Every time I tried to focus and master it, my thoughts would immediately surge, my mind like a frenzied, rampaging horse, causing my head to throb and my chest to feel stifled and restless, almost to the point of nausea.

Such a strong reaction made Sanlang Brooks realize: at this stage, he simply did not have the qualifications to understand the silk manuscript. To put it bluntly, his attainments were insufficient; he needed to continue studying and comprehending.

Read ten thousand books, travel ten thousand miles, and seek understanding from within.

Then let’s go.

All roads are made by people walking them.

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. The most crucial thing at this stage is to temper the body and nurture the sword. It should be a skill kept in reserve, perhaps with unexpected uses.

Sanlang Brooks was actually able to persist, earnestly and methodically learning martial arts.

This quickly spread throughout the small town of Jing County, becoming a major novelty, hotly discussed in every street and alley. Some said that this was because Sanlang Brooks knew he couldn’t succeed in academics and couldn’t enter the academy, so he simply changed careers; others said that Sanlang Brooks, like other wealthy young men who joined martial arts schools, had ulterior motives—he just wanted to use the opportunity to get close to Xu Niangniang’s daughter Yvonne Foster, coveting her beauty; still others said that Sanlang Brooks was neither good at literature nor martial arts, and would sooner or later squander the family fortune...

Amidst all the gossip, Sanlang Brooks turned a deaf ear, focusing solely on his own affairs—whenever the time came, he would go somewhere secluded, open the rosewood sword case, and gently take out the small sword.

He would prick his finger with the sword tip, nourishing it with his blood.

Compared to this life-and-death agony, martial arts training was child’s play, hardly worth mentioning.

Chapter 3: Betrothal Gift Like a Mountain, Marrying Off a Daughter Like Selling

“Granny Wood, my family has agreed to the Liu family’s terms. Go and deliver the message, set an auspicious date, bring over the birth dates, and finalize the engagement.”

In the The Brooks Family main hall, Mrs. Brooks spoke to a woman.

This woman’s surname was Wu, and she was famous in Jing County, one of the top matchmakers, with a sharp tongue and flowery speech—there was no marriage she couldn’t arrange.

Taking a light sip of tea, Granny Wood’s lips curled slightly: “Mrs. Brooks, this matter won’t be easy…”

Mrs. Brooks was taken aback: “Has the Liu family’s daughter been promised to someone else?”

“That hasn’t happened yet.”

Hearing this, Mrs. Brooks felt relieved. As her son had come of age and with no hope in the imperial exams, her desire to arrange a marriage and help him settle down grew stronger by the day.

Mrs. Brooks had long started looking and had set her sights on the Liu family’s daughter. The girl was just sixteen, had good looks, was literate, and was quite a match for Sanlang.

Speaking of the Liu family, they lived just a street away from the The Brooks Family, and there was some old family friendship. When they were young, Sanlang Brooks and the Liu family’s daughter used to play together—in simple terms, they were “childhood sweethearts.” But as time passed, the two families grew distant and gradually lost contact.

With a suitable candidate, Mrs. Brooks asked Matchmaker Wood to act as the go-between, but unexpectedly, the Liu family made an exorbitant demand, asking for a betrothal gift of two hundred strings of cash, which put her in a difficult position.

Two hundred strings—equivalent to two hundred taels of silver—was no small sum. It wasn’t that the The Brooks Family couldn’t afford it, but after spending such a large amount, it would be hard to do business in the future, and cash flow would be tight.

So, the matter was put on hold.

But now, seeing the many strange changes in Sanlang Brooks, even a tendency toward reckless behavior, Mrs. Brooks was very worried and felt that the marriage could not be delayed any longer. So she invited Granny Wood again and agreed to the two hundred strings of cash as the betrothal gift.

She hoped that after the wedding, Sanlang Brooks would settle down.

This matter had not yet been discussed with Sanlang Brooks, but a man should marry when grown, and a woman should wed when of age—this was the proper order, and with parental arrangement and a matchmaker’s word, it was enough.

“Granny Wood, please speak plainly.”

Matchmaker Wood smacked her lips: “Mrs. Brooks, it’s not that I’m being long-winded, but lately Sanlang’s behavior has been very unusual.”

Jing County is so small that even a fart would stink up the whole town—Sanlang Brooks’s actions could not be hidden.

Mrs. Brooks frowned, worry flashing in her eyes, and after a moment’s thought, asked, “So what exactly does the Liu family mean?”

Matchmaker Wood held up a hand, five fingers spread: “Master Liu says the betrothal gift must be this amount before he’ll marry off his daughter.”

“What, five hundred strings!”

Mrs. Brooks cried out in shock: this wasn’t marrying off a daughter, it was more like selling her—even selling wouldn’t fetch such a high price!

“Granny Wood, can’t you put in a good word with Master Liu?”

Mrs. Brooks had given plenty of red envelopes to the matchmaker.

Granny Wood wailed in protest: “I’ve talked until my mouth is dry, but Master Liu and Madam Liu just won’t budge. There’s really nothing I can do.”

Mrs. Brooks was deeply troubled.

If two hundred strings was barely acceptable, five hundred was truly over the line. To bring the Liu family’s daughter into the house at the cost of bankruptcy—what was the point?

The The Brooks Family, after all, was not one of those great wealthy families, just barely a moderately well-off household.

After much thought, Mrs. Brooks decided to talk to the Liu family herself, and asked Uncle Harris to invite them over.

It wasn’t Master Liu who came, but Madam Liu, a woman in her forties, her face tightly drawn, showing little sign of a smile.

After the guests were seated and a few pleasantries exchanged, Mrs. Brooks got straight to the point, asking Madam Liu to make some concessions on the betrothal gift—Master Liu was henpecked, so as long as Madam Liu agreed, the matter could be settled.