Wife, Protect Me! - Chapter 10

Li Nuo slept extremely soundly this time.

When he opened his eyes to find the sky brightly lit, Li Nuo scrambled out of bed in a panic, exclaiming: “Oh no, I’m going to be late!”

It wasn’t until he saw two figures standing by his bedside that Li Nuo froze momentarily, only then realizing he would never have to attend that job again.

A maid soaked a towel in hot water, wrung it dry, and said softly: “Young master, let this servant help you wash up.”

Seeing that she seemed ready to wipe his face, Li Nuo quickly took the towel from her, saying: “I’ll do it myself, I’ll do it myself…”

Having been independent since childhood, he truly wasn’t accustomed to being served by others.

After hastily wiping his face, that maid took the towel away, while another maid with chubby cheeks immediately said: “Young master, be good, open your mouth. Let this servant clean your teeth, otherwise worms will grow in them…”

The phrase “young master, be good, open your mouth” sounded like coaxing a child – Li Nuo quickly realized that in the eyes of the mansion’s servants, he, as a fool, probably wasn’t much different from a child.

“I can do it myself.”

Li Nuo took from her hand an object about two fingers long, pale green-white in color, made of a material resembling jade, with animal hair at one end – this should be the toothbrush. On the toothbrush was some white paste with a fresh fragrance.

The way to use this thing probably wasn’t much different from modern toothbrushes. After Li Nuo finished brushing, the little maid brought him mouthwash. Once his morning ablutions were complete, Li Nuo sat before a bronze mirror, gazing at the reflection.

Coincidentally, these two people from different worlds not only shared the same name but also identical appearances. This somewhat comforted Li Nuo – even though he had traveled through time, he still possessed his own handsome and familiar face.

The chubby-cheeked maid stood behind him combing his hair. While Li Nuo could handle other tasks himself, when faced with that flowing long hair, he truly had no idea what to do with it.

The little maid was quite skilled, quickly tying his hair into a topknot and inserting a jade hairpin. Soon, a dashing young gentleman appeared before the mirror.

Looking at his reflection, Li Nuo casually asked: “What time is it now?”

The little maid replied: “Young master, it’s just past noon. Would you like to have lunch now?”

Only then did Li Nuo realize he had actually slept until midday. This immediately made him feel urgent – his remaining lifespan was already short, and he had wasted an entire morning for nothing. He had no intention of staying home any longer.

Soon, under Steward Wu’s guidance, several servants brought the meal to Li Nuo’s room. Though it was just lunch for him alone, there were a full eight dishes and one soup—four meat and four vegetable dishes, each perfectly presented in color, aroma, and taste. Back in the 21st century, he had survived on takeout every day and never enjoyed such a standard of living…

Li Nuo looked at Steward Wu and asked, “Have you eaten yet, Steward Wu? Please, sit and join me.”

Steward Wu chuckled and replied, “Thank you, Young Master, but this old servant has already eaten.”

With no time to waste, Li Nuo said nothing more. He picked up his chopsticks and swiftly finished his lunch, then wiped his mouth with a handkerchief handed by a maid. “Tell the kitchen not to prepare so many dishes in the future. For me alone, two dishes are enough. Also, the Young Mistress left her pouch in my room—return it to her later…”

After giving these instructions, he turned to Steward Wu and said, “Let’s go out.”

Steward Wu was taken aback. “Out again? Where to?”

…

A short while later, in the front courtyard of the Li residence, Li Nuo glanced at Steward Wu and the four gray-robed old men behind him. He looked around uncertainly and asked, “Just the few of you? Isn’t the manpower a bit too scarce?”

Yesterday, Li Nuo had felt that being accompanied by dozens of people was excessive, but today’s arrangement seemed far too modest.

The four gray-robed old men—one missing his left arm, another his right arm, one blind in the left eye, and the last blind in the right eye—didn’t appear very reliable. Li Nuo seriously doubted whether they could ensure his safety.

It wasn’t that he had already adopted the habits of a pampered young master after just one day here; it was simply that this world was too dangerous. The memory of that arrow shot at him still made him break out in a cold sweat.

Steward Wu chuckled and reassured him, “Young Master, rest assured. Though we are old, our limbs are still nimble. If any foolhardy assassin dares approach, anyone below the Fifth Realm will surely come to regret it. Even if it’s a Fifth-Realm Grandmaster, we can hold our own and ensure not a single hair on your head is harmed…”

Still uneasy, Li Nuo pressed, “What if it’s a Sixth-Realm assassin?”

“If it’s the Sixth Realm…” Steward Wu cleared his throat gently. “Young Master, don’t worry. On the road to the Yellow Springs, this old servant will continue to serve you faithfully…”

Li Nuo understood: if a Sixth-Realm assassin appeared, they would all die.

As for Martial Arts, he had only heard Steward Wu mention it briefly—something about immense strength, manipulating objects with Qi, and injuring others with flowers or leaves. But he had no concrete understanding of how powerful each realm truly was.

On the way to the county office, Li Nuo took the opportunity to ask.

According to Steward Wu, in this world, Martial Arts was divided into seven realms.

