Servant

A chill swept over him. Chu Zheng slowly opened his eyes, feeling only that his limbs were stiff and his stomach burned like fire.

After steadying himself and looking around, his expression gradually turned strange.

Before him was not the familiar bedroom, but a blue-brick, tiled house that leaked wind from all sides. The window lattice rattled loudly, and even without stepping outside, he could still feel the biting wind and snow beyond, cold piercing to the bone.

This...

A flood of memories suddenly crashed into his mind. After a long while, Chu Zheng gradually came back to himself, his gaze flickering between light and shadow.

There was no doubt about it. He had transmigrated. He was now in Song Manor, Luofeng City, Wuyang Commandery, Great Zhou Dynasty.

The Original Body was also named Chu Zheng, a local of Luofeng City. His parents had died when he was young, and at seven, he had been sold into Song Manor as a servant. Nine years had passed since then. Because he had accidentally broken the Eldest Young Lady's beloved Jade Cup two days ago, he had been punished with four days without food or water.

But to Chu Zheng, none of that was the key issue. What surprised him most was that immortals truly existed in this world.

Not fortune-telling charlatans, but Great Powers who drank dew and dined on rosy clouds, possessed the arts of immortality, and traveled the North Sea at dawn and Cangwu at dusk.

Song Lingqing, the Song Family's Second Young Lady, had been chosen by an immortal a few years ago and taken to a Hidden Immortal Sect.

Because of this, the Song Family's status had risen with the tide in recent years, placing them among the transcendent ranks throughout Wuyang Commandery.

As Chu Zheng pondered, a curtain of light suddenly appeared before his eyes.

Name: Chu Zheng

Cultivation: Zero Order

Cultivation method: Body-Fitting Fist (Zero Order/Incomplete), Wind-Chasing Swordplay (Zero Order)

Restorer: Zero Order (0/1000)

Daily Remaining Restoration Count: 5

Repairable Now: Body-Fitting Fist (0/10)

The Song Family had always been a martial arts family. Even servants were taught a trick or two of martial arts, though there would always be something held back.

Looking at the Panel that had suddenly appeared, light instantly entered Chu Zheng's eyes.

Restoration was an exceedingly difficult craft. A broken mirror could hardly be made whole again. A Restorer whose skill had reached the extraordinary and Profound Passage was effectively turning back time and seizing the Creator's authority. Every shred of progress was difficult upon difficult.

Before transmigrating, he had been an Antiquities Restorer, immensely interested in the past buried beneath the torrent of ages.

Upon suddenly transmigrating, his first feeling had been excitement at facing an entire unknown world.

This Panel before him could even mend and perfect Cultivation Methods. It would undoubtedly save him a great deal of effort and time in exploring this world's secrets.

Crash—

Before Chu Zheng could recover from his delight, the door was suddenly pushed open.

The cold wind howled in, carrying ice and snow with it. Chu Zheng could not help but shudder.

A figure slowly entered, dressed in a servant's blue robe and wearing a small cap. His appearance was ordinary, and he looked no more than twenty.

Chu Zheng sat up with some difficulty, leaning against the back wall as he examined the newcomer. Fragments of memory quickly surfaced in his mind.

Song Yun, a servant born into the Song Family. He possessed remarkable talent for martial arts and had grown up alongside the Eldest Young Lady since childhood. Though he was a servant, his standing in the manor was far from ordinary, and he was highly valued.

"A servant ought to know a servant's duty."

Watching the somewhat bedraggled Chu Zheng, Song Yun curled his lips slightly and said carelessly:

"The Eldest Young Lady wanted to keep you at her side to work because she thought highly of you, yet you repeatedly declined, exhausting her patience. A fine face is not capital for you to act willfully."

At the mention of his face, Song Yun paused slightly. A flash of hidden pain crossed his eyes. He had done everything to the best of his ability, yet he alone lacked such looks.

Chu Zheng sat against the corner wall, his hair disheveled and exhaustion filling his brow. Yet it still could not conceal the masculine handsomeness radiating from his features.

After not seeing him for several days, Song Yun only felt that Chu Zheng had changed again. His gaze had grown deep, and his face had gained a measure of calm resolve, making him even more eye-catching.

