Chapter 5: The Secret Room in the Wood Shed

"What must one do to become a martial artist?" Lu Shaoyou murmured to himself, realizing that in order to change his fate, he must at the very least become a martial artist.

After a brief conversation with his mother, Lu Shaoyou returned to his room and began to peruse the martial arts techniques that Lu Xiaobai had brought.

"Alright, I will bring it to you later," said Lu Xiaobai

Cough... Lu Shaoyou entered through the back door, carrying the last bag of salt. The old servant, Uncle Nan, slowly stood up and suddenly bumped into Lu Shaoyou, as if he had been knocked by him, and immediately began to cough.

"Then I shall take my leave, Uncle Nan, please take care of yourself," said Lu Shaoyou, feeling Uncle Nan's hand, which was warm to the touch, as if a warm current flowed through his entire body.

"You are on the brink of death, yet you remain unaware of it," the old servant said to Lu Shaoyou.

The warehouse is quite a distance from this back door. As I walk along, I realize that last night, Lu Shaoyou did not take a close look at the Lu family estate. Now, observing it, the Lu family is indeed not small. The courtyards are interconnected, and the glazed tiles shine brilliantly. This area I am in is merely the back courtyard, while the direct descendants of the Lu family reside in the front courtyard area, which appears luxurious and vast from a distance.

I would like to see if there is a way to obtain it, said Lu Shaoyou

At this moment, Lu Shaoyou was observing the old servant, Uncle Nan, who appeared nothing like the frail figure he had seen during the day at the library. His eyes were spirited, exuding an invisible aura, though his complexion was slightly pale

"I haven't deceived you, have I?" said the old servant, Uncle Nan

"Isn't it strange? If it weren't for watching you grow up and your relatively kind heart, I wouldn't bother to come to your rescue," said the old servant, Uncle Nan, as he gazed at Lu Shaoyou.

"Aren't you unable to become a martial artist? What do you need martial skills for?" After finishing lunch, Lu Xiaobai looked at Lu Shaoyou in his room and said

"Your strength is indeed growing quickly," Lu Xiaobai said to Lu Shaoyou, and then the two of them followed a group of servants carrying salt towards the warehouse

A faint sound of "chi" was heard as the door to the secret chamber closed. Inside the chamber, apart from a stone bed, there was nothing else to be seen.

"How can you still want to become a martial artist when you're about to die?" At that moment, a voice as faint as a mosquito buzzed in Lu Shaoyou's ear

"Young Master You, I am fine," the old servant, Uncle Nan, said as he steadied himself while holding onto Young Master Lu's hand

Is that so? I don't feel it to be heavy at all. Lu Shaoyou himself was puzzled; he remembered that he used to struggle to carry such a load. However, now, this bag of salt seemed to weigh only about thirty to forty jin on his shoulder, requiring little effort to carry.

"Who on earth is it? Could it be a ghost?" Lu Shaoyou mustered his courage and opened the door to the woodshed. As he stepped into the dim night, he saw a familiar figure: "Uncle Nan, why is it you?"

Ah... just as Lu Shaoyou was about to scream, before the sound could escape his lips, he saw a flash before his eyes. The old servant, Uncle Nan, astonishingly appeared right in front of him. Then, he tapped a few times on Lu Shaoyou's chest and abdomen, and the two immense currents of energy within him vanished and settled down.

Old servant Uncle Nan has been with the Lu family for several decades, holding a significant position among the servants, regarded as a senior servant among senior servants. No one knows his real name; everyone simply calls him Uncle Nan. Even Chief Steward Zhao gives him some respect. Usually, this old servant Uncle Nan is responsible for guarding the back door and occasionally trimming the flowers and plants in the backyard. It took over a thousand bags of salt and dozens of servants, each carrying more than twenty times, to transport everything to the warehouse, which took a whole morning. By the time they carried the last bag, everyone was exhausted, but only Lu Shaoyou remained energetic, feeling that the more he exercised, the stronger he became.

The old servant, Uncle Nan, chuckled softly and said: "I am just joking, five, four, three, two, one ..."

"Let me take a look," said Lu Shaoyou. "This external martial skill is still a martial skill; it is good to take a look at it."

Lu Shaoyou's puzzled old servant, Uncle Nan, immediately looked him over and said, "No way, I'm perfectly fine, Uncle Nan, don't joke with me."

