Guan Xiyue played with the money she had left: four mace of silver and fifty copper coins.
Based on the current prices, she automatically converted it into modern currency in her mind. It was roughly equivalent to about 450 yuan.
At least room and board were included here.
Unlike the heroines in some transmigration novels who woke up in ancient times to find themselves living in a thatched hut or a mud-brick shack, with not even a steamed bun to eat.
What could this little amount of money buy from the sprite?
Pressing a finger against the mole on her temple, she heard the sprite’s voice.
“Master, when are you going to repay your debt? Do you have money now?”
Guan Xiyue was speechless.
Had there ever been such an impatient creditor?
It was only ten taels of silver.
Well… for her current circumstances, ten taels was indeed an enormous sum.
Communicating through her thoughts, she replied,
“I only have four mace right now. How am I supposed to repay it? You should help me figure out how to make money faster so I can pay you back sooner.”
The sprite sounded anxious as well.
“My level and abilities are very low right now. There’s not much I can do to help you. The sooner you earn money, the faster my abilities will improve. Then you’ll be able to buy more and better things from me.”
Guan Xiyue finally understood.
She had no money, so the sprite had very little power.
The sprite kept urging her to make money as if it were afraid of losing its job.
Could this earning-and-leveling system somehow be related to the sprite’s performance reviews?
Embarrassed, the sprite admitted,
“You’re right. Every transmigrated heroine is assigned a sprite like me. Our mission is to help you thrive in an unfamiliar world. At the same time, we sprites have performance assessments too.”
Guan Xiyue was unconcerned.
“I don’t need to thrive spectacularly. I just want freedom, some money, and a peaceful retirement-like life.”
The sprite quickly agreed.
“That’s perfectly fine. But you can’t perform too poorly either. Things like buying on credit can never happen again. Otherwise, you could lose me.”
Guan Xiyue froze.
“Lose you?”
The sprite nodded.
“I might suddenly disappear one day.”
That startled her badly.
She had barely survived transmigration and had gained a sprite and a storage space. She certainly didn’t want to lose them.
Ancient life would become even harder without those advantages.
Besides, the sprite had been incredibly loyal from the start, allowing her to buy ibuprofen on credit and save Ling Jingren’s life with a debt of ten taels hanging over her head.
Guan Xiyue promised earnestly,
“I’ll find a way to earn money and repay you as soon as possible.”
Satisfied, the sprite continued,
“Master, why don’t you deposit your four mace of silver with me? You can withdraw it anytime. Otherwise, my storage space doesn’t even contain a single copper coin. My performance metrics look terrible.”
Guan Xiyue had never considered that possibility.
She immediately agreed.
Wasn’t this basically a portable safe?
Valuable items stored inside would be completely secure.
The moment she consented, the silver vanished into the space automatically.
Closing her eyes, she could see her embarrassingly modest fortune lying neatly inside one of the storage compartments.
After ending the conversation, Guan Xiyue began worrying about money again.
Being a concubine provided food, clothing, and shelter.
At the same time, however, it came with tremendous restrictions.
She wasn’t a free person.
How could she freely earn money under those circumstances?
Despite her worries, she still secretly brought dinner to Ling Jingren.
Thanks to Concubine Guan’s braised pork earning praise, the kitchen treated her much better now. Both the quality and quantity of food had improved considerably.
At last, both she and Ling Jingren could eat their fill.
Although many people were surprised by her appetite.
As expected of a fat person, they thought—she ate as much as two or three ordinary people.
Over the past few days, Ling Jingren had repeatedly given himself mental pep talks.
For example:
Don’t dwell on trivial matters like chamber pots.
This woman is merely a stranger you’ll probably never see again after this.
She’s a married concubine whose skin is thick enough already. You’re a man—surely your skin can’t be thinner than hers.
Yet whenever he actually saw Guan Xiyue, he still felt awkward.
While eating, he casually brought up a topic.
“You seem troubled.”
Guan Xiyue nodded.
“I am. I need money. With money, you can travel anywhere under heaven. Without it, you can’t take a single step.”
Ling Jingren felt even more uncomfortable.
To him, this sounded very much like a hint from his lifesaver, and yet he currently had no way to repay her.
Clearing his throat, he lowered his voice.
“I don’t have any money either. But when I do have money in the future, I’ll definitely give some to you.”
Guan Xiyue glanced sideways at him.
This handsome, aloof young man now had embarrassment written all over his face.
She couldn’t help laughing.
“Don’t misunderstand. I’m not asking you for money. I’ll figure out how to earn it myself.”
Ling Jingren found her mindset strange.
“Aren’t you already married? You have food and clothing, and the Zhou family is wealthy. Why are you so determined to earn money? Is it to gain favor from your husband?”
As he spoke, he looked at her with a trace of sympathy.
During all the days he’d stayed here, her husband had never once set foot in this courtyard.
The only visitor was the maid who attended her.
Guan Xiyue clicked her tongue.
“Why would I compete for favor? My ambitions don’t stop at this tiny courtyard.”
She waved her hand dismissively.
“Never mind. You wouldn’t understand.”
Ling Jingren indeed did not understand.
After hesitating for a while, he reached into his robes and pulled out a piece of black jade.
Handing it to her, he said,
“I don’t have anything else on me. I’ve worn this since I was born. It’s worth some money, but don’t pawn or sell it lightly.”
He paused.
“Consider it a token. If you ever need my help, come find me at the Ling Residence on West Street in Ningyang City.”
Guan Xiyue examined the jade.
It was exquisite.
The stone was smooth and warm, translucent and lustrous.
Carved upon it was a mountain peak with steep cliffs rising into the sky.
Ling Jingren explained,
“My name is Ling Jingren. I’m a military commandant. The jade contains part of my name’s meaning. A monk gave it to me a few days after I was born.”
His gaze drifted toward the carving.
“‘Towering cliffs rise a thousand ren; with no desires, one becomes strong.'”
Guan Xiyue nodded in understanding.
“But if the saying is ‘with no desires, one becomes strong,’ why did you join the military?”
Ling Jingren looked at her in surprise.
This plump concubine was far more intelligent than her appearance suggested.
With a self-mocking smile, he replied,
“That’s what the saying claims. But for me, it’s wrong.”
“If I truly lived without desires, I wouldn’t even be able to protect my family.”
So he carried the burden of restoring his family’s fortunes.
Guan Xiyue handed the jade back.
“Saving you was just a small act of kindness. You don’t need to take it so seriously. This jade is important to you. You should keep it.”
But Ling Jingren refused.
“I know exactly what I owe.”
His expression grew serious.
“If you hadn’t stopped my bleeding in time and fed me that miraculous medicine, I would likely be meeting the King of Hell by now.”
His eyes narrowed thoughtfully.
“That medicine was extraordinary. Is there some renowned physician in this area?”
Guan Xiyue laughed awkwardly and dodged the question.
“The medicine really is precious. Very difficult to obtain. And there isn’t any more.”
Then she pocketed the jade.
“Since you’re so sincere, I’ll accept it.”
Ling Jingren finally relaxed.
At least now he had a way to repay part of the debt he owed her.