Turbid World: Martial Arts Master of the Republic of China Era, I Cultivate Immortality!

Chapter 109 The Golden Shoes' Strange Fate - Part 1! (Please subscribe!)

Afternoon, bedroom on the second floor of the villa.

"Alright, let's get back to the martial arts school soon!"

Zhao Zheng pulled up his pants and spoke to Chu Ruoxi on the bed, only to be met with a pillow, making him sigh that all women are the same.

Even though times have changed, women still have things in common!

For example, they all like to express their love by throwing pillows!

After leaving the villa, Zhao Zheng didn't rush to see Cheng Qingqing and the others, since it was Thursday and they were still practicing martial arts at the martial arts school.

"Speaking of which, when I left, I did forget to ask Principal Luo for leave—" Zhao Zheng muttered to himself as he boarded the carriage.

However, it's not a big problem. Unlike Chu Ruoxi and the others, he's only on temporary assignment and hasn't received an official appointment from the martial arts school.

As for why he didn't accept the appointment letter, he felt that he could explain it with a saying by someone who, like him, liked to recite poetry and play with insects. The saying went something like this.

So-called systems and laws are merely tools for exploiting the masses and restricting the weak. A position is nothing more than a shackle, binding hands and feet, and eroding one's spirit.

Zhao Zheng didn't comment on whether the statement was right or wrong, but he knew one thing: if he had accepted the appointment letter from the martial arts school back then, he wouldn't be as carefree as he is today.

Of course, he would also gain some corresponding rights, but he didn't particularly like those ordinary rights.

Putting the thought aside, Zhao Zheng, sitting in the Western-style carriage, said to Zhao Gao, who was driving, "Go to Ping'an County."

Since the remnants of the Great Chen Dynasty went to great lengths to establish a Ping'an County next to Anping County using the "Qingchen Dingding · Eight Dragons Devouring the Realm Array," he absolutely had to go and see for himself.

What is in memory is ultimately just memory, and cannot compare to what one has seen with one's own eyes. As for why the remnants of the Great Chen Dynasty did not use the "Qingzuo Town Time Reverse Realm Invasion Formation" this time...

Zhao Zheng asked Daoist Dayan about this, and Daoist Dayan explained that there are actually many formations that can change the world.

Zhao Zheng had no answer to this. He didn't want to comment. He just felt that the world seemed a bit miserable.

After all, in his view, it seemed that every power had a world-changing formation. Although it hadn't been fully inserted—cough cough cough, it hadn't been completely successful—it had already inserted a portion of it.

"But is it really that easy for the Heaven-Changing Earth Formation to take effect? ​​If it's that easy, then why did I fail back then?"

Zhao Zheng pondered for a moment, still adhering to the principle of not dwelling on things he couldn't understand, and took out the Dao Pivot of Sitting in Oblivion from the Five-Colored Divine Light Pearl to continue reading.

Time flew by, and two hours later, it was 3 p.m.

Zhao Zheng was finally approaching the border of Ping'an County, which is next to Anping County. In fact, Ping'an County was right next to the north of Anping County, otherwise he would not have been able to reach Ping'an County so quickly.

"It seems there's no difference—"

Zhao Zheng sat in the carriage, looking out the window at Ping'an County, which he would reach after crossing the Ping'an Bridge.

And the Ping'an River beneath the bridge, which has indirectly become several times longer due to the addition of Ping'an County, he thought, his brows furrowing slightly.

"However—the most terrifying thing is that there's no difference at all—"

Zhao Zheng browsed through the two layers of memories in his mind, looking at the latest memory of his childhood trip to Ping'an County and the scene of him turning some people into firecrackers.

And the people he met in Ping'an County, people who shouldn't exist.

These memories made Zhao Zheng frown even more, but he subconsciously thought of the Buddhist scriptures saying, "All forms are illusory" and "The suffering of all beings is without inherent existence," which made him sigh.

"True or false, truth or false, truth or false—"

As soon as he sighed, Zhao Zheng felt that his Buddhist cultivation had improved a little more. The Buddha image behind him, which was even taller than sixteen feet, flashed by, making him raise his eyebrows and think to himself.

"That's so true to me!"

Sighing inwardly at his own genius, Zhao Zheng, now in the center of the bridge, continued to look at Ping'an County, which he was seeing for the first time.

