Learn how to be a human in your next life.

Dusk.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.

After Chunlan left, Xie An spent the afternoon practicing the Five Animals Frolic, working until he was drenched in sweat.

[Five Animals Frolic: Integration of Motion and Stillness (99/100)]
[Remaining Lifespan: Fifteen Years]

Although the progress had only increased by two points, the feeling of making steady, incremental progress brought Xie An great joy.

"Only one more point to break through. No need to rush; it will happen sooner or later."

With the "Longevity" destiny, there was no need to worry about failing to breakthrough. It was merely a matter of spending a little more time.

Knock, knock, knock.

As a knock sounded at the door, it was He Chunli delivering dinner.

Xie An hadn't asked He Chunli to buy extra ingredients today, so he had to settle for the pawnbroker's rations: a bowl of white rice, a bowl of stir-fried tofu, and half a bowl of braised pork.

"Where is Zhang Bing?"

As He Chunli set the food on the table, he replied, "Brother Zhang went to the Li residence this afternoon to see the eldest son-in-law and just returned. Oh, right... I saw him sneaking into the kitchen a moment ago, and he looked quite flustered."

Upon hearing this, Xie An realized something.

He didn't touch his meal. Instead, he waited until the dead of night when the pawnshop was closed before carrying his dinner to the kitchen, where he found the wooden bucket used for food scraps.

He spotted three rats inside, stealing leftovers.

Xie An poured his meal into the bucket. After a brief moment of panic, the rats began to gorge themselves on the fresh food, letting out excited squeaks.

Xie An watched every move they made with wide eyes.

Three months ago, Xie An had keenly sensed that Zhang Bing was up to no good, so he had specifically asked He Chunli to keep an eye on him. Everything Chunlan and Zhang Bing had discussed in the shop earlier had been reported to him by He Chunli. Combined with the fact that Zhang Bing had visited the Li residence and then dashed into the kitchen in a panic... putting all the information together, Xie An suspected that Zhang Bing might be desperate enough to take a reckless gamble.

Better to be safe than sorry.

Indeed—

The three rats were suddenly struck by a violent reaction. They became frantic, scurrying wildly and shrieking. In no time at all, they kicked their legs, frothed at the mouth, and began to convulse... before dropping dead.

Hiss!

Even though Xie An had been mentally prepared, seeing it with his own eyes still left him trembling with lingering fear.

If he hadn't been careful, it wouldn't have been the rats dying tonight, but him.

"Your master is still your master!"

"My dear apprentice, do try to learn how to be a decent human being in your next life."

Xie An didn't fly into a rage. Instead, he went to the pawnshop in the middle of the night to check the pawn tickets.

Although Xie An hadn't stepped foot in the pawnshop for the past three months, through his informant He Chunli, he knew that Zhang Bing’s attire had become increasingly expensive, and he even had money to give gifts to the Li family's son-in-law. Furthermore, even if Zhang Bing wanted to climb the ladder, he wouldn't risk murder just for the position of an appraiser, especially when he knew Xie An was in good health. It all looked like a cover-up.

Xie An keenly suspected that Zhang Bing had tampered with the pawn tickets.

The appraiser trade was lucrative. But embezzlement carried risks; Xie An had always played it safe, only taking private work on the side.

As he flipped through the records, something felt wrong.

"Why are the pawn prices fluctuating so wildly?"

Generally speaking, a pawnshop was a hybrid of an antique shop and a bank. Income came from four sources: interest from loans, disposal of unclaimed items, service fees, and asset appreciation.

The loans were like those in his previous life, but with high interest—three percent per month. "Disposal" meant that if a borrower couldn't redeem their collateral in time, the pawnshop could sell it for profit. Some items appreciated over time, and if a customer wanted them back, they had to pay a higher price based on the current market value. Plus, there were service fees.

It was a foolproof business.

There were only a few pawnshops in Wuqiao Town, and most dealt with acquaintances, valuing integrity. After all, everyone was a neighbor; if you ruined your reputation, the shop couldn't survive.

