Volume One: The Menial of Changshui County Chapter 123: A Lesson Sooner or Later

"This area is merely one of the most remote parts of the Great Zhou Dynasty. It cannot compare to the ruins; if you were to travel to Beilu County or even the Jingzhao Prefecture, you would find experts as numerous as the clouds."

Lu Jiuzhang offered this explanation, then asked, "You bought new clothes—where did you get the silver?"

Lu Jiuzhang looked at the large black dog. He could understand stealing silver from Yuan Wufeng earlier, but stealing from small-time vendors or ordinary folk would be going too far. After all, they did not have easy lives.

"It is my own," the young maiden said coldly. "After entering the ruins, the people of the Northern Blade Sect already carried silver with them. There was nowhere to spend it inside, so it was all stored away. Later, my master gave all the silver to me."

So that was it. Lu Jiuzhang nodded, not dwelling on the matter further. "Let's go. Staying at an inn indefinitely is not a solution. Let's return to my house first; it should be cleaned up by now."

Lu Jiuzhang led the young maiden and the large black dog toward his home. While they were still some distance away, he chatted as they walked, "We have known each other for a while now; may I ask your name, miss?"

The young maiden paused for a moment, searching her memories for the lessons her master had taught her regarding social interactions and how one should respond. Then, she replied somewhat stiffly, "No need for formalities. You may just call me Bai Xiaosu."

Bai Xiaosu? It was an odd name.

"And what about your situation? How did you end up sealed?" This was what Lu Jiuzhang was most curious about.

"Um... that involves the secrets of my Northern Blade Sect. My master forbade me from speaking of it casually," Bai Xiaosu replied.

Well, this girl truly knew nothing. She was far too naive.

"Then how long have you been sealed?" Lu Jiuzhang asked.

"For about a hundred and thirty years, I think. My master sealed me when he was in his forties." Bai Xiaosu answered almost every question asked of her; as long as it did not involve secrets, she tried her best to be clear.

A hundred and thirty years... more than several times his own age.

"Holy cow! Does that mean I should call you Grandma?" The large black dog realized this and quickly spoke up.

"There is no need for that. My master said that since I was sealed, the time spent in the seal does not count toward my age. So, I am only seventeen this year," Bai Xiaosu said, looking at Lu Jiuzhang. "In that case, I should call you Brother."

"Don't, I couldn't possibly accept that!"

Lu Jiuzhang asked, "So, what are your plans for the future?"

"I don't know. My master told me to go out and make my way in the world, but I don't know anyone." The young maiden, Bai Xiaosu, looked lost, unsure of the path ahead. Her expressions had been slightly more varied while she spoke, but the moment she closed her mouth, she reverted to her cold and aloof demeanor.

"It is not easy for a female cultivator to travel alone, and you don't know much about the outside world," Lu Jiuzhang mused for a moment. "How about this: stay in Changshui County for a while and learn about the world outside. Once you are familiar with things, you can go explore."

Keeping Bai Xiaosu with him indefinitely was clearly unrealistic; Lu Jiuzhang and she were not even friends yet.

"Alright," Bai Xiaosu nodded.

Just as she finished speaking, the large black dog couldn't help but interject, "Don't say that, Master Nine! Little Bai is quite good; keep her by our side! Let her learn how to cook and make meals for us. She can join our crew from now on!"

"You think everyone is 'good'," Lu Jiuzhang said with a dark expression. When he first met Zhao Chan'er, the dog said she was good. When he met Feng Wanqing, the dog said she was good. Now, with Bai Xiaosu, she was a good person too.

"She really is good!" the large black dog insisted. "Don't be fooled by her cold exterior; she is actually simple-minded and kind. There aren't many girls as good as her left. Most importantly, she is beautiful. In all my years of traveling the world, this is the first time I have seen a woman this stunning. It is breathtaking!"

The large black dog clicked its tongue in admiration. It was true; Bai Xiaosu was exceptionally beautiful. Even compared to Miss Muyun, she was no less impressive. They were simply different types—Miss Muyun carried a certain allure that ignited desire at first glance, while Bai Xiaosu had the air of a green lotus, something to be admired from afar but never profaned.

...

The group chatted as they walked, and about a quarter of an hour later, they arrived at the residence. It was deep into the night. Lu Jiuzhang pushed the door open and stepped inside, only to find the place completely cleared out. It was truly empty—the furniture was gone, and even Lu Jiuzhang's bedding had vanished. The new owners must have tossed out the old belongings and replaced them with their own.

"We'll have to make do for tonight. Tomorrow, I'll go out and buy some furniture," Lu Jiuzhang said.

"Master Nine, this is too miserable. Even my nest is gone." The large black dog barked loudly toward the courtyard of Old Lady Zhao.

The dog's voice was deafening. Before long, Old Lady Zhao's shrill voice rang out from across the way: "Whose mangy dog is howling in the middle of the night? If you bark again, I'll kill you and eat you tomorrow!"

The large black dog was incensed. It was a divine beast, or at the very least, a demon of some standing. For this common, ignorant old woman to threaten to eat its flesh was an insult. Just as the dog was about to retaliate, Lu Jiuzhang stopped it.

"There is no rush. The neighbors are all asleep. We shouldn't disturb others just because we dislike Old Lady Zhao."

"Master Nine, you are truly kind-hearted," the dog said. "If anyone else had said those things, I would have finished them off by now."

"Am I kind-hearted?" Lu Jiuzhang gave a bitter smile. That wasn't it at all. He was simply too busy at the moment to spare the time. Once he had the chance, he would definitely teach Old Lady Zhao a lesson. Such petty, narrow-minded women were the most detestable. It was a pity for Zhao Chan'er to have a mother like that; she suffered for it.

"I don't understand," Bai Xiaosu said, puzzled. "You are an eighth-grade martial artist with significant cultivation. How can you let yourself be bullied by such a person?"

What Bai Xiaosu said was true. An eighth-grade martial artist was a rarity in all of Changshui County.

Lu Jiuzhang replied slowly, "Perhaps because we have lived together since I was young, she does not fear me. She hasn't shifted her attitude yet."

The large black dog shook its head. "Master Nine, you're wrong. She thinks of you as her future son-in-law, so she assumes a position of superiority. What does being an eighth-grade martial artist matter if you are destined to marry her daughter? She is living in a daydream. And when someone is stuck in a daydream they can't wake up from, they will never wake up unless someone teaches them a lesson."

"That makes a lot of sense. Don't say it again," Lu Jiuzhang said flatly. "I don't have much affection for Zhao Chan'er. It is time to make things clear."

Lu Jiuzhang let out a long sigh. This residence held the memories of the original owner of this body. Although he was a transmigrator, his soul had merged with those memories. The past experiences in this house felt as if he had lived them himself.