Volume One: Menial Servant of Changshui County Chapter Seventy-Five: A New Arrival

Bodyguard Mo was leaving.

This time, he truly was.

When Lu Jiuzhang returned from the House of Ecstasy, it was already midnight, well into the late hours. Yet Bodyguard Mo had not gone to bed. He sat in the courtyard, sipping tea and admiring the moon.

Lu Jiuzhang pushed open the door and entered. Seeing that Bodyguard Mo was still awake, he asked him a question.

Bodyguard Mo then replied that he would be leaving the next day.

He pulled out three taels of gold from his robe and handed them to Lu Jiuzhang. “When you sold that pearl, you probably got about four taels of gold for it. I’ve stayed here with you for almost a month—it’s only right that I return two taels. But since our Thousand Mechanisms Tower broke the agreement, we’ll compensate you an extra tael.”

“Take it.”

At this point, refusing would be pointless.

Lu Jiuzhang nodded and accepted the three taels of gold.

A single tael of gold was worth a thousand silver taels. Including the silver he already had on hand, he now possessed nearly three thousand six hundred taels. If someone brought more spirit herbs in the coming days, he could sell them to the Thousand Mechanisms Tower in Changshui County and likely save up four thousand silver taels.

“Is the Thousand Mechanisms Tower in Anxi Prefecture truly withdrawing?” Lu Jiuzhang asked.

He had expected as much.

With Bodyguard Mo’s departure, Lu Jiuzhang was losing a powerful ally.

Fortunately, Chief Zhong had stepped in to ease the tension between him and Magistrate Wang, so there had been both gains and losses.

“We underestimated Magistrate Wang,” Bodyguard Mo said. “Word came from Anxi Prefecture—they want me to depart for Anxi tomorrow. As for you, all I can say is, I’m sorry.”

“You’re too polite, Bodyguard Mo. You’ve looked after me for so long; I’m already quite grateful,” Lu Jiuzhang replied. “If I ever have the chance to visit Anxi Prefecture, I’ll be sure to call on you, and we’ll have a long talk together.”

“You’re quite the optimist,” Bodyguard Mo chuckled.

In his mind, once he left, Lu Jiuzhang’s days would be numbered. As for traveling to Anxi Prefecture—utterly impossible!

“If you ever truly make it to Anxi Prefecture, I’ll take you to the finest pleasure houses—those places are famous throughout the region. They say a single night costs at least a thousand silver taels.”

“You’re interested in such places, Bodyguard Mo?” Lu Jiuzhang asked, curious.

He’d been in Changshui County for some time, but had spent most of it in his own courtyard, rarely venturing out. He had assumed Bodyguard Mo had no taste for such entertainments.

“The establishments in Changshui are filled with nothing but ordinary women—not much fun. But in Anxi Prefecture, it’s a different story. Once, I accompanied a steward from the Thousand Mechanisms Tower on an inspection, and we visited one. Wine and song, luxury and excess!”

Bodyguard Mo smacked his lips, lost in fond remembrance.

Seeing that look of nostalgia, Lu Jiuzhang felt a surge of longing himself. He thought, “In this life, I must experience it at least once. Otherwise, I’d die with regret.”

For the sake of someday visiting the pleasure houses of Anxi Prefecture, he would have to do his best to survive.

…

At dawn the next day, Bodyguard Mo departed.

Lu Jiuzhang saw him off for part of the way as he headed to the Demon Slayers Division.

With Bodyguard Mo around, the house had felt lively. Now that both were gone during the day, the courtyard seemed empty and desolate.

After Bodyguard Mo’s departure, Lu Jiuzhang was left feeling somewhat unsettled.

So, he simply stopped returning to his own home, staying at the Demon Slayers Division day and night.

…

Meanwhile, at the gates of Changshui County.

A filthy yellow dog stood for a long moment.

“Dear heavens, I’ve finally arrived.”

Astonishingly, the yellow dog spoke in human tongue, though only muttering softly, so no one around noticed.

There weren’t many people coming and going at the city gate, and some soldiers were conducting inspections.

The yellow dog mingled with the crowd and walked into Changshui County.

“Wow, that’s a huge mutt!” one of the soldiers at the gate exclaimed.

The yellow dog was indeed massive—much larger than others of its kind.

Hearing this, the dog wagged its tail proudly. Compliments, it seemed, delighted even a dog.

“Why not kill it and have braised dog meat tonight?” another suggested.

“Great idea, haven’t had dog in ages. They say dragon meat rules the skies and donkey meat the earth—but I disagree; dog meat is far tastier than donkey.”

“Mmm, we’ll eat well tonight…”

The soldiers at the gate began to chatter.

Damn!

The yellow dog’s heart leapt with alarm, and he cursed inwardly, “You pack of mongrels!”

“Who’s there? Who just cursed? This is a restricted area—insults cost a fine of ten copper coins,” barked the soldier in front.

The guards’ wages were meager; they earned extra through all sorts of rules—most of which they invented themselves.

At the soldier’s words, the crowd tensed.

No one wanted to be the unlucky one. Most were small traders, hawking their goods from outside the city to scrape a meager living.

Most common were vendors selling vegetables and fruit, or carrying firewood and charcoal. Though recently, as the weather warmed, fewer sold charcoal.

The yellow dog quickly kept silent and blended into the crowd, slipping into Changshui County.

“Head east for fifty paces, then right for thirty, north for seventy, and then…” The yellow dog was confused.

He couldn’t remember the rest.

Though Changshui County wasn’t large, wandering its streets was time-consuming.

After wandering for a long while, the yellow dog realized he was utterly lost.

On the streets, many people eyed him with interest—almost hungrily.

“One day, I’ll bite all of you to death. Humans—what a lowly species!” the yellow dog muttered bitterly.

Suddenly, a child with a single pigtail came running over, pulled out a bone, and tossed it in front of the dog.

The yellow dog dashed over, seized the bone, and began gnawing hungrily.

“Big Yellow, let me pet you,” the child said, reaching out to stroke the dog’s back.

To his surprise, the yellow dog enjoyed it immensely.

It felt good—being petted was comfortable.

He hadn’t eaten his fill in ages; this bone was only enough to fill a third of his stomach. If only he could get another!

After finishing the bone, the yellow dog gazed hopefully at the child.

When it became clear the child had no more to offer, the dog bared his teeth and instantly refused to let the child touch him.

“Hmph, you think you can win me over with a single bone? Dream on, human!” the yellow dog barked twice, then trotted away.

…

By dusk, the yellow dog was still wandering the streets aimlessly.

At last, he stopped in front of a house.

Starving, he crept quietly toward the residence.

Soon, a young girl stepped out. She kept glancing across the street, as if waiting for someone.

Seeing this, the yellow dog hurried over and rubbed against her legs.

“Are you hungry?” she giggled, her laughter like silver bells. “Wait here, I’ll get you some leftovers.”

With that, she turned and went back inside.