Chapter 55 : Chapter 55
Chapter 55. Changshun Street
The next day,
the second day of the fifth month.
At the Affairs Hall, Xu Yuan received his stipend for last month, a total of nine taels of silver, including the one tael that had previously been withheld.
After all, once one reached the Level Three zone, aside from the basic pay, the main way to obtain money and resources was through military merit.
Weighing the heavy sycee silver in his hand, Xu Yuan shook his head. “The residence may be safe, but compared with the cost of cultivation, this stipend is a little insufficient.”
By now, he had also seen things clearly. Jobs that were safe and light on responsibilities never paid all that much to begin with, and the monthly stipend was simply not enough to cover one’s cultivation resources.
Apparently, the Shangyang Residence did not encourage martial artists to grow complacent in comfort.
After collecting his thoughts, Xu Yuan prepared himself and headed to the Level Three zone together with Chen Sanli, Gao Yuan, and the others.
After arriving, he was assigned to the relatively stable Changshun Street. Wang Huan and Chen Sanli were also on the same street, though they belonged to different squads.
Gao Yuan was assigned to another street, while Xiao Sheng remained in the Level Four zone.
Not long afterward, Xu Yuan also saw someone he had not expected to encounter: Zhou Yu.
“She was assigned here too…”
Xu Yuan raised his brows. Her neat, cropped short hair was particularly eye-catching, and the blue clothes on her body also showed her cultivation. She too had reached the Third Meridian.
Chen Sanli was as sharp-eyed as ever. Seeing this, he immediately moved closer and exchanged a few quiet words with the martial artist responsible for guiding them. The two of them then parted with smiles. Only after returning did he say,
“Brother Xu, I asked around. That woman was transferred here early too, just like you. The martial artists assigned to this street generally all have pretty good aptitude.”
Xu Yuan understood at once. It seemed that those assigned to Changshun Street were mostly people with decent talent, so he himself was nothing especially unusual.
‘And Zhao Qiusheng said arranging this had been difficult beyond measure… That old fox really does act exactly as he always has.’
Xu Yuan shook his head with a laugh, but he did not take it to heart. Zhao Qiusheng really had helped him a great deal, and he had even introduced an acquaintance to look after him.
No one was perfect. If one stared only at people’s faults, then everyone in the world would seem difficult to get along with.
As for Chen Sanli, his aptitude was clearly ordinary, yet he had still managed to work his way into this place. He really did have something about him.
At that thought, Xu Yuan gave Chen Sanli a long, meaningful look.
Just then, a cool voice interrupted their conversation.
“So you broke through to the Third Meridian too?”
When Zhou Yu saw Xu Yuan in a blue robe, her delicate eyes paused for a moment, and she slowly walked closer.
“I broke through by luck.” Xu Yuan nodded.
“What a convenient bit of luck… When exactly did you break through? Tell me the precise time.” Zhou Yu stared at him and spoke coldly.
Xu Yuan was so amused by her interrogating posture that he laughed. There was seriously something wrong with this woman.
“Why should I tell you? Please move aside. If there’s nothing else, I’ll be leaving first.”
‘Did he get flustered? Then he definitely broke through only recently!’
Watching Xu Yuan’s figure recede into the distance, Zhou Yu’s lips curved into a faint smile.
She had become a Third Meridian martial artist half a month ago, which was already considered remarkably fast. Because of that, she was convinced that Xu Yuan’s speed had been inferior to hers.
‘At most another five months, and I’ll break through to the Fourth Meridian. By then, you won’t even be able to see my back anymore. Let’s see whether you can still be this arrogant.’
Being assigned to the Level Three zone ahead of schedule had originally left Zhou Yu somewhat irritated, but after seeing Xu Yuan, her mood suddenly improved.
…
Southern part of the Level Three zone, Changshun Street.
Xu Yuan followed Chen Sanli to the center of the street, where someone was already waiting for him. It was Yang Yan, Zhao Qiusheng’s friend and the squad leader whom he had asked to look after Xu Yuan.
Yang Yan looked to be around forty, with dark skin and a kindly smile.
“Our street guard, Hong, has gone to the ward office for a meeting. But once he learned that Captain Xu was coming, he attached great importance to it and said he would invite you to dine at a restaurant tonight.”
As he spoke, he sized Xu Yuan up and praised him aloud,
“I’ve long heard that Captain Xu has extraordinary aptitude. Now that I see you in person, you truly are impressive.”
“Not at all, not at all. I’m nowhere near as seasoned and steady as Captain Yang.”
Even though they were both at the Third Meridian, Xu Yuan still spoke modestly and maintained a respectful attitude toward his senior.
