The Story That Young Master And I Have (1788)

"Young master, I'll handle the wet clothes now. The second lady should be waiting by the gate."

"Understood. Thanks Layla."

"As it should be young master." The maid handed him a fresh pair of pants. He had changed his shirt but his pants were still soaked. White silk satin. Carefully spun by hundreds of workers from silkworms. Truly luxurious in this age. Ah, the breeze of corrupt capitalism. 

The wheels of time pushes civilization forward out of the feudal era of religious practices. Productivity was booming as inventors from all walks of life sprang forth. In a blink of an eye it had already been more than a century since the unity of the continent under the banner of the Human Federation.

The industrial revolution has yet to start in the Central Plains so production has yet to be liberated by the capitalist.

According to Dugu's understanding, he estimated the societal levels were at the eve of the steam age. He had heard rumors on his way back that the scholars of imperial academy were studying some sort of magical weapon that could eat water and run.

The monsters in the mouths of the rural folk were probably steam engines.

It was estimated that the onset of the steam age was near and times would really change. However the influence on martial arts was still questionable. But what did this have to do with him?

In his room, Dugu Yun flicked back his wet hair and dried it with a towel. After changing his clothes , he headed off to see his cousin, the one that got their legs broken from a demon. 

She was the daughter of the second uncle about the same age as him. It was said that her mother was of blonde descent from the far north but unfortunately passed from dystocia.

Since the collapse of the Roman Empire that announced the end of theocratic reign, all human races and tribes had long been united by the Human Federation due to external threats.

Intermarriage and the prosperity of trade that resulted from the unity of the west and east led to a strong national power. But, the current human king was getting old and it seemed that undercurrents were imminent.

Now the empire was divided under cultural and technical borders into states for effective management.

In his memory, his cousin was very precocious as a child and liked to play the role of an elder sister. But unfortunately she had the special hobby of beating her little cousins.

After learning a few moves from the head guard, she would rush over to "compare" with his elder brother. But Dugu always felt that it was her excuse for beating him and his elder brother. Nominally, she became the head of the trio. And as the oldest of the three coupled with the early maturity of a girl, her physical strength was naturally unmatched. 

Even if Dugu was a little more clever than peers his age due to the sleeping soul of an adult within, it was of no use against the majesty of the "big sis".

The record had always been 195-2-0 games with his cousin winning the majority, elder brother 2, and him zero. And of course as the youngest of the three, Dugu had always been the loser. But in his defense he was only four ok!

Fortunately, as boys grow older, the onset of puberty causes a massive surge in strength. And not to mention the difference in martial arts talents. His cousin was never too interested in martial arts nor had much talent for it. Because of the talent differences, the cousin went to a local school in the city while his elder brother was transferred to the capital for further studies. Since then his cousin never dared challenge the two boys to another game.

Moments later after Dugu Yun left, the Dugu's maid Layla entered into his room.

She rolled up her sleeves and nodded with determination.

The room was spotless not long after and Layla walked out with a random bucket full of clothing including Dugu's wet clothes.

As a maid assigned to the young master it was her duty to take care of the trivial household matters. The young master can practice martial arts with a piece of mind! 

(ง'̀-'́)ง

Layla little brows were full of expectations. She felt lucky enough to be selected by the madam. She had long heard from other servants that in her career, the prosperity and quality of life depends on the quality of the leader. As the second young master of a noble family, her future could be expected to be prosperous!

The Yun family paid all servants and workers a high salary and everyone had humane impressive benefits. There was no such thing as unspoken rules or slavery. Since the Human Federation came into being, the royal family had long outlawed slavery with the force of thunder. What replaced slavery was the method of signing contracts. Of course in Dugu's eyes, there was no such thing as true freedom. These contracts that signed away several years of your life were the same as slavery in his eyes. Not to mention the despicable tricks of hidden clauses used by some aristocratic families. Even in the modern era, this hasn't changed. Merely moving from one form to another.

Layla happily trotted away but in the corner of her eyes she caught a strange looking piece of cloth in the basket of clothes she was carrying.

Sandwiched under a raven black cloak was a suspiciously shaped garment she had never seen before.

"How odd. What's this?" Layla muttered curiously as she reached into the bucket.

