Chapter 8: Your Wife Hasn't Harmed You, Has She?

“Well…”

Shang Mingqiu and Wu Guizhi exchanged glances, fumbling for words and unsure what to say.

Seeing their reaction, Shang Lu immediately understood. His parents were simply worried about him, afraid to tell the truth lest they add to his burdens, yet unable to come up with a convincing excuse on the spot.

“Did you hear about the merit examination and fear I won’t pass? Is that why you’re thinking of selling our ancestral land to pay off debts?”

He decided to address the matter directly, hoping to ease their discomfort.

Sure enough, once he laid the matter bare, Wu Guizhi forced a smile and spoke.

“Son, don’t feel pressured. It’s alright if you don’t pass the exam. As long as you’re safe, that’s all that matters.”

Her words admitted to the truth behind his question.

Shang Mingqiu, watching his son’s expression, echoed his wife’s sentiment, “Your mother is right. Your safety is what’s most important. Even if you don’t pass, it’s not the end of the world. At worst, we’ll use our land to pay the debt and rent some fields to farm. We can also find odd jobs. Both of us are strong, and your mother can cook and wash clothes—no need to worry about starving. Who knows, fate might favor us, and we could save up enough to buy land again…”

Afraid his son might feel too much pressure, the elder Shang rambled on, laying out all his plans for the future.

To Shang Lu, however, his parents were too optimistic and naive. If things truly reached the point where they had to forfeit their land, the Black Wind Gang, true to their reputation, would not rest until their family was utterly ruined. The idea of saving up to buy land again was a fantasy; even hoping to rent land as tenant farmers was far-fetched. Most likely, they would be sold into servitude, forever trapped in a lowly status.

Yet Shang Lu did not correct them. He turned and continued guiding the plough.

Once he’d listened patiently, he asked, “Where did you hear about the merit examination? Was it those Black Wind Gang members?”

Shang Mingqiu shook his head. “They mentioned it yesterday, but we’d already heard the news from villagers a few days ago. They said you… well…” The old man paused, then, realizing Wu Guizhi had pinched his arm, stopped short—remembering he shouldn’t repeat idle gossip in front of his son, especially when the boy was still recovering.

But Shang Lu, far from upset, finished the thought himself: “They said I’d surely fail the merit exam, lose my position, and the money we spent to purchase my constable credentials would be wasted?”

“You shouldn’t bring these things up in front of him!” Wu Guizhi scolded Shang Mingqiu, then hastened to comfort her son. “Don’t pay attention to what people say, son. Country folk know nothing and love to gossip. Like I said, as long as you’re safe, that’s all that matters.”

“Father, Mother, you don’t have to worry. I’m not so fragile as to be crushed by a few words. I came back this time to set your hearts at ease.”

He stopped walking, turned to face them, and lowered his voice. “I’ve found a way to restore my cultivation. I will pass the merit exam. You needn’t worry.”

The couple exchanged glances, feigning cheerfulness as they said, “Really? That’s wonderful!” But the worry in their eyes never faded.

Shang Lu could tell his parents didn’t believe him, thinking he was only trying to reassure them. He smiled, said nothing more, and bent down to pick up a stone from the freshly ploughed field. Placing it on the plough handle with his left hand, he raised his right and brought it down hard.

With a sharp crack, the stone shattered into several pieces.

Shang Mingqiu and Wu Guizhi were stunned.

“Your cultivation… it’s really returned?” Shang Mingqiu asked eagerly, his excitement and joy now unfeigned.

A man without cultivation could never break a stone like that.

Shang Lu nodded but didn’t mention that his strength was only just beginning to return and he was still far from fully recovered. There was no need to trouble his parents with details they wouldn’t understand.

“Wonderful, wonderful!”

“Heaven bless us! The ancestors have heard our prayers…”

The couple’s joy was unabashed, one repeating how wonderful it was, the other offering thanks to all the gods and spirits above.

Once they’d calmed down, Shang Lu gravely reminded them, “Father, Mother, you must keep my recovery absolutely secret. If anyone learns I’ve regained my strength, those who wish me to fail will surely do everything in their power to hinder me.”

Alarmed, his parents quickly stifled their excitement and nodded in unison. “Don’t worry, son. Our lips are sealed. We won’t cause you any trouble.”

At that, Shang Mingqiu suddenly remembered something. He glanced anxiously at the Black Wind Gang members by the field’s edge. “Oh no, did any of them see you break the stone just now?”

“Don’t worry, the wind blew dust in their eyes—they didn’t see a thing,” Shang Lu replied with a smile.

“The wind?” Shang Mingqiu was puzzled, but looking over, he saw the gang members rubbing their eyes.

Just as Shang Lu demonstrated his strength, a sudden wind had kicked up around them, carrying dust and sand that caught them off guard, leaving them effectively blinded. For a while, they were too busy rubbing their eyes, helping each other, and cursing to pay attention to anything happening in the field.

By the time they finally cleared their eyes, Shang Lu was already back at the plough, and his parents were as before—one holding the plough handle, the other wiping sweat from father and son’s brows. Everything seemed perfectly ordinary.

Naturally, the Black Wind Gang members suspected nothing.

In the field, Shang Lu continued ploughing without looking back. “Father, Mother, why don’t you come to the county with me? That way, you won’t be troubled by these people.”

The house where he lived in Luoshui County was known as the “Ghost House.” Ordinary people wouldn’t dare set foot near it, let alone enter. Bringing his parents there would be far safer than leaving them here in Shuanggui Village.

But his parents refused.

Afraid the Black Wind Gang members might become suspicious, Shang Mingqiu kept his head down, speaking quietly. “We won’t go. Now that you’ve regained your strength, the land is still ours. We can’t just abandon it. Besides, if we really left for town, people would start asking questions. If that affected your merit exam, wouldn’t that be terrible?”

Shang Lu was about to persuade them further when the oiled paper umbrella on his shoulder suddenly trembled. At the same moment, he felt a gentle tug and heard a faint, melodious voice in his ear: “Don’t be afraid… I’m here.”

“Did you hear that?” Shang Lu asked, a look of surprise and excitement on his face.

“Hear what?” Shang Mingqiu and Wu Guizhi looked confused—they’d heard nothing.

Was that Sanniang speaking? She can talk now? And only I can hear her?

Noting his parents’ puzzled looks, Shang Lu swallowed what he’d meant to say and changed the subject. “I thought I heard those Black Wind Gang thugs insulting mother just now. Hmph. Once I pass the merit exam, I’ll settle the score with them.”

Having diverted his parents’ attention, he continued, “Since you’ve made up your minds, I won’t insist. But you must be careful. If anything happens, come to the county immediately.”

“Don’t worry, we know,” they promised.

Shang Lu wanted them to go to the county for their safety, but Sanniang had just told him she could protect them, so he didn’t press the matter. He trusted her.

Unexpectedly, Shang Mingqiu recalled something then, his tone hesitant and worried as he said, “Your… your wife, how is she lately? She hasn’t hurt you, has she? Ah, it’s our fault—we never should have rushed into arranging a ghost marriage for you. Now you’ve survived, but the marriage can’t be undone…”