novelraw Chapter 56: Liu Po Schemes to Gain a Pillar of Support
Chapter 56: Liu Po Schemes to Gain a Pillar of Support
"That won't do, absolutely not!"
Li Qiuchen quickly refused, "If you say that, then I really can't stay here. Even if I, Chu Xiaohe, am poor, I can't do something like staying and eating for free. If word got out, people would laugh at me!"
This meal didn't count.
Liu Po grabbed Li Qiuchen's hand, looked outside, and lowered her voice, "Xiaohe, let auntie tell you the truth. It's not about having you stay here for free. I have some thoughts. You're a capable child, auntie knows that, and you also know what abilities this old woman has."
"Look at my household. The eldest is outside and rarely comes home once a year. The second is a useless wimp. If Xiulan and I, us two women, really encounter some trouble, what do you say we should do?"
"Letting you stay without charging money isn't because I pity your young age. I'm begging you to pity us two women. Now everyone in town knows this old woman got twenty taels of silver from the Zhao family. Those shameless things don't dare provoke the Zhao family, but don't they dare provoke us?"
The real situation of course wasn't as scary as Liu Po described. She herself had a bold and fierce personality. Which ordinary person would dare brag about being a spirit medium?
She also had two adult sons at home. Even if they weren't home, which blind person would dare come harass them?
Li Qiuchen felt that what Liu Po was really worried about was actually that Lord Chang the Eighth.
There was no love or hate without reason in this world.Lord Chang the Eighth and the Liu family, or rather with her, definitely had some unclear karmic connection.
There was an idiom called "Lord Ye's love of dragons."
Don't look at how Liu Po bragged to a group of old men and women outside about herself. When the immortal family truly possessed her body, the most frightened person was herself.
Thinking of this level, Li Qiuchen no longer declined and said seriously, "Although I'm young, I've practiced martial arts. You saw that yesterday. I'm not bragging to you, but in the mountains I've personally killed wild boars. Three to five ordinary people can't get near me. As long as I stay here, I'll definitely protect your safety. But there's one thing we must agree on in advance."
"You're not charging me rent, that's your righteousness. Later when I bring food and drink to the house, you also can't refuse me. If you're too embarrassed to be polite with me about this, then you're driving me away!"
Liu Po said with great joy, "Then it's settled. After we finish eating, I'll have Xiulan clean the room for you!"
The Liu family had three large tiled rooms. Liu Po lived alone in one room, the eldest son and his wife Xiulan lived in one room.
The remaining room was for the second son. The elder sister-in-law was a diligent person and usually kept it very clean.
There wasn't any messy stuff. Li Qiuchen went in and walked around in a circle, didn't find any problems.
Ten times better than the cart inn.
Past noon, Li Qiuchen came out from the Liu household. He hadn't walked far when he saw Lord Chang the Eighth with both hands tucked in his sleeves, squatting by the wall corner, a pair of cold snake eyes staring directly at him.
Many people subconsciously thought snakes were particularly vicious animals.
Actually, most snakes were lazy, timid, and non-venomous.
The reason people feared snakes was mainly that no one dared bet whether the snake in front of them was venomous or not.
Li Qiuchen walked forward, cupped his fists, and quietly called out Lord Chang the Eighth.
"What did you go to her house for?"
"Made money at the Zhao household and wanted to change lodging. Auntie Liu got reward silver and is also afraid of being targeted by thieves. She's keeping me to give her courage."
Li Qiuchen spoke truthfully.
"I don't know what relationship you have with Auntie Liu, Lord Eighth?"
"No relationship."
"Huh?"
"Her husband's family is surnamed Liu, her surname is Ma. Her ancestors had a bit of connection with our family, but that was five hundred years ago."
Lord Chang the Eighth sighed, "This woman was shrewd all her life. In recent years after the old man died, she got rattled and her mind became increasingly muddled. She tells everyone she's emerged..."
"They say fortune and misfortune have no gate, only people summon them. Some words others can say, but she can't. Once she opens her mouth, it's easy to invite trouble. If I hadn't helped block it for her out of consideration for her ancestors' affection, if she really summoned some messy thing to possess her body, and she herself doesn't understand the taboos of this profession, by now she'd probably already be down there keeping her old man company."
So that's how it was.
Li Qiuchen suddenly understood. So it was this kind of relationship.
Here I thought when Auntie Liu was young and beautiful she saved your life once, and you came to repay the favor.
"Boy, do you know what those two scholars are up to?"
Lord Chang the Eighth suddenly changed the topic, "I didn't quite understand last night."
"I didn't understand either. I came down from the mountains. I don't even know which way the county academy's gate opens."
Li Qiuchen smiled, "Anyway, those two don't look like bad people. Performing with them once and getting one tael of silver, what's there for me to be unwilling about?"
"You boy have no experience. You should have asked them for spirit stones."
Lord Chang the Eighth curled his lips, "Those two young fellows look like rich young masters who haven't traveled far from home. Stupid with lots of money. If you can get spirit stones as payment from them, Lord Eighth will exchange them with you for three times the silver!"
You think I don't know spirit stones are good things?
I'm keeping a low profile, only seeking stability.
Li Qiuchen said calmly, "If there's a chance, I'll try."
Lord Chang the Eighth's evaluation that those two were stupid with lots of money was very accurate.
They really weren't very smart.
Ever since they settled things that day, the two hadn't come to bother Li Qiuchen for three whole days, making Li Qiuchen think they'd run off with their buckets.
Later, hearing passersby mention it, he learned these two were doing hard labor.
Driving stakes around the perimeter of Blue Stone Platform.
The two spent three whole days going around Blue Stone Platform driving down thirty-six stone stakes, setting up a formation that covered Blue Stone Platform.
When this formation activated, it formed in the town an almost completely identical, nearly indistinguishable illusory realm.
According to their explanation, this was called an "illusory realm."
The Blue Stone Platform in the illusory realm wasn't a simple copy-paste of the real Blue Stone Platform, but rather was collected from the minds of Blue Stone Platform residents over these days, memories about the turmoil from some time ago.
In other words, it was the scene from the day the garrison troops suppressed the Medicine Master believers.
Lord Chang the Eighth was responsible for playing Mohe the Perfected Being from that day in this illusory realm, while Li Qiuchen had to play a role similar to a beginner's guide in the illusory realm.
The lines prepared for him were an introduction to this incident.
Simply explaining the origin of this illusory realm while providing a clear goal for the challengers—before the garrison troops arrived, defeat Mohe the Perfected Being and resolve the town's crisis.
To put it more bluntly, this was equivalent to creating a simple leveling dungeon for the foot... ah no, for the lower-grade students at the county academy. Not only would the BOSS in the dungeon not drop equipment, but these students also needed to actively submit entrance fees.
And what those students gained in the dungeon wasn't experience, but tempering of their mental state.
According to what the two said, all students at the county academy had to go to different grades of illusory realms every year for tempering, obtaining corresponding evaluations based on their performance.
Only by obtaining the most excellent evaluation could they access more profound knowledge.
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