Chapter 62
Don't be fooled by the mere appearance of a仙品令 (xiān pǐn lìng, "immortal token"). For a thousand years, no servant of the Zhao family has ever held one, and even the Zhao descendants have fought tooth and nail over it every decade. Sometimes, even the lady of the house herself struggles to decide its rightful owner.
Moreover, in her eyes, with the regard of Zhang Zhenren (Zhāng zhēn rén, "Master Zhang"), Zheng Fa (Zhèng Fǎ) is bound to succeed at the仙品会 (xiān pǐn huì, "Immortal Token Conference").
To think that a mere contract could control a disciple of the Immortal Sect is laughable.
The lady seemed to overlook this point and instead pointed to the contracts below.
"I originally intended to use these properties as an apology. Now that you are no longer part of the Zhao family, you should have some assets to rely on," she said after a moment of silence. "But to call it an apology now feels rather petty. Let’s consider it tuition for my foolish son."
"Properties?" Zheng Mu (Zhèng Mǔ), standing nearby, was already dazed by her family’s sudden release from servitude. Hearing the word "properties" only heightened her anxiety. "But Butler Bai already gave us a clothing shop."
The lady fell silent politely.
Zheng Fa could read a single thought on her face: Is that what you call property?
To Zheng Mu, that clothing shop was indeed a significant asset.
Zheng Fa planned to hand over the shop's accounts to his younger sister, Zheng Shan (Zhèng Shān), to help her develop her skills.
But for now, he was still in charge. He knew that the shop's profits hadn’t dropped much since it changed hands from Butler Bai to Zheng Mu.
There was still a profit of over ten taels a month.
For Zheng Mu, who had been a peasant just months ago, that was an astronomical sum.
Zheng Fa flipped through the contracts in the box.
His face revealed surprise.
The lady was exceedingly generous; he saw several shops located on the main thoroughfare of Jingzhou (Jīngzhōu), bustling with business every time he passed by.
To his astonishment, they were all Zhao family properties, and the lady had placed them in the box for Zheng Fa to choose from.
There were also eight or nine land deeds for courtyards within Jingzhou, more than half of which were grand residences located in the affluent West City, as described by the old cart driver.
No wonder the lady had that expression on her face.
After pondering for a long time, Zheng Fa pushed the box toward the lady.
"What’s wrong? Not satisfied?" The lady frowned slightly and added, "These properties aren’t the most valuable. I have a few better shops in my dowry."
"No, you’re very generous, but they’re just too valuable," Zheng Fa shook his head.
"Too valuable?" The lady suddenly laughed. "You probably don’t know that Zhang Zhenren thinks you’re worth more than all of this, right?"
"Huh?"
"Do you know how much it cost Lan'er (Lán ér) to invite Zhang Zhenren?"
"I don’t know," Zheng Fa replied, shaking his head.
"It didn’t cost any money." As she spoke those words, a hint of melancholy crossed her face. "The founder of the Zhao family, our ancestor, had a debt of gratitude to Zhang Zhenren’s master, which is why we have this favor... but that favor is worth a fortune."
"What do these properties even count for?"
Zheng Fa shook his head and said to the lady, "When I said they were too valuable, I meant... sudden wealth can lead to disaster."
The lady stared at him, and when she spoke again, her words were laced with incredulity and a hint of anger:
"With your temperament, if that fool can call you a friend, even if he were my own son, I’d still have to ask, why?"
... You really know how to lift someone up only to bring them down.
---
**Chapter 70: Leaving the House**
Zheng Fa didn’t want his family to live poorly.
But these shops and courtyards were not something he could take with him right now.
If he attended the仙品会 and failed to enter the Immortal Sect, such vast wealth would inevitably attract conflict.
Not to mention the envy of others, even within the Zhao household, there might be those who would want to seize it, especially since these assets were all derived from the Zhao family’s holdings.
Even if he successfully entered the Immortal Sect, given the eldest lady’s situation, he would have to leave his mother and sister in Jingzhou for at least the first few years.
With two women, one of whom was not yet ten, even with the Zhao family’s protection, it would be difficult to safeguard these assets.
If he were to thrive in the Immortal Sect, then his mother and sister would have a good life ahead. If not, the wealth before him would eventually have to be returned.
The lady pointed at the box. "I’ve moved all this way; you should at least take one property, right?"
Butler Wu (Wú guǎn jiā) behind her glanced at the box on the table, then at his own hands, lost in thought.
