Chapter 8: Entering the Rivers and Lakes for the First Time (2)

The aunt who sold steamed buns was a virtuous and frugal person. In short, she was the type who would split a penny in two to spend. If something could be solved with half a penny, she would never spend a full one. The fifty taels issued to her by the government were folded into four twelve-tael silver bills, one fifty-tael bill, four two-tael bills, and a collection of copper coins.

The four large-faced banknotes were hidden in her shoes, the fifty-tael bill was tucked into her waist pocket, half of the broken silver was carried in her arms, and the other half was placed in her purse with the copper coins. She had not been robbed but had encountered a thief, and when Shen Fu had taken someone into an alley, she had come out with a few more silver tickets on her person.

Without exception, the money was enough for her to spend in the capital and to find her senior sister, who had “abandoned” her on Shenxian Mountain. But the most abundant thing in the world is accidents.

Like her, very few young heroes knew how to manage their finances when they first entered the arena. Most had just stepped out of their homes, and the money in their hands was spent seven or eight times over. They didn’t have the face to return home to ask for more, so they had to take on all sorts of odd jobs, including but not limited to working at the docks or chopping vegetables in the kitchen. Shen Fu almost felt compelled to share a portion of her money with new friends, as these young heroes, who had worked hard for over a decade, could only find themselves doing menial labor, which seemed truly pitiful.

Then, holding the last five taels of silver on her person, she met Chu Baige. Young Master Chu didn’t have the slightest hint of hardship about him; his face was innocent and naive, like a bird that had just flown out of its cage, making one doubt whether he could survive in this world without someone to feed him.

As Shen Fu walked along, she saw countless people like Chu Baige. Most of them had endured enough hardships and returned home obediently, listening to their parents’ words. Shen Fu cared about Chu Baige without realizing it, but she couldn’t hold back Young Master Chu’s fate, so he kept appearing in front of her.

Passing by the bun shop, she saw him buying buns to give to beggars. When he encountered someone selling their body to bury their father, he gave away fifty taels of silver bills, ignoring the girl’s eager pleas. Instead, he earnestly persuaded her to buy a better burial plot and save the remaining money for living expenses…

What a foolish boy.

Anyone with a discerning mind could see that selling one’s body to bury a father was merely an excuse; the real issue was the act of selling oneself. When Shen Fu first met him, she thought the girl in the filial dress, crying, was genuinely trying to bury her father.

Oh, how she wasted her sympathy.

Unexpectedly, that night, Shen Fu was surprised to find that she was staying in the same inn as the foolish boy from earlier, and their rooms were even facing each other. When she returned, she nodded gently at him.

He lowered his head and returned to his room, not taking it to heart.

Having been raised by Zhao Qin, money was not important to her, but the place to live had to be good, and the food must not be lacking. Wherever she could save money, she wouldn’t skimp on her living conditions.

As she slept in a daze, she suddenly heard a creak from next door, unsure whether it was the door or the window being opened.

…

On the first day of running away from home, she felt excited.

On the second day, she felt nervous.

On the third day, she felt perturbed.

Chu Baige tossed and turned on the bed, unable to fall asleep. He was planning his journey.

First of all, he was certain he wanted to become an apprentice. The Chu family didn’t practice martial arts and even looked down on those who fought and killed. Young Master Chu had learned a few tricks and some rudimentary kung fu from the family’s training grounds, but he stumbled through it, which was already a remarkable performance for him.

He closed his eyes, wondering where he should go to find a master. Excalibur Villa was known for its swordsmanship, and Chaoshenglou was famous for its musical skills…

He had never considered the possibility of failing to find a master; his mind was filled with thoughts of how everyone would rush to recruit him if he displayed outstanding talent.

“Hey, hey…”

Chu Baige couldn’t help but laugh at the thought of various masters vying for his attention, imagining the scene of their competition.

At that moment, he heard footsteps approaching. Chu Baige stopped talking instantly and wrapped himself in the quilt from head to toe.

Damn, there’s a ghost!

“Chuck…” A voice, reminiscent of a hen, rang out, but the woman thought she sounded charming as she spoke. “What is Xiao Langjun hiding from? Isn’t the slave family beautiful? Don’t you want to see the slave family?”

A cold hand grabbed his bedding and pulled it down!

“What—”

Before Chu Baige could scream, the hand covered his mouth.

The woman wore a thin shirt, and her curves were barely concealed by the translucent fabric. The naive boy, who had never seen the world, felt a rush of blood to his face, and two lines of unsightly nosebleeds appeared instantly. The woman giggled again.

She straightened her chest and asked, “Does it look good?”

Chu Baige’s gaze darted up and down, and he stammered, “…It’s beautiful.”

The woman asked again, “Would you like to touch it?”

