Let's Squander A Billion First!-Chapter 1649: Lord Qiansui (Part 1)

[Thank-You Card is being synthesized...]

[Thank-You Card successfully synthesized, current progress 20%.]

[Acquired an Identity Fragment, would you like to view it?]

Chuzheng didn’t waste words: "View it."

[Identity Fragment decoding...]

A screen gradually appeared in front of Chuzheng.

[Identity Fragment 2: Birthday December 12th]

Chuzheng: "..."

Alright, at least it’s much better than that man from before.

-

Chuzheng awoke to cold rain, with thunder rumbling in her ears.

When she opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was the leaky roof above her head, with lightning streaking across the dark night.

The wind howled in her ears, and Chuzheng felt chilled to the bone, almost frozen stiff.

Below her was a grass mat, and her clothes were tattered and dirty.

Just by looking at her attire, Chuzheng could roughly imagine her current appearance...

Chuzheng wanted to lie back down; had she wandered into the wrong scene?

How did she end up looking like this?!

The rain soaking her was too cold, so Chuzheng got up and surveyed her surroundings.

This place seemed to be a dilapidated temple, and besides her, there were many beggars huddling here, the rain’s dampness mixing with an indescribable stench.

Every rain-sheltered spot had been occupied, and despite the thunder and rain, people were sound asleep.

Chuzheng took a few steps and found two children still awake, the older one holding the younger one, leaning against a corner, with half of the older child’s body exposed to the rain.

Both children had their eyes wide open, and upon seeing her rise, they remained silent, watching her intently.

Chuzheng averted her gaze, intending to find a place to process her memories first.

Suddenly becoming a little beggar had her quite bewildered.

The broken temple had hardly any space, packed densely with people.

After scanning the surroundings, Chuzheng finally locked her target on a statue with a platform that she could climb onto to avoid the rain.

In front of the two children, Chuzheng swiftly climbed up there.

-

The original owner’s surname was Ji.

The Ji Family had once been prominent ministers in the Xia Dynasty, but not long ago, the entire Ji household was executed.

The only survivor was the original owner, the Ji Family’s young lady.

She had no idea how she escaped the death cell, but when she awoke, she was a thousand miles away from the Capital City.

Upon inquiry, she learned that everyone in the Ji Family had been beheaded.

And the cause of it all was the original owner’s fiancé—Zhu Dongfeng.

The marriage between Zhu Dongfeng and the original owner had been arranged since childhood.

The Zhu Family couldn’t compare to the Ji Family; Zhu Dongfeng was considered to be marrying above his station.

Zhu Dongfeng was seven years older than the original owner, who is now only twelve, while Zhu Dongfeng had already turned nineteen.

Zhu Dongfeng often visited because of their engagement, and the Ji Family paid no attention.

But Zhu Dongfeng exploited this convenience to frame the Ji Family.

Even when the original owner was imprisoned, she couldn’t believe it was all Zhu Dongfeng’s doing.

After mysteriously surviving, without any Silver and being an inexperienced young lady, the original owner could only become a beggar.

Five years later, the original owner returned to the Capital City.

She coincidentally encountered Zhu Dongfeng about to marry the Eldest Princess. The original owner came back to avenge the Ji Family, but unfortunately, she failed and was instead recognized and captured by Zhu Dongfeng.

Zhu Dongfeng was shocked she wasn’t dead.

By this time, Zhu Dongfeng no longer concealed his ambition, with the Ji Family previously blocking their path, always viewing his engagement to the original owner as him marrying above his station.

Every time he visited the Ji Residence, he seemed more like a follower.

Zhu Dongfeng felt like he was not her fiancé but more like her servant, needing to follow her every command.

The Zhu Family had always wanted to eliminate the Ji Family and take their place.

Zhu Dongfeng had merely inherited this ’family tradition,’ successfully toppling the Ji Family.

After capturing the original owner, Zhu Dongfeng didn’t personally kill her but cruelly cut her tongue and sent her to a brothel.

Although the original owner couldn’t speak, her face remained pretty.

The original owner couldn’t endure such humiliation and chose to commit suicide.

-

The timeline is still early, and the original owner has already left the prison; the Ji Family has been executed, and she has just learned of these events, leaving her in a deep depression these days.

The original owner had no recollection of how she escaped the prison.

Chuzheng guessed that the Ji Family must have used some means to save her.

Chuzheng sighed and rubbed her stomach—it was somewhat hungry...

Cold and hungry.

The current season was deep Autumn, and with the rain and wind, the temperature was bone-chilling.

Not to mention, the original owner wasn’t wearing much.

Chuzheng took out a cloak from her Space and wrapped it around herself while sitting atop, trying to organize the original owner’s memories further.

The thunder stopped before she knew it, and the rain’s sound diminished.

The horizon started to brighten, the misty sky lacked sunlight, weighed down in silence, and there was the palpable scent of rain in the air.

[Main Task: Spend Fifty Taels of Silver within two hours.]

Chuzheng climbed down; the two children from last night were still there.

The younger one had fallen asleep, while the older one remained awake, clutching the other child and watching Chuzheng unblinkingly.

Chuzheng walked past them, the older child looking up to watch her leave.

The view darkened momentarily as something was hastily pulled off their heads, the soft touch on their hands giving the child quite a shock.

Upon realizing what was covering him was something that person had been wearing, the child opened their bright eyes, gazing outside the broken temple.

-

[Congratulations, young lady, for acquiring Thank-You Card×1]

Chuzheng: "..."

Chuzheng glanced back at the rapidly disappearing temple before retrieving her gaze, stepping through the rain to leave.

The temple wasn’t far from the nearest county town, and Chuzheng quickly entered the city, buying two sets of clothes, renting a room to bathe and tidy up, nearly completing the task.

After cleaning herself, Chuzheng pinched her slender chin, looking side to side.

At twelve years old, her current body’s features had not fully developed, yet from what could be seen, it was still exquisite and cute, far above the average child.

The original owner was quite clever, knowing to smudge herself almost pitch-black, not allowing anyone to see her true appearance.

Otherwise, without needing to seek out Zhu Dongfeng herself, she’d be discovered here and directly sent to those places.

The most important thing now was—sleep!

She was so sleepy.

Chuzheng took a nap at the inn, waking only in the late afternoon.

She put on her coat to go eat, the inn located within a bustling marketplace; at this time, it was lively and thriving outside. Chuzheng chose a quiet corner to sit.

"What would you like to eat, guest?" the shop assistant came over to ask.

Chuzheng, too lazy to look at the menu, boldly declared, "Bring all your signature dishes." Signature dishes were surely the most expensive!

The shop assistant who had served Chuzheng earlier saw her transform from a filthy beggar to a pretty and delicate young lady, and didn’t doubt whether she could pay, instead calling out energetically, "All right, one moment please."

The shop assistant promptly went to report the order; as it wasn’t mealtime yet, the dishes arrived swiftly.

Chuzheng had chosen the finest inn, and the dishes were quite satisfactory.

Well-rested and well-fed, Chuzheng’s mood gradually brightened.