Tumor Sword Immortal

Chapter 15 My Betrothed Elder Brother
The sound of hushed conversation drifted from the courtyard gate.

Perhaps because they thought Pei Xia was too far away to hear clearly, the person who came spoke very rudely.

"Have you really forgotten who you are? It's one thing to hang out with shady characters at the academy, but why did you bring a man home today?"

"Sister, he saved her..."

"No need to say more."

The woman's tone carried a hint of disgust and sternness: "Don't forget your place. You may be shameless, but my household still has its reputation. I'll give you the time it takes for an incense stick to burn to kick him out!"

After saying that, the woman turned around, her gaze passing over Miss Ye's shoulder and then glancing at Pei Xia.

The man was fiddling with a teacup on the stone table.

He looked tall and thin, with dark circles under his eyes and a listless, unkempt appearance.

He looked like a lower-class person.

She didn't know if it was just her imagination, but she felt that this person's face was more repulsive to her than that of ordinary commoners.

"What bad luck!" she muttered, then turned and left.

Watching her sister's figure slowly walk away, Miss Ye sighed helplessly.

He turned his head and smiled apologetically at Pei Xia.

Pei Xia sat in the courtyard, turning the teacup on the table, without glancing at the gate from beginning to end.

Once someone calls you "sister," they're considered family, so it's best not to pry into their family matters.

Especially... didn't Miss Ye say before that Yang Xu, who wanted to kill her, was her brother-in-law?

Looking at her helpless expression now, one can imagine it wasn't a good thing.

"Are you kicking me out?"

"Ah."

Pei Xia didn't care.

In the end, he only wanted to scrape together five taels of silver for the city entry tax, but in the end, he was tricked by Ye Lu.

The presence of the Five Masters of Ghost Valley and the White-Clad Master of the Palm Sect frightened Pei Xia so much that she inadvertently entered the path of martial arts.

Those fifty taels of silver were really hard to earn.

"It's alright. Just pay me back the ten taels of inner city tax you owed earlier, and also return my family's pears. I'll be leaving right away."

The girl blinked her pretty eyes repeatedly: "A pear?"

“He’s my apprentice. Ye Lu held onto him as collateral before.”

"...You mortgaged your own apprentice?"

"This isn't the first time!"

Miss Ye's lips twitched, then she smiled with relief.

Indeed, we shouldn't have any special expectations of him just because he saved us. From the beginning, he didn't seem like a decent person.

“Then I’ll send someone to check on Ye Lu first, so he can rest assured. As for the ten taels of silver… wait for me a moment.”

The girl picked up her scholar's robe, jogged a few steps out of the courtyard, presumably to get the money from her room.

With the money and the person in hand, Pei Xia couldn't wait to leave.

As the son of the prime minister, who was supposed to be carrying out a funeral by imperial decree, Pei Xia was also a bit annoyed by the mess he had made since entering the city.

While waiting, he stood up and strolled around the courtyard again.

It was indeed a very old courtyard. Only a few plots of land showed signs of cultivation; everything else seemed to have been untouched for some time.

He slowly walked to the front of the main house in the courtyard and looked down to see a long lock painted black.

The iron lock has a rough and uneven surface, and looks like a cheap product.

Look, doesn't this bulge look like a small snake? And those dots are like a string of stars, with the parallel, winding arcs resembling the eastward flow of the Yangtze River. Pei Xia suddenly grinned and smiled.

When he first transmigrated, he saw similar locks at Pei Xi's residence.

It was about the same size courtyard, with a small house containing a long table, two bookshelves, and a small bed for temporary rest. The prime minister usually conducted official business there.

It seems these wealthy and powerful families share a common interest: they all have to keep such a simple little courtyard. I wonder who it's for.

Turning around, Miss Ye had already returned to the courtyard. She was carrying a small cloth bag and beckoned to Pei Xia, "Come here."

Pei Xia noticed her bulging cloth bag and exclaimed, "Wow, you have quite a bit of secret stash of money!"

The girl didn't explain. As soon as she opened the cloth bag, a large handful of copper coins scattered out with a "whoosh," interspersed with a few pieces of silver.

Pei Xia stared in disbelief: "No way, you're supposed to be a young lady, aren't you?"

“I have no salary at home, only a little pocket money for studying. After deducting food expenses, there is not much left.”

Beneath her soft bangs, her eyes were calm and composed as her fingers meticulously picked through the large taels of silver in this ridiculous savings: "My education was arranged by my father when he was alive. They dared not cancel it, otherwise, I wouldn't even be able to save this little bit of money."

Pei Xia watched as she deftly grabbed a handful of loose silver and placed it on a small scale to weigh it, and couldn't help but ask, "That Ye Lu is just a guard in your household, yet he's so generous."

The girl gave him a knowing look: "Ye Lu's job was personally arranged by my father, and his salary was already quite high."

This is worse than being a servant!
"You're doing so poorly, why are you doing so badly?"

"It's all about giving and receiving," the girl said, her gaze fixed on the small scale. "As long as they don't kick me out, it's no big deal how much I lose."

Pei Xia agreed with this point: "That's true. No matter what, having enough to eat and wear, and being able to go to school, is much better than being homeless."

"I don't care about these basic necessities. Even if I leave your mansion, I might not live a bad life."

She put down the scale, pushed a handful of loose silver to Pei Xia, looked at him with her clear eyes, and said calmly, "I'm staying because the master has been incredibly kind to me. I consider him my father, so I have an obligation to protect his family business. As long as I don't leave, Yang Xu will always be an outsider."

Pei Xia stroked the silver without looking up, and asked, "Is that Yang Xu an official? What is his rank?"

"What's wrong, Assistant Minister of Revenue?"

"nothing."

It's true that outsiders shouldn't interfere in family matters.

The rights and wrongs within this household cannot be judged by Pei Xia based on mere hearsay.

However, since Yang Xu holds a position in the imperial court, he still colludes with martial arts figures to infiltrate the capital and kidnap innocent women. Moreover, judging from what he said while holding a candle, it is clear that he wants to seize the family fortune.

This is a genuine case of knowingly breaking the law.

Although Pei Xia does not hold an official position, he is still the son of the prime minister. When he sees the princess again, he can ask her to investigate.

Let's check it out, whether there's a problem or not.

The money has been settled, and only Lu Li is left.

The girl turned her head and glanced at the courtyard gate; the servant who went to find Ye Lu had not yet returned.

“He lives in a remote area,” the girl said as she packed her things. “We’ve been through thick and thin together. Anyway, since you’ve called me ‘Big Brother,’ I’ll accept it. If you ever run into any trouble in Beishi City, you can come to me.”

Pei Xia couldn't help but laugh when she saw her serious expression: "Looking for you?"

I am the son of the Prime Minister, seeking your help to settle a matter?

The girl nodded as if she had just realized something: "As long as it is in accordance with justice and morality, I will do my best to help you. Although I am not of high status here, my family still has a good reputation."

"Okay, okay, you're my big brother, that's awesome."

Pei Xia laughed heartily: "I still don't know your name!"

The girl, carrying a small bag, had just stood up. She smoothed the wrinkles on her patched scholar's robe, turned around, and said calmly, "My surname is Xu, Xu Shangxin."

Xu... huh?

(End of this chapter)