Moving House

"The inner city?"

Xu Zheng blinked, his brow furrowed. "The rent there isn't cheap. For us…"

"Don't worry about the money," Xu Yuan said, taking off his pack and unfolding its contents one by one. "This is more than enough. The inner city is where the officials live, so the security is much better. There are even guards patrolling at night."

"The Wild Wolf Gang's influence doesn't reach there, and it's also close to the Shangyang Family. If anything happens, you can come find me anytime."

Looking at the dazzling array of jewelry and silver on the table, Xu Zheng and Madam Zhang's eyes widened.

However, Xu Zheng still voiced his concern, "After taking so much money from them, won't they be pushed to desperate measures?"

Madam Zhang couldn't help but speak first, "Look at you, what little backbone you have. You used to be from a prominent family, yet you're like this. This amount of money is a lot for us, but it's just a drop in the bucket for the Wild Wolf Gang. Haven't you seen how many shops they've opened?"

"Big sister-in-law is right. I'm working for the Shangyang Family now, so the Wild Wolf Gang probably won't openly fall out with us," Xu Yuan added with a nod.

Xu Zheng and Madam Zhang exchanged a glance, truly feeling the immense change in their second son.

He not only possessed martial strength but also a sense of responsibility and decisiveness.

That night, the three of them barely slept.

As dawn began to break.

Xu Yuan helped his brother and sister-in-law move their luggage, quietly leaving the courtyard they had lived in for many years. They merged into the morning crowd, becoming an unremarkable part of it.

Although the outer and inner cities were separated by only a wall, the living environments were worlds apart.

The streets were clean and tidy, the houses were orderly, and the pedestrians were well-dressed. Even the air seemed less polluted and oppressive.

With the Shangyang Family's martial artist status as their backing, the real estate agent was much more efficient and even offered significant discounts.

After all, everyone knew that the Shangyang Family and the Bai Family were in fierce competition, and it was only a matter of time before this area fell under the Shangyang Family's control. Building a good relationship with their martial artists was beneficial.

Finally, Xu Zheng rented a small house with a courtyard in a quiet alley not far from the Shangyang Family.

The annual rent was ten taels of silver, which was quite expensive. Xu Zheng wanted to look at other options, but Xu Yuan felt it was a perfect fit and immediately signed the lease.

Although it wasn't large, it was clean and bright, and convenient for grocery shopping, making it much better than their previous residence in the outer city.

Seeing his new home settled, Xu Zheng's eyes reddened slightly. He patted Xu Yuan's shoulder and said earnestly, "Ah Yuan, you've grown up and become more capable. Big brother shouldn't be nagging, but I feel I must say this: try to avoid doing those risky jobs in the future."

"Big brother, what are you saying? I'm not a bandit, why would I do such things often?" Xu Yuan replied with a wry smile, a hint of annoyance in his voice.

"Ah Yuan must have his reasons for doing things. Does he think like you, being foolish and stubborn?" Madam Zhang's attitude towards Xu Yuan was no longer as cold as before. She even spoke up in his defense.

"I'm talking about my own brother, why are you butting in?" Xu Zheng said, feeling a bit embarrassed with others present.

"Hey, are you getting cocky?" Hearing this, Madam Zhang's eyebrows shot up, and she prepared to scold him.

Watching them relax, Xu Yuan stood by and smiled quietly.

With his elder brother's worries resolved, a great weight was lifted from his heart.

But Xu Yuan knew that things were far from over. Quan Xiong was clearly not someone to be trifled with, and trouble was likely to arise when he returned.

Before that, he had to strengthen himself as much as possible. This was his foundation for survival and the stepping stone for climbing the ranks within the Shangyang Family!

After lunch, Xu Yuan left ten taels for his brother's family for daily expenses and then bid them farewell, returning to the Shangyang Family.

Back at the training courtyard, as he approached the Building D room, he saw that someone was already inside.

"Brother Xu, you're back?"

Li Shan was delighted to see him and immediately walked over, giving him a bear hug. "I heard about what happened a few days ago. You beat Liu Hong half to death with one palm, how impressive! Too bad I wasn't there…"

Xu Yuan smiled without speaking. His gaze swept across the room, and he was surprised to find two more people there.

Tian Yang had taken leave yesterday and had likely returned today.

Besides himself, Li Shan, and Wang Huan, there were two unexpected acquaintances in the room: Xiao Sheng and Chen Sanli!

"Xiao Sheng's aptitude is average, but he's persistent, practicing day and night. It's understandable that he could break through. But this Chen Sanli…" Xu Yuan looked at him intently.

