In [Dream Of The Red Chamber], Jia She Acquires A Plant-Based Superpower. - Chapter 3

Jia She pulled the quilt over his head, laughing silently in the pitch-black darkness.

He now possessed a plant-based ability, which gave him the capital to protect himself. A Level 1 ability could absorb the spiritual energy of trees to nourish one’s own body, while Level 2 allowed for the forced growth of plants, turning leaves into weapons. As long as he cultivated to Level 2, he would not fear being exiled or raided by the Emperor. At worst, he could abandon the identity of Jia She and become a carefree rogue in the martial arts world. With solid skills, he could live a happy and abundant life anywhere.

The thing Jia She feared most was failing to survive after a home raid. Now that he had awakened his ability, he no longer feared the sword hanging over his head. Seeing that it was not yet dawn—likely two or three in the morning—he practiced according to the technique, sensing the wood-element spiritual energy between heaven and earth.

Jia She concentrated his mind, lost to the passage of time, until he “saw” green specks of light surrounding him. He quickly drew them into his body. The moment they entered, he felt as if he had heard a rumble of thunder.

It was only when the warm morning sun shone on his face that Jia She opened his eyes. He had spent half the night drawing spiritual energy into his body, absorbing the wood-element energy from the air. This energy had a nourishing effect; despite only half a night of practice, a thin layer of sweat had formed, signaling his body was detoxifying itself. The technique he practiced required no specific posture; it only required focus, and it absorbed ambient wood-element energy as it circulated.

Recently, Jia She had been obsessed with cultivation, sleeping day and night. The people in the East Courtyard were in a panic, fearing he might never wake up.

Lin Zhixiao would come to pay his respects every day and report on matters inside and outside the court. Lin Zhixiao did not believe the rumors that Jia She was critically ill, as he saw him daily. Jia She’s complexion was ruddy, his voice was resonant, and his eyes were bright—hardly the look of a dying man.

“Eldest Master, the rumors outside are becoming increasingly chaotic. This morning, someone passed by our mansion and actually threw rotten eggs at our main gate. The person ran too fast, and the gatekeeper did not catch them.”

Jia She, while circulating his energy, changed to a more comfortable position and continued lying down. It was a long while before he asked Lin Zhixiao, “Do you want to live, or do you want to die?”

Lin Zhixiao was shocked. He scrambled to his knees and knocked his head against the floor. “Eldest Master, this servant wants to live. Please spare my life!”

For no apparent reason, why would the Master want him dead? Had he truly gone so mad that he would kill anyone he saw? Seeing Lin Zhixiao pale with fear, Jia She sighed softly, “If you want to live, do as I say: move all the money you embezzled from the public coffers to my storehouse.”

After dismissing Lin Zhixiao, he waited to see if he would seize the opportunity. Once outside, Lin Zhixiao wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. Previously, when the Eldest Master was angry, he felt fear, but not terror. Now, even though the Eldest Master was not raging, a single casual sentence made him tremble and struggle to breathe. This instinct, which had saved him many times, told him to obey.

After pondering for a long time, Lin Zhixiao made a decision. In the dead of night, he summoned his confidants and arranged to have all the items from his private storehouse moved to the exterior of Jia She’s private treasury.

Jia She woke at dawn, washed away the toxins expelled from his body, and met Lin Zhixiao, feeling refreshed. Lin Zhixiao’s eyes were bloodshot and his chin covered in disheveled stubble, clearly having spent a sleepless night. He was gambling—gambling that Jia She had no one else to use and gambling that Jia She truly wanted to let him off. As a servant born into the Jia household, his life was cheap. Even if he had not embezzled, other stewards would have. To secure his position as second steward, he had to play along; integrity only led to exclusion.

Jia She glanced at the wooden boxes and the ledger Lin Zhixiao provided. Good heavens, Lin Zhixiao had moved goods worth 150,000 taels—five large chests filled with gold, silver, jewelry, antiques, and calligraphy. Though he knew there were rats in the house, he was still shocked by the scale of Lin Zhixiao’s wealth. If a second steward held 150,000 taels, one could only imagine how wealthy Lai Da was.

Lin Zhixiao held his breath, observing Jia She’s expression. His entire family was registered as slaves; their lives rested on Jia She’s word. These riches were a knife at his throat. After thinking it over, he realized that if he won this gamble, these assets would be legitimized under Jia She, and no one could ever use them to threaten him again.

Jia She had the items moved into his private treasury and told Lin Zhixiao, “I will consider the past wiped clean. If anyone tries to bribe you in the future, you may tell me. Some things can be taken, others cannot; taking the wrong thing will cost you your life.”

Hearing this, Lin Zhixiao felt as if he had been reborn. While he had lost his illicit wealth, he no longer had to live in constant, agonizing fear of discovery.

Jia She kept the doors to the East Courtyard closed, lost in cultivation. His skin grew clearer, his features more refined. The flabby flesh vanished, and despite no exercise, he developed defined abdominal muscles. When Lin Zhixiao came to report on the income from the manors, he was struck dumb by the sight of Jia She lounging on the couch.

Jia She looked up in confusion, seeing Lin Zhixiao’s dazed expression. “What are you staring at so intently? Why is there a loss in the manor’s income? Were there natural disasters?”

