Chapter 232: Actually, You’re a Glutton
Nan Xun sighed. “My soul is about to suffer serious trauma. I really want to keep vacationing~”
The moment Little Eight heard that, it bristled. “Hey! Don’t push your luck. Get your act together and start working! We haven’t earned any merit points for two whole worlds already—this world cannot be wasted!”
Hearing that, Nan Xun felt a bit guilty toward Little Eight. After letting her vacation for so long, this world could only be a success—failure was not an option.
“Grrrr—”
Her stomach growled again.
Nan Xun jumped and rubbed her belly. “Is this body a foodie or something? Why am I hungry again so fast?”
Little Eight coughed awkwardly. “Actually… this body of yours is a… bottomless pit.”
Hearing the words bottomless pit, Nan Xun’s mouth twitched. “I’m really curious—how much wild grass and tree bark did Li Yunduo gnaw on to survive without starving to death?”
Little Eight replied, “No idea. All I know is that she was a truly impressive bottomless pit.”
Nan Xun: …
With no way to get close to the Grand Preceptor for now, Nan Xun decided to first solve her livelihood problem.
After asking around at several inns, she finally found a small one willing to take her in to do menial work like washing dishes and wiping tables. Nan Xun had no demands—food and lodging would be enough.
She originally planned to stay long-term, so she worked more and talked less, putting in extra effort. Who knew that before even a full week had passed, the shop owner would pull her aside and say earnestly, “Yunduo, uncle here is running a small business. There are only so many customers each day, and your appetite is really… too big. I truly can’t afford to keep you.”
Nan Xun: …
“Uncle, I can eat less,” Nan Xun said pitifully.
The man turned his face away, ruthless. “If you don’t eat enough, you won’t have the strength to work. I’ll give you some loose silver—go find another job.”
Nan Xun felt bitter on her own behalf. She didn’t have any capital at all; even if she wanted to start a business, she couldn’t afford it.
“How about this—Little Eight, lend me some silver to do business? If I had a hundred taels, I could definitely build a world-shaking enterprise.”
Little Eight shattered her dream mercilessly. “Sweetie, stop daydreaming. Before you starve to death, let’s hurry to the pleasure house. Relax—it’s not some cannibal place. I’ve screened it for you. We’ll go to the newly rising Zuiyue Pavillion. You can sell your talents, not your body, and sign a living contract. You should know, three years from now, Zuiyue Pavillion will become the number one pleasure house in Southern Yun, and you will become the dream lover of all the nobles in the imperial city—tsk, same level as a modern film queen.”
Nan Xun rubbed her belly and sighed. “Stop fooling me. In ancient times, courtesans were of the lowest status. But if I can sign a living contract, that’s fine—when I don’t want to do it anymore, I can just leave.”
Little Eight hummed. “So are we going or not? If you don’t go now, you’ll starve.”
Nan Xun immediately sang out her attitude:
“Come on~ let’s be happy~ anyway, we’ve got plenty of time~”
Little Eight: …
“You’re singing my song again. Why don’t you sing your Fa Fei Wa?”
Nan Xun blinked. “Huh? Your song? Since when did it become yours? Every song you can sing—I taught you all of them.”
Little Eight snorted.
Nan Xun stopped teasing it and got down to business—only to realize she didn’t know the way.
She asked Little Eight. Little Eight said it didn’t know either.
Even though asking where a pleasure house was felt embarrassing, Nan Xun had thick skin.
So she walked up to a vegetable-selling woman and smiled sweetly. “Auntie, may I ask you about a place?”
Seeing the pretty, polite little girl, the woman waved her hand and laughed. “Go ahead, child, just ask. No need to be so polite.”
“Auntie, do you know Zuiyue Pavillion? How do I get there?”
The moment Nan Xun finished asking, the woman looked as if she had heard something unbelievable, her gaze filled with disdain. “Go, go! Get lost! So young and already not learning anything good—how did your parents give birth to something willing to fall this low!”
She immediately stopped selling vegetables, hoisted her baskets, and left. Before going, she spat in Nan Xun’s direction. “No wonder you were born looking like a little fox seductress!”
Luckily Nan Xun dodged quickly, or the spit would have landed on her face.
Nan Xun: “This is the road to film-queen glory you were talking about? I’ve already turned into a fox spirit!”
Little Eight explained, “That’s why you need to change the script. You can go for the aloof route—be an elegant, unpretentious fox spirit.”
Nan Xun: “I want to snip your ponytail.”
Little Eight immediately corrected her. “How many times do I have to say it? I’m not a horse—not one of those lowly animals from your world. I am a favored-by-heaven Void Beast, a divine beast capable of traversing worlds and dimensions!”
After sighing and lamenting for a while, and enduring countless disdainful and lecherous looks, Nan Xun finally managed to find Zuiyue Pavillion.
The moment madam Zhang saw her little face, she was so delighted her old face bloomed like a flower. She gave a glowing appraisal: “A natural beauty—born with seductive bones.”
Because Li Yunduo was young yet already had such a pretty face, madam Zhang was very satisfied. Even when Nan Xun requested only a three-year living contract and to sell talents but not her body, she agreed, immediately ordering two copies of the contract to be drafted.
Nan Xun glanced over it once and spotted several loopholes. Smiling, she said, “Madam Zhang, this contract says that after it expires, I still have to pay a contract-termination fee. That doesn’t make sense, does it? For three years, I’ll be earning silver for you for free. Even if I really have to pay to terminate it, you should clearly state the exact amount.”
Madam Zhang froze. She hadn’t expected this poor countryside girl to be literate—much less capable of spotting flaws in the contract.
Seeing her hesitation, Nan Xun quickly added, “Don’t think that just because I’m young I can’t earn money yet. I’m originally from a fallen noble family; after my family was destroyed, I came here to seek a living. I’m proficient in qin, chess, calligraphy, and painting—all of them.”
Before madam Zhang could question her, Little Eight questioned first. “Dear~ since when were you proficient in qin, chess, calligraphy, and painting? All I know is that you can play the piano and violin, know a bit of sketching, a bit of Gomoku and chess, and the rest is fighting and beating people up.”
Nan Xun said narcissistically, “I didn’t know them before, but Zui Lixuan and Qin Buyao did. I don’t really have many strengths—just a good memory. Anything they learned passed through my head once, and I remembered it all. Sigh, I can’t even forget it if I try.”
Just as Little Eight was about to retort, Nan Xun suddenly became modest for a moment. “Of course, knowing is one thing, doing it myself is another. I’ll need to practice for a while before officially debuting.”
Little Eight: …
