficult diagnoses, and when it came to treating certain illnesses, it would be hard to find anyone in this world more skilled than him. However, in treating Big Dummy, Doctor An was the specialist. No matter what remarkable abilities Shen Lang currently possessed, it would be difficult for him to provide better treatment than the doctor.
Jin Mulan asked,
"Doctor An, can you treat him?"
"It's not a problem. With time and some rare medicinal herbs, he can be cured. It's a good thing this simpleton is naturally robust. Anyone else would have died long ago."
As soon as he finished speaking, he began treating Big Dummy with great care. His assistant carefully poured a top-grade ginseng decoction into Big Dummy's mouth, bit by bit. As the decoction slowly entered his system, a hint of color returned to Big Dummy's face, and his breathing began to stabilize.
"This man has truly remarkable stamina and strength. A physique like this is exceedingly rare."
Doctor An drained the pooled blood from Big Dummy's body. Big Dummy's condition grew more and more stable.
"Husband, your brother will be fine now."
"He's Big Dummy, not my brother. But I must say, it's delightful to hear my wife jest like that."
Just then, the Count entered and said,
"Shen Lang, follow me to the study."
Shen Lang glanced at Big Dummy with a hint of reluctance.
"Don't worry, husband. He'll be fine now. Father is calling you for something important."
* * *
Inside the study, the Count's face was as cold as frost.
"Shen Lang, do you know what you've done wrong?"
Shen Lang shook his head.
"Father-in-law, I'm not sure I do."
Hearing this, the Count was taken aback, looking almost dumbfounded. Usually, when the Count wore such a stern expression, most people would bow their heads or fall silent, unable to respond. Yet Shen Lang had the audacity to claim he didn't know what he had done wrong.
The Count said sternly,
"Very well. I will give you a chance to defend yourself."
"Big Dummy is my only friend. He has protected me since we were children, so how could I watch him die and not save him? Bringing him to the estate was against the rules, but there is a highly skilled physician here, and the medicinal supplies are complete. Bringing him here gave him the best chance of recovery. Of course, I apologize to you, Father-in-law, for breaking the estate's rules."
"No, I am not talking about that. In fact, what you did within the estate was well done. But did you not do something else today?"
"Are you referring to the matter with Tian Heng of the Black Clothes Gang?"
"So you do know. Not long after you left the Black Clothes Gang, they came directly to the estate to report what happened today. They said you used the might of a tiger to extort a thousand gold coins from Tian Heng and threatened to make him break the legs of his most cherished subordinate. Shen Lang, do you not realize how foolish your actions were? Do you know that Tian Heng is a chiliarch of the City Lord's militia?"
‘Tian Heng came to tattle himself?’
The Count continued, "City Lord Liu Wuyan came in person. He told me to keep a tight leash on a lawless man like you."
Shen Lang was startled. If the City Lord himself came, just how intense was the conflict between the Count's Estate and the City Lord's Mansion?
"Father-in-law, when the Xu Clan threw me out, they gave Tian Heng a hundred gold coins and ordered him to kill me. To save my own life, I went into debt to Tian Heng for a thousand gold coins, and he threatened to kill my entire family if I didn't pay it back in three days."
The Count's eyes widened in surprise.
"Continue."
"I invented a new formula for a golden-yellow dye and was about to sell it to Master Lin Mo of Jinxiu Pavilion for two thousand gold coins. But just as the deal was about to be finalized, the Xu Clan appeared and claimed I had stolen their formula…"
Shen Lang recounted his experiences to the Count, telling him the plain truth.
"The Xu Clan, Tian Heng, and the Lin Clan—these three forces tried to kill me. Tian Heng, in particular, pressured me to hand over the formulas for purple and rainbow dyes and even sent his men to capture my family. I went through all of this simply because I was powerless. I only took revenge on Tian Heng, one of my enemies. Was I wrong to do so?"
The Count was silent for a moment before speaking.
"No, I do not believe your intentions were wrong. However, when Tian Heng sent his men to arrest your parents, he did so under the guise of the law. Your parents had privately cultivated mountain land without paying taxes, and the arrest warrant was issued by the City Lord's Mansion. There were no loopholes."
Shen Lang, of course, was aware of that.
"Shen Lang, I'll admit I wasn't fond of you at first. But since Mulan chose you, you are the son-in-law of my estate, and in a way, you are like a son to me. I will avenge the wrongs you have suffered. No one will harm my son-in-law and get away with it."
A deep sense of gratitude washed over Shen Lang at the Count's words.
"Right now, the trend of independent local governance is growing stronger, and Tian Heng is one of the City Lord's men. The Count of Xuanwu's Estate is an ancient noble house with its own fiefdom, so the King is extremely wary of me interfering in local politics. Countless eyes are watching us. The Prefect of Nu River Commandery, Zhang Chong, and even the high and mighty Governor-General Zhu Rong are all waiting for us to make a mistake. If we show any weakness, they will pounce immediately."
This was no exaggeration. In fact, the situation was likely even more severe. However, the Count's personality and methods were very rigid.
"Shen Lang, I will absolutely see that you get justice. But you must wait for the right time. We cannot break the laws of the kingdom, nor can we give others any leverage against us. Do you understand?"
"I understand perfectly."
