Chapter 71 : Chapter 71
Chapter 71. Taking Office
Xu Yuan naturally had no time to concern himself with the turmoil outside.
He stayed at the Shangyang Family headquarters for several days, practicing the new stance art and martial techniques he had just obtained.
Only when May 22 arrived did the appointment from above finally come down.
Just as Xue Zhan had expected, Xu Yuan was made Street Guard of Changning Street, placed in charge of a street garrison with three squads and more than a dozen men under him.
Changning Street occupied an important position, and there were quite a few shops under its jurisdiction as well. The post came with a fair amount of benefits, which showed that the Shangyang Family still valued him quite highly.
And on that same day, news also came from Hong Qianshan’s side.
Thanks to his long years of accumulation, plus two Meridian-Opening Pills, he successfully broke through to the Fifth Meridian Realm and officially squeezed his way into the middle ranks of the core backbone.
So that very night, just after Xu Yuan returned to the Level Three District, Hong Qianshan hurriedly summoned him over and booked a banquet at Hesheng Tower, both to celebrate his own breakthrough and to welcome Xu Yuan into his new post.
Besides Xu Yuan, the invited guests also included the core members of the three squads under Hong Qianshan’s command. More than a dozen people filled the private room to the brim.
They were basically all familiar faces from before.
As for Wang Huan, he had originally been set to become a squad leader on another street. But after Xu Yuan’s breakthrough left a vacancy behind, it naturally ended up going to him.
“Brother Xu, come, come, sit by me.” Hong Qianshan was glowing with health and high spirits. The moment he saw Xu Yuan enter, he personally pulled him over to sit beside the seat of honor.
This newly advanced Fifth Meridian martial artist was clearly in an excellent mood. Rising to his feet, he said with a smile,
“This banquet tonight is first to celebrate my lucky breakthrough into the Fifth Meridian, and second to welcome Brother Xu into his new post. Everyone here is one of our own, so I won’t waste words on empty pleasantries. Come, raise your cups and join me in toasting Brother Xu first!”
“To Street Guard Xu!!”
At those words, everyone stood and raised their cups. The looks they cast toward Xu Yuan held admiration, jealousy, and even a trace of something more complicated.
Xu Yuan rose calmly and returned the toast.
“Brother Hong flatters me. Whatever I have achieved today would not have been possible without Brother Hong’s support back then, nor without the care of all my fellow colleagues. This cup is my toast to all of you.”
After a round of formal courtesies, the atmosphere instantly grew lively.
Quite a few people came over to toast Xu Yuan, their words full of flattery and attempts to build a connection.
Xu Yuan accepted them all, but each time he only took a light sip, keeping himself clear-headed.
Halfway through the banquet, Xu Yuan got up to use the latrine. On his way back along the corridor, he ran into someone unexpected at the corner—Zhou Yu.
This short-haired woman, who was usually cold, proud, and efficient, was now rarely showing a trace of awkwardness and hesitation. She stood in the shadows of the corridor, clearly having waited there for quite some time.
“Squad Leader Zhou, do you need something?” Xu Yuan stopped and asked evenly.
Zhou Yu bit her lip. As though she had finally made up her mind, she lifted her head and looked straight at him.
“Street Guard Xu, I... I’ve run into a bottleneck with Thunderclap Fist. I’ve been stuck for half a month already. I heard you trained Thunderclap Fist to Minor Mastery, so I was wondering whether you might... offer me a bit of guidance?”
She spoke those words with extreme difficulty, as if each one had been forced out little by little.
But the thought that her martial path might sink into stagnation because of this was something Zhou Yu simply could not accept.
She cast Xu Yuan a subtle glance. Deep in her heart, she still hid an ambition.
He had only just broken through to the Fourth Meridian—there was no guarantee she could not still catch up!
By now, Zhou Yu’s mentality toward Xu Yuan had already changed completely. He was no longer a rival standing on equal footing with her, but a target ahead of her on the road she meant to chase.
Hearing this, Xu Yuan raised his brows slightly, somewhat surprised.
He did not have much friendship with Zhou Yu. It could even be said that because of that lofty “declaration” she had made back then, there was still some lingering bad blood between them.
He had not expected her to lower herself and come ask him for instruction on her own initiative.
Compared with Wang Huan, this person’s goal is much clearer, Xu Yuan thought to himself.
Still, he was not the type to play the kindly gentleman, so he deliberately jabbed back with a remark.
“And Squad Leader Zhou needs to ask me? Weren’t you supposed to break through to the Fourth Meridian tomorrow?”
Zhou Yu’s face went pale. She knew he was mocking the words she had spoken back then. All she could do was take a deep breath and lower her posture.
“My horizons were shallow at the time, and my words were indeed offensive. I hope Street Guard Xu will forgive me.”
Seeing that her attitude was sincere, Xu Yuan did not make things difficult for her any longer. After hearing her question, he pondered briefly before replying, “After this, you can try...”
