Tao Zhi was born and raised in Anyun City.
His family had been rooted here since his great-great-great-great...grandfather's day, long before the Ten-Thousand-Fathom Palace even existed.
When people came to Anyun City looking for a living, he greeted them with a local's customary arrogance. In his crisp, proper accent, he called them by the elegant title of:
"Stinking beggars."
And as a lifelong resident of Anyun City, he would never abandon his family's livelihood and follow those stinking beggars elsewhere. Besides, he was confident he had nothing to fear. His family had always run an honest business. They had no dealings with martial-world folk and hardly even sold them anything.
So he was certain of one thing:
As long as he stayed in this house, nothing would happen to him.
But as the saying went, even if you didn't go looking for trouble, trouble would come looking for you.
And sure enough, it did.
He had been up all night and was sleeping soundly to make up for it when a racket like drums and gongs suddenly erupted. Tao Zhi jolted awake, sprang out of bed, and looked out the window.
Fortunately,
the commotion did not seem to have reached this part of town. He could hear it, but there was not a soul in sight outside. "What's all that about?"
Tao Zhi scratched his already bald head. Seeing no danger, he turned and called for his wife.
"Hey, wife! Wife!"
But
normally, the moment she heard him, she would come running with water and broth for him to wash up. There were only a few people in the household, but he was unquestionably its head. How did that saying from the Ten-Thousand-Fathom Palace go?
Right. Without rules, nothing could be done properly.
Yet after he waited and waited, no