Spring faded into autumn.
In the blink of an eye—
Another year had passed.
During the spring planting season of the twenty-third year of Qing'an, First Madam Li Tongshi finally relented and allowed Wei Tu and Xinghua to rent three acres of riverside farmland just outside Qingmu County.
However—
When it came to rent payments, she showed no mercy.
Just like the other tenant farmers, they had to hand over sixty percent of their harvest as rent.
The only upside was that the Li family's land rent already included the government land tax.
Unlike other wealthy landlords, who made their tenant farmers pay the tax separately, Li Manor handled it themselves.
In other words—
Whatever Wei Tu harvested, after giving up sixty percent as rent, the remaining forty percent was his to keep.
Additionally—
While growing wheat, they could also plant soybeans between the rows of wheat sprouts.
That alone was another small source of income.
Half a month before the wheat ripened, Master Li Yaozu took Wei Tu with him to the prefectural city, where they would pay tuition fees for his eldest son, Li Xingye, who was studying at the Prefectural Academy.
"The Academy instructors are a bunch of greedy bastards!"
"They insist we pay tuition before the wheat is even ripe—it's obvious they just want to squeeze more silver from us!"
On the road, Li Yaozu rode his horse, while Wei Tu led the reins, walking alongside.
Looking back at the mule cart carrying sacks of grain, Li Yaozu grumbled nonstop about having to pay tuition so early in the season—
Complaining that it had cost him extra silver for nothing.
Wei Tu remained silent, simply listening as Li Yaozu sighed and muttered to himself.
Every year—
Before the harvest, and after the harvest—
The price of grain fluctuated significantly.
On paper, it seemed like they were paying the same tuition amount, but since grain prices were higher before harvest, the Prefectural Academy could turn a profit by reselling the grain at a higher price.
This was not the first time Li Yaozu had complained about this.
In fact—
Wei Tu had heard him rant about it at least ten times by now.
At this point, he could recite it by heart.
"Just half a month more, and once the harvest is complete, I'll finally have enough silver saved up."
"After that—the only thing left is convincing Master Li and First Madam to release my indenture contract."
Wei Tu calculated his progress in his mind.
Everything was going according to plan.
After more than a year of frugal living, he was only a little short of the ten taels needed to buy his freedom.
Now, all that remained was—
Convincing Li Yaozu and Li Tongshi to agree to sell his indenture contract back and provide a written letter of release.
However—
Just as Wei Tu was considering how to negotiate his freedom, Li Yaozu, who had just finished cursing the academy instructors, suddenly changed the subject and spoke to him directly.
"Wei Tu, you're strong and broad-shouldered, and you've got a good head on your shoulders."
"Why don't you stay in the prefectural city and become a personal attendant to Xingye?"
"Protect him."
"That way, as his father, I won't have to worry as much."
Li Yaozu pulled on the reins, bringing his horse to a stop.
With a commanding gaze, he looked down at Wei Tu, stroking his goatee, his eyes glinting with a calculating light.
For a moment, Wei Tu froze.
Then, thinking quickly, he offered a polite excuse.
"The Young Master already has plenty of attendants at his side."
"If I go, it'll just disrupt his routine and distract him from his studies—"
"That wouldn't be good for his academic progress."
After a brief pause, Wei Tu added—
"And besides—"
"In another half a year, it'll be time for the county-level preliminary examination."
In Zheng Kingdom, the scholarly civil exam always took place before the martial exam.
There was a half-month gap between the two.
Since Wei Tu planned to take the martial examination, he naturally had some understanding of the literary examination schedule as well.
"Hmm… That's true."
"We wouldn't want to interfere with Xingye's studies."
After a brief moment of hesitation, Li Yaozu nodded firmly.
He dropped the subject and didn't press the issue further.
However—
Just because Li Yaozu moved on, didn't mean Wei Tu forgot about it.
Instead—
This single conversation made alarm bells ring in his mind.
"Why did Li Yaozu suddenly try to send me away during harvest season?"
"What is he planning?"
On the return journey from the prefectural city, Wei Tu couldn't stop thinking about it.
Everyone in Li Manor knew that Master Li was not an easy man to deal with.
That was common knowledge among the household servants.
But at the same time—
It also meant that Li Yaozu was extremely shrewd.
He wasn't easily fooled.