Little did they know that some monks in Ping'an County and Anping County were staring in shock in the direction of Ping'an Bridge.

"Who is this eminent monk who has come here?"

The monks were amazed by the depth and terrifying power of Zhao Zheng's Buddhist cultivation. Zhao Zheng was unaware of this, as he was looking down at the river surface under the bridge, which was bathed in the golden light of the autumn sun.

The autumn wind swept across the river, rippling the surface with fine waves. The small boat, with its oars, slowly passed under the bridge, the soft sound of the oars striking the water carried on the breeze.

Occasionally, pedestrians would stop by the bridge railing, women carrying bamboo baskets would walk in groups, and peddlers carrying miscellaneous goods would hurry by.

The stone lions on the bridge railings looked particularly serene in the warm sunshine. All Zhao Zheng could hear was the dull rumble of carriage wheels rolling over the stone surface and the conversations of pedestrians on the bridge.

"true and false----"

Zhao Zheng murmured again as the carriage rolled over the stone steps at the bridgehead and steadily entered the streets and alleys of Ping'an County on the other side.

The view outside the window suddenly changed to a bustling city scene, seemingly no different from the street scene in Anping County.

The shops on both sides of the street had their doors open, and the shouts of shop assistants soliciting customers and the clatter of abacus beads drifted in through the car windows.

The pedestrians on the street included leisurely landlords, laborers in short jackets, and rickshaw pullers trying their best to solicit customers.

"Flowers are not flowers, mist is not mist —"

Zhao Zheng muttered to himself again, but his gaze was quickly drawn to a girl on the roadside who was dressed in tattered clothes but whose clothes were clean and who had injuries on her body.

"It doesn't seem to be a little girl—"

Seeing the other person's stunted growth due to malnutrition, and estimating that the other person was probably seventeen or eighteen years old, Zhao Zheng immediately pinched the Bone Scroll with his left hand to form a hand seal to suppress his aura.

Once the Dharma seal is opened, the Qi mechanism is captured.

Swah—

Ye Xian's favorability rating towards you: 55.

Zhao Zheng quickly glanced at the favorability rating on what could be called a stranger's road, and with a feeling in his heart, he activated his insightful eyes to look at Ye Xian, who was carrying a bamboo basket of clothes and was going to the river to wash them.

As Zhao Zheng's innate insight was fully activated, he saw the image of a blue cloth shoe with a round opening appear behind Ye Xian.

Just like Wei He and Ye Xian's transformation from snakes to dragons, the plain shoes behind Ye Xian showed cracks appearing from the toe, spreading like ice cracks.

However, it only cracked but didn't break, and it was half-suspended but not torn. The tattered fabric was rolled up layer by layer, but it did not completely fall off.

However, Zhao Zheng could see specks of gold through the cracks, a dazzling golden hue, and hidden strands of gold within, resembling the appearance of divine silk shed from ordinary cloth.

"Ye Xian — Circumstantaneous shoes transformed into golden shoes —"

A domestic version of Cinderella?

Huh? A king has arrived in Tianjin?

Zhao Zheng raised an eyebrow, realizing what kind of plot this was, but he was even more curious about who that king was!

Also, is there a festival called the Tianjin Cave Festival?

Thinking about it, he asked Zhao Gao, who was driving the carriage.

"Are there temple fairs and festivals in Tianjin soon?"

"Really? Oh, yes, I heard that in Ping'an County, a Master Zhao specially invited that famous Xiao Lanxiang to perform a grand opera to celebrate his son's return from studying abroad."

Zhao Gao paused, then turned to Zhao Zheng with a strange expression: "Young Master, it's quite a coincidence, this young master Zhao who returned from studying abroad is also named Zheng, but his Zheng is the Zheng of righteousness—"

"Oh, what a coincidence!"

Zhao Zheng narrowed his eyes and gave an "oh," then turned his head thoughtfully to look at Ye Xian walking towards the Ping'an River outside the car.

Carrying a bamboo basket of clothes, Ye Xian carefully walked down the bluestone riverbank to the river. He saw several women washing clothes on the riverbank below the slope with pity and helplessness in their eyes.

A middle-aged woman with rolled-up sleeves and a black silver hairpin tucked behind her ear stopped hitting clothes with a mallet and said with a smile.

