Chapter 422 - Chapter 422: Chapter 414 The Life of an Attendant_1

Chapter 422: Chapter 414 The Life of an Attendant_1

“It can help me carry things!”

After saying so, Qin Niu headed straight for the gate.

Xiao Qing watched him from the yard, her eyes brimming with reluctance.

“Master, please return safely. I and your two sisters will wait for you at home.”

She herself had been abandoned as a child, and the only grandfather who had raised her was also dead. Now, she was alone, with Qin Niu being her only reliance.

If Qin Niu died on the battlefield, she would be left with no one to depend on.

“Watch the house!”

Qin Niu instructed before quickly stepping out of the courtyard gate.

The Green Ox, on the other hand, was free from such human sentiments of sorrow, running merrily ahead, occasionally letting out mooing sounds.

For the Green Ox, as long as it wasn’t confined to a pen, it was extremely happy.

Every day, following Qin Niu out, whether up the mountains or into town, it played and frolicked all the way, which made it very cheerful.

The Green Ox now was no different from a playful child.

It was, after all, still a young calf.

Ye Ji flipped on to her tall steed tied outside the courtyard.

It was an all-white steed, with a gaze that exuded an extraordinary intelligence, seemingly even more superior than the Black Mare Horse.

“Go!”

Ye Ji clamped her legs together, and the white horse immediately galloped into motion.

“Doesn’t Master Qin have any other means of transportation?”

Ye Ji caught up to Qin Niu and asked.

“I’m used to running on my two legs every day, you need not worry about me.”

The distance of more than two hundred li, considering his current cultivation level, he estimated that it would take just one day to reach. Perhaps not even a full day.

He preferred to use every opportunity to practice the Misty Rain Elusive Step.

This technique was the only movement martial skill he had learned, and as long as he mastered it, whether in battle with an enemy or in fleeing, it would prove extremely practical.

Half a day later, they had already passed Black Tiger City.

He estimated they had run over a hundred li at this point.

Qin Niu’s Everlasting Spring Technique was not suitable for combat, but for running away, it offered unexpected benefits. The profound and enduring energy meant that, despite having run so long, he felt only slightly tired.

“Miss Ye Ji, let’s rest under the tree ahead for a while!”

“Alright!”

Ye Ji was now acting as his protector, naturally following his orders.

They rested under a large locust tree by the roadside.

The sun in the sky was scorching hot.

Qin Niu opened the bundle his wife had prepared for him, which contained pancakes, dry rations, water, four silver notes of a hundred taels each, some scattered silver pieces, clothes, and other items.

“This silly girl, even after marrying me, is still so foolish. Why give me so much silver money when I’m heading off to the battlefield?”

She was probably worried that Qin Niu would lack essentials and gave him the silver to spend on the road.

Life is easy at home, but each step out of the door is hard.

Outside, without money on hand, even eating becomes a problem.

“Miss Ye Ji, would you like a pancake? My wife made them, and they have meat.”

Qin Niu took out two meat pancakes and offered them to Ye Ji.

She always wore a fox-faced mask, and throughout their journey, she hadn’t seemed to eat or drink.

“I don’t need any.”

She seemed a bit embarrassed.

With such a thin skin, how did she become the close servant of the Gang Leader?

Qin Niu originally intended to ignore her, but if she didn’t eat, her combat strength would surely decrease. If they encountered a strong enemy later on, Qin Niu would be down one powerful assistant.

“Isn’t it hot wearing a mask?”

“It’s bearable.”

She must be weak, as her tight clothes, especially on her back, were already soaked with sweat.

Sweat stains were visible on the small portion of her forehead that was showing.

It was now the sweltering weather of the late autumn. They say the autumn heat is fierce, and now the sun seemed even hotter than in summer.

“Take off the mask and eat some food! Don’t worry, even if your face is terribly ugly, I’ll never laugh at you.”

Qin Niu continued to offer the meat pancake to her.

This was food prepared by his wife, and he truly felt reluctant to share it with someone else.

However, the road they were taking was quite secluded, with no village ahead and no store behind, leaving them nowhere to dine.

One could see that the grain sack on her back was somewhat deflated, suggesting she seldom traveled far alone and lacked experience.

