Chapter 51: Falling Out of Favor

"No thanks, I'll eat when I get up tonight." Ruan Xing yawned.

Seeing this, Cui Yurong stopped bothering her. She redid her hair bun, inserted her hairpin, and then carefully closed the door and left.

By the time Ruan Xing woke up from a satisfying sleep, the sky had already darkened. The heat of the day had faded, and a cool night breeze blew in from outside the window.

I forgot to mention, the room Cui Yurong booked was a double room with a bamboo-wood bed on each side and a plain pine screen in the middle for privacy, so the two of them were staying together. The caravan guards were staying in the large communal room downstairs, with five or six people squeezed into each room.

Ruan Xing had assumed that the Capital, being different from a small city like Jiangning City, would be larger and more prosperous. However, after entering, she didn't get that feeling. It only took a little over an hour to travel from the South City Gate to the North City Gate across the entire Huaining City; it wasn't much different compared to Jiangning City.

She didn't see much prosperity either. Perhaps it was because Jiangning City was relatively close to Huaining City, so there wasn't any major change in style.

The prices, however, made Ruan Xing gasp. A standard double room in an ordinary inn actually cost two hundred and eighty Silver a night. No wonder no commoner could travel casually in this era; how could someone who only earned five or six hundred Silver a month afford a room that cost two hundred and eighty a night?

Cui Yurong had already returned. Seeing Ruan Xing come out, she called the waiter to bring water for washing her face and said with a smile, "How did you rest, Benefactor? Shall we go outside to eat something?"

"Sure." Ruan Xing felt more refreshed after washing her face. Seeing that Cui Yurong seemed to be in a fairly good mood, she asked, "How are things with your family now?"

At the mention of this, the smile on Cui Yurong's face faded slightly. "After delivering the goods, I went to the Patrol Security Division. After several rounds of greasing palms and giving gifts, I saw my father once. He was only implicated, so he wasn't tortured, but he hasn't been eating or sleeping well inside and has become much more haggard. There are others inside in a similar situation to my father. I've already inquired; after this case is judged, my father and the others can be released as long as they pay three thousand Silver each. For now, we can only wait."

"That should be soon then. Since they made such a big fuss and arrested so many people, they will definitely want to carry out the sentence publicly; it won't be delayed for long." Ruan Xing comforted her a little. "Aren't you going to sleep? It's been a whole day and night."

Cui Yurong shook her head. "No, it's already this late. If I sleep now, I'll wake up in the middle of the night. I'd better sleep later. Tomorrow I still have to see a few prison officials from the Patrol Security Division to find a way to send my father some clean bedding and food."

"By the way, you might not know, but there is no curfew in Huaining City. There is a night market, and it's very lively. Benefactor, shall I take you for a walk?" With the matter of the goods resolved, the title of Imperial Merchant preserved, and a turning point in saving her father, Cui Yurong was no longer as sorrowful as before and turned to invite Ruan Xing.

"Let's go take a look. You don't need to call me Benefactor; my name is Ruan Xing."

"Then, Miss Ruan?" Cui Yurong smiled faintly, pushed open the door, and walked out. "Please."

Under the night sky, Huaining City was brightly lit by the lanterns of various merchants along the main streets. Carriages and horses passed through, and the flow of people was endless, quite like the atmosphere of a prosperous age.

The two walked along the street, and Ruan Xing asked casually, "Those horse bandits from before... do you know who was behind them?"

"I don't know." Cui Yurong said softly, "It could be someone I offended in business, or it could be other competing Imperial Merchants. There are eighteen Imperial Merchants of various sizes in the Capital. My family's scale is at the bottom, so naturally, some want to squeeze us out. But it doesn't matter; I've already entered the city, and they won't make a move on me inside the city."

"You don't want revenge?" Ruan Xing was a bit surprised.

Cui Yurong smiled. "To take revenge, one must have the ability to do so. Nowadays, our family is walking on thin ice in the Capital; how could we dare to care about such things? But if there is an opportunity, I will naturally add to their troubles."

"How broad-minded." Ruan Xing praised. In terms of mindset, she wasn't as good as Cui Yurong. If someone wanted to kill her, she would rather fight them to the death; she would be happy to do something where she suffered a thousand losses to inflict eight hundred on the enemy, as long as the other party didn't have it easy either.

"It's not broad-minded, it's helplessness. If I had the power and status to reach the heavens right now, wouldn't I be walking sideways in Huaining? But I don't. After all, I'm just an Imperial Merchant... If only there were an official in the family." She said with a look of longing and loneliness, "Forget it, let's not talk about this. Miss Ruan, this restaurant is quite good; I hope it suits your taste."

She led Ruan Xing into an elegantly decorated restaurant, went up to a private booth on the second floor with ease, ordered a few signature dishes, and invited Ruan Xing to sit down.

