Bad breath?
What kind of ridiculous reason was that?
Cheng Shaojiu loosened his clenched fists, tucked them behind his back, then unconsciously clenched them again.
Looking at Wei He's calm expression, he suddenly felt both laughter and tears welling up inside him—his emotions tangled, relieved, but more than anything, moved.
He had heard everything and knew just how generous Jiang Yan's offer had been.
To put it bluntly, even if other factions came later to recruit people, none of them would be able to offer a better price.
So Wei He's reason for refusing simply did not hold water.
"You shouldn't have turned him down. The Jiang Family's offer is already the best price on the market. Most importantly, your Second Sister could move into the Inner City too. That way, you wouldn't have to worry about her safety." Cheng Shaojiu took a deep breath and spoke earnestly.
"If it was because of me, I'll go explain it to him for you right now." He turned and started to leave.
But Wei He immediately called him back.
"Brother Cheng, don't rush. I have my own considerations. It isn't just because of you. Sit down and hear me out."
Wei He strode over, forcibly dragged him back, and pressed him into his seat.
"Brother Cheng, do you know that if I joined the Jiang Family, once I entered the city, it wouldn't be so easy to get away?" Wei He lowered his voice.
"?!" Cheng Shaojiu froze, then thought of something. His eyes flew wide open. "You mean!?"
"I know the rules. A contract like that lasts at least five years once signed. In other words, once I joined the Jiang Family, I'd be tied down for five years." Wei He's expression turned serious.
"You think highly of the Hong Family?" Cheng Shaojiu immediately understood.
The Seven Families Alliance looked stable now, but with Hong Family Fort pressing forward step by step, no one could say how long it would last.
Wei He said nothing.
In truth, he did not think highly of Hong Family Fort at all. He simply did not want to bind himself to any one place.
With the situation as it was, choosing an affiliation with fewer benefits was the safest course.
Compared to Cheng Shaojiu, he actually had a third option.
This was also an option Xiao Ran had originally been able to choose, but Xiao Ran no longer qualified for it now.
And the only person who knew of this was Master Zheng.
Because no one else knew one of the rules of Huishan Fist.
One had to break through from Ox Hide to Stone Hide within a year in order to have the potential to rise another level.
Old Zheng had discovered this rule through years of observing his disciples.
But he did not intend to reveal it, lest it dampen everyone else's enthusiasm. What if arduous cultivation produced a miracle? That was something no one could say for sure.
Therefore, only Wei He and Xiao Ran knew about it now.
And apart from joining either camp, Old Zheng had given Wei He another choice.
That was to remain at Huishan Fist Academy, with Old Zheng supplying the resources Wei He needed for further cultivation so that he could continue training in hopes of breaking through.
But if he stayed, aside from there being no shortage of resources for building up his qi and blood, everything else would fall far short of joining a major faction.
After all, Huishan Fist Academy was no grand clan or wealthy house.
Yet Wei He was most satisfied with this final choice.
Because he did not think highly of either the Seven Families Alliance or Hong Family Fort.
The world was in chaos now, and Feiye City was such a foul, smoke-choked mess that he had already begun considering leaving this place and finding a better city to settle in.
And if he joined either the Seven Families Alliance or Hong Family Fort, he would inevitably have to bring Second Sister along.
That would mean being completely tied to their war chariot. He could not see through the broader situation at all, so choosing a camp so casually and rashly—if something changed in the future—
By then, whether he lived or died would no longer be up to him. That would be truly difficult.
"Brother Cheng, do you know what lies beyond Feiye City? The Yonghe Escort Agency travels widely on escort runs, so you must have been to far more places than ordinary people and know something about the situation outside, right?" Wei He asked quietly.
Cheng Shaojiu was still staring at the four empty plates on the table, his face aching with regret.
Four plates of meat!!
Even pigs could not eat that much!
He had originally planned to use this month's allowance to treat a few more brothers to a meal. Now it was spent. All gone.
The meat was supplied in limited quantities. Once it was gone, it was gone. How could he not feel the pain?
Hearing Wei He speak, he let out a long sigh and looked at him with a helpless smile.
"You brat. You were willing to turn down terms as good as the Jiang Family's, yet you had to come and covet my few plates of meat. Come on, come on. We'll talk in the carriage."
Though his heart bled over the meat, he somehow also felt a surge of satisfaction.
He called over the waiter and paid the bill.
He swore that this was the most satisfying payment he had ever made in his life.
The gold notes in his purse were nearly emptied in one stroke, but his mood was like drinking iced plum soup in summer—sharp, sour, and exhilarating.
As they went downstairs, Cheng Shaojiu saw Jiang Yan looking over from the private room window on the second floor.
Cheng Shaojiu straightened his chest, then left without expression alongside Wei He.
The two of them boarded the Cheng Family carriage waiting outside without looking back.
Jiang Yan was slightly taken aback, seeming to understand something.
"What is it, Brother Yan?" the young gentleman seated across from him asked curiously.
"Nothing." Jiang Yan withdrew his gaze. Was that attitude a declaration of position?
Interesting.
Without a ripple in his heart, he picked up a piece of emerald-green vegetable and cast the matter aside in the blink of an eye.
If Wei He was unwilling, then so be it. The Jiang Family was vast and powerful; it did not lack one Wei He.
Experts like him were rare, but not nonexistent.
Feiye City was enormous. With more than ten towns and the Inner City, plus over a dozen earthen forts outside, could it really lack one Second Stage Qi and Blood expert?
It was just that Wei He had rejected Jiang Yan now. There would come a day when he regretted it.
After all, he was merely someone whose potential had been exhausted, someone who could only break through by relying on luck. Feiye City had seen plenty of such examples.