Chu Baige’s hand was almost pulled out of the quilt, but he suddenly slammed it against the bed corner, nervously stammering, “You, what are you going to do? Men and women shouldn’t be together like this! Leave quickly! My room… I, I just assumed nothing happened…”

The woman pressed closer.

She knelt on the bed, half of her face exposed from the mask was glamorous, her red lips enchanting. Her long-nailed fingers stroked Chu Baige’s cheek. “Why are you so shy, Xiao Langjun? Men are always so duplicitous. You’re very honest, but you refuse to admit it… Don’t be afraid, Xiao Langjun; sister will make you happy…”

Chu Baige felt an inexplicable panic.

He had read too many stories of gods and ghosts, and the woman who had suddenly appeared resembled those legendary female spirits who lured people in the middle of the night.

He shouldn’t be tainted by a ghost!

“Go away, get out—”

With a slap, Chu Baige knocked off half of the woman’s mask.

What was revealed was a face that had been severely burned, with the eyes partially obscured by atrophied muscles, revealing only a glimmer of darkness.

“Ah—” Chu Baige screamed in fright.

This sight was horrifying!

The woman’s expression changed instantly, filled with annoyance. She hadn’t expected Chu Baige to be such a timid boy, making it difficult to deal with him.

Before Chu Baige could comprehend what was happening, she opened her mouth and let out a cloud of black mist.

The black mist was fragrant, yet it carried a hint of decay.

Chu Baige collapsed onto the bed.

He let out a final cry for help: “Help…”

The woman curled her lips, half of her face resembling a fairy while the other half looked like a ghost. “Little Langjun, the slave family will make you happy, and you won’t forget the taste when you get to hell… chuckle…”

Chu Baige shed tears of despair.

Boom—

The next moment, the door of the guest room was kicked open from outside.

The door bolt broke in two, one of which struck the woman’s back hard.

She turned her head, her eyes filled with disturbed anger. “Who!”

“Chuck, cluck… I keep you up most of the night, clucking like a hen… laying eggs and you…”

Being too skilled in martial arts can also be a nuisance. The woman’s voice was like a magical sound, echoing in Shen Fu’s ears.

She didn’t want to be nosy; after all, women often pursued men. In her opinion, it was hard to say who had the advantage. For these men, if it wasn’t romantic, it was merely a fleeting dream. She feared that if they woke up during the day, they would discuss the taste of the flower picker from the night before. But this woman’s smile was truly disgusting.

Shen Fu guessed that the woman had cultivated a certain voice technique that could confuse people’s minds. Generally, those who were unsteady might not realize what she was doing after just a few words.

But to someone with a high level of skill like Shen Fu, her voice was like an old hen that kept squawking.

Bored, Shen Fu decided to step in and help.

When the woman saw Shen Fu, jealousy filled her eyes, almost palpable.

Shen Fu, without makeup, had her hair tied casually. But no one who had seen her could deny her beauty. She had a pair of beautiful apricot eyes that seemed to speak, and her slightly raised eyebrows showed a hint of heroism.

Having just come down from Shenxian Mountain, she was only sixteen years old. There was still baby fat on her face, her skin as smooth as mutton fat and white jade. Her lips were naturally red, and when pressed together, they looked painfully alluring.

The woman instantly forgot about Chu Baige, her focus solely on Shen Fu.

With claws outstretched, she unceremoniously lunged at Shen Fu.

Shen Fu dodged and avoided her, quickly changing her stance to counterattack.

“Hit someone but not the face,” Shen Fu exclaimed, noticing that the woman’s hands were always aimed at her face. “What’s wrong with you?”

“What I want to hit is your face, you bitch! I’ll scratch your face and see how you seduce men…”

The woman’s expression shifted as she became increasingly agitated, her facial muscles twitching.

Shen Fu felt inexplicably wronged and angry. “You’re out of your mind!”

While cursing, she grabbed half of the latch from the door and swung it at the woman.

The woman’s martial arts were unexpectedly high, especially her sharp claws, which she wielded with great agility. Several times, her hands grazed Shen Fu’s face, and she could almost feel the sting of being scratched.

The latch wasn’t strong enough to stop the woman’s offensive, but it couldn’t subdue her either.

Just when Shen Fu was contemplating whether to draw her knife, the woman suddenly lunged forward, opening her mouth slightly.

Although she hadn’t seen the woman spray black mist at Chu Baige, she looked like a master of the Embroidered Spring Blade Guards who could use hidden weapons from her mouth. Without hesitation, she reached into her belt and grabbed a handful of white powder, spilling it over.

“Ah—my eyes—”

Chu Baige lay on the bed, finally managing to speak after a long pause.

“You, what did you use?” His eyes widened. “Is it poison?”

Shen Fu glanced at him strangely and replied, “No.”

She looked at the belt hanging on the wall, took it, and quickly tied the woman’s hands behind her back before answering Chu Baige’s question. “It’s lime powder.”

She had visited a friend who had fallen at the dock and had caught it by the side of the road.