Servant

A chill washed over him, and Chu Zheng slowly opened his eyes, feeling his limbs stiffen and his stomach burning like fire.

He steadied his mind and looked around, his expression gradually turning strange.

Before him was not his familiar bedroom, but a brick-and-tile room with drafts blowing in from all sides. The window lattices rattled, and even without stepping outside, he could feel the biting wind and snow, the cold piercing to the bone.

This...

A flood of memories suddenly crashed into his mind. After a long moment, Chu Zheng slowly regained his senses, his eyes flickering with uncertainty.

Without a doubt, he had transmigrated. His current location was the Song Manor in Luofeng City, Wuyang Commandery, Great Zhou Dynasty.

His predecessor was also named Chu Zheng, a local of Luofeng City. Orphaned at seven, he had been sold into the Song Manor as a slave, where he had remained for nine years. Because he had accidentally shattered the Eldest Young Lady's beloved Jade Cup two days ago, he had been punished with four days of fasting and water deprivation.

But to Chu Zheng, these were not the key points. What surprised him most was that in this world, immortals truly existed.

They were not fortune-telling charlatans, but Great Powers who drank dew and ate clouds, possessed the art of longevity, and could roam the North Sea in the morning and reach the Cangwu Mountains by dusk.

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

Because of this, the Song family's status had risen rapidly in recent years, placing them in a transcendent position within the entire Wuyang Commandery.

As Chu Zheng pondered, a light screen suddenly flickered into view 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
Currently Repairable: Body-Fitting Fist (0/10)

The Song family was a martial arts clan; even servants were taught a few moves, though they were always kept incomplete.

Looking at the panel that had suddenly appeared, light instantly returned to Chu Zheng's eyes.

Restoration was an incredibly difficult craft. Broken mirrors are hard to mend, and a Restorer with profound, extraordinary skills was essentially turning back time and seizing the authority of the Creator. Every bit of progress was harder than the last.

Before he transmigrated, he had been an Antiquities Restorer, deeply fascinated by the past buried in the torrents of time.

Now that he had transmigrated, his first feeling was excitement at facing an entirely unknown world.

This panel, which could even repair and perfect cultivation methods, would undoubtedly save him a great deal of energy and time in exploring the secrets of this world.

Whoosh—

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

The cold wind, carrying ice and snow, whistled inside, and Chu Zheng couldn't help but shiver.

A figure walked in slowly, dressed in a servant's green robe and wearing a small cap. He looked to be in his early twenties with an unremarkable face.

Chu Zheng sat up with some difficulty, leaning against the back wall to observe the newcomer, and fragments of memory quickly surfaced in his mind.

Song Yun, a servant born into the Song family. He had extraordinary talent for martial arts and had grown up alongside the Eldest Young Lady. Although he was a servant, his status in the manor was unusual, and he was highly valued.

"A servant should know his place."

Looking at the somewhat disheveled Chu Zheng, Song Yun curled his lips and said nonchalantly:

"The Eldest Young Lady wanted to keep you by her side to work; that was her showing you favor. Yet you refused time and again, exhausting her patience. Having a handsome face is not a capital for you to be willful."

When he mentioned the face, Song Yun paused, a flicker of hidden pain in his eyes. He had done everything to the best of his ability, yet he lacked such looks.

Chu Zheng sat leaning against the corner, his hair messy and his brow full of exhaustion, yet it could not hide the masculine handsomeness that shone through his features.

Having not seen him for a few days, Song Yun felt that Chu Zheng had changed again. His eyes were deep, and his face held a newfound steadiness and resolve, making him even more eye-catching.

Even as a man, Song Yun could not deny that Chu Zheng's appearance was outstanding. In the outside world, no one would ever associate him with the word "slave."

"The Eldest Young Lady has spoken. Once your fasting ends, you are to report to the Filth Room for duty."

Song Yun stopped looking directly at Chu Zheng, his gaze shifting away with some irritation.

The Filth Room was the trash room, where a large amount of the manor's discarded items were piled up.

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

The Filth Room was in the furthest corner of the Song Manor, a place no one ever visited. To go there meant becoming a complete outcast.

For a servant, it meant being cast into the shadows, with no future left.

Song Yun had expected Chu Zheng to react to these words, but to his disappointment, Chu Zheng remained calm and simply said:

"I thank the Eldest Young Lady for her grace."

Such a calm attitude made Song Yun feel as if he had punched a ball of cotton. His palms tightened into fists involuntarily, and he couldn't help but take two steps forward, whispering:

"Immortals and mortals are worlds apart. The Second Young Lady has been gone for over three years without a single letter home. Do you really think she remembers a mere servant like you?"

Chu Zheng's expression remained entirely unmoved; he just sat there blankly, as if lost in thought.

Failing to get the reaction he expected, Song Yun felt a sense of boredom:

"Rot here, then. You have no ambition and have wasted such a good face."

Bang—

The door slammed shut, the iron chain locking into place with a metallic clatter.

Chu Zheng had not listened carefully to Song Yun's words; he was busy considering his future plans.

Originally, his top priority had been to buy his own freedom.

Having transmigrated overnight, Chu Zheng was naturally unwilling to sit idly in one place, looking up only to see a square patch of sky.

Being a slave in Song Manor would severely limit his freedom; his very life was not his own, and he lived in constant peril.

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

The Filth Room was quiet and no one would disturb him; in the short term, it might actually be a decent place for him to be.

The sky grew dark, and the sound of wind and snow intensified.

Clatter—

An unusual noise came from the door, startling Chu Zheng, who had been curled up feigning sleep.

"Chu Zheng... Chu Zheng?"

The door gaped open slightly, and two soft calls drifted in.

Chu Zheng did not move. Having been deprived of food and water for three days, his insides were already withered and parched. If not for the foundation of martial arts his Original Body possessed, he feared he wouldn't even have the strength to speak right now.

The reason he hadn't responded to Song Yun earlier was simply because he truly couldn't open his mouth.

A small hand reached in through the gap, 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 voice. She was the former personal maid of the Second Young Lady, about the same age as his Original Body, and now served by the Eldest Young Lady's side.

"It's me. The Eldest Young Lady was watching too closely the past two days. Thankfully, she turned in early tonight, otherwise I wouldn't have found a chance to see you."

Hearing Chu Zheng's reply, Xiao Cai outside the door let out a sigh of relief. "You'll be able to get out tomorrow, just hold on a little longer."

Chu Zheng's brow furrowed slightly. After a moment of contemplation, he whispered:

"Take this back. I have another matter I need your help with."

As the Eldest Young Lady's personal maid, every move Xiao Cai made was under the eyes of others.

Since he would be released tomorrow anyway, it was better not to eat this bun to avoid any unnecessary complications.

"What is it? Tell me quickly, I only have a moment."

Xiao Cai didn't ask further and pulled her hand back, looking slightly anxious.

"The Jade Cup I broke the day before yesterday—where are the shards now?"

In the courtyard, heavy snow fell in flurries.

Two figures stood in a corner of the yard, silently watching the Wood Shed. Every move Xiao Cai made was in full view.

"Young Lady, let us go back and rest." Song Yun stood holding an umbrella, looking at the thin dress the woman wore with a hint of concern.

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

"He said he was grateful for your grace."

"Grace? A good dog, indeed."

The woman let out a cold sneer. Her hands, hidden within her sleeves, tightened gradually as she turned and walked away.