“Second Mistress, you must seek justice for my Laosi! Look at what his face has been beaten into! That idiot was absolutely vicious!” The next morning, as soon as dawn broke, Li Laosi was led by his wife to Second Mistress’s room to tearfully complain about Ye Kong’s “savage” behavior.

“You got beaten by an idiot?” Second Mistress burst out laughing, pointing at Li Laosi kneeling on the ground and scolding him. “You’re really pathetic. Why even bother reasoning with an idiot? If he hits you, just hit him back. And here you are running to me to cry about it.”

“No, it’s not like that, Second Mistress.” Li Laosi quickly explained. “That boy isn’t stupid anymore. He speaks smoothly, and when he hits someone, he doesn’t hold back either. He just strikes without hesitation, nothing like that giggling idiot from before. According to his mother, he woke up from a nap and suddenly got better.”

“That can’t be.” Second Mistress found it hard to believe that Ye Kong’s brain was working properly now. She asked, “He’s been an idiot for over ten years. How could he suddenly get better?”

“I know, but he really isn’t stupid anymore.” Li Laosi clutched his forehead and wailed again. “Second Mistress, you must stand up for this old slave! I just went to stop them from making noise in the middle of the night, and I got beaten like this. That boy is completely lawless!”

Of course Li Laosi wasn’t stupid enough to mention asking Chen Jiuniang for money. On the contrary, to stoke Second Mistress’s anger, he added, “That ugly woman watched her son commit violence without stopping him. She clearly knows this old slave belongs to you, Second Mistress. This is blatant disrespect toward you. They beat the dog without looking at the master, they’re making you lose face!”

Second Mistress cared about face. Hearing this, she immediately felt somewhat angry.

However, she wasn’t brainless either. Chen Jiuniang had always been honest and dutiful, never daring to do anything out of line, this much she knew very clearly.

Moreover, she still didn’t believe it. How could that idiot suddenly get better just like that?

“I’ll handle this matter myself. You two go back for now. Oh, go to the counting house and get two taels of silver to treat your injuries.” Second Mistress thought for a moment and said.

Li Laosi’s wife was delighted to hear there was silver, though it was bought with her husband’s blood.

Idiot, just you wait to be kicked out of the Ye Manor! She thought hatefully, kowtowing to Second Mistress. noodles “Thank you, Second Mistress.”

“Thank you, Second Mistress.” Li Laosi also kowtowed and followed his wife out the door.

“The idiot isn’t stupid and can even hit people now.” Second Mistress pondered for a moment, then called out in a low voice, “Xiao Hong.”

“Second Mistress, this servant is here.” Xiao Hong was her head maid, only fifteen years old but already graceful and alluring, and more importantly, clever and resourceful, very good at handling matters.

“You heard everything Li Laosi said just now, right? What do you think?” Second Mistress asked.

“This servant also doesn’t quite believe that idiot got better. Usually when he sees people, he just giggles stupidly. Even when others throw stones at him, he doesn’t know to dodge. Most likely Li Laosi tried to extort Chen Jiuniang unsuccessfully and accidentally injured himself, then came here to make an issue of it.” This Xiao Hong was indeed a clever maid, analyzing the situation in the blink of an eye.

“Mm.” Second Mistress clearly trusted Xiao Hong’s analysis more, but she also felt Li Laosi wouldn’t dare deceive her, so she instructed, “Go to that ugly woman’s courtyard and see for yourself whether that idiot has really gotten better.”

“Yes.” Having received her orders, Xiao Hong walked out with lotus steps.

After Xiao Hong left, Second Mistress snorted coldly. “Whether it’s true or false, I’ll take advantage of this matter to kick that ugly woman out of the manor. Being so ugly and still wanting to live in the Ye Manor, she’s really making the Ye family lose face!”

At this moment, Ye Kong was lying on Chen Jiuniang’s bed in a daze. He had been a bit tired last night, and while chatting with his bargain mother, he had actually fallen asleep.

However, that conversation had been quite fruitful for Ye Kong, letting him know that An Kingdom, or rather the Cangnan Continent, valued martial prowess over scholarly pursuits. If he wanted to get ahead, he needed to be like his old man Ye Haoran, practice good martial arts, so that in the future he could join the military and enter the court, becoming a respected and respectable person.

Ye Kong also asked how many people lived on the Cangnan Continent, what lay beyond it, and whether there really were immortals and such.

Chen Jiuniang couldn’t answer these questions. After all, she didn’t have much ​noodles​knowledge. Being stuck embroidering and mending at the General’s Manor had occupied most of her time.

How would she know such gossip? She didn’t even know much news about An Kingdom, let alone news from outside the country. However, regarding immortals, she had heard people mention them. Supposedly someone had seen an immortal flying on a sword pass over Southern Capital City.

She hadn’t seen it with her own eyes, but according to popular legend, immortals did exist. As for how many there were and where they were, that was beyond her knowledge.

