Expressing Loyalty

The spring rain ceased, and apricot blossoms adorned the branches.

Taking a donkey cart back to the medicinal herb estate, Nie Yannian first had Wolf One's body moved to an unoccupied room. Then he went to check on Black Mian and White Mian. Seeing they were unharmed, he finally relaxed.

Hot water had been prepared at the estate. Nie Yannian and Meng Yuan each soaked in a wooden tub, both letting out sounds of comfort.

"I don't have any big aspirations in this life. As long as I have meat to eat every day and hot water to bathe in, I'm content," Nie Yannian said with rare emotion.

Meng Yuan didn't say anything, just closed his eyes and soaked in the bath, while also reviewing the battle with Wolf One.

Although he had a bow, arrows, and a long saber, his fighting style was too simplistic.

His victory in this battle was certainly due to his willingness to fight desperately, but it was also because Wolf One was a demon after all, and his mind was a bit slow. He didn't know how to conserve energy, which was why he was worn down to death.

But if the opponent were an enemy of the same rank, it would be hard to say.

Moreover, before setting out, Master Nie said that a Two-Stone Bow would be enough. But Meng Yuan felt that Master Nie was being overconfident. During the great battle this time, he had shot Wolf One, but it didn't cause any damage. However, if he had brought a Five-Stone Bow, it would have surely had a miraculous effect.

After finishing their baths, they put on the clean clothes prepared by the estate manager.

His inner garment had a hole and many bloodstains. Meng Yuan couldn't bear to throw it away, so he wrapped it up and put it aside, planning to wash and mend it when he returned.

As for the tattered outer garment, he threw it away directly.

Nie Yannian saw this and didn't say anything nice. "It's so broken and you still treat it like a treasure, look how stingy you are!"

"It's the clothes my family sewed for me stitch by stitch," Meng Yuan said.

Hearing this, Nie Yannian didn't say anything more.

After the bath, they felt even hungrier, so the two of them quickly went to eat.

The mutton was stewed until it was tender and soft, without any gamey smell. It was smooth and palatable, and paired with fresh wild chives, it immediately washed away the chill after the spring rain. Their whole bodies were warm, and all their strength returned.

"Master Nie," Meng Yuan slurped the mutton, feeling satisfied in both body and mind. He also asked curiously, "Where should I look for Spiritual Herbs and Precious Medicines?"

"Mostly in the deep mountains, you'll know in the future," Nie Yannian was clearly too lazy to say more.

Just as they finished eating and washed their hands, they heard the sound of horse hooves outside.

They saw Ren Debiao arrive with three people. The leader was a middle-aged man in his forties, very refined, and the two following him were young men.

"Old Zhang!"

"Old Nie!"

This middle-aged man was very familiar with Nie Yannian. When they met, they didn't exchange pleasantries and went directly to the room where Black Mian and White Mian were held.

White Mian's injuries had not been bandaged, and he was now on his last breath.

The middle-aged man picked up the bundle that had been searched out from the underground passage, and then carefully examined the scattered Buddhist beads and Bodhi prayer beads. Only then did he ask Nie Yannian about the origin and process of the current situation.

Nie Yannian didn't answer, only raised his chin towards Meng Yuan.

Meng Yuan knew that Nie Yannian was cultivating him, so he spoke on behalf of Nie Yannian about the theft of medicinal herbs and dogs from the estate, then the plan to capture Black Mian and White Mian, and then following this lead to take the lives of Great Tail Venerable and Wolf One.

Of course, the most important thing was that the method of cutting off greed taught by Great Tail Venerable, as well as his dying verse, were all recounted word for word.

"It's a demon monk!" The middle-aged man made his judgment, without showing any panic. He then looked at Nie Yannian and asked, "Great Tail Venerable is a Seventh Rank Buddhist demon, how capable is he?"

"He should have just broken through not long ago, and hasn't fully comprehended the Six Supernatural Powers yet. However, he's learned the Vajra Seal quite well." Nie Yannian curled his lip and shook his head. "Actually, his knowledge and skills are both half-baked."

"You were still overconfident, you shouldn't have brought the children," the middle-aged man smiled, then looked at Meng Yuan and asked, "Did you kill Wolf One by yourself?"

"Yes," Meng Yuan replied.

"How did you kill him? Tell me in detail," the middle-aged man said.

Meng Yuan didn't hide anything and told everything truthfully, even the final risky forced kill.

"Well done," the middle-aged man praised, patting Meng Yuan's shoulder. "You have courage and strategy. When did you enter the ranks? How long did it take?"

Meng Yuan didn't answer and looked at Nie Yannian.

