Chapter 4: Changing Households
Chapter 4: Changing Households
When Lu Hangzhi returned from Purple Lake and just got home, people from the Zhu Residence arrived right after.
Opening the door, Lu Hangzhi immediately recognized this middle-aged, purple-haired cultivator around forty as a rogue cultivator who was under the protection of the Zhu Residence. His cultivation level was unknown, but he often walked around the Marketplace. Lü’e followed behind him, constantly winking and giggling at Lu Hangzhi.
What they feared had come!
Lu Hangzhi smiled bitterly. He thought to himself that he was done for. The money was delivered right to his home, and he did not know how he would get through this with Liu Tao.
While feeling frustrated, the purple-haired cultivator spoke loudly.
“Yao San, a retainer of the Zhu Residence, has come to visit. I hope Brother Liu will see me.”
His voice was clear and carried through the door.
Liu Tao opened his eyes a slit and muttered, “The Zhu Residence has never had dealings with us rogue cultivators. Could that little beast have caused trouble outside?”
“Please wait a moment, fellow cultivator!”
A short while later, Liu Tao tidied up and came out. He personally invited Yao San into the courtyard.
When Liu Tao saw Lu Hangzhi standing peacefully and well at the door, a flash of doubt crossed his eyes.
If a mortal angered the Zhu Residence, how could they still be standing there unharmed? What was the purpose of the Zhu Residence’s visit?
But…
A guest had come!
Moreover, the other party was a retainer of one of Violet Cloud Town’s three Elders. His cultivation had reached Second Rank Peak, higher than Liu Tao’s own. Naturally, Liu Tao did not dare to be disrespectful. With a wave of his hand, a set of tea tools and Spirit Spring appeared on the stone table in the courtyard. “My home is humble, and I apologize for the poor hospitality.”
“Brother Liu, you are too polite.”
Yao San cupped his hands and said,
“There is still business at the residence. I came on the young lady’s orders, specifically to ask Brother Liu for a person.”
Liu Tao was deeply shocked. He took a sharp breath and said,
“Young Lady Zhu, Miss Fuqin, is asking me for a person?”
The matter was serious!
Zhu Fuqin was the most talented woman in the Zhu Residence. It was rumored she was the eldest daughter who would take over the Zhu family, the future Elder of Violet Cloud Town.
The next moment, Lu Hangzhi felt two cold, electric gazes fall on him. Instantly, it was as if he had fallen into an icy cave. The blood in his body almost froze. It was extremely uncomfortable.
Liu Tao’s icy, bone-chilling, teeth-gritting words sounded in his ears.
“You little beast! Look at the fine thing you’ve done!”
“Brother Liu, you have misunderstood.”
Yao San explained with a smile,
“My young lady thought Hangzhi handled matters properly and wanted to recruit him to the residence to care for a Spirit Tree. That is all. Brother Liu, please do not misunderstand.”
“Oh?”
Liu Tao showed a surprised expression and slowly withdrew his Magic Power.
Lu Hangzhi felt his body lighten, like a fish dying of thirst returning to a river. He gasped for air heavily. In his heart, he smiled bitterly. This was the helplessness of mortals in the Primordial Wildlands. One small mistake, and a cultivator might vent their anger and kill you.
“So that’s how it is. But… I only have this one capable servant under me.”
“My young lady is willing to use one ‘Blood Spirit Pill’ to buy Lu Hangzhi’s indenture contract. I hope you can part with him, fellow cultivator.” Yao San said.
Liu Tao’s heart stirred.
One Blood Spirit Pill could replenish nearly half of a Second-rank Cultivator’s Magic Power in a short time. It cost more than twenty Spirit Coins and was rarely sold in the Marketplace. Only the wealthy Zhu Residence, which managed the Auction House, could easily produce it.
But…
He could not understand why the Zhu Residence would pay such a high price for a mortal servant’s indenture contract.
Seeing the hesitation and doubt in Liu Tao’s eyes, Yao San spoke again.