As Xie An checked the tickets, he found that several antique items had been appraised at prices far above market value. For instance, a copper pot had been pawned for an astonishing twenty taels. The pot was sitting on the shelf; Xie An had inspected it—it was a clever fake, artificially aged, and worth nothing.

Chen Yuan, the shopkeeper, wasn't an expert in appraisal and couldn't see the trick. But Xie An, who possessed the secret skills of the craft, saw it immediately.

All these irregular pawn tickets added up to over two hundred taels!

A fact emerged in Xie An's mind: Zhang Bing was embezzling.

The amount was staggering!

It would take Xie An ten years of working without eating or drinking to earn that much. As for Zhang Bing... he might never earn that much in his entire life.

If reported to Master Li, given Zhang Bing's status as a slave, he would almost certainly be beaten to death.

Thinking of this, Xie An couldn't help but shake his head.

"No wonder you took the risk to poison me. You were afraid that once I returned to work, I would discover your embezzlement..."

A person had just walked down a path of no return. Perhaps Zhang Bing truly thought Xie An was a goner, and after buttering up the Li family's son-in-law, he believed he was the future appraiser.

He just never expected that Xie An... would return!

But for Zhang Bing to embezzle two hundred taels in one go—wasn't that too bold? Something still felt off...

Xie An put away the tickets, blew out the lamp, and left the pawnshop. But he didn't return to his room in the backyard to sleep; instead, he slipped out again into the night...

...

Two days later.

"Master! Brother Zhang is about to be beaten to death by Master Li!"

He Chunli knocked on Xie An's door at the crack of dawn, looking frantic.

Xie An followed He Chunli to the backyard of the Li residence. As soon as he entered, he heard Master Li’s furious roars and Zhang Bing’s miserable wails.

Many servants from the Li household were gathered around, including Chen Yuan, the shopkeeper.

Xie An walked up to Chen Yuan. "Old Chen, what happened?"

Chen Yuan sighed. "Alas, yesterday Chen He brought an appraiser named Liu Jiang to the shop to buy a copper pot at a high price, but Liu Jiang discovered it was a fake. I looked into it and found that this scoundrel Zhang Bing had been embezzling. Two hundred taels in total! I told Master Li... I never imagined a servant would be so treacherous. He deserves to be beaten to death."

At this point, Chen Yuan was fuming. "He even got me scolded by Master Li. It's lucky you were recovering from your illness, Old Xie, otherwise you wouldn't have escaped a beating either."

Xie An wore a look of pity. Through the crowd, he saw Zhang Bing, whose skin was shredded and raw—a horrific sight. Several times Zhang Bing tried to speak, but with a dirty rag stuffed in his mouth, he couldn't utter a word.

The beating wasn't being carried out by Master Li himself, but by his son-in-law—Lu Wei, the one Chunlan had mentioned.

"You treacherous dog! My Li family took you in out of kindness, and you dare to steal our money? You’re just a lowly slave; dying is what you deserve."

Lu Wei raised a wooden club and slammed it down onto Zhang Bing's back.

Crack!

The crisp sound of breaking bones made everyone shiver.

In the end, Zhang Bing was beaten to death, and two servants rolled him up in a quilt to carry him away. Many of the maids and servants were pale with fear. He Chunli, in particular, looked shaken; having lived in the same dormitory with Zhang Bing for ten years, he couldn't help but feel a sense of loss, realizing the insignificance of a servant's life.

Clearly, Master Li had gathered everyone here to make an example of him.

Xie An was undoubtedly the most composed person there.

As for how this all came to pass... only Xie An knew the truth.

As they were leaving, Xie An seemed to recall something and asked Chen Yuan, "Old Chen, who stuffed the rag into Zhang Bing's mouth?"

Xie An’s eyes were sharp, and knowing the inside story, he could see that Zhang Bing had wanted to say something before he died, but had been silenced.

Chen Yuan replied, "The eldest son-in-law brought two guards to the shop early this morning to tie him up. He stuffed the rag in right then and there..."

A chill ran through Xie An's heart.

The eldest son-in-law... Lu Wei.