Moving House

"Inner city?"

Xu Zheng froze for a moment, his brows knitting tightly. "The rent there isn't cheap. We..."

"Don't worry about the money." Xu Yuan took down his bundle and spread everything out one by one. "This is enough. After all, officials and noblemen live in the inner city, so public security is excellent. At night, yamen runners even patrol the streets."

"The Wild Wolf Gang can't reach that far, and it's close to the Shangyang Family too. If anything happens, you can come find me anytime."

Looking at the glittering silver and gold jewelry spread across the table, Xu Zheng and Madam Zhang's eyes went wide.

Still, Xu Zheng remained worried. "You took so much money from them. Won't they jump over the wall in desperation?"

At that, Madam Zhang could not hold back any longer. "Look at how little backbone you have. You used to come from a wealthy household, too. This money seems like a lot to us, but to the Wild Wolf Gang, it's only one hair from nine oxen. Haven't you seen how many shops they run?"

"Sister-in-law is right. I work for the Shangyang Family now. The Wild Wolf Gang presumably won't tear all pretenses apart so easily." Xu Yuan nodded and added.

Xu Zheng and Madam Zhang exchanged a look. Only then did they truly realize just how much their second brother had changed.

Not only had he gained martial strength, he had also gained responsibility and decisiveness.

That night, the three of them barely slept at all.

By the time the sky had only just begun to brighten.

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

Though the outer city and inner city were separated by only one wall, their living conditions were as different as heaven and earth.

The streets were clean and orderly, the houses neat and arranged in rows. Pedestrians were well dressed, and even the air seemed to hold less murk and oppression.

With the Shangyang Family's martial artists as his calling card, the property agent handled matters much more efficiently and even gave them a considerable discount.

After all, everyone knew that the Shangyang Family and the Bai Family were competing fiercely. Who knew when this stretch of land might fall into the Shangyang Family's hands?

Building a good relationship with its martial artists could only bring benefits, never harm.

In the end, Xu Zheng rented a detached little house with its own courtyard in a quiet alley not far from the Shangyang Family.

The yearly rent was ten taels of silver, an exorbitant sum. Xu Zheng had wanted to keep looking, but Xu Yuan found it highly suitable and immediately signed the lease.

The place was not large, but it was clean and bright, and buying groceries was convenient. It was far better than their home in the outer city.

Seeing their new home settled, Xu Zheng's eyes reddened slightly. He patted Xu Yuan's shoulder and said earnestly:

"A-Yuan, you've grown up, and you've become more promising too. As your elder brother, I shouldn't nag, but I still feel I need to say this: don't take on those risky jobs anymore if you can help it."

"What are you saying, Brother? It's not like I'm some bandit. Why would I do that sort of thing often?" Xu Yuan replied with helpless laughter and annoyance.

"A-Yuan must have his own considerations when he does things. Do you think he's as foolish and dense as you?" Madam Zhang's attitude toward Xu Yuan was no longer as cold and harsh as before. This time, she even spoke up for him.

"I'm talking to my own younger brother. Why are you butting in?" With others present, Xu Zheng could not quite save face and immediately retorted.

"Oh? So you think you're capable now, do you?" Madam Zhang's willow brows shot up, and she moved as if to give him a good ear-twisting.

Watching the two of them relax, Xu Yuan stood to one side and smiled quietly.

With his elder brother's family free of worries, a great stone finally fell from his heart.

But Xu Yuan knew the matter was not over. Quan Xiong was clearly not someone easy to get along with. Once he returned, trouble would likely arise.

Before then, he had to strengthen himself as much as possible. That was the capital he relied on to survive, and the provisions he needed to climb higher within the Shangyang Family!

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

When he returned to the training compound and approached the D-Class Room, he found that people were already inside.

"Brother Xu, you're back?"

Li Shan's face lit up at the sight of him. He immediately came forward, gave him a bear hug, and laughed.

"I heard all about what happened to you these past two days. You nearly beat Liu Hong to death with one palm strike—how impressive! Too bad I wasn't there..."

Xu Yuan only smiled without speaking. His gaze swept around the room, and he suddenly discovered, with surprise, that two more people had joined them.

Tian Yang had taken leave to return home yesterday, so he had likely come back today as well.

At this moment, aside from himself, Li Shan, and Wang Huan, there were two familiar faces he had not expected to see: Xiao Sheng and Chen Sanli!

"Xiao Sheng's aptitude may be ordinary, but he persists without fail and trains day and night, so I can understand it. But Chen Sanli..." Xu Yuan gave the other man a deep look.

In Xu Yuan's eyes, this man was a typical opportunist. He had never stood out before, and his aptitude should not have been all that good either. Yet he had actually managed to break through.

