I have a little bit of talent

As the residence of the top dignitaries in Yangzhou City, Fang Mansion has three courtyards in front and back.

The front hall in the front yard is usually a place for meeting guests, and from time to time three or two good friends come to visit together.

The central courtyard is where the dining hall, gardens and servants live, making daily cleaning easier.

The backyard is the bedroom of the Fang family of four, plus Fang Lu's study and other places for personal use. Usually, except for the servants who clean twice a day in the morning and evening, no one else will enter.

The Fang family had strict rules, and only the elderly who had been in the family for many years could enter the backyard. The person in charge of the entire Fang family's servants was the housekeeper who had followed Fang Lu for many years.

The housekeeper’s surname is Zhong, and he is Zhong San’s father. He grew up with Fang Lu, studied and practiced together, and they have an extremely close relationship. He is also one of Fang Lu’s most trusted people.

All matters big and small in the Fang Mansion are controlled by Butler Zhong, who manages the huge Fang Mansion in an orderly manner.

As soon as Fang Mu walked through the courtyard, he saw a middle-aged man standing in front of the backyard gate waiting. It was Butler Zhong.

Butler Zhong was born with an imposing bearing and was over nine feet tall. Like Fang Lu, his face showed no expression at all. His facial features were like those of a sculpture and his face was resolute. Anyone who saw him at first sight would think that he must be a capable fighter.

But this seemingly powerful man is actually very meticulous. As Fang Lu's right-hand man for many years, he has handled every matter in detail without making any mistakes.

"Congratulations, young master, on your successful cultivation. The master has ordered this old servant to wait here."

Seeing Fang Mu coming, Butler Zhong's resolute face broke into a smile, which seemed very incongruous.

"Uncle Zhong, just call me Xiaomu. Why can't you change it after so many years?"

Fang Mu was also speechless. Butler Zhong had also watched his brother grow up and often took him out to play when he was a child. They had a very close relationship.

The Fang Mu brothers also grew up with Zhong San, so they regarded Butler Zhong as their uncle.

"Etiquette cannot be abolished, please come in, young master!"

Butler Zhong put away his smile and let Fang Mu enter the inner courtyard. He remained guarding the front of the courtyard to prevent others from disturbing him.

"Uncle Zhong is good in every way, except that he is too much like my dad in personality, very old-fashioned. It's a pity that he is so handsome!"

Fang Mu was too tired to complain, so he entered the backyard and followed the path to the study.

Fang Lu had no other hobbies except reading. He usually collected many books and placed them in his study. Over the past few decades, the area of ​​the study had been expanded several times. Now it was several hundred feet in size and was the largest building in the backyard.

Fang Mu pushed open the door of the study, and what came into view were dozens of bookshelves several meters high, all made of fine red wood and crafted by skilled craftsmen, filled with all kinds of books.

When I was a kid, I often came here to play. I knocked over and damaged many books, and was beaten many times for that.

"Come on, come and sit down."

Fang Lu was sitting at a desk behind the bookshelves, holding a book and speaking without raising his head.

Walking across the bookshelf to the table, Fang Mu pulled a chair and sat down without hesitation.

"I haven't been here for a while. Dad, you have a lot of good books here. It seems that you have made a lot of money recently."

Fang Lu's face darkened and he said, "It's better if you don't come over here, lest you harm my baby."

The father and son joked for a while, and Fang Lu said seriously:

"I don't know what luck you have. After entering the ethereal realm, you have achieved spiritual enlightenment and physical training at the same time. Your progress is amazing. However, you need to have the fundamental method as well as the skills to protect the way. Otherwise, it will be like a castle in the air, which will collapse at the first touch. While you have time, choose the self-defense skills of our family."

Fang Lu spoke leisurely and introduced his own unique skills.

Fang Mu knew that this was closely related to his future path, so he rarely interrupted and just listened attentively.

……

Although the Fang family was already the most powerful family in Yangzhou at this time, that was after Fang Lu's rise.

Before this, the Fang family was just an ordinary merchant in Yangzhou City. Although they were better off than ordinary people, there was still a big gap between them and other wealthy families in Yangzhou, not to mention those powerful people.

Until Fang Lu came out of nowhere, he was extraordinary at the age of twenty, and was proficient in poetry, calligraphy and essays. He was even accepted as a personal disciple by Guo Haoran, the former dean of the Beijing Academy who traveled here, and embarked on the path of cultivation.

