Chapter 75 : Chapter 75
Chapter 75. Xu Tianlong
“Street Guard Sun, I concede the point.” Xu Yuan cupped his fists calmly.
Sun Xiaochuan’s expression was rather ugly. He shot Lu Kui a vicious glare. “Look at these useless trash under your command. When we get back, every one of you is training extra!”
Then he cast Xu Yuan a cold look. “Street Guard Xu, well played.”
“But among martial artists, in the end what matters is one’s own cultivation. How long can you keep dodging? We’ll see about that.”
In his view, Xu Yuan had clearly been too timid to fight him directly.
Xu Yuan only smiled without speaking. He silently watched the other man’s back recede into the distance before saying flatly, “Take the spoils. We’re returning to the street.”
That matter was considered settled. What remained was just the issue of distribution.
As for the exact allocation between the streets and the distribution of merit for the kills—
For solo or joint kills, the people directly involved would take sixty percent, the squad leader would take ten percent, and the rest would be turned over to the street.
Liu Kun and the others all showed delighted expressions, and when they looked at Gao Yuan and the other victor, there was now a bit more respect in their eyes.
Xu Yuan patted Gao Yuan on the shoulder. “Well fought. When we get back, I’ll record an extra merit for you.”
“Thank you, Street Guard Xu!” Gratitude flashed through Gao Yuan’s eyes.
…
The next day, June 1.
Lin Yue’e and Zhao Tieshan quickly learned of the matter and invited Xu Yuan out for a small gathering at a tavern.
Xu Yuan felt that although the two of them were smooth and worldly in how they handled things, they were still fairly genuine by temperament, so he gladly accepted.
At the wine table, Lin Yue’e said with a smile, “Street Guard Xu, this time you really blunted Sun Xiaochuan’s edge.”
“Not at all. It was only because the brothers under me performed well.” Xu Yuan waved it off.
“No matter what, he still took a stifling loss, and that makes me feel wonderfully satisfied!”
Lin Yue’e lifted her cup and drained it to Xu Yuan first, then let out two cold laughs.
“That guy is always putting on airs, acting like he looks down on everyone. If I could beat him, I’d have smashed his teeth all over the ground ages ago!”
Xu Yuan could not help laughing. Though she was a woman, her speech was bold and forthright, without the slightest bit of affectation, which made her easy to get along with.
Zhao Tieshan, however, shook his head. “Street Guard Xu, this time you’ve basically formed a grudge with him. You’ll need to be careful in the future.”
“At worst, I’ll deal with whatever comes.” Xu Yuan said calmly as he raised his cup and clinked it with theirs.
“What’s there to be afraid of?”
After downing several cups of liquor, Lin Yue’e looked a bit tipsy. In a lazy voice, she said,
“Ever since that guy broke through to the Fourth Meridian, he hasn’t made any progress for a long time. I’d bet he’s being tortured half to death by that bottleneck.”
“If you ask me, Street Guard Xu’s talent is much better. It wouldn’t even be strange if he stepped into the Fifth Meridian faster than Sun Xiaochuan.”
“I think you’re really drunk now. You’ve started praising him so hard it sounds like a setup.” Zhao Tieshan pointed at her helplessly.
“No matter what, Sun Xiaochuan is still a veteran Fourth Meridian martial artist, probably only one step from the Fifth Meridian. Street Guard Xu may be exceptionally gifted, but he still needs some time, doesn’t he?”
Xu Yuan only smiled without replying, his eyes deep and unreadable, and continued exchanging cups with the two of them.
In the end, the gathering concluded with Lin Yue’e slumped over in drunken sleep.
…
Time passed in a hurry, and in the blink of an eye five more days had gone by.
It was now June 6.
Xu Yuan’s routine remained unchanged. He continued cultivating and handling official matters step by step, steadily making Changning Street more secure and stable.
Aside from that, the main change was that the friction between the men under him and Changyuan Street had become more frequent than before.
In the quiet room, Xu Yuan completed one full round of stance training. After withdrawing his stance, he looked toward the panel in his mind.
【Skills: Taiji Exercise (Perfection 100%), Jade Platform Stance Art (Beginner 25%), Thunderclap Fist (Major Mastery 19%), Wandering Dragon Step (Beginner 33%), Iron Garment Art (Beginner 14%)】
【Aptitude: 20 (Promising Uncut Jade)】
“This pace is fairly good.” Xu Yuan nodded slightly.
After realizing that his mobility had shortcomings, he had shifted most of his training focus onto the stance art and Wandering Dragon Step.
He estimated that he would only need a little over half a month to train Wandering Dragon Step to Minor Mastery, while the stance art would still need about a month and a half.
That rate of progress was already extremely fast.
After all, before Xu Yuan had come to Changlin Ward, Sun Xiaochuan had always been regarded as the most gifted among them. Yet even he had remained at this level for half a year.
Compared that way, Xu Yuan was naturally quite satisfied.
Still, he also knew this had much to do with the fact that he had spared no expense in resources and training.
“Since reaching the Fourth Meridian, it’s only been a little over twenty days, yet I’ve already burned through my silver until only about sixty taels are left. I still have nearly four hundred merit points.”
Xu Yuan silently calculated his current assets. This month had not yet ended, so naturally his monthly salary had not arrived either.
“Luckily, I had Chen Sanli ask around about that matter. If it works out, there should be another sum coming in…”
Xu Yuan murmured to himself. Then, after being helped by a servant into a fresh change of clothes, he slowly left the quiet room and prepared to head to the office.
However, just after he arrived, the owner of a silk shop came running over with a miserable look on his face.
“Street Guard Xu, a batch of top-grade silk we ordered from the south was detained while passing through Fu’an Street. They said it was for inspection, but it’s already been two days and they still haven’t released it. Our delivery deadline is almost here!”
Fu’an Street was the street neighboring Changning Street and controlled by the White Family. Its Street Guard was Xu Tianlong.
Hearing this, Xu Yuan frowned slightly. Trouble had still come in the end.
Although the two families were at war, they had long maintained an understanding regarding commercial circulation within the Level Three District, and generally would not deliberately obstruct it. Xu Tianlong’s move was undoubtedly a naked provocation.
“I understand. Go back first. I’ll handle this matter.”
The shopkeeper thanked him profusely and left. Xu Yuan pondered for a moment, then called Chen Sanli over.
“Go check whether Xu Tianlong has recently come out of seclusion.”
Xu Yuan had already learned earlier that Xu Tianlong had been in seclusion throughout the past month.
Otherwise, the man probably would have come to stir up trouble long ago.
“Yes.” Chen Sanli accepted the order and left. In less than half a day, he came back with a report. “Brother Xu, I found out. Xu Tianlong came out of seclusion three days ago. They say his cultivation improved again, and he’s even closer to the Fifth Meridian now.”
A trace of understanding flashed through Xu Yuan’s eyes. So the man had just come out of seclusion, heard that Qin Lie had died at his hands, and deliberately come looking for trouble.
“Make preparations. We’re going to demand an explanation.”
…