“Enough.” The young man seated above interrupted the man beside Ning Xuan, who was anxiously trying to explain. “Take them away and put them to work. Only…” The man who had just begun to relax instantly tensed again at the sudden turn in his words. “That brat looks far too bewitching. Assign him somewhere farther away. Don’t let these seductive little foxes keep parading in front of the masters.”
Following the direction of the man’s finger, Ning Xuan looked over, then lowered his gaze… Damn! Me?!
Ning Xuan blinked his limpid black eyes with an entirely innocent expression, while the miniature universe inside him exploded once again. Uncle, just because you look a little younger and more tender doesn’t mean you can say whatever you please! I’m a man—a genuine, unmistakable man! Bewitching?! What the hell? Even if you’ve been conquered by my beauty, it’s called handsome, all right!
However angry he might have been, Ning Xuan retained at least a basic amount of reason and did not truly shout those words before everyone present.
What Ning Xuan did not know was that everyone there shared the same opinion as the young man he had innocently labeled an uncle…
After leaving the steward’s room, Ning Xuan and the others followed a supervisor through so many winding turns that it seemed to take half the day before they finally reached the legendary servants’ quarters. They were not nearly as terrible as Ning Xuan had imagined. There was no strange odor, and the place was reasonably clean. Two people shared each room. Apart from being slightly smaller than the room they had just left, it was almost identical, even down to the placement of the furnishings.
Ning Xuan sighed inwardly. Either the owner of this residence is filthy rich, allowing even ordinary servants to enjoy steward-level accommodations, or that steward is unbelievably stingy—especially when it comes to himself.
Because they had entered the residence at the same time, Ning Xuan naturally shared a room with the youth who had been purchased alongside him. Ning Xuan did not know whether he himself was too difficult to approach or the other youth was simply too withdrawn, but it took him quite some time before they could converse smoothly. He also managed to learn the youth’s name: Mo Qi. It seemed the supervisor really had stumbled upon the truth by sheer luck. With such a refined, literary name, Mo Qi had to come from either a scholarly family or a wealthy household. Ning Xuan could not help sighing inwardly as he cast a reasonably respectful and admiring glance toward the supervisor walking ahead.
For some unknown reason, the supervisor suddenly felt a chill run through him. He tightened his collar and muttered inwardly, Autumn seems to have arrived unusually early this year…
After being transferred from one supervisor to another, Ning Xuan watched the new man behave arrogantly toward them, only to bow and scrape before the previous supervisor as though he wanted nothing more than to rush forward, cling to his thigh, and wag his tail. Ning Xuan finally gained a profound understanding that in ancient times, people truly did not share the same fate. Human beings were divided into countless ranks and classes…
“From now on, the three of you will work here in the library. Every book in this room is your responsibility, along with all the corners, doorframes, shelves, and everything else. Although the masters rarely come here personally, they occasionally send someone to retrieve a book. So remain cautious and attentive while you are on duty. Don’t assume that just because the masters cannot see you, they won’t be able to find fault with your work!” As he spoke, he paced back and forth before the three of them with great seriousness. His name was Xiao Tang, a servant assigned by the supervisor to oversee Ning Xuan and the other two.
Stopping before the unfamiliar youth who had only recently arrived, Xiao Tang lowered his head and glared at him through gritted teeth. “You had better be careful! You’re so clumsy. You’ve only been here a few days, yet you’re either knocking this over or crashing into that. Sooner or later, you’ll lose your own head through carelessness!”
After saying this, Xiao Tang swept his sleeves aside and left, unwilling to remain any longer.
The library sounded elegant, and the work did not appear particularly strenuous. However, anyone who had remained in the residence for at least three months knew that it was the most exhausting and thankless assignment of all. Rarely seeing the masters meant fewer opportunities for advancement. Although dusting books and wiping shelves was not particularly demanding on ordinary days, no one wished to work there, which left it severely understaffed. As a result, the work that appeared light and limited accumulated into a considerable burden. The lack of people also caused dust to gather even more easily.
Should they slack off and fail to clean properly, only for a master to discover it, a single displeased glance would be enough to have them dismissed without any opportunity to explain. That was why the periodic task of carrying the books outside to air them and remove the smell of mildew was truly unbearable. They not only had to move mountains and seas of books outside one stack at a time and spread every page beneath the sun, but also restore the bindings exactly as they had been before carrying them all back inside. Most importantly, none of the books could be returned to the wrong position. Should a master suddenly decide to look for one and fail to find it, matters would become rather exciting indeed.
Watching Xiao Tang depart, Ning Xuan put on what he believed to be his friendliest and most amiable smile and eagerly approached the newly arrived youth to begin a conversation. Although he had not yet worked out what he ought to do, this person would be his colleague for quite some time. Establishing a good relationship between coworkers would make it much easier to conduct underground activities in the future. “Hello. My name is Ning Xuan. What should I call you?”
His brilliant smile instantly froze when the youth stared at him in shock, as though he had seen a ghost.
Why does this keep happening?! What unforgivable crime have I committed to make everyone dislike me so much? Ning Xuan lamented inwardly.
What Ning Xuan failed to notice was that everyone’s astonishment had nothing to do with any offense against Heaven or humanity that he imagined he had somehow committed. Rather, his smiling face was simply far too visually overwhelming for them to withstand. As for calling their reaction shock, it would be more accurate to describe it as amazement.
That was not the end of Ning Xuan’s misery. The instant the youth regained his senses, he immediately turned his head and presented Ning Xuan with his back, dealing Ning Xuan far more than a minor blow.
Ning Xuan was baffled. What is going on?
With his back turned, the youth’s immature face rapidly flushed crimson. Only after a long while did he finally force out a reply. “My name is Qing Zhu.”
Ning Xuan remained bewildered. Could it be the custom of this unknown dynasty to conduct conversations back-to-back?
Mo Qi, who had already begun silently wiping the bookshelves nearby, remained entirely unsurprised. When he glanced at Qing Zhu’s flushed profile, his expression instead showed complete understanding and sympathy.
With nothing else to do, Ning Xuan could only begin working. Yet the matter continued to bother him terribly, no matter how much he puzzled over it. With a sharp slap, he threw down the cloth in his hand and marched before Qing Zhu and Mo Qi as though he had come to demand an explanation. Both youths froze and looked up at the suddenly furious Ning Xuan, exchanging puzzled and innocent glances.
“What exactly have I done to make both of you dislike me so much?” Ning Xuan demanded indignantly. This was his first time transmigrating, after all. It was inevitable that he lacked experience and did not know how to communicate with ancient people, but they could not exclude him like this! “Let’s start with you. The two of us were sold here together, yet it took me forever just to get you to talk to me!” He then turned toward Qing Zhu. “And you—I learned from the previous experience and approached you very gently and calmly. You answered me directly, but only after making me wait forever. And you did it with your back turned and your head lowered!”
Hearing this, both youths breathed sighs of relief. However, Ning Xuan’s solemn expression made it obvious that he would not relent until he received an answer, leaving them somewhat embarrassed. They exchanged another glance. After a long silence, the more cheerful and lively Qing Zhu finally spoke, carefully weighing every word while watching Ning Xuan’s expression. “Have you… ever looked in a mirror? Or heard anyone else’s… opinion of your appearance?”
Futile Devices Scans 
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