"And do you know who else came to the estate to complain today?"
"I do not."
"Zhang Jin, an officer of the Xuanwu City garrison, also came. For such a small matter, two of Xuanwu City's giants came to the estate in person to condemn your behavior. They publicly came to report you, but in reality, they came to disgrace me."
The clandestine struggles between the major powers of Xuanwu City were more complex than Shen Lang had imagined.
"Did you or did you not declare in front of Tian Heng and everyone else that you would make him personally break Tian Thirteen's legs tomorrow?"
"I did."
"I will not blame you further for words spoken in youthful haste. But forget about it. For the time being, do not leave the estate."
"A word spoken is like spilled water. If I fail to act tomorrow and hide in the estate like a frightened turtle, it won't just be my pride and reputation that suffer. The name of the Count of Xuanwu's Estate will be dragged down as well."
"Is there any young man in this vast world who has never uttered a boast? There is no shame in failing to keep one's word! I have already promised to right the wrongs done to you, and I will keep that promise. And the name of the Count of Xuanwu's Estate will also be protected."
Shen Lang bowed.
"I believe you, Father-in-law. But I must go tomorrow. I always do what I say I will. Since I said Tian Heng will break his own adopted son's legs, I will make it happen. Besides, this is my revenge, and I will claim it myself."
The Count, truly angered now, shouted, "You truly do not know the immensity of heaven and earth."
Shen Lang's voice was sincere.
"Father-in-law, please trust me. I will accomplish this well within the bounds of the law, without showing any weakness or giving anyone anything to use against me."
His voice grew even more earnest.
"Father-in-law, it matters not if they bully me. But I cannot allow them to disgrace the estate, to disgrace you. Tomorrow, I will make Tian Heng break Tian Thirteen's legs right in front of me, and I will ensure that they never dare to speak the name of the Count's Estate so carelessly again."
Hearing his words, the Count felt a flicker of warmth in his chest. Though Shen Lang was being unreasonable, his sincerity was palpable. Still, he remained stern.
"No means no. From this moment on, you are confined. You are not to leave the estate."
The Count had decided to properly educate Shen Lang. Since Shen Lang's parents had entrusted their son to him, he had a responsibility to teach him well.
"Jin Zhong, take four men and guard the door. Keep Shen Lang in the study and do not let him go anywhere."
The Count issued his command.
If Shen Lang did not leave the estate, people would mock him, saying he was hiding like a coward out of fear of Tian Heng. His reputation would be one thing, but there was a bigger problem.
Tian Heng. How smug would he become? Shen Lang knew his father-in-law was doing this for his own good. He was by no means unreasonable. Shen Lang said respectfully,
"Yes, Father-in-law. I will obey your command."
The Count nodded, satisfied.
"Good, now you're making sense. With my guidance, you will surely improve."
"Father-in-law, when do you plan to lift my confinement? When will I be able to come and go from the estate freely?"
The Count paused to think. If he confined Shen Lang indefinitely without reason, it might breed great resentment later on. He quickly devised a solution. He took a book from a shelf in the study and said,
"This is the *Jin Clan Precepts*. It is a family treasure, passed down through our Jin Clan from our ancestors. The reason our family has stood for hundreds of years without falling is largely thanks to these precepts. The moment you have memorized these *Jin Clan Precepts*, you will be free. For what it's worth, it took me a month to memorize it all."
The Count opened the book, his eyes filled with passion.
"Even though I can recite these precepts flawlessly, I often take them out to read again, lest I forget and lose my way in life. Shen Lang, you are like a son to me. Now that you are a part of the Jin Clan, you have both the right and the duty to learn these precepts."
Shen Lang accepted the book respectfully.
"Yes!"
"Every child of our Jin Clan has memorized these precepts without error. Once you have memorized this book in its entirety, I will lift your confinement."
Shen Lang was stunned.
"May I ask how many characters are in these precepts?"
The Count replied,
"Not many. A mere fifty thousand characters. It took me a month, but Mulan is brilliant and memorized it all in twenty-three days. You must memorize every single character before you can leave this study. Understood?"
‘Good heavens! Fifty thousand characters? And I have to memorize every single one? For those of you who have graduated from college, how long would it take you to memorize fifty thousand characters?’
Shen Lang had a good memory, but back in high school, it had taken him ages just to memorize a thousand-character essay. The difficulty increased exponentially with the number of characters.
For the children of the Jin Clan, memorizing the precepts was a painful memory for everyone. Seeing Shen Lang's distress, the Count felt a sense of triumph.
‘Just as evil cannot defeat good, I can make any young man submit. You, Shen Lang, are no exception.’
"Father-in-law, will you keep your promise? That you'll grant me my freedom once I've memorized the *Jin Clan Precepts*?"
"Of course. Memorize it well. You cannot take a single step out of this study until you're done. I will have clothes and meals brought to you every day."
The Count thought to himself,
‘It will take you at least a month to memorize that. Don't even think about causing a scene tomorrow.’
"Jin Zhong, did you hear me? The young master is not to leave this study by even a single step until he has memorized it all."
The Count commanded once more.
"Understood!"
Jin Zhong replied loudly. The Count promptly left the study. Shen Lang quickly flipped through the fifty-thousand-character *Jin Clan Precepts*.