Boom!
A thunderclap from a lightning strike echoed across the land!!
“Something’s wrong! The Third Young Master has been struck by lightning!!”
This lightning-induced roar spread swiftly throughout the Mo family’s estate. For a brief moment, everyone froze out of habit…
And then, just as habitually…
They went back to their work.
It seemed that this news didn’t bring about the expected panic. Rather, people reacted with surprising indifference!
The Mo family was a renowned clan on the Shenwu Continent, famed for their weapon-forging craft. While their smithing skills weren’t the absolute best on the continent, they were definitely top-tier. A family with such specialized skills, even if not dominant in martial prowess, was still highly respected. Simply put, the Mo family was well-regarded.
In Tianfeng Kingdom, where the Mo family resided, they were a first-class clan. Within Qingyun City, they were even considered one of the top families—an unignorable force!
Naturally, a clan like this would have a lot of eyes on their Third Young Master. But judging from everyone’s reaction… something seemed off about this Third Young Master.
Indeed, there was something wrong, and it was something that everyone knew. At the very least, in Qingyun City, his reputation was infamous.
Everyone knew that the Third Young Master of the esteemed Mo family was a good-for-nothing—and not just a little. He was practically useless in every way.
Not only were his meridians incapable of cultivating any martial techniques, but his mind was also a bit slower than average. In other words, his intelligence was below normal.
Even so, his parents loved him dearly and never gave up on him.
Upon hearing that their son had been struck by lightning, his parents immediately rushed over—only to find him charred black, life or death uncertain.
At that moment, both parents looked deeply worried, and the mother even burst into tears…
“What happened?” the father asked gravely. “Why did he got struck by lightning again?”
Again? Why the word “again”?
No one answered. The people around remained silent.
“Where is Xiaoyao?” the father asked after a moment, his tone laced with irritation. Clearly, this “Xiaoyao” either had something to do with the incident or was simply someone he disliked.
“Xiaoyao? He should be… maybe in his room, or the study… maybe the kitchen, the forge, the alchemy lab, or the mechanism workshop…” The gathered people started listing places—basically, they named every location in the Mo estate.
“You might as well have said nothing! Just go find him! I need to ask whether he’s been teaching my son nonsense again. How many times has this happened now?!”
“Right away, sir… This Xiaoyao really is too unpredictable. He’s a house servant like the rest of us, yet he’s always wandering around.”
“Well, that’s because everyone wants him to help with odd jobs. He’s a low-ranking servant—anyone can order him around.”
“Enough talk, just go find him. Or the Second Master will take it out on us!”
“Exactly! Whatever nonsense he’s done again, let him take the blame. We don’t want to get dragged down with him!”
...
In a remote corner of the Mo estate was a lush garden filled with rare herbs and plants—the Mo family’s herbal garden, home to many uncommon species.
This garden supported the family’s alchemy division—it was the foundation of their medicinal preparations!
Although the Mo family specialized in weapon forging, they had achieved a modest level of skill in alchemy as well. They could handle common pills and a few slightly better ones, but for high-grade medicine, they still had to buy from established alchemy clans.
When the group finally arrived at the herbal garden, they saw a seventeen or eighteen-year-old boy weeding the beds—Xiaoyao, the very person they were looking for.
“You’re finished—Third Young Master’s been struck by lightning again…”
Voices overlapped in a chaotic buzz.
“What?! The Third Young Master was struck again? It really has nothing to do with me this time—I haven’t left the herbal garden all day! Old Seventh can vouch for me!” Xiaoyao protested, clearly innocent.
From his words, it was clear that past incidents had involved him. For example—
“Even if you were here, it doesn’t matter. Who told you to fill the Young Master’s head with nonsense? Telling him lightning could make him smarter?! Now, every time there’s thunder, he climbs somewhere high with an iron rod, trying to be a lightning rod! That’s all you're doing!”
“...I was just joking! It’s not a crime to say something like that. Besides, getting struck by lightning can make you smarter!”
