Stepping out of the teahouse and turning right, he saw four large characters hanging above the third shop: “Jufu Inn.”

A crowd had gathered outside the Jufu Inn. Among them stood a man in black with a sharp, monkey-like face and a harsh expression, relentlessly whipping people with a bamboo cane, his face twisted with malice.

The one lying on the ground, taking the beating, was none other than Jiang Xiaowu.

Jiang Xiaowu was about fifteen or sixteen years old, skinny as a rail, and had already been beaten until his skin was torn open. His clothes were ripped to shreds, and crisscrossing streaks of blood were a sight too gruesome to behold.

His face was deathly pale, his clothes soaked through with sweat and blood, and his lips bitten to the point of bleeding—he looked utterly pitiful.

But the man in black still wasn’t satisfied. He sheathed his bamboo whip and delivered another kick to Jiang Xiaowu’s abdomen—a blow so vicious it sent a chill down everyone’s spine. “Ah!” Jiang Xiaowu let out an agonized scream and curled up into a ball. Several women and Fulang turned away, unable to bear the sight. Was a bowl of leftovers really worth beating someone into such a state?

The onlookers clearly couldn’t bear to watch any longer, and many urged the man in black to stop, but he remained unmoved.

“He’s been secretly giving that beggar food more than once or twice. Today, I’m going to teach him a lesson he’ll never forget! A worthless slave like him—how dare he use my food to give to others?”

As the man in black spoke, he swung his bamboo whip again—but this time, it didn’t land on Jiang Xiaowu.

A ragged, skinny boy of twelve or thirteen stepped in front of Jiang Xiaowu like a little monkey, letting out a muffled groan as the bamboo whip struck him. When Yan Xiaoyu arrived, this was exactly the scene he witnessed. He didn’t act rashly; he just watched quietly.

The skinny boy gritted his teeth and glared at the man in black who had struck him: “I’m the one who ate the leftovers—hit me if you must!”

Jiang Xiaowu had been keeping his eyes closed, but upon hearing this, his expression changed. He hurriedly opened his eyes: “What are you doing here? Get out of here!” After speaking, he struggled to his feet and pushed the skinny boy aside. The boy didn’t budge, stubbornly blocking his path.

This skinny guy must be the beggar Jiang Xiaowu had taken in. He seemed to have some sense of loyalty—not a coward at all. Yan Xiaoyu sized up the two men across from him, a plan forming in his mind.

“Perfect timing—I’ll beat you up too!! You beggar, I don’t know how much you’ve taken advantage of me, but today I’m going to get it all back!” The man in black sneered and lunged forward.

“It’s just a few scraps of leftover food—it’s almost gone bad. Even if you didn’t give it to this beggar, you’d have to throw it away anyway!” A woman standing nearby spat out, her face flushed with anger.

“Manager Yang, I advise you to stop this. If you keep beating him and someone gets killed, who’ll dare to stay at your inn anymore?”

The man in black—Manager Yang—immediately scowled upon hearing this: “He’s my servant; I’ll beat him if I please! Mind your own business—it’s none of your concern!”

“Exactly!” Yan Xiaoyu stepped out of the crowd and declared, “Since this innkeeper’s servant has committed a mistake, it is only natural that he should be left to his own judgment.”

Ignoring the angry stares around her, Yan Xiaoyu spoke in a calm, measured tone: “However, what good is just beating him? Even if you beat him to death, Manager Yang, your losses cannot be recovered!”

Shopkeeper Yang looked up. The speaker was clad in a sky-blue robe and was exceptionally handsome; judging by his build, he must be a young master. He spoke with poise

and was dressed in fine fabrics; he must come from a well-to-do family—perhaps the young master of some prominent household.

Manager Yang had already developed a certain fondness for Yan Xiaoyu after the young man had spoken up in his defense. Now, seeing that Yan Xiaoyu’s attire and bearing were both refined, he dared not underestimate him any further.

“You’re a sensible young master after all! Unlike certain people who talk the talk but don’t walk the walk, always telling me not to hold a grudge. If this had happened to them, who knows how furious they’d be!”

Manager Yang snorted coldly, glanced around the room, then put on a friendly face as he turned to Yan Xiaoyu. “Young master, you just said that beating someone doesn’t make up for the loss. I wonder if you meant something else by that? I’d appreciate your insight.”

