Chapter 13

However, thinking about this, his expression darkened. This broken body was under a restriction, and even if a woman were to throw herself at him, he could only watch helplessly.

Thinking of what Old Mi had said to him, he couldn't help but ask, "Shouping, do you know about the Master Realm?"

"Everyone in the Great Zhou Dynasty knows about it. Don't you, Sir?" Cheng Shouping looked at him with a puzzled expression.

Zu An almost choked to death and hurriedly said, "Of course I know. Sir is just testing you."

"That's what I thought," Cheng Shouping said, looking enlightened. "A Master can freely manipulate the elemental energy of heaven and earth, fly through the sky at will, and is the most elite person in the world."

Zu An listened, his heart racing: "Then how many Masters are there in Bright Moon City?"

"How many?" Cheng Shouping looked as if he had heard a great joke. "There isn't a single one!"

"Ah?" Zu An was taken aback. Bright Moon City looked quite large; how could there not be a single one?

"Forget Bright Moon City, the entire Linchuan Prefecture probably doesn't have a Master," Cheng Shouping said excitedly. "You should know that in our Great Zhou Dynasty, only the Three Dukes, the Grand General, the Cavalry General, and some princes are Masters. They are few and far between. How could Bright Moon City have one?"

Then he explained the general relationship between official positions and cultivation realms in this world, which left Zu An's heart in turmoil: Old Mi was fooling me. There are so few Masters in the world. Even with the help of the keyboard, it would take ages to reach the Master Realm, let alone the fact that he doesn't know I have a cheat. Where does he get the confidence that I can reach the Master Realm?

While deep in thought, he suddenly noticed Cheng Shouping looking at him with a concerned expression, which made Zu An's temper flare: "You know quite a lot, don't you?"

Cheng Shouping's face almost crumpled into a ball as he smiled. "Sir, you flatter me."

"Are you a cultivator too?"

Cheng Shouping's smile froze, and he said with a somewhat gloomy expression, "No, I don't have the talent for cultivation and can't sense the elemental energy of heaven and earth."

Zu An hummed. "It's still better to be a leisurely person like you, who knows everything even if you can't cultivate."

Anger Value from Cheng Shouping +33!

Zu An thought for a moment and asked, "By the way, is there any famous doctor in Bright Moon City, someone well-known far and wide?" If he followed the usual path to reach the Master Realm, he would probably become a white-bearded old man. By then, even if he recovered his abilities, he would only be able to shed tears in vain. No, he had to find another way.

Since this was a cultivation world, doctors must be more powerful. Perhaps they have a solution.

"There is a famous doctor," Cheng Shouping clearly enjoyed the feeling of answering questions. "Mr. Ji in the city is the best doctor in Bright Moon City... no, the entire Linchuan Prefecture. There is no disease he can't cure."

"Mr. Ji? Could it be Ji Xiaolan?" Zu An asked.

"Ji Xiaolan?" Cheng Shouping scratched his head. "No."

Zu An's spirits lifted. "Let's go, take me to him!"

Cheng Shouping looked at him with a puzzled expression. "Sir, weren't you injured by Miss Second's Whip of Lamentation? How come you look..."

Zu An's eyes darted around. "I'm going to see Doctor Ji to treat my injuries."

"But the doctor in the manor has already applied medicine to you, Sir. You will be fine after a few days of rest. There's no need to see Doctor Ji," Cheng Shouping said.

Zu An's face darkened. "Are you the master or am I? Stop talking nonsense and just take me there."

"Sir, calm down, calm down. I'll take you there right away," Cheng Shouping said with a fawning smile.

Zu An was a bit surprised. This guy had a good temper. He didn't get angry even after being mocked, and his anger value only increased a little. Had he been worn down by years in the Chu manor?

He changed his clothes, and the two of them set out. He had been a bit worried about not being able to move freely, but the guards at the gate only glanced at him and didn't stop him from leaving.

Thinking about the scene when he entered last night, Zu An couldn't help but ask, "By the way, where is Miss First?"

"Miss First seems to have gone out," Cheng Shouping replied.

Zu An felt a sense of relief. For some reason, he always felt a strange pressure when facing that master and servant: "By the way, do you know Xue'er?"

Cheng Shouping's eyes lit up. "Who doesn't know Sister Xue'er? She is Miss First's personal maid, beautiful and sweet-voiced. Many of the servants in the manor consider her their dream lover. Sir, if you don't mind, can you help me get together with her?"

"What are you dreaming about?" Zu An was speechless. How could this guy have the confidence to think about Xue'er? "Don't talk nonsense. Do you have any other information about her? For example, has she been with the Chu family since childhood?"

"Oh, not really," Cheng Shouping's spirits sank when he saw Zu An refuse to help. It seemed Sir was also interested in Xue'er. He had heard that the personal maids of noble ladies were often given to the son-in-law as concubines. "Sister Xue'er was rescued by Miss First a few years ago. She is obedient, intelligent, and soon won Miss First's favor, becoming her personal maid."

"Obedient and intelligent?" Zu An couldn't associate those words with the sharp-tongued maid. Hearing that she had only been with the Chu family for a few years made him think.

