Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Another male slave immediately chimed in, "That's right, a convicted slave from the slave camp—he thinks that just because he has a handsome face, he can shoot straight to the top the moment he arrives at the Gu family."

Square-jawed man: "Exactly. Does he really think a man can marry into the Gu family on the strength of his looks? Men can't have children, and the Gu family is a household of such standing—how could they possibly want a stable hand?"

The group burst into laughter, though it was unclear what was so funny about their words.

Xie Licheng understood in his heart that these people bore no grudge against the original host. Their sneers and taunts were mainly aimed at currying favor with the young master.

Servants in these grand manor houses were experts at licking boots and kicking the fallen. Seeing that the young master Gu Tinghe despised the original host, they joined in bullying him to win favor.

Their current behavior was very much like the bullying and exclusion found in schools.

Xie Licheng had experienced such things countless times from childhood to adulthood in his past life, and he had long since gotten used to it.

He didn't care what others said about him. As long as they didn't lay hands on him first, he could ignore anything.

What was the point of vying for dominance now?

The world was about to descend into chaos, and Lingzhou would be one of the first places to fall.

When that time came, without the shelter of the Gu family's great tree, none of these servants would meet a good end.

Besides, his injuries were severe right now. He had barely managed to keep his HP above twenty, and he didn't want to get into a fight with them at this moment.

But while he had no desire to clash with them, they weren't willing to let him off so easily. A short male slave recklessly approached him.

The man held a cup of water and, right in front of Xie Licheng, poured it directly onto his bedding.

Xie Licheng looked at the wet blanket and asked in a flat tone, "Are you asking to die?"

The short male slave, far from being afraid, repeated his words back with an amused look.

"Hahaha, what did he say? He's asking if I want to die—does he think he can kill me?"

Square-jawed man: "Hahaha, I think he's the one who wants to die."

With that, they all surrounded Xie Licheng. Seeing this, he let out an almost imperceptible sigh.

He really didn't want to fight right now. He could have just endured this and let it pass.

Wasn't it just a bit of bullying and exclusion?

But seeing how they were getting too big for their britches, he—who hadn't been bullied like this in a long time—couldn't help revealing his true nature.

Fine, fine.

It looked like he couldn't use this identity for the time being. Before he left, he might as well slaughter them all.

Let them learn how treacherous the world can be—that decent folks can't be bullied without consequence.

As Xie Licheng thought this, he secretly pulled a dagger out of his storage space.

Just as they were pushing and shoving around Xie Licheng, and he was about to use the dagger, a voice sounded from outside their side compound.

The speaker was a young maidservant named Xuancui, who served in the eldest young lord's compound.

The eldest young lord was also a male consort, and his personal attendants were all women or male consorts.

Only when he went out did he bring a few male guards as personal guards.

When the eldest young lord had seen Xie Licheng earlier that day, he looked like he was at death's door.

Worried that the physician he'd summoned might not be competent and might accidentally let the man die, he felt a little worried and sent Xuancui to personally check on him.

The Gu family's ancestral estate was vast, and walking from the inner quarters to the outer compound took considerable time.

Xuancui was a maidservant of the inner quarters. Though she was also a servant, her status was completely different from that of the lower-class slaves here.

Xuancui wore pink spring robes, adorned with pearl and jade ornaments and jade bangles. She looked nothing like a servant, but rather like a young miss from a wealthy household.

As soon as she entered, she asked, "Where is that stable hand?"

She hadn't come alone; a menial serving woman accompanied her.

The woman lowered her head and replied, "He should be in this courtyard. Don't worry, Miss Xuancui—this old woman will go ask for you right now."

With that, she hurried off to knock on the door of the courtyard's steward.

This side compound had seven rooms in total, four of which were large communal bunk rooms for the lower-class slaves.

Of the remaining three, one was occupied by Steward Xu, who had a small private room to himself.

Hearing the knock, Steward Xu quickly came out of his room.

When he opened the door and saw the menial serving woman from the outer compound, he was about to ask what she was doing here when he looked up and saw Miss Xuancui standing in the yard.

Steward Xu hurriedly lowered his posture and walked toward her. "Oh! Miss Xuancui, what brings you here? Does the eldest young lord have some instructions?"

Xuancui didn't even glance at him and asked impatiently, "Where is that stable hand the young master beat earlier today? The eldest young lord has a kind heart and, after seeing the miserable state he was in after being beaten this afternoon, grew concerned about his condition."

Steward Xu said "one moment" and then walked toward a room.

The room he entered was the very communal bunk room where Xie Licheng and the others slept.

By the time he came in, the men who had been surrounding Xie Licheng had long since dispersed.

Everyone was busy with their own things, as if nothing had happened at all.

Steward Xu came in and checked on Xie Licheng's condition, not noticing that his blanket was wet.

Seeing that Xie Licheng could still stand and seemed to be fine, he was about to go back out to report to Xuancui.

But before he could turn around, Xie Licheng deliberately spread out his blanket and patted the wet spot.

Seeing the wet blanket, Steward Xu looked up with some displeasure at the other men in the room.

He said in a low voice, "Not a single one of you is any less trouble—all you do is cause me problems."

