"That's good, that's good. In the future, when you achieve greater success, I can brag that not only do I know you, we've even slept on the same bed... Haha, who would dare look down on me then?"
Li Ergou was overjoyed, his face full of excitement.
Bai Ziyue's face stiffened, and he said softly, "We slept on separate beds."
"It's the same. Before you came, I even slept on your bed."
Li Ergou looked unconcerned. Then his eyes lit up with eagerness, and he said, "Oh right, after you leave, I'm definitely moving to your bed, to soak up some good fortune. Maybe it'll change my luck, too."
Bai Ziyue decided to give up discussing this with him.
"Alright, don't you have work to do?"
At that moment, Shopkeeper Li scolded, and after Li Ergou and the others dispersed, he smiled at Bai Ziyue and said, "Earlier, Mr. Hou had someone come over to talk about your situation.
Here is your month's delayed wages, and as some compensation from me, plus an extra amount for your monthly living expenses. For the first month, Mr. Hou particularly mentioned to give a little more, so I took the liberty to triple it, totaling fifteen silver taels."
As he spoke, Shopkeeper Li handed two money bags to Bai Ziyue.
"Thank you, Shopkeeper."
Bai Ziyue took a deep breath and reached out to take them.
Fifteen silver taels, plus the compensation. Bai Ziyue glanced, three taels, which is ten times his usual monthly wage, making a total of eighteen silver taels.
For him, this was a considerable sum of money.
He still remembered that his mother, after two months of hard work making shoe soles, only earned three silver coins, which she gave all to him.
And eighteen taels were sixty times three silver coins.
"This is what I should do. Perhaps in the future, we may need to rely on your support,"
Shopkeeper Li dared not act superior and quickly said.
Bai Ziyue exchanged a few polite words, then didn't say more, bidding farewell to Shopkeeper Li, he stepped into the backyard of Ming Pearl Restaurant.
In his room, Bai Ziyue didn't have much to pack. As an Inner Sect Apprentice, even his change of clothes was provided. He only picked a few casual outfits and some small daily items. Finally, he took a cloth bundle from under the bed.
Inside the cloth bundle were the Immortal Cultivation Technique "Purple Qi Divine Observation Technique" and the Talisman-Making Technique "Hundred Talisman Atlas".
"Now that I finally have money, maybe I can start studying this 'Hundred Talisman Atlas'."
Thinking about the eighteen silver taels in the money bag, Bai Ziyue couldn't help but be tempted.
He had always coveted the effects of the many talismans recorded in the Hundred Talisman Atlas.
But previously, he had been too short of money to practice.
Now, although eighteen taels were still a bit short for making talismans, it was enough to start preparations.
"No rush. For now, the priority is to master Eighteen Linked Blades and One-character Punch to the Entry Level. Otherwise, I'll feel insecure with such weak strength."
Recalling the two inquiries his aunt mentioned this morning, a trace of worry flashed in Bai Ziyue's eyes.
He didn't entertain the idea of luck because matters often concerned life and death.
Fortunately, he had previously warned his aunt, urging her to leave for the countryside to avoid trouble for now, or he would be even more worried.
...
On the other side, Bai Erniu had not ignored Bai Ziyue's warning.
But she had recently bought an old rooster and a flock of chicks that needed her constant care, and she was reluctant to leave them. So she hadn't left, instead, she bought a small bag of rice bran from the market to feed the chicks.
As she was about to return, she bumped into her neighbor from the Hong Family, who was around her age but sturdier. Seeing Bai Erniu, she greeted, "Hey Sister-in-law Pan, what did you buy?"
She glanced at the rice bran and lost interest, knowing that Bai Erniu had been raising a flock of chicks lately, spending most of her time on them.
But she hadn't really cared about what Bai Erniu bought, so she quickly continued, "Sister-in-law Pan, didn't you say your niece Yuu Mei was haunted by a ghost, but your nephew drove it away?
It seems since then, the ghost never came back.
Anyway, I just met two people looking to hire someone to deal with a ghost. I thought your nephew might be capable, so I told them about him. When your nephew makes some money, he should really thank me for the referral."
Bai Erniu's heart skipped a beat, recalling how she had boasted about her nephew's ghost encounter to the Hong Family's sister-in-law, who was skeptical at the time, and it left her feeling uneasy.
"When did they ask you about this?" Bai Erniu asked urgently.
"Just a short while ago. I overheard them while I was at Lin Cui'er's measuring fabric. I just mentioned it offhandedly. They're probably coming to your house tonight to hire him,"
The Hong Family's sister-in-law said excitedly.
"You big mouth." Bai Erniu's face turned pale, and she quickly ran home.
Recalling her nephew's prior reminder, she knew trouble was imminent.
She suspected that her nephew not only drove the ghost away but probably killed it.
Though she didn't know where her nephew got such abilities, it was clear now that the ghost's owner was coming for revenge.
She knew well enough what kind of people kept ghosts and understood that the ghost had been doing harm before. She had heard many eerie tales of evil cultivators who nurtured ghosts, and she couldn't risk underestimating their intentions.
Near home, she saw two young men asking an old lady for directions to her house.
Abandoning any hope of luck, she ran home using a side path, ignoring her daughter's confusion, and picked her up to flee.
Avoiding routes where she might encounter the men, Bai Erniu felt lost.
What should she do next?
"I'll tell Ziyue first, then find my husband. This family needs his decision-making."
Deciding, Bai Erniu quickly identified the direction and ran towards Ming Pearl Restaurant.
By chance, just as Bai Erniu reached the entrance of Ming Pearl Restaurant, Bai Ziyue had finished packing and was coming out.
"Ziyue, something serious might happen,"
Upon seeing him, Bai Erniu anxiously said.
...
Shortly after Bai Erniu left home, the two young men found their way to her doorstep.
They knocked, and hearing a creak, the door, which had been left ajar, swung open.
They exchanged glances and stepped inside without hesitation.