Guardians' Sparring

"All right, you can rest in the city on your own for the next couple of days. I'll be helping with the defensive arrangements. If the seal disappears, I'm afraid everyone will die!"

The old Taoist explained things to Qin Bo, then turned and left.

Qin Bo nodded.

He felt as though he were missing something.

"Damn, wait a second—I don't have any money!!"

Qin Bo shouted toward the place where the old Taoist had left.

But there was already no one there.

"Right, the City Lord's Mansion should provide food and lodging, shouldn't it?"

Qin Bo sighed helplessly. At present, he was penniless, and that was indeed a thorny problem.

Soon, Qin Bo was brought to a side hall to wait. Before long, a middle-aged man who looked like a steward walked in.

Qin Bo hurriedly stood up, explained why he had come, and asked whether he could have his food and lodging taken care of at the City Lord's Mansion.

The steward looked Qin Bo up and down, then said with a slight frown:

"According to custom, the City Lord's Mansion does arrange food and lodging for outsiders assisting with official matters. It's just that you don't yet have any official status, so..."

Qin Bo's heart tightened, and he quickly said, "Steward, I was recommended by Old Taoist Songhe. The crisis involving the Netherworld is severe this time, and I also want to do my part for Yunzhou City. I'm penniless right now. If I have nowhere to eat or stay, it will truly be difficult for me to devote myself wholeheartedly."

The steward pondered for a moment, then said:

"Very well. I'll go ask the City Lord. Please wait here for a while."

While he waited, Qin Bo began looking around the side hall.

The hall's furnishings were simple. Several calligraphy works and paintings depicting Yunzhou City's mountains and rivers hung on the walls, lending the place a rather elegant air.

But Qin Bo had no heart to admire them at the moment. His mind was filled with thoughts of whether his food and lodging would be settled.

Before long, the steward returned with a faint smile on his face:

"The City Lord knows of your circumstances and has specially approved you to stay and eat at the City Lord's Mansion for the time being. However, you must pass the Demon Suppressing Division's assessment as soon as possible. Otherwise, I'm afraid this arrangement will be difficult to sustain."

Qin Bo was overjoyed and hurriedly thanked him. "Many thanks to the City Lord, and many thanks to you, Steward! I will definitely work hard to pass the assessment."

The steward nodded and called over a servant, who took Qin Bo to arrange his accommodations.

Qin Bo followed the servant through several corridors and arrived at a secluded little courtyard.

The servant introduced it. "Young Master Qin, you'll be staying in this courtyard."

The servant turned to leave, but Qin Bo grabbed him.

"Wait, brother! Where's the dining hall?! I've been traveling all this way, and I'm hungry!"

The servant smiled helplessly and led Qin Bo toward the dining hall of the City Lord's Mansion.

Along the way, Qin Bo looked at the pavilions and towers scattered throughout the City Lord's Mansion in orderly fashion. He couldn't help marveling at the grandeur of the estate.

Once his strength had skyrocketed, he would definitely get himself a decent residence.

He would eat and drink well every day and live like an immortal.

Then he'd find a few wives... Ahem, he was getting carried away!

All along the way, guards were patrolling everywhere, showing how seriously the incident was being treated.

Before long, they arrived at the dining hall.

The dining hall was quite spacious, with several tables and chairs arranged inside. Since it was not mealtime, there was no one there.

The servant pointed to an empty seat and said to Qin Bo, "Young Master Qin, please sit wherever you like. The City Lord's Mansion serves meals on schedule, with three meals prepared every day."

"I'll go see if I can find you something else to eat!"

Qin Bo thanked the servant and found an empty seat.

Not long afterward, a maid dressed in plain clothes came over and placed several steaming dishes on the table.

There was steamed Spirit Fish, rice made from spirit grain, and several exquisite seasonal vegetables, all giving off an enticing aroma.

Qin Bo was indeed hungry. Without standing on ceremony, he picked up his bowl and chopsticks and began eating heartily.

Just then, several people slowly walked in through the dining hall's entrance.

"Have you heard? There's probably going to be big trouble with this disturbance in the Netherworld."

A slightly chubby guard spoke in a low voice.

"Of course. The City Lord has even invited quite a few outside reinforcements. Still, who knows whether they can stop the Netherworld's schemes?"

Another tall, thin guard replied.

"Hmph, if you ask me, those so-called reinforcements might just be here to freeload. Just like that kid who arrived today. Who knows whether he even has..."

A sharp-faced guard spoke in a strange, mocking tone, then suddenly froze.

Seeing the very person he was talking about eating in the dining hall, he hurriedly shut his mouth.

Qin Bo was displeased, but he did not want to cause any more trouble, so he ignored him.

But when the sharp-faced guard saw that Qin Bo did not react, he assumed Qin Bo was afraid and became even more emboldened.

"Exactly. He might have gotten in through the back door. I bet he'll immediately show his true colors during the Demon Suppressing Division's assessment."

The sharp-faced guard raised his voice, drawing the gazes of many people nearby toward Qin Bo.

Qin Bo finally couldn't stand it anymore.

He set down his bowl and chopsticks, stood up, and looked coldly at the sharp-faced guard. "Brother, you can eat whatever you want, but you can't say whatever you want."

"Although I, Qin Bo, am new here, my desire to do my part for Yunzhou City is absolutely genuine. As for the assessment, I'll prove myself with my strength."

The sharp-faced guard had not expected Qin Bo to retort, and his expression changed slightly.

But he still stubbornly said, "Yo, you sure know how to talk. Then tell me, what kind of strength do you have?"

"What if you can't even deal with a single little Netherworld ghost during the assessment and end up disgracing the City Lord's Mansion?"

Qin Bo chuckled twice, his eyes fixed fiercely on the guard.

"Strength isn't something you talk about. It's something you show with your fists. Want to try me?"

"Hahaha... A young sprout like you wants to exchange a few moves with me?! I may be a guard of the City Lord's Mansion, but I'm not someone a brat can provoke."

The sharp-faced guard crossed his arms, his eyes full of disdain.

Qin Bo did not waste any more words.

He stood up and walked outside the dining hall.

"Please!"

"Heh, so there really are people lining up to get beaten! Fine, let me teach you a lesson, you ignorant brat who doesn't know how high the heavens are or how deep the earth is."

The guard, enraged, leaped into the air and landed face-to-face with Qin Bo.

"Come on. I'll let you have three moves, so you won't say I'm bullying a child!"

Qin Bo was stunned. People like this still existed nowadays?!

"You... are you sure?!"

"Enough nonsense. A guest is to be treated with courtesy. Otherwise, you'll claim later that the City Lord's Mansion doesn't show proper respect."

"You said it yourself!"

As soon as Qin Bo finished speaking, his blood and qi began circulating at once.

He unleashed the beastly art contained within the Ancient Desolation Body Tempering Technique and struck out with a Tiger Fist.

In an instant, his entire aura changed dramatically, as if he had transformed into a ferocious tiger descending from the mountain, his whole body radiating awe-inspiring murderous might.

The wind of his fist howled like a tiger roaring through the mountain forest as it pounced toward the guard.

The guard had originally worn an expression of disdain, but the moment he saw the astonishing might behind Qin Bo's punch, his face changed drastically.

But he had already spoken those words, so he could only brace himself and meet the attack head-on.

In his haste, he had only enough time to condense a blood-and-qi barrier before his chest to block it.

Seeing this, Qin Bo couldn't bear to strike too heavily and could only withdraw half his strength.

"Bang!"

With a resounding boom, even after Qin Bo had withdrawn half his strength...