Hu Biyan returned before long, a rolled parchment in hand, and passed it to Li Yan without a word.
Fortunately, that. Lord Li, for all his coldness, had at least permitted a tutor in his younger days, enough that Li Yan could read the dense legal script without difficulty.
His second brother had liked him well enough back then to argue the point on his behalf, insisting a Ger raised in the household should at least know his letters.
The contract laid out its terms in blunt, formal language: all holdings currently registered under the name Hu Bai- manors, land deeds, silver reserves, and shares in various trade ventures- would transfer in full to one Li Yan upon signature.
Breaking the engagement thereafter, by either party, would return the wealth to its original holder, minus a penalty of one-tenth paid to the wronged side. Any attempt to falsify or void the contract without mutual agreement would be reported to the regional magistrate as fraud, punishable under the law.
Thorough. More thorough than Li Yan expected from a man who threw around promises of exterminating families as easily as compliments.
He set the contract down after reading it twice and looked toward Hu Bai. "My family believes I am dead. So I intend to find another family to adopt me. Once that happens, the dowry and wealth can go to them instead. Until then, we remain engaged only on paper. Nothing more."
"Whatever suits you." Hu Bai did not blink at the condition. "Take whatever time you require."
Li Yan signed his name beneath the terms, watching the ink settle into the parchment with a strange, distant satisfaction. One matter had been resolved, at least for now.
Although several remained.
He needed to learn pill-making, and needed an apothecary willing to teach him.
Xiaoxiao had already explained the basics: pill-refiners required a fire attribute, apothecaries an earth attribute, the two skills built on entirely different foundations despite how often they overlapped in practice.
Without one or the other, the path was closed to him before it began.
His dantian had only just opened. Whether that made him a genius, as his older brothers had once been called, or trash, as his father insisted, remained to be seen. He intended to find out soon.
Some facilities had to exist for testing such things, though most tests were conducted by sects, and sects did not open their gates to anyone who wandered up and asked.
He turned his attention to Hu Bai. A man with power such as his did not go unclaimed by one sect or another, not in a world where strength decided everything.
"Tell me which sect you belong to." Li Yan studied him carefully. "I would like to join as well."
Better to walk into a sect with backing already secured than start entirely from nothing, a stranger among strangers with no name and no protection behind him.
"Nine Jade Sect." Hu Bai answered without hesitation, settling back against the doorframe as though the question pleased him. "A new session opens shortly, and they are taking in fresh disciples, provided one passes the entry examination."
"Tell me the components." Li Yan folded his arms, already turning the possibilities over in his mind.
"There are three parts." Hu Bai held up a finger for each. "First, an assessment of spirit root and innate ability. A yellow spirit root is the minimum requirement to be considered at all. Anything lower, and the sect will not even bother recording your name."
Li Yan nodded slowly. He had no way to know his own spirit root yet, not until the pill finished its work and Xiaoxiao could confirm what his newly opened dantian carried within it—a question for later, though an important one.
"Second, the written examination." Hu Bai’s mouth curled faintly, something close to amusement passing over his features. "Easiest portion of the three, though I understand it was not always so simple. The sect deliberately kept it basic in recent years, given how many candidates from poorer households arrive unable to read a single character. No sense turning away talent over a skill most never had the chance to learn."
"And the third."
"The mountain test." Something shifted in Hu Bai’s tone here, less amused, more measured. "A trial of perseverance, agility, and raw power in equal measure. Candidates are set loose on the sect’s mountain range and must reach the summit within a set number of days, navigating whatever the terrain and its resident beasts choose to throw at them."
"You have taken all three, I suppose..."
"I have." Hu Bai’s smile returned in full, easy and self-satisfied. "I found the whole affair rather enjoyable, if I am honest. The mountain especially. Nothing quite like testing one’s strength against something that might actually kill you."
Li Yan studied him for a long moment; Hu Bai was strong, so everything must have been like baking bread. He could not take his assessment as it is. It was imbalanced.
"For you, perhaps." Hu Bai’s gaze dropped over Li Yan, something almost thoughtful entering his expression now, the teasing edge briefly set aside. "I confess I am less certain how a rabbit such as yourself would fare against it."
"I am no rabbit." The words came out flat, cold enough that Hu Bai’s easy smile faltered for half a breath.
"No." Hu Bai recovered quickly, tilting his head as he studied Li Yan anew, something calculating behind the charm now. "Perhaps not. We shall see soon enough, once the examination begins."
Li Yan shrugged; he had never cultivated a day in his life, so he had no confidence in his abilities.
But one thing was certain: he had a space filled with treasures, and he would use every pill, weapon, and manual at his disposal to get stronger.
"Your wonderful husband would definitely make sure you get admitted into the sect. As long as you train hard and listen to Hu Biyan, I have no doubt you will pass."
-_-
Li Yan raised a brow; he was so sure Hu Bai would jump at the thought of training him, yet he was giving that chance to his right-hand man?
"Why Hu Biyan? Why not you?"
Hu Bai smirked, stepping closer until his hand circled Li Yan’s waist.
"You are way too beautiful; as my bride, I will be biased and go easy on you. Hu Biyan would not do that; nothing can move the man, not even the tears from a peerless beauty."