Chapter 9

"What is settled?"

Turning her head to look, it was Qiye who had come over.

He walked with a splayed-leg gait, a smile hanging on his face, and as he approached, he stretched quite relaxedly, "What was Old Shi saying just now?"

"I was just about to tell you!" Shi Shifu laughed, "You've really got something special this time; you've sent over a good seedling!"

"Is that so?" Qiye's long, narrow eyes curved slightly, and he seemed to be in an excellent mood, "I originally thought she was quite good, but I was worried, and was mulling over letting you train her for another two years."

Seeing the two of them chatting as if no one else were around, Ruan Xing stood up to give Qiye the stone stool by the stone table, and Qiye flicked his robe and sat down.

Qiye did not avoid Ruan Xing hearing this content, but this did not mean that what he said was unimportant; rather, even if Ruan Xing heard it, she was just a six-year-old girl, and even if she were a bit clever, it didn't amount to much—without a background or ability, she could not escape his palm.

What's more, if things truly worked out in the future, Ruan Xing would still have to be grateful for his favor in promoting her.

Ruan Xing stood to the side with her hands hanging down, pricking up her ears to listen; Hu San seemed to truly know something, and he was also sincerely giving her pointers.

From their conversation, Ruan Xing analyzed word for word in her mind: Qiye seemed to have recruited children like her more than once. He recruited children not merely to cultivate subordinates for himself, but more importantly, to transport children who would satisfy someone of even higher status than him, and the conditions for that person's satisfaction included being clever and having good fortune.

Perhaps they also needed to know Gambling, but Ruan Xing guessed this point was not very important, because in several previous Simulations, she had only learned Gambling Entry, yet Qiye still took her away from Jiangning City, presumably to meet that big shot. It was just that every time, she died on the road for various reasons; whether it was because someone behind the scenes was obstructing it and didn't want Qiye to gain that big shot's appreciation, or if they assassinated Qiye directly and she was implicated, the purpose remained to be investigated. Next time, she could choose an option to take a good look in her memory.

It was just unclear what that high-status person used the recruited children for.

Ruan Xing was lowering her eyes and pondering when Qiye had already finished chatting with Shi Shifu and was preparing to leave.

Before leaving, Qiye patted Ruan Xing's small shoulder and said earnestly, "Little Xing, follow Shi Shifu and listen to him well during this time, you hear?"

"Yes, Qiye!" Ruan Xing nodded heavily, her crisp voice imitating the loud responses of Qiye's subordinates.

Seeing this little girl pretending to be serious truly amused Qiye, and he nodded at her quite affably before leaving.

Appropriately displaying the appearance of a child could not only constantly remind those around her not to be on guard against her, but could also incidentally win Qiye's favor; why not do it? Sometimes a tiny emotional factor could lead to a difference in results. Just by casually adding a layer of protective shell that might come in handy, Ruan Xing was willing to put in the extra effort. Shi Shifu also had a very good impression of her, and he said to her with a kind expression, "You will live in the side room next to mine, and you will eat and live with me. You don't need to do any work here; just study diligently whatever I teach you."

Although he said that, Ruan Xing saw the old man clearing his throat while speaking, so she was very observant and poured a cup of tea from the table to hand to him.

In a feudal society, it was only right for a disciple to serve their master, even if Shi Shifu and she did not have a formal master-disciple relationship.

Shi Shifu took a sip of tea and pointed at the porcelain bowl on the table, "Go and practice according to the technique I just showed you. Your hands must be fast and steady. If there is anything you don't know, ask me."

"Yes."

With the foundation laid in the Simulator, Ruan Xing was able to skillfully play Three Immortals Return to Cave after just two or three tries. When moving the porcelain bowls irregularly, she used extremely fast hand speed to change the position of the egg and put it into the same bowl. In fact, there were more complex methods, such as moving the egg into her own sleeve, into her clothes, hiding extra eggs on her person, or making all the eggs in the bowls become plural, but the old man hadn't taught her those, so Ruan Xing didn't practice them; otherwise, it would be hard to explain.

Very quickly, the afternoon passed. The old man did not teach her new things just because Ruan Xing's progress was fast. After eating her first meal at the Red Head Gang in the evening, Shi Shifu let Ruan Xing return to her room to rest.

Qiye's hall was Qiye's facade; not only were the gang members gathered here all Qiye's trusted aides, but the standard of the big-pot food made in the canteen was not something to be just casually endured. Although it couldn't compare to the chefs at a restaurant, it was much better than what Ruan Tao made, giving Ruan Xing the thought for the first time that ancient food wasn't bad either.

However, Ruan Xing's mind was not focused on this. After she closed her room door, she summoned the Simulator in her mind.

Although the room Shi Shifu prepared for her was small, it was a single room. A small bed, a table, and a wooden chest occupied all the space, which was also quite good; at least when she was using the Simulation, no one should come to disturb her.

【Simulation in progress】

At six years old, you gained Qiye's appreciation and joined the Red Head Gang, following Shi Shifu to learn Gambling. You progressed extremely quickly, and in less than two months, you mastered Gambling Entry.

One month later, Qiye took you away from Jiangning City. On the road, you encountered an attack, and you died.

【Simulation ended】

(End of chapter)