Otherwise, she would have definitely brought more supplies for the journey.

“Who says that wearing a mask means one is definitely ugly?”

She glared at Qin Niu and took the two meat pies.

Women, especially young women, tend to be very sensitive to comments about being ugly.

“Then I suppose you must be rather old, a bit aged. It’s fine, your duty is to act as my guard, to ensure my safety, so whether you are ugly or very old, I won’t mind,” Qin Niu said.

While eating the meat pies, Qin Niu talked with Ye Ji.

He purposefully chose provocative words to stimulate her; he was certainly not trying to flirt.

This female guard was quite aloof; one would not be able to get much information out of her through normal questioning.

Attacking her with the words ‘old’ and ‘ugly’ would easily provoke her to inadvertently reveal some information in self-defense.

“You’re the one who’s old! I’m only twenty-four this year.”

Ye Ji replied discontentedly, took the two meat pies, sat down a short distance away with her back to Qin Niu, fiddled with her mask, and began to eat.

She did not take off her mask.

This mask was cleverly designed so that the bottom half could be pushed down to the neck. That way, one could eat without removing the mask.

“Then it’s quite strange. If you are not ugly or old, why wear a mask afraid to let me see your true face? Could it be that your face is covered with pockmarks?”

“Can’t be bothered with you.”

Ye Ji clearly had an expression of grinding her teeth.

“When you serve as the Gang Leader’s attendant, do you always wear masks?”

“Mmm.”

She responded curtly.

“But you have to take it off to eat or sleep, right? Wearing a mask must be uncomfortable!”

“We must always wear the mask and are not allowed to show our true faces to others.”

A recipient of kindness softens, an employee is subordinate.

Having eaten two of Qin Niu’s meat pies, she finally revealed some useful information.

“It’s just being an attendant for the Gang Leader, even if people saw your faces, it wouldn’t matter, right? Are you worried about falling in love with another man?”

Qin Niu couldn’t understand why she made things so mysterious.

“Heh… the day we become attendants to the Gang Leader, we are destined not to marry,” she said with a laugh that carried both self-mockery and a touch of desolation.

A man should marry at the right age, as should a woman.

Whether it’s men or women, at a certain age, there is a natural desire for love. It’s human instinct.

At twenty-four, she had never experienced love, which was like depriving her of the right to love.

“Why aren’t you allowed to marry? That’s too inhumane.”

Qin Niu asked, puzzled.

“Everything I have was given by the Gang Leader. From the day I was chosen, this was already agreed upon. Those of us who serve as attendants to the Gang Leader are mostly kids who couldn’t even get enough to eat. The Gang Leader spent Silver Money to buy us from our families, then provided for our sustenance, taught us Cultivation Techniques, literacy, and trained us. As long as we performed well, we would receive a sum of Silver Money each year, which we could use as we pleased or help send to our families.

Gaining these benefits naturally meant losing something in return.”

She saw things quite clearly.

At twenty-four—if she was only a few years old when she was bought by the Gang Leader—many years would have given her enough time to understand many things clearly.

“Your parents sold you, and you’re still willing to spend the money you earn on them every year?”

Qin Niu thought Ye Ji was truly steeped in servility.

If his parents had sold him, he swore he would disown them completely.

“They sold me only because they had no choice. I was just five years old that year, during a disaster, with famine everywhere. There were dead from starvation all over, and some people even resorted to trading their children for food. My parents sold me to the Black Tiger Gang Leader to keep me alive and the rest of the family fed. At the time, I hated them, but later on, I stopped hating them. Now, every year, I still have the Gang Leader send the Silver Money I earn to my parents.

As long as they are well, the price I pay is very worthwhile.

Serving as an attendant to the Gang Leader has its risks and means losing some freedom, but otherwise, everything is good.

We have food and clothing, and the Cultivation Techniques and martial skills we learn are of the highest quality.

If we perform well, we may even be rewarded with Elixirs and the like.

As for falling in love and getting married, I don’t care about that. If you want to become an Immortal Master, you must sever emotional ties and purify your spirit, cutting off all worldly distractions. Since I have never been in love, I will have one less trouble when the time comes.”

Ye Ji’s words poured out like a floodgate had been opened.