Cultivation: From Poor Peasant to Celestial Lord

Chapter 32: Chapter 31: Asking to Stay

After leaving the Daoist School registration office, Chu Bai wasn’t in a hurry to find a place to stay.

He stood at a bustling intersection, taking in the clamor of the crowd and the lively, mundane atmosphere that washed over him.

In that moment, he felt a strange sense of detachment. Not long ago, he had been just another mortal among the teeming masses, scrambling for a few taels of broken silver and worrying about his next full meal. But now, the Qi flowing quietly within his Sea of Consciousness reminded him that he had stepped onto an entirely different path—the path to longevity.

’I should go to Second Uncle’s house first,’ Chu Bai thought.

Back then, his family had scraped together just six taels, which wasn’t enough. The matter of the tuition fee had required borrowing.

Those four taels of silver had been crucial for him at the time, and Chu Bai had never forgotten the favor.

He turned and walked into the East Market, the most prosperous commercial area in Anping County.

Shops lined both sides of the street, their owners’ calls echoing one after another.

He lingered in front of several long-established pastry shops, drawn in by the sweet fragrance of osmanthus. In the end, he chose two of the most exquisitely packaged boxes of osmanthus cakes from the Imperial Fragrance House. Afterward, he went to a silk shop and selected a bolt of simple, elegant, and thick fabric.

Although his second aunt, Liu Shi, was a harsh woman who had even publicly shamed his family during the New Year, Chu Bai’s heart was now at peace.

Being thorough with his courtesies wasn’t about pleasing her, but about settling his own mind.

He would not only repay the favor of the four taels of silver today, but he would also do so cleanly and completely.

Carrying the heavy gifts, Chu Bai wound his way through the bluestone alleys to the western part of the city.

The architecture here was clearly more orderly than in the East Market. The roads were paved with neat flagstones, and the residences on either side were mostly built of gray brick and black tile.

Chu Bai stopped before a vermilion gate.

The pair of beast-head bronze knockers on the gate was somewhat mottled, but the stone steps at the entrance were swept spotless.

His second uncle, Chu Huaiyuan, ran a small wholesale cloth business. While not wealthy, he was considered a respectable figure in Anping County.

He stepped forward and rapped the door knocker, not too lightly and not too heavily.

"Who is it? It’s the middle of the day! Can’t you let a person take a nap in peace!"

A high-pitched and impatient female voice came from within, accompanied by the shuffling sound of wooden clogs on the brick floor.

The side door creaked open a crack, revealing a slightly plump face. Two glittering golden hairpins quivered in her hair with her every movement. It was none other than his second aunt, Liu Shi.

Liu Shi held a handful of five-spice melon seeds, a piece of shell stuck to the corner of her mouth. She reflexively rolled her eyes, but when she saw it was Chu Bai standing outside, her laziness instantly turned to annoyance, and her brow furrowed into a knot.

"Well, well, look who it is. If it isn’t the ’great scholar’ from our Chu Family Village?"

Liu Shi didn’t open the door to welcome him. Instead, she leaned against the doorframe, skillfully cracking melon seeds while sizing Chu Bai up and down with the kind of look one gives a beggar.

Seeing that his clothes, though clean, were still made of coarse linen, she sneered. "What’s this? I heard you couldn’t make it at that rundown private school anymore.

"Come to the city today because you’ve run out of rice at home again? Here to ask your second uncle for another loan? Let me tell you, Chu Bai, your uncle just left a few days ago to collect debts. There isn’t a single spare cent in this house!"

She spat out the word "loan," her voice dripping with sarcasm.

Chu Bai’s expression was serene. He didn’t even flinch.

He cupped his hands in a small bow, his tone as calm as if he were speaking to a stranger. "You misunderstand, Second Aunt. Your nephew didn’t come to borrow money today, but specifically to repay a debt."

"Repay a debt?"

Liu Shi froze in the middle of cracking a seed, as if she’d just heard the most ridiculous joke in the world. She spat out the shell fragments in her mouth and scoffed, "Repay it with what? Those tattered old books you’ve read to death? Or the wild vegetables from your country fields? Chu Bai, people need their pride, just as trees need their bark.

"I’ve been keeping a tally of those four taels of silver for your second uncle. If you can’t produce true gold and silver, don’t waste my time!"

