Full Time Servant

However, all this seemed not to be a problem for Xiaoyao, nor did it affect him. He had always survived in the Mo family this way. Who she was, what her status was—none of it mattered.

In Xiaoyao's words, regarding this matter, he gained no benefits but only an additional burden. Some opportunities Xiaoyao originally had were lost because of her.

However, Xiaoyao had no complaints. Even if she was a burden, even if he lost many opportunities, he never complained.

Because Xiaoyao felt this should be fate. Yes, Xiaoyao felt that from the first moment he saw her, the gears of fate began turning...

Turning and turning, turning and turning...

They had been turning like this for over ten years. Xiaoyao's final conclusion was: fate, whether you act or don't act, keeps turning continuously without stop.

So the best approach was: leave it to fate.

...

One night, due to overtime work, Xiaoyao was still constructing the fighting platform late at night. This time he had overtime pay, and the Cousin Miss made no further comments about it.

When everyone had left, leaving only Xiaoyao to continue working, after some unknown amount of time, Xiaoyao suddenly noticed a figure on the platform, staring ahead in a daze.

"Third Young Master!"

"Xiaoyao? How are you here?"

When Xiaoyao's head appeared before the Third Young Master and greeted him, the Third Young Master was first startled, then looked at Xiaoyao with surprise.

One couldn't say the Third Young Master had poor endurance—anyone seeing a head appear from the ground would be startled. Yes, Xiaoyao had poked his head up from below.

Just a head.

Xiaoyao had been working on the foundation and wanted to see the Third Young Master on the platform. The best method was to directly "penetrate" through the platform surface.

"I'm responsible for reinforcing the platform. I have some things not yet finished, but I'll complete them soon. Please wait," Xiaoyao retracted his head and continued reinforcing the platform.

"Xiaoyao... all along you've been my lucky star, leading me step by step to my current level. I wonder if you have anything more to tell me..." After standing for a long time, the Third Young Master suddenly said.

This was an overlooked fact—the Third Young Master had always been influenced by Xiaoyao, more or less, yet it had always been very low-key and ignored by people.

"..."

Silence. The Third Young Master received only silence. Xiaoyao didn't answer his question.

"What are you doing?"

In the silence, the Third Young Master went down to look and found Xiaoyao wearing a mask, using tools while working. He probably hadn't heard his voice earlier.

"Obviously, I'm working!" Xiaoyao answered simply.

"Never mind then, continue," The Third Young Master said somewhat disappointedly. He had only been speaking casually—such words were usually said only once and wouldn't be repeated.

"Okay, almost finished... Oh right, if you compete on the first of next month, around the Snake Hour, stay in the Thunder Position. Around the Goat Hour, stay in the Marsh Position. Other times, try to stay in the Fire Position. Once you leave your position, try to return..."

"This is feng shui mysticism?" The Third Young Master asked blankly.

"No, this is merely about sunlight angles. In battle, environmental factors are also crucial—it's not just about personal strength but also utilizing all external factors." Xiaoyao shook his head and said lightly.

"Sunlight... environment..." The Third Young Master fell into contemplation. That night, he stood on the platform the entire time. After the next day, he seemed to understand some crucial matters.

...

"Xiaoyao, I heard you won quite a bit this time."

"Not much—I didn't bet very much!"

"Even if not much, it's still considerable. With such high odds, I really regret not betting back then."

"Hehe..."

Xiaoyao has been very popular lately, at least in his social circle—extremely popular.

The reason for his popularity was simple: Xiaoyao had won money, and from a long shot at that. This made everyone think he was very lucky—fortune was smiling on him.

Xiaoyao had bet on the Third Young Master, this dark horse, and won big from an upset.

That was on the first day of Mo family testing, at the large courtyard in front of the Mo family ancestral hall. Around the newly constructed fighting platform, many people gathered to watch. Almost all important Mo family figures appeared, and each branch was nervously preparing, hoping to achieve good results afterward—not only to make their branch stand out but also to suppress other branches.

No matter which aspect, it was very gratifying. However, if the situation were reversed, they'd only have pain.

On this day, besides Mo family members, quite a few members of Qingyun City's great families and some celebrities came to observe. They were invited to watch.

