Everyone at Red Tree Slope was incredibly excited, feeling that following their Master and Mistress was the wisest decision of their lives.
Two months ago, if not for the Mistress, they might have been reduced to mere bones by now, or their bones might have been shattered and consumed.
Li Qiang and Lu Fengshou were overjoyed. At this moment, they felt incredibly brilliant, having abandoned darkness for light and chosen the right tree to nestle in. They had truly achieved it!
The families they brought along were also immensely fortunate to have moved away from Yellow Sand Village and escaped the Zhang family.
Dozens of people chatted until late into the night before reluctantly going to sleep.
After Bai Sheng and Lu Ye entered their room, they locked the door and slipped into the spatial dimension together.
The next day, as dawn broke, Yu Wang heard the shouts of "One, two, one!" from outside.
He found it strange but was too lazy to get up. He called out to A Qiu, who was sleeping on the simple bamboo bed near the window, "Go see what's happening outside."
A Qiu sat up and pushed open the window to look. He saw a group of people below the sand embankment running around Red Tree Slope, shouting "One, two, one!" with great spirit.
Another group was practicing horse stance and simple fist techniques.
Lu Ye acted as the chief instructor, checking if anyone in the running group was slacking off, then stepping forward to guide those practicing punches.
"It's truly a nation in arms," A Qiu exclaimed, turning to report the scene to Yu Wang.
"Lu Ye knows martial arts?!" Yu Wang was quite surprised. He had thought Lu Ye was just a pretty face who relied on his looks to bewitch the "little dark-faced" person, never expecting him to know martial arts.
"From the looks of it, his martial arts are quite formidable," A Qiu said, narrowing his eyes as he looked at Lu Ye.
"Hmph, how powerful can he be? This King will spar with him," he thought. It would be truly satisfying to beat him to a pulp in front of Bai Sheng.
The thought of defeating Lu Ye in front of Bai Sheng immediately excited Yu Wang. He tidied himself up briefly and immediately headed to the temporary training ground.
"Lu Ye, do you dare to compete with this King?" Yu Wang flexed his wrists, a smile of absolute confidence on his lips as he looked at Lu Ye.
General Fen excitedly watched his brother, shouting in his heart: Fight! Fight, elder brother! Beat this idiotic Yu Wang who doesn't even know manure!
Lu Yu also called out in his heart: Fight, elder brother! Beat this pauper Yu Wang who has nothing at home and freeloads off them!
Lu Hua: Elder brother, let's fight. It’s best to beat this Yu Wang, he’s always peeking at sister-in-law.
Red Tree Slope Villagers: Master, fight! We really want to see a good show.
Bai Sheng: Forget it, husband. Don't compete with this drama queen. If you beat him and make him cry, embarrassing him, he'll start causing trouble again.
Lu Ye did not want to compete with him. After all, he was Yu Wang. If he defeated him, Yu Wang would lose a lot of face, and the trouble caused by his loss of face would fall upon Red Tree Slope.
"I don't want to compete," Lu Ye shook his head.
"What? Scared?" Yu Wang sneered. "This King wants to see what the man of the little dark-faced person is truly made of. Could he just be a pretty boy who lives off his looks? That would be far from worthy of the little dark-faced person."
A sharp glint appeared in Lu Ye's eyes, and he clenched his fists. "Yu Wang, if I defeat you, you will lose a lot of face. You will be very angry when you lose face. Do you still want to compete then?"
Yu Wang laughed, amused. A mere country bumpkin, even with some martial arts, could at best deal with common bandits. To defeat him? It was a joke.
"Even if this King loses, this King can afford to lose! Come on!" Yu Wang struck a stance, extending his hands towards Lu Ye.
Lu Ye gave a slight cold smile and also made a gesture of invitation.
The spectators had already positioned themselves to watch, standing far off, unwilling to blink.
They felt conflicted, unsure who to cheer for. While they hoped their Master would win, they also feared offending Yu Wang. Thus, everyone very tacitly fell silent, not shouting, only expressing their affection with their eyes.
A Qiu hoped Lu Ye would win, to curb his master's arrogance and pride, making him reflect and become a benevolent, non-tormenting master. However, he still had to feign support, shouting "Master, go!" and "Master, go!" from time to time, his voice sounding… unconvincing, making one suspect he was merely putting on a show.
Yu Wang's punch was powerful, the first blow aimed directly at Lu Ye's face.
He wished this face would be ruined, so Lu Ye wouldn't be as handsome as him, nor able to seduce his "little dark-faced" person.
Lu Ye stood as still as a mountain. Just as the fist was about to land on his face, he suddenly shifted his body to the side, nimbly dodging the punch.
Before Yu Wang could retract his fist, Lu Ye darted behind him and forcefully jabbed his elbow into Yu Wang's shoulder. His speed was so great that only a blur was visible.
Yu Wang stumbled forward a step. In the first exchange, he was at a disadvantage.
After regaining his footing, Yu Wang looked at Lu Ye with much greater caution. He hadn't expected Lu Ye's skills to be so formidable; his martial arts were certainly not inferior to his own. At this moment, Yu Wang felt he had underestimated his opponent.
He flicked his toes and kicked out at Lu Ye. Lu Ye's body bent backward like a taut bow, evading the kick once more. Then, with a swift somersault, he kicked Yu Wang in the back.
The spectators were greatly excited but dared not show it, feeling a bit stifled.
Bai Sheng was diligently eating a cucumber, not even watching closely. Her husband winning was a foregone conclusion.
Indeed, after a few more exchanges, Yu Wang lost.
To prevent Yu Wang from losing too disgracefully, Lu Ye did not knock him down but simply touched upon his vital points.
"Lu Ye, where did you learn this martial art? Many of your moves are unorthodox, I can't discern any pattern," the defeated Yu Wang was still quite magnanimous and did not make things difficult for Red Tree Slope.
Lu Ye did not answer directly but instead said calmly, "Demonstrate a set of your boxing techniques."
Yu Wang did not understand why Lu Ye wanted him to demonstrate his boxing, but he complied.
He performed a set of more challenging boxing techniques to regain some dignity.
However, before he could even begin to feel proud, Lu Ye replicated his entire boxing routine with perfect accuracy.
"This... How is this possible? You—" Yu Wang was greatly astonished, unsure how to describe Lu Ye's peculiar ability.
Lu Ye chuckled, "When I was six, my parents took me to town, and we happened to witness a fight between two groups. I only watched it once, and I learned both sides' boxing techniques."
"You... You are a martial arts genius!" Yu Wang exclaimed. Such a person must be put to use for him!
Lu Ye smiled faintly, "I dare not claim to be a genius, perhaps I just have a knack for it."
Yu Wang was about to say something more when he saw Bai Sheng run over, wrap her arms around Lu Ye's waist, and call out, "Mmm-hmm, husband, you're amazing!"
In full view of everyone, Lu Ye clasped Bai Sheng's waist, lifted her up, and placed her on his neck. He then cast a triumphant glance at Yu Wang, "My dear, let's go make breakfast together."
"Alright! Giddy-up! Giddy-up!"
Lu Ye galloped like a wild horse, the jostling causing the person on his shoulders to giggle incessantly.
Yu Wang stood below the sand embankment, squinting at their retreating figures, his expression complex.
The people of Red Tree Slope were accustomed to it; their Master and Mistress openly displayed their affection in front of them, completely treating them as family.
Ma San and other older single men were repeatedly heartbroken.
Alas, they also wished for a wife to dote on and cherish.