"Uncle Nan, what is it that saves me? Why do I feel that you are different from before?" Lu Shaoyou asked

As the old servant Nan Shu's words fell, Lu Shaoyou was engulfed in confusion when suddenly two streams of cold and hot energy surged violently within him, as if they were intent on destroying his internal organs.

Lu Shaoyou did not pay much attention to it and continued towards the warehouse. Lu Xiaobai said that there was nothing much to do in the afternoon

"If you don't want to die, come to the woodshed, and don't alert anyone else." This voice continued to speak in Lu Shaoyou's ear before vanishing.

Carrying a bag of goods, Lu Shaoyou felt that the contents of these bags seemed to be salt. He turned to look at Lu Xiaobai, who was carrying a bag and could hardly stand upright, and asked, "What’s the matter, is it heavy?"

"Oh, how strange, how could this be? That method has broken through, yet it is still a body of yin and yang," murmured the old servant, Uncle Nan, as he gazed at Lu Shaoyou's silhouette.

"Young Master, no, Young Master, how did your strength suddenly increase? This bag of salt weighs one hundred and twenty pounds, and you could never lift it before," Lu Xiaobai said in surprise as he watched Lu Shaoyou effortlessly carry a bag of salt

One afternoon, Lu Shaoyou had nothing to do. At the Lu family residence, some people regarded him as transparent. He wandered around the backyard for a while; of course, this was just the backyard. The front yard was the area where the direct descendants of the Lu family resided, and with his status as a young master of the Lu family, Lu Shaoyou was also unable to enter.

"Come with me," said the old servant, Uncle Nan, as he glanced at Lu Shaoyou. He then walked to a corner of the woodshed, and with a press of an unknown spot, a secret underground chamber suddenly appeared beneath that corner of the wall

"Stop looking and hurry inside." That voice once again spoke in Lu Shaoyou's ear

In the evening, Lu Xiaobai brought over a small booklet, the one about external martial arts techniques. Soon after, his mother returned home. Seeing the weary expression on her face, Lu Shaoyou felt a deep pang of sorrow in his heart. It seemed that his mother had endured quite a bit of hardship today. He knew he had to change everything as soon as possible.

"Uncle Nan, what on earth is going on? You must save me!" At this moment, Lu Shaoyou was convinced that this old servant, Uncle Nan, was undoubtedly a legendary strongman, seemingly having deliberately concealed himself within the Lu family. The two streams of cold and hot energy within him must have been caused by those two demon cores.

After flipping through it, Lu Shaoyou couldn't help but feel greatly disappointed. The external martial arts techniques were simply akin to the two-dollar per book "Rulai's Palm" from his previous life, making it utterly impossible to cultivate any extraordinary skills. It contained only some simple moves, which were of no use after all.

At the back gate, the elderly servant, Uncle Nan, sat quietly beside the back door, his gaze intentionally or unintentionally fixed on Lu Shaoyou, who was carrying several bags of salt back and forth. His expression was devoid of any emotion, but for those who observed closely, it was not difficult to notice that occasionally, a glimmer of brilliance flashed in Uncle Nan's eyes.

The old servant, Uncle Nan, paid no attention to Lu Shaoyou's surprised expression and walked into the secret chamber by himself. Lu Shaoyou, still astonished, also entered the secret chamber.

I am merely a servant; how could it be possible for me to acquire martial skills? However, I do possess a manual of external martial arts, which was left behind by someone who lived with me. He has returned home to visit his family these past few days.

"Uncle Nan, are you alright?" Lu Shaoyou hurriedly supported Uncle Nan's hands.

Taking advantage of the night, Lu Shaoyou quietly made his way to the woodshed. The woodshed was not far from where he lived, and at this late hour, there was no one around. When Lu Shaoyou arrived at the woodshed, he carefully looked around and found that there was no one outside.

Lu Shaoyou felt that this voice seemed somewhat familiar. After hesitating for a moment, he decided to make a trip to the woodshed. It concerned his own life and death; regardless of its authenticity, he had to go. This person could speak to him quietly and without being noticed, which surely indicated that they possessed great skills

"Who, who is it..." Lu Shaoyou suddenly looked around the room in surprise, as there was only himself in this room