The Hiding Place

Xu Si had once been a house slave of the Xu Family. His father, grandfather, and great-grandfather had all sold themselves into servitude at the Xu estate, but he couldn't quite remember which province or prefecture it had been in, or which Xu family they'd served.

Back when Luo Yin and his brothers had roamed the Central Plains, robbing households and wiping out entire clans, they'd spared most servants and household staff when they slaughtered a family. Only the kind of utterly devoted servant who thought of their master in everything would be tortured to death. Now and then, they'd come across someone with decent aptitude, enough courage, or a grudge to settle, and bring them into the group to work alongside them—as if taking on a disciple.

That was how Xu Si had joined them. When they were stewing his master, everyone else had fled, but the kid had come forward and asked for a bowl. So Zheng Zetian remembered him.

In any case, after he'd had that bowl and joined the Luo Sect, the Si in Xu Si's name no longer meant the number four. It meant "reckless," as in reckless and unrestrained.

And Xu Si had lived up to his name. He was a mad dog. He'd taken up the path halfway through life, with no foundation, barely literate, and not much talent. But when it came to torturing and killing the powerful clans, or taking revenge on the literati, he was merciless and utterly depraved. He was practically a born demon. Even many of his fellow Luo Sect members thought his methods were fucking disgusting, and openly or secretly kept him at arm's length. He really wasn't popular.

Still, as a drinking buddy who often shared hotpot and barbecue with him, Xu Si had suited Luo