Chapter 5

Although no servant dared to escort Luo Zheng, he still came to the Martial Hall of his own accord.

Despite Luo Zheng's dissatisfaction with the current rules of the Luo family, his second and third uncles themselves did not abide by the law, and their several sons also acted recklessly, such as Luo Peiran and Luo Chengyun. When had they ever taken the clan rules seriously? This was also why even some lowly servants dared to cause such a commotion.

However, others trampling on the clan rules and others defying the clan rules did not mean that Luo Zheng could ignore them. This was not stubbornness but a form of persistence.

The atmosphere in the Martial Hall was different from usual.

The news that Luo Zheng had beaten the chief steward Huang Ge and the steward Fang Cong had spread throughout the entire Luo family.

Two years ago, Luo Zheng was demoted to a household slave and became a punching bag in the Martial Hall. He had always endured, no matter how the Luo family's children beat him. He endured, gave way, and remained silent, like a docile sheep.

Everyone had forgotten that he was once the young master of the Luo family, and they had also forgotten that Luo Zheng himself possessed the strength of the Flesh Refinement Realm.

Now, the Luo family's children finally understood that Luo Zheng was not just a passive target. They could beat him at will because he was a Luo.

Others, however, had no such right!

Because of this, when the Luo family's children looked at Luo Zheng today, there was a hint of awe in their eyes. When the instructor instructed the Luo family's children to choose a punching bag, no one chose Luo Zheng.

Luo Zheng wore a helpless smile; this was not the result he wanted...

What he needed most now was to temper his body, but these Luo family's children were ignoring him. How could this be?

He couldn't just go up and say, "I really deserve a beating, come and hit me!"

As the other punching bags were taken one by one, Luo Zheng was left alone in a corner of the Martial Hall, feeling very annoyed. The Luo family's children shouldn't be so cowardly!

He walked up to Luo Dalong, who was hitting a stone dummy, and said, "Dalong, what's the point of hitting a stone? I'll practice with you."

"This..." Even the impulsive Luo Dalong showed a hesitant look.

"I'm a punching bag, so I should practice with you! Don't worry, my skin is thick, you won't hurt me," Luo Zheng patted his chest and said.

Since Luo Zheng had said so, Luo Dalong couldn't refuse anymore, otherwise, he would seem too weak, even though his true intention was to avoid provoking Luo Zheng.

With some reservations, Luo Dalong's punches were not as powerful as usual. He could usually exert ten parts of his strength, but now he only used five or six parts.

These weak punches were not effective for tempering, and the warm currents they produced in Luo Zheng's body were minimal, which made Luo Zheng very unsatisfied.

"Hit harder! Aim for here and hit hard!"

"Your punches are too slow, what are you hesitating about?"

"This punch is better, but it's far from what you did yesterday."

Seeing a punching bag earnestly guiding the other to beat him, the Luo family's children in the Martial Hall were so surprised that their jaws dropped. They really couldn't figure out what Luo Zheng was thinking.

Luo Dalong, however, didn't think too much. Under Luo Zheng's step-by-step guidance, his state gradually improved, and his movements and strength returned to normal.

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

The powerful punches hammered Luo Zheng's body, and warm currents flowed into his body, purifying the impurities in his bones.

Each punch made his bones purer, and the strength and resilience of his bones improved.

Being beaten was like taking a Heaven-Earth Transformation Pill, and the joy of this qualitative change was indescribable. On the surface, he showed pain, but in his heart, he wanted to shout: "Hit me harder!"

The copper pot used to measure time in the Martial Hall had drained three pots of water, and three hours had passed.

At this time, the Luo family's servants brought food. Both the Luo family's children and the punching bags needed to replenish their strength, but the Luo family's children ate delicacies, while the punching bags were given only water and hard steamed buns...

After three hours of tempering, Luo Zheng was also very hungry. Tempering his body had consumed a lot of his strength, and he didn't mind the food being tasteless. He grabbed a steamed bun and was about to put it in his mouth.

At this moment, a porcelain bowl was suddenly placed in front of Luo Zheng, filled with fragrant meat, emitting an inviting aroma.

Luo Zheng looked up and saw that it was Luo Dalong who had handed him his bowl. Luo Dalong smiled and said, "Let's eat together."

Luo Zheng didn't refuse and started eating, taking big bites of both the bun and the meat.

"You beat Huang Ge, the second young master will deal with you," Luo Dalong whispered.

Luo Zheng, who was wolfing down the food, nodded. He knew Luo Dalong's well-intentioned warning.

After all, he was once the young master and understood the family's affairs better than Luo Dalong and the other collateral descendants.

