“What’s there to be shy about?” Zhang Yan grinned cheekily.
Ever since becoming Zhang Yan’s disciple, Mu Anxiao had seen him wear this expression countless times. At first, she found it amusing. Now, however, after her downfall, and with nothing left, it wasn’t funny at all.
“Master, please don’t give me that strange smile anymore. It’s annoying,” Mu Anxiao said.
However, this was exactly the effect Zhang Yan wanted. The saying goes that a master cherishes their disciple, and Zhang Yan was no exception. Before taking her as his disciple, he had vowed to be the best master. Hearing the mockery of his disciple from various celestial beings across the realms made him furious.
He was especially angered by the whispers that Mu Anxiao’s money was stolen.
Thus, at some point, he resolved to devise a meticulous plan to show those celestial beings that his disciple was not to be bullied. To ensure Mu Anxiao could live in obscurity, he hadn’t even reported her survival to his superiors, and had even instructed Hei Feng to keep it a secret.
But now, he felt it was no longer necessary.
“They know you’re alive now,” Zhang Yan said.
Mu Anxiao hadn’t wanted her survival to be known by the higher powers. Hearing Zhang Yan’s words, and considering her current pathetic state, she asked, “Master, Feng Qishi doesn’t know, does he?”
“He knows.”
“He knows? Won’t he come looking for me?”
Since that year, Mu Anxiao had lived in constant fear of Feng Qishi suddenly appearing to find her. Hearing Zhang Yan’s reply, her old worries resurfaced.
“I don’t know.”
“Master, then what do you know?”
“I know that from now on, you don’t have to pay me tuition fees.”
“Really?”
“Really. Back in the mortal world, money was quite necessary. But here, I’ve discovered that silver is of little use to a great deity like myself, so you don’t need to pay anymore.”
He had said the same thing last year, and yet he had suddenly appeared and taken the few slivers of silver she had begged for. Mu Anxiao harbored no trust for him.
“I don’t believe you.”
“Give me a reason,” Zhang Yan lifted his chin.
“The reason is, you’ve lied to me too many times. You said I don’t need to pay tuition fees,” Mu Anxiao narrowed her eyes, “which means you’ll definitely try to trick me into paying other fees.”
“Clever.”
Just as Mu Anxiao had expected, her master was indeed a scoundrel.
“If you hadn’t forced me, I wouldn’t have become this smart.”
“To think of me, your master, in such a way makes me feel a little embarrassed,” Zhang Yan covered his cheek.
Mu Anxiao replied, “Because of you, Master, I’ve completely lost the ability to trust people.”
“That’s right. In our line of work, one cannot be sentimental, nor compassionate, and certainly not soft-hearted. For every bit of violence someone shows you, you must return it…” Zhang Yan paused, shaking his head, “No, I cannot teach you violence.”
“Even if you did, I wouldn’t use violence against mortals. Their lives are simply too fragile. With just a little force, the spiritual energy I’ve cultivated over ten years would vanish overnight.”
“Good. You remember my words.”
“……”
“Don’t you want to know how much the demon souls you caught are worth?”
The mention of money ignited a flicker of excitement in Mu Anxiao’s heart.
“How much?” she asked.
“Give me a smile.”
Mu Anxiao obliged with a smile.
Zhang Yan, clearly pleased with Mu Anxiao’s smile, said, “Five taels per demon soul, and twenty taels for the more potent ones.”
“Weren’t ordinary demon souls ten taels before?”
“Half of it goes to me,” Zhang Yan spread his hands.
Mu Anxiao had nothing more to say about it.
Seeing Mu Anxiao’s silence, Zhang Yan gave a faint smile and vanished.
Mu Anxiao sighed, then looked down at the broken bowl in her hands. “Having something is better than nothing. It’s good enough.” With that, she turned and walked towards the city gates.
Since parting ways with Piao, Mu Anxiao’s life had become considerably quieter.
Now, she squatted by the city gates, begging. Piao saw her but acted as if he hadn’t, preferring to give money to other beggars rather than to her. Mu Anxiao felt no sting from this, as her focus was entirely on the demon souls.
However, without help, Mu Anxiao squatted there day and night for three full days without seeing a single demon soul pass by. Leaning against the wall, she touched her emaciated stomach. “I’m out of money and food. Even if I encounter a demon soul, I won’t have the strength to fight it. People these days… are truly as unloving as they were back then. But… back then I could still earn a little, now… not a single cent. Begging is truly hard work.”
“What isn’t hard work?”
Hearing this, Mu Anxiao’s eyes immediately shot towards Wang Gui, who stood before her, preparing to mock her. “What I say has nothing to do with you?”
Wang Gui grinned, squatted down, and glanced at Mu Anxiao’s broken bowl. “You’re a man, with arms and legs, why don’t you find a job? You insist on living like this, haven’t you considered your future?”
“What my future is has nothing to do with you, you ugly thing. Go away.”
Since falling to this state, Mu Anxiao detested people who inexplicably came to lecture her, especially those who loved to talk about the future, as if they were so accomplished and brilliant.
“Mu Anxiao, if you continue like this, you’ll never find a wife,” Wang Gui added.
“You’re so old, and yet I haven’t seen you with a wife either?”
“You…”
“A year ago, when my tavern was open, your shop was completely empty. Now that you have a few customers, you’re getting arrogant. You’re truly easily satisfied with your current situation.”
“Mu…”
“Stop calling my name. Recently, I heard that another tavern has opened up ahead, and it’s set to open in the next couple of days. You’d better be careful.”
“Really?”
“Why would I lie to you? So, if you ask me, instead of mocking me here, you’d be better off thinking about your own future. My future is definitely brighter than yours.”
The reason Mu Anxiao disliked this person was precisely because he was too self-righteous. As the saying goes, a gentleman may fall on hard times, but he must never lose his principles.
Once, because Mu Anxiao’s tavern was doing well, he secretly caused trouble by diluting half of the wine Mu Anxiao had newly acquired, then hired people to cause a scene, thereby damaging Mu Anxiao’s reputation.
At the time, Mu Anxiao was furious and poured out the diluted wine in front of him. From then on, Wang Gui never dared to meddle again. Even if the thought crossed his mind, Mu Anxiao had already nipped it in the bud.
Mu Anxiao had also considered that if she were ever to fall on hard times, the first person to be happy would undoubtedly be this fellow. Therefore, she had already prepared herself for his mockery and unsolicited advice.