"Ah Xian, you're doing laundry again? Here, this spot is for you, I'm done washing—"

"Thank you, Aunt Wang!"

Ye Xian, who was rather thin, expressed his gratitude in a soft voice. The woman he called Aunt Wang smiled and wrung out the clothes, putting them into a bamboo basket.

She wiped the water off her hands on her clothes and then took out a candy from her pocket and handed it to Ye Xian: "Here, this is what my son bought for me—"

"I don't want to—"

"Hey, take it, Auntie's going back now—"

Aunt Wang, without giving Ye Xian a chance to refuse, stuffed the candy wrapped in oil paper into her hand, then left with the washed clothes.

"Thank you, Aunt Wang!"

Ye Xian spoke gratefully, which made several women washing clothes on the riverbank nearby exchange glances and sigh softly in unison.

"This girl is so skinny—"

"Who told Old Ye to die so young?!"

"How did she end up with such a stepmother?!"

"I heard that her stepmother treats her like a beast of burden. Now, she not only works at Old Guo's pottery workshop, but whenever she has free time, she also has to wash clothes, do housework, and cook for her stepmother and stepmother."

The women whispered among themselves, their voices filled with pity and helplessness, not gloating. They remarked that even oxen shouldn't be treated like that.

The women whispered among themselves, but in just a few words, they were already talking about arranging a marriage for Ye Xian.

"In my opinion, we should help this girl find a good husband, so she won't be tormented to death by that wicked woman—"

One woman looked at Ye Xian's small hands, which were even rougher than her own, with pity, and the other women nodded in agreement.

However, some voiced their objections.

"Give up on this idea. Do you think her stepmother would let go of this money-making opportunity if the man's family didn't offer enough?"

Upon hearing this, the other women, including the one who had proposed the matchmaking, fell silent. Before long, these women finished washing their clothes and left.

On the vast riverbank, only Ye Xian was washing clothes. She frowned as she looked at her rough hands, which were sore from being soaked in the river water.

Despite her rough hands cracked from making pottery, she didn't stop; she simply endured the pain as usual and continued washing clothes.

"Huh————"

A moment later, Ye Xian, who had almost finished washing her clothes, let out a soft exclamation and looked at a strange-looking red fish swimming rapidly towards her in the river. The red fish was only about two inches long.

The fish's body was slender like a willow leaf, its entire body a translucent white, like jade, with its fins and tail fin a vibrant crimson. Ye Xian looked on in surprise and asked, "What kind of fish is this?"

As the red fish drew closer, she curiously reached her hand under the water and waved it. Strangely enough, the red fish seemed completely unafraid of her and swam into her palm.

And it started swimming in her palm!

"Aren't you afraid of me?"

Ye Xian looked at the red fish who was staring at her strangely. She wondered if it was just her imagination, but her cracked and painful hand seemed to be hurting less.

"I want to take you home and raise you, do you agree?"

Ye Xian asked hesitantly, and the red fish nodded as if it understood, making her eyes widen in surprise.

"Wow, what a clever little fish!"

As Ye Xian spoke, he looked around and, upon seeing a bamboo tube not far away, he immediately stood up, carefully holding the red fish in one hand.

A moment later, she looked at the red fish she had placed in the bamboo tube with a happy expression: "There happens to be a small pond behind my house, so I'll put you in the pond to keep you—"

"The pond is too small, why don't you sell it to me? I have a river at home—" a voice suddenly rang out.

Before Ye Xian could react, she noticed that a large hand had snatched the bamboo tube from her hand, prompting her to speak quickly.

"These are my fish, you can't—"

Ye Xian stopped talking. She looked at the man who had returned the bamboo tube to her with a strange expression and then stood aside with an awkward smile.

Or perhaps it refers to Zhao Gao, who failed in his attempt to steal the fish.

Zhao Zheng withdrew his gaze from Zhao Gao and looked at the red fish staring at him in the bamboo tube in Ye Xian's hand: "I'll buy this fish."

"I don't----"

Ye Xian instinctively refused, but before she could finish speaking, she stared wide-eyed at the silver note Zhao Zheng handed her.

A silver note with a face value of one hundred silver dollars!

"Not enough?" Zhao Zheng raised an eyebrow slightly and took out two more silver notes, each worth five hundred silver dollars, and handed them over.

