The Trip Was Worth It

By the time Shen Zhaolin handed over the list of those accompanying him, Xu Sheng had already been waiting in the courtyard for an hour.

His wooden plaque was at his feet, his bundle was on his shoulder, and he had even hired a carriage.

"In such a hurry?"

"No hurry." Xu Sheng took the list and counted down it. The smile on his face became impossible to hide. "I just didn't want to hold up the Hall's business."

All five of them, not one missing!

Shen Zhaolin glanced outside the gate. Lu Song was squatting beside the carriage, gnawing on a flatbread. Ren Yu was untangling two vines from a wheel, while Mo Yifan held his bedding with a copper basin perched on his head.

Ji Juechen, on the other hand, hadn't brought much. He had wrapped two iron swords in an old cloth and tucked them in his arms, and that was all the packing he needed.

Shen Zhaolin pointed at the basin.

"Does Spirit City not have anywhere to wash your face?"

"He insisted on bringing it." Xu Sheng immediately pointed beside him.

Mo Yifan took the basin off his head. "Who was it that said last time you never knew what other people had washed in a shared basin?"

"All right, get in."

Xu Sheng gave him no chance to continue. He turned back to Shen Zhaolin with a smile.

"Team leader, we'll be off, then?"

"When you get there, submit the letter first. Your four companions are registered as accompanying you, so don't go telling people you're already under the Pope's Hall's authority the moment you enter the city."

"Understood."

Xu Sheng put the list away but didn't turn to leave.

Shen Zhaolin waited a moment. When he saw Xu Sheng still standing there, he asked, "What else?"

"That courtyard in the south of the city..."

"You're leaving, and you're still thinking about that?"

"If I don't get selected, I'll need somewhere to live when I come back."

Shen Zhaolin laughed in exasperation.

The brat had come to return the key last night and talked as though he had no qualms about it, but his hand had never let go. So he still hadn't given up!

"Someone else will need it after you. If you come back, I can't very well leave you sleeping on the street."

"That's all I needed to hear!"

Xu Sheng was immediately reassured.

He had to take the benefits Spirit City offered, but he also had to leave himself a way back in Soto. That was how you went out to get things done. Otherwise, one stumble and he wouldn't even have a bed to sleep in. What a loss that would be!

Before leaving, he glanced into the courtyard again. Lu Song had found something to level out the brick he had broken while practicing his swordsmanship, and the marks were still on the wall where the rope had hung. Before long, another group would be making a racket here.

Xu Sheng didn't linger. He bent down, picked up the wooden plaque, and strode out.

The carriage had just reached the end of the street when Du Wenhe rose from a small roadside tea stall.

The splint on his leg had already been removed, but he still had some trouble walking fast. Rather than bother, he reached out a green vine and hooked it over the carriage shaft.

The driver jumped and hurriedly reined in the horse.

"Brother Du?"

Xu Sheng lifted the curtain. "What are you doing here?"

Du Wenhe didn't waste words. He tossed an oil-paper package into the carriage.

Inside were dried meat and two pairs of wrist guards.

The wrist guards were thickly sewn, with a thin leather lining on the side that covered the back of the hand. One touch told Xu Sheng they were much better than his old pair, and he promptly slipped them on.

"Oh, I couldn't possibly accept these. They're far too valuable!"

Du Wenhe held out his hand. "Then give them back."

Xu Sheng pulled his hands back inside the carriage.

"Well, I was just being polite."

"You brat!"

Du Wenhe cursed him with a laugh, then looked into the carriage. "The other pair is for Juechen. He grips his sword too tightly, and the old wounds on his hands keep getting rubbed raw."

Ji Juechen took the wrist guards and lowered his head to examine the stitches.

"Thank you."

"Don't just thank me. If you have time to come back, sharing a meal with me will do."

"Brother Du, listen to yourself." Xu Sheng took a bite of meat. "Didn't I eat with you last time?"

"You ate all my drinking snacks. All I got was the wine!"

Laughter immediately broke out in the carriage.

Du Wenhe patted the side of the carriage and told the driver to continue. Once the wheels started turning, he followed for another couple of steps and reminded Xu Sheng that there was a small packet of medicinal powder at the bottom, for when he rubbed his hands raw.

Xu Sheng unfolded the oil paper and found a little paper packet folded into a neat square.

Its corners were tied with thread, so it wouldn't come apart from the jolting on the road.

He suddenly stopped chewing.

After a moment, he stuck his head out and called.

"Brother Du, once we've made something of ourselves, we'll bring you over!"

Du Wenhe stood by the roadside, smiling and waving.

"Take care of yourselves first!"

Xu Sheng kept quite busy on the journey.