“If you feel the Zhu Residence’s offer of one Blood Spirit Pill is not fair, please speak freely. I will return to the residence and explain to the young lady.”
“No, no, no!”
Liu Tao woke up as if from a dream, breaking out in a cold sweat. He nodded like a woodpecker and agreed, “Fair, it’s fair. I was just wondering how this kid could be worth a Blood Spirit Pill. Hehe. Hangzhi, being chosen by the Zhu Residence is your good fortune. From now on, you must work for the young lady as diligently as you did for me. Oh no, you must work even harder for the young lady. Do you understand?”
“Yes!”
Lu Hangzhi was still a bit confused, but he knew in his heart that besides nodding, he seemed to have no other choice.
The two exchanged the indenture contract. Lu Hangzhi no longer belonged to Liu Tao and officially became a servant of the Zhu Residence.
After saying goodbye to Liu Tao, Lu Hangzhi obediently followed Yao San out of the courtyard.
Along the way, the three of them remained silent.
Yao San did not understand why the young lady wanted him personally to buy this young boy’s indenture contract from Liu Tao. He pondered what skills this boy actually had.
Lü’e, being a servant, was happy that Lu Hangzhi had come to the Zhu Residence, but she did not dare show it in front of Yao San—for servants, the rules of the Zhu Residence were iron laws not to be violated.
As for Lu Hangzhi, he was quite calm.
From a servant boy to a servant, from the Liu household to the Zhu Residence, his status seemed unchanged. However, after the Snow Rabbit incident at Purple Lake, the Zhu Residence young lady seemed to have some other views and interest in him. He did not know whether this was a good thing or a bad thing.
Never mind.
Since he had come, he would settle in!
Soon, the three arrived in front of a magnificent mansion.
They had arrived.
Lu Hangzhi could not help but examine the grand and imposing building before him.
Different from ordinary cultivator residences, the steps and four red-painted stone pillars in front of the main gate of the Zhu Residence were engraved with intricate and mysterious patterns, forming a Magic Formation. Each brick on the left and right walls also had small Magic Formations carved into them, giving people a unique sense of awe.
It was truly the dwelling of a Violet Cloud Town Elder. The protective Magic Formations outside the mansion were layered, making the entire home like a war fortress. Its profound foundation was not something small rogue cultivators could match.
Yao San walked up the steps and explained to the gatekeeping cultivator,
“This young one was brought in by the young lady’s order.”
The gatekeeper nodded and let them pass.
The inside of the Zhu Residence was even more magnificent and luxurious than the outside.
Ordinary cultivator homes would have a Spirit Well or a Spirit Fruit Tree to establish a family line. The Zhu Residence’s front hall courtyard had four fragrant Spirit Fruit Trees on the left and right, older than the one at Da Niu’s master’s house, with lush branches and leaves that refreshed the spirit.
Under the rockeries and stone bridges, Spirit Springs gurgled. Thin Spiritual Energy misted and swirled, stunning Lu Hangzhi!
Good heavens!
Such a large Spirit Well?
With such a large Spirit Well, did the Zhu Residence still specifically go to the Marketplace to buy Spirit Fruits and Spirit Springs? What a joke!
Turning his head, he saw Lü’e secretly winking and shaking her head at him. He could only suppress his questions and keep them to himself, waiting for a chance to ask later.
Along the way, Lu Hangzhi felt like a modern person who had entered a grand garden like a poor boy, left only with amazement and admiration, until…
“We’re here.”
Yao San stopped.
Lu Hangzhi’s eyes were opened wide. This was a very large back garden. Over a dozen young maidens, around thirteen or fourteen years old, stood or crouched scattered in different parts of the garden, tending to Spirit Grass and Spirit Tea plants of varying heights. They were extremely focused and did not notice anyone intruding at all.
“I’ve brought the person. Lü’e, you first tell him the rules of the residence. After I report to the young lady, we’ll see what tasks she assigns him.”