Since the lady had given them the contracts, it really wouldn’t be appropriate for them to stay in the Zhao household.
Zheng Fa picked up a land deed; it was for a two-entry courtyard, not large, just about one and a half times the size of their current small yard.
The only advantage was its proximity to the Zhao family, surrounded by high-status households with many guards, making it relatively safe.
If anything were to happen, it would be easier for the Zhao family to look after them.
With the shop that Butler Gao (Gāo guǎn jiā) had given them, at least his mother and sister would be able to live without worry and wouldn’t attract jealousy.
Seeing that he had chosen the smallest courtyard, the lady slowly frowned.
"I said it was tuition; Zhang Zhenren said you teach well. This... really puts me in a difficult position."
After thinking for a moment, she unfastened a small purple pouch from her waist, revealing a larger jade box in her hand.
"A storage bag?"
Zheng Fa recalled the bracelet that Senior Sister Zhang had, surprised to find that the lady also possessed such a magical item.
Butler Wu, having carried the box all the way, looked down at his hands, then back at the lady’s storage bag, his expression deepening in thought.
The lady seemed to sense what Zheng Fa was thinking and waved her hand. "The cheapest one, not comparable to Zhang Zhenren’s storage treasure."
She carefully opened the jade box, revealing ten transparent, slightly blue stones.
"What are these?" Zheng Fa asked, curious.
"Spirit stones," the lady explained. "These are what I saved during my time in the Immortal Sect."
A flicker of pain crossed her face, as if parting with these spirit stones hurt her more than giving up those valuable properties.
"You’ve been to the Immortal Sect?" Zheng Fa asked.
"Of course, otherwise how could I cultivate?"
"Could you tell me what the Immortal Sect is like?"
Compared to the spirit stones before him, Zheng Fa was far more curious about the Immortal Sect.
"The Immortal Sect..." A glimmer of nostalgia flashed in the lady's eyes. "If you have exceptional talent, it’s a place where immortals reside."
"But if your talent is mediocre, you might as well be living worse than an ordinary person."
"Like me, I gave up on cultivation and returned to the mundane world."
So you’re just a tired immortal who returned home to take it easy.
It seemed her memories of the Immortal Sect weren’t particularly pleasant, and she didn’t want to elaborate. Instead, she pointed at the pile of spirit stones. "These are my savings from many years in the Immortal Sect. Aside from what I’ve set aside for Fan'er (Fān ér) and the others, the rest is all here."
"Nowadays, spirit stones are harder to come by in the Immortal Sect than before. This Zhao family courtyard might not even be worth a few spirit stones."
Listening to her, Zheng Fa looked at the pile of stones with a sense of reverence.
According to the lady, this was at least worth a Zhao family courtyard.
Seemingly worried that Zheng Fa might be dissatisfied, she added, "If you let that one仙品令 (xiān pǐn lìng) make you arrogant and take those properties, I won’t be giving you these spirit stones."
"Huh?"
"Talent is important, but without your temperament, that talent could lead to your downfall. Giving you these spirit stones would be throwing them away. It would be better to wait until my foolish son goes to the Immortal Sect and starves; then I could still support him a bit."
It was clear that spirit stones were indeed very valuable. The lady, who had given away courtyards and shops without a second thought, now seemed a bit stingy.
Zheng Fa thought for a moment and picked up the jade box.
Only then did the lady seem to relax, looking at Zheng Fa seriously. "Whether you see these spirit stones as an apology or as a way to win you over, I just want to hear one thing."
Zheng Fa stood up and cupped his hands in respect. "I consider the young master a friend."
---
A few days later, the Zheng family’s doorstep was bustling once more.
Today was the day Zheng Fa’s family was moving out.
Gao Yuan (Gāo Yuán) and Butler Gao had come specifically to help pack their belongings. Compared to the Zhao household, which couldn’t fill a single ox cart, the Zheng family had enough items to fill four or five horse-drawn carriages.
In addition to the furniture that Butler Gao had previously sent, the lady later had someone deliver some daily necessities, saying they would need them for their first days out of the house.
Zheng Fa looked around the empty Zheng family courtyard and then back at his mother and younger sister.
Their faces showed more confusion than joy; it seemed that now that they were no longer Zhao family servants, they had no idea how to live in the future. For Zheng Mu, the outside world felt strange and dangerous.
"Let’s get in the carriage."
Zheng Fa took his sister’s hand and led them to the front horse-drawn carriage.
When he saw the driver, he paused for a moment. "What a coincidence, it’s you again?"
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