Weak Scholar

In the hall.

Qin Wenzheng was leisurely sipping his morning tea as he pondered over something.

The maidservant entered the house first and reported respectfully, "First Young Miss and Sir are here to pay their respects to you, Old Master."

Qin Wenzheng put down his teacup and asked, "Where's Madam? She's not here yet?"

The maidservant lowered her head and said nervously, "Madam said that she's not feeling well, so she won't be coming."

Qin Wenzheng frowned and hesitated for a bit. He waved his hand and said, "Go, let them in."

The maidservant took her leave.

Soon, Luo Qingzhou followed Qin Jianjia into the hall.

The maidservant brought over the teacups that she had just poured tea into and respectfully handed it to the two of them.

Luo Qingzhou was about to reach out when he stopped.

After seeing Qin Jianjia reaching out and grabbing the teacup, Luo Qingzhou followed suit.

The two of them approached Qin Wenzheng.

Luo Qingzhou hesitated for a moment. Seeing that Qin Jianjia did not make any move, he could only kneel down first.

Then, he bowed and handed over the teacup in his hand. He said respectfully, "Father, please have some tea."

The girl beside him was still standing there motionless.

Qin Wenzheng glanced at his daughter before reaching out to take the teacup in front of him. He took a sip of the tea and looked at the young man kneeling in front of him. "Qingzhou, since you're willing to call me father, from today onward, you're a member of the Qin family. I only have one thing to remind you today. Treat Jianjia well. No matter what, she's your wife. Love and protect her. Don't let her suffer any grievances or harm. Can you do that?"

Luo Qingzhou said respectfully, "I will definitely do my best."

Qin Wenzheng nodded and said gently, "There's no need for you to change your surname. The Qin family doesn't have many rules. In the future, the child born to you and Jianjia can also take your surname. As long as you treat Jianjia well, anything is negotiable."

"Thank you, Father."

Luo Qingzhou felt a little touched.

Qin Wenzheng waved his hand and said, "All right, you may leave first. I want to have a word with Jianjia. Jianjia's mother isn't feeling well today, so you don't have to serve tea to her. Maybe next time."

Luo Qingzhou did not dare to stay any longer. He stood up and bade farewell.

Just as he reached the door, Qin Wenzheng called out to him. "By the way, Qingzhou, I heard that your mother is buried in the mountain outside the city. You should go and pray to her in a few days. Filial piety is the most important thing. Since you've already gotten married, you ought to inform her about it."

"Yes. I will do that."

Luo Qingzhou responded respectfully and left the hall.

Qin Wenzheng looked at Luo Qingzhou as he left. His eyes flickered.

After Luo Qingzhou vanished from his sight, he muttered, "This young man is neither servile nor overbearing, and he is composed. He seems to be different from the intel I'd previously gotten of him. However, he's only a weak scholar after all. In this era, scholars…"

He sighed and looked at his daughter.

Luo Qingzhou walked out of the hall. He wanted to say something to Bai Ling.

However, he decided against it when he saw Xia Chan beside her.

Xia Chan gave him the feeling that she would draw her sword and slit his throat if he rubbed her the wrong way.

It was better to stay away from her.

Bai Ling had lied to him and deliberately said that the First Young Miss was Nangong Meijiao from the capital.

However, everything else she said should be true.

Especially regarding Miss Xia Chan's personality.

Thus, Luo Qingzhou did not stay and immediately left with Xiao Die.

They returned to the courtyard.

Luo Qingzhou could not resist going back into the house and looking at the bridal room. He thought back to what happened last night and the bride's gorgeous looks and outstanding temperament.

However, he quickly snapped back to reality.

Now was not the time to let his imagination run wild.

It was time to cultivate!

"Xiao Die, stand guard outside. If they come back, come in and call me immediately."

After giving that order, Luo Qingzhou closed the door.

Xiao Die replied from the courtyard, "Yes, Young Master."

Luo Qingzhou returned to his room and sat cross-legged on the ground near the bed. He took a deep breath and slowly closed his eyes.

After a long time, he calmed down.

