Chapter 61 : Chapter 61
Chapter 61. A Stern Rebuke
The following morning.
Hong Qianshan gathered all three squads for a meeting. After dealing with each squad’s business, he suddenly raised his voice and began scolding them harshly:
“Loafing around and taking the easy way out! This is utterly disgraceful!”
“Someone has been on duty for this entire month and still has not gone on night patrol even once! I will not name names, but I hope he mends his ways!”
“A squad captain only has to take one night watch every two days, yet even that little bit of work has to be covered by his colleagues. What use are you, then?”
“If anyone else dares follow this example, do not blame me for punishing you without mercy...”
His words were sharp and severe. Although he did not name anyone outright, everyone knew who he was talking about, and more than a few covert glances drifted toward Xu Yuan.
Xu Yuan’s expression remained completely normal. He even gave a slight nod, as if he agreed with the criticism, as though the person being scolded were not him at all.
It could only be said that now that his strength had risen, his state of mind had changed as well.
In the past, hearing such a reprimand would have left him anxious and fearful. But now, it passed in one ear and out the other. He even found it a little amusing.
‘Still, I was not planning to have anyone cover for me tonight anyway, so why did Hong Qianshan deliberately bring it up?’ Xu Yuan frowned slightly.
Having someone cover a night watch had always been a willing arrangement on both sides. Nobody lost anything, and it touched no one’s interests, so almost no one bothered interfering in it.
Had Hong Qianshan suddenly lost his senses and decided to pull something like this?
That answer was obviously impossible. The man was as shrewd as a fox.
‘Unless...’ Xu Yuan’s thoughts raced. After a long moment, realization dawned on him. ‘So he is getting impatient too.’
“If anyone privately arranges a replacement for the night watch again, do not blame me for showing no mercy!”
“Changshun Street is too small a temple to hold such a great Buddha!”
Hong Qianshan gave a cold snort. Seeing that everyone had grown uneasy, he changed the subject and said,
“Oh, right. Wang Huan from Zhou Yu’s squad broke through to the Third Meridian this morning. He has already gone back to the residence to register, and he will probably return this afternoon to await assignment. Tomorrow, I will transfer someone else into that squad.”
The moment those words came out, the crowd erupted into an uproar, and the discussions would not stop.
Hong Qianshan paid it no mind. He gave Xu Yuan a long, careful look, then turned and left.
“Oh? Wang Huan broke through too?” Xu Yuan stroked his chin and looked toward Zhou Yu’s side.
Her face remained as cold as ever, as though she was not surprised in the slightest.
The expressions of the other squad members were complicated. Two of them even looked distinctly uneasy, likely because they had offended Wang Huan before and were afraid he would settle accounts with them.
Once the meeting ended, the squads began dispersing.
Zhou Yu shot Xu Yuan a glance, said nothing, and left first.
“There is nothing I can do now.” Yang Yan looked troubled and shook his head at him, indicating that he was powerless to help.
“It’s fine. Thanks for the last few times, Brother Yang. Our squad will take the night watch tonight.” Xu Yuan smiled.
From behind, Chen Sanli also looked over with concern. Xu Yuan gave a slight nod to show that it was nothing serious. Chen Sanli immediately understood and left with Yang Yan.
‘Finally... he’ll be out tonight!’
Beside them, Hu Quanshui ran a hand through his hair and secretly let out a sigh of relief.
Liu Yu and Qi Li also sneaked glances at Xu Yuan, but the moment he looked back at them, they immediately turned their eyes elsewhere.
Li Shun’s face darkened slightly as he said in a low voice, “No matter what, we still have to thank Instructor Xu for buying us this much time and letting us catch our breath.”
After speaking, he cupped his fist in salute toward Xu Yuan.
Liu Yu sounded worried as he muttered, “We are not going to get attacked like we did last month, are we?”
“Listen to yourself. How could that happen? Those vermin from the Bai Family would never dare act so brazenly,” Hu Quanshui said with a chuckle.
“Stop tempting fate,” Li Shun snapped.
Qi Li also raised a hand and thumped Hu Quanshui once. “If you do not know how to speak, then do not speak.”
Xu Yuan remained calm and watched everyone’s reactions with interest.
“Captain Xu, I heard before that your talent was extraordinary. Have you made another breakthrough lately?” Hu Quanshui asked, sounding casual.
“Not even close. Breaking through to the Fourth Meridian is no easy matter.” Xu Yuan shook his head.
“Ah, what a pity. Otherwise, we would not all have to stay this nervous,” Hu Quanshui said with a regretful look.
“Exactly,” Xu Yuan replied evenly.
...
That afternoon.
Xu Yuan was resting with his eyes closed in his room when a cheerful voice suddenly came from outside.
“Xu Yuan, are you in there?”
“Stop hiding in your room and grinding away at your cultivation. Come out, let’s have a few drinks!”
Wang Huan stood outside the door, brimming with high spirits.
He had successfully broken through to the Third Meridian the previous night. In his wild delight, he had stayed awake the entire night, then hurried back to Shangyang Residence first thing in the morning to register as a three-striped retainer.
The moment he returned to Changshun Street, he could not wait to come see Xu Yuan. He wanted both to win back some face and to patch things up with him.
Fingering the brand-new blue robe on his body, Wang Huan was full of self-satisfaction. Just as he was about to knock again, the wooden door opened, and Xu Yuan stepped out, giving him a cool, indifferent look.
“What is it?”
Meeting that calm gaze, Wang Huan felt inexplicably intimidated for a moment. But he quickly straightened his chest again. Now that he too had reached the Third Meridian, what was there to fear?
With that thought, he clasped his hands behind his back and spoke in a ringing voice,
“I happened to break through to the Third Meridian, and I am still somewhat unfamiliar with the duties of a captain. So I thought I would invite Captain Xu out for a drink. First, to seek some advice, and second, to catch up a little.”
Xu Yuan looked him up and down, then shook his head.
“Bad timing. I have something to do today, so I am afraid I cannot accompany you.”
“I—”
Wang Huan had just begun to say something when Xu Yuan turned around at once, leaving him standing there as the wooden door closed softly in his face.
“That fellow...” Wang Huan clenched his fists, and a burst of irritation rose in his chest. But then he suddenly thought of something and let out a scornful laugh. “Fine. Then we can meet another day.”
As he walked out of the courtyard, Wang Huan glanced back once, the smile on his face growing even wider.
‘He talks as if he is so impressive. But now that I have broken through to the Third Meridian and stand on equal footing with him, he has grown jealous and cannot even be bothered to keep up appearances anymore?’
‘Could it be that he has recently hit a bottleneck, then got provoked by my breakthrough, so now he will not even give me the slightest courtesy?’
Whatever the reason, Wang Huan ended up in an even better mood.
On his way back, he ran into someone who greeted him respectfully.
“Oh, Brother Wang, you’re back. Congratulations!”
“By the way, Captain Zhou was looking for you about something.”
“Got it.” Secretly delighted, Wang Huan gave the man a cool look. “Also, what do you mean, ‘Brother Wang’?
“From now on, when you meet me outside, address me by my position!”
“Uh... yes, yes. Good afternoon, Captain Wang.” The man froze for a moment, then immediately corrected himself.
After Wang Huan sauntered off, the man cursed inwardly.
‘Bah! What kind of Captain Wang? He is nothing but a bootlicker!’
Everyone in the squad knew that he spent all day hovering around Zhou Yu, currying favor with her.
And now that he had only just broken through, he was already putting on airs?