Yan Xiaoyu nodded, adopting an air of haughty superiority. “I see your servant has quite a thick skin—he’s still alive despite being beaten like that. As it happens, I’m currently practicing martial arts and need a tough, resilient sparring partner. Why not sell him to me? That would make up for your losses.”

No sooner had he finished speaking than a piercing glare shot his way, as if it could pierce him to death.

It was the beggar standing in front of Jiang Xiaowu. Yan Xiaoyu paid him no mind, fixing his gaze solely on Manager Yang.

A shrewd gleam flashed in Manager Yang’s eyes as he sized up Yan Xiaoyu from head to toe. Finally, he said hesitantly, “I wonder how much silver the young master is willing to pay?”

Yan Xiaoyu knew immediately that he had taken the bait. He quickly put on an impatient expression: “You’ve beaten him into this state. If I’m going to use him, I’ll have to have him treated first, or he won’t be able to take a beating. Here’s the deal: name your honest price. If it’s too high, I can’t be bothered with this.”

Manager Yang glanced at Jiang Xiaowu, momentarily unsure of what to do.

He really did beat him too hard today, but it’s that little brat’s own fault for disobeying him time and time again. With injuries this severe, if he doesn’t get treated, he’ll definitely be unable to work.

It’s actually a good deal to sell him.

But haggling over the price is a tricky business—ask for too much and the buyer might walk away, ask for too little and he’ll end up at a loss.

Manager Yang hesitated for a long while, then finally held out his palm to Yan Xiaoyu: “I see we’re on the same wavelength, young master, so I won’t haggle with you. Just six taels of silver, and you can take this man away!”

Yan Xiaoyu rolled his eyes. “For a man with barely two breaths left, you’re offering me six taels of silver? Do I look like a sucker to you?”

A bystander who loved a good spectacle chimed in: “You can buy a strapping young man at the labor market for just over ten taels. This kid’s build—he clearly can’t do any real work. Never mind whether he can be cured or not; even if he were, he’s not worth six taels.”

Manager Yang, furious and humiliated, glared at the heckler, then turned to Yan Xiaoyu with a sheepish smile: “Well then, young master, what’s your offer?”

Yan Xiaoyu nodded, spread his fingers, and held up five.

Manager Yang’s heart leapt with joy. “Five taels? Alright, I’ll take a small loss—”

“No, five hundred wen.”

Yan Xiaoyu spoke slowly, infuriating Manager Yang to no end.

“For a full-grown man, you’re offering five hundred wen??”

“Yeah,” Yan Xiaoyu said nonchalantly. “If you don’t think it’s worth it, you don’t have to sell him. Just spend a few taels of silver and a month or two treating his injuries to see if he’ll recover. If he does, you can just make do with him. But since you’ve been so brutal with him today, it’s hard to say if he’ll still be of any use afterward.”

Manager Yang felt a pang in his heart; those words left him at a loss for words.

If Jiang Xiaowu’s injuries weren’t treated with great care, they might leave lasting damage, which would certainly affect his ability to work in the future. The boy was already thin and frail, no match for those with robust builds; now that he’d been beaten like this, he’d likely be even less useful.

Proper treatment would cost a fortune—it simply wasn’t worth it.

Besides, the young master was right—Jiang Xiaowu had already developed a spirit of defiance. Even if he were cured, it would be risky to employ him again in the future.

Manager Yang’s thoughts raced. Finally, he gritted his teeth and said, “Five hundred wen is simply too much. Young master, why don’t you add a little more? How about one tael of silver? This lad is about your size and can take a beating. Buying him back for one tael to use as a sparring partner is a steal!”

Yan Xiaoyu shook his head. “I’ll add one hundred wen at most—that makes six liang. Anything more, you can keep for yourself.”

Six liang wasn’t much, but it was still a little extra income—better than losing out entirely. He’d vented his anger for the day, so he might as well sell the boy off cheaply. It would save him the trouble of having the boy around to annoy him, and he wouldn’t have to worry about keeping him by his side.

After all, the broker had thrown it in as a freebie back then—she hadn’t spent a single wen on it, so selling it for six hundred wens wouldn’t be a loss.

“Deal. Six liang. Let’s call it a favor between friends!”

As soon as Manager Yang finished speaking, Yan Xiaoyu’s clenched fist gradually relaxed.

He took Jiang Xiaowu’s indenture from Manager Yang and drew up a contract with him, just as A-Chai arrived driving his ox cart.

