Chapter 2 Better Pain Than Numbness

Li Xian was stunned, his movements frozen in place. Li Xiaofan asked, "Brother, what's wrong?"

Li Xian smiled and patted Li Xiaofan's head, saying, "It's nothing, brother. We must work hard so that we won't be bullied by others anymore."

It seems that my transmigration wasn't without its advantages.

He practiced his boxing again and again, his will was unwavering, and eventually he was able to move mountains.

"Brother, don't worry! The winter exams are in a little over a month. I definitely won't let you down," Li Xiaofan said resolutely.

"Good brother, let's eat. It's been a long time since we've had meat."

Li Xian's eyes welled up with tears. Since their father's death, the two brothers had relied on each other for survival. The elder brother was responsible and the younger brother was quick-witted. However, the world was harsh, and their door was tightly shut, making it difficult to pry open even a little bit of their home.

Now... we can finally see a glimmer of hope.

The two brothers only had one set of clothes, so naturally they had no pot to boil water or cook meat. Every blade of grass and every tree outside the mountains was controlled by landlords, powerful families, and aristocratic clans.

As soon as a fire is lit and smoke rises, guards will immediately come looking for you. You'll get a good beating at the very least.

We had no choice but to go to Aunt Liu's house next door and borrow her stove. Aunt Liu's family was slightly better off; at least they had clothes to wear and could barely be considered a family.

...

That night.

Li Xian changed into servant's clothes and returned to Yihe Village.

From this day forward, he is no longer a free man, but the lowest of servants in the entire estate.

But how can you talk about freedom when you can't even get enough to eat or wear?

"I don't seek fame or fortune now. I only wish to find a place to live in this chaotic world, a place where I can settle down."

Li Xian sighed inwardly, wondering how her younger brother was doing, separated by high walls and a large courtyard.

“You’re all smart enough not to run away. Now that everyone’s here, let me teach you the rules here.”

The one who came to greet the new servants was not Luo Fang from the daytime, but his cousin "Bi Hao".

“This entire village, along with the 20,000 mu of land and 29 hills outside the village, all belong to our Mrs. Zhuang.”

At this point, Bi Hao proudly puffed out his chest, feeling honored.

"Madam Zhuang has been away recently and will not be back for a few days. Don't blame me for not warning you, you lowly beasts, you'd better watch your eyes and don't look around. If you offend Madam, you'll be crippled."

"The lady's beauty is astonishing; she is a first-rate beauty. Once, a servant was so captivated by her that he had his eyes gouged out and thrown into the river."

Upon hearing this, everyone felt a chill in their hearts.

"Alright, from now on you will all work in this area. Work hard, or you'll get whipped and your skin will be torn open, hehe... your lives might be in danger."

The estate is vast, with mountains and water, and can accommodate thousands of servants, yet it still feels quite spacious, with a slight shortage of manpower.

Li Xian, with his memories of two lifetimes, was considered worldly-wise. Yet, he was still amazed by what he had seen.

"This is the servants' quarters; you will live here from now on. You must get up and start working at dawn tomorrow. Anyone who oversleeps will be stripped naked," Bi Hao said coldly.

The servants' quarters weren't very big, but they could hold over a hundred people. The smell was undeniably awful—a mixture of foot odor, body odor, and body odor, along with teeth grinding, farting, and sleep talking.

The snoring was deafening, creating quite a lively atmosphere.

The beds are packed tightly together, with not a single space between them. Words like "clean" and "comfortable" are a world away from this place.

"Such a large manor, it's a bit too harsh to treat the servants like this."

There were eleven similar servants' quarters, arranged in a row. However, there were only five latrines for using the toilet.

Since we're here, let's make the best of it.

The next day.

Li Xian was assigned to clean abandoned houses. The estate had twenty pavilions and seventy-two elegant residences. It could be said that the labor would never be finished.

Li Xian and two other new servants were led by two older servants to a house that had been abandoned for a long time.

An old handyman gave the orders: "You, go sweep over there; you, go pull up the weeds; you, go clean the latrine."

One of the new handymen asked, "And what about you?"

