Chapter Fifty-Eight: The Cross-Dressed Master Suffers Humiliation; Rice-Seeking Bandit Chief Is Assassinated

The “Thief Lord Chu Liuxiang,” whose name was on everyone’s lips in the city, had not brought any significant change to Xu Jing’s life; yet, unbeknownst to herself, her state of mind had shifted, to the point where she barely recognized herself.

That evening, she actually donned women’s clothing.

It had been many years since Xu Jing last wore such attire, and she didn’t know what compelled her. By the time she realized it, she was draped in sheer gauze, brocade shimmering like rosy clouds against her body, flowing sleeves giving her the aspect of a celestial maiden.

On that night, Xu Jing became Xu Jing again.

She pushed open the door, a bright moon hanging high in the sky. Descending the steps, edged with silver moonlight, she walked into the courtyard, spun once beneath the sunlight.

A crack seemed to appear in the cold, hard mask she wore. She knew herself: should she continue in this softness, one day her carefully forged mask would shatter entirely, and the face of a woman would be exposed.

“After this birthday, I’ll be sixteen,” Xu Jing said.

Once that day had passed, she would be of marriageable age. She was reminding herself that if she failed to stand firm at this juncture, all her years of resolve might be in vain.

He was only a man. Yes, only a man—not worth sacrificing the beliefs she had held for so many years.

Yet, in a moment of daze, she seemed to see Xu Wenshan standing by the flower beds.

Her heart leapt.

She rubbed her eyes—there was indeed someone by the flowers, but it was not Xu Wenshan. Disappointment swept through her.

The person approached, and as Xu Jing looked closely, she saw it was merely a servant.

The servant, shifty-eyed, walked over, saying, “Little miss, you’re quite the beauty!”

“Impudent!” Xu Jing’s brow furrowed.

Where had this servant come from, so ignorant of the rules?

He leered, edging closer, sniffing at her, “Smells wonderful!”

Xu Jing shielded herself with her arms. “Which household are you from? How dare you behave so rudely?”

The servant remained fearless. “Why the act? Weren’t you just flirting?”

With that, he reached out to touch her. Xu Jing retreated, calling out, “Someone! Help!”

The servant clamped his hand over her mouth, snarling, “Don’t make a sound! Are you so bold? If you offend the masters, aren’t you afraid of being thrown out?”

Xu Jing understood then—this must be a new servant, mistaking her for a maid.

She had never suffered such humiliation. She struck him wildly, only inciting his fury.

He snarled, “Let me teach you a lesson so you’ll know Laitou Song San!”

Xu Jing, both shocked and enraged, pushed his hand away and cried out, but Song San seized her throat and threw her to the ground.

He lunged at her, and the two wrestled on the earth. Luckily, her earlier cries had brought the household staff running. Seeing the situation, Song San slipped away amid the confusion.

County Constable Xu Zhong heard of the incident and was furious, sending people to search for the servant. They discovered he had fled to the Registrar’s residence. At that time, the magistrate had just issued a strict order to Xu Zhong, demanding he apprehend the thief, so Xu Zhong sent only a few men to the Registrar’s home for the culprit. The Registrar drove them off—it turned out Song San was connected to someone close to the Registrar’s family.

A storm was brewing; the perceptive already sensed that Sha County was on the verge of upheaval.

…

After finishing his business, Xu Wenshan did not idle. He went outside the city and purchased a house.

He bought it under the name Li Dashuang, so no one could trace it.

This house was merely the first stake in the ground; once he established roots in Sha County, all his plans would begin from here. Its location was excellent, nestled among fertile fields, but the feng shui was abysmal.

Bad feng shui was crucial for Xu Wenshan—it made it easier to gather yin energy.

As he had predicted, the inspections at the city gates had grown much stricter these days, so he seldom entered the city. One last goal remained unfinished; once accomplished, he would return to Deer Crane Ravine without hesitation.

His final aim was to acquire rice and wheat seeds.

Deer Crane Ravine lay at a low latitude, with ample warmth, but surrounded by mountains and plagued by insufficient rainfall, its water resources were scant.

So far, only a few hundred acres of land had been cultivated in Deer Crane Ravine—not for lack of land, but for lack of water.

Water! Water! Water! This was the greatest bottleneck in Deer Crane Ravine’s development.

If he solved the water issue, rice and wheat—those things Xu Wenshan had grown accustomed to eating in his previous life—would no longer be mere dreams.

Millet, a dryland crop, was not to his taste; he could hardly stand it anymore.

Another advantage was that, given Deer Crane Ravine’s conditions, rice and wheat could be rotated.

After harvesting the rice, the paddies could be drained and converted to dry fields for wheat. After overwintering, the following year rice could be sown again, achieving two harvests in one year.

Once crop rotation was successful, Deer Crane Ravine’s capacity to sustain its population would multiply.

Only then would Deer Crane Ravine become his unassailable stronghold.

Thus, improving the land’s conditions was urgent.

As for water resource improvement, Xu Wenshan already had some ideas. With confidence in his heart, he dared to seek rice and wheat seeds.

After several days of inquiries, Xu Wenshan learned that in three days a group of itinerant merchants from the north would arrive, selling all manner of exotic items, including wheat seeds.

Rice seeds could be bought locally.

In truth, after accomplishing such a great feat, leaving immediately would have been safest, but unwilling to have regrets, Xu Wenshan stayed three extra days.

Those days passed, and the northern merchants did not arrive—instead, a Taoist appeared.

One day, as Xu Wenshan returned to the inn in town, he encountered a Taoist clad in green robes and a grey cap.

Xu Wenshan, like the other passersby, feigned reverence, bowing respectfully to the Taoist.

His visage showed a touch of awe, a hint of fear, and some anxiety.

When he looked up, the Taoist had drawn a sword.

A blade gleaming with cold light.

Xu Wenshan’s pupils dilated suddenly. That sword, like a silver serpent, struck swiftly to the tip of his nose.