Beneath the grapevine in the small courtyard.

“Brother, is there really no way for your hand to recover?”

Jiang Li shook his head slightly, “No way. The tendons are severed, the bones are shattered, and my right arm is practically crushed. If it weren’t for the high grade healing medicine and painkillers given by the county magistrate, I probably wouldn’t even be standing in front of you right now.”

At this point, he smiled and shook his head, “Little brother, you said at noon yesterday that you wanted to practice martial arts, right?”

“Yes!” Jiang Ning nodded.

“You should practice martial arts!” Jiang Li now showed an expression filled with deep emotion, and then continued, “The world is getting more and more chaotic nowadays! The God Worshiping Cult is getting bolder and bolder! They are also becoming crazier in order to create man-made gods. If it weren’t for the God Worshiping Cult, I wouldn’t have met with this great disaster!”

“The God Worshiping Cult?” Jiang Ning’s eyes narrowed, and his mind instantly recalled what had happened two months ago.

Two months ago, when he first traveled to this world, he had been severely injured.

After absorbing the memories of his predecessor at that time, he recalled that after being attacked, he had heard the words ‘God Worshiping Cult’ in a daze, as well as a specific sentence: “We’ve found another naturally spiritually gifted one. After extracting this soul, we will surely get a reward from the divine envoy!”

Undoubtedly, he was that naturally spiritually gifted person.

The attack on his predecessor, in his view, was highly likely due to being targeted by the God Worshiping Cult for this reason.

Perhaps it was also because of that accident that he awakened the wisdom of his past life, or perhaps it was the catalyst that allowed him to travel to this world in the first place.

As for the exact reason, he had no way of knowing.

Hearing the words ‘God Worshiping Cult’ again at this moment made Jiang Ning feel that he had to pay serious attention to this matter.

Even now, he did not understand what a naturally spiritually gifted person was, but he knew that if his predecessor had been targeted by the God Worshiping Cult for this reason, he might very well share the same fate if he were discovered again.

“Little brother, what is wrong?” Seeing Jiang Ning looking a bit distracted, Jiang Li asked with concern.

“It is nothing, I just suddenly thought of some things.” Jiang Ning shook his head.

Hearing this, Jiang Li could not help but smile warmly, “Don’t worry! I have already arranged everything for your martial arts training and found a good teacher for you.”

“A good teacher?” Jiang Ning immediately shook his head, “There is no need, brother. Apprenticing under a master is too expensive, and we cannot afford it. It is enough if you just teach me a few martial arts techniques yourself!”

“Let me teach you?” Jiang Li immediately shook his head repeatedly, “That won’t do! Learning martial arts is not simple; it cannot be taught carelessly, nor can it be learned carelessly. Once something goes wrong, the regret is everlasting.”

He continued, “Besides, my right hand is ruined now. How can I teach you to hold a saber with my left hand? The good teacher I found for you is Wang Jin of the Canglang Martial Arts Hall. Master Wang Jin is a ranked martial artist whose strength is far above mine, and he has rich teaching experience. He definitely counts as a great teacher.”

“Canglang Martial Arts Hall? Wang Jin?” Jiang Ning was slightly surprised. During these days when he had read widely and asked his brother many questions, he had naturally heard of the great name of Wang Jin from the Canglang Martial Arts Hall.

This was a martial arts hall that countless martial arts practitioners dreamed of joining. Once a person passed the test of the Canglang Martial Arts Hall and became a true disciple, it was practically a meteoric rise for an ordinary person. This was not only because of the strength of the Canglang Martial Arts Hall, but also because of Wang Jin’s status.

However, Jiang Ning then shook his head, knowing full well how much silver was required to join the Canglang Martial Arts Hall.

Even though his brother was a government bailiff, held an official sub-bureaucratic status, was a member of the government, and had some connections with Wang Jin of the Canglang Martial Arts Hall, there would be no exception made for him.

