Chapter 42 - 41: Rejection

Chapter 42: Chapter 41: Rejection

Seeing that everyone else was carrying prey on their backs, Xu Guang was a bit curious. "Brother Hao, don’t you have to pay taxes on those?"

The hunter tax was a rule set by the Feiyun City Guard’s Mansion. Anyone who went into the mountains had to hand over half of their hunt.

Hearing this, Hao Wenzuan chuckled. "It seems Brother Xu isn’t very familiar with the rules of Feiyun City. We are Mercenaries, and this time we are on a mission. With our identity tags and an official task at hand, the city’s regulations state that any spoils we seize from the enemies we kill belong entirely to us. These were all confiscated from our foes."

He spoke with a profound tone, seemingly feeling a bit of pity that Xu Guang hadn’t brought back any prey himself. Xu Guang just smiled softly in response. Although he also coveted the game, he believed that keeping his true strength a secret was far more important.

Leaving the mountains went smoothly, and so did the journey back to the city.

By the time he returned home, it was already noon.

The atmosphere in the city seemed to have changed. Although it was still enveloped in Death Qi, the streets looked a bit more lively than before, as if Feiyun City was slowly coming back to life.

The group had first gone to the Three Guards Department to report the details of their mission. Since they hadn’t recorded any major kills, they only received the most basic rewards. Xu Guang’s share was a mere one tael of silver and a little over ten catties of average-quality millet—better than nothing.

Carrying his things, Xu Guang hurried home. As a newlywed, he was still in the honeymoon phase. After being separated for several days and having absorbed so much Essence Blood, his longing for Ji Xiaolu had reached its peak.

Standing before Courtyard 136 in the shantytown, Xu Guang heard women’s voices from inside before he even pushed the door open.

"Miss Chun, you have such skillful hands. Your weaving is wonderful." It was Ji Xiaolu’s voice.

Mrs. Xu’s voice followed. "Miss Chun, when you have free time in the future, you should come over and teach Lu."

"Don’t worry, Mrs. Xu. I’ll make sure to teach her well."

It was an unfamiliar female voice. At the same time, Xu Guang heard the playful laughter of children. When Xu Guang pushed the door open, he instantly drew everyone’s attention.

The courtyard was quite lively. Besides Ji Xiaolu and his mother, there was an unfamiliar woman dressed in mourning clothes. She had a gentle face and long hair that fluttered in the wind without looking messy, but her dark eyes were filled with sorrow. Behind the woman were two little ones. One was Wang Wen, who was almost seven, and beside him was a little girl of about five. Judging by the girl’s facial features, she was likely the stranger’s daughter.

The noise Xu Guang made opening the door wasn’t small; after all, Courtyard 136 was very dilapidated, so the door let out a loud creak when pushed.

When Ji Xiaolu saw Xu Guang, her eyes lit up. Filled with deep longing, she stood up abruptly. However, seeming to remember something, she just stood there, gripping the hem of her plain light blue skirt, and said timidly, "Brother Guang, you’re back."

In comparison, Mrs. Xu was much calmer. She simply said flatly, "My son is back."

Xu Guang nodded at Mrs. Xu. With a single stride covering several meters, he pulled Ji Xiaolu into a hug and spun her around in the air. "I’m back."

The woman dressed as a widow quickly turned her head away, though her heart was filled with envy toward Ji Xiaolu. Since there were people around, Ji Xiaolu was so embarrassed that she buried her face in Xu Guang’s chest, not daring to peek out.

"Uncle Guang! Aunt Lu is scared, I want to come too!" Wang Wen’s untimely voice rang out.

Feeling a bit sheepish, Xu Guang set Ji Xiaolu down. Ignoring his nephew who was clinging to his thigh, he looked at Mrs. Xu with an embarrassed expression. People always said that the relationship between a mother-in-law and daughter-in-law was difficult to navigate. He wondered if acting like this in front of his mother would make her dislike Ji Xiaolu.

However, his worries were clearly entirely unnecessary. Although Mrs. Xu glared at him, she scolded, "What do you think you’re doing? Put Lu down right now! She isn’t sturdy like you."

Speechless, Xu Guang quickly turned his gaze to the unfamiliar woman. "Mother, who is this?"

"This is Miss Chun. She lives in Courtyard 143 right behind us," Ji Xiaolu whispered into Xu Guang’s ear, suppressing her embarrassment. "Her husband used to be a Feiyun Guard as well. He went out during the big battle outside the city a few days ago and never came back."

Xu Guang fell somewhat silent upon hearing this. Over the years, he had witnessed many partings and deaths; in fact, he had caused many with his own hands. At his current stage in life, sympathy was a very luxurious emotion.

Seeming too embarrassed to stay any longer, Miss Chun quickly called over the little girl and took her hand. "Mrs. Xu, Lu, and... Mr. Xu, I have matters to attend to at home, so I’ll be leaving first," she said.

When she left, Wang Wen was a bit reluctant to part with the new friend he had just met yesterday.

As someone with experience, Mrs. Xu knew the young couple had things to say to each other. So, she grabbed Wang Wen—who was pouting heavily—and dragged him into the house.

With the courtyard empty, Xu Guang completely let himself go. Flexing his arms slightly, he swept Ji Xiaolu into a princess carry.

"Did anyone bully you or my mother while I was away these past few days?"

Ji Xiaolu shook her head, her face rosy. "No. I heard that the Lord City Guardian sent out letters, and these past few days, many merchant guilds from Four-direction City and Qingshui City have arrived. They brought a lot of grain. When they were selling grain yesterday, I heard people say it would be enough to last until the autumn harvest."