When he woke up this morning, Ye Kong lay in bed pondering. The most important thing now was how to survive. This was a world that revered martial power. To establish himself in this world, he needed formidable strength. Only with strength could he stand out, otherwise he could only be bullied by others.

Although his old man was a general, he seemed unreliable. Moreover, Ye Kong neither wanted to leave his fate in others’ hands nor depend on others for survival.

So making himself stronger was the only way out!

On Earth, Ye Kong had been a hoodlum everyone avoided. Although he had cut people and hit people with bricks plenty of times, he had only been brave and fierce, never truly learned martial arts. When meeting real experts, he couldn’t beat them at all.

He thought about what other skills he had, but after thinking it over, he suddenly discovered he actually had no skills at all. He couldn’t make soap or manufacture guns and cannons. In literature, he couldn’t remember two poems. In martial arts, his third-rate street thug tricks couldn’t withstand one slap from Ye Haoran.

For the first time, he discovered how useless he was, practically no different from an idiot.

How could he make himself stronger?

Chen Jiuniang, sitting to the side, busied herself with her embroidery work, but her eyes observed her son without blinking.

She was somewhat worried. Would her son get better for one night, then revert to his old foolish state the next day?

Her worry seemed quite possible. She saw her son wake up and stare at the canopy for half a shichen without blinking, and his gaze gradually became unfocused. Could he be turning stupid again?

Her son was her only hope. Having just seen a glimmer of hope, she couldn’t let anything else happen.

Chen Jiuniang was about to call out to her son when unexpectedly, Ye Kong suddenly straightened up, sat up abruptly, and declared loudly, “Study! Only through study, learning and hard practice can I become stronger!”

This shout startled Chen Jiuniang just as she was about to speak. Her hand trembled, and the embroidery needle pricked her finger. A bright red drop of blood seeped out.

“Ah!” Chen Jiuniang let out a soft cry.

Ye Kong jolted, got out of bed barefoot, and put his mother’s finger in his mouth.

“Mother, it’s fine now.” When he released her finger, the blood had stopped seeping out.

“Kong’er has recovered and become sensible too.” Chen Jiuniang’s face wore a smile, her eyes somewhat moist as she looked at Ye Kong.

Ye Kong had been an orphan on Earth, never experiencing maternal love since childhood. His mother’s gaze made his nose tingle, an extremely uncomfortable feeling.

“Stop looking. What’s so interesting to look at? You’ve been staring for ages.” Ye Kong said uncomfortably.

“Mother won’t look, won’t look.” Chen Jiuniang was very happy but spoke with a nasal tone, yet still kept looking at her son.

“I’m going to pee.” Ye Kong fled out the door as if escaping.

The outhouse wasn’t far. He had already been there once during the night.

Hooligan habits were hard to change. Ye Kong swaggered out, swaying left and right. When he encountered a few servants and maids, they all stole glances at him with strange expressions.

“Look, that’s the idiot Ye Kong. Don’t be fooled by him being the General’s son, he’s worth less than a servant.” Behind him, a servant-like person pointed and gossiped about Ye Kong.

Another servant who seemed newly employed asked quietly, “He doesn’t look like an idiot to me?”

“How is he not like one? He’s an idiot, always drooling and giggling stupidly at people.”

“Oh.” The new servant nodded while looking at Ye Kong’s back.

“The young masters in the manor even made up a rhyme about him: Ye Kong, Ye Kong, empty-headed all along.” That old servant, as if afraid the newcomer wouldn’t believe him, added, “Don’t disbelieve me. Last time they even threw pebbles at him. If you don’t believe me, I’ll throw one to show you!”

Ye Kong normally wouldn’t bother with such things, hearing but pretending not to hear.

But when he heard that servant wanted to throw stones at him, he got angry. Damn your ancestors! What did I ever do to you? Is being an idiot a crime? Don’t you understand protecting vulnerable groups?

“Who wants to throw stones at me?” Ye Kong grabbed a flowerpot from the roadside and turned back toward them.

“Is it you who wants to throw stones at me?” Ye Kong held the flowerpot in one hand and jabbed his other finger into the servant’s chest.

The old servant’s face froze. How was this idiot speaking normally? But he didn’t have time to think much. The little pebble in his hand compared to that flowerpot wasn’t even in the same weight class.

“It wasn’t me who wanted to throw stones ​unauthorized copy​at you.” The old servant was crafty enough, quickly stuffing the pebble into the new servant’s hand.

“Then it must be you!” Ye Kong glared arrogantly, his hooligan aura erupting as he jabbed his finger into the new servant’s chest.

“No, I didn’t, it was him…”

The old servant knew their cover was blown. Before his comrade could finish speaking, he turned and ran. Once he ran, the new servant followed suit.

“Damn, such cowards, and they still want to throw stones at me?” Ye Kong snorted and tossed the flowerpot back.

But from the distance came the two servants’ panicked shouts: “The idiot is hitting people! The idiot is hitting people!”

“Damn, the idiot label is really hard to shake off.” Ye Kong smiled bitterly and helplessly, shaking his head as he continued toward the outhouse.

