Nameless District Arc Chapter One: Darling, Let's Go to Bed

“Master Zhou, please stop begging here. If you really can't make it, cross through the Moss Pine Forest. They're building a new city over there—you could work as a laborer. That would be better than begging here!”
At the city gate, a middle-aged guard spoke earnestly to a young man slouched against the wall, his eyes and words full of helplessness.
The youth was a beggar. His clothes were so ragged they barely covered him, his hair tangled and wild, and the stench from his body kept even the vendors at a distance, afraid to catch his odor.
Faced with the guard's advice, the youth remained unmoved, grumbling, “Better? Laboring is exhausting! You work yourself to death and get a handful of coins—what's the point? I'd rather be a carefree beggar, just lie here every day, that's the life.”
The guard could only sigh, reluctant to use force. Seeing the boy’s thin clothing, compassion stirred within him, and he tossed two ring-shaped coins into the beggar's battered bowl.
The youth snatched up the coins and grinned with the brightness of wild grass in the sun. “Thank you, big brother! May fortune smile on you, may wealth flow in, may you be healthy and happy, may everything go your way, may your descendants prosper, may luck shine upon you…”
A string of blessings poured from his lips, smooth and unbroken, leaving the guard a little embarrassed.
It was precisely this that brought him a decent daily income—at least enough not to starve.
“Here, I’ll give you ten yuan. Compliment me too!” called a merchant just entering the city, intrigued by the youth’s eloquence.
“Oh, sir, no—great master! May autumn winds bring you comfort, may wealth roll in and settle beside you. May your business flourish, achievements pile up, bonuses fill your pockets; may your trade thrive across rivers, with busy comings and goings; may good luck accompany all you do, may fortune flow endlessly. May you prosper, prosper, prosper!”
Laughter erupted from the passersby. The youth tucked the ten yuan bill into his clothes and joined in, unbothered by their amusement at his expense.
Above the gate, a young woman watched the scene below with disdain. Her beauty was undeniable—even her contempt held a certain allure.
“Miss, it’s fortunate the Zhou family fell early. If you’d married someone like that, who knows what hardships you’d have suffered.”
The beautiful woman, addressed as ‘Miss,’ was the eldest daughter of the Chen family, one of the city’s three great clans. Born with exquisite beauty and versed in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, she was renowned as the city's first beauty, called “the Lady of Luoshui” by people from neighboring cities.
The Chen family’s young lady shook her head. “Let’s not dwell on the past. I once thought, as the Zhou family’s heir, he’d rise from adversity, restore their glory. I never imagined he’d fall into idleness and laziness. The Zhou family ends with him. Let’s go. The Immortal Sect’s recruitment is in two days—I must prepare thoroughly.”
Noticing the beauty’s departure from the gate, Zhou Xuanhong smiled and shook his head, leaning back against the wall. He gazed at the distant mist-shrouded forest, lost in thought.
As night fell, the air turned cold, and the crowds dwindled. The guards prepared to close the gate.
Zhou Xuanhong awoke from his nap, patted the dust from his rear, and looked at the handful of coins in his bowl with satisfaction, slipping them into his inner pocket. He headed out of the city.
On the way, he scrounged leftovers from a few vendors, all given freely. They had little choice—if they didn’t, he’d sit in front of their stalls at dawn, and no one would dare approach.
“Thank you, thank you, boss—may fortune smile on you!”
Carrying a bag full of leftover food, Zhou Xuanhong hummed a tune, utterly content.
Before night fully claimed the sky, Zhou Xuanhong arrived at a ruined temple, its interior aglow with firelight.
“Hey, wife, I’m back! Did you miss me?”
He called out as he entered, his face alight with joy.
By the fire sat a slender figure. Upon hearing him, she frowned. “I’m not your wife. Stop saying that!”
Her voice was clear and pleasant, but her face, revealed by the firelight, would frighten children—twisted and scarred.

