This Martial Saint is Too Cautious

Deng State.

Lin Mansion, rear residence.

Qin Yin sat on a soft couch by the window, flipping through the mansion's account ledgers for the month.

Her simple white dress draped softly along the curve of her waist, outlining a slender, graceful figure.

Outside, the wintersweet was in full bloom. Its cool fragrance seeped through the cracks in the window, mingling with the warmth of the charcoal fire inside and creating a rare moment of winter comfort.

Indeed, Qin Yin's life was quite pleasant these days.

Ever since Lin Yan had left for Qing State, the family's business had not only avoided any setbacks but had become even smoother than before.

The Inspection Bureau's two Vice Directors were now both disciples of the Yang Family Martial Arts Hall. Not to mention, the Yang Family Martial Arts Hall had become the number one martial arts hall in Guangping County Town.

Because of their connection to Lin Yan, the other prominent families in town no longer dared to cause trouble. Even the few clan uncles who had previously grumbled about her managing the household had tactfully fallen silent.

'The Laba Festival is almost here. I'll have to visit Lin Yan's aunt.'

Lin Yan had gone to Qing State. He was of the same generation as her late husband and called her "Sister-in-law," so his aunt was essentially her aunt as well.

For the past six months, she had visited her on every festival.

"Madam! Madam!"

The shouts broke Qin Yin from her thoughts.

A moment later, the butler rushed over the threshold, forgetting all etiquette. He held a letter high in the air, calling out excitedly before he even reached her, "A letter has come from the main family in Qing State Prefecture! It's wonderful news!"

"What news?"

Qin Yin started to rise, but before she could even sit up straight, the butler couldn't hold it in any longer. "The main family's letter says that Young Master Lin Yan has broken through to the Blood Exchange Realm!"

"What? Say that again?"

Disbelief filled Qin Yin's eyes. It wasn't that she hadn't heard him; she simply couldn't believe it.

"Young Master Lin has broken through to the Blood Exchange Realm! The main family sent a celebratory letter. They also said our Deng State Lin Family has cultivated him well and are specially rewarding us with ten thousand silver."

"He... he broke through to the Blood Exchange Realm?"

This time, Qin Yin was sure she hadn't misheard, yet she still found it hard to believe. She quickly took the letter from the butler, her almond-shaped eyes widening as she read it word by word, afraid she might miss something.

After reading it, the excitement on her face was impossible to hide. She patted her chest repeatedly, a dazed look in her eyes. "How did he... how did he reach Blood Exchange?"

"Madam, isn't Young Master Lin reaching Blood Exchange a good thing?"

The butler was confused. For the mansion, Young Master Lin's breakthrough to the Blood Exchange Realm was the best news imaginable.

Lately, the prominent families in the county town had stayed out of their business, but that was mostly out of respect for the Yang Family Martial Arts Hall. Ultimately, they were borrowing someone else's power.

But Young Master Lin was different. From the moment he left this branch of the family, his fate had been bound with theirs.

"It is a good thing. I'm just finding it a little... a little hard to process."

Qin Yin's dazed expression was because she was remembering the scene at the Zhao Mansion last year when she met Lin Yan.

Back then, Lin Yan had only completed his Second-Time Skin Smoothing. He didn't stand out in the crowd at all. She'd had to ask several people just to find him.

Who could have imagined that the unremarkable young man standing forgotten in a corner of the Zhao Family Garden would become a Blood Exchange Realm powerhouse in just over a year?

A young man from an ordinary family had now reached the pinnacle of a county town. What heights would his Martial Arts reach in the future?

The more she thought about it, the more excited Qin Yin became, and her delicate body couldn't help but tremble.

"Madam, it was your sharp eye that discovered Young Master Lin's potential back then. Now that he has broken through to the Blood Exchange Realm, who in all of Guangping County Town would dare to scheme against our family?"

Seeing his madam's excitement, the butler assumed she was thrilled about her own foresight in recognizing talent and offered a smiling bit of flattery.

"Ah!"

The butler's words made Qin Yin let out a small "Ah." She hadn't been thinking about the benefits Lin Yan's breakthrough would bring to the mansion at all. Her mind was entirely filled with thoughts of Lin Yan's future path in Martial Arts.

Snapping back to reality, an almost imperceptible blush crept onto her beautiful face, and a hint of charm flickered in her almond eyes. By the time she looked up again, however, her expression was back to normal.

"You said the main family also rewarded us with ten thousand silver? In that case, please have them take that ten thousand silver back to Lin Yan... wait. Withdraw another three thousand silver from the mansion's funds, and ask the messenger from the main family to take it all back with them."

"Yes."

The butler had no objections. He was confident that even the clan elders wouldn't dare to dissent.

"Don't rush. First, arrange for the messenger from the main family to rest here. I'll make a trip to his aunt's home to share the good news. She might want to write a letter to Lin Yan, and we can send it along with the rest. Also, arrange for someone to send a message to the Yang Family Martial Arts Hall. Hall Master Yang must be told this good news immediately."

...

Qin Yin gave her orders methodically, considering every detail with great care. Being able to manage an entire family, she was clearly more than just a pretty face.

...

In the Zhou Family's main hall.

After the turmoil with the Four Seas Gang, the Zhou Family had also been implicated and had lost its former glory.

"Shu'er, you're a married woman now. You can't be throwing childish tantrums anymore," Zhou Cang said, taking a sip from his teacup as he began his usual lecture. "The Sun Family might not compare to our Zhou Family, having only just moved to the city from a town below, but they have great potential. Given time, they will rise even higher."

"Father, don't worry. I'm not an unreasonable person. Besides, Sun Yang treats me very well, and he has a lot of potential in Martial Arts. He's confident he can break through to the Third-Time of Skin Smoothing within three years."

Zhou Shu said with a smile, but her older brother, Zhou Xu, sitting in a chair to her left, couldn't help but mutter under his breath, "Three more years? In three years, I bet Lin Yan will have already reached the Fourth-Time of Skin Smoothing."