“Yes, Lord Yao.”
After Lü’e bowed, Yao San turned and left.
Once Yao San was far away, Lü’e rubbed her stiff face and showed a relieved smile.
“Brother Hangzhi, I never imagined you could enter the Zhu Residence, and moreover, work under the young lady. Hehe.”
Who could have thought?
Lu Hangzhi grumbled inwardly, but on the surface, he wore a confused, knowledge-seeking young boy expression.
“Sister Lü’e, please don’t keep me in suspense. What exactly is going on? Why did the young lady suddenly buy me for the Zhu Residence?”
Lü’e laughed smugly.
“Isn’t it because you refused to accept the money?”
What kind of reason was that?
Lü’e continued to explain, “Alright, I won’t tease you. Actually, after you took your friend and left, the young lady’s Senior Brother made a comment. It caught the young lady’s interest right away. Do you know what he said about you?”
“Big sister!”
“Giggle…”
Lü’e giggled for a while. “The young lady’s Senior Brother said you were smarter than ordinary kids. You understood that if a tree stands out in the forest, the wind will destroy it.”
“At the time, the young lady and the others didn’t understand, so they pressed the Senior Brother. Then the Senior Brother said, in the Primordial Wildlands, mortals are like ants. If a child held fifty Spirit Coins, especially in front of so many people, they would hardly survive past half a day… Brother Hangzhi, did you really think that way?”
Lu Hangzhi was shocked inside, but he answered,
“…How could that be? I just thought, it was only a dumb rabbit. I hit it easily with a slingshot. How could it be worth so much money?”
“Right.”
Lü’e wore an “as expected” expression and said,
“I couldn’t help but speak up then, saying you definitely hadn’t thought that much. As a result, the young lady’s Senior Brother smiled and said one sentence to the young lady.”
“What?”
“He asked the young lady to help buy your indenture contract, arrange a job for you in the residence, and then he brought out a potted Spirit Tree, saying for you to take care of it. He also promised that whenever you made the Spirit Tree bear fruit, he would recommend you to join the Xuanxin Sect’s Outer Sect.”
Lü’e pointed to a sickly-looking potted plant not far away.
“But I think he must be teasing you… Look at the state of that Spirit Tree. How could it possibly bear fruit?”
“He really said that?”
Lu Hangzhi was extremely shocked inside. He never expected that a random cultivator in this world could have such insight and judgment, discerning clues from the Snow Rabbit incident and making a decision based on that.
Lü’e thought Lu Hangzhi was tempted by the condition of joining the Xuanxin Sect and explained, “Don’t get your hopes up too much. I heard from the young lady that once a Spirit Fruit Tree is damaged, aside from needing a lot of Spirit Spring watering and absorbing Spiritual Energy, the fruit-bearing cycle would also be interrupted. It wouldn’t resume until the Spirit Tree fully recovered. With a servant’s salary, forget about repairing it, even keeping it alive is a problem.”
This was true.
Lu Hangzhi had some research on fruits and fruit trees.
Once the main trunk was damaged, the tree would first send absorbed nutrients back to the damaged area for repair, unable to effectively grow fruit.
Spirit Fruit Trees were even more troublesome. Besides needing continuous Spirit Spring watering to survive, they required even more Spirit Spring and Spiritual Energy to repair the damaged trunk. Even rogue cultivators, with their assets, would find it hard to keep one alive! Not to mention a lowly servant with a meager salary. It was simply impossible.
Hearing this, Lu Hangzhi pondered inwardly.
Even Lü’e knew this simple logic and concluded he could not possibly complete this difficult task. Could the young lady not know?
Then why did she still bring this damaged Spirit Fruit Tree back to the residence, and specifically pay the price of a Blood Spirit Pill to buy his indenture contract from Liu Tao?
Lu Hangzhi vaguely guessed something, but he was not entirely sure. For now, he could only wait quietly for Zhu Fuqin to return before making any plans.