He was not so simple after all!

Li Shan came over to introduce them. "No need to mention Xiao Sheng—we're dormmates. As for Sanli, he counts as an acquaintance too. They both broke through to become official martial artists today."

Hearing this, Chen Sanli said with some pride, "I was practicing stance work this morning when that bottleneck suddenly got ground away. I thought it would take a few more days."

Xiao Sheng merely smiled at Xu Yuan and said nothing more, perfectly in keeping with his usual personality.

After greeting them, Xu Yuan put his luggage bundle on the bed. Besides some clothes, it contained a jar of bean paste made by his sister-in-law, sealed with oil paper. It would go perfectly with a meal.

"Brother Li, I've only just arrived here. Take me to find the latrine and laundry room." Xu Yuan turned to Li Shan.

"Sure, it's a small matter." Li Shan nodded with a smile and led Xu Yuan outside.

The two took a turn around the training compound, familiarized themselves with the paths, and chatted briefly. In less than the time it took to drink a cup of tea, they returned.

"There are quite a few Martial Students in this training compound, but their attitudes aren't much to speak of. Every last one of them has their nose nearly stuck in the sky." Li Shan pointed toward the other dormitories and shook his head with a smile.

"There are ranks everywhere," Xu Yuan said with a sigh before walking forward.

Unexpectedly, just as he reached the door of the D-Class Room, he heard Chen Sanli's admiring voice from inside.

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

Xu Yuan's steps paused slightly, and his face turned cold. He abruptly shoved open the door.

Chen Sanli was standing beside his bed, holding an opened clay jar. He had brought its mouth beneath his nose and was making exaggerated faces as he commented on its flavor.

The oil paper had already been torn open and tossed aside. The rich fragrance of bean paste filled the dormitory.

"Oh, Brother Xu is back?"

Seeing Xu Yuan enter, Chen Sanli showed no embarrassment whatsoever. Instead, he raised the clay jar in his hand and said with a grin:

"Your bean paste is truly authentic. I just gave it a sniff, and it hooked the greedy worm in my stomach. Your sister-in-law's cooking is pretty good!"

His tone was casual, as though this were merely a friendly sharing between friends.

Yet opening someone else's belongings without permission, then acting so unabashedly about it, was not merely thick-skinned. It was a blatant crossing of boundaries and an insult.

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

"I tried to stop him just now." Wang Huan and Xiao Sheng both shrugged at Xu Yuan, indicating that it had nothing to do with them.

"Come on, it's just a jar of bean paste." Chen Sanli said unconcernedly.

"Brother Xu, don't worry. Next time, I'll have my mother make a jar too, and let you all taste something new!"

Xu Yuan stood where he was, his gaze falling on the smiling face before him before sweeping over the jar of bean paste. He said nothing.

The dormitory fell silent for a moment, with only the fragrance drifting through the air.

Then Xu Yuan moved.

He strode over in a few steps and directly took the clay jar back from Chen Sanli's hands. His movements were steady, and he even deliberately avoided touching Chen Sanli's hand.

The coldness and distance radiating from that silence froze the smile on Chen Sanli's face.

Xu Yuan picked up the oil paper and slowly resealed the jar, placing it on the inner side of his bed. Only then did he raise his head and look at the somewhat awkward Chen Sanli, his voice carrying a teasing edge.

"Such thick skin... So you actually have a mother?"

His voice was not loud, but the attack was devastating. Chen Sanli immediately lost his composure, his face flushing red as he pointed at Xu Yuan.

"You—you, what do you mean? I only opened your bean paste for a moment. Do you have to be so stingy..."

Xu Yuan cut him off directly. "Did you break through to become a martial artist with that glib tongue of yours, or with your fists and feet?"

"My things are only yours if I say you can have them. If I don't give them to you, you can't take them, much less steal them!"

Xu Yuan spoke word by word, his pace unhurried but his tone cold beyond dispute. "This is the first time, and the last time. Touch my things again, and just try it..."

Brother, I just killed someone. Have you ever killed anyone?

And you naturally took me for the first easy mark you could bully?

Xu Yuan sneered inwardly. He sat down on the bed in a composed manner and calmly watched the other man.

From everything that had happened before, he already knew this fellow had an extremely thick skin and no real moral bottom line. He was the sort who, given three parts color, dared open a dye shop.

If Xu Yuan backed down now, he might not receive any sincere gratitude. The man would probably push his luck and seek to take even greater advantage!

Xu Yuan hated people like this most of all, because he had had an identical roommate in his university dormitory in his previous life. That person had disgusted him to no end!

"You..."

Everyone had been left staring at one another by this series of actions. Chen Sanli's face was especially ashen. Even with his thick skin, he could no longer save face now.