In the courtyard of the Yang family that was situated in the southern direction of Yuyang City, a black-clothed youth was meditating on the ground silently.
The youth appeared to be sixteen years old with pale skin and lips that didn't have a trace of blood in them.
"Phew!"
After exhaling a long breath, the boy opened his eyes. The moment he opened his eyes there was a flash of light that disappeared in an instant which was then replaced by numbness.
It's been a month since he came to this world. In the beginning, he was at a loss, but now he is finally able to accept the situation he is in right now.
A month is not very long, yet in this short time, he has managed to integrate himself into this world.
His name is Yang Ze, right now he is in a small courtyard that was situated in the Yang manor, and his identity is the second young master of the Yang family.
In Yuyang City, the Yang family is one of the most well-known families. Not to mention the various industries they control, just patriarch Yang Yuanzhen is a famous expert. Even in the government, there are many people who want to befriend him.
To outsiders, his status seemed to be pretty good. A rich family, and an expert father; anything one could hope for, he had it all. Yet, only Yang Ze himself knows of his situation.
The first is the patriarch Yang Yuanzhen from the Yang family. He has three sons in total, Yang Ze being the second one. Compared to his elder brother, he was worse in every aspect. Not to mention others, his own brother looks down on him.
One can tell the poor treatment he receives just from looking at the place he is living in right now. The entire family's direct lineage lives in the main house, yet he is the only one who moved out to another courtyard, far away from the main house.
The second reason for why this all happened. It was an unremarkable yet most common reason in this world, 'his below-average aptitude'.
In this world where powerhouses are respected, everyone will start practising from a young age. Every family that has a bit of background will train its younger generation with all they have. Even the Yang family is no exception.
Yang Ze, the second young master of the family started practicing the most basic boxing skills at the age of eight. After eight years of practising and using various resources, there hasn't been any improvement, thus resulting in him being famous among the entire family.
Because of this, his father once called him when he was sixteen years old. Needless to say, he wasn't very pleased with this son of his, thus resulting in him moving to this courtyard.
In this courtyard, except for an old servant who took care of his daily needs, there wasn't anyone else.
Fortunately, Yang Ze is not a person who is too entangled in enjoyment. As a person who has lived two times, he is satisfied as long as he has enough to eat and have a decent life. After all, he already had his fair share of struggles and worries in his previous life.
Shaking his head, he cleared those distracting thoughts and looked up at the setting sun that was slowly disappearing into the horizon. Walking inside his room, he lit up a candle to dispel the darkness and bring the much-needed warmth and light to the room, regardless of how pitiful it was.
By the time the light lit up the entire room, there was already a book in his hand, 'Seaheart Art'.
In this world, exercises are divided into two sections. One is martial arts, another is internal arts.
Martial arts is the most common and widespread method circulating the world. These are just simple sets of exercises and moves that one could use in a fight. Whereas internal arts are the rare ones that can enable one to cultivate internal energy.
For Yang Ze, who was new to this world, and was missing most of the basic memories; even the most common knowledge like this was rocket science.
"Well, the only good thing about coming here is a fit body."
With a smile, he pulled his shirt up to take a look at his perfect six-abs. Even in his previous life, his body was nowhere near this fit.
Looking at the Seaheart Art Yang Ze shook his head in disappointment. It was not that he didn't try to practice it, but he didn't feel anything.
This Seaheart Art was a set of breathing exercises. The first step of this art was to let the user develop a trace of qi. After the trace of qi was formed, one needed to control it and rotate it in his body along with breathing, thus achieving the second step.
The third step was to use it to nourish the body slowly, thus achieving great power.
"Even this is not complete."
Shaking his head Yang Ze sighed in disappointment.
The internal arts are the most precious arts of any family. The Yang family, which was a top family of the Yuyang city only imparted this precious technique to its direct descendents. Even the art they imparted was only limited to the first three volumes. To get the later parts of the art, one needed to cultivate it to the third layer first.
For Yang Ze who wasn't even able to step into the first layer, this was a task tantamount to climbing a mountain without any shoes or clothes.
"Poor aptitude."
With a bitter laugh, Yang Ze took a deep breath before looking in front of him. In front of his eyes was a transparent screen.
[__________________90%]
For Yang Ze, who was an avid reader of novels in his previous life, this was his only source of comfort and hope.
"Three more days and this thing will load completely. Let's hope it will be helpful."
After consoling himself, Yang Ze was lost in his train of thought when suddenly there was a knock on his door.
"Second young master, it's time to eat." An old voice came from outside the door.
Hearing this voice, Yang Ze's brows wrinkled slightly before returning to a normal state.
"Old Xei, please bring the food in."
His tone barely fell before the door was pushed open by an old man. The old man walked in with a meal. His hands that were carrying the plate looked very rough with faint bulges on them. One look at him and anyone could discern that he wasn't a normal person.
During his stay in this courtyard, Old Xie was the one responsible for his food and clothing. He had been in the family for thirty years. Even though he never practised any internal arts, he was fortunate enough to practice the family's martial arts, thus resulting in a strong body which was rare for a person his age.
"Second young master, I hope you can enjoy the meal brought to you by this old slave."
"En."
Nodding his head, Yang Ze noticed a small red fruit along with the meal. Thinking for a while, he was relieved. Every month he gets a precious herb or fruit. This is his privilege as the son of the current patriarch.
Looking at the fruit, Yang Ze was silent for a long time. In this world, this kind of fruit is one of the most common medicines that is beneficial for practitioners.
For the current Yang Ze, the value of this fruit was worth more than anything in his possession. It was not only useful to maintain the health of his body, but also help him condense the first ray of qi.
Even though he was never able to form the tread of qi, the fruits and herbs throughout the years kept him from being sick.
Noticing the old Xie who was still standing silently Xen looked at him with a questioning gaze.
Usually after delivering the meal, the old Xie would take his leave, but today he seemed to have something on his mind.
As if being aware of his gaze, Old Xie spoke slowly.
"Second young master, this old slave heard some rumours outside, I don't know if those are true or not."
"En. Say it."
Nodding his head, Yang Ze signalled him to speak. He wasn't worried about rumours about himself. Instead, he would have been worried if there weren't any rumours about him. After all, his current position coupled with his qualifications... Tsk, tsk... anyone would be tempted to make some comments.
"There are people in the family who are not very pleased with the distribution of resources. Many of them think that using all those resources on you is a waste."
Looking at the face of the second young master who just gave him a careless shrug, the corners of Old Xie's lips twitched. He didn't know why, but from the past few weeks, the young master in front of him was rather carefree as if nothing in the world could make him frown. Usually, he would always have a worried expression along with frustration on his face. But nowadays... Old Xie didn't know the reason for such a drastic change, but for the very first time, he was grateful for it.
He had seen the boy since his birth and it wouldn't be an overestatement to call him his grandfather. He too hoped that the young boy would grow a spine and lead a better life. Earlier, it was just his fantasy, but now that there were some changes... He was finally thankful.
Taking a deep breath, he suppressed his emotions before speaking "Recently, there are rumours that the patriarch is going to send the second young master to take care of the family's property."
"Did Yang Deyi say that last sentence?" Yang Ze just smirked.
Old Xie paused for a long time before replying.
"Yes."