The reason his second and third uncles let him live for so long was not out of kindness but because he was too weak, like an insignificant ant, posing no threat to them.

But if this ant bit them and caused them pain, they would crush him without hesitation.

"But it felt good, that old man Huang, we've been looking at him unfavorably for a long time," Luo Dalong said with a laugh.

It wasn't just Luo Dalong who felt relieved. All the Luo family's children, except those from the second and third branches, felt the same way.

Although the Luo family's children in the Martial Hall didn't say it out loud like Luo Dalong, their eyes said it all.

The actions of the second and third branches over the past two years could be described as outrageous. They drastically reduced the monthly allowances of the collateral descendants and cut the cultivation pills for training. Even some servants could bully the Luo family members. Why?

Almost all the resources were倾斜向罗沛然和罗承运两人，那些旁系子弟心理上能平衡才怪。

现在人人都怀念罗征父亲当家主的时光，那时候族规森严，但罗家没有这么多勾心斗角，也没有哪个下人敢仗势欺人，更没有这么多不公平！

可惜那样的好日子，一去不复返了。

就连这种怀念，罗家子弟都只敢藏在心中，不敢拿出来议论，生怕落下把柄，被“族规”惩治。

这个罗家，已经烂掉了！罗征心中感叹，若是有机会，等我实力成长起来，定要将罗家的烂疮剜掉！

……

……

罗家三房那富丽堂皇的宅邸前。

黄格的头上缠了一层又一层的纱布，只露出鼻子、眼睛和嘴，完全看不出人样。

他扑通一声跪在地上，尖着嗓子哭道：“承运少爷，您可要为小的做主哇！”

在黄格的正前方，一位青衣少年斜靠在椅子上，这少年长相俊秀，但眉目之间却有一股狂傲狠戾的气息，他就是罗家的二少爷罗承运。

“听说你想把罗征收为奴仆，照顾你的饮食起居？”罗承运歪着头笑道。

“承运少爷，不是那回事……”黄格带着一抹哭腔否认道。

那罗承运根本不听黄格的解释，笑道：“罗征虽然被贬成了家奴，但好歹也姓罗，曾经是罗家的少家主，就算我收他作奴仆也不合适，你真是脑袋烧坏了才会干这种无聊的事，挨打是活该。”

黄格磕了个头，继续哭道：“承运少爷，这次是小的不对，可您还得给我做主……”他一边哭丧着，又悄悄地朝旁边做了一个手势。

旁边一位约四十岁的中年妇女，一声不吭地走到黄格身边，跟着跪了下去。

这位中年妇女便是黄格的老婆，同时也是罗承运的奶妈，从小照顾罗承运长大。罗承运幼年丧母，与这位奶妈关系极好，情同母子。

“二娘就不用跪了，黄格你也站起来吧！”罗承运摆摆手。

那黄格声音一颤：“承运少爷，您是答应了？”

罗承运从椅子上站起来走了两步，说道：“沛然堂哥此前说留罗征一条命，就是让他活着，让他看着。不过他罗征也不是什么要紧人物，如今沛然堂哥马上就要启程去青云宗，我就帮沛然堂哥处理掉他吧！”

黄格一听，那张不成形状的嘴巴咧开说道：“多谢承运少爷！”

“不过这事情，还要等等，”罗承运摸了摸脑袋，说道：“我刚刚吞服了家族的最后一颗天地造化丹，这个月我也要闭关，将药效炼化洗涤肉身，要不就等到一个月后的族炼日吧，到了那天我选择他为死斗对象，亲手把他打死。”

说完，罗承运的脸上散发出层层煞气。

族炼日，也就是罗家子弟检阅实力的日子，那一日会有罗家长辈出面，审阅罗家子弟修炼的成果。

同时族炼日也是肉靶子的一个机会。

只要在族炼日当天，能够在死斗这个环境中活下来，就能重获自由。

即便是最卑微的肉靶子，也有渴望自由的权利，倘若让他们看不到自由的曙光，很快就扛不住天天挨打的压力，从而迅速死去。

设定这个规则，就是让所有的肉靶子都心存一丝希望，希望自己在族炼日上挨过死斗，就能从罗家中走出去，再也不用当这低贱的肉靶子。

可是“死斗”这个环境本身就是不公平的，肉靶子平日里就经常被殴打，受到各种伤病的困扰，如何能跟罗家那些训练有素的精英子弟决斗？

不知道多少肉靶子，被活活打死在族炼日，那一日是罗家长辈检阅罗家子弟实力的日子，按照实力会赐予一定的奖赏，每一位罗家子弟都会全力以赴，下手也是最重最狠的时候。

“好，承运少爷，那就让罗征那小子多活一个月！”黄格又磕了几个头，才一骨碌地从地上爬起来，纱布下面的那双眼睛，流露出仇恨的凶光。

等到罗承运离开后，那位中年妇女却劝解黄格：“那罗征少年也怪可怜的，你又何必一定要逼死他？他打了你也是不该，但给他一点教训就可以了。”

黄格却说道：“你一个妇道人家，除了妇人之仁，还懂个屁？”

被自己的丈夫骂了，中年妇女嚅嗫了两声，最后才叹了口气，再没说话。

---

In front of the magnificent residence of the Luo family's third branch.