His words were directed not only at those who had bullied Xie Licheng but also implied that Xie Licheng himself was a nuisance.

Steward Xu was a longtime servant of the Gu family, and having dealt with the lowest-ranking slaves all his life, he had seen all kinds of people.

When Xie Licheng deliberately patted the blanket just now, Steward Xu understood his intention—he was probably hoping to use the eldest young lord's kindness to gain his support.

In Steward Xu's eyes, even if Xie Licheng was seeking justice for himself, his actions only added to Steward Xu's troubles, so naturally, he didn't think much of Xie Licheng either.

However, despite his dislike, with Miss Xuancui outside, he didn't dare pretend he hadn't seen anything.

Soon, Steward Xu left the room.

Steward Xu replied, "Rest assured, Miss Xuancui, he's in good health. Nothing will happen to him."

Xuan Cui glanced at him upon hearing this, then lowered her voice and said, "We can't let him die, or the eldest young master will be upset."

Steward Xu was taken aback by these words. He bowed to Xuan Cui and whispered, "This humble servant understands."

The eldest young master hadn't said much, only sending Xuan Cui to check on the horse slave, worried he might have died.

But having served the eldest young master for years, Xuan Cui understood his temperament better than anyone.

The eldest young master was indeed kind-hearted, but his kindness extended only to summoning a physician for a servant.

The young master had already called for a doctor earlier, and that should have been the end of it.

Yet not long ago, the eldest young master suddenly insisted she come personally.

Xuan Cui felt the eldest young master treated that horse slave somewhat differently, which was why she had hinted to Steward Xu just now.

Afterward, Xuan Cui left with the old woman. Steward Xu watched their departing figures and returned to Xie Licheng's room.

Thinking of Xuan Cui's words about not letting him die, he said to Xie Licheng, who was still standing there dumbfounded, "You, bring your things and follow me."

Xie Licheng nodded, looking utterly docile.

He packed up simply; the original owner had little to gather.

Just a set of bedding, two sets of clothes, and a pair of shoes—nothing else.

Xie Licheng bundled up his belongings and limped after Steward Xu.

Watching Xie Licheng's retreating figure, the square-faced man said in disbelief, "He... when did he catch the eldest young master's attention?"

None of the other male slaves dared to utter a word, for compared to the hot-tempered young master, they feared the eldest young master even more.

The Gu family's main branch had three young masters. The eldest young master, Gu Zhangyuan, and the young master, Gu Tinghe, were both young men meant to marry out.

By all logic, such young men were expected to marry into other families.

But the main branch's situation was unique—the only male child, the second young master, was born with an eye condition.

To treat his ailment, the lady of the main branch had taken him traveling far and wide for medical consultations.

Given his condition, the second young master couldn't uphold the family's legacy. The young master was spoiled, so the eldest young master was groomed by the head of the family, raised as a boy from a young age.

It was for this reason that the eldest young master's word was law.

He appeared gentle, agreeable, and kind.

But likewise, he tolerated no wrongdoing; anything he disapproved of was not allowed to exist in the Gu household.

Now that the horse slave had caught the eldest young master's eye, they couldn't treat him as before.

They couldn't bully him to please the young master, or if the eldest young master found out, they'd all be out of the Gu family.

Xie Licheng followed Steward Xu to the stables, which housed many horses and had an unpleasant smell.

However, there was an advantage: an empty room here, quieter than elsewhere.

Now that Xie Licheng was severely injured and the eldest young master had said he couldn't die, he needed a quiet place to recover.

Conveniently, this place was dirty, messy, and foul-smelling.

The young master wouldn't come here personally, so hiding Xie Licheng here meant no worry about him coming to seize him.

Steward Xu had it tough—on one hand, the young master he couldn't offend, bent on torturing the horse slave to death; on the other, the eldest young master he dared not cross, seemingly determined to keep him alive.

Between these half-brothers, Steward Xu was truly terrified.

To avoid trouble, he'd settle the man here.

If the horse slave died even hiding here, it wouldn't be Steward Xu's fault.

"Alright, you'll stay here from now on. Heal your wounds properly, and I'll assign you other tasks later."

Xie Licheng thanked him and watched Steward Xu leave the stables before heading to the empty room.

This yard was for raising horses, not entirely uninhabited.

A lame male slave guarded the gate outside the yard.

During the day, people came to tend the horses, so it wasn't as ideal for recovery as one might think.

But considering the original owner's status as a lowly servant, having a room to himself to heal was already a stroke of luck.

Xie Licheng entered the empty room, didn't bother cleaning, and lay down to rest.

He was exhausted and needed proper rest.

He didn't use the damp bedding but pulled a new quilt from his space.

The weather wasn't cold now, but not warm either.

At night, it got a bit chilly when asleep.

Lying down, Xie Licheng reflected on everything that had happened today.

In the novel, the original owner had also been saved by the eldest young master, but without the treatment Xie Licheng now received.

He wondered if it was because he'd transmigrated that the storyline had shifted.

Also, that handsome eldest young master had saved him twice; if the chance arose, he'd repay him twice over.

It was better to repay a beauty's kindness sooner rather than later, or it would weigh on his conscience.