There was silence.

The drawings and words of the cultivation method in the secret manual appeared in his mind.

His consciousness entered the darkness and slowly sank down.

He was buried underground.

He was like a seed that had been buried deeply underneath the ground and was accumulating energy.

Qi condensed in his abdomen.

Then, it traveled freely along the meridians and entered the body through acupoints.

In the beginning, it was slow and bumpy. Gradually, it sped up and traveled fast and smoothly.

Luo Qingzhou settled into a snooze again.

His consciousness was floating, as if he was in a dream.

The qi in his body was like a swimming dragon as it swam forward.

It crossed mountains and overcame all sorts of obstacles.

Luo Qingzhou's body began to heat up, and his skin turned pinkish.

Hot air started to ooze from every pore, bringing with it the impurities in his body.

Outside the window, the morning sun rose higher and higher.

When Xiao Die's voice sounded outside, it was already noon.

"Young Master, it's time to eat."

Xiao Die shouted outside the window again.

Luo Qingzhou slowly opened his eyes.

After a moment of silence, he stood up from the ground and immediately felt a warm and comfortable sensation.

At the same time, he felt invigorated. His vision and hearing were enhanced.

"This internal cultivation method is indeed magical. The more I practice, the better its effect. It's only the third time I practiced it, but it already has such a miraculous effect," Luo Qingzhou thought.

Luo Qingzhou was filled with anticipation about the future that awaited him.

As long as he cultivated diligently, it was possible for him to defeat Luo Yu in the Dragon Academy's recruitment competition and avenge his mother!

He really wanted to see the First Madam flying into a rage and glaring at him maliciously.

When she and her son, Luo Yu, had harmed Luo Qingzhou and his mother, they must have also revealed such a malevolent expression!

"Young Master, it's time to eat. If you don't eat now, the dishes will turn cold."

Xiao Die's urging voice sounded outside the window again.

Luo Qingzhou composed himself and walked out.

On the stone table in the small courtyard, there were four dishes and a soup.

There were meat and vegetables. It was a very sumptuous meal.

Xiao Die said happily, "Young Master, Bai Ling got someone to send this over. We've never had such a spread before when we were at Chengguo Residence."

Luo Qingzhou took the bowl and chopsticks from her. He looked at her and asked, "They didn't come back?"

Xiao Die shook her head and said, "No. Maybe they're busy with other things."

Luo Qingzhou thought about it and said, "She probably went to visit her mother. Xiao Die, sit down, and eat. Don't bother about them anymore."

Xiao Die quickly shook her head and said, "I'm not allowed to sit, Young Master. You can go ahead and eat first. I will eat after you're done."

Luo Qingzhou paused for a moment and then nodded. He did not continue to insist that she sit.

This was not the Chengguo Residence, nor was it a secluded courtyard that no one visited.

There were strict rules that they had to abide by. After all, there was a vast difference in status between a master and a maidservant.

If others saw the two of them eating together, not only would they criticize him, but they would also say that Xiao Die was impolite and did not have a good upbringing.

In the future, they might be hostile toward Xiao Die. In the worst-case scenario, Xiao Die might even be insulted and bullied.

The two of them had newly shifted to the Qin residence, so they had to follow the rules.

Luo Qingzhou stopped talking and started eating.

Perhaps it was because he had cultivated in the morning, so he had a good appetite. He ate two bowls of rice.

After he finished eating, he returned to his room and continued cultivating.

After Xiao Die finished her meal, she cleared the table and left the courtyard, closing the door behind her.

Luo Qingzhou closed his eyes and calmed his mind. Soon, he entered a cultivation state.

Time passed quickly.

In the blink of an eye, the sun that was hanging high overhead was now at the edge of the horizon.

Luo Qingzhou got up from the ground.

He pushed open the window and looked outside.

The setting sun bathed the landscape in a deep orange glow, flecked with the first shadows of dusk.

When he thought about how he was going to sleep with that beautiful girl again tonight, his composed demeanor vanished. His heart started thumping wildly in his chest.

Luo Qingzhou was greatly looking forward to it.