This wasn't just when the Mo family tested their own strength but also when they displayed power to outsiders. Though they couldn't reveal their trump cards, they could show strength and exert pressure on others.

Also, even if you didn't invite people to watch, those wanting to know would find ways to learn anyway—the results would be the same. Better to be straightforward and let people see.

Anyway, Mo family strength testing only tested current strength. Future strength would be different, and these people might not reveal their ultimate techniques.

However, this seemed to have little relation to the test participants, especially those with clear purposes like the Third Young Master—he just wanted to qualify.

When the Third Young Master appeared, over ten duels had already occurred on the platform. Among these duels were quite a few exciting battles that delighted everyone's eyes.

At this time, the Third Young Master's duel felt like comic relief to everyone—a way to rest and relax—because anyone believed the result would be obvious and certain.

The Third Young Master would undoubtedly lose.

Because the Third Young Master's opponent was someone everyone favored—a semi-popular candidate with a high probability of qualifying.

But the result surprised everyone. From the moment the two began fighting, everyone seemed to see the beginning of a miracle, their eyes full of surprise and confusion.

From the start, the Third Young Master took the initiative, gaining complete advantage, keeping his opponent—who wasn't weak—constantly suppressed. Though he somewhat took advantage, without certain strength, how could he maintain pressure?

This moment marked the beginning of the Third Young Master proving himself a miraculous existence...

Afterward, soon, the Third Young Master achieved victory. Then came the second time, third time, until he qualified. There were some losses in between, but qualifying was already sufficient.

The Third Young Master created a very hot topic for all of Qingyun City and made many people lose money. However, it was said the bookmakers weren't very happy this time—why this was, not many people knew.

This was the first surprising event of the month—someone not favored actually successfully qualified in the Mo family competition, and not by luck but completely through personal strength.

This point was probably what everyone found most incredible. After all, the Third Young Master's situation was known to all. From the day he returned to normal until now was only half a year.

In this half year, how could he catch up to others' decade-plus of effort? Could he be a genius?

No, he absolutely wasn't a genius—just slightly more talented than average.

What was this about? How could someone not very talented use half a year to catch up to others' efforts? Among those he caught up to were quite a few near-geniuses and even geniuses.

Could the Third Young Master have been hiding something? Had he been acting before?

These doubts were quickly overturned because facts were before everyone's eyes. The Third Young Master was a perfectly normal person—no hiding, no acting. What he had was diligence and persistence others lacked.

Cultivating over ten hours daily, massive medicinal assistance, painful training—all proved that though the Third Young Master wasn't very talented, he was very diligent. This was enough to explain why his strength advanced by leaps and bounds.

Though the degree was somewhat large, it was at least a believable reason.

The Xiaoyao factor? He was just a little servant during the Third Young Master's effort process. He might have proposed a useful plan but wasn't a key factor.

Yes, at least everyone thought so.

Xiaoyao didn't mind this. Anyway, he just did what he should do—he needed no credit, much less everyone's attention.

He only somewhat regretted why he had bet, and so obviously, letting everyone know he'd won money.

Fortunately, this matter was just a small ripple without causing much of a stir. Currently, the most attention was on the second matter—the second surprising event.

That was: the Young Miss, for unknown reasons, had also qualified.

With the Young Miss's strength, qualifying wasn't surprising to anyone. But everyone knew the Young Miss's aspiration was to be Qingyun City's local tyrant—she didn't want to go out.

Usually in such situations, she'd go through the motions, but this time she suddenly became serious. This seemed very strange.

Even the Great Master personally inquired about this matter. Originally, they hadn't held hope for the Young Miss—after all, she was a daughter who would marry eventually. Whether she could become a dragon or phoenix wasn't too important to the family.

For the family, her marrying into a good family was much more important than her personal strength.

Of course, this wasn't because the family hoped for her good future but because they wanted a powerful marriage alliance…

(End of Chapter)

Snake Hour/Goat Hour - Traditional Chinese time periods

Thunder Position/Marsh Position/Fire Position - Strategic battlefield positions

Bookmakers - Professional gambling organizers.