If Wei Tu could think of the potential problems, then surely Li Yaozu had already considered them as well.
Yet he still made the offer.
Why?
"This doesn't make sense…"
After returning to Li Manor, Wei Tu sought out Caixia, one of the head maids.
He explained his concerns to her and asked for her opinion.
Caixia had entered Li Manor around the same time as him, and they had always been on good terms.
She was also the one who had hinted through Chunlan that First Madam was willing to approve his marriage to Xinghua.
If anyone in the household might have insight into First Madam's or Master Li's true intentions, it would be her.
"It seems to me that Master Li has his eyes on Sister Xinghua…"
Caixia pulled Wei Tu aside into a secluded corner of the corridor, lowering her voice as she revealed her thoughts.
"First Madam hasn't been in a good mood lately. A few nights ago, I overheard her and Master arguing—she was accusing him of fooling around with the wives of some tenant farmers."
"If Master Li sends you away, that means your rented fields will be left unattended. At that point, Sister Xinghua will be at his mercy."
Caixia spoke each word with careful emphasis.
"What a despicable scheme…"
Wei Tu's face darkened instantly. His fingers clenched into fists so tightly that his nails nearly pierced his palms. The urge to tear Li Yaozu limb from limb, to exact bloody vengeance, surged within him.
He had heard of tenant farmers offering their wives to landlords in exchange for better farmland, but he never imagined that Li Manor, which seemed so dignified on the surface, was riddled with such filth as well.
Sending him away to serve as a personal attendant to Li Xingye?
That was merely an excuse.
Master Li's real intention was to coerce him into surrendering Xinghua.
If Wei Tu refused—
Then the fields he had worked so hard to cultivate for a whole year would go to waste.
If he refused—
Then any hope of renting such good farmland next year would be completely crushed.
As for why Li Yaozu hadn't made his move on Xinghua before she got married—
Wei Tu could guess the reasons.
First—First Madam Li Tongshi was strict in managing the household. She was also somewhat jealous, never allowing Master Li to take concubines or engage in affairs with the manor's maids.
Even Caixia, who had served as a personal maid for years, was still untouched.
Second—Reputation mattered.
If word got out that Master Li was lusting after his own household servants, it would bring shame upon Li Manor.
Even Li Yaozu wouldn't want such rumors spreading.
Third—Maidservants were difficult to deal with.
If he defiled a maid, he would have to decide whether to take her as a concubine or discard her.
But forcing a peasant woman into submission was a different matter entirely.
For the rural poor, there was no such thing as "death before dishonor"—as long as no one knew about it, the matter could be swept under the rug.
"I understand now."
"Thank you, Caixia."
After a long moment, Wei Tu loosened his fists, suppressing the anger boiling within him. He lowered his head slightly, showing his gratitude.
"It's nothing."
Caixia smiled faintly.
"When I was punished by First Madam back then, Sister Xinghua used to sneak food to me—I never forgot that kindness."
Back in the courtyard, after feeding the half-grown black horse, Wei Tu performed several rounds of Turtle Breath Energy Cultivation, warming up his body.
"With my current strength, I already have a solid chance of passing the martial examination."
"If I directly ask First Madam to let me redeem my indenture, given her intelligence, she should understand that it's in her best interest to let me go."
Wei Tu calculated his next move.
A shallow pond cannot raise a true dragon.
Someone like Li Tongshi should recognize the danger of keeping a resentful martial artist within her household.
She had always been a cautious and intelligent woman—she should know better than to keep a tiger caged within her home.
"But if she refuses…"
"If she isn't as wise as I thought…"
A glint of cold determination flashed in Wei Tu's eyes.
A man who carries a blade will always have blood in his heart.
With his current strength, he was more than capable of slaughtering everyone in Li Manor.
Of course—
He owed them a debt of gratitude for keeping him alive during the famine.
He would not repay kindness with bloodshed.
However—
If his path to redemption was blocked, if he was pushed into a dead-end—
Then he would flee.
He would join the ranks of the blade-wielding outlaws.
No more submissive servitude.
No more bowing and scraping.
If Li Manor refused to release him, then he would abandon everything and become a bandit, a sword-wielding mercenary—whatever it took to survive.
There were two paths before him—
Either he would redeem his freedom and take the martial examination—
Or—
He would carve out his own fate with blood and steel.