They traveled by day, and when the weather was good, he and Mo Yifan took turns flying for stretches to check the road ahead and behind. After landing, he sat cross-legged to restore his Soul Power. At night, when they found somewhere to rest, he also sparred a few rounds with Ji Juechen.

Why did he insist on doing it at night?

If he took a beating during the day, his face wouldn't look good, and there were other people on the road.

Before long, though, Xu Sheng discovered that Ji Juechen wasn't the only one benefiting.

Ever since obtaining his Second Soul Ring, he could change positions in the air, and his sword strikes were no longer aimed only at what was in front of him. It was no longer so easy for Ji Juechen to use a single iron sword to trap him with no way forward or back as he had before.

Once, he circled out from behind a tree, suddenly rose on his wings, and brought his sword down by Ji Juechen's shoulder, actually forcing him back two steps.

Two steps!

Xu Sheng ate an extra bowl of rice that night and even volunteered to clear away the bowls and chopsticks.

Ji Juechen, meanwhile, sat by the fire and went over that last sword strike several times.

The next day, when they sparred again, Xu Sheng took another hit.

"Didn't you sleep last night?"

"I slept."

"Then how did you learn to defend against it so quickly?"

Ji Juechen thought for a moment. "Do it again."

"No!"

Xu Sheng clutched his arm and turned away.

He had been perfectly nice last night. How had he become so unlikeable by morning?

When Spirit City finally appeared before them, even Ji Juechen stopped what he was doing.

Towering walls cut across their view. Carriages and horses came and went before the gates, and Soul Masters wearing Spirit Hall insignia passed through the crowd from time to time. Shops already lined the road outside the city, selling protective gear, repairing weapons, and boarding horses. Their cries could be heard from far away.

Mo Yifan craned his neck.

"How many Soul Masters must there be?"

"Fly up and count them," Lu Song said.

"Do you take me for an idiot?"

Xu Sheng was looking too, and the more he saw, the hotter his heart grew.

In just this short time by the gate, he had already seen several groups of Soul Masters. One of them had yet to withdraw his Martial Soul, and three Soul Rings revolved slowly around him. Yet the people nearby merely gave him an extra glance before going back to their shopping or continuing on their way.

They had arrived!

This really was the right place to come!

The group entered the city and had their letter checked, then followed the guards' directions toward the reception office. Before they reached the door, someone up ahead waved to them.

"Just arrived?"

He was a young man of about twenty, neatly dressed and holding a freshly drawn street map.

Xu Sheng spotted the Outworlder mark on his collar at once.

The young man got straight to the point. "Want to join a team? We need a scout who can fly. Food and lodging are provided, and we'll hunt for rings together."

As he spoke, he looked at Mo Yifan.

Mo Yifan instinctively glanced at Xu Sheng.

"I already have a team."

"We can still discuss the terms." The young man showed no hurry to leave. "What level are you?"

"Fourteen."

"Not bad."

The young man nodded, then looked at Lu Song and Ren Yu. When he heard that one had a Black Armor Shield and the other a Green Jade Vine, his eyes visibly lit up.

"You've got a pretty well-rounded setup. Who's the leader?"

Xu Sheng pointed to himself.

The young man looked him up and down. "Martial Soul?"

"Angel."

"What level?"

"Twenty-one."

The young man fell silent.

Xu Sheng smiled and asked in return, "And you, brother?"

"Wen Zhao, level twenty-two, Gale Twin-Headed Wolf."

This time, it was Xu Sheng's turn to give him a closer look.

Well, well!

His initial Soul Power was high, his Martial Soul was good enough, and he was currently a level higher than Xu Sheng. He had obtained his Second Soul Ring so quickly; it seemed he had no shortage of connections.

"Well?" Wen Zhao smiled. "Why don't we find somewhere to sit down and talk?"

Before Xu Sheng could answer, someone came out of the reception office.

"Xu Sheng from Soto?"

"That's me."

"You've finally arrived. Elder Yue Guan left instructions: once you got here, you were to settle in first and send in the details of your Martial Soul and Soul Rings."

The man took the letter and led them inside.

Xu Sheng stepped over the threshold and saw that Wen Zhao was still standing where he was, so he turned back.

"Coming in to sit down?"

Wen Zhao glanced at him, then looked through the doorway.

He was still standing outside, trying to recruit people wherever he could, while this guy had already gotten a Titled Douluo to remember his name?

A moment later, he simply rolled up the map and went inside too.

"Sure."

Xu Sheng was delighted.

He had only just arrived in Spirit City, and he had already run into a promising level twenty-two prospect.

The man had even come right to his door of his own accord.

The trip really hadn't been wasted!