“A’ke?” Lu Chi saw the person standing gracefully outside the gate, and his eyes immediately lit up.

What could be more delightful than having the person you’ve been thinking about suddenly appear before you?

Though she was already accustomed to his appearance, Shi Fa Ke was still momentarily dazzled by his smile. Looking like this was truly demonic! Silently steadying her mind, Shi Fa Ke carefully examined him again, seeing that his complexion was much better, and her brow unconsciously relaxed. “How is your health?”

“Already much better.” Lu Chi hadn’t seen her for several consecutive days, so how could he dare put on airs at this moment? His attitude could be said to be extremely attentive.

Seeing him with such a pleasant and amiable appearance, completely different from his awkward demeanor the last time she saw him, Shi Fa Ke couldn’t help but nod inwardly. So it really was because of his physical discomfort that he had seemed somewhat temperamental before. Now that his health was restored, hadn’t he returned to being that reasonable Young Master Lu from before?

Feeling reassured, Shi Fa Ke put on her matchmaker’s demeanor and looked at him with a beaming smile. “I thought school would have ended by now, so I came directly to your home to find you. Have you eaten?”

Lu Chi stiffened slightly, immediately thinking of the jar of porridge that Zhu Li had nearly finished sharing. He touched his nose somewhat guiltily and said rather vaguely, “Mm, it was very delicious. Thank you.”

Hm? Very delicious? Thank you?

Shi Fa Ke looked at him with some confusion. Hmm, why was it that she could understand every word of that sentence, but when put together she couldn’t understand it at all?

Lu Chi didn’t notice her strange expression. He stepped aside to let her enter, “Come in and sit.”

Shi Fa Ke suppressed her inner doubts and stepped into the courtyard, then… saw Zhu Li doing horse stance in the courtyard with a bitter expression on his face.

Shi Fa Ke was somewhat surprised, then remembered the rather grand formal discipleship ceremony that Old Master Zhu had personally presided over some days ago. Understanding the situation, she looked at him with a smile, “Young Master Zhu, congratulations on achieving your wish.”

Zhu Li, who was sweating profusely and resignedly doing horse stance, suddenly saw the very person he had just completely sold out appearing before him with a smiling face. The impact was considerable. Startled, his lower body immediately loosened, and with an “Aiya!” he fell squarely on his bottom.

Shi Fa Ke was startled by his commotion and also exclaimed “Aiya!” as she hurried forward to help him. “Be careful!”

However, Zhu Li had been doing horse stance for so long that he was relying purely on willpower to persist. At this moment, his legs had no strength left at all. He just wanted to sit on the ground until the end of time and had no strength to get up.

“Sister Shi, no no no, my legs are weak…”

“What’s wrong?” Seeing his listless appearance and remembering that he had been doing horse stance when she first saw him, Shi Fa Ke couldn’t help but ask, “Could it be that you’ve been doing horse stance too long and have no strength in your legs?”

Zhu Li nodded weakly, looking as if he couldn’t catch his breath, gasping with his mouth open like a stranded fish.

“Everything must be done step by step; one cannot be too eager for success,” Shi Fa Ke said, seeing his suffering.

Yes, yes, it must be step by step, Teacher!

Zhu Li nodded vigorously like a pecking chicken, then looked hopefully at his teacher standing behind Shi Fa Ke, and then… met his teacher’s chilly gaze. He immediately shivered and no longer needed Shi Fa Ke’s help, nimbly climbing up from the ground using both hands and feet.

Shi Fa Ke’s mouth twitched, feeling that… this child was essentially still a little rascal?

After climbing up, Zhu Li suddenly realized something. Being caught doing horse stance by Sister Shi—wouldn’t this make her suspect that his teacher knew martial arts? He immediately became flustered and looked anxiously at his teacher, afraid of being blamed. Heaven have mercy, he really didn’t do it on purpose! …It was the teacher who made him do horse stance! And when someone knocked at the door, he wasn’t allowed to stop!

“Keji was previously lazy and idle. Though he looks sturdy, it’s all superficial, so he needs to be properly tempered,” Lu Chi completely ignored the flustered Zhu Keji beside him, who looked like he was trying to cover up something obvious, and explained to Shi Fa Ke with a smile. “After all, physical strength is also very important for future examinations.”

His manner was quite natural, leaving Zhu Li in awe. His teacher was indeed his teacher, possessing such composure that he could remain unmoved even if Mount Tai collapsed before him. He was still far behind!

…From this point on, under his teacher’s influence, Zhu Keji raced madly down the path of thick skin and cunning, unstoppable.

With Lu Chi’s explanation, Shi Fa Ke found it quite reasonable. She looked at Lu Chi with somewhat complex feelings again. When she had previously caught him practicing boxing, she had thought the same thing, assuming he was like her third brother in practicing boxing techniques to strengthen his body. But now Zhu Yanyan was adamantly convinced that he… this guy clearly had martial arts skills.

However, since he was unwilling to say, she couldn’t force him.

“Keji—is that the courtesy name you gave him?” Shi Fa Ke dismissed the sudden thoughts that popped into her head and, noticing Lu Chi’s form of address, asked curiously.

Lu Chi nodded. “Keji fuli—restraining oneself and returning to propriety. This name is meant to remind him constantly of the way of self-restraint and self-cultivation, to control private desires in all things, and to be strict with himself above all.”

Zhu Li shrank his neck, feeling that the courtesy name his teacher had chosen was indeed weighty and burdensome!

Shi Fa Ke felt this name was very scholarly and nodded repeatedly. She said to Zhu Keji, who was standing aside with weak hands and feet, “Your teacher has high expectations for you. Don’t disappoint his hopes.”

Zhu Keji touched his nose and smiled sheepishly.

But he felt very guilty inside… after all, when it came down to it, his ability to successfully become his teacher’s disciple was largely thanks to Sister Shi’s help, yet he had turned around and sold her out.

It seemed somewhat dishonorable.

“That’s enough practice for today. Go home,” Lu Chi glanced at him and waved dismissively.

The meaning of shooing him away was quite obvious. He clearly didn’t want this eyesore to stay in his home and disturb his private time with A’ke, as conspicuous as a hundred lit candles, extremely disdainful.

Zhu Li was feeling very guilty at the moment, and his feet were weak from doing horse stance. Hearing his teacher speak, though he grumbled inwardly about his teacher’s lack of integrity—ignoring his student when he saw Sister Shi, completely without principles!—at this moment, even if he had eaten bear heart and leopard gall, he wouldn’t dare say another word. After all, the consequences were unpredictable! Moreover… at this moment he actually missed his stepmother a bit. Though he knew what was proper, those days when every request was granted were truly comfortable, sob sob sob…

“Yes, Teacher. This student takes his leave,” Zhu Li respectfully bid farewell to his teacher, then seriously bowed to Shi Fa Ke. “Sister Shi, I’ll go back first.”

Having said this, not daring to waste another word, he quickly disappeared from the courtyard.