"Nonsense, we have our own things to do, hurry up and stop talking nonsense. Are you trying to slack off on your first day here?"

The old handyman's face was full of disdain.

Li Xian frowned slightly, said nothing, and obediently followed instructions to clear the weeds in the backyard of the building.

There are many weeds here, deeply embedded in the soil, making them very difficult to pull out. After doing this kind of work for only a quarter of an hour, my back will ache and hurt.

Li Xian patiently pulled it out little by little.

[Skill: Weeding]

[Proficiency: 12/500 Beginner]

[Description: Weeding, weeding, a simple skill, from a three-year-old to an eighty-year-old, who can't do it? It's extremely easy to learn, but mastering it depends on fate.]

...

With a flick of his golden finger, Li Xian was able to gain something every time he bent down to pull weeds, and gradually he figured out the trick.

[Proficiency +1]

[Proficiency +1]

The speed increased, and weeding didn't seem so tiring anymore.

[Proficiency level maxed out.]

[Skill: Weeding]

[Proficiency: 0/1000 Mastery]

[Description: Back to the sky, feet firmly on the ground, this path, though small, holds a unique charm. Young man... have you grasped its meaning?]

In this world, whether it is a skill or martial arts, it can be divided into six stages: beginner, proficient, minor achievement, major achievement, perfection, and ultimate achievement.

At this moment, Li Xian's skill in weeding was equivalent to that of a choresman who had been practicing for years.

"As a handyman, my fate is not in my own hands. How can I have any free time? If I finish my task too quickly and ahead of schedule, I will definitely be assigned to do other work."

"It would be better to intentionally slow down and use this spare time to improve your skills."

And so.

Between weeding, Li Xian would occasionally stop and practice his Wild Bull Fist by throwing a few punches at the air. The Wild Bull Fist only has three moves, and a set takes only a few seconds.

[Proficiency +1]

[Proficiency +1]

Li Xian became increasingly adept at it, and with each punch, he could directly feel the benefits.

I worked until evening, stopping for lunch in between. It wasn't very oily, but it was enough to fill my stomach.

[Proficiency level maxed out]

[Incomplete form of the Wild Bull Fist]

[Proficiency: 0/1000 Mastery]

[Description: Though the fist is broken, the spirit remains; like a fierce bull, the punches are astonishing.]

Li Xian felt a warm current slowly flowing towards her lower abdomen.

"This is... internal energy?"

"Does this world have internal energy?"

Li Xian sensed the warm current, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what it was, because he had never been involved in the martial arts world.

But it's clear that this thing is beneficial and harmless!

"Great, great, this feeling is truly unique, it's like my whole body is refreshed."

Using his mind to control the warm current, he attached it to his fist and threw another punch. The force of the punch increased greatly, and as it rubbed against the air, it faintly produced the "mooing" sound of a wild bull.

"Good fellow."

Li Xian was overjoyed, but dared not be carried away by his pride, and quickly bent down to pull weeds.

It was getting late.

Bi Hao arrived at this abandoned building and inspected the labor of the servants one by one.

"Damn it, what kind of floor did you sweep?" He ran his finger lightly across the corner of the wardrobe, picking up a speck of dust. He immediately started cursing and kicking.

The servant was beaten black and blue, and dared not utter a sound.

Selling oneself to others may provide a basic living, but the hardships and humiliations involved must be swallowed alone.

"You didn't do a good job, so don't even think about resting tonight. The laundry room is short-handed, so go help out."

Bi Hao waved his hand dismissively and went to check other places.

"Who built this latrine?" Upon arriving at the latrine, Bi Hao's face was terribly gloomy.

“I…it’s me,” a new servant said in a trembling voice.

Judging from his age, he was about the same age as Li Xiaofan, only eleven or twelve years old.

"What's this?"

Bi Hao pointed to a filth and glared down at the servant.

“Excrement…excrement.” The servant was confused.

"Lick it clean," Bi Hao said coldly.

"Ah...ah?" The servant was taken aback. Bi Hao sneered, grabbed the servant by the hair, pressed him down onto the filth, and said, "What are you 'ah'ing for? Lick it clean!"