There was an extremely spacious viewing platform on the second floor. Dining here not only allowed one to bathe in the cool breeze and moonlight but also to enjoy the singing and dancing in the distance.

"What place is that?" Ruan Xing pointed to the place where many young girls were dancing gracefully, with red lights and green clothes, which was particularly eye-catching.

Cui Yurong took a look. "That is the Ministry of Rites' Music Bureau. The courtesans inside are exclusively for the banquets of the imperial court and high-ranking officials. What we are seeing today should be the dancers from Nuanxiang Pavilion. They often rehearse there, which can be considered a feast for the eyes."

Nuanxiang Pavilion... Ruan Xing's heart stirred. Her first simulation, which was the plot line the original body should have followed, was this place. "Is that so? To be able to perform a Dance on such an occasion, the dancers inside must dance very beautifully, right?"

"They are all women from miserable families. Apart from the families of convicted officials, what good person would be willing to let their own daughter enter the lowly status? To practice dancing, they don't know how much suffering they endure every day just to make an appearance in front of those high officials and nobles, hoping for a chance to escape the sea of misery..."

Cui Yurong said with pity, but Ruan Xing's thoughts had already drifted away. At that time, in order to escape the plot, she didn't consider following the path of the male and female leads, but instead chose a much more difficult route. Over the past month or so, she had experienced life-and-death crises many times, yet she still hadn't found a suitable method for Cultivation.

Perhaps she should try this route again; after choosing the memory, there might be a new breakthrough.

Ruan Xing lowered her head in thought. Cui Yurong didn't speak to disturb her either, but quietly rinsed the teacups with tea and poured tea for Ruan Xing.

【Simulating...】

Six years old: You infiltrated the group of human traffickers delivering new girls to Nuanxiang Pavilion. Because of your beautiful appearance, you were favored by the madam of Nuanxiang Pavilion and taught the art of Dance.

Your talent for Dance is excellent, and your body is very flexible. In less than half a month, you received the madam's praise, and she allowed you to practice dancing with the other dancers.

Seven years old: You practice dance techniques.

Eight years old: You practice dance techniques.

... Fifteen years old: Your dance techniques have been recognized by the madam, and you begin to follow other dancers to perform at various banquets for high officials and nobles.

Sixteen years old: During a performance, you are noticed by an official. He redeems you and gives you to a colleague he wants to win over.

Seventeen years old: You become the concubine of an official. You are quite favored, but you do not become arrogant because of the favor; instead, you keep a low profile and respect the mistress.

Eighteen years old: The official's attitude toward you becomes increasingly cold. He takes a new concubine, and the two are as inseparable as glue and lacquer, finding joy every day.

Nineteen years old: You are completely out of favor and are like a transparent person in the official's mansion. The official's new favorite concubine bullies the mistress every day, acting high and mighty, and treats her like a servant.

Twenty years old: The official is noticed by an Immortal, kills his wife to prove his Dao, and follows the Immortal to go for Cultivation. You beg him bitterly to take you with him, but the official no longer remembers who you are. He rejects you, and you are sent back to Nuanxiang Pavilion. But you escape from Nuanxiang Pavilion by relying on your own Acquired Realm martial arts. You try to track the official and the Immortal, wanting to find the way to enter the world of Cultivation, but you are discovered by the Immortal. The Immortal waves his hand, and you die.

【Simulation ended】

Please choose the reward for this simulation: 1, The memory at twenty years old.

2, A random item on your person at twenty years old.

3, A random skill mastered at twenty years old.

4, The cultivation realm reached at twenty years old.

No way... Ruan Xing was dumbfounded. Why did she fall out of favor this time? Why would the official refuse to take her with him?

She followed the route of the first simulation strictly! Her appearance, dance skills, and personality had almost no changes. The only difference was that her martial arts realm was now at the Acquired Realm, but she didn't show this in front of the official, and she had a hunch that her martial arts had nothing to do with falling out of favor.

And that new favorite concubine who hadn't appeared before...

Ruan Xing thought over and over, and there was only one difference: after she gained the official's favor, she didn't bully the mistress.

Because she knew the mistress was the female lead and would return as a Ghost Cultivator to take revenge, she didn't want to die too early and hoped to get more memories about the world of Cultivation, so she didn't think about offending her.

Now it seemed that the official in the simulation didn't favor her because of her beauty and dance skills, but because he wanted to humiliate the female lead through the act of favoring a concubine...

Ruan Xing had a headache. Wasn't this book about bullying the female lead in the early stages and then a "chasing wife to the crematorium" plot? Why would the male lead do such an unreasonable thing? It was an inexplicable point of abuse.

