Bad things happen often

[Introduction]

March 3rd

My master is dead.

He was struck by a palm that severed his heart meridian, and died from his injuries.

Before he died, the master only said one thing: Never be a good person.

Xiao Xiao sat on the threshold, lost in thought. In the warm spring of March, butterflies danced and orioles sang, and azaleas bloomed across the mountains, their red blossoms almost blinding. She looked up; flames, crimson, enveloped her master's body, burning fiercely. They were several times more dazzling than the azaleas covering the mountains. She rubbed her eyes, stood up, and went inside.

She and her master had been wandering from place to place, without a fixed abode. This house had long been abandoned before they arrived, and the things inside were extremely rudimentary. Her master tidied it up a bit and added a few necessary pieces of furniture, but they hadn't originally planned to stay for long. To this day, the roof of the east room still leaks, and the hole in the wall of the north room hasn't been plugged yet; only the west and south rooms are barely usable.

Master lived in the west room, where there was only one bed. Xiao Xiao knew that all of Master's belongings were under the pillow. And Master had also said that all those belongings would eventually belong to Xiao Xiao. Xiao Xiao picked up the pillow and looked at everything underneath: three coins of silver, twenty-six copper coins, three copies of "Illustrations of the Tang Dynasty Imperial Harem," an account book, and a packet of dried plums.

Xiao Xiao thought for a moment, then put the silver and copper coins into her pocket. She flipped through the account book, which was filled with entries for things she owed. Xiao Xiao scratched her head, then put the account book into her bosom. Then, she picked up the "Tang Dynasty Imperial Harem Picture" and the dried plums, and went to the south room.

The south room was her bedroom, which was simply furnished with an extra chair and a bronze mirror. She didn't have much luggage; it was already packed. She slung her bag over her shoulder, picked up her sanxian (a three-stringed plucked instrument) from the bedside table, and went out.

Outside the door, the flames had begun to die down, and the gray-black dust drifted further and further away on the warm breeze. Xiao Xiao walked to the fire and placed the three harem illustrations into it. She clasped her hands together and bowed.

"Master, I'm leaving," she said.

She took a few steps, looked down at the dried plum in her hand, picked one up, and put it in her mouth. The dried plum, without any sugar coating, was sour and bitter. Xiao Xiao held back her tears and forced herself to swallow the dried plum.

"Master, it tastes awful..." she sniffed and complained softly.

On the third day of the third lunar month, a warm breeze pushed her along from behind.

I swear, from now on, I will never eat dried plums on the third day of the third lunar month.

Volume One: Rare Goods Can Be Held High Prices

A single thought

Two hours later, Xiaoxiao began to hate the account book in her hand. She walked downhill from her house, and every hundred steps, someone would approach her, baring their teeth and brandishing their claws, saying: "Girl, your master owes me money, isn't it time to pay it back? With interest, it's now..."

Xiao Xiao always looked blankly at the money, then mechanically flipped through the ledger behind her. In the end, she would always helplessly hand over the money with both hands.

Xiao Xiao didn't know how many people or how much money her master owed in his lifetime. However, when her three taels of silver (twenty-six coins) dwindled to three, she finally realized, "It's utterly unjust for a daughter to pay her father's debts..." But her master's debts were incredibly wide-ranging, from woodcutters and stonemasons to peddlers and merchants—all sorts of people. Xiao Xiao couldn't help but worry that wherever she went, someone would jump out and say, "Girl, you owe me money."

Xiao Xiao looked at the three lonely copper coins in her hand and wept, gazing at the sky. What could three coins buy? The cheapest steamed bun shop at the foot of the mountain charged one coin for two buns. Three coins for six buns? How many days would that last? Was she, Zuo Xiao Xiao, only sixteen years old, going to starve to death?

“No wonder Master said not to be a good person… It’s the first step to becoming a bad person if you don’t repay your debts…” She sniffed and sighed.