The First Realm, Body Forging, focused on tempering the physical body. Strength in this realm increased significantly compared to ordinary people.
The Second Realm, Inner Breath, saw the emergence of a precursor to True Qi within the body. With the support of Inner Breath, strength grew further.
The Third Realm, True Qi Realm, involved condensing Inner Breath into True Qi. True Qi could be externally applied to weapons, easily splitting metal and stone, or envelop the body to form a protective shield. Reaching this realm in Martial Arts allowed one to injure others with flowers or leaves and achieve near-invulnerability, like the legendary Golden Bell Shield or Iron Shirt.

In Li Nuo’s view, the Body Forging, Inner Breath, and True Qi Realms still fell within the scope of ordinary Wuxia novels. However, upon reaching the Fourth Realm, also known as the Object Manipulation Realm as described by Steward Wu, the True Qi within the body becomes immensely abundant. It can even extend beyond the body, allowing one to manipulate objects from a distance, wield flying swords to injure opponents, and soar through the air. The strength at this stage far surpasses that of the first three realms.

Steward Wu, the four gray-robed old men, and his Niangzi (Wife) were all at this realm.

The True Qi Realm is also the ultimate limit that the vast majority of martial arts prodigies can achieve in their lifetimes.

The fifth realm of martial arts is called the Grandmaster Realm. There is no fundamental difference between the fifth and fourth realms; however, a Martial Arts Grandmaster possesses True Qi as vast as the ocean. Their mastery over True Qi reaches its peak, allowing them to even condense it into weapons. Their martial arts techniques also achieve perfection, granting them the ability to establish their own sects.

Most of the current sect leaders and masters of various martial arts schools are at this level.

The difficulty of advancing through the martial arts realms varies and is not strictly harder with each successive level. From body forging to Inner Breath, and from Inner Breath to True Qi, there are significant bottlenecks, with roughly a ten percent chance of breakthrough. However, if one can cultivate to the True Qi Realm, there is a fifty percent chance of advancing to the Object Manipulation Realm.

Advancing from the Fourth Realm (Object Manipulation) to the Fifth Realm (Grandmaster) no longer relies solely on physical talent and effort. It tests one’s comprehension instead, representing the greatest hurdle in the earlier realms. The success rate plummets drastically, with only about one or two in a hundred succeeding.

At the sixth realm of martial arts, one can preliminarily mobilize the power of heaven and earth. Even the most ordinary moves in their hands can possess astonishing might. At this stage, practitioners are no longer confined to techniques but gradually touch upon the essence of immortality. Even across the entire Great Xia, there are not many experts at the sixth realm.

Therefore, when Li Nuo mentioned the sixth realm, Steward Wu straightforwardly invited him to journey to the underworld together. No matter how strong one is in the first five realms, they can hardly withstand the tactics of overwhelming numbers. But upon reaching the sixth realm, the ability to mobilize the power of heaven and earth makes them impervious to simple numerical superiority. Hence, there is a saying: “Below the sixth realm, all are ants.”

As for the seventh realm, it has always been a legendary existence throughout history, shrouded in mystery. Very little about the seventh realm has been passed down, and in the current era of Great Xia and other nations, no one has been heard of reaching this realm. Steward Wu was also not very clear about it.

As for the path of martial arts, Li Nuo need not entertain any hopes. Steward Wu had cultivated for a lifetime yet remained stagnant at the fourth realm, which could already be considered exceptionally talented. Li Nuo had no talent whatsoever and could only seek alternative paths.

Fortunately, Legalism does not emphasize talent. As long as one adjudicates enough cases, it is entirely possible to catch up rapidly.

Soon, they arrived at the Chang’an County Magistrate’s Office. The bailiffs on duty at the entrance already recognized Li Nuo and hurried over, respectfully leading him inside. Li Nuo noticed that the magistrate’s office was unusually bustling today. From a distance, he could see that both inside and outside the main hall were crowded with people. The entire office was noisy, with many constables and bailiffs trying to maintain order.

“Your Honor, it’s already past lunchtime. When can we go back?”

“That’s right, catching the culprit is fine, but you can’t delay so many people’s affairs, can you?”

“If we’re not allowed to leave, at least the yamen could provide a meal! I haven’t even eaten breakfast!”

“I still have to return to my own office. If official duties are delayed, can Lord Pei bear the responsibility?”

…

The courtyard was packed with people, everyone talking at once, creating a clamor that was headache-inducing.

Li Nuo asked the bailiff, “What’s going on here?”

The bailiff sighed and said somewhat helplessly, “Last night, a murder occurred in our county. A wealthy merchant was killed in his home. Coincidentally, it was his fiftieth birthday yesterday, and many guests had stayed overnight. We had no choice but to bring them all to the county office. The County Governor has been questioning them all morning…”

“Murder case!”

Upon hearing this, Li Nuo’s spirits suddenly soared.

A mere theft case had already earned him six extra days of life.

If he could solve a murder case, wouldn’t that send him skyrocketing?

Thinking this, he practically ran through the crowd in three swift steps, arriving at the entrance of the court hall. Seeing the Magistrate of Chang’an about to bring down his court gavel, Li Nuo thought he had already identified the murderer. His heart tightened, and he shouted loudly, “Stop! Let me handle this!”