Jiang Ning then spoke up, “Brother, even if I really need to find a good teacher, there is no need for it to be the Canglang Martial Arts Hall. Apprenticing under the Canglang Martial Arts Hall is simply too expensive!”

“You don’t need to worry about this!” Jiang Li said, “I have risked my life for the government office and for the county magistrate. Now that I have suffered such a severe injury, there will naturally be a compensation package issued by the government.”

He then whispered to Jiang Ning, “Little brother, don’t tell your sister in law about this. The compensation from the county office will take some time to be issued, so I have temporarily borrowed some money to use as your tuition fee for now. If your sister in law finds out about this, she will nag me again.”

As his words fell, Jiang Li chuckled softly, pretending to be lighthearted.

At this moment, Jiang Ning’s heart was filled with a complex mix of emotions; he had never experienced such deep, selfless family affection in his past life.

Afterward, Jiang Li patted his shoulder, “It is late, go to sleep first! The apprenticeship fee has already been paid, so you don’t need to decline anymore. This tuition fee is non-refundable. Tomorrow, just be good and come with me to the Canglang Martial Arts Hall.”

Leaving those words behind, Jiang Li walked over to Liu Wanwan, and the two of them returned to their room.

The next morning, the sun rose in the east, and the sky grew bright.

Suddenly.

Knock, knock, knock!

A rapid knocking sounded at the door.

“Brother Li, Xu Yunfeng is here to visit!”

Xu Yunfeng?

Hearing this name, Jiang Ning was slightly surprised, and then he immediately recalled who this was.

Previously, his brother had taken him to the government records archive once, and he had read through the government files.

Xu Yunfeng was a man who had been left with no one to rely on since childhood. He had once fought with wild dogs for food and would stop at nothing to achieve his goals. The fact that he could reach his current position showed he was definitely no saint.

Most importantly, this man worked under Head Bailiff Cao Bin, who was a direct blood relative of the Cao family, one of the titanic forces in Linjiang County.

As a local powerhouse, the Cao family was at odds with the county magistrate, who was a newly appointed official from the capital. Jiang Ning had seen this clearly from various past events.

It was not difficult to see this point. Looking through the history of humanity in his past life, the covert struggles between powerful local clans and newly appointed officials were too numerous to count, naturally carrying strong conflicts.

If his brother had to align with a faction, he had always deeply trusted the county magistrate, and Head Bailiff Feng, who was his brother’s immediate superior, was also part of the magistrate’s faction.

At this moment, Jiang Ning instantly made a judgment in his heart: the visitor did not come with good intentions!

Thinking of this, he quickly rolled out of bed, planning to go to the main hall to observe the situation.

When he arrived in the main hall, he saw his brother Jiang Li leading a man dressed in a dark government robe with a standard issue saber hanging at his waist into the main living room.

After the two of them took their seats, his sister in law, Liu Wanwan, poured a cup of hot tea for each of them.

“Your wife is very beautiful!” Xu Yunfeng looked at Liu Wanwan with a face full of admiration.

Seeing this, Jiang Li immediately frowned, and then slowly spoke, “Brother Xu, coming to my door so suddenly today, what exactly is the matter?”

Xu Yunfeng looked at Jiang Li and smiled slowly, “You and I are colleagues. Last night I heard that Brother Li ran into danger and had his right hand ruined, so I came to visit today especially, bringing along a bottle of painkilling wound medicine. I hope Brother Li won’t refuse!”

As he spoke, Xu Yunfeng also pulled a ceramic medicine bottle from his waist and placed it in front of Jiang Li.

Seeing this, Jiang Li’s slightly tense expression softened a bit.

“Thank you for your kindness, Brother Xu!”

Seeing this, a slight smile appeared on Xu Yunfeng’s face, “I have one more matter to discuss.”

“What is it?”

Xu Yunfeng said, “Head Bailiff Cao was deeply saddened to hear of your sudden misfortune. He wants to invite Brother Li to meet at the Mingyue Restaurant tonight during the hour of the Dog.”