Speaking of being a bad guy, Xiao Xiao immediately understood. His master's surname was Zuo, and his given name was Huai Ren. He said he once met a wise man who instructed him to "have a compassionate heart and help the world." However, putting the names together, it just sounds like "Zuo Huai Ren," which is really awkward. That wise man must have just made a spur-of-the-moment decision and never thought about the meaning of the name himself. Since he's supposed to be a "bad guy," it would be laughable if he later became a benevolent hero.

She had traveled the world with her master since childhood, but her master had never done anything particularly benevolent. To make a living in the martial arts world, her master would come up with any means necessary. Performing, delivering messages, searching for people... that was one thing, but when times were tough, he cheated, swindled, stole, and ran up debts—what hadn't he done? Speaking of those books of "Illustrations of the Imperial Harem of the Tang Dynasty," her master himself was also among the painters.

Master said: First, you must eat your fill.

Hmm, I need to eat my fill! Xiao Xiao thought for a moment, Zuo Xiao Xiao... a thief? She looked at the three coins in her hand again.

Indeed, fate has its own design. Since the name itself carries this meaning, being a good person is defying destiny. Master's dying words were truly farsighted and profound. Look at the martial world over the past hundred years—which demonic sect leader, which evil tyrant… has starved to death?

She wiped away a small tear. She made a silent vow: "Good people don't live long, but evil ones live a thousand years." Although her martial arts skills were mediocre and her knowledge was barely enough to read an account book, with enough determination, she might one day become a bewitching demoness, wreaking havoc on the martial arts world!

Three coins! I'm not paying back these three coins no matter what!

She had just finished making her vow when her stomach growled. It was dusk, and she was all alone on the mountain path. The growl seemed particularly abrupt, rumbling and echoing.

Xiao Xiao, tears welling in her eyes, touched her stomach. It would still be an hour before she reached the town from this mountain path. Besides the bag of dried plums, she had nothing else to eat. Although her master had lived a frugal life, Xiao Xiao had never gone hungry before. This was the first time she had ever experienced such a severe food shortage.

She watched the setting sun, listening to her rumbling stomach. If it weren't for the debt collectors getting in her way, she would have been eating steamed buns down the mountain long ago. Indeed, one shouldn't be a good person…

She was feeling desolate when a gust of wind rose, rustling the bamboo and trees covering the mountain. Birds returned to their nests, and the original silence turned into a cacophony.

Helpless, Xiaoxiao had no choice but to endure her hunger and continue walking. Ahead was a half-slope, and going around it would take an extra quarter of an hour. Xiaoxiao had learned some light-body skills, so she decided to just jump over it. Just as she reached the top of the slope, her gaze swept down and she saw a figure.

Below the earthen slope lay a rugged mountain path, flanked by dense bamboo and trees. A petite figure walked slowly along this path. The mountain paths were winding and complex; when she first arrived, it took her three days to avoid getting lost. It was already late; why was she still on the mountain? Had she lost her way?

Xiao Xiao couldn't help but wonder how much she could ask for if she went up to lead the way.

Xiao Xiao immediately dismissed the thought; the person was taking the only path down the mountain. Clearly, they weren't lost. Tsk, making money isn't easy these days.

Just as I was thinking that, my stomach growled again.

She sighed softly, and was about to continue on her way when a faint flash of light made her lower her head again.

In the afterglow of the setting sun, what was glittering was clearly jewelry! Xiao Xiao immediately bent down and began to examine it carefully.

The pedestrian was just a girl of about thirteen or fourteen, and in the afterglow of the setting sun, she was clearly visible. She wore a light green dress, which, judging by its fluttering motion, was either silk or gauze. While not the attire of an ordinary family, it wasn't particularly expensive either. However, the jewelry she wore was astonishing. Her hairstyle was a simple double bun, with a gold-inlaid hairpin on each side. The hairpin heads were coral beads the size of longan eyes. Her earrings were silver inlaid with pearls. She wore a necklace and crystal bracelets. A turquoise and tortoiseshell b

……