The scene fell silent for a moment. Not only was Ye Xian dumbfounded, but Zhao Gao was too. He didn't quite understand what was so special about this fish.

Furthermore, he felt that if Zhao Zheng wanted fish, he could jump into the river right now to catch them, and for free.

"Here's what we'll do—well, I overheard what those women were saying. I know you're not doing well right now. Here's what we'll do: take these silver notes, and I'll help you live a better life. For example, I'll give you a hundred acres of fertile land, a five-courtyard house, and some maids and servants so you can be a master."

Zhao Zheng spoke calmly, which made Zhao Gao want to jump into the river to catch fish right now, but Ye Xian refused.

"I'm not selling!"

Seeing the way the red fish was looking at her, she felt a tremor in her heart and refused. After saying that, she picked up the bamboo basket and bamboo tube containing the washed clothes and ran away.

"Young Master!"

Seeing this, Zhao Gao frowned and spoke. Zhao Zheng looked at Zhao Gao, who seemed ready to roll up his sleeves and snatch the fish, and said expressionlessly.

"We are righteous people!"

"oh oh----"

Got it, you can't just rob me openly, right?

Zhao Gao subconsciously thought about it, then noticed that Zhao Zheng was looking at him expressionlessly, and then turned around and waved.

"Go, buy me a fishing rod—"

He didn't mean anything by it; he just wanted to fish. He simply couldn't believe that such a large river as Ping'an River only had one spirited red fish.

"No, not a fish with a spirit—but a fish with intelligence—"

Zhao Zheng added in his mind that although he did not feel threatened by the red fish, he could sense its intelligence.

Based on what he knew about the plot, he began to wonder if Ye Xian had harmed a pheasant in his past life to save a fox—or rather, if he had saved this red fish!

So this red fish came to repay the kindness!

"Perhaps it's not about repaying a debt of gratitude—"

Zhao Zheng thought about the plot he knew, but of course, he wasn't too sure, since the plots he experienced seemed to have been modified.

"Yes, young master!"

Zhao Gao immediately ran to the neighborhood to buy a fishing rod, while on the other side, in the alley, Ye Xian, who was almost home, felt like he had just gone mad.

"That's 1,100 silver dollars! Ye Xian, how long would it take you to earn that much money? You really are—"

Ye Xian felt a pang of regret, but she quickly stopped thinking about it. When she saw the red fish in the bamboo tube, she suddenly realized that money wasn't so important, although this made her feel very strange.

Ye Xian didn't go home immediately. Instead, he went to the small pond behind his house and secretly released the red fish into it.

"You'll stay here from now on. I'll come to see you and feed you often. Don't run around!"

Ye Xian smiled and said to the red fish looking at her in the pond. She just said the last sentence casually, since the pond was very small and there was no upstream or downstream, so the red fish couldn't escape.

As for why she doesn't wash clothes in this pond, it's mainly because the water in this pond is used for cooking by several households nearby, so it's not appropriate for her to use it for washing clothes.

After squatting by the pond watching the red fish for a while, Ye Xian carried her bamboo basket home to hang up the clothes. After hanging up the clothes, she started cooking.

"Ah Xian, how did you hang these clothes out to dry? They're all wrinkled, do you even know that?!"

A sharp, sarcastic female voice rang out from the courtyard. Ye Xian's face paled, and she hurriedly ran out to the kitchen to start tidying up her clothes.

Ye Xian's stepmother, Ye Wangshi, snorted coldly at Ye Xian and walked into the main room: "Hurry up and cook, your sister will be home from school soon, she must be hungry—"

"Yes, Mother!"

Ye Xian nodded with her head down and jogged into the kitchen to continue cooking. Soon, she heard her sister's voice.

"I'm back!"

The younger sister wasn't speaking to her, but to her own mother, Ye Wangshi. Ye Xian listened to the conversation between the mother and daughter with envy, then stopped cooking: "The food is ready!"

"It's ready, why aren't you bringing it over?"

Ye Wangshi's impatient voice, which had changed from gentle to sharp and sarcastic, rang out. Ye Xian did not speak, but thought of something.

"Perhaps—I should sell the fish—"

Although she didn't know who Zhao Zheng was, she could tell that the material of Zhao Zheng's clothes was enough to cover her expenses for a year. Similarly, she also noticed the Western-style carriage Zhao Zheng was riding in.

