The next morning, the rooms smelled of fresh bamboo. Mo Ran walked out of her space on her own two feet, using the wall for balance only once. Her blue dress suited her perfectly, highlighting her graceful movements.
"The rooms are so peaceful, Lu Chen," Gu Qinghan said as she helped Chu Ning’er tie a blue ribbon into her hair. Her eyes were almost fully clear now. "But our kitchen needs proper pots, and we need thick cotton blankets for the private beds before the autumn winds return."
Ye Xinyang pulled out a small cloth purse, a bright smile on her face. "We still have twelve silver pieces from my family. Let’s walk down to the valley town together. We can buy supplies and decorate the rooms properly."
"Alright," I said, giving them a warm nod. "Let’s go. It will be good for all of you to get some fresh air away from this mountain."
Then we went for the market.
The valley town was bustling, the main road packed with merchants selling roasted grains, woven baskets, and colorful fabrics. Walking down the street, my four wifes drew looks from every single passerby. Even in simple blue cotton dresses, their clean hair, bright skin, and natural elegance made them look like daughters of a high noble family.
We stopped at a household stall, selecting three copper pots, a set of white ceramic bowls, and several thick, soft cotton blankets.
As I was paying the merchant, a loud voice sounded from a luxury jade shop across the street.
"I told you, this merchant firm only buys top-grade spirit herbs!"
I turned around and saw Lin Xiaoxiao, the young miss from the grand Heavenly Sword Sect we had met in the woods. She was standing with her old servant, arguing with a wealthy shopkeeper. Today, she looked stressed, her silver-cloud uniform slightly dusty.
Right next to her stood a young man in an expensive violet silk robe, holding a jade fan. He had two high-level bodyguards behind him. This was Young Master Zhao, the son of the local town governor. His cultivation was at the fourth level of Qi Condensation—a big deal in this small valley town.
Young Master Zhao snapped his fan shut, his eyes suddenly shifting away from Lin Xiaoxiao and locking straight onto my four wives. A greedy, unpleasant smirk appeared on his face.
"Well, well," Zhao said, completely ignoring Lin Xiaoxiao and walking straight across the street toward us. "I didn’t know our small valley town was hiding such beautiful maidens. Girls, wearing such cheap blue cotton is an insult to your faces. Why don’t you leave this servant boy behind and come to my estate? I can buy you silk dresses from the capital city."
His two bodyguards stepped forward, their physical pressure expanding to frighten the surrounding crowd. The townspeople quickly backed away in fear.
Ye Xinyang immediately stepped in front of Chu Ning’er, her face turning cold and proud. "Move aside. We are not interested in your estate."
"Oh? A feisty one!" Zhao laughed, reaching his hand out toward Xinyang’s chin. "Do you know who my father is? In this town, what I want, I take."
He didn’t see my hand move.
Before his fingers could even brush the air near Xinyang, I was standing directly between them. I reached out and caught his wrist in a grip that felt like a closing iron vice.
"Ah! Let go!" Zhao yelled, his face turning red as my dense physical strength pressed against his bones. "Guards! Kill this trash!"
The two bodyguards lunged forward, their fists glowing with yellow spiritual light—a mid-tier crushing technique. They aimed straight for my ribs. I didn’t even blink. I stood perfectly still, letting their glowing fists slam directly into my chest.
Thud!
A loud ripple of air exploded across the street, but I didn’t move an inch. Thanks to the Five-Elements Defensive Silk Array woven into my new blue clothes, their spiritual energy was absorbed completely. The two bodyguards let out sharp cries of pain, their knuckles cracking against my chest as if they had struck a mountain wall. They stumbled backward, clutching their broken fingers in absolute shock.
"What kind of body-refining monster is this?" one guard stammered, his face turning white.
I turned back to Young Master Zhao, who was still trapped in my grip, shaking with terror. I gave his wrist a slight twist, sending him crashing to his knees in the ground.
"Your father might own the town," I said, my voice smooth, calm, and entirely flat. "But you don’t own my family. If I see your face near my wife’s again, I will snap this hand off."
I released him, and he scrambled backward into the ground, his expensive violet robe covered in dust. "You... you wait! My father will report this to the Ashen Cloud Sect elders!"
"Tell them," I said clearly. "They already know how to find my shack."
The young master and his injured bodyguards scrambled down the street in absolute humiliation, the surrounding crowd letting out quiet cheers as they watched the town bully get slapped so effortlessly.
Lin Xiaoxiao stood across the road, her jaw completely dropped. She walked over slowly, looking at my blue robe, then looking at my four wives with absolute disbelief.
"You..." Lin Xiaoxiao whispered to me, her proud tone completely gone. "You’re the carpenter from the woods! You didn’t use any spiritual energy... How is your body that strong? And these women... they are the fallen geniuses from the grand sects!"
"We are just a family running a farm, Miss Lin," I said, picking up our new copper pots and blankets with a calm smile.
Lin Xiaoxiao’s old servant stepped forward, bowing very deeply to me with immense respect.
"Young Master Lu... please forgive our previous blindness. My young miss has been trying to purchase rare Spirit-Cleansing Grass to complete a sect mission, but the local merchants are hoarding it. If you have any connections in the mountains..."
I looked at the old servant, then looked at the system screen popping up in my mind.
[ding! investment opportunity detected.]
[target: lin xiaoxiao (heavenly sword sect). option: trading or gifting high-grade herbs will unlock advanced capital-city market connections and rare weapon resources!]
I reached into my sleeve and pulled out one of the leftover stalks of Spirit-Cleansing Grass I had kept in my inventory.
"I happen to have a stalk from my morning walk," I said smoothly, handing the green herb to the shocked Lin Xiaoxiao. "Take it as a token of friendship from our household."
Lin Xiaoxiao took the herb, her eyes shining with pure gratitude and a sudden, deep respect for my character. "Thank you, Lu Chen... If you ever come to the regional capital, bring this token to the Lin Trading Firm. My family will give you whatever you need." She handed me a silver medallion stamped with her family name.
Ye Xinyang walked up to my side, lightly wrapping her arm around mine, her eyes full of a sweet pride as she looked at the grand sect disciple bowing to her husband. "Let’s go home. We have a house to decorate."
"Alright," I said, looking at my beautiful wifes with a warm nod as we carried our new goods back toward the mountain.