When smiling at people, he’s an idiot. When hitting people, still an idiot. One’s a literary lunatic, the other a martial lunatic. Either way, he’s a lunatic.

Being treated as an idiot made Ye Kong very uncomfortable. He thought to himself, if they’re going to call me a lunatic, then I’ll go all the way with it.

Going to the outhouse during the day wasn’t as quiet as at night. Along the way, he saw quite a few passing servants. Ye Kong didn’t care whether he knew them or not, he rolled his eyes at all of them. For those without sense, he directly grabbed roadside flowerpots to threaten them.

It actually worked quite well. When those servants saw him coming, they all scattered like birds and beasts.

However, some weren’t afraid. Look, a beautiful maid was walking toward him. She stole a glance up and discovered Ye Kong was staring right at her. Their eyes met.

Well now! This little maid actually doesn’t dodge! Ye Kong became even more annoyed. Back on Hanzheng Street, when pedestrians were glared at by him like [unauthorized copy]this, they didn’t dare provoke him and would walk past with lowered heads.

Ye Kong glared fiercely and walked toward the maid. Perhaps his hooligan aura was too overbearing, because the maid finally got scared and quickly ran away.

She heard Ye Kong calling out behind her with a cheeky grin: “Beautiful sister, don’t rush off! How old are you? Do you have a husband’s family? How many sweethearts do you have? Spring is warm and flowers are blooming, all things are reviving, why don’t we discuss the great matters of life together…”

“Scoundrel! Fool!”

From a dragon-carved and phoenix-embroidered lattice window in the back courtyard of the General’s Manor came a woman’s angry cursing.

Though both were Ye Haoran’s women, the difference was like heaven and earth. This was an elaborately decorated, luxuriously appointed woman’s room, incomparably better than Chen Jiuniang’s room in that dilapidated corner of the front courtyard.

But even so, some people still felt it wasn’t enough. They insisted on driving Chen Jiuniang out of that rundown little courtyard, unwilling to give her even a place to shelter.

And the reason was simply that Chen Jiuniang was ugly, making her uncomfortable to look at.

The Second Mistress who was cursing was decked out in silks and satins with gaudy decorations, her whole body radiating the aura of a noblewoman. At this moment, she was pounding the table and roaring.

“That ugly woman really doesn’t take me seriously at all! And that bastard son of hers! He must be blind to even dare harass my head maid!”

The beautiful maid who had been scared away by Ye Kong was standing before her. This maid was Xiao Hong, who had been sent by Second Mistress to gather information. Her courage to make eye contact with Ye Kong came from having Second Mistress as her backer.

“Second Mistress, please calm down. Getting angry with such people isn’t worth harming your health.” Xiao Hong’s favor with Second Mistress wasn’t just due to her looks.

“That’s right, Mother. Why get angry with an idiot? Have some water.” Second Mis unauthorized copy tress’s son Ye Wen also chimed in.

This Ye Wen was sixteen years old, robust and martial-looking. But don’t think he was just a brute, he was actually quite cunning. Of course, since childhood he had practiced martial arts under famous teachers’ guidance. He had already achieved some success with the Southern Cang Long Arm Fist and was one of the outstanding ones among the Ye family’s younger generation.

“Mm.” Second Mistress took the ginseng tea Ye Wen handed her and drank a sip.

Using the ginseng tea to suppress her anger, Second Mistress’s mood calmed considerably. She said lightly, “Since this boy can even harass maids now, it seems this idiot really isn’t stupid anymore.”

“Yes, not stupid at all. He speaks very fluently.” Xiao Hong nodded.

Standing to the side, Ye Wen was actually quite displeased. I haven’t even had a chance to harass the maids in our household, and damn it, you, an idiot, got to harass one.

“Mother, this time we must properly teach that idiot a lesson. Whether he’s stupid or not, we need to make him suffer!” A fierce light flashed in Ye Wen’s eyes.

“Mm, but I need to think of a better excuse for this.” Second Mistress pondered. “I just called Li Laosi back and questioned him. With his wife absent, he told me the truth. The actual situation was that he tried to extort money and got beaten by that boy. If we use this reason to find fault with him, if the General asks about it later, we won’t have a leg to stand on…”

“Why bother reasoning with an idiot? If you ask me, just go beat him up directly to make him settle down!” Ye Wen crossed his arms and snorted. “It’s not like we haven’t beaten him before.”

Second Mistress shook her head. “Don’t be rash. According to what Li Laosi said, this idiot isn’t just not stupid, he’s become shrewd and cunning. His words are watertight. Don’t let him find loopholes and create all sorts of trouble.”

Ye Wen laughed heartily. “Then your son also has a way to beat him! And beat him so he has nothing to say. Even if it’s in front of Father, it won’t matter.”

Second Mistress’s eyes lit up. “Tell me.”

Ye Wen leaned close to Second Mistress’s ear and whispered. What he ​stolen content​said made Second Mistress beam with delight, nodding continuously.