The beggar stood in front of them, refusing to let Yan Xiaoyu and A-Chai approach Jiang Xiaowu. His eyes blazed with anger, and he was on high alert. Yan Xiaoyu raised an eyebrow. “If you won’t let me take him to the clinic to treat his injuries, are you sure he’ll be able to hold out?”

The beggar stiffened for a moment before finally stepping aside.

Yan Xiaoyu directed the bewildered A-Chai to lift him, but Jiang Xiaowu refused to cooperate. Knowing he feared stepping out of the frying pan only to walk into the fire, Yan Xiaoyu took advantage of the others’ inattention and whispered three words to him in a hushed voice—“Yan Shaoxuan.”

At that, Jiang Xiaowu didn’t even need help; he began crawling toward the ox cart on his own. Unfortunately, he didn’t have enough strength and still couldn’t climb onto the cart.

The beggar paused for a moment, then hurried to help support him alongside A-Chai.

Jiang Xiaowu’s injuries weren’t life-threatening for the time being, but they were indeed quite severe. The doctor said that if not treated carefully, the wounds might become infected later on, causing a fever that he might not survive.

After Yan Xiaoyu and the medic’s assistant had washed and dressed his wounds and settled him in, he went over to speak with him. The moment he entered, the beggar’s wary gaze turned toward him.

Jiang Xiaowu also seemed to be holding back: “I don’t know what your relationship is with Young Master Yan. Was it at his behest that you saved me today? You covered the medical fees and medicines, but my… my indenture…”

Yan Xiaoyu understood his concerns. With no one else present, there was no need to keep up the pretense he’d used earlier.

“I know what you’re asking. I’m Yan Erlang’s best friend. He didn’t come out with me today, and he didn’t know you were in trouble. It was my own decision to buy you. As for your indenture, that’s entirely up to you.”

“I owed you a favor before, and by saving you today, I’ve paid it back. Your indenture is in my possession. If you wish to stay with my family, you may work in my shop from now on; if you wish to follow Yan Erlang, you may express your resolve to him and see if he is willing to take you in; if you wish to be freed from servitude, I will return your indenture to you. As for today’s consultation and medicine fees, once your injuries have healed, work in my shop for two months, and that will settle the debt.”

Jiang Xiaowu looked dazed, still finding it hard to believe. “I get to choose? You’ll even return my indenture? And I only have to work for two months to pay off the consultation and medicine fees?”

Yan Xiaoyu nodded.

Although he had traveled back in time from the modern era, he had no qualms about treating people as servants.

Yuye Pavilion was thriving now, and who knew how much it might expand in the future? His parents were getting older, so they would certainly need to hire help eventually.

This era was different from the modern world; there was often no such thing as justice. Human nature was complex; many people couldn’t resist temptation and truly needed to be restrained. Yan Xiaoyu didn’t have much faith in human nature. To him, a contract of indenture was a last resort—but also the only option available.

Yan Xiaoyu didn’t object to people buying slaves, but he didn’t want to force anyone into it.

Jiang Xiaowu is a man of honor and gratitude; he is always willing to repay kindness. 

If he was willing to work for him and help him out, he’d be more than happy to have you; but if you’re not, he won’t force him.

Jiang Xiaowu was still pondering, “This is our first meeting—how could you possibly owe me a favor?”

“It was that man!” The moment he asked, it dawned on him. “Did Scholar Yan ask me to keep an eye on that man for your sake?”

Yan Xiaoyu gave him an approving look: “That’s right.” Jiang Xiaowu was quite clever to figure it out so quickly.

“This is such a small matter—it’s hardly worth a contract of servitude, especially since you saved my life today.” Jiang Xiaowu’s face was full of gratitude, and the look in his eyes as he gazed at Yan Xiaoyu was tinged with admiration.

“Just now, you had me completely fooled—I actually thought you were buying me back to use as a punching bag. Good thing you didn’t say it outright; otherwise, Manager Yang would’ve demanded an exorbitant price, and we wouldn’t have gotten out of this so easily!”

The beggar boy standing nearby clearly hadn’t anticipated this turn of events either; his face was now filled with astonishment.

Yan Xiaoyu glanced at him. “You should go see a doctor and get some medicine for the wound on your back. I’ll pay for it. If you can’t afford it, you can come work at my house.”

Though this beggar was young, he was quite loyal. Looking at him, Yan Xiaoyu felt as if he were seeing Xiao Jiu from the orphanage, and for once, his heart softened.