"By the way, what's the situation with the second and third branches of the family? How do they get along with the main branch?" Zu An thought about what happened in the ancestral hall today. Chu Tiesheng and Chu Yuepo seemed to have a strange hostility towards him.

"Pretty good," Cheng Shouping thought for a moment and replied. "Second Lord is in charge of the family's iron mines and weapons, while Third Lord is in charge of the salt business. They are the right-hand men of the Lord."

"Iron and salt?" Zu An was taken aback. This was a cultivation world. Shouldn't they be managing spirit stone mines or raising magical beasts? How could they be dealing with such... mundane things?

As if guessing his thoughts, Cheng Shouping explained, "Sir, don't underestimate these two. They bring in huge profits for the family. The Chu family is as rich as a nation because of these two. After all, cultivators are a minority in this world. Most people, like us, can't sense the elemental energy of heaven and earth and can only live ordinary lives. Salt and iron are essential for our daily lives."

Zu An pursed his lips. "What do you mean by 'us'? Don't lump me in with you ordinary people. I can cultivate."

Cheng Shouping blinked at him, looking as if he wanted to say something but held back. He thought to himself, this Sir is indeed as they said, boasting without any real ability.

But it's okay. He is still the son-in-law, and I will help him win Miss First's heart. It's easy to add flowers to brocade, but hard to give charcoal in the snow. If I help him when he is at his lowest, I will naturally become his confidant, and I might even get together with Xue'er... hehehe~

"What are you smiling about?" Zu An slapped him on the head. "Which way is Doctor Ji's house?"

Cheng Shouping adjusted the two buns on his head. "Sir, can you please not hit my head? These buns are hard to comb."

Zu An looked at the two buns on his head and was speechless. "Alright, alright, just lead the way." He had a general understanding of the Chu manor's situation. He would have to investigate who wanted to harm him later. For now, he needed to solve his personal happiness issue.

"Sir, I don't think you need to see Doctor Ji," Cheng Shouping ran up to him.

"Why not?" Zu An was puzzled.

Cheng Shouping explained, "Because Doctor Ji has a rule. To see him, you need to pay a hundred taels of silver for the registration fee."

"A hundred taels of silver? Just for registration? Is his place lined with diamonds?" From the past two days, he had a general understanding of the currency system in this world, which was similar to ancient China. One thousand copper coins equaled one tael of silver, and one tael of gold equaled ten taels of silver. Above gold, there was another form of hard currency, the yuan stone, but it was often rare and hard to price.

However, the units of measurement in this world were similar to the modern world, with one tael equaling 50 grams. Silver had not depreciated, and one tael of silver had a purchasing power of about 1800 RMB. A hundred taels would be 180,000 RMB, just for registration. No wonder he was shocked.

Zu An thought for a moment and put his arm around Cheng Shouping's shoulder. "Little Ping, Sir is a bit short on cash right now. Can you lend me some to tide me over? I'll pay you back with interest when I have money."

Cheng Shouping quietly covered the purse at his waist. "Sir, you are the master, and I am the servant. If you, the master, don't have money, how can I, the servant, have any?"

Zu An saw his small action but didn't pay much attention. Even if he had some silver, it wouldn't be as much as a hundred taels: "By the way, where can I buy slaves in Bright Moon City?"

"Sir, you mean a broker, right? There is a place in the city where nobles can trade servants and maids. Their value ranges from a few taels to several dozen taels..." Cheng Shouping paused, turned to look at Zu An, and swallowed hard. "Sir, you're not thinking of selling me, are you?"

Zu An's expression turned serious. "How could I? Am I that kind of person?"

In his heart, he was calculating. Selling this guy wouldn't be worth much, and as a member of the Duke's manor, he might not even be sellable.

Despite his assurance, Cheng Shouping still felt a chill down his back and quickly said, "Sir, there is actually another way. Besides the hundred taels of silver, if you can complete a task for Doctor Ji, you can also receive his treatment."

Zu An's heart relaxed, and he slapped him on the shoulder. "Why didn't you say so earlier? You almost got me to sell you."

Cheng Shouping: "..."

Looking at Sir's enthusiastic back, Cheng Shouping hesitated. He knew that Doctor Ji's tasks were not something ordinary people could complete, but he was also worried about being sold. In the end, he didn't tell him the truth.

Before long, the two arrived near a house. Seeing the crowd, Zu An swallowed hard. "Why are there so many people?"

Cheng Shouping smiled awkwardly. "Didn't I tell you, Sir? Doctor Ji's place is always this crowded."

Zu An thought of the expert appointments in top hospitals in his previous life, which were hard to get even a month in advance, let alone famous doctors. This situation with the divine doctor was normal.

Wait, that's not right. The registration fee is a hundred taels of silver. Are people in this world so rich? But looking at the three layers of people surrounding the place, their clothes didn't look that good, and they didn't seem to be wealthy.

"Where is Miss Ji? Why isn't Miss Ji here?" Someone in the crowd shouted, causing a commotion.

"Yes, we want to see Miss Ji."

...

Zu An was taken aback and turned to look at Cheng Shouping. "You mean the divine doctor is a woman?"