"I had to say, boy... Why would you keep running out of the manor knowing you'll get beaten after this?" said an old man in his seventies. While speaking, his hand didn't stay idle but instead rubbed an ointment on the scarred buttcheeks.

From his words, this wasn't the first time he's applying the ointment on the boy's buttocks. In fact, something like this happened once a week.

At first, the boy had a light punishment for attempting something like this. But gradually, it gets worst. Now, he's treated the same as the other adults and was given similarly harsh punishment for attempting to escape the manor.

But surprisingly, no matter how painful the punishment was, the boy not only could overcome it, to the point it became a norm to the disciplinary servants and family elder.

"Xiao Tu... How many times did your grandfather tell you? The world outside there is harsher than what we have now inside this Chen Manor?" the old man continued.

Although he calls himself Chen Tu's grandfather, they have no blood relationship. As a matter of fact, Chen Tu was an infant he picked up a few years back when visiting another town with the Chen Family Patriarch.

This elder's name is Chen Gou.

Gou, as in the meaning of a dog. The child beside him doesn't have a much better name either, as he was named Chen Tu, which means "rabbit."

It was only natural for them to carry the surname of "Chen" as the lifelong servant to the family. Unlike the other servants, who retain their rights to their own, Chen Gou and Chen Tu don't have such privileges.

After all, they're not a mere servant but slave servants.

A slave servant is usually picked up on the roadside or bought from slave traders throughout this country. They're usually taken into the family as a child and trained to ensure their loyalty to the Chen Family.

For example, Chen Gou was taken into the house when he was ten, and it has been over sixty years since he served the Chen Family as their faithful servant. As to Chen Tu's situation, he was in the middle of getting trained to assume Chen Gou's duty later after Chen Gou died from old age.

Looking at Chen Gou's age, he's likely capable of living for another five to ten years before passing away by reaching the limit of his lifespan. To a slave servant like them, living up to their eighties is considered a long lifespan.

Of course, what was said so far only applies to people without a shred of cultivation.

After all, these slave servants had no right to cultivate unless they were ordered to do so. Even if they wished to do so, where would they find the Spiritual Coin to purchase a Spiritual Absorption Technique and cultivation resources?

Furthermore, the Chen Family is just one of the five large families in this Crimson River Town. Unless they're at the level of large families in this Jade Cloud Country's capital city, it was a dream for servants like Chen Gou or Chen Tu to cultivate.

"Ah Gou!!!" the screaming of a boy can be heard outside the servant's house. Judging from the pitch used, this scream comes from those entitled beings born with a surname.

"Properly rest here and stop trying to escape again. Your grandfather will come back at night, alright?" Chen Gou quickly responded to the call and gently rubbed Chen Tu's head before leaving their room in a hurry.

Quietness quickly returns to the room after his grandfather leaves.

Lying with his chest facing downward, Chen Tu slowly crawled further until his chin was now at the corner of the bed. This allows him to stare at where they left their shoes before crawling up to their stone bed.

Unlike their master's room, which was entitled to have their own bed, the servant's shared a long stone bed together.

Around ten servants were put together in a room, with five people sleeping on each side. Since they're designated to their rooms based on status, those with slave servant status usually have little to no belongings except a few Spiritual Coins.

Even if they do, would they leave their valuables unattended inside the room?

But instead of trying to act mischievously again, Chen Tu fell asleep after crawling to the end of the bed. Part of his tongue fell out of his lips, like a pup of a Spiritual Beast.

The pain in his buttcheeks had subsided when Chen Tu was awake in the evening. If Chen Gou sees how active Chen Tu is right now, he would simply assume it's thanks to the medicinal ointment given by the Chen Family's Patriarch.

Little did he know, the medicinal ointment was useless. It was merely a cream with all sorts of mud and herbs made somewhere and picked by the patriarch by coincidence.

Even Chen Tu had no idea how he could recover this quickly each time after getting beaten. And thanks to this, it kept fueling his rebellious thought of escaping from this Chen Manor.

He had this inexplicable mentality that being kept here like a slave was not the life he was supposed to experience.

"Let's see where I can go again today..." Chen Tu carefully went down from the bed and sneakily left the servant's bedroom. Trying his hardest to maintain his quietness, he tiptoed along the buildings until he came across a door leading to another courtyard.

Based on how unkept the door was, it should be a side or rear entrance to a courtyard. But because Chen Tu was too young, he had no idea what was written on the wooden plaque on the top.

[MARTIAL TRAINING COURTYARD]

"Let's sneak inside and see if there's a rabbit hole for me to get outside!" Chen Tu made his way to the door.

This is precisely the opportunity Chen Tu is seeking for. Using all the power of five year old, he sprinted and went inside another courtyard. It was wide open like someone had just made their way across and had no chance to close it.