Serve the food, sit down, eat —

Snap—

"Why are you eating so much? Look how fat you've gotten! And why is this dish so salty? Salt is free! Why did you put so much salt in?"

Madam Ye tapped Ye Xian's hand with her chopsticks as Ye Xian tried to pick up some food. She looked at Ye Xian, who was silent and only kept her head down, and felt a sudden surge of irritation. Just as she was about to speak, she heard her daughter say something.

"And this dish, why does it have no flavor at all? Did you forget to add salt?" Ye Xian's younger sister, who was about twice her weight, said.

Madam Ye began her lecture again. Ye Xian, as usual, kept her head down and ate the hardened mixed-grain steamed bun in her hand without saying a word. But this time, she secretly raised her head.

She looked enviously at her younger sister's empty steamed bun, which she had finished in a few bites, and for some reason, she began to regret her actions.

"Perhaps I shouldn't have refused so quickly!"

That's over a thousand silver dollars!

Ye Xian's thoughts didn't last long before they were interrupted by Ye Wangshi's words, "You've finished eating, why aren't you going to work?"

She nodded and left home, but instead of going to work at Guo's Pottery Workshop immediately, she went to the pond behind the house.

She came to the pond and watched as the red fish surfaced because of her appearance. Smiling, she took out a small piece of mixed grain bread that she had secretly hidden from her sleeve, crumbled it, and threw it in front of the red fish's mouth.

"Eat up—you're such a good girl—"

Ye Xian smiled as she looked at the red fish in the pond that had begun to eat the crumbs of multigrain steamed buns. Subconsciously, the previous thought rose in her mind again, but this time, the thought did not last long before it was extinguished, and she shook her head.

"I can't sell it—"

Ye Xian was taken aback by the sudden thought that had arisen in her mind, and she wondered why she would think that way.

However, fearing another scolding from Madam Ye, she could only say goodbye to Hongyu and leave, while Hongyu stared helplessly in the direction Ye Xian had left.

After a while, the red fish looked towards Ye Xian's house. Listening to the voices of Ye and Wang, the helplessness in her fish eyes turned into coldness, but the coldness did not last long before it disappeared.

It disappeared as it submerged, but when the red fish surfaced a dozen breaths later, its body, which was originally only two inches long, was twice as big as it had been a dozen breaths earlier.

At the same time, the coldness in its eyes became more and more obvious.

Ye Xian was unaware of all this, because she was on her way to work, eating the candy that Aunt Wang had given her, and smiling shyly at the acquaintances who greeted her.

A dozen minutes later, Ye Xian arrived at Guo's Pottery Workshop. Actually, calling it a pottery workshop wasn't quite right, because it was actually Guo's residence, a large house used for both business and residence.

"The Guo family's house is only a three-courtyard residence, isn't it?"

The moment Ye Xian entered the Guo family's gate, a comparison subconsciously arose in his mind, and at the same time, a question came to mind.

How big would a five-courtyard house be?

"Probably twice the size of the Guo family? I'm not too sure, um, I've never lived in such a small house before." The familiar voice rang out again.

Ye Xian was startled by the sound and looked in the direction of the voice. What came into view were Zhao Zheng and his companion who wanted to buy her red fish, as well as Master Guo who was with Zhao Zheng and his companion. She subconsciously stepped back.

"I won't sell it to you!"

After saying that, she was stunned, because that was not actually what she was thinking at all; she had already decided to sell the red fish.

"Sell?"

When Master Guo heard this, he was taken aback. He was secretly thinking about how Ye Xian was thin and not good-looking.

Then he saw Zhao Zheng glance at him sideways and casually say, "I saw her catching a fish this afternoon, and I was thinking of buying it."

As he spoke, Zhao Zheng paused, then looked at Ye Xian with a smile: "It's a pity that this young lady won't sell me that fish. Hmm, I guess she's thinking right now that I'm here to buy her fish."

"Ah Xian, hurry back and take the fish to Young Master Zheng!"

Master Guo, with a stern face, gave Ye Xian a command, then smiled obsequiously at Zhao Zheng.

"No, no, Young Master Zheng, you're overthinking it. Ah Xian actually knows that you're the big boss."

.

"Alright, I have something to do, I'll be going now."