He only said a few points, but each was sharp and directly to the heart of the matter—experience distilled into crucial advice.
Zhou Yu listened intently, her eyes growing brighter and brighter. She had always possessed excellent comprehension, and with just this bit of guidance from Xu Yuan, things suddenly became clear to her.
“Many thanks for Street Guard Xu’s guidance!”
Zhou Yu clasped her fists solemnly in salute. This time, her gratitude was completely genuine.
“No need.”
Xu Yuan shook his head. Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly caught sight of a certain figure approaching. His heart stirred, and he abruptly reached out and helped Zhou Yu to her feet.
What met his hand was soft, warm tenderness. But after what had happened with Ye Qing’er, his heart had long since become still as water, without the slightest trace of romantic thought.
Yet this sudden contact with the opposite sex made Zhou Yu’s body tremble, and an unnatural flush flashed across her face.
Strangely enough, however, she did not feel too much disgust toward it in her heart.
…
And just as the two were helping each other up, someone came hurrying over excitedly. The moment he saw this scene, he froze on the spot.
That person was Wang Huan.
Ever since breaking through to the Third Meridian, he had become much more confident in his pursuit of Zhou Yu. But whenever he met her, he still remained extremely cautious, afraid of making her unhappy.
The banquet was just reaching its end, so he had deliberately come looking for her, hoping to create a chance for them to be alone and walk her back.
And yet what he saw was the two of them in broad daylight, pulling at each other and acting intimately...
“No—!”
Wang Huan cried out, his face ashen. He clutched his chest sharply, feeling as though all the strength had been drained from his body.
The two in the distance were startled by his shout. Xu Yuan’s expression did not change, though the corner of his mouth twitched almost imperceptibly.
Zhou Yu hurriedly covered her slightly burning cheeks. After hastily murmuring an apology, she lowered her head and left at once.
“Isn’t that Squad Leader Wang? What’s wrong with you?”
The others were also distracted and all turned to look over.
“N-no, nothing.”
Wang Huan waved his hand and forced a smile. “I just ran into a bottleneck. I can’t do it... I just can’t do it, it’s too hard!”
Xu Yuan watched with interest, only feeling that Wang Huan’s back looked bleak and desolate, as if invisible snowflakes were drifting all around him.
…
The next day, Xu Yuan officially took office and assumed control of Changning Street.
Changning Street was not far from Changshun Street. It was a street about two li long, lined with shops on both sides. Though it was not the most prosperous district, the flow of people coming and going was still fairly respectable.
As for the area ahead, both the left and right neighboring sides were White Family territory. The location truly was crucial, and with that came no small amount of defensive pressure.
As for Xu Yuan’s duties, compared with when he had been a squad leader, they were actually even simpler and more leisurely.
Normally, he only needed to sit in command at the center, grasp the overall situation, order the squads to maintain order on the street, and guard against any infiltration or sabotage that might come from the White Family.
By regulation, he had fifteen martial artists under him, still divided into three squads of five each.
And besides those Third Meridian squad leaders, he had also asked Yang Yan to transfer Chen Sanli over to him.
The other Street Guards knew he was building his own team, so they were happy to do him a favor and sent Gao Yuan over as well.
On his very first day in office, the Street Guards from the two neighboring streets came personally to pay him a visit.
“Street Guard Xu, I’ve heard so much about you!” said a burly middle-aged man with a full beard, smiling as he cupped his fists. “I’m Zhao Tieshan, Street Guard of the neighboring Changyun Street.”
“Lin Yue’e, Street Guard of Changqing Street.” The other was a female martial artist around thirty years old, with a capable and efficient air about her.
Xu Yuan politely returned the gesture. “Street Guard Zhao, Street Guard Lin, you’re both too courteous. I’m newly arrived here, so I’ll still need plenty of guidance from you in the future.”
Zhao Tieshan said, “Logically speaking, all the Street Guards nearby should have come to greet you. But Street Guard Sun has something to deal with, so it isn’t convenient for him to come.”
“What do you mean, ‘isn’t convenient’?”
Lin Yue’e clearly had a forthright and vigorous temperament. She gave a snort of laughter.
“That guy may have some talent, but he’s narrow-minded. He heard about the attention Street Guard Xu has been getting lately and felt unhappy about it, that’s all.”
“Watch your words. Be careful he doesn’t hear you,” Zhao Tieshan said helplessly, glancing at her.
“So what if he does? You think I’m afraid of him?” Lin Yue’e said with open disdain.
The narrow-minded Street Guard Sun?
Xu Yuan silently noted that person down.
The three exchanged a few more pleasantries. Zhao Tieshan and Lin Yue’e were both seasoned veterans. In their words, they expressed goodwill while also quietly sizing up this newly appointed young Street Guard.
Just as they were talking, two more people came walking from the street entrance.
In front was a tall female martial artist, broad-backed and powerfully built, striding with the bearing of a dragon and tiger. The person following behind her, however, made Xu Yuan pause in slight surprise.
That person was actually Li Shan?
…