"I'll lick...I'll lick."

The servant carried out the order in a humiliating manner. Bi Hao's gaze swept over the crowd, and he warned, "Let me tell you, don't be fooled by this deserted house. Those who live here are all the lady's friends from the martial arts world. For people like them, even their excrement smells good, it's like gold!"

"Let alone you, even if it's me, if Madam asks me to do it, I will absolutely obey and be proud of it!"

Immediately, Bi Hao looked at the servant and asked, "Does it smell good?"

The servant, fearing a beating, quickly nodded, "It smells wonderful, absolutely delicious."

"Ha ha"

Bi Hao laughed a few times and said, "That's more like it. That's what servants are like, servants who have sold themselves. If you had a skill, you'd still have some use and status. But do you have one?"

The crowd remained silent; some looked numb, while others had gradually accepted it. Li Xian, however, shook his head inwardly. No matter how difficult the circumstances, no matter how lowly his status, he could never lose his spirit!

Can't lose it even if you die!

Next, it was Li Xian's turn.

"Are you the one pulling weeds?" Bi Hao looked at Li Xian meaningfully.

“Yes.” Li Xian nodded.

"good."

Bi Haoxing went to the backyard and touched the whip wrapped around his waist.

Compared to cleaning and emptying latrines, weeding is the hardest. We've learned our lesson with the former; with enough care, it's manageable. Weeding… is the most tiring and the hardest to achieve.

Either they couldn't finish pulling the weeds, or they made a mess of mud. Those who did weeding... usually got whipped!

However, when Bi Hao walked into the backyard, he was dumbfounded: "Where are the weeds?"

"I've finished removing it and put it on the cart," Li Xian said, pointing to the cart beside her.

After confirming that everything was correct, Bi Hao stomped on the ground and was immediately surprised. After pulling the weeds, he actually tamped the ground down again.

This young man either has experience as a servant or is meticulous and thorough in his work.

"Hmm, not bad, not bad. What's your name?" Bi Hao rarely smiled.

“My name is Li Xian,” Li Xian replied truthfully.

“Li Xian?” Bi Hao shook his head and said, “That’s not a good name, not good for a servant.”

"You did a good job today. Go to the accounting office and collect your three-copper reward. Get a good rest tonight. Keep up the good work tomorrow."

"Thank you for your kind words, Master Bi."

Li Xian called out as usual. This bowed head was not a sign of a lack of spirit, but rather a sign of resignation after recognizing reality.

Hearing the words "Master Bi" made Bi Hao feel even more comfortable. He patted Li Xian on the shoulder and laughed, "Haha, kid, you know how to handle things."

...

On the way back.

A new handyman came up to chat, "Brother Li, how did you do that? Can you teach me?"

Seeing that they were all pitiful people, Li Xian was very willing to give them guidance, but he didn't know where to start, so he could only smile and say, "There's nothing special about it, just practice makes perfect."

"Just a sycophant, all he does is practice. Tch." The old servant beside him sneered disdainfully.

They too had started as new handymen, so they knew how to avoid pitfalls and protect themselves. At the same time, they were happy to see newcomers make mistakes.

“You’re both menial laborers, why are you so hostile? If you had given me some pointers during the day, you two young men wouldn’t have had to suffer such humiliation.” Li Xian frowned.

"Give me a hint? Give me a hint my ass." The old handyman said dismissively.

“Brother Li, stop talking. I felt terrible at the time, but now that I think about it, what Master Bi said is right. I don’t feel humiliated anymore,” the latrine cleaner said numbly.

Li Xian wanted to say something, but swallowed it back, sighing that there was truly a demonic quality in this manor. It made both the oppressors and the oppressed intoxicated by power.

Numbness and apathy gradually lead to assimilation.

Excrement is excrement; no matter how powerful a person is, their excrement still stinks.

Li Xian clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms, silently reminding herself that she could be humble, but she could not be numb.

"If you want to make life a little easier, perhaps... you could learn some other skills secretly."

(End of this chapter)