From stable boy to peerless immortal

Chapter 20 An Uninvited Guest with No Good Intentions!

The "Dragon and Snake Treasure Record" is profound and extensive, containing methods for tempering the body, meditation and breathing exercises, as well as martial arts techniques and killing skills, and even lightness skills and movement techniques.

The "Dragon and Snake Hundred Transformations Body Technique" is one such movement technique, but it has a threshold. Only martial artists at the tendon-refining stage can cultivate it, and it is impossible to master without sufficient talent.

But once you achieve some success, it can save your life in a critical moment!

Ever since witnessing the old gardener being run over and killed by Hua Yujie on horseback, Shen Yuan has taken it as a warning and deeply realized the importance of strength.

Aside from frequently following Old Man Niu to learn horse breeding, he spent most of his time practicing martial arts.

Not only the "Dragon and Snake Hundred Transformations Body Technique," but he also put in the effort to practice the "Yin Dragon Bone-Shattering Hand," a martial art specializing in killing attacks.

Perhaps it was because Shen Yuan had good natural talent and aptitude, but in just over ten days, he had already made some progress in the "Dragon and Snake Transformation Technique".

As for the "Yin Dragon Bone-Shattering Hand," he has mastered it quite skillfully, but to further refine this killing martial art, he needs more time and experience in actual combat!

I took a shower and changed my clothes.

A clay pot sat on a small stove nearby, bubbling and steaming.

Shen Yuan lifted the lid of the pot, and steam rose up. A meaty aroma mixed with the fragrance of herbs immediately wafted out. The hen soup with Scrophularia ningpoensis inside was tender and flavorful, clearly stewed to perfection.

"It smells so good."

Shen Yuan rubbed his hands together, tore off a chicken leg while it was still hot, and began to taste it. The flavor was fresh and fragrant, with a hint of sweetness, and not greasy at all. It tasted quite good.

He ate everything, skin and bones, soup and all, leaving nothing behind, not even the medicinal herbs.

After eating, I felt warm all over, with wisps of heat spreading throughout my body, which was very comfortable.

As the saying goes, "The poor are scholars, the rich are warriors."

In martial arts training, practice is one aspect, but nurturing is even more important!

Otherwise, forcing yourself to practice martial arts will only deplete your potential and cause more harm to your body.

Whether it's medicinal baths, medicinal cuisine, massage, acupuncture, or nourishing pills, these are all essential processes for anyone who wants to master them.

It's no exaggeration to say that three parts training and seven parts maintenance are essential!

To achieve something, it requires maintenance day after day, year after year.

All sorts of consumption and expenses can easily drain a well-off family dry.

Although Shen Yuan is exceptionally gifted and has abundant qi and blood, he can recover from any physical depletion with a good night's sleep, which is a great advantage. However, he still needs to replenish his daily energy expenditure, otherwise he would be disrespecting the "conservation of energy".

Fortunately, as the manager, in addition to his fixed monthly salary, he also had some hidden benefits, so he didn't need to worry about expenses.

After eating and drinking his fill, Shen Yuan was about to return to his room when he heard some noises outside.

It seemed someone opened the courtyard gate and came in.

Shen Yuan immediately became alert, opened the door, and saw two more figures in the courtyard.

By the dim moonlight, he could make out the appearance of the two people.

One of them was thin and old, his face full of wrinkles, and his old eyes held a sinister look. He was clearly his old acquaintance, Manager Huang.

The other person was a middle-aged man dressed in a gray robe. He was thin, but his hair and beard were neatly combed and meticulously groomed, with two mustaches hanging on either side of his mouth.

The middle-aged man stood there with his hands behind his back, looking relaxed and at ease, as if he were in his own backyard. He didn't seem unnatural at all, but he brought an invisible pressure to Shen Yuan.

The newcomer seems to have ill intentions... Shen Yuan narrowed his eyes, then chuckled:

"Who do you think it is? It's Steward Huang."

"Gentlemen, what brings you to my humble courtyard so late at night?"

"Shen Yuan, you'd better watch carefully."

Steward Huang sneered, "This is Steward Wu from the main branch, and a long-time servant of Madam Wu. In terms of status and position, even the young masters have to treat him with deference. Now that Steward Wu is in front of you, why don't you quickly kneel down and pay your respects?!"

Shen Yuan was taken aback. He glanced at Butler Wu, then looked at Butler Huang, and suddenly laughed.

"Hey kid, what are you laughing at!"

Seeing that Shen Yuan did not kneel and bow, but instead had a strange smile, Steward Huang was furious.

"I laugh at Manager Huang, your current attitude is just like a dog's."

Shen Yuan casually uttered the harsh truth: "A groveling, opportunistic old dog!"

Manager Huang's expression immediately changed.

His unusual childhood experiences led him to develop peculiar hobbies. Especially in the environment of Hua Rong Mansion, where he suffered bullying, his mentality became both arrogant and insecure, twisted and complex.

Therefore, he likes it most when people are respectful and obsequious in front of him, and he likes it even more when people cry and beg for mercy in front of him.

But when he encounters someone of higher status, he becomes extremely respectful and obsequious.

Shen Yuan's words struck a chord with him.

The feeling of having his darkest side exposed in public, and the humiliation of being stabbed twice, was more unbearable than the pain of being publicly stabbed.

Manager Huang's eyes gleamed with venom: "Boy, you..."

Before he could utter any more harsh words, Steward Wu waved his hand to stop him, looking at Shen Yuan with a strange gaze, as if he had seen an interesting toy.

"What a sharp-tongued brat!"

"Shen Yuan, is it? It's true that you've been freed from slavery, but I am the head steward of the main branch, which is arguably your superior. You should know the rules of the Hua Rong Mansion. Do you intend to defy the rules of this Marquis's mansion?"

If it were someone in this world whose manners are ingrained in their bones, they would have to obediently kowtow when Butler Wu used the rules of Hua Rong Mansion to pressure them, no matter how unwilling they were.

But Shen Yuan was a lawless man at heart, and as a modern person with his own set of rules, he naturally wouldn't accept this.

"The young lady once said that I only need to be responsible for her, and I don't need to pay attention to the others, whether they are managers or stewards."

Shen Yuan cupped his hands in a gesture of respect towards Qingchi Garden, his expression indifferent: "The young lady has been incredibly kind to me, and I will naturally obey her words. Who do you think you are? Do you even have the right to use rules to pressure me?"

"How dare you! I've served the master and mistress in this Hua Rong mansion for over thirty years, and I've never seen such an audacious brat as you!"

Steward Wu's face suddenly darkened, and he sneered, "The eldest young lady is indeed of noble birth, but she is also a member of the Marquis's mansion and must abide by its rules! If the eldest young lady is like this, what about you?"

"Steward Wu, there's no need to say such things."

Shen Yuan didn't take it seriously. He picked at his ear with his little finger, flicked off non-existent dander from under his fingernails, and said casually, "I eat the food of the second branch of the family, but you're from the first branch. You have no right to tell me what to do. You're trying to use the rules of the first branch to pressure me. What's the difference between that and using the sword of the previous dynasty to behead an official of this dynasty?"

"You...you're outrageous! You're incredibly audacious!"

Manager Wu was trembling with anger, his face flushed red, and he was no longer as calm as before. He never expected that the young man in front of him would speak so recklessly and dare to say such things.