Scientific Travel

Now that the city is safe, I should hurry up and go shopping. I have 289 gold coins left, so I should spend them all while it's safe.

Deng Yin first went to the house he had bought in the city, and good heavens, it was full of beggars.

The beggar was not surprised by Deng Yin's arrival.

The girl was dressed casually, probably because she knew the house owner wasn't home and was looking for a place to stay.

An old beggar who looked like he had been around for a long time sized Deng Yin up and down and said, "You can stay here, but you can only stay in the courtyard. You can't mess up the things here, and you can't break anything. Otherwise, you will not only have to pay for an exact replacement, but you will also have to get out of here."

Deng Yin raised an eyebrow and asked, "Is this house yours?"

Old beggar: No.

Deng Yin: "Then why do you care so much?"

Before the old beggar could speak, the people next to him couldn't sit still any longer. "What are you saying? Get out of here right now, or I'll beat you out."

The old beggar stopped the other beggar who was speaking up for him and explained to Deng Yin, “This house isn’t mine. We’re just staying here temporarily. The owner of this house doesn’t know. If you break anything here, she’ll find out. If she finds out there’s a group of beggars living in her house, beating us up would be the least of her worries.”

The person who had just spoken up for the old beggar said discontentedly, "Why bother explaining so much to her? I think we should just kick her out. She looks dishonest and might get us into trouble."

Several other beggars nearby echoed this sentiment.

Deng Yin didn't say a word, just looked at the old beggar with a mocking expression.

The old beggar's voice grew stern: "Enough! We are not the owners of this house, and we have no right to decide who stays or leaves. We are all the same as this little girl; as long as she hasn't done anything wrong, she can live here. Anyone who has objections, get out now!"

Those around seemed to be terrified of the old beggar, swallowing all their discontent and tacitly accepting Deng Yin's arrival.

Deng Yin applauded the old beggar. "Well said! Although you let me stay here, I still want you to leave."

Deng Yin pretended to rummage through his clothes, but actually pulled out a land deed from his spatial storage. "This is my house."

The old beggar wasn't a fool; he could tell at a glance that the land deed was genuine, bearing the official seal.

He looked embarrassed, his beard was gray, but he still knelt down and apologized to Deng Yin.

Those around him followed suit and knelt down to apologize to Deng Yin.

The old beggar trembled slightly, his face full of guilt. "I'm sorry, I didn't know this house belonged to you. We've never been inside the house; we've always slept in the courtyard. I hope you can take pity on us and let us go."

As soon as he finished speaking, the old beggar's head slammed heavily onto the floor.

People around followed suit, and soon the courtyard was filled with the sound of kowtowing.

Deng Yin remained calm, as if it were perfectly natural for others to kneel before her. "Get up. Since you've been so careful staying here, I won't pursue the matter further. Now, get out of here."

The old beggar's forehead was bright red, even with traces of blood seeping out. He repeatedly agreed and, supported by two young beggars, walked away.

After everyone had left, the system asked Deng Yin, "Did many people kowtow to you before?"

Deng Yin understood the system's implied meaning. "No."

The system then asked, "Is kowtowing a common way to express apology in your area?"

Deng Yin didn't want to beat around the bush any longer. "What exactly are you trying to say?"

The system took a deep breath and said, "Why do you have to insult others over such a small matter? Have you been here too long and gotten used to living a superior life?"

“Last time you resorted to personal attacks, I just thought you were being childish. But now you’re making an old man of such advanced age kneel and kowtow to you. I really can’t think of any excuse to absolve you.”

Although this was the first time the system had bound itself to a host, it had heard other systems talk about how wonderful the hosts they bound to were. It never expected that the host it bound to would be this kind of person.

Deng Yin's voice was icy: "What do you mean by 'minor matter'? Go to the yamen and ask if trespassing on private property is illegal."

System: "But it shouldn't be that bad..."

Deng Yin sneered, interrupting the system. "It's not that serious. Whether it was kneeling or kowtowing, it was his own initiative, which means he knew he was wrong. If he knew it was wrong but still did it, then he should pay the price."

System: "Remember what you said today."

Deng Yin ignored him and rolled his eyes.