Chapter 17: A Rootless Drifter

"You should also offer a stick of incense."

Dan Wu Ju stepped aside, motioning for Wei Tu to come forward.

"Yes, Master."

Wei Tu nodded, took an incense stick, lit it from the altar candle, bowed respectfully, and then knelt down to kowtow three times.

Only after performing the ritual did he place the incense into the burner.

Seeing Wei Tu's respectful demeanor, Dan Wu Ju's satisfaction grew even more.

…

After the ceremony, night had already fallen. To avoid any misunderstandings, Wei Tu excused himself from the inner courtyard and returned to his quarters.

Along the way, he encountered several maids.

Word of his official apprenticeship had clearly spread, as these maids—who usually treated the laborers with a sense of superiority—now adopted a more respectful posture when they saw him. They stepped aside, lowering their heads and bowing slightly as he passed.

One particularly well-endowed maid even addressed him sweetly, calling him "Young Master" in a voice so soft and honeyed that it seemed she could squeeze water from it.

The unexpected shift in status left Wei Tu momentarily stunned. It wasn't until he had exited the second courtyard that he finally regained his composure.

"Young Master?"

"I've become a young master now?"

Wei Tu returned to his room in a daze, repeating the title to himself, his face occasionally breaking into a grin, completely different from the composed demeanor he had shown during the apprenticeship ceremony.

Anyone witnessing this scene might have thought he had lost his mind, grinning like a fool.

Back in the fifteenth year of Qing'an, he had been sold to the Li family, where—despite being treated decently—he had ultimately been nothing more than a stable hand.

Now, in the twenty-third year of Qing'an, he had not only reclaimed his freedom but had also become the disciple of a martial scholar—a significant leap in social status.

With such a transformation, even someone as steady-minded as Wei Tu couldn't help but be swept up in the excitement.

"I can't let my guard down! The reason the servants in the Dan household respect me is because I am Dan Wu Ju's disciple. But this identity is like a rootless drifter—unstable and fleeting."

After a short while, Wei Tu got out of bed, fetched a bucket of cold well water, and washed his face. When he looked up again, his expression had regained its usual calm.

"This good news—I should write to Xinghua…"

"I'll ask Master for some paper and ink tomorrow to write her a letter."

He made a mental note.

His current room was just a laborer's quarters—apart from a bed, a table, and some bedding, there was nothing else.

Things like paper, ink, and brushes—items that only the wealthy or scholars had access to—were naturally absent.

However—

Just then, a faint sound of footsteps came from outside.

Having trained in Turtle Breath Energy Cultivation for so long, Wei Tu's senses—his hearing and vision—had sharpened significantly. He could tell from the lightness of the steps that the visitor was not a man.

A moment later—

There was a knock at the door.

"Wei Ge'er, are you still awake?"

The voice belonged to Dan Gaoshi.

"Madam Gaoshi?"

Wei Tu was taken aback.

In wealthy households, it wasn't just the men and servants who needed to maintain propriety—the women did as well.

For her to come knocking at his door alone at this hour… the situation seemed highly inappropriate.

However, before Wei Tu could think too much into it, her next words dispelled his concerns.

"The western rooms are too run-down. Master has ordered me to take you to one of the guest rooms in the second courtyard."

Hearing this—

Wei Tu felt relieved and let out a quiet breath.

Without further hesitation, he quickly put on his outer robe, tidied his appearance, and opened the door.

As soon as he stepped outside, he noticed that Dan Gaoshi was not alone.

Standing some distance away, under the eaves, was Deng An—who had just returned from the grain-drying field.

Though Deng An said nothing, he was clearly aware of the situation. He stood about ten paces away from Dan Gaoshi, watching from afar, not daring to enter his own room just yet.

"Follow me," Dan Gaoshi said with a soft smile.

Moments later—

The two of them, one in front and one behind, made their way into the second courtyard.

As they entered the second courtyard, Dan Gaoshi handed a key to Wei Tu and said, "This is the key to the second courtyard gate. Keep it safe and don't lose it."

Wei Tu nodded, hooked the key onto his waist, and instinctively widened the distance between himself and Dan Gaoshi, maintaining a respectful five-step gap.

In large households, to prevent unauthorized movements or any illicit affairs, it was common practice to lock the gates between courtyards at night, restricting the flow of people.

Before long, Dan Gaoshi led Wei Tu to a guest room in the second courtyard and ordered the maids to tidy up the bedding and clean the room.

"Wei Ge'er, it's getting late. I'll take my leave now," Dan Gaoshi said softly, standing at the doorway. She hesitated slightly before bowing subtly and disappearing down the corridor.

"This…"

Wei Tu was momentarily taken aback by her sudden change in demeanor. But after a brief moment of contemplation, he began to understand.

All this time at the Dan household, because Dan Gaoshi managed the household affairs, he had instinctively regarded her as a matriarch, much like Li Tongshi in the Li family.

It was only now that he truly realized—Dan Gaoshi was merely Dan Wu Ju's concubine, a favored one perhaps, but without any children. Her actual status was not as high as he had thought.

And now that he had officially become Dan Wu Ju's disciple, his position in the household was already on par with hers, if not slightly higher.

Dan Wu Ju hadn't explicitly stated this change, but the servants and concubines in the household understood it all too well.

"This is what it means to be a rootless drifter, a cloud swept by the wind."

Wei Tu reminded himself.

Earlier, back at the laborers' quarters, he had grasped this idea in theory. But he hadn't truly felt the weight of it—he had been too caught up in the thrill of his newfound status.

Now, after witnessing Dan Gaoshi, once a "mistress," lower herself before him, even a fool would understand the reality of it.

If his martial progress failed to meet Dan Wu Ju's expectations, or if he performed poorly in the upcoming martial examination, while his status as a disciple might remain, his standing in the household would undoubtedly decline.

Once the maids finished making the bed, Wei Tu finally took a proper look at his new living quarters.

Against the eastern wall stood a wooden bed, draped with a floral-patterned summer canopy. In front of the bed, a small wooden table sat against the western wall, adorned with a pair of slender porcelain vases.

To the far west, behind a curtain, was a lacquered wooden desk, neatly arranged with an assortment of old books and a brush holder.

Lifting the curtain, Wei Tu stepped closer and found that the brush rack held several brushes of varying sizes—some made of wolf hair, others of goat hair.

Paper, ink, brushes, and an inkstone—everything was provided.

As for the old books, a quick glance revealed that they weren't common reading materials found in bookstores. They were military texts— The New Book of Effective Discipline for drilling troops, The Book of Grand Duke Jiang for strategy, and Invaluable Sutra of Taoism for tactical deception.

"Master has really thought this through…"

Wei Tu was genuinely touched by Dan Wu Ju's thorough preparation.

If, before, he had estimated his chances of passing the martial examination at thirty percent…

Then now, with Dan Wu Ju's full-fledged guidance, he was confident that his chances had risen to at least fifty, maybe even sixty or seventy percent.

Without wasting any more time, Wei Tu settled his thoughts, ground some ink, and began writing a letter.

In it, he shared the joyous news with Xinghua—that he had been formally taken in as Dan Wu Ju's disciple. He also told her that she need not wait for him to return home for the New Year. He had to focus all his time and energy on training, ensuring that he was fully prepared for the examination in February.

Only by eliminating all weaknesses could he confidently step forward and claim success in the martial examination.