Even if other factions made offers, they would never be as generous as his.
"What? Does Brother Yan have something troubling him?" the gentleman in blue across from him asked with a smile.
"Nothing much. I was merely recruiting a junior brother and got turned down." Jiang Yan smiled and explained what had just happened.
"A Second Stage Qi and Blood expert. Paying that price for five years of his service isn't really a loss. If he refused, he's merely waiting for a higher price." The gentleman in blue smiled.
"When he later discovers that no one will offer more than Brother Yan did, he'll surely regret it. After all, he isn't some genius.
Someone like him will at most become middle management in the future. If he earns enough favor to take an important post, that will already be like incense burning high. He won't amount to much, so there's no need to keep him in mind."
"That's true." Jiang Yan thought it over, then could not be bothered to care anymore.
"Still, over at Flying Bear Saber, that young genius is even more outstanding than Xiao Ran. Does Brother Yan have any plans for him?"
"You mean Zhou Jihan, the one who exchanged punches yesterday?" Jiang Yan smiled. "My eldest brother has already gone with people to speak to him, though there's no guarantee he can be recruited. His talent is even greater than Xiao Ran's. We'll see what methods each family has."
That Zhou Jihan was the real key to each family's efforts.
Flying Bear Saber itself was the strongest Martial Arts Academy in the largest Outer City town.
And Zhou Jihan was only sixteen, yet he had already reached the peak of Second Stage Qi and Blood. His future potential was enormous.
Most importantly, unlike Xiao Ran, he was not arrogant because of his talent and did not offend people after only a few words. He was also deeply valued by Elder Yun of Flying Bear Saber.
Elder Yun of Flying Bear Saber carried far more influence than Old Zheng of Huishan Fist in Shiqiao Town. Elder Yun had even taught quite a few Third Stage Qi and Blood experts, who held important posts in various factions.
To be valued by Elder Yun meant that Zhou Jihan's allegiance was no longer merely the weight brought by a single genius.
Inside the Cheng Family carriage leaving the Inner City.
Cheng Shaojiu let out a breath and looked at Wei He, who sat properly across from him.
"What do you want to know? Of the eighteen cities in Yun Province, the Yonghe Escort Agency has traveled through more than half of them."
"Brother Cheng, do you know which place in Great Yuan is the safest now? The situation is chaotic, disasters are breaking out everywhere, there is drought every day, and grain and meat are growing more expensive on the market."
Wei He paused and sighed.
"Every day, I see people who starved to death being carried away from the streets. There are fewer and fewer people in town. If I did not still see some during market days, I would almost think Shiqiao Town had become an empty city."
"I understand why you'd think that." Cheng Shaojiu nodded and fell somewhat silent as well.
"But I'll tell you the truth: among the lands of Yun Province, Feiye City is considered peaceful. Why do you think Hong Family Fort keeps elite troops, yet no one dares touch them?
Because other places are even more chaotic, and the local officers and soldiers alone are powerless to apprehend the Hong Family. So they can only play deaf and dumb and let matters take their course."
He sighed.
"The cities near Feiye are even more chaotic. Some places fought several battles long ago. I even heard of a city being captured by bandits and mountain brigands. Can you believe something so absurd?"
"So there's nowhere safer?" Wei He asked quietly.
"There is," Cheng Shaojiu answered.
"Where?"
"Yun Province Prefecture. Heavy troops are stationed there, and it is prosperous and abundant—the center of all Yun Province. But it is too far away. Before things became this chaotic, one could have made it there safely.
But now, with war and turmoil everywhere, all kinds of troubles and disasters springing up one after another, bandits and thieves running rampant, and countless fierce beasts, a person might die halfway there. That is why we previously only accepted personal escort jobs as far as Sucheng."
"Sucheng?"
"Yes. It is a major grain-producing city nearby, but its supplies have recently been cut off as well. Now it relies entirely on the covered inner fields built by the surrounding earthen forts, using their harvests to supply food.
Those inner fields use long cloth awnings for shade, opened at set times to let in sunlight. They can block some of the blazing sun and weaken the light. With irrigation added, they can preserve part of the harvest."
When Wei He heard that, was that not a large-scale ancient greenhouse?
"And what about Sucheng itself?" he asked again.
"Sucheng... gangs hold the upper hand there now. The Su Gang is the largest among them and has long been infamous within the city. Outsiders do not understand, but if you experienced it there yourself, you would know why I say Feiye is better."
Cheng Shaojiu shook his head helplessly.
The two returned to the Cheng Family residence while it was still early.
With the wine still warming his spirits, Cheng Shaojiu dragged Wei He to the training ground.
"Come, come. Since you've broken through too, let us brothers have a little practice."
Cheng Shaojiu changed into a fitted training outfit and walked to an open area, where he planted his feet.
"You've only just broken through. I can teach you some of my experience and help you avoid some detours."
Wei He naturally had no objection.
The two stood facing one another and assumed Huishan Fist stances together.
From the outside, they looked exactly like two boxers preparing to beat each other senseless.
The moonlight was soft, spilling across the training ground like a thin veil.
The two quickly fell silent and stood motionless.
Suddenly, with a low shout, Cheng Shaojiu lunged forward, his fists striking in succession toward Wei He's face and abdomen.
This was an offensive move in Huishan Fist, called Twin Flying Swallows. One punch was direct, the other unexpected.
The direct punch targeted the face, meant to obscure vision and draw attention.
The other struck at the abdomen. That was the true killing move, designed to catch the opponent off guard.
Of course, when needed, the direct and unexpected strikes in this move could be switched and adjusted freely. There was no need to be bound by form.
Before you continue