Zhao Zheng said "Oh" and took his leave. He also felt that the story of the golden shoes was a bit strange. If it wasn't strange, how could he suddenly have a small pottery business under his name?

But it just so happens that he suddenly realized that he had lost a similar red fish in his previous life!

"Young Master Zheng, please take care—"

Master Guo saw him off warmly, jogging for several dozen meters before stopping. He returned to the gate, panting and wiping his sweat, and looked at Ye Xian, who seemed lost in thought, with a strange expression.

"Ah Xian, how do you know Young Master Zheng?"

"Huh? I...I—"

"Alright, remember tomorrow—no, go back and bring the fish you caught, and then we'll take it to Young Master Zheng together!" Master Guo said after thinking for a moment.

"I don't sell redfish!"

Ye Xian spoke subconsciously, which made Master Guo's eyes widen, followed by a cold snort, and he walked straight past Ye Xian.

"Pah, you clueless bastard!"

With a displeased expression, Master Guo kicked the guard dog beside him, making a veiled insult. Ye Xian, pale-faced, bit her lip and lowered her head.

Master Guo left, but other pottery workers from nearby workshops came over and looked at Ye Xian with curiosity.

"Ah Xian, what's with all this fish stuff?"

"Ah Xian, do you know Young Master Zheng?"

"Ah Xian, how do you know Young Master Zheng?"

The pottery workers' words made Ye Xian's already messy mind even more chaotic, and she forced a smile.

"It's nothing, it's nothing—"

But soon, Ye Xian's smile vanished. She arrived at the accounting room, nervously clutching the hem of her clothes as she looked at the Guo family steward, who was looking at her with a helpless expression.

"Ah Xian, you said you're alright—sigh, come here, take this!" The butler, Old Li, sitting at the table, helplessly pushed the copper coins that had already been counted on the table toward Ye Xian.

"Grandpa Li, it seems like it's not time to pay wages yet, is it?" Ye Xian said, then her face turned pale as if she had just realized something.

"Sigh, why did you have to provoke Lao Guo? Don't you know he hates it when people embarrass him? — Ah Xian, here you go. When — we need more people, I'll have someone call you to come to work!"

Butler Li said tactfully with a helpless expression, looking at Ye Xian with a pained expression as she lowered her head and said in a trembling voice that she understood.

He quietly took out a few copper coins from his pocket and placed them on top of the counted coins, saying, "A-Xian, you count them—"

"No need to count, I trust Grandpa Li!"

Ye Xian raised her head, her pale face forcing a smile. Butler Lao Li felt sorry for her and watched as she reached for the money.

He hesitated for a moment, but finally couldn't resist reaching out to cover the copper coins and said, "Ah Xian, is that fish still alive? Look, how about I take you to give that fish to Young Master Zheng—"

"I don't----"

Ye Xian instinctively wanted to refuse, but the butler, Old Li, spoke first: "Ah Xian, I've known your father for over ten years and know what kind of person your stepmother is. If you go back like this, I'm afraid—you'd better take the fish out—"

"I----"

"That's settled then. Come on, I'll take you back!"

"But----"

"Ah Xian!"

Butler Li frowned as he looked at Ye Xian, who seemed to be acting strangely, not understanding why the other party cared so much about a fish.

He wasn't a child anymore, and he felt that Ye Xian, who was always sensible, shouldn't be so insensible. Just as he was about to speak, he heard Ye Xian say.

"I don't sell redfish!"

As she spoke, Ye Xian ran out of the accounting room crying, which startled the steward, Old Li, who quickly got up and chased after her, calling out to her.

"A-Xian, what's wrong? Why are you crying? Don't scare me! Tell me what's wrong, don't cry!"

Unfortunately, his old arms and legs were destined to be no match for Ye Xian, who was no more than a teenager, leaving him with a helpless and angry expression.

"Old Guo, you come out here!"

He didn't mean anything by it; he just planned to have Lao Guo fire Ye Xian and, incidentally, fire the old man as well.

Meanwhile, on the other side, in the private rooms on the second floor of the restaurant.

"What's wrong, Zheng-ge'er?"

Lu Lingxiao looked curiously at Zhao Zheng, who had suddenly stopped talking and was looking out the window. Zhao Zheng looked away and stopped looking at Ye Xian, who had run out of the Guo family's house hundreds of meters away. He just said with a strange expression.