“Head Bailiff Cao?” Jiang Li’s expression suddenly changed drastically, his face filled with disbelief as he said, “Do you mean Head Bailiff Cao Bin?”

“Indeed, that very Lord Cao!” Xu Yunfeng confirmed.

Upon receiving the confirmation, Jiang Li’s expression turned even more unsightly.

“Is Brother Li willing to grace us with your presence?” Xu Yunfeng asked slowly.

Jiang Li pondered for a moment, and then slowly nodded, “I will certainly keep the appointment on time.”

“Great!” Xu Yunfeng immediately nodded with satisfaction, and then took another look at Liu Wanwan who was nearby, “Remember to bring your wife along too!”

The moment those words were spoken, Jiang Li’s expression changed drastically once again.

He then took a deep breath, turned to Liu Wanwan and said, “Wanwan, go back to your room first!”

“Yes, Husband!” Liu Wanwan nodded, casting a slightly worried glance at Jiang Li before turning to walk out of the main hall.

Once Liu Wanwan had completely departed, Jiang Li’s eyes flared with rage, and he growled in a furious tone, “Xu Yunfeng, what do you mean by this?”

“What do I mean?” Xu Yunfeng smiled slightly, “Brother Li shouldn’t ask me what I mean. You should ask what Head Bailiff Cao means instead!”

Looking at the furious Jiang Li who seemed ready to tear him apart, Xu Yunfeng smiled once more, “You should understand Head Bailiff Cao’s meaning. I believe you have also heard the rumors around town!”

As soon as these words came out, Jiang Li’s face grew increasingly dark and incredibly grim.

At this moment, hearing this, Jiang Ning also instantly recalled the rumors regarding Head Bailiff Cao Bin.

According to town gossip, Head Bailiff Cao loved beautiful women, especially other men’s wives.

Jiang Li’s expression shifted repeatedly, and he looked at Xu Yunfeng with absolute seriousness, “At the county office, what does the Cao family amount to? The county magistrate is the lord of the county office, and the lord of Luoshui County!”

“Stupid beyond belief!” Xu Yunfeng looked at Jiang Li with a disdainful gaze, seemingly looking down on him, “A single Cao family indeed cannot match the county magistrate, but what if we add the Liu family and the Xie family?”

At this point, Xu Yunfeng stood up, “Under the control of several great families, Luoshui County is as solid as an iron barrel, while the God Worshiping Cult is getting crazier and crazier. If you were smart, you wouldn’t have suffered such a severe injury! Think about it yourself, in this raid against the God Worshiping Cult, which of the bailiffs and runners who were injured or killed were actually close to the magistrate?”

“What does the county magistrate amount to? If you know what’s good for you, you only need to endure a little bit of humiliation, and you can gain Head Bailiff Cao’s favor just like me!”

“If you refuse, with your ruined arm, you won’t be able to continue as a bailiff. Opposing the Cao family means you can only pack up and go home, becoming a mere commoner!”

“At that time, do you think I would still speak to you so politely?”

“Head Bailiff Cao really cannot stop thinking about your wife!”

“If you submit, you will be one of Head Bailiff Cao’s men just like me. With Head Bailiff Cao’s protection, and since there are only about four months left until the end-of-year assessment, you will certainly pass the assessment without issue, and there will still be a place for you at the county office! As for your injury compensation, it can also be paid as scheduled!”

As his voice fell, Xu Yunfeng left behind two more sentences, “Brother Li has both a son and a daughter; you are very blessed.”

“I’ve heard that Brother Li treats his younger brother extremely well, with deep brotherly affection. I am truly envious!” When saying this last sentence, Xu Yunfeng’s gaze fell upon Jiang Ning with a smile on his face.

Meeting Xu Yunfeng’s gaze, Jiang Ning felt as though he were looking at a predatory beast ready to devour its prey.

The next moment, Xu Yunfeng withdrew his gaze, strode out of the house with a powerful presence, and vanished from sight in the blink of an eye.