Xu Guang’s face was filled with astonishment. He had only been gone for three days, and the city’s food shortage problem had already been solved? Suddenly, he felt that the higher-ups in the city, especially the Lord City Guardian, were actually quite decent. At the very least, they were willing to help the citizens solve the issue of food and clothing, preventing a situation where people couldn’t buy food even if they had money.

He was also a bit happy. After all, if Feiyun City was stable, his own little family could be stable too. "That’s really a great thing."

Unexpectedly, Ji Xiaolu shook her head. "It’s not all good. When the news of the grain shops reopening spread the day before yesterday, everyone swarmed over. Many people who had already spent all their money on the black market hid in the alleys, waiting to rob and kill people..."

Xu Guang was stunned. "People dare to commit murder in the Inner City?"

Ji Xiaolu looked a bit embarrassed. "It was in the Outer City. Some people outside said that the grain there was a bit cheaper..."

The grain had arrived, but the supplies in the Inner City and Outer City were different. The Outer City only got low-quality millet and bran, whereas the Inner City had polished rice and white flour, which were much more expensive.

"From now on, just buy the good stuff. With me here, our family won’t lack money."

Ji Xiaolu smiled and nodded, though a hint of lingering fear remained in her eyes. Obviously, yesterday’s chaos had sent shivers down her spine, even for someone like her who had survived as a refugee.

Xu Guang didn’t say much more about it. Ji Xiaolu was always obedient and only wanted to save money for their family. As long as she didn’t go there again, there was no need to harp on it. "What’s the story with Miss Chun? Lu seems quite close to her."

"We met the day before yesterday when buying grain. Your sister and her husband found out I went to the Outer City to buy grain and came looking for me. Someone saw that Miss Chun was pretty and tried to drag her away, but your sister’s husband chased them off, and I walked her home. Husband, you have no idea, Miss Chun is amazing at weaving clothes."

Pausing for a moment, as if sensing Xu Guang’s internal worries, Ji Xiaolu said softly, "Miss Chun is a pitiful person. Her husband was a Ten Households in the Feiyun Guard. They were married for seven years, but he rarely stayed home overnight. After he died a while ago, many people targeted her. Only after she exhausted all her family’s savings did those people finally let her and her daughter off. Recently, the unrest in the city was so fierce. She only managed to keep Xing Hua from starving by making clothes for the neighbors in exchange for food. Fortunately, the City Guard’s Mansion didn’t take back their courtyard, otherwise..."

Xu Guang nodded, setting aside some of his darker suspicions, and hugged Ji Xiaolu tighter. "Yeah, let’s not talk about this anymore. Did Wen come to the Inner City to attend a private school?"

"Your sister dropped him off on the first day you left. The paperwork for your sister’s husband is almost approved, so they should be moving in soon as well."

After sharing some tender moments with Ji Xiaolu, Xu Guang chatted with his mother for a bit and then played with Wang Wen for a while. Only then did he stand in the courtyard and take out the Dragon Blade Spear he had forged by Master Niu. The spear was over four meters long. The spearhead was somewhat peculiar; it was slightly longer than a standard spearhead. The sides were sharp like a blade, suitable for slashing, while the tip could be used for thrusting. Xu Guang really liked the Weapon in his hands.

He wasn’t very skilled at using it yet, as the spear was one of the hardest Weapons to master. Xu Guang could only practice slowly. However, after thrusting and slashing just a few times, he was forced to stop. The courtyard was simply too small. Practicing a Fist Technique was fine, but swinging such a Big Spear didn’t leave enough room for him to shift and maneuver.

He wasn’t in a hurry, though. His first search for Cultivation Technique modifications was not yet complete. Because it involved modifying the Bone Forging Technique, it required ten days. He didn’t have a Spear Technique on hand at the moment anyway, so he was merely trying to get a feel for the weapon.

The most important things right now were the Golden Willow Skill, along with its accompanying footwork and Fist Technique. The Golden Willow Skill was currently his main Cultivation Technique. The Bone Forging Chapter was on the verge of Great Perfection, and he was highly looking forward to it.

Over the next three days, he completely consolidated the explosive progress he had made from the Refinement of the Refining Viscera Essence Blood before resuming his Cultivation.

Two more days passed.

[Golden Willow Skill Bone Forging Chapter (81%)]

It was close. Bone Forging was about to reach Great Perfection. A satisfied expression appeared on Xu Guang’s face. Considering that it had been less than two months since he stepped into Bone Forging, to be on the verge of Bone Forging Perfection meant his Cultivation speed should be considered extremely fast.

At dusk, a figure hurried into the shantytown and knocked on the door of Courtyard 136.

It was Li Yuan. Ever since their last mission, Xu Guang had deliberately distanced himself from him, feeling that the man’s character was simply too poor.

"Ah, it’s Brother Li. What brings you over today?"

Li Yuan glanced at Xu Guang and smiled. "How have you rested these past few days, Brother Xu? Brother Hao is planning to go to the Three Guards Department to accept another mission, so I came over to invite you."

Xu Guang looked him up and down and shook his head. "I’m sorry, Brother Li. Grain arrived in the city a few days ago, and my family bought quite a lot. I want to spend more time with them, so I have no plans to go on a mission for the time being."

Hearing this, Li Yuan let out a cold snort, his emotions plain on his face. He seemingly felt that Xu Guang’s refusal had caused him to lose face. Having followed Hao Wenzuan over the past few days, he had experienced the romantic pleasures of the Inner City and had already come to look down on an ignorant peasant like Xu Guang.

"Brother Xu, as Mercenaries, we are meant to solve problems for the Feiyun Guard. If you keep hiding away all day like this, be careful that the Three Guards Department doesn’t punish you!"

Xu Guang remained silent. Although Li Yuan had a poor temperament, he wasn’t an idiot; he understood exactly what Xu Guang meant.

He immediately snorted coldly and turned to leave in a huff.