Nie Yannian stepped forward, smiling proudly, "He only started learning martial arts before the New Year, and entered the ranks before the end of the first lunar month."

Hearing this, the middle-aged man looked Meng Yuan up and down again, and the other two young men also showed surprise.

"I say, Old Nie, this is a good seedling!" The middle-aged man was very interested in Meng Yuan. "You've taught another good disciple!"

"Hey, the child is promising on his own, I didn't teach him much!" Although Nie Yannian said this, his pride was already uncontrollable. He laughed heartily and pressed Meng Yuan's neck, saying, "This is Centurion Zhang Guinian, call him Uncle Zhang!"

"Uncle Zhang!" Meng Yuan immediately said.

"Good child." Zhang Guinian nodded slightly and asked curiously, "Old Nie, I see this child speaks clearly, has drive, and his appearance and aptitude are also good. Is he for your Qingqing?"

When Nie Yannian heard this, the hand that was pressing Meng Yuan's neck seemed to let go with some disdain. He said irritably, "He already has a little wife!"

"That's even better!" Zhang Guinian clapped his hands and said seriously, "Just let Qingqing be the junior wife!"

Nie Yannian was furious and said, "Why don't you let your daughter be the junior wife?"

Zhang Guinian spread his hands and smiled, "My daughter hasn't consecutively brought death to three husbands."

Nie Yannian seemed to have been poked in a sore spot, his face turned green and he didn't say a word.

Zhang Guinian became even more smug, raising his chin towards Meng Yuan, as if encouraging him.

Meng Yuan remembered the beautiful woman in the Drunken Moon Pavilion and couldn't help but steal a glance at Master Nie. However, he saw that Master Nie, who had just been giving him pointers, was now glaring at him, so he quickly lowered his head and didn't speak.

"Alright, we'll take care of this. We won't delay you from becoming a rich old man, Old Nie. Come find me in a couple of days to record the case file!" Zhang Guinian called to the two young men who came with him. They moved Black Mian, White Mian, and Wolf One's corpse onto the carriage, covered them with a black cloth, and then took their leave.

"Let's go too." Nie Yannian seemed a bit dispirited. He pointed at Ren Debiao and said, "Demons' wild nature never changes; they love revenge the most. You stay here and guard for a few days. Patrol well at night and don't let anything go wrong. I'll put in a good word for you when we get back!"

"Yes!" Ren Debiao glanced at Meng Yuan. Seeing that Nie Yannian hadn't mentioned Meng Yuan's name, it was clear he was only leaving him behind.

Nie Yannian said no more and rode back to the city with Meng Yuan.

"Master Nie, Uncle Zhang was joking. I don't have any ideas," Meng Yuan stated his innocence.

"I was young once too, don't I know what people your age think about all day?" Nie Yannian said irritably.

Seeing that he was being treated as a vulgar person who only thought about women, Meng Yuan's expression didn't change. He pretended not to understand and just said, "Master Nie, I've gained some merit by following you, old man. Can I bring my family back to the city this time?"

"Yes. Go back and talk to Xun Mei about it. There's also a reward of three hundred taels of silver," Nie Yannian said.

Meng Yuan's eyes lit up at the mention of money. He immediately smiled and cupped his hands, saying, "It's all thanks to Master Nie's guidance!"

"But if you want to get the silver, you need to be more careful," Nie Yannian glanced at Meng Yuan.

"How do you mean?" Meng Yuan asked curiously.

Nie Yannian smiled but didn't say anything more.

Meng Yuan thought it over in his mind and asked in a low voice, "Do I need to show my loyalty?"

"You really are a talent!" Nie Yannian couldn't help but laugh. He said, "You have to remember, right now you only belong to the Princess Consort."

Meng Yuan understood. He was weak now and needed the Princess Consort's protection. But if his cultivation level rose in the future, the situation would be different.

But was the Princess Consort really that capable? Meng Yuan had castrated and fought demons for this master, but he still didn't know much about her.

"Learning from Master Nie, I'll never finish learning in my lifetime!" Meng Yuan praised him, then asked in a low voice, "Master Nie, I saw that the Princess Consort's Tranquil Garden is in the southwest, and the Prince's residence is in the northeast. It seems like they've separated. Are our Princess Consort and the Prince not getting along?"

"Just remember that you belong to the Princess Consort, and don't ask about other things!" Nie Yannian grunted twice but said no more.

The spring rain had just stopped, and the ground was moist and soft. Riding on the horse, Meng Yuan kept trying to make conversation and ask questions, but Nie Yannian was cold and indifferent, not very willing to talk.

The two of them were like a son-in-law meeting his father-in-law for the first time.