Chapter 29: The Manifestation of Treasure Stirs the Heavens

Staying by his side would mean a long, difficult road ahead, and Lu Xiao did not want to tether Erniu to his own misfortune. For those who were good to him, he wished for nothing more than their well-being.

Upon hearing this, Erniu shook his head dismissively. "I come from a family of extreme poverty; we couldn't even afford a meal, which is why I sold myself into service at the Marquis's estate. I’m used to those days of hardship. It’s you, Fourth Young Master, who are not only suffering but also facing great danger..."

Lu Xiao waved his hand, signaling him to stop. Complaining to each other wouldn't change their circumstances; everything depended on their own efforts.

"And what of my elder brother? Wasn't his allowance withheld for several months? How can he still afford these things? Is his daily income enough?" Lu Xiao asked, checking on Lu Zheng.

Erniu nodded candidly. "Don't worry, Fourth Young Master. The First Young Master is now a literati cultivator at the Fourth Realm of Clear Springs. A single painting of his can fetch a tael of gold. Even if the Marquis's estate provides no allowance, he will never be short of funds."

Lu Xiao nodded slightly, though he felt this wasn't necessarily a good thing for his brother. A literati’s calligraphy and paintings lose value as they become more common. With his brother’s talent, if only one or two pieces were in circulation, they would be worth a hundred taels of gold. By selling so many works previously to help him, his brother had effectively devalued his own status. After accounting for the cost of paper and ink, a single tael of gold left little profit.

As they spoke, they sat on the edge of the bed. They left the door open to make the cramped space feel a little more breathable. Since Erniu was his attendant, he had no proper place to sleep, and the bed was too small for two.

After their chat, Lu Xiao began to build a small shack nearby, scavenging abandoned wooden boards from around the estate. While these scraps were poor materials—hardly enough to shelter one from the wind and rain—Lu Xiao possessed the ability to refine all things. If he wasn't satisfied with the structure once built, he could simply refine it. At the first tier of refinement, all flaws and imperfections would vanish.

While he was working, servants from the estate arrived, as expected, to assign him more menial tasks. Lu Xiao told Erniu to take on those chores while he stayed behind to finish the shack.

The servants, Liu Wang and the others, frowned at these arrangements, but they ultimately said nothing. They likely figured that if Lu Xiao was busy building, he wouldn't have time to cultivate anyway. Since it was all just labor, it didn't matter where he did it. Erniu nodded and headed toward the eastern side of the estate.

Working alone was actually more efficient for Lu Xiao. He built the shack right up against his own, which saved him the trouble of constructing one of the walls. To compensate for the poor insulation of wooden boards, he used a double-layered structure, stuffing dried grass in between. This should be enough to survive the winter chill. If he refined his bedding once more, the overall warmth would be sufficient; if not, a second-tier refinement would surely do the trick.

By nightfall, Erniu returned, completely exhausted. He didn't even have the strength to look at the shack; he simply slumped to the ground. "Fourth Young Master, did you really do such heavy labor every single day before...?" His voice was intermittent; the tasks he’d been given today had worn him to the bone.

The chores assigned to him were indeed increasing, all to ensure he had no time to focus on his own path.

"I suppose I’ve grown accustomed to it. It’s manageable," Lu Xiao replied.

Erniu, a servant of the estate, looked pained. "Fourth Young Master, the work you do in a single day is far more than what the other servants have to handle. Even the likes of Liu Wang don't do half of what you do. This is too much! If you exhaust all your energy on these heavy tasks, how will you ever have the time to cultivate?"

Even Erniu felt the Marquis's estate was being excessive. Treated this way, how could Lu Xiao ever pass the assessment for the Martial Sect Academy?

"For them, that is precisely the point. They never wanted me to find time for cultivation in the first place," Lu Xiao said with a smile, waving off the concern.

Dinner was already prepared in the room—food Lu Xiao had retrieved from the kitchen. They ate together; though they were master and servant by name, they were more like friends.

Erniu’s life had clearly taken a turn for the worse since following Lu Xiao, but he had no complaints. Born into poverty, he could endure these conditions. Any grumbling he did was purely on Lu Xiao’s behalf.

"Fourth Young Master, all these years in the estate, you’ve had to earn your own food and clothing. As members of the same family, why should the Second Young Master and Third Young Lady live so freely? The travel expenses for their trip to the capital alone would cover your living costs for months."

Lu Xiao only smiled at Erniu’s indignation. Complaining was useless. The bias of the Old Madam and the others was nothing new. However, the mention of the trip from the capital piqued his curiosity.

"When my second brother and third sister returned from the capital a while ago, was there a specific reason? I noticed they came back to the estate, but then left again for a few days."

Erniu was surprised by the question. "You don't know, Fourth Young Master? Two hundred miles west of Yonglin City, a treasure appeared. Many people flocked there; even the great noble families sent their own."

Lu Xiao nodded slightly, having already suspected as much. No wonder Xue Shiwei, a scion of the Duke of Xue’s estate, had come to visit the Lu family—it was just on her way. Since she and Lu Yun were on good terms, she had simply stayed at the estate.

"I heard they went back to the capital. Does that mean the treasure has already been claimed?" Lu Xiao asked casually.

As it happened, Erniu knew something about this. "Not at all. I heard the First Young Master’s classmates talking about it. The treasure triggered a massive phenomenon; they say half the sky was stained blood-red, followed by a rain of blood that turned the earth crimson. The sight was so terrifying that the older generation from all the major powers rushed over..."

Lu Xiao nodded, understanding. The struggle for the treasure was no longer a matter for the younger generation. The major powers had concluded it was too precious, and the middle generation had stepped in. It was no longer a playground for the youth, so those who had gone there previously were, of course, forced to leave.

"Is there anything else you want to know, Fourth Young Master? I’ve heard plenty of rumors, so just ask!" Erniu said with a hint of pride. While he couldn't bring himself to study the sacred texts at the academy with his master, he had spent all his energy listening to gossip, and he had indeed gathered quite a bit of information.