Huang Ge's head was wrapped in layers of bandages, leaving only his nose, eyes, and mouth visible, making him unrecognizable.

He fell to his knees and cried out in a shrill voice, "Young Master Chengyun, you must stand up for me!"

In front of Huang Ge, a young man in a green robe leaned back in his chair. This young man was handsome, but his eyes and brows exuded a fierce and ruthless aura. He was the second young master of the Luo family, Luo Chengyun.

"Hearing that you wanted to make Luo Zheng your servant to take care of your daily needs?" Luo Chengyun asked with a smirk.

"Young Master Chengyun, it's not like that..." Huang Ge denied, his voice tinged with sobs.

Luo Chengyun ignored Huang Ge's explanation and laughed, "Even though Luo Zheng has been demoted to a household slave, he still bears the Luo surname and was once the young master of the Luo family. It wouldn't be appropriate for me to make him a servant. You must have been out of your mind to do such a foolish thing. Getting beaten was your own fault."

Huang Ge bowed his head and continued to cry, "Young Master Chengyun, I was wrong this time, but you must still stand up for me..." As he sobbed, he secretly made a gesture to the side.

A middle-aged woman of about forty, who had been standing quietly, walked over to Huang Ge and knelt down beside him.

This woman was Huang Ge's wife and also Luo Chengyun's wet nurse, who had raised him from a young age. Luo Chengyun had lost his mother when he was young and had a very close relationship with his wet nurse, treating her like a mother.

"Second Mother, you don't need to kneel, and Huang Ge, you can stand up," Luo Chengyun waved his hand.

Huang Ge's voice trembled, "Young Master Chengyun, are you agreeing?"

Luo Chengyun stood up from his chair and took a few steps, saying, "Cousin Peiran said he would let Luo Zheng live, just to watch him. But Luo Zheng is not an important person. Cousin Peiran is about to leave for the Qingyun Sect, so I will help him deal with Luo Zheng."

Huang Ge's misshapen mouth opened wide, "Thank you, Young Master Chengyun!"

"But we need to wait a bit," Luo Chengyun rubbed his head and said, "I just took the last Heaven-Earth Transformation Pill from the family. This month, I will be in seclusion to refine the effects and cleanse my body. How about we wait until the Clan Training Day in a month? On that day, I will choose him as my opponent in the death match and kill him with my own hands."

As he finished speaking, a fierce aura spread across Luo Chengyun's face.

Clan Training Day was the day when the Luo family's children would demonstrate their strength, with the elders of the Luo family present to review their progress.

Clan Training Day was also an opportunity for the punching bags.

If a punching bag could survive the death match on Clan Training Day, they would be granted freedom.

Even the most humble punching bag had the right to yearn for freedom. If they couldn't see the light of freedom, they would quickly succumb to the pressure of daily beatings and die.

The rule was set to give all the punching bags a glimmer of hope, hoping they could survive the death match on Clan Training Day and leave the Luo family, no longer being lowly punching bags.

However, the death match itself was unfair. The punching bags were often beaten and plagued by various injuries, making it impossible for them to compete with the well-trained elite children of the Luo family.

Many punching bags had been beaten to death on Clan Training Day. On that day, the elders of the Luo family would review the strength of the Luo family's children and reward them accordingly. Every Luo family child would give their all, and their attacks would be the heaviest and most ruthless.

"Alright, Young Master Chengyun, let Luo Zheng live for one more month!" Huang Ge bowed his head a few more times before getting up from the ground. Under the bandages, his eyes glowed with a fierce hatred.

After Luo Chengyun left, the middle-aged woman tried to reason with Huang Ge, "That young Luo Zheng is quite pitiful. Why must you insist on killing him? Beating him was wrong, but giving him a lesson would be enough."

Huang Ge retorted, "You're just a woman, what do you know besides being soft-hearted?"

Insulted by her husband, the middle-aged woman mumbled a few words and finally sighed, saying no more.