Openly and honorably

[The lamplight in the hall flickered. A gust swept in from the mountain gate, slamming the main hall's door against the wall with a clang.]

[Before Qingfeng's kneeling body could collapse completely, a pair of hands suddenly caught him.]

["What scurrying rat dares run wild in my Green Bamboo Sect?"]

[A pair of sinister, blood-red eyes fixed on you. Under that oppressive pressure, you could not even shiver.]

[Back then, she had only been at the late Houtian stage, but now she had become a Qi Refining stage cultivator. Yet her eyes were blood-red, without a trace of a cultivator's clear, radiant bearing!]

[Unlike Qingfeng, she was not talkative, nor did she recognize you. Without wasting words on you, she raised a hand, and an irresistible pressure crashed down over your head like the heavens collapsing.]

[Then you saw only a flash of sword light before pain shot through your chest.]

[You died!]

[Simulation ended!]

[Simulation assessment: A crippled spirit root overestimated itself; four years of hiding your edge bought a promise. Beneath the Green Bamboo Sect lay a poison-breeding pit; within Gathered Worthies Manor, dividing silver brought disaster. At sixty-one, your blood still ran hot, yet the dates that brought spring to withered wood were all consigned to a scant handful of grave soil.]

[Congratulations! You received the following rewards:

1. Sixty-one years of simulation memories!

2. Strength at the Houtian ninth level; small accomplishment in the mid-grade mortal rank martial technique "Changfeng Fist"; the high-grade mortal tier martial technique "Cloud-Treading Crossing"; the mid-grade mortal rank martial technique "Cold Pool Sword Technique"; the internal cultivation methods "Qi Guiding Formula," "Green Bamboo Formula," and "Qi Gathering Art"; the external cultivation arts "Qi-Nourishing Art," "Azure Wood Art," and "Essence-Nurturing Art."

3. Traits: Failure Is the Progress Bar to Success (gold), Endless Vitality (purple), Abundant Qi and Blood (green), Lightness (green)...]

[Next simulation requirement: Submit items worth one hundred spirit stones! Or complete the guidance quest!]

[Guidance quest: How can hiding in the Marquis's Household last forever? The road to immortality is long. Take your first step today: tear up your bond of servitude, cast off your slave status, and become a free person, openly and honorably!]

Jiang Mi took a deep breath and rolled straight out of bed.

Bichun was fast asleep, and Xiaochan and the others showed no sign of waking either.

To be honest, having so many people sleeping together really was inconvenient at times-like now.

Having suddenly gained the strength of the Houtian ninth level, Jiang Mi's heart blazed. She desperately wanted to unleash her martial techniques and vent the joy boiling inside her, ready to spill over!

But six people slept in this cramped room. Right next door was the matron's duty room, and beyond that were the guards on night patrol.

If she really threw a punch here, the entire Marquis's Household would erupt.

So what if she was at the Houtian ninth level?

Dingbei Hou was at the same level, and he had spent years fighting on battlefields.

Though Jiang Mi had spent several years licking blood from a blade's edge on Severed Dragon Ridge, that had been hunting demons. Fighting people to the death was another matter entirely. If she really faced Dingbei Hou, even having even odds would mean she was hard to kill.

And then there were the requirements for the next simulation...

There was no way Jiang Mi could produce a hundred spirit stones. If she wanted another simulation, she could only start with the guidance quest.

All the bonds of servitude were in the lady of the manor's hands. Though Jiang Mi had obtained her own in both simulations, the matron had secured it for her.

Jiang Mi herself did not even know exactly where her bond of servitude was kept.

Frowning, she sat back down on the bed and propped her chin on her hand.

So her current situation was that she could not leave, could not steal her bond of servitude and then leave, and declaring war on Dingbei Hou outright would be a road straight to death.

Jiang Mi opened the guidance quest page, her gaze settling on the words "openly and honorably."

Inspiration flashed through her mind, and she suddenly raised a hand and smacked her forehead.

Honestly, I've gotten so used to sneaking around that I nearly forgot I'm a Houtian ninth-level expert now.

Jiang Mi inwardly scolded herself.

What did openly and honorably mean?

Striding out through the Marquis's Household's front gate was openly and honorably. Telling the matron to her face, "I quit," was openly and honorably. Going straight to Dingbei Hou, revealing her strength, and saying she wanted her bond of servitude back-that was openly and honorably!

As a martial artist at the Houtian ninth level, why did she have to concern herself with keeping her actions hidden?

Yes, the Marquis's Household had experts.

But in the entire Dingbei Marquis Manor, only Dingbei Hou himself had reached the Houtian ninth level.

She was not going there to fight. She was going to ask for something.

Was it unreasonable for a martial artist at the Houtian ninth level to want her own bond of servitude back?

No.

No power under heaven would offend a Houtian ninth-level expert over a bond of servitude worth a few taels of silver.

Once she had thought this through, Jiang Mi was no longer in a hurry.

She lay back down and closed her eyes. She would get a good night's sleep first; everything else could wait until daylight.

Perhaps because she had relaxed, or perhaps because she finally had a path she could take, Jiang Mi slept particularly soundly.

For once, she even had a pleasant dream.

In it, she stood outside the Marquis's Household's main gate, holding that yellowed bond of servitude. Sunlight shone warmly on her face.

The matron stood inside the gate, simply watching her, the corners of her mouth curving ever so slightly upward.

This time, Jiang Mi did not leave. Instead, she stepped back into the Marquis's Household. Just as she was about to take the matron's hand, the real matron arrived.

"Bang!"

The wooden door struck the wall with a piercing crash.

"What hour do you think it is, still sleeping! Don't you know the sun's already shining on your backsides! Every last one of you is a lazybones. You only move when you're prodded; otherwise, you're like corpses. Are you all dead?"

Jiang Mi opened her eyes groggily, only then remembering that this little scene was due to play out this morning.

But why does the matron have so many lines? Is this another flap of my butterfly wings?

Jiang Mi yawned and unhurriedly dressed herself.

Bichun and the others sprang straight out of bed in fright, fumbling frantically.

Xiaochan was in such a rush that she did not dare stop even after putting a sock on inside out, and stepped onto the floor with bare feet.

Amid the chaos, Jiang Mi's composure stood out starkly.

Sure enough, the matron's gaze swept over. She frowned, but instead of acting herself, she glanced back at Zhou Pozi and Li Pozi, who had come with her.

With those two old women here, why would a matron like her need to lift a hand herself?

Zhou Pozi did not understand, but Li Pozi immediately put on a vicious expression. She strode forward, raised her arm, and made to bring it down hard across Jiang Mi's face.

Jiang Mi made no move, merely turning her head to look at Li Pozi.

The instant their eyes met, Li Pozi felt as though a vicious mountain tiger had fixed its gaze on her. Her arm froze in midair, her body rooted to the spot, unable to move at all.

"Li Pozi?"

The matron's voice came from behind her, distinctly displeased.

Li Pozi shuddered. She felt caught between a tiger ahead and a wolf behind, unable to advance or retreat, and dared do even less.

At the sight, the matron grew even angrier.

But she had only taken one step closer when the sight of Jiang Mi's smiling face suddenly reminded her of yesterday.

The matron stood where she was, a measure of scrutiny surfacing in her eyes.

Even the stupidest person should have realized that this girl was different now, let alone the people in this room, who, apart from Bichun and the other girls, were all shrewd veterans who had spent half their lives struggling to survive within the deep courtyards of great households.