Another Stroke of Good Fortune?

Zhuo Yuan didn't speak loudly, but his voice was just loud enough for everyone to hear.

Song Xiaoqiao looked at the list first.

He Zheng's face darkened.

"Didn't you say the day before yesterday that there was no time?"

"It's not up to me to arrange the hunting party's schedule." Zhuo Yuan unfolded the paper and handed it to Song Xiaoqiao. "I spent two days talking Commander Shao into making time for this trip. And what about you? I couldn't find a single one of you."

Song Xiaoqiao's name was indeed on the paper.

Even her Martial Soul and level were written down clearly.

For a moment, He Zheng had nothing to say.

He had argued with Zhuo Yuan because he had been waiting endlessly for an arrangement. Now that it was actually down on paper, cursing him any further would feel a little like picking a fight on purpose.

Zhuo Yuan took the opportunity to look at Xu Sheng and smile.

"White Wings, I've heard a lot about you. He Zheng has a short temper, and we had a little misunderstanding a few days ago. Sorry for the trouble."

His words were smooth and tactful.

But Xu Sheng didn't take the way out he offered. Instead, he looked at Song Xiaoqiao.

"Do you want to go?"

Song Xiaoqiao clutched the paper, hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

"Yes."

She had been stuck at level twenty for some time. To say she didn't want her second ring would have been a lie.

"Then go."

Xu Sheng answered so readily that even He Zheng was taken aback.

A smile had just appeared in Zhuo Yuan's eyes when he heard Xu Sheng add, "He Zheng will go with her. Once she's got the ring and come back, we'll discuss what happens after that."

This time, it was Zhuo Yuan's turn to stop smiling.

Xu Sheng acted as though he hadn't noticed and tapped the list.

"Where do they wait tomorrow, and what day can they hunt for the ring?"

Zhuo Yuan was silent for a moment.

"There are others too. It would be best to bring the whole batch He Zheng originally brought in."

"Why?"

"The hunting party's people aren't easy to split up, so they have to be scheduled together. First, they'll go to the north slope and help Commander Shao finish his trip. On the way back, we'll get Xiaoqiao..."

"Oh."

Xu Sheng nodded and withdrew his hand.

So "tomorrow" on the paper meant going back tomorrow to wait for everyone to gather.

Not finding a ring for her tomorrow.

Song Xiaoqiao's grip on the list slowly loosened.

Zhuo Yuan explained, "That's how everyone has done it. When He Zheng got his second ring, we sent people too. If everyone only wants to get their own, how are we supposed to lead a team?"

What he said wasn't entirely wrong.

He Zheng didn't deny it either. He only said, "So I didn't miss a single one of the four trips after that. Zhuo Yuan, I don't owe those trips anymore."

The two men looked at each other, and the passage fell silent.

Another burst of cheers rang out in the distance. A match elsewhere had been decided.

Xu Sheng waited until they were done talking before holding out his hand to Song Xiaoqiao.

"Let me see."

Song Xiaoqiao handed him the list.

Xu Sheng read it from top to bottom, then pointed at the very bottom. "Why doesn't it say what kind of Soul Beast you're looking for here?"

"We'll see once we get there. If it's suitable, then..." Zhuo Yuan began.

"Her rope might not be able to hold heavy things. I just asked, and He Zheng knows that too."

Xu Sheng folded the paper and handed it back.

"You should at least have some idea what you're looking for first. If you run into one that isn't suitable, you can't just absorb it based on its color."

The smile faded completely from Zhuo Yuan's face.

Xu Sheng, however, remained perfectly polite. He neither cursed Zhuo Yuan in the corridor nor made the decision for Song Xiaoqiao. He simply turned to her and asked, "What about you?"

Song Xiaoqiao looked at her name on the paper for a moment, then returned it to Zhuo Yuan.

"I won't go this time."

Zhuo Yuan took it, his gaze sweeping over the three of them.

"Fine. You made your choice. Don't regret it."

He left quickly.

Only when he had disappeared from sight did He Zheng say in a low voice, "Did you really want her to go just now?"

"With a stroke of good fortune like that, why wouldn't she?"

Xu Sheng smiled. "If he really got Xiaoqiao's Soul Ring sorted out, he'd save me a trip."

