Chapter 30: The Chilling Spring Breeze

After that, Wei Hong continued exchanging pleasantries, inquiring about Wei Tu's living arrangements, daily expenses, and his relationship with the Li family.

There was nothing much for Wei Tu to hide, but before responding, he still carefully considered his words.

For instance, he chose to leave out the fact that Li Yaozu had once coveted Xinghua.

"I still have some private savings. I can lend them to you for Xinghua's redemption, or I can personally make the trip myself."

"It wouldn't be right for her to remain a servant in the Li household forever."

"As for a place to stay, the Huang residence has plenty of guest rooms. I'll take charge and set aside a room for you two."

At this point, Wei Hong's expression sharpened. She narrowed her eyes and tapped her silk handkerchief against her palm, her voice laced with disdain.

"Li Yaozu is cunning. You shouldn't have had to pay that much for your redemption—eleven taels and five qian?"

"Even if it were just eight taels and eight qian, they still made a profit, and on top of that, they wanted you to owe them a favor!"

Having spent years immersed in the world of merchants, Wei Hong had long since become adept at evaluating the price of servants. One glance, and she immediately saw through Li Yaozu and First Madam Li Tongshi's deception.

"Master Li and Madam Li agreed to let me redeem myself without causing trouble, and later even recommended me to Master Dan…"

"A small profit like this isn't worth nitpicking over."

Wei Tu shook his head, unwilling to let Wei Hong dwell on the matter further.

Three years ago, he had estimated that his redemption cost should have been around ten taels, perhaps slightly more or slightly less.

But he had no real say in the matter—his fate had been entirely in the hands of the Li family.

Unlike bargaining in a marketplace, where he could haggle over price, he had no such privilege when it came to his own freedom.

The final amount was whatever Li Yaozu and First Madam Li decided it to be.

"Alright, let's not talk about this anymore. What about Xinghua's redemption?" Wei Hong asked with a smile.

"There's no need for Second Aunt to trouble herself over this matter."

Wei Tu shook his head. "If I had intended to borrow money for Xinghua's redemption, I would have already asked Master Dan while I was at the Dan household."

A fine steed like the Qingcang horse, worth one hundred taels, had been lent to him without hesitation.

The cost to redeem Xinghua was unlikely to even reach ten taels.

Wei Tu was certain that if he had simply asked, Master Dan would have loaned him the money without a second thought.

Not only Master Dan, but even Dan Fang, despite their rivalry, would have jumped at the chance to help him with Xinghua's redemption.

Because redeeming a man's wife was a great favor—a debt that could never be repaid.

"I was being too presumptuous."

Wei Hong's smile stiffened, and her dominant air completely faded.

She could clearly sense the distance in Wei Tu's words.

He would rather borrow money from Dan Wu Ju than from her—his meaning was clear.

To Wei Tu, she was far less important than Master Dan.

"So after all these years of scheming, I've been outmaneuvered."

Wei Hong sighed inwardly.

When the martial examination concluded today, she had assumed that Wei Tu was eager to reconnect because he wanted to leverage her connection to the Huang family.

But once she learned that Wei Tu was a disciple of Dan Wu Ju, that assumption vanished instantly.

A martial scholar's resources—while perhaps not as wealthy as the Huang family—were still more than enough.

And in terms of official connections, a martial scholar had far greater influence than a merchant family like the Huangs.

Wei Tu did not need to lower himself to cling onto the Huang family's wealth.

Instead, the only reason he was even acknowledging her as kin was likely because, three years ago, she hadn't severed ties completely.

"Wei Ge'er, the dishes are ready in the kitchen. Come, let's have this celebration feast together. It's specially prepared for you," Wei Hong said, skillfully hiding her awkwardness and using the upcoming celebration feast as an excuse to end the conversation.

— Even though her maternal nephew, Wei Tu, was not particularly close to her, as long as they recognized each other as kin, and now that he had status, her position in the Huang family would naturally benefit from it, rising with the tide.

...

After the celebration feast.

Wei Tu did not linger long at the Huang residence. Citing the need to prepare for his exams, he bid farewell to Old Master Huang.

Upon hearing this, Old Master Huang found it hard to come up with a suitable reason to keep Wei Tu around. He instructed the butler to arrange a carriage to send Wei Tu back to the Li residence.

Wei Tu thought for a moment and did not refuse.

— Li Yaozu was stingy by nature and likely thought that allowing him to stay overnight was a great favor. The fact that he had the Huang family's carriage to send him home would help diminish any ill thoughts that Li Yaozu might have had.

For wealthy families, allowing poor people to stay was considered a favor.

But when hosting someone of the same social standing, it was merely a matter of socializing and etiquette, not a favor.

"Wei Wushi, please wait," came a coarse voice just as Wei Tu was about to step into the carriage.

The voice was full of strength, clearly coming from another martial artist.

"Master Ruan?" Wei Tu lifted the curtain of the carriage and peeked out. He quickly recognized the voice.

Although he had only met Master Ruan once, the health cultivation technique that Master Ruan had given him was too important. Even after three years, Wei Tu still remembered Master Ruan's face.

"Back then, I, Ruan, was quite contemptuous of you, Wei Wushi..."

"Afterward, I often blamed myself."

"It was my fault... I failed to recognize your talent, and I hope you won't hold this against me..." Master Ruan's face turned red as he shifted awkwardly, cupping his hands in a deep bow, loudly apologizing.

Martial artists prided themselves on their courage and strength.

Given how Ruan had treated Wei Tu three years ago, it was hard for him to imagine how Wei Tu might have retaliated if they had crossed paths during the third round of the "competition."

If that had happened, not only would his reputation have been ruined, but there was a chance Wei Tu would have severely injured him, leaving him crippled for life.

Just thinking about it made Master Ruan break into a cold sweat.

Thus, thinking of his reputation and his life, Master Ruan stopped the carriage and shamelessly approached Wei Tu to apologize.

On the other side.

When Wei Tu saw Master Ruan perform such a grand gesture, he was momentarily stunned. After regaining his composure, he said, "This matter doesn't bother me. Please, Master Ruan, rise. There's no need for such formalities…"

Back then, he had not taken Master Ruan's mistreatment to heart because they were strangers to each other.

What really bothered him was his cousin Huang Yuan Shan's disdain for him.

It wasn't pleasant to be looked down upon.

But forgiveness aside, Wei Tu wasn't so magnanimous as to get out of the carriage and personally help Master Ruan up. Nor would he say anything comforting to ease the situation.

He wasn't a sage or a gentleman; he had no ambitions of bending down to flatter others.

After speaking, Wei Tu let the curtain fall, signaling the coachman to continue the journey without delay.

"What bothered me back then..."

"Today... I no longer care as much about it..."

As the carriage moved a distance away, Wei Tu opened the curtain again.

The night air was as cold as water.

The chill was stronger now.

Wei Tu stretched out his right hand, feeling the brisk spring breeze rushing past outside the carriage, then gently ran his hand over his face.

His cheek felt slightly cool.

It was no longer the burning heat he had felt three years ago.