Zhang San, please behave yourself!
Chapter 324 - 310: Four Aunts

Chapter 324: Chapter 310: Four Aunts

That night, Zhang San dreamt of Baili Archery.

The archery of the Baili Family emphasizes one word: distance.

In his dream that night, Zhang San practiced arching for eight years. Although he had yet to formally draw a bow and shoot an arrow upon awakening, he was still confident that he had become quite skilled in archery.

But being able to shoot far was not enough.

After all, the Meteor Arrow Technique of the Zheng family is known for its speed. Distance gives an advantage, but once the gap is narrowed, that advantage is lost.

Zhang San originally came to the courtyard intending to practice archery.

But then he thought that if others found out that he could shoot arrows, it would only alert Zheng Poyue in advance, so he decided not to practice for the time being.

At that moment, Zhang San suddenly remembered the somewhat worn manual Li Moxian gave him yesterday. Considering Li Moxian’s status, there must be something valuable inside.

So Zhang San took the manual out of his Gluttonous Bag and upon opening it, he discovered that it was the Arrow Nurturing Technique.

Zhang San carefully examined the manual, which comprised two parts.

One part appeared to be records of the Arrow Nurturing Technique from predecessors that Li Moxian had found; the other part was his own supplementary notes and insights on the technique.

Although the manual was incomplete, Zhang San felt that if he practiced according to its contents, he might further progress in the way of archery.

However, where he was temporarily staying was crowded with government officers who had come to the Capital to report on their duties.

With many people and much gossip, it would be inconvenient to practice archery there.

Right then, Ximen Jinxing came to Zhang San’s courtyard.

"Zhang San, there have been no new leads on the cases these past days. How about we go out for a stroll?" Ximen Jinxing asked.

Upon seeing Ximen Jinxing, Zhang San approached and asked, "Do you know of any secluded place suitable for practicing archery?"

Ximen Jinxing was taken aback, as he had never known Zhang San to be an archer.

Then, with a quick thought and a smile, he said, "I do know a good place. Want to go?"

"Yes."

That very morning, Ximen Jinxing took Zhang San to Ximen Mansion.

And the key figures within the mansion were all dumbfounded by this scene.

All this time, Ximen Shuxiang’s biggest concern was not being able to marry off his two daughters.

Though Ximen Shuxiang’s daughters were of stunning beauty, suspected by many not to be the offspring of such a rugged brute.

But in reality, the eldest daughter, Ximen Jinxing, had been exceptionally brave ever since she was little, capable of fighting a group of boys by herself at the age of three. By five, she could even beat boys aged ten, and at seven became famous throughout the Capital for uprooting willows with sheer force.

And his younger daughter had always been considered too sickly and frail to live long.

Yet both daughters were ravishingly beautiful.

Numerous heirs from aristocratic families and various scions wanted to propose but also feared to do so.

Thus originated the moniker, the Capital’s Twin Paragons.

Unexpectedly, today Ximen Jinxing brought home a young man of the same age, and a handsome one at that.

Of course, none of that was the most important. What mattered most was that the man had walked through the mansion gates alongside Ximen Jinxing, not tied up with rope.

The butler immediately sent someone to notify the master of the house.

Meanwhile, the several aunts in Ximen Mansion who had remained unmarried for years were thrilled to hear their niece had brought home a man. They all left the training grounds and returned to their rooms to dress with dignified elegance, eager to see for themselves.

Thus, during lunch at Ximen Jinxing’s place, what was originally meant to be a simple meal became more elaborate, as Ximen Jinxing thought to prepare some additional delicacies for Zhang San’s first visit.

What neither of them expected was that just as they were about to start eating, someone pushed the door open.

Ximen Jinxing was taken aback, and Zhang San was even more surprised.

Standing at the door were four robust and sturdy women, each dressed in extravagant clothes with heavy jewelry heaped upon their heads, all smiling broadly.

But no matter how you looked at them, they resembled the Four Great King Kongs in a temple.

"Niece, who is this gentleman?"

After the leading woman stepped in, the three women behind her filed in one by one.

After all, the door of Ximen Jinxing’s room was only so wide, and it was somewhat troublesome for two women to try to walk through simultaneously without difficulty for the door frame.

Ximen Jinxing immediately started the introductions.

"Greetings to the four aunties. This is my colleague from the Town Martial Office, named Zhang San. He has come to practice... martial arts today and is also looking for a suitable blade."

Earlier on the road, Ximen Jinxing had asked Zhang San why he needed a secluded place to secretly practice archery.

Zhang San had mentioned that he was worried about running into Zheng Poyue, so he was preparing in advance.

Therefore, Ximen Jinxing would not tell his aunties the truth either, reasoning that practicing archery was also practicing martial arts, close enough.

"Zhang San, these four are my grandfather’s four sisters, my four aunties."

"The eldest auntie, Ximen Qingnang, is skilled in swordsmanship."

"The second auntie, Ximen Hongxiu, is skilled in... umbrella techniques."

"The third auntie, Ximen Cihai, is proficient in... musical instruments."

"The youngest auntie, Ximen Yanshou, is skilled in... breeding."

Zhang San glanced at Ximen Jinxing’s four kind-looking aunties who kept staring at him nonstop, and for some reason, he felt that something was off in the introductions Ximen Jinxing had given.

"Greetings to the four aunties. It’s my first time visiting the mansion, and I should have prepared some gifts by all rights. But I didn’t know what the aunties would like, so I just prepared something simple."

Even though Zhang San didn’t want to spend a single penny, he felt obligated to show respect when meeting someone else’s elders, considering that Ximen Jinxing had always taken good care of him.

On the other hand, Principal Officer Ximen had once saved his life at the Pure Stream Sword Sect and taught him "Tiger’s Life Spirit Gang," so Zhang San felt it was right to spend some money out of gratitude for Principal Officer Ximen’s kindness.

Thus, Zhang San took out four gold bars from his Storage Ring.

"I really didn’t know what to gift, just some worldly possessions, and I hope the aunties won’t mind."

However, upon seeing the gold bars, the eyes of the four aunties lit up.

It wasn’t that the aunties were greedy for money, but this young man’s generosity during his first visit to the family made all the aunties exchange a look.

It seemed there was no need to worry about whether Ximen Jinxing would be married off in the future.

Zhang San usually kept many things in his Gluttonous Bag, but gold, which was required during the Golden Fluid Shape Refining, was always in his Storage Ring on hand to be easily accessed in case of an enemy encounter.

So now, all of Zhang San’s gold was in the Storage Ring on his hand.

"Ah, to have Zhang San come for the first time and only eat these is too neglectful. Come, come, bring out some delicacies for the young man."

With the four aunties’ command, servants immediately started bringing dish after dish to the table.

"Your name is Zhang San, right? Look at you, you’re too thin, eat more, eat more. This is called what, dead oysters? I’ve heard eating more of them is good for the body."

"Big sister, that’s wrong, it’s called raw oysters, not dead oysters."

"Ah! Surely they must be dead if they’re cooked, so how can they still be called raw oysters?"

"Try this beef stew. Of course, the beef is legally bought, the result of work oxen that accidentally died and were purchased through proper government procedures. I assure you, you’ve never tasted meat like this."

"This cold dish of Cistanche might have the word ’meat’ in its name, but it actually contains no meat. Quite a marvel. Young Master Zhang San, please give it a try."

"Though mutton caught by hand may be a more common sight, hearing you were coming, I specially stewed a whole lamb for you. You’re in the prime of your youth, so one whole lamb per meal isn’t too much, right?"

Zhang San looked at the table full of dishes, smiling yet silent.