He Zheng stared at him for a moment, then laughed too.

He had thought Xu Sheng would take the opportunity to force him to declare where he stood.

Instead, Xu Sheng had already worked out how to take advantage of the offer for him.

Jin Yuan came after them just then.

Fang Zhu had knocked his leg when he landed on the platform and walked with a slight limp, glaring at Xu Sheng as he went.

"You charged in really fast with that hit."

"If you hadn't jumped, I would've had trouble finding an opening."

Xu Sheng reached out to steady him, then took out the paper from Meng Xingzhou.

Jin Yuan glanced at it, and his expression immediately turned strange.

"He told you to find me?"

"Yeah."

"You have quite a way of finding people. Hard on the legs, though."

Fang Zhu chimed in faintly from beside them.

They all laughed.

Once Meng Xingzhou came up, things were easier to discuss. Jin Yuan wasn't joining Spirit Hall, nor did he intend to change teams. He usually partnered with Fang Zhu; when they got work, they went out, and when they didn't, they fought at the Soul Fighting Arena.

Xu Sheng didn't press him to join. He only asked whether he had time lately.

"I want to take a few level-twenty people out to find rings. We're short someone who knows the routes."

Jin Yuan didn't agree immediately. First, he asked what they were looking for, how many people they were taking, and who would hold the line.

Xu Sheng explained Song Xiaoqiao's situation, then mentioned Du Wenhe and Shen Zhaolin. Only when Jin Yuan heard those two names did his brow relax.

"If they're really going, I'll come. I know the area to the north, and I've seen some beast tracks there lately. But there can't be too much of a mixed crowd."

"I'm worried about that too."

Smiling, Xu Sheng arranged for them to meet at the old courtyard the next day.

As soon as Fang Zhu heard that, he turned his head. "Didn't you promise to go with me to look at knee pads tomorrow?"

Only then did Jin Yuan remember, and he looked a little embarrassed.

Xu Sheng looked at him, then at Fang Zhu's limping leg. He took an unused pair of thick cloth knee pads from his personal storage and handed them over.

"These are my spares. Try them first. If you think they're too thin, we can go pick some out tomorrow."

Fang Zhu had still been angry at how hard Xu Sheng had hit him, but when Xu Sheng actually brought something out, he felt a little embarrassed instead.

"You really don't have to..."

Before he could finish, the knee pads were already in his hands.

Xu Sheng didn't call him out. He turned and patted Jin Yuan on the arm.

"Come early tomorrow. I'll see your partner to the door for you."

Fang Zhu immediately raised his head. "I'm not that crippled yet!"

The group left the passage laughing.

On the way back, the messages to He Zheng didn't stop.

First, someone asked how he had ended up fighting alongside White Wings. Then someone else asked whether Song Xiaoqiao was still going tomorrow. By the time they reached the courtyard gate, someone was already planning to come over and have a look.

Xu Sheng didn't make him explain to them one by one.

"Tell them to come tomorrow. Have the level-twenty ones stand to one side. Anyone who wants to tag along for a day and watch the fun should make that clear up front too."

Mo Yifan couldn't help laughing beside them. "Are you setting up a stall?"

"I really do need to."

Xu Sheng looked at the empty racks in the courtyard, an idea already taking shape in his mind.

Before, he had little to offer and could only watch people go elsewhere.

Now he had a deacon who knew Soul Beasts, partners who could hold the front, Ji Juechen, and a food-type Grand Soul Master. Even He Zheng, with his Clear Sky Hammer, had been delivered right to his door.

If they still only got together to fight a match, then went their separate ways afterward, he would have gotten to know all these people for nothing.

He wanted those who wanted to hunt for rings or go out on field assignments to remember to come here and find him.

Not just once.

From now on, whenever they had something to do, they would know there was a group of people here who could go out together.

Xu Sheng turned and headed straight for Spirit Hall.

Mo Yifan hurried after him. "Where are you going now?"

"To find Brother Shen."

"This late?"

"While he's still awake."

Xu Sheng quickened his pace.

They had already laid everything out in front of him. He couldn't very well wait until tomorrow to remember that he still hadn't secured a place to borrow!