In the following years, Fang Lu continued to study hard in the academy in the capital, and his practice and knowledge increased dramatically every day. In a short period of time, he became famous in the capital. Although he never participated in the imperial examination, everyone knew that his talent and knowledge were even better than those of the emperor's disciples.

If it weren't for the ancestral rule of the academy that students cannot participate in the imperial examinations and compete with the people, Yangzhou City might have had its first number one scholar in decades.

Later, with the recommendation of the dean, Fang Lu entered the Ministry of Rites as an official. He was proficient in human nature and writing, and he integrated what he had learned into his studies. Finally, he broke free from the cage and found himself.

After serving as an official for several years, he had political disagreements with his good friend, so he simply resigned and returned to his hometown, Yangzhou City, to settle down.

Fang Lu's learning was mainly based on the Confucian and Taoist Kung Fu of the academy, and combined with his own accumulated knowledge over the years, he added many different wonderful skills, which eventually led to his success. The extent of his experiences is unknown to outsiders.

Fang Mu had never been enrolled in the academy. The Confucian and Taoist skills taught by the academy were not suitable for passing on.

However, Fang Lu was willing to teach everyone the several sets of kung fu he had created.

One set of boxing techniques, one set of body techniques, one set of sword techniques.

Although there are only three sets of skills, they are the accumulation of Fang Lu over decades, and are not inferior to the skills inherited from various famous sects.

It is said that Kung Fu is about quality rather than quantity. If one practices to a high level, he can defeat ten opponents with his own strength. What's more, the Kung Fu method created by Fang Lu is indeed the best method.

"Starting from tomorrow, I will teach you my own martial arts in this backyard every day at noon. Don't miss the time!"

After Fang Lu finished explaining his own martial arts skills, he began to give instructions.

"What about today?" Fang Mu was puzzled.

"Didn't you make an appointment with Zhong San today? Breaking an appointment is not a good thing. Besides, haste makes waste. If you are not calm now, you will not be able to learn!"

Fang Lu said coldly.

Helplessly, Fang Mu had to suppress his temper and retreated. He felt extremely uncomfortable in his heart, as if it was being scratched by a cat's claws.

"I hate hiding things the most. My whole family is full of riddlers!"

When Fang Mu left the study, a few faint laughs could be heard from the room. Of course, he could neither see nor hear them.

"You little brat, I'll have to torture you for a whole day."

……

Fang Mu left the study. It was already bright outside. Thinking that he had not gone out for fun yesterday, he decided to go out for a walk.

I happened to pass by the Central Courtyard and called Zhong San to go out and have some fun.

Butler Zhong had left the backyard gate at some point. He must have known that the father and son had finished their talk and were busy with their own affairs. After all, he was busy with work and couldn't wait there all day.

Many servants were pruning and tending the garden in the middle courtyard. It was a beautiful spring day, and Fang's mother liked to grow flowers and plants. Many flowers in the garden of the middle courtyard were planted by Fang's mother herself. On weekdays, they were mostly taken care of by servants. This was the best time for peach blossoms to bloom. The flowers in this garden were obviously not ordinary ones. They were all rare and famous ones that Fang Lu found to please his wife. The pink flowers swayed in the breeze, and the faint fragrance of peach blossoms filled the air, making people feel happy.

"Young master, how are you?" Several servants greeted Fang Mu when they saw him coming into the garden.

The servants of the Fang family like Fang Mu, the young master of the Fang family the most. The master and the eldest master are too serious. Although they are not strict, there are many rules and the slightest mistake will be punished.

Even the lady who looked kind and approachable had a somewhat condescending demeanor, and although she spoke softly and in a low voice, she did not take servants like them seriously in her actions.

Only this young master, though seemingly naughty, was actually thoughtful and, more importantly, respectful to them. He never treated them coldly just because they were servants.

"I'm here to look for Zhong San. Where has he gone?" Fang Mu grabbed a pair of tree pruning shears and started to help prune the trees.

"Third brother went to Huichuntang to buy medicine. He said that he used a lot of medicine these days." Several servants did not stop Fang Mu from helping. It was obvious that they knew their young master's temper very well. He did whatever he wanted, and it was difficult for others to dissuade him.

"It seems that I need to take some supplements during this period. Third brother went to buy medicine for me."

Fang Mu helped to prune a few trees, but eventually he couldn't control his temper anymore, so he threw away his scissors and went out.