Forgive her for always reading novels hastily; she would forget the plot she had read in the blink of an eye. Now she could only remember a general outline, and she hadn't finished the book, so she didn't know how the author would whitewash this wife-killing official later to make him the male lead.

But Ruan Xing wasn't here to save the female lead; she wasn't interested in any of that. She just wanted to avoid the plot and focus on Cultivation. Therefore, after choosing the memory, she rubbed her eyebrows and started the simulation again.

This time, she followed the original plot strictly. If it said to bully the mistress, she bullied the mistress; she was as vicious as she could be. She poisoned and framed the mistress, causing her to miscarry and become disabled. And the official was the same as always, unconditionally indulgent and doting, always standing on Ruan Xing's side when facing the mistress.

This time, as the official's servant, she was taken away by the Immortal. The Immortal had many disciples, and including the servants brought by the disciples, there were about fifty or sixty people. They sat on the back of a Black Eagle with a wingspan of tens of meters. The entire eagle body was surrounded by colorful halos. These halos blocked the strong cold wind at high altitudes, allowing them to stand firm even in the turbulence and not be blown away.

When looking down, there were layers of clouds and mist beneath their feet, and the continuous mountain peaks all became exceptionally tiny in an instant. Ruan Xing couldn't even tell which direction they were flying in before the Black Eagle dived to prepare for landing.

The place they arrived at was not some inaccessible holy land of Immortals, but a trapezoidal semi-cylindrical mountain. On the flat surface at the highest point, there were various pavilions and buildings. A golden banner was hanging in mid-air, with the four large characters 【Six Suns Study】 written in seal script, which were flashing brightly.

Below the platform, small clusters of buildings were scattered about; looking closely, one could see that each building bore functional markings, and the small figures moving in and out, dusty and shabbily dressed, were likely the servants of the Sect.

From the platform at the highest point of the mountain down to the lush green, orderly fields at the foot of the mountain, in Ruan Xing's view, it was essentially a complete city, with no flaws to be found.

The Black Eagle landed in an open space on the platform, and the Immortal flicked his sleeves; everyone drifted down from the eagle's back, their feet feeling as if they were not touching solid ground, a sense of unreal dreaminess.

The Immortal left leisurely, and two old men dressed as Confucian scholars came to receive them; the disciples valued by the Immortal were each assigned a place to live, some servants were taken by the disciples to live with them, while others went directly to the places on the mountainside where the servants lived.

Ruan Xing initially lived with the official, but the official did not truly dote on her, and after arriving at the Immortal Sect, he became obsessed with Cultivation every day and ignored her completely; after giving her a Basic Qi Refining Technique, he paid her no more mind, and Ruan Xing naturally would not go to curry favor with him, so she held the Basic Qi Refining Technique and began to cultivate on her own.

One year later, the official reached Foundation Establishment and could take Bigu Pill instead of eating; he no longer needed Ruan Xing's service and care, and she had cultivated for a year without ever feeling any Qi Sensation; she begged the official to help her guide Qi into her body, but after checking, he said she had no Spirit Bone and would never be able to guide Qi into her body in this life.

Thus, Ruan Xing went down the mountain and was assigned to the servants' quarters.

Apart from her daily labor, Ruan Xing had very little time to ponder Cultivation, yet her rare beauty among the low-level servants aroused the covetousness of some; after relying on her Acquired Realm martial arts to drive away a few overconfident male servants, those mortal servants who also lacked cultivation feared Ruan Xing's martial arts and no longer provoked her, but her reputation spread because of this.

A beautiful mortal woman who was originally a concubine of a cultivator made many confident people restless; a Guan who managed procurement tried to make Ruan Xing depend on him, but Ruan Xing refused; although the Guan was angry, his strength at Qi Refining Layer One was truly inferior to the Acquired Realm of martial arts in terms of combat power, so the Guan could not force Ruan Xing with violence and had to use the power in his hands to suppress her, assigning her to carry water in the fields at the foot of the mountain.

Ruan Xing went, and for her physique, carrying water was not difficult at all; while planting and tending to the Spirit Rice eaten by cultivators, Ruan Xing quietly kept a small bowl for herself during the harvest season; after cooking it into porridge with spring water and drinking it, Ruan Xing began to cultivate the Basic Qi Refining Technique; a year of study had long since made it second nature to her, and this time she could clearly feel a trace of faint Spirit Qi from the Spirit Rice being released from her stomach, circulating through the meridians of her body, and then dissipating through her skin.

Thanks to Ji E Ru Chou for the monthly ticket~ Thanks to An An_'s monthly ticket~ Thanks to Book Friend 160520210100422's monthly ticket~ Thanks to Book Friend 20200325153250815's monthly ticket~ Thanks to Book Friend 20220328172747561's monthly ticket~(End of this chapter)