Xiaoyao didn’t seem to realize the danger, continuing to talk nonsense. Maybe this sort of thing had happened so often he was used to it.
“You still dare speak?!”
“What? It’s not like this is the first time. Just rescue him already—punish me later.” Xiaoyao didn’t mind. He was used to being punished with hard labor every time something happened.
“This time’s different. The Third Young Master is on the verge of death…”
“What?! Isn’t he trained in basic martial arts? He should have a strong body…”
Even though he couldn’t cultivate techniques, basic physical training was still possible. The Third Young Master, though dull, had always been diligent. His body was in decent shape.
“How would we know?! Stop wasting time—someone take him to the Second Master!”
The group moved swiftly, dragging Xiaoyao away with practiced ease—clearly, this wasn’t the first time.
“Hey, hey! I haven’t finished my work here. Can’t you let me finish first?” Xiaoyao protested, more concerned about his tasks.
“...Someone else will cover your duties. Your job now is to come with us!!”
“...”
And so, Xiaoyao was escorted like a criminal to the Third Young Master’s location—where waiting for him were the furious parents and a mix of onlookers, some worried, others watching with glee.
At the moment, the Mo family’s alchemists were tending to the Third Young Master, but judging from their expressions, the situation was critical.
“Xiaoyao!” the father barked. If his son hadn’t still been clinging to life, Xiaoyao would likely have already paid for this with his life.
A low-ranking servant was nothing to the Second Master. If he wanted to kill him, he could.
“Here, Second Master! You called for me?” Xiaoyao stood at attention like a soldier being inspected.
“You ask what for?” the Second Master’s face twitched. “Why did you tell him getting struck by lightning could make him smarter?”
“I just heard it somewhere!” Xiaoyao replied, muttering to himself: Haven’t we gone over this already? Why are you asking again?
“From who?” the Second Master pressed, apparently having forgotten he’d asked this before.
“Don’t remember… I think it was the Seventh Lord’s second nephew’s sister-in-law’s...” Xiaoyao said, reeling off a long string of relatives.
“……”
The Second Master frowned. He didn’t think Xiaoyao was lying—his answer was always the same, too convoluted to be made up on the spot.
He’d even had someone look into it and confirmed that such a person did exist and had spoken to Xiaoyao multiple times. The speaker didn’t remember all the details, but it was possible he’d said such a thing.
“No matter who said it, if my son dies, I’ll have you buried with him!” the Second Master growled.
“...What’s that got to do with me…” Xiaoyao muttered, looking innocent. Oddly, he didn’t seem afraid at all. He faced the crisis with calm indifference.
This personality of his made him stand out—even among the lowly servants.
If not for the fact that he’d been raised in the Mo family since infancy, people might’ve suspected him of being a planted spy!
Xiaoyao had been found by the Mo family’s patriarch during a journey to a martial gathering, abandoned in the wilderness. The patriarch had taken him in.
At the time, Xiaoyao was clothed in rags—clearly from a poor background. He had nothing on him except a small jade pendant. Though the jade itself was decent, the craftsmanship was crude and common.
The only notable thing was that the pendant bore a few poorly carved characters. Among them, the clearest—perhaps the only legible ones—were the characters for “Xiaoyao”.
Thus, he was named Xiaoyao.
The Mo family searched the area but found no one. They even waited a few days—still no sign. In the end, they decided to adopt the child—but only as a servant, not as a foster son.
Otherwise, the Mo family would have no end of adopted sons!
Xiaoyao grew up learning to be a servant and was adaptable to any task. So he ended up working all over the estate, wherever needed.
He picked things up quickly, worked hard, and was well-liked across departments. Everyone called on him for help.
However, it seemed that no one really cared about how much Xiaoyao actually knew, or to what extent his skills reached. As long as he could do what he was told, and do it well, that was all that mattered to them.
After all, Xiaoyao was just a low-ranking servant. In the Mo family, who would bother to pay attention to someone like him? If not for the incident involving the Third Young Master, most people probably wouldn’t even know he existed.
(End of Chapter)