Yang Yan took that in and felt rather satisfied with him. He had seen too many young geniuses who rose too early, only to die halfway through their path.
A person like Xu Yuan, who was both humble and talented, was the kind who could go far.
After that, Yang Yan led Xu Yuan to the martial artists’ quarters. It was a small courtyard, and inside it, the squad leader had a room to himself.
Yang Yan spread his hands and smiled at him.
“As a squad leader here, there usually isn’t much to do. As long as you handle the rotating patrols properly, nothing will go wrong. Once you’ve worked here for a few days, you’ll understand the details.”
Yang Yan had already been working here for several months and counted as an old hand. Since Xu Yuan had been specifically entrusted to him by Zhao Qiusheng, he naturally regarded him as half one of his own people.
Their conversation was quite pleasant.
Although Xu Yuan had long since known what the work involved, after hearing the details at length, he still could not help feeling that this assignment really was excellent. He only needed to take the night watch once every two days and lead his squad on patrol for two hours.
At all other times, he was free to do as he pleased. It was an extremely leisurely post.
The squad members, however, did not have it nearly so easy. The various squads had to take turns patrolling nearby every day, and they needed to work four hours daily.
“The street guard has already assigned squad members to both of you. Some of them are old hands too, so if anything comes up, you can ask them.”
Because the squads also had to hold meetings every morning, Yang Yan gave a brief explanation and then left on his own.
‘So aside from Yang Yan, the only other squads on this street are mine and Zhou Yu’s. That woman’s mind does seem a little off, though. I wonder whether she can even communicate normally?’
Shaking his head, Xu Yuan also went out to meet his own squad members.
He was at the Third Meridian, held the position of squad leader, and had four Second Meridian martial artists under him.
When Xu Yuan saw his subordinates, he was a little surprised. One of them was even a student he had taught before.
Li Shun—the same boy who had openly talked back to Xu Yuan in front of everyone when he had been teaching martial students—was now dressed in a set of blue-green clothes.
Back when he was at the training compound, he had managed to get started in Benlei Fist and obtained three months of self-selected duty. After spending that time inside the Shangyang Residence, he had been assigned to the Level Three zone this month.
The people at the Affairs Hall had probably seen that he was Xu Yuan’s student and, on the principle of placing him with someone familiar, sent him over here.
And not long ago, Li Shun had successfully broken through to the Second Meridian. He had been overjoyed, ready to make a great display of his talents, only to see Xu Yuan again…
To be honest, the instant he laid eyes on his former teacher, Li Shun’s mind became a mess, and inwardly he groaned without end:
‘My luck really is terrible. How did I get assigned under Instructor Xu again? Which steward handled this assignment? Do they have any sense at all?!’
Among the group, Hu Quanshui was an old hand who had spent a long time in the Level Three zone. Last month, he had just escaped from a Bai Family encirclement and was reassigned to Xu Yuan’s squad.
The other two, Liu Yu and Qi Li, had both only recently broken through to the Second Meridian and had been assigned here together.
‘What kind of lineup is this? Interns and veteran staff?’ Xu Yuan grumbled inwardly. Then he had them introduce themselves and get acquainted.
All four squad members, including Hu Quanshui, the “veteran,” were extremely respectful and obedient toward Xu Yuan—at least on the surface.
That was only normal. After all, a higher official could easily crush those below him. Xu Yuan was the squad leader, and his cultivation was higher as well.
If he took a dislike to someone, then during patrols he could have that person scout the dangerous alleys first, or when fighting the Bai Family, he could casually lag a step behind… Who could possibly endure that?
The battlefield changed in an instant, after all. A squad leader had endless excuses at his disposal, and the Shangyang Residence would only listen to the one with the higher cultivation. Who cared whether your reasoning was right or wrong?
“Hu Quanshui, right? You’re the veteran here. Give me an introduction to the situation on Changshun Street.”
“Certainly, Captain Xu.”
Hu Quanshui looked to be around thirty, with rough skin and an honest expression. He stood up at once and explained with a smile,
“There really isn’t much to our street. Aside from the routine patrols, we also go around urging the shops to pay a little protection fee. Generally, no one dares delay on purpose. Right now, since the two sides are fighting so fiercely, everything goes very smoothly.”
“There’s quite a bit of profit in that as well… Of course, Captain Xu, you naturally don’t need to handle that personally. When the time comes, you can just take the largest share. There are also established boundaries between our squad and the other two.”
“All right. You know this place best, so for today, take them around and help them get familiar with it first.” Xu Yuan nodded.
“Understood!”