Lin Zhixiao regained his senses. “Master, you seem to have grown younger. Looking at you just now, I felt as if I were looking at you ten years ago. As for the manors, there was a severe drought the year before last and too much rain last year, so the income has been in deficit.”

Jia She smiled. He was not only getting younger; his ability was changing his constitution. Every day of cultivation flushed out toxins, perfecting his physique. He turned the page and ordered Lin Zhixiao to investigate the stewards.

“I will not manage the public manors, but as for my private properties, if any steward dares to embezzle over a hundred taels, report them to the authorities once you have evidence.”

Lin Zhixiao frowned slightly. “Will reporting them to the authorities affect your reputation, Master? Perhaps it would be better to secretly beat them to death.”

Jia She sneered, “What reputation do I have left? This world has laws; if someone does wrong, they should be sent to the government office.”

Lin Zhixiao’s smile stiffened. It was an unspoken rule among the nobility that servants beaten to death by their masters were a private matter. Rarely did a family send a servant to the authorities, as it was a loss of face for the master.

Just as Lin Zhixiao left, Amber, a maid from Mother Jia’s side, requested an audience. She smiled and bowed before saying, “The Old Matriarch invites the Eldest Master to dinner this evening.”

Jia She gave a casual nod. Amber dared not linger, fearing Jia She might suddenly go mad and kill her.

In the evening, Jia She took Lady Xing with him to Mother Jia’s. Xing Shi had not seen him for nearly a month and was stunned. The previous Jia She had always looked decadent, like a man in his forties; the current Jia She had exquisite features and fair skin, and one would believe him if he said he was just twenty.

Xing Shi followed behind, murmuring to herself: Is it that after breaking the pot, he has become fearless, and because all his worries have vanished, he is growing younger? She envied his mindset but could not emulate his fearlessness.

Jia She entered the front hall and saw Jia Zheng and Lady Wang sitting on the right. He chuckled, “Oh? What is this today? Usually, you sit in the first seat on the left, do you not?”

Since being beaten by Jia She, Jia Zheng had developed a psychological shadow; the mere sound of Jia She’s snide tone made his whole body ache. Jia She picked up the tea offered by a maid and looked at Mother Jia.

“Old Matriarch, you know I have no patience for Jia Zheng, yet you still ask me here for dinner. Are you not afraid that I might find him displeasing and beat him again?”

Jia Zheng sat up straight, wanting to retort but fearing he would provoke Jia She. He flushed, unable to utter a single word. Mother Jia’s eyelids twitched, but she dared not stimulate him with harsh words. After Jia She’s episode, her headache had flared up, and before she could even summon a doctor, news of him coughing up blood had reached her. She favored Jia Zheng, but Jia She was the heir to the Rong Mansion title; if he died, the title would be demoted, and the successor would inevitably be Jia Lian. If she passed away one day, the Rong Mansion would become a mere Second-Class General’s Mansion.

Mother Jia sucked in a breath, ignoring the provocation. “Brothers have no overnight grudges. Calling you here is because there is something to discuss. You misunderstood your sister-in-law last time.”

Jia She frowned. Mother Jia hurriedly continued, “Your sister-in-law has already found the person who embezzled the public funds and recovered the silver. The servants who sold the imperial gifts have all been beaten to death.”

Jia She gave Lady Wang a playful look. This month must have been difficult for her; she had panda-like dark circles and looked haggard, aged by a decade. Beaten to death? That was clearly a cover-up. Jia She was still adjusting to this world where imperial power reigned supreme. With one command from Lady Wang, those people had simply vanished.

Lady Wang wiped her tears with a handkerchief, crying truly sorrowfully. “I never imagined Lai Da would be so bold as to embezzle hundreds of thousands of taels. If Brother had not awakened me last time, I would never have thought to check the accounts.” Even now, she had to get a jab in at Jia She, reminding Mother Jia that it was Jia She who had “caused” the death of her confidant.

Lady Wang waved a hand, and servants carried in several mahogany chests. When opened, they were filled with glittering gold and silver. Jia She was not surprised; he had known Lady Wang would find a scapegoat, which was why he had Lin Zhixiao turn the evidence over to him. If Lin Zhixiao had not, the scapegoat would have been him. Jia She glanced at Mother Jia; Lai Da’s mother was her confidante. Between her confidante and Lady Wang, she had chosen Lady Wang.

Mother Jia probed, “The embezzlement is now resolved.”

Seeing Mother Jia watching him, Jia She smiled and nodded. “I do not care where this money came from. Since the hole in the public treasury is filled, I will let it go. Sister-in-law, you must be more careful in managing the household in the future. Your servants are wealthier than their masters; you really have done a ‘good’ job managing this place.”

Lady Wang swallowed her rage, clenching her handkerchief as she bowed to Jia She, promising to be diligent in the future. Mother Jia dared not provoke Jia She; she certainly would not dare provoke that lunatic. Jia Zheng was truly fuming; he was angry every time he heard it. Last time he wanted to buy a painting, he thought 3,000 taels was too expensive, yet Lai Da had embezzled hundreds of thousands of taels and over a dozen imperial gifts. Jia Zheng felt Jia She was right; Lady Wang was incompetent for letting Lai Da become such a massive rat.