Chapter 178: Practicing with the Whip

 Chapter 178: Practicing with the Whip

At the fourth quarter of the hour of Mao (6:00 AM), the sky was still pitch black when Qin Wu rose to begin his patrol of the Yan residence. 

Ever since their duties were assigned, the eight of them had settled into life at the Yan household.

At the end of February, the Eldest Young Master, Third Young Master, and Fourth Young Master had returned home for a break. When they went back to the academy, they took Qin Xing and three others along to serve them. It had been nearly two months since they were last seen. Word had it that the three masters were busy with their studies at the academy and wouldn’t return until the Dragon Boat Festival.

Qin Wu wasn’t worried about Qin Xing and the others. Except for Qin Shisan, who was a bit mischievous, the rest were steady and reliable. During this time, the madam hadn’t sought him out, indicating that they were performing well at the academy.

Among them, Qin Xiao Liu had fared the best.

That boy, by some stroke of luck, had caught the attention of the eldest young lady. After some time learning from Shopkeeper Sun, he now traveled frequently between estates and shops, keeping so busy he was rarely seen.

One couldn’t help but admire how families like the Yans trained people. Qin Xiao Liu had once been just a slightly clever young man, but in a mere two or three months, his entire demeanor had transformed. If he were taken back to their hometown now, even his parents might not recognize him.

As for Qin Wu and the other two, their lives were much more relaxed. Their days consisted of patrolling, training the young servants, and building their physical strength. On occasion, Qin Wu accompanied the master on outings.

This kind of life deeply satisfied Qin Wu.

He could eat his fill every day, often enjoying meat—something he hadn’t even dared dream of before.

In the past, as escorts, they’d live off scraps, sometimes starving for days. Despite their imposing physiques, they were often weak from hunger. After just two or three months at the Yan residence, they’d regained quite a bit of healthy weight.

The family even issued them two new sets of clothes with each change of season.

Qin Wu carefully patted imaginary dust off his outfit, treasuring it. If he took good care of these, he could save a set each season to send back to his family.

As he reflected on life at the Yan residence, Qin Wu patrolled every corner meticulously. Not a single spot was overlooked.

The Yan family treated them so well; they had to ensure security was flawless.

When he reached the hanging flower gate, Qin Wu noticed the eldest young lady and her maid sparring in the nearby courtyard. Although their movements looked decent, their techniques were chaotic and unrefined.

The inner courtyard was off-limits, a rule that Steward Sun had emphasized from the start. Qin Wu had no intention of breaking the rule, but remembering how much he owed the eldest young lady for this good job—one that saved them from exile—he couldn’t ignore the situation entirely.

Rules couldn’t be broken.

After some thought, Qin Wu had an idea. He couldn’t enter, but surely the eldest young lady could come out.

“Cough, cough~”

Qin Wu cleared his throat loudly a few times. As expected, the eldest young lady and her maid looked his way.

“Uncle Qin Wu!”

Daohua immediately led Wang Man’er over to him when she saw Qin Wu beckoning.

Hearing how Daohua addressed him, Qin Wu’s lips twitched uncontrollably.

He was of the same generation as Qin Xiao Liu, who was called Brother Liu, yet here he was being addressed as Uncle Qin Wu.

He wanted to ask just how old he looked to deserve a promotion in seniority.

Grumbling internally aside, Qin Wu greeted them with a smile as they approached. “Young lady, are you practicing martial arts?”

Daohua waved her hand. “Hardly. It’s just some light exercise, a little sparring.” She was self-aware enough to admit that. Especially after learning how her third and fourth brothers trained rigorously at the academy.

Her third brother had once sternly warned her not to practice recklessly. The academy had professional instructors, yet many still ended up injuring themselves. With only Wang Man’er, who barely knew anything, Daohua didn’t dare take any risks.

Still, given the poor security and limited medical resources in ancient times, she wanted to maintain a strong and healthy body. So, she and Wang Man’er engaged in light exercise every morning.

Suddenly, Daohua’s eyes sparkled. She glanced at Qin Wu and rolled her eyes playfully before smiling. “Uncle Qin Wu, what do you think of our practice?”

Qin Wu hesitated. “Does the young lady want the truth?”

Daohua nodded eagerly. “Of course!”

Qin Wu: "Then I’ll be straightforward. What you’re practicing is just flowery, decorative moves. If you ever face a real situation, it won’t be of any use."

Upon hearing this, Wang Man’er pouted and glanced at Daohua, feeling a bit embarrassed since she was the one who taught her those moves.

Daohua, however, didn’t mind. She smiled and asked, "Uncle Qin Wu, can you guide us a bit? I’m not aiming for mastery or anything grand, just hoping to strengthen my body. If I ever encounter trouble, I want to have some ability to protect myself and not be completely defenseless."

Qin Wu looked at Daohua and said, "I do know a whip technique that’s suitable for women. It doesn’t require intense physical training. Of course, practicing it won’t make you incredibly skilled, but it will make your body more agile and flexible."

Daohua’s eyes lit up, and she quickly responded, "That’s perfect! I’m not like my third and fourth brothers who are aiming to become martial arts scholars. I just want something that can save my life in a critical moment."

She couldn’t deny that her past encounter with human traffickers had left a deep scar, making her very concerned about personal safety.

Just think about it: Xiao Yeyang was a young prince, surrounded by attendants, and yet he still got captured. What chance would she have?

She loved to explore and play around. What if one day she ran out of luck and ran into trouble?

Qin Wu hesitated. "Young lady, if you really want to learn, I’m more than willing to teach. But shouldn’t you speak with the master and madam about this first?"

Daohua nodded. "Yes, I’ll bring it up during breakfast. If my mother agrees, I’ll send someone to inform you."

Qin Wu smiled and nodded. "Alright! You handle that; I’ll continue my patrol."

As soon as Qin Wu left, Daohua grabbed Wang Man’er and rushed back to the courtyard to change her clothes. Then, she eagerly went to find Madam Li.

As expected, Madam Li couldn’t withstand her daughter’s persistence. Plus, Old Madam Yan also believed it was important for girls to have a healthy body. Thus, Daohua began learning the whip technique from Qin Wu.

Since starting her whip practice, Daohua’s days had become even busier.

She would rise before dawn to practice martial arts. After breakfast, she attended lessons—spending her mornings learning academic subjects as well as etiquette and social customs. In the afternoons, she practiced calligraphy and embroidery.

After completing her assignments from Teacher Shen, she would find time to check on the estates and shops.

"Good thing I asked mother for Brother Liu’s help," she thought to herself.

Finally, Daohua felt a sense of relief seeing that the spring plowing had been completed on the three estates her uncle had given her.

The three estates were situated in excellent locations with fertile land. She had visited each one and reorganized them based on their specific conditions—turning one into a tea plantation, another into a flower garden, and the third into a vineyard.

As for the estate she had purchased earlier with barren hills, she planned to use it for growing medicinal herbs and fruit trees.

Each estate had its own distinct character and specialized production, making management simpler and more efficient.

As for the three shops, one sold fresh produce, another sold flowers, and the third was earmarked for selling rouge and cosmetics made from the flowers grown in the garden.

Daohua decided not to focus on high sales volume for her cosmetics. Like her flowers, they were exclusively for wealthy customers.

When she had more time, she planned to see if she could extract perfumes from the flowers. Perfumes, she thought, could be quite profitable.

(End of Chapter)