Chapter 4
“Shan'er!” Before Zheng Fa could say anything, his mother had already tugged at his little sister's ear, scolding her, “Your brother is going to the main residence. There are so many people watching; it’s not a game. Are you going to cause more trouble?”
Looking at his little sister, whose ears were red and eyes brimming with tears, Zheng Fa gently patted her round head. “If I have time, I’ll bring you some delicious treats from the city.”
……
“Mother, I’m leaving.”
Standing beside the ox cart, Zheng Fa bid farewell to his mother.
Zheng Mu didn’t respond; she simply took out a clean coarse cloth bundle, untied it, revealing some flatbreads and a few slices of cured meat. She handed it to the old man driving the cart. “Sir, your journey must be tough. I’ve prepared some food; we don’t have much at home, but it should help on the road.”
The old man took off his pipe and smiled as he accepted the bundle.
Once he had received it, Zheng Mu earnestly added, “This is my child’s first trip to the city. He’s still young, so I hope you can look after him and not let him offend any important people.”
“Don’t worry,” the old man replied, glancing at Zheng Fa. “This kid looks obedient; he won’t cause any trouble. Who knows, he might even have a bright future ahead!”
Zheng Mu looked at Zheng Fa and whispered, “I don’t expect much of a future for him; I just hope he comes back safe…”
……
As the ox cart moved further away from Zheng Fa’s home, he turned back to see his mother and little sister gazing at the cart from a distance.
“Hold on tight!”
The old man suddenly shouted, cracking the black whip in the air, which landed on the ox’s rear.
The cart sped up unexpectedly, and Zheng Fa, caught off guard, leaned back, grabbing the railing to steady himself.
The wind howled past his ears, and the rice fields beside the cart blurred by in an instant.
The speed of the ox cart surprised Zheng Fa.
He couldn’t estimate how fast they were going, but it felt quicker than the buses he had ridden in another world.
The cart was quite ordinary, the kind typically used for delivering vegetables, with wooden planks on the bottom and railings on both sides.
But the ox pulling the cart was anything but ordinary. It was massive, nearly three to four meters long.
The most striking feature was a fleshy lump on its spine; as it ran, the veins on the lump bulged, and he could even see the rushing red blood within.
What amazed Zheng Fa even more was that despite its enormous size and speed, the ox’s hooves touched the ground silently, moving with an unusual steadiness, as if it were gliding on the wind.
“Surprised, huh?” the old man laughed heartily.
“This ox?”
“This isn’t an ordinary ox; it’s called a Dan Zhu Niu (丹珠牛), said to have a trace of spirit beast blood. It can travel a thousand miles a day without breaking a sweat! And this treasure of an ox is not only fast but also incredibly stable!”
“Spirit beast? A mere trace of blood can be so extraordinary…”
“Our Zhao family is no ordinary clan. In Jingzhou City, there are only a handful of families that can have such an ox!”
“The Zhao family is that impressive?”
“Impressive? That’s an understatement! Our Zhao family has immortals!” The old man spoke with a hint of pride. “Since our ancestor settled in Jingzhou City a thousand years ago, every generation has had someone enter the immortal gates and gain celestial fortune!”
“Immortal gates? I’ve always heard that the Zhao family has the backing of immortals, but it’s true?”
Zheng Fa’s spirits lifted. After all, he had grown up in a village and knew little about this world compared to the other one.
Although he had heard many tales of immortals, none had been as certain as this old man.
“In Jingzhou City, among the three great families, which one doesn’t have an immortal background?” The old man pulled out a slice of cured meat and chewed it, glancing at Zheng Fa. “You’re hoping for some celestial fortune?”
Zheng Fa nodded.
“Considering this cured meat, I’ll give you a piece of advice: that’s not something someone of our status can aspire to. I’ve been with the Zhao family for half my life, and I’ve never even seen a single hair from an immortal.”
Zheng Fa pursed his lips and fell silent, the sound of the whip cracking accompanying their quiet journey.
Around noon, the ox cart stopped in front of another Zhao family estate, and a boy about Zheng Fa’s age climbed aboard.
As soon as he saw Zheng Fa, a hint of discomfort crossed his face, and he asked with a touch of hostility, “Are you also going to be the Seventh Young Master’s book boy?”
Before Zheng Fa could respond, the old man driving the cart lazily interjected, “It’s not just you two; there are nearly dozens of kids in the Zhao family of the right age in Jingzhou City. If you hadn’t lived so far away, I wouldn’t have had to come pick you up.”
