บท 3: Chapter 3 - The First Seven Days, The Wicked Aunt Sells Her Nephew into Slavery
Six days later.
At Xu Taiping's second uncle's house.
"What? You're going to sell Taiping?!"
Xu Taiping's second uncle, Xu Erniu, looked at his wife in disbelief.
"Shh! ..."
His wife, with a face full of hostility, raised a finger to her lips, signaling for Xu Erniu to lower his voice.
"What do you mean sell? He's going to Bai Family Manor to work as a servant. That's not an opportunity just anyone can get!"
She rolled her eyes at her husband.
"That's true, but in the end, he'll be entering servitude…"
Xu Erniu hesitated, visibly uncomfortable.
"At the Bai Family, he'll eat well, drink well, and live well. What's wrong with being a servant? Stop meddling. I've already accepted the deposit."
With a wave of her hand, the wife decisively ended the argument.
"Alright."
Unable to overpower his wife, Xu Erniu sighed lightly and nodded.
"Where's Taiping?" the wife asked.
"He's still at the ancestral hall. Today is the seventh day since the old man's passing, and Taiping wants to keep vigil for him."
Dressed in mourning clothes, Xu Erniu wiped his mouth as he answered.
"The people from Bai Family Manor are already waiting at the village entrance. Bring him back quickly."
The wife glared at Xu Erniu.
"They've arrived already?"
Xu Erniu was taken aback.
"The young master of the Bai Family is starting private school next month, and he happens to need a study attendant. Otherwise, they wouldn't have come this soon. Stop talking nonsense and quickly bring the boy back from the ancestral hall."
She cast a sharp look at her husband and urged him again.
"But… but today is the seventh day. Can't we let Taiping stay until the night is over before sending him off?"
Xu Erniu scratched his head in hesitation.
After Xu Taiping's grandfather passed away, the couple had been discussing how to deal with this "burden." Still, Xu Erniu had a shred of kindness left and didn't want to send Taiping off before the seventh day was over.
"Seventh day, seventh day… What's more important, this ceremony or silver? You!"
She poked Xu Erniu's forehead with her finger, her expression one of disdain and exasperation. Then, leaning in with an air of secrecy, she whispered into his ear:
"Do you know how much the Bai Family is willing to pay? Thirty taels. Thirty taels of silver!"
Her eyes glinted with greed.
Hearing this, Xu Erniu froze for a moment before nodding firmly.
"I'll go fetch Taiping right away."
Half an hour later.
At the entrance of Qingniu Village.
Xu Taiping looked reluctantly in the direction of the ancestral hall, then turned to his second uncle and aunt to plead:
"Second Uncle, can't I leave tomorrow instead?"
"Taiping, going to Bai Family Manor as a servant is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. If you don't go today, there won't be a chance for you tomorrow!"
His aunt smiled warmly, speaking to Xu Taiping in a seemingly kind tone.
"Second Aunt, you're just worried that if we wait until tomorrow, you won't be able to sell me for a good price, right?"
Xu Taiping gave his aunt a cold look.
He had been keeping vigil these past few days, but having endured countless hardships since childhood, he was not naive. He was well aware of the schemes his aunt and uncle had been plotting in secret.
Taiping hadn't resisted for two reasons: first, because he had no power to fight back; and second, because he himself thought going to Bai Family Manor might not be a bad idea. After all, his grandfather had passed away, and he had no attachments left in the village.
"You child, how can you talk to your aunt like that? She's doing this for your own good!"
Hearing Taiping's words, his uncle scolded him harshly, glaring at him.
"Stop dawdling and get on the carriage! Lately, there have been rat demons spotted in this area at night. We need to get to Bamboo Ridge before nightfall."
At this moment, the steward from Bai Family Manor, seated on the carriage, urged them impatiently.
"Coming, coming!"
Hearing this, both his uncle and aunt grabbed Taiping by the arms and forcibly dragged him toward the carriage.
Taiping didn't resist. He only felt a coldness in his heart.
On the carriage, the Bai Family steward held up a contract and said:
"Young man, take a good look. This is your contract of servitude with the Bai Family. From today onward, you are a servant of the Bai Family and have no further ties to Qingniu Village or the Xu family."
"Understood."
Taiping nodded expressionlessly.
"It seems the pill Grandpa gave me has lost its effect. It's been six days, and no immortals have come to take me."
As the Bai Family steward conversed with his uncle and aunt, Xu Taiping silently looked up at the sky.
He wasn't particularly disappointed about his failed pursuit of immortality. After all, his desire to become an immortal had stemmed from wanting to cure his grandfather.
"Wait, is that… a white crane bigger than a water buffalo?"
"Where? Where?"
"Hold on, it looks like… there are two people standing on its back!"
At this moment, the villagers gathered at the entrance of the village suddenly erupted in cries of surprise.
Hearing the commotion, Xu Taiping, the Bai Family steward, and his aunt and uncle all looked up. Sure enough, they saw a massive white crane in the sky. On its back were two faint human figures.
"Imm… Immortals?"
After a stunned moment, Xu Taiping softly uttered two words.
"Immortals! They must be immortals!"
The villagers began shouting excitedly.
"Caw!"
With a resonant crane cry, the two figures descended from the sky, floating down gracefully to the village entrance.
One was a man dressed in a sky-blue robe, the other a woman in a red dress. The man had sharp brows and bright eyes, exuding an air of nobility, while the woman was so stunningly beautiful that the surrounding scenery seemed to dim in comparison.
"Everyone, sorry for disturbing you. We are disciples of Qingxuan Sect from Yunlu Mountain. Today, my junior sister and I have come to this locale in search of a young man."
The man politely cupped his hands toward the crowd.
The villagers of Qingniu Village gasped in astonishment upon hearing this. They hadn't expected these two to truly be immortals, let alone disciples of the renowned Qingxuan Sect from nearby Yunlu Mountain.
"May I ask, is there a young man named Xu Taiping among you?"
The red-clad junior sister also cupped her hands toward the crowd, her face adorned with a warm smile as she asked.
That smile could captivate both men and women alike.
"Xu… Xu Taiping?"
"It's him! That's Xu Taiping!"
After a brief pause, several villagers pointed toward Xu Taiping, who stood beside the carriage.
Most of the villagers recognized Xu Taiping and his family, as they were one of the few outsiders in the village.
"You are Xu Taiping?"
The red-clad woman stepped forward, her face lighting up with joy as she looked at the young Xu Taiping.
"Yes."
Taiping nodded.
He had already guessed the identities of these two.
"Senior Brother," the woman quickly turned to the man behind her.
"The jade slip of inheritance is reacting. He's the one we're looking for."
The man nodded, raising a faintly glowing jade slip in his hand toward her.
"Excuse me, Immortal Lady, has my nephew committed some wrongdoing?"
Unable to hold back, Xu Erniu finally asked.
"Mind your own business!"
Before the woman could respond, his wife pulled him back and maintained a distance of five or six steps from Xu Taiping.
Not just them—other villagers also stepped back, maintaining a cautious distance from Taiping.
Clearly, like Xu Erniu, most of the villagers assumed Xu Taiping might have committed some transgression that had drawn the immortals down from the mountain.
After all, Qingniu Village was near Yunlu Mountain, and though most hadn't witnessed it personally, they had all heard stories of immortals descending to subdue demons.
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