Zhou Xuanhong wasn’t bothered at all. He shamelessly sat beside her, close enough to touch. “If you’re not, who is? We’ve already been together as husband and wife. You’re mine, even if the king himself comes!”
She sighed, adding wood to the fire, ignoring him.
But Zhou Xuanhong leaned in and planted a wet kiss on her cheek, savoring the moment. “Wife, why are you so fragrant when I stink?”
She was about to scold him, but he quickly offered her the food. “Eat first, then you can beat me. Look how skinny you are—eat more, get stronger.”
“Hmph!”
She was used to his shamelessness. Hitting him only excited him more; scolding him was useless. She simply ignored him, feeding herself.
The two sat by the fire, eating the leftovers without complaint. Hunger made even scraps taste delicious.
She asked, “Winter’s coming soon. What’s your plan? If we stay here, we might die.”
Zhou Xuanhong’s mouth was full, so she handed him water. “Eat slower, don’t choke. I’m not fighting you for food.”
He swallowed and replied, “We can’t stay. There are three options: buy warm clothes in the city for winter, cross the dangerous Moss Pine Forest to the new city and try our luck, or try for the Immortal Sect’s annual recruitment—it’s almost here.”
She nodded, conceding there was no better way. “I don’t suggest staying. I sense danger. Someone doesn’t want us—no, doesn’t want you—to live.”
Zhou Xuanhong nodded. “I know. My family was once one of the three great clans of Luoshui City, with many cultivators. With the Zhou family gone, the Chen and Wang families split our resources. Of course, they don’t want me to rise again.”
She reasoned, “Even so, Chen and Wang won’t act openly, but the petty schemes won’t stop. They don’t want you to live, let alone join the Immortal Sect.”
“So, you mean I should leave Luoshui City?”
She nodded. “That’s the only way. People are complex and dark. We can’t take that risk.”
Zhou Xuanhong sneered. “People are indeed complex and dark, but in this world, strength speaks. If anyone wants to kill me, they’d better be ready to die by my hand.”
He stood, took off his coat, and draped it over her shoulders. “Wife, wear more. The money’s inside—keep it safe. I’m going to train.”
Taking advantage of the moment, he kissed her again, then darted off, chuckling.
She blushed, but didn’t protest. He had saved her, and cared nothing for her scars. She could see his affection—but…
Perhaps this was a mistake. I should have perished long ago…
Unaware of her feelings, Zhou Xuanhong began his training in a cleared area. It was nothing fancy: push-ups, handstands, sit-ups.
He trained until nine at night, drenched in sweat, his muscles gleaming in the firelight. She recalled their wild night, her cheeks flushing red—luckily, the dim light hid it.
Seeing her gaze, Zhou Xuanhong tried to tease her, but she turned away, sensing his intentions.
He wiped himself down, then sat beside her, whispering, “Wife, let’s go to sleep.”
She sighed, “Can’t you call me something else? My name’s Xiaona. Call me Nana, at least.”
“Got it, wife. Sleep time!”
He lay down beside her, his hand wandering to her hips, making Xiaona grind her teeth in annoyance.

“Just sleep! Why do you keep touching me?”
“Unconscious habit, sorry!”
“Stop it, or I’ll get mad!”
“Alright, I promise!”
“Don’t hug me!”
“Sorry, I’m cold!”
…
Amid playful bickering, they fell asleep.
At one in the morning, Zhou Xuanhong’s internal clock woke him. He looked at Xiaona, clinging to him like an octopus, his arm numb beneath her head.
“This girl…”
He gently extricated her limbs and withdrew his arm, the process taking nearly fifteen minutes, before he tiptoed out of the temple.
“That idiot…”
Deprived of her warmth, Xiaona curled up, her sleep no longer comfortable.
Zhou Xuanhong left the temple, walking through the night to the foot of a low, secluded hill. He slipped into a small cave, barely waist-high and a meter wide.
Not long after, a shadow appeared behind a distant tree, dressed in black, blending perfectly into the night. An ordinary person would never notice him.
“Weird…”
The figure approached the cave entrance silently, hesitating before deciding to snoop—to see what the fallen young master was doing here at night.
But as he stuck his head in, a cold flash sliced through the darkness, followed by a spray of blood. The man staggered backward, terror and helplessness in his eyes as life ebbed away.
Just as he was about to tumble down the slope, a hand reached from the cave, grabbed his chest, and dragged him inside.
The cave was spacious. Zhou Xuanhong stripped the corpse clean, glanced at a token in his hand, and sneered, “A Wang family agent. The Immortal Sect’s recruitment is near—you’re worried I’ll be chosen, so you couldn’t sit still?”
He wiped the blood from his dagger and kicked the body into a subterranean tunnel, where an underground river flowed.
He then sat cross-legged on a stone, meditating, absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to convert into his own power, utterly untroubled by the murder, as if he’d killed a chicken, not a man.
Time passed. When the first light pierced the cave entrance, Zhou Xuanhong emerged from meditation and stretched.
He struck the stone he’d been sitting on with a fist, shattering the massive boulder to pieces!
He looked at his unscathed hand, and inwardly sneered: You think the Zhou family’s fall deprived me of resources, that I can’t match your cultivation or talent. But you forget—when it comes to killing and robbing, none of you can hold a candle to me!
He dug through the rubble, retrieved a bundle, and slipped out of the cave, heading for the temple, humming a tuneless song.