In his eyes, this person was a typical opportunist. He hadn't been prominent before, and his aptitude shouldn't have been that good. He didn't expect him to break through as well. He was quite something!

Li Shan walked over and introduced them. "I won't even mention Xiao Sheng, he's from our dorm. As for Sanli, he's also an acquaintance. They both broke through to become official martial artists today."

Chen Sanli said proudly, "I was practicing my Stance Practice this morning when suddenly that bottleneck shattered. I thought it would take a few more days."

Xiao Sheng smiled at Xu Yuan and didn't say much, in line with his usual personality.

After greeting everyone, Xu Yuan placed his luggage on the bed. Inside, besides some clothes, was a jar of bean paste made by his sister-in-law, sealed with oiled paper, perfect for accompanying meals.

"Brother Li, I'm new here. Can you show me where the latrine and laundry room are?" Xu Yuan turned to Li Shan.

"Sure, no problem," Li Shan replied with a smile and led Xu Yuan out.

The two of them toured the training courtyard, familiarized themselves with the layout, and chatted briefly. In less than fifteen minutes, they returned.

"There are quite a few Martial Students in our training courtyard, but their attitudes aren't great. Their noses are practically in the sky," Li Shan said, pointing to other dormitories with a smile.

"There are distinctions between high and low everywhere!" Xu Yuan also sighed with emotion and walked forward.

Unexpectedly, as soon as he reached the door of the T-shaped room, he heard Chen Sanli's exclamations from inside:

"...Wow, you know what? Brother Xu's bean paste smells really good! It's definitely homemade, the flavor is so authentic!"

Xu Yuan's steps faltered, his expression turned cold, and he abruptly pushed open the door to look inside.

He saw Chen Sanli standing by his bed, holding an open ceramic jar in his hand, bringing the opening to his nose and squinting as he commented on the flavor.

The oiled paper had been torn open and placed aside, and the strong aroma of the paste filled the dormitory.

"Yo, Brother Xu is back?"

Seeing Xu Yuan enter, Chen Sanli not only didn't look embarrassed but instead raised the ceramic jar in his hand and said with a smile:

"This bean paste of yours is really authentic. I just took a sniff, and it whetted my appetite. Your sister-in-law has good skills!"

His tone was relaxed, as if it were just friends sharing something.

But to open someone else's belongings without permission and then act so nonchalantly wasn't just thick-skinned; it was an undisguised overstepping of boundaries and an offense.

"Sanli, you..." Li Shan frowned.

"I just advised him," Wang Huan and Xiao Sheng shrugged at Xu Yuan, indicating it wasn't their business.

"Hey, it's just a jar of bean paste, right?" Chen Sanli said dismissively.

"Don't worry, Brother Xu. Next time, I'll ask my mom to make a jar for you guys to try!"

Xu Yuan stood still, his gaze falling on the smiling face opposite him, then sweeping over the jar of bean paste, without a word.

The dormitory fell silent for a moment, only the aroma lingering.

Then, Xu Yuan moved.

He strode over and directly reached out to take the ceramic jar back from Chen Sanli's hand, his movements steady, even deliberately avoiding touching Chen Sanli's hand.

This coldness and distance emanating from his silence made the smile on Chen Sanli's face freeze.

Xu Yuan picked up the oiled paper and slowly sealed it, placing it inside his bed. Only then did he look up at the somewhat awkward Chen Sanli, his voice playful.

"Such a thick skin... You actually have a mom?"

His voice wasn't loud, but the attack was extremely potent, immediately breaking through Chen Sanli's defenses. His face turned red as he pointed at Xu Yuan.

"You, what do you mean? I just opened your bean paste, is there a need to be so stingy..."

Xu Yuan interrupted him directly. "Did you break through to become a Martial Artist with that mouth of yours, or with your actual skills?"

"My things are yours only if I say they are. If I don't give them, you can't snatch them, let alone steal them!"

Xu Yuan said each word, his tone calm but carrying an undeniable coldness. "This is the first and last time. If you dare to touch my things again, you'll find out..."

Not my brother, I just killed someone, have you? Are you naturally considering yourself the first pushover?

Xu Yuan sneered inwardly, calmly sitting on his bed, looking at the other person with a placid expression.

From previous events, he knew this guy was extremely thick-skinned, lacking any moral bottom line, the type who would take an inch if you gave them a mile.

Retreating now wouldn't earn him genuine gratitude; it would likely just embolden the other person to seek even more advantages!

Xu Yuan hated this kind of person the most because he had a similar roommate in his university dorm in his previous life, and it had truly disgusted him!

"You..."

All of them were stunned by this series of actions, and Chen Sanli's face turned ashen. Even with his thick skin, he found it difficult to maintain his composure at this moment.