Even as a fellow man, Song Yun could not deny that Chu Zheng was exceptionally handsome. Out in the world, no one would ever associate him with the word servant.

"The Eldest Young Lady has spoken. Once your food ban ends, you are to serve in the Filth Room."

Song Yun no longer looked directly at Chu Zheng and shifted his gaze away irritably.

The Filth Room was the trash room, where large amounts of discarded utensils from the manor were piled.

Broken tables, shattered chairs, cracked basins, ruined tiles... nothing more than that.

The Filth Room lay in the farthest corner of Song Manor. No one normally went there at all. Going there meant becoming a complete nobody on the margins.

For a servant, it was equivalent to never seeing daylight again and having all prospects utterly cut off.

Song Yun had expected some reaction upon hearing this, but to his disappointment, Chu Zheng remained utterly unmoved and merely said blandly:

"Thank the Eldest Young Lady for her grace."

That calm attitude made Song Yun feel as if he had punched cotton. His palm unconsciously tightened into a fist. Unable to help himself, he stepped forward two paces and whispered:

"There is a divide between Immortal and Mortal. The Second Young Lady has been gone for more than three years without even sending a single letter home. Do you think she would remember a mere servant like you?"

Chu Zheng's expression remained without the slightest ripple. He only sat there blankly, as though lost in thought.

Having failed to receive the reaction he expected, Song Yun suddenly found it dull.

"Rot here, then. You refuse to strive for better, wasting such a fine face."

Bang—

The door slammed shut. The chain dropped into place with a clattering ring.

Chu Zheng had not listened closely to Song Yun's words. He was considering his plans from here on.

Originally, his first priority had been to buy back his freedom.

Having transmigrated, Chu Zheng naturally had no desire to sit trapped in one place, raising his head only to see a patch of sky.

Being a servant in Song Manor would greatly restrict his freedom. Even his life did not belong to him, and he could scarcely count on seeing another dawn.

But the news Song Yun had just brought made him change his mind.

The Filth Room was quiet, and no one would disturb him. In the short term, it might be a good place for him.

The sky gradually darkened, while the sound of wind and snow grew heavier.

Rustle—

An unusual sound came from the door, startling awake Chu Zheng, who had been curled up pretending to sleep.

"Chu Zheng... Chu Zheng?"

The door crack was pried open, and two soft calls came through.

Chu Zheng did not move. After three days without food or water, he was already hollow-bellied and drained to the marrow. If the Original Body had not possessed some martial arts foundation, he likely would not even have had the strength to speak now.

The reason he had ignored Song Yun earlier was also because he truly had some difficulty opening his mouth.

A small hand reached through the crack in the door, tightly clutching a steamed bun. "I kept it warm against my chest. It hasn't gone cold yet. Eat it while it's hot."

"Xiao Cai?"

Chu Zheng recognized the visitor's voice. She had originally been the Second Young Lady's personal maid and was about the same age as the Original Body. Now, she served at the Eldest Young Lady's side.

"It is me. The Eldest Young Lady watched too closely these past two days. Luckily, she retired early today, or I would never have found a chance to come see you."

Hearing Chu Zheng answer, Xiao Cai let out a breath of relief. "You can get out tomorrow. Endure a little longer."

Chu Zheng's brow furrowed. After pondering briefly, he said softly:

"Take this back. There is something else I want to ask you to help me with."

As the Eldest Young Lady's personal maid, every movement Xiao Cai made was watched by others.

Since his punishment would be lifted normally tomorrow anyway, it was better not to eat this steamed bun, lest it create extra complications.

"What is it? Hurry and tell me. I only have a little time."

Xiao Cai did not ask further. She withdrew her hand, sounding somewhat pressed for time.

"Where are the fragments of the Jade Cup I broke two days ago now?"

In the courtyard, heavy snow drifted down.

Two figures stood in one corner of the courtyard, silently watching the Wood Shed. Xiao Cai's every movement was clearly within their sight.

"Miss, you should go back and rest." Song Yun stood beneath an umbrella, looking somewhat worried at the woman's thin dress.

"When you went this afternoon, what did he say?"

"He said he thanked you for your grace."

"Grace? He is quite the obedient dog."

The woman gave a cold snort. Her hands hidden in her sleeves gradually tightened as she turned and left.

A newcomer setting out on the road—please lend this humble one your support.