Chu Bai said nothing. He simply reached into his robes and took out an object tightly wrapped in dark blue cloth.

He slowly unwrapped the cloth bundle in front of her.

Sunlight fell upon the bundle, and several small, silver lumps reflected a dazzling light.

It was exactly four taels of broken silver, with several neat strings of copper coins placed beside it.

"These are the four taels of silver Second Uncle lent my family back then," Chu Bai stated calmly,

"These additional five hundred cents are the interest for the past six months. Although Second Uncle said we didn’t need to pay interest, propriety must be observed. Please give this to him on my behalf, Second Aunt, and tell him that Chu Bai is grateful for his timely help."

The moment Liu Shi saw the silver, her eyes went wide as saucers. She didn’t even notice the remaining melon seeds in her hand spilling to the ground.

Shock first filled her eyes, which seemed small in her plump face, but it was quickly replaced by a surge of greedy ecstasy.

She snatched the bundle with surprising speed, as if afraid Chu Bai would take it back.

"Oh, my! You’ve really made something of yourself, child." Liu Shi’s expression changed faster than one could flip a page. Her tone, though still a bit shrill, now carried a hint of feigned warmth,

"I always said you were the most ambitious one of your generation in the Chu Family. This silver... since you’re being so sincere, I’ll accept it on your second uncle’s behalf."

She eagerly fished a piece of silver out of the bundle, bit down on it hard, and examined the tooth mark. A grin spread across her face, making her fleshy cheeks tremble.

"Where did this silver come from?" Liu Shi asked, feigning casualness as she counted the money. "You didn’t sell your family’s land, did you?"

"Your nephew earned it himself," Chu Bai answered succinctly, offering no details.

He held out the pastries and the fabric. "A small gift for you and Second Uncle."

Liu Shi took the pastries and glanced at the Imperial Fragrance House name on the packaging, feeling even more surprised. That was a respectable shop in the County, and these two boxes of pastries must have cost at least a hundred cents.

Her gaze toward Chu Bai changed, becoming complicated. There was the joy of having gained an advantage, but also the wariness of being pestered by this poor relative.

Chu Bai had intended to use this opportunity to ask about staying the night.

After all, the Daoist School selection was tomorrow, and it would be best to have a quiet place to rest.

But on second thought, why bother?

To ask for a favor was to put himself at another’s mercy.

Besides...

His Divine Sense was sharp, and he could perceive more than one person’s breathing in the courtyard. Besides his aunt, there was another presence that was also very familiar.

The thought that had just risen in Chu Bai’s mind instantly cooled.

’I’m a Qi Cultivation Cultivator now. The gates of Anping County are always open to me.

’Why should I suffer humiliation in this tiny place just to save a few hundred cents on lodging? What’s more, a Cultivator’s thoughts must be clear and unobstructed. If I beg her today, I’ll have to carry this shame in my heart, and it will become a demon in my cultivation.’

At this thought, Chu Bai gave a self-deprecating smile.

Since the debt was cleared and the favor repaid, there was no need to enter this house.

"Please give my regards to Second Uncle when he returns." Chu Bai cupped his hands again, his gesture more carefree this time.

"Hey, aren’t you coming in for a seat? Have some tea?" Liu Shi offered insincerely, her body still blocking the side door without any intention of moving aside.

"There’s no need. Your nephew has other matters to attend to, so I’ll take my leave."

With that, Chu Bai lingered no longer and turned to leave.

Liu Shi watched Chu Bai’s retreating back, stunned for a moment.

She felt that something about Chu Bai was different today, but her mind, stuffed with the stench of copper coins, couldn’t figure out what it was.

"Hmph, fine, just leave. Acting all high and mighty," Liu Shi muttered at his back. "Still just a poor scholar. Gets his hands on a couple of taels of broken silver and suddenly he doesn’t know his place. This silver... he must have cheated or swindled it from somewhere. I’d better hide it quickly before that damn Chu Huaiyuan finds out..."

BANG!

The vermilion side door slammed shut.

Walking down the empty alley, Chu Bai felt a lightness throughout his body, as if he had cast off a heavy shackle.

He felt the remaining one-plus tael of broken silver in his robes, along with the Token that identified him as a Daoist School candidate.

’In all of Anping County, can I really not find a place to stay?’