章 4: You cannot run away from fate.
Staring at the name of the list, Xiao Jiu couldn't be but glad that his stomach was empty.
Fate had a funny way of showing itself. After all, Xiao Jiu had only ended up inside the Wu household because he couldn't run away this afternoon.
The only daughter of the Wu -Wu LiHua- had always been a puzzle to him. She was the only person to treat him kindly inside that house and while to many those actions were the bare minimum of decency against another human being— Xiao Jiu knew just how special were those actions when she was the Lady of the House and he a simple slave working under her.
She had burned the house down not long after she (and him) turned sixteen.
Not before freeing all the slaves.
It had never made sense to him. The kindness she showed him. Now it did. And the guilt pierced his stomach until there were gaping holes, making the pain impossible to ignore.
Xiao Jiu had never paid her mind. Not really. Not as he should. And thus, he had never seen the signs and ignored the barely hidden truth: They were soulmates.
In his defense, more than one soulmate was weird.
The fact that he had not two, but *five* others who were fated to him, was completely unheard of in modern history. This was the kind of bullshit that you found in fairytales, and even then, it was almost three in the final account.
How would this even work?
Having more than two lovers sounded like a nightmare. Xiao Jiu had seen harems and knew that it rarely ended in anything but complete and utter bloodshed; anger and envy being the coal that started an inferno.
That was an idea he didn't want to entertain.
Surely the Heavens wouldn't be as cruel as to give him this second chance just to pull it from him, right? Right. This meant there was a way for all of them to work. And it was Xiao Jiu's duty (and honor) to find it.
"Spirit."
[Yes, my beautiful daughter? (✿◠‿◠)]
Xiao Jiu bites his lips to drown the instinctive response, he cannot be barking like a dog every time the spirit annoys him. Not when the spirit could be a valuable piece for his plants.
He would have to learn how to let it go.
Taking a breath, Xiao Jiu pushed away his anger.
Calm was important for a cultivator, at least for those who followed the orthodox path. Seeing Ye Beiyuan would be Sect Leader, it would be vital importance the rest followed the righteous path as well. If only to avoid immediate inner fighting inside their family.
"Do I need to open the injury on my leg again to get Young Master Wu's attention?"
If he was remembering correctly, it had been that what first attracted their attention: The low price the old cunts were asking for him as he was feverish and couldn't walk on his own at the time.
Half a bag of rice if memory serves him well.
It had been rather humiliating but considering what followed… it was almost funny.
*Little nine* had survived them all, even the great Immortals of their time. Alone, yes. But never broken or defeated. And he would put all those decades of knowledge and wisdom to good use now.
Starting with Wu LiHua.
[Not at all! (>﹏<) The system can help to cast a glamour over Xiao Jiu to make him look sick but it would cost you ten B-Points.]
"What are B-Points?"
[B-Points are how the System rewards your actions! You gain them by being a BADASS or in other words, meaning defeating your enemies or protecting your loved ones in a flashy way. You can also use them to buy *helps* from the system]
"Why didn't I gain some of those B-Points with the little piggy? I think I did great with him."
Is Xiao Jiu a little insulted? Yes, actually.
He's very good at his job and no spirit will put this in doubt!
[You did, dear Xiao Jiu! Don't worry ＼(★^∀^★)／]
"Then why I didn't know about this?"
A judgy, arched eyebrow.
[Because the system thought Xiao Jiu wouldn't appreciate the distraction. The system turned off the notifications (╥_╥) Would Xiao Jiu like it if the system turned them on?]
"Not really." The spirit had been right in thinking he would hate receiving notifications. "Anyway, how many B-Points do I have? And how many of them will cost me the use of that glamour?"
[Xiao Jiu has a total of ten B-Points! The glamour would cost six B-Points.]
Xiao Jiu took a second to think about it. Currency was important, it didn't matter if it was gold or anything else. Spending recklessly rubbed him wrong but using this glamour would avoid him the problem of being feverish when he first encountered his new masters.
Something that could only be good in his opinion, especially when his memories about them were fuzzy at best.
Thus, the decision was easy.
"Do it."
[Understood, dear Xiao Jiu! The glamour will last a week and will ease with time to make it look natural.]
"Good."
It had taken him that long to heal during his first life. Or at least, Xiao Jiu thinks, because he was still a little out of it when he was put to work.
This time, he wouldn't spend his time on a smelly mattress. Hopefully, this would make it easier to enact his plan without getting caught.
Soulmates were special; you couldn't fake the bond. Nor could you break it as denying the will of the Heavens could only bring misery -not only to the fated pair but everyone around them- if you were to believe the superstitions.
Which he did not, but hopefully the Wu's did.
It would make things simpler if they did.
Growing as Wu LiHua's soulmate would certainly be a change from his first life; undoubtedly proof that history could be changed. That he could make this second chance work and save them all.
.
.
.
Wu Tianyu is a comely man for a mortal.
He moves like he owns the room and everyone is below him, his clothes are well crafted and he wears them without a single wrinkle. Stiff and proud. He's trying to imitate the grace of a cultivator and failing miserably.
It takes a good look at his face before Xiao Jiu remembers that Qiu Lixin was a guest in his house before it burned down and Xiao Jiu's Shizun took interest on him.
He hides his distaste, not knowing how much the glamour can hide and having little desire to cause problems for himself this early in their acquaintance.
Xiao Jiu is standing like the other boys but his stance is brittle and he sways from time to time much to the chagrin of the old women in charge of the orphanage, his shoulders are full of little crescent moons from where they pull him up when he tips too much to one side or the other.
Wu Tianyu allows his gaze travel trough the room.
The moment he finds Xiao Jiu, his eyes zeroed on him.
It causes a shiver to go down Xiao Jiu's spine. There's something dark lurking behind those grey eyes. Something dangerous.
The part of Xiao Jiu that it's a predator uncurls, interested, weighting the treath the *boy* walking towards him provides and decides it's not worth his attention not long after. After all, what kind of danger can a mortal be to a cultivator?
But the small part of Xiao Jiu that understands that he's a child once again is terrified.
He's seen eyes like those many times.
The men that have them are nothing but cruel and greedy. They take and take and take, leaving their leftovers to rot once they're done with them, they're the kind of person that will see a woman and not even recognize them as a human being.
He used to hunt trash like him; the majority of the ghosts he kept as company were victims of monsters that shared an ilk with Wu Tianyu.
And he was his soulmate's older brother.
Soulmate that had burned down her home after killing all her family members.
He hated the imagine this pieces formed and vowed to be very careful arround him; he wouldn't let this man hurt Wu LiHua.
"He's pretty." Wu Tianyu's fingers closed arround his jaw, tilding his head from side to side. Cold eyes glaring dowm at him. "A shame he's half-dead. How much do you want for him?"
"One silver dragon, young master."
"It's gonna cost me at least that to get him on good condition. I will give you eighth copper dragons."
"Ten."
"Six. Take it or leave it."
"...very well, young master. You can have him for six copper dragons."
The hand leaves his face and Xiao Jiu fights the urge to open and close his mouth to shake away some of the pressure. Instead, he allows one of the servants that accompany Wu Tianyu take a hold of him and drag him behind the arrogant noble.
His eyes burn holes on his new master's back, wishing him to be struck by a lightning.
And yet, Xiao Jiu's heart is filled with hope.
What he remembers about Wu LiHua makes him want to see the girl again, what he knows now makes him wish to create a better future for her, to protect and cherish her in a way he cannot do with Ye Beiyuan.
Xiao Jiu hopes the Heavens will allow him to see his long-forgotten dream of a happy family come true.
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