It was a crude piece of linen cloth cut into the shape of a M. Obviously from the rough edges the craftsmanship was extremely poor. She had just tossed all the clothing in the room into the bucket for laundry and had not paid specific attention. 

If Dugu Yun was here, he would definitely recognize his items.

Wasn't this just a boxer brief? (˵¯͒〰¯͒˵)

Despite the rapid development and the pace of times, the culture of the central plains had yet to develop to the point where wearing undergarments were common. 

As a result, during martial arts practice. Little Dugu would wildly swing everywhere with joy.

Dugu Yun didn't know how others solved this problem but he could only helplessly use his poor craftsmanship to replicate underwear from his previous life.

A woody hoody to sheath the holy sword!

The maid Layla titled her head in confusion. She had never seen this style of clothing before. How should she wash it? 

The maid hesitated. 

Noble clothing was very delicate, sometimes made with special material, and as a result some types of clothing had to be washed differently to ensure the fabric wasn't damaged.

In the Yun family manor, depending on the dirtiness of the clothes, a special soap would be used to get rid of the sweat and odor. This type of soap was specially designed for martial artists due to their tendency to sweat and it was one of the Yun family's exclusive recipes. 

"Well, it does not look too dirty," the maid thought to herself. "Hmm…Judging from the shape…Uhh..Looks like some sort of…hat?"

Hey, I'm so smart! Who would dare say I'm dull from now on! (๑´• .̫ •ू`๑)

Thinking it was some kind of headgear, Layla decided to adopt the most convenient method people used to distinguish filthy clothes….she took a whiff.

Hmm…just a light musky scent. No special treatment processes required!

She put the cloth back in the basket and carried it over to the laundry area.

There were already several fellow maids in the laundry area furiously scrubbing, giving rise to soapy bubbles. Layla placed down the basket preparing to roll up her sleeves to take care of today's work.

"Hey look, it's Layla!" someone spoke.

The speaker was a rough maid with thick arms wearing a coarse apron. She dusted her hands, walked over, and lightly bumped Layla's shoulder with friendliness.

Layla recognized her. The servants collectively called her "aunt". She had been with the Yun family for several years already responsible for most of the heavy lifting and was very experienced. Not to mention the salary was three times her own!!

"Layla, you've been with the young master for a while now. I haven't seen him for years. What's he like now? Still the same precocious brat?" The aunt patted Layla's shoulders and grinned.

Several curious eyes glanced over.

"Yeah, Layla tell us. Is it the same as the rumors say?"

"What about his style? Is the young master as handsome and heroic as the rumors say?"

In the courtyard, the figure of Layla who was still scrubbing her young master's clothes stopped. Layla's head slightly lowered and her shoulders started trembling.

A special feeling welled up in her heart causing shivers down her spine. She understood. 

Her time was coming!

"Uwehehehe," a mysterious chuckle escaped from Layla's lips.

Seeing this several maids and servants including the aunt gasped in anticipation. Since Layla was acting so mysterious…it must mean the gossip is top tier!

Layla immediately stood up and placed her hands at her hips. Her eyes were sparkling and she carefully recounted.

"It was a summer morning…the sky was blue and very beautiful. Umm.."

Several people nodded in unison.

"The cicadas were chirping and the cool breeze was blowing. Um…"

Several people nodded again.

"There was a big big waterfall in the mountains. Um…"

Damn! How long is her prologue?!!

"Under the waterfall was a young boy…"

Finally!

"His figure was straight like a javelin. He was very awesome and strong. Like carved out of marble and stone."

Several people's eyes widened.

"The next second the boy swung his arms at the waterfall with a big punch!"

Several people stretched their necks anticipating the next scene. What happened next?!! Quick stop delaying! What they hate most is authors who pause at critical moments!!

Layla closed her eyes. She carefully recalled that figure under the waterfall bathed in sunlight like a god of war descending. Under the glory of the dawn rays, the boy's eyes shone with a mysterious black light as his muscles tensed.

Layla got it! She felt that her creativity was reaching a critical point, breaking through a certain limit. She was no longer a dull Layla!

She opened her eyes, glancing around, and said mysteriously, "You'll never guess what happened after his punch!"

Someone retorted," What's the big deal? It's not like we never seen the head guard practice martial arts before?"

Layla immediately waved her hands anxiously, "No no no, you guys dont understand."