Zheng Fa was taken aback. He only knew that the Seventh Young Master was favored, but he hadn’t expected such fierce competition for the position of a mere book boy.
The boy who had just boarded seemed to understand the old man’s implication, his expression slightly subdued, but he still chose to sit in a corner far from Zheng Fa.
Zheng Fa could feel the boy’s gaze occasionally darting toward him throughout the journey.
After a while, the boy finally spoke up, “I’m Huang Yu. What’s your name?”
“Zheng Fa.”
“Have you attended the primary school?”
“I have.”
Huang Yu’s expression soured a bit.
Zheng Fa added, “But I only went for a year before I stopped.”
“I attended for five years!” Huang Yu declared, his spirits lifting. He shifted closer to Zheng Fa, “If I weren’t too old, I would have gone when the Seventh Young Master was selecting book boys.”
Zheng Fa couldn’t help but chuckle inwardly; this guy probably thought he posed no threat, and his attitude had improved considerably.
“Five years of primary school? You’re practically a shoo-in this time,” Zheng Fa said, playing along.
Sure enough, Huang Yu, despite trying to hide it, couldn’t suppress the excitement in his eyes.
The old man driving the cart snorted derisively.
“Who knows what kind of person this Seventh Young Master is? A position as a book boy can attract dozens of competitors, including talents like you, Huang.”
“You don’t know?”
“I’ve lived in the village for a long time, and I’m not well-informed…”
Huang Yu sized him up, noticing that although Zheng Fa’s clothes were clean, they were old and worn, the cuffs faded to the point of being translucent. His wariness toward Zheng Fa diminished.
After a moment of thought, he closed his mouth and chose not to respond.
Zheng Fa realized that the boy probably didn’t want him to glean any extra information from him.
It was the old man who spoke up, answering Zheng Fa’s question. “Our Zhao family is divided into three branches, with the main branch being the head of the family.”
“The Seventh Young Master isn’t from the main branch, is he?”
“Exactly. The Seventh Young Master is the only legitimate son of the main branch. The lady has only one daughter and one son, so even though the Seventh Young Master is young, he will eventually become the head of the Zhao family. I’ve heard that the current external manager of the Zhao family is a former book boy of the head of the family, which is quite a respectable position.”
Zheng Fa understood immediately.
Being a book boy wasn’t a position of power, but it was akin to the so-called loyal ministers in the history books of another world, a stepping stone to greatness.
It was all about securing a future.
“And I’ve heard…” The old man glanced at Huang Yu. “The Seventh Young Master’s sister is the current generation’s celestial seed of the Zheng family, already noticed by the immortal gates! This position as a book boy is highly sought after, not just by you two, but even the children of influential families in the city are competing for it! Hey, what does a few years of primary school matter?”
Zheng Fa now understood the true value of the Seventh Young Master’s book boy position.
The only legitimate son of the main branch.
His sister had also gained celestial fortune.
The Seventh Young Master’s status was as solid as a rock.
Zheng Fa glanced at Huang Yu beside him, noticing the boy’s face turning red, likely realizing that the old man was subtly warning him:
Don’t think that just because you’ve had a few more years of schooling than Zheng Fa, you’re any better than the children of those influential families in the city.
You’re still just a country bumpkin.
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**Chapter 5: Kindred Spirits**
The old man’s words left Huang Yu in silence.
Zheng Fa also remained quiet, with only the sound of the whip cracking in the wind breaking the stillness.
As they traveled in silence, the ox cart reached Jingzhou City after about an hour.
Inside the city felt like a different world from outside.
The scenery outside was vast fields of farmland, open and desolate, with only the occasional farmer bending over to work.
Though Jingzhou City was large, the throngs of people on the streets made it feel cramped and crowded.
The three of them were likely on the main road of Jingzhou City.
Shops lined both sides of the street, and many people were out for a stroll.
The mighty Dan Zhu Niu, capable of traveling a thousand miles, now had to squeeze into the crowd, looking like a timid kitten, cautiously stepping forward.
At this moment, Huang Yu perked up. He sat on the cart, leaning over the railing, stretching his neck to look at the shops on either side.
The sweet aroma from a pastry shop made him swallow hard.
The trinkets in the general store captivated his attention.
The elegant young ladies lingering in the silk shop made him, already shy, steal glances, only daring to look back once they had walked away.
Once he regained his composure from the excitement of entering the city, he noticed Zheng Fa sitting steadily beside him. Although Zheng Fa was also smiling and observing the bustling streets, he didn’t seem as animated as Huang Yu.
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