Girls' School, and Ye Miao's Sachet

For the entire night, Xu Yi dreamed of the demons, devils, ghosts, monsters, spirits, and immortals Red-Eyed Brother had spoken of—

Sheep-men with cat eyes, bronze mirrors with two legs, rats in suits, copper coins hanging from the rafters, benches transformed into centipedes, pig spirits with handles growing from their heads...

All kinds of monsters emerged one after another!

Whenever those Hundred Night Miasma creatures approached the dormitory, they were cut down with a single stroke by that towering figure.

Though that towering figure protected Xu Yi, he felt no sense of security.

The figure was tall, yet every inch of it radiated a frigid, sinister aura, like some god seated high above.

Whether the god protected him had nothing to do with him.

Lacking any sense of security, Xu Yi dreamed all night, though he still slept tolerably well.

Early the next morning, Xu Yi opened his eyes, groggily crawled out of bed, and went to the side of the dormitory to draw well water and wash his face. Then he suddenly realized—

The world before him had turned colorful again.

He jolted awake and realized that the time Ye Miao's fragrance could activate spirituality was limited.

"At least three hours. Any longer than that, I don't know.

"But it definitely didn't last an entire night."

Xu Yi boiled water, relieved himself, drank water, washed up, waited until he felt refreshed, then did a little warm-up before taking a horse stance beside the well near the dormitory.

Taking a horse stance was a practice the original owner of this body had kept up since childhood, doing it for half an hour every morning.

This stance was called the Four-Level Horse Stance. It was a core foundational exercise among the many schools of southern martial arts in the Great Yan Dynasty, something every martial artist knew.

Though the Four-Level Horse Stance's lineage was utterly ordinary, it could greatly strengthen the legs, waist, and back, while nourishing the internal organs and keeping the body healthy.

That was why, even though the original owner knew no real martial arts, he could endure heat and cold and rarely fell ill all year round.

Xu Yi held his horse stance, recalling the thrilling scene outside Candied Zhang's residence last night, when he suddenly heard someone call out.

"Xu Yi!"

Xu Yi shuddered. Turning his head, he saw that Ye Miao had somehow arrived without him noticing. She was leaning over the corridor railing, pouting as she said:

"My dad is sending me to school! Xu Yi! I don't want to go to school! Let's run away together!"

Xu Yi could not hold it in. His breathing faltered, and he could no longer maintain his stance. He stood up and instinctively took two steps back, moving farther from her to avoid smelling her scent before he spoke.

"Miss, going to school is a good thing!

"These days, if you can attend a good school, that means you've caught a favorable tide."

Xu Yi could not say he knew every detail about how this world would develop over the next century, but he still knew quite a lot.

Though Ye Miao was a greedy little girl, she had always treated him well. Not only had she never bullied him for being some wild boy from the countryside, she often chatted with him and told him secrets from Golden Orchid Nunnery.

Most importantly, she often shared her snacks with him.

Among all their fellow disciples, Ye Miao was cold toward most people, but she alone showed Xu Yi considerable care.

For that reason, he liked her.

So he persuaded her:

"As long as you study properly, Master will definitely send you abroad someday. The world outside is vast, and great opportunities lie everywhere.

"Don't you want to go out and see it?"

Ye Miao curled her lips and rolled her eyes without saying anything.

Xu Yi pressed on:

"What school is Master sending you to?"

Ye Miao answered listlessly:

"It seems to be called St. Mary's Hall.

"It was founded by foreigners. All the daughters of prominent, wealthy families in Puxi City go there. If I go, I'll definitely get bullied!"

She continued complaining loudly:

"I heard you have to learn foreign languages there, and you even have to believe in a foreign religion. If I went to a place like that, how heartbroken would Guan Sheng Di Jun be!"

"I heard you have to study there for three whole years! By the time I graduate, I'll be an old maid! My dad doesn't want me to get married—he wants me to serve him for the rest of my life!"

"I don't want to go! I heard the cafeteria only has bread, and you can't even get salt to eat! This is going to be the death of me!"

As she poured out her grievances, she suddenly slipped in a rapid sentence in a very low voice:

"Xu Yi, if you're going out to handle business today, no matter what, be extremely careful. Don't lose your life."

Ye Miao seemed to know something.

After saying that, she went right back to complaining.

Xu Yi listened to her complain for a while before asking quietly:

"Miss, do you have something like a sachet that you carry with you?"

The question caught Ye Miao completely off guard. She had no idea what Xu Yi wanted it for.

But she did not ask. She simply pulled a sachet from the waist of her Daoist robe.

"Here. I've carried this with me since I was little."

The sachet was only a quarter the size of a palm. It was shaped like a chicken heart, made from red and green silk, rounded at the top and pointed at the bottom, with a golden drawstring tied to it for tightening the opening.

Xu Yi swiftly tucked the sachet into his clothing and promised in a low voice:

"If you go to the girls' school and get bullied, tell me. I'll stand up for you."

Ye Miao was overjoyed by those words and took them deeply to heart. Raising a fist at Xu Yi, she said:

"Don't you chicken out then! Don't go easy on them just because they have pretty faces!"

Xu Yi said solemnly:

"Never! I don't care who I have to hit!"

Ye Miao said softly:

"I'm going with Dad to register at the school soon! Who knows when we'll meet again after this? You have to take good care of yourself!"

Xu Yi said nothing more, only clasping his hands to her.

Ye Miao's lips curved upward. She turned and headed out, her steps noticeably lighter.

Xu Yi went to the tea hall. The two points of spiritual light that had lingered outside his dormitory all night floated with him to the entrance of the tea hall.

Xu Yi entered the tea hall, while the two points of spiritual light remained outside on guard.

He saw Mr. Ye Hai standing before the window, holding a newspaper as he faced the Green Shore River rolling eastward. Bathed in morning sunlight, he looked like an ancient sage from a painting.

"Master."

Mr. Ye Hai saw Xu Yi and nodded at him.

"You handled yesterday's two matters very beautifully.

"So today, I'm giving you a special assignment.

"If you do this assignment well, you'll never have to worry about money again! Your prospects will be boundless!"

Xu Yi clasped his hands.

"I await Master's instructions!"

Mr. Ye Hai said:

"The owner of the No. 2 grand residence in the 38th Shop District is named Jing Hesheng. He owns a small medicinal soap factory. He only turned forty this year, yet he is already among the wealthiest people in the 38th Shop District.

"Jing Hesheng should have been in the prime of life, but for some unknown reason, he offended someone and had his waist broken. He cannot leave his wheelchair, nor can he manage his business. The factory is on the verge of closing down.

"Go see him in my stead. It would be best if you could stay and help him, and improve his business."

"Jing Hesheng has no son, only one daughter named Jing Tao, whom he raised as the pillar of the household.

"Jing Tao is very young, probably not even as old as you, and she is still attending school.

"After Jing Hesheng's accident, the uncles in the family used her youth as an excuse to strip her of her authority.

"By now, Jing Tao can barely involve herself in the medicinal soap factory's business at all.

"When you go to help this time, you will inevitably have dealings with her."