Chapter 21: A Huge Fortune!

"Listen to me finish first," Ruan Xing said, somewhat displeased.

She had no background, and she didn't intend to collect the thirty-three taels that Young Master Cao owed; even if she did, it would offend Young Master Cao and add a favor owed to Young Master Liu, which was too much trouble and unnecessary.

Currently, these thirty-three taels were temporarily enough, but she did not intend to spend them all on the Simulator.

She had seen Hu San's character; although he wasn't considered smart and his personality was a bit stubborn and inflexible, he was still passable, and he valued relationships and was not easily swayed to betray.

She needed to recruit an ally for herself; there were some things that were very inconvenient for her to do in a child's body.

"Didn't you say yesterday that you wanted to train hard in martial arts to join Qiye's guard team? Take this money to buy medicinal herbs for a Medicinal Bath to improve your abilities," Ruan Xing said in a tone that brooked no refusal.

The later stages of Body Refining techniques required the use of a Medicinal Bath to temper the body; otherwise, one would only reach the level of External Strength Small Success in their entire life. The time Ruan Xing practiced martial arts in the simulation was just stealing the techniques; she had no Medicine Prescription for a Medicinal Bath, let alone the conditions for it.

But Hu San certainly had them, and he should be very eager to join Qiye's guard team early. One dose of medicine cost nearly one tael of Silver, and with Hu San's monthly wages and the kickbacks he skimmed from the Gambling Den, after deducting living expenses, he could probably only afford half a dose per month at most.

He hesitated, "But I cannot..."

"Just take it." Ruan Xing dumped the Silver she had just separated into Hu San's arms, and the latter hurriedly wrapped his arms around it carefully to avoid any single piece falling out.

"Just treat it as me investing in you, because I also need trustworthy people. If you are willing to be that person, then take the Silver."

Hu San was silent for a moment, his eyes suddenly becoming firm, "Yes, Miss."

Every effort he made was to see his younger brother. If things went smoothly in the future, it would be easier for him to achieve his goal by becoming Ruan Xing's guard. Moreover, Ruan Xing had already shown her sincerity, so there was nothing wrong with offering his loyalty in return.

"Ah... no need to change how you address me." Ruan Xing rubbed her arm, feeling a bit strange, but the initial success of recruiting a subordinate still made her nod with satisfaction, and she immediately issued her first order: "Exchange all this Silver for Medicinal Bath herbs in batches and keep them at your place. I will need to use them when the time comes. Don't worry, you won't be treated unfairly if you follow me from now on."

"Yes."

Watching the serious-faced, muscular man being so respectful to her was actually quite funny at times. Ruan Xing resisted the urge to laugh out loud and instructed: "Just keep your attitude toward me the same as before; our relationship must be kept secret from everyone."

"……Yes."

Acting was truly a bit difficult for him. Hu San's expression was very unnatural, but it didn't matter; Ruan Xing believed he would get used to it soon.

The steaming hot shredded meat noodles were soon brought over, with red shredded meat and verdant green onions garnished on top, along with a few drops of oil, emitting an alluring food aroma that made one's index finger twitch.

Eating a mouthful of noodles and drinking a mouthful of soup, a large bowl for eight wen could fill one's stomach until it was round.

Ruan Xing blew on the heat while continuing to chat with Hu San.

"There is one more thing. Do you know that the high-level members all practice Internal Energy Mental Method?"

"I know a little bit about it."

"Good, help me check which high-level member in the Red Head Gang who has practiced Internal Energy Mental Method has a scar about half an inch long here on the back of their hand. It is very faint and almost invisible if you don't look closely."

Ruan Xing gestured to Hu San. The eyes of the masked man who wanted to kill her were very ordinary, and there were no distinctive features on his forehead or ears, but after she used the chili powder tactic, that masked man would cover his eyes with his hand every time.

After observing from various angles through multiple memory overlays, Ruan Xing finally confirmed that there was indeed a flesh-colored scar on the back of that person's hand. "It doesn't matter if you can't find it; don't expose yourself," Ruan Xing added.

At this stage, she only had this one subordinate, so she had to protect him well. In the Simulator, she could try and fail over and over again, but in reality, her subordinate only had one life.

Hu San agreed in a muffled voice, and the two stopped speaking, focusing intently on slurping the noodles in front of them.

After lunch, Ruan Xing returned to the hall to learn Gambling from Shi Shifu and incidentally build rapport. She no longer looked down on the meager earnings from performing at the Shizi Jie intersection.

Shi Shifu was getting old, and his shoulders were always a bit sore. Ruan Xing stood behind him and massaged his shoulders with moderate pressure. Shi Shifu lay half-reclined there, squinting his eyes comfortably.

"The skill of listening to Dice requires you to first learn how to shake them before you know how to listen. Each point face has a different hollow depth, the lacquer is different, and the sound will have subtle differences. You can judge how many points are facing up by the sound it makes when it lands. It is easier to listen to a single die, but it is different with multiple dice. Sometimes the sounds mix together, and you have to learn to calculate how many rounds the dice faces have touched..."

Shi Shifu slowly recited the knowledge Ruan Xing needed to learn for her second subject. Ruan Xing practiced shaking the dice a few times, and the afternoon passed just like that.

At night, Ruan Xing lay on her small bed, keeping over two taels of Silver for emergencies, and recharged the rest into the Simulator, rounding up her points to 1610.

The huge sum in the Simulator made Ruan Xing feel much more at ease, and she fell asleep contentedly.

The next day, Ruan Xing went out of the hall early in the morning, and those guarding the gate were already accustomed to it.

She found his home according to the address Hu San gave yesterday. He did not go to work at the Gambling Den today and had asked for a day off because he also needed to practice martial arts.

Hu San's residence was very small and simple, with two rooms—one large and one small—and not even a kitchen. He almost never ate at home, and apart from the bed he slept on, it was practically bare.

That small room was probably where Hu Si used to live. The furnishings were already covered in a thick layer of dust, though the floor was not too bad; Hu San must have specially cleaned it.

"The conditions are crude; I have wronged you, Miss, by having you make do with this," Hu San said, somewhat embarrassed.

Two wooden barrels for bathing had already been prepared. The hot water was something Hu San had paid a few wen to a neighbor auntie to help boil. Perhaps out of consideration for the difference between men and women, Ruan Xing's small wooden barrel was placed in Hu Si's room.

"It doesn't matter." Ruan Xing didn't care at all; she was only going to use it this one time anyway.

Closing the door, Ruan Xing took off her clothes and sat in the hot water barrel. The medicinal herbs continued to volatilize their medicinal power in the steaming water. Before long, Ruan Xing broke out in beads of sweat, and her skin turned as red as a boiled shrimp.

She closed her eyes and silently recited: "Start Simulation."

【Simulating...】

At age six, you use Hu San's help to soak in a Medicinal Bath and practice your technique at his home every day. Half a month later, you feel some changes in your body, and your technique improves day by day.

One month later, your hard work in practicing Gambling earns you Qiye's recognition. He takes you out of the city. On the way, you encounter an attack. You remain cautious and on guard against a masked man who uses True Qi. Until the opponent appears, you use a chili powder mixture to ambush him when he is off guard. Caught unprepared, he is hit and covers his eyes. You attempt to attack him with a move, but are stabbed through by the opponent's instinctive counter-attack with a Sword. You die.

【Simulation ended】

(End of chapter)