"It's nothing, I just thought of something about forcing someone to repay a debt of gratitude—" he said, looking at the person he shouldn't have known.

However, after the addition of Ping'an County and the revised cause and effect, he not only knew but also became very familiar with Lü Lingxiao, who had a follower status similar to Cheng Qingqing and Li Feng.

"Forced? To repay a debt of gratitude?"

Lu Lingxiao looked completely bewildered, not quite understanding how the two words were put together, and whether repaying a debt of gratitude could be forced.

"right."

"Um, is this considered repaying a debt of gratitude?"

Lu Lingxiao scratched his head with a strange expression. Zhao Zheng shook his head and said, "Who knows? Maybe from their perspective, it's considered repaying a debt of gratitude!"

"Um, Brother Zheng, I still don't think this counts as repaying a debt of gratitude. How can you force someone to repay a debt of gratitude?" Lu Lingxiao said weakly. In his opinion, the other party must be sick, otherwise why would he force someone to repay a debt of gratitude?

"Enough talk, come on, let's eat!"

Zhao Zheng smiled and began to ask Lü Lingxiao questions in order to find out the errors in the modified world line.

Unfortunately, by the time they finished eating, Lü Lingxiao was already drunk, and Zhao Zheng still hadn't found anything wrong.

Everything about them—their memories, the experiences within those memories, and even the things that correspond to them in reality—is perfect.

"A perfect modification?"

Standing at the entrance of the restaurant, Zhao Zheng watched as Lü Lingxiao was helped into a carriage by servants and left, muttering to himself.

He then got into the carriage and addressed Zhao Gao.

"Come on, it's our turn to step in—"

"Yes, young master!"

Zhao Gao drove quickly in the direction Zhao Zheng pointed. He didn't ask where they were going, since sometimes it's better to say as little as possible.

The Western-style carriage sped along, and when Zhao Zheng shouted to stop, he saw Ye Wangshi, who was holding bamboo sticks and about to hit Ye Xian on the road in front of the gate, along with the neighbors who were trying to break up the fight, and the steward, Old Li, who had come specifically to explain.

"Stop hitting her! Stop hitting her! You want to kill A-Xian, don't you? A-Xian wasn't fired. We just didn't have that much stock tonight, so I wanted her to rest for the night. Niece, you've misunderstood!"

Butler Li stood in front of Ye Wangshi and quickly spoke to her, who was being held and grabbed by several women and neighbors.

Madam Ye was taken aback, then threw a tantrum, "Really? I thought this girl was just being lazy and slacking off, and Master Guo had sent her back!"

"How could that be? Old Guo praised Ah Xian for being quick and efficient today. How could he fire her? It's just that we don't have that many orders to finish today. Sigh, it's all my fault for not explaining things clearly to her. It's all my fault, all my fault!" Butler Li said with a wry smile.

He was lying, but he knew that if he didn't lie, Ye Xian would lose half his life, no, he might lose his entire life.

Madam Ye struggled with her wrist, her expression softening slightly, but her tone remained sharp: "So all that effort was for nothing? This wretched girl didn't even utter a sound after being beaten, just silently lying on the ground pretending to be pitiful, ugh, just like her dead father!"

"Hey, stop talking, stop talking, it's all my fault—"

The housekeeper, Old Li, smiled wryly. Several women and neighbors also advised Ye Wangshi not to get so angry, and not to hit the child for no reason.

Only Ye Xian, whose back was bruised and bleeding, lay on the cold ground, barely breathing and weakly murmuring.

"I—I said it—"

"Selling fish? The terms remain the same, and I'll give you an extra nine hundred silver dollars!" A familiar voice rang out.

"Young Master Zheng!"

The speaker was the butler, Old Li. He stared wide-eyed at Zhao Zheng, who had appeared to the side at some point. When Madam Ye heard the words "nine hundred silver dollars," her eyes darted around.

"What kind of fish is this? Ah Xian, you caught a fish? What kind of fish? Where? Where? Tell your mother quickly, tell your mother!"

"I—I'll sell!"

Seeing Ye Wangshi's disgraceful behavior, Ye Xian smiled and said to Zhao Zheng, "I'll sell that fish. I, Ye Xian, will sell it—"

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