"Going Home"

Learn from the enemy's strengths to conquer them.

Even in the throes of agony, Liu Chengqi couldn't help but stare wide-eyed, stunned by Chu Huai Xu's "Divine Move."

This was clearly the first stance of the "Eight Trigrams Palm of Boundless Heaven and Earth" that he himself had taught!

Senior Brother Liu, collapsed on the ground and gravely wounded, had no strength left to fight back.

He couldn't suppress a cough, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth as a sharp pain throbbed in his chest.

But the look in his eyes as he gazed at Chu Huai Xu gradually shifted, as if he were staring at a dead man.

"Don't look at me like that. I can guess you've got some background," Chu Huai Xu said, crouching down with an unruffled expression.

He raised his right hand and lightly patted Liu Chengqi's right cheek, patting as he spoke:

"Teaching a martial art and still ending up tangled with ingratitude."

"Didn't I pay? Hmm?"

"Answer me!"

With each sentence, Chu Huai Xu gave his cheek another gentle slap.

Liu Chengqi had never endured such humiliation; flames nearly burst from his eyes.

He struggled to lift his right arm, still carrying a fierce stubbornness despite his severe injuries.

But Chu Huai Xu, crouching on the ground, was faster. With a crisp crack, he disabled that arm too.

"That was the hand being a nuisance just now, right?" His tone remained calm.

Senior Brother Liu let out a series of agonized screams from his broken arm.

Han Shuangjiang watched from the side, her fingers unconsciously clenching.

This was the first time she had seen this side of Chu Huai Xu.

Cold, ruthless, decisive!

Since the other party had struck first, he showed no mercy.

The four words surfaced in her mind once more—"Cruel heart, elegant appearance."

Given that Liu Chengqi had just tried to grope her, Han Shuangjiang felt not a shred of sympathy for him.

Among the four main characters of "Borrowed Sword," she held the script of the Great Female Lead, so naturally, she wasn't some nauseating saint.

Since Chu Huai Xu stood up for her, she would clearly pick her side.

After a brief moment of surprise, the petty thought that arose in this penniless girl's mind was still: "One hour counts as a lesson period, and we've only studied for the time it takes an incense stick to burn. That's ten taels of silver, ten taels..."

The next moment, she saw Chu Huai Xu extend his right hand and lightly pat Liu Chengqi's cheek again, staring at him. "Drop the course, hear me?"

Seeing no reaction from Liu Chengqi, he kept his gaze fixed on him, his eyes growing colder, and his patting hand unconsciously hitting harder with each slap.

Before long, Chu Huai Xu led Han Shuangjiang out of the small courtyard, contentedly returning the ten taels of silver to his Storage Token.

He had his own set of rules—he didn't take a single tael more.

After that little episode, the two walked back to the marketplace.

It was now noon. Chu Huai Xu spotted a stall and was about to sit down for a bite, but Han Shuangjiang yanked him away.

He glanced down at her delicate hand tugging his sleeve, and she immediately let go.

"Let's, let's buy groceries instead," she insisted.

Learning a mortal martial art had nearly cost twenty taels of silver. Only because the other party harbored lecherous intentions did it end up being ten.

This made Han Shuangjiang increasingly feel that their household's "surplus" was actually meager, with an unhealthy financial state.

Chu Huai Xu never expected that Han Shuangjiang, the Great Female Lead beloved by countless female players in "Borrowed Sword," would be so stingy at heart.

Since it was his money being spent, her tone when expressing opinions was no longer icy but carried a consultative edge.

"Fine," Chu Huai Xu agreed, and this seasoned companion added, "As you wish."

Those two simple words brought joy to the penniless girl, who secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

During the grocery shopping, this cold mountain also proved more finicky than usual, insisting on comparing prices across vendors.

Normally, when they interacted, she was sparing with words, and before paying, she'd put on a cold face, haggling as best she could.

"She sure knows how to manage a household," Chu Huai Xu thought to himself.

Along the way, they passed a tavern.

Someone outside was hawking: "Erlang Wine! Fine Erlang Wine!"

Han Shuangjiang watched helplessly as Chu Huai Xu stopped in his tracks.

A terrifying thought flashed through her mind.

—High spending ahead!

"Erlang Wine? Isn't that a famous brew from the Moon Kingdom?" Chu Huai Xu paused to ask.

"That's right, junior brother! You really know your stuff. The earliest technique for this wine comes from Erlang County in the Moon Kingdom," the vendor replied.

Chu Huai Xu nodded slightly, recalling the famous Langjiu from Earth.

Langjiu got its name because it originated from Erlang Town in Sichuan Province.

With the great calamity approaching, the Mirror Kingdom and Moon Kingdom, which had been in constant friction, had eased their relations in recent years.

Even during their most hostile periods, trade between the two countries was unavoidable; now, it seemed like they were in a honeymoon phase, with trade becoming even more frequent.

Even taxes had been lowered somewhat.

Thus, it wasn't strange to find Moon Kingdom wine for sale.

He even suspected this tavern was an official establishment of the Dao Sect.

After a moment's deliberation, Chu Huai Xu deliberately didn't ask the price and simply said, "Give me one jar."

This startled the iceberg behind him, who quickly stepped forward to haggle.

There was no helping it—the silver was his; she only had the right to advise, not decide.

Watching Han Shuangjiang like this, he found it more and more amusing.

After teasing this World Protagonist, Chu Huai Xu took the Erlang Wine handed over by the vendor.

"Let's go. We're going home," he said.

Hearing the words "we're going home," Han Shuangjiang was stunned for a moment.

The two of them returned fully laden, but halfway there, Chu Huai Xu suddenly stopped and looked eastward.

"If I remember correctly, Steward Niu's courtyard is in that direction, right?" He calculated the time in his mind and asked.

"Mm." The iceberg had lost its liveliness again, nodding in simple acknowledgment.

"Take this jar of wine to Steward Niu," Chu Huai Xu instructed.

"I take it?" She frowned in confusion.

Han Shuangjiang wasn't rejecting his order; she simply didn't understand—he had spent the money, so why should she deliver it alone?

Chu Huai Xu didn't answer, just looked into her beautiful eyes, wondering if this World Protagonist could figure it out.

After a few seconds, she spoke up: "You're afraid."

She hesitated.

Back in that courtyard, Chu Huai Xu had said to Liu Chengqi: I can guess you have some background.

From various signs, Han Shuangjiang could also sense this.

Now, Chu Huai Xu nodded at her, indicating she was right.

In an instant, Han Shuangjiang's pretty face darkened, and that unbearably uncomfortable feeling surged back into her heart.

This whole thing started because of her.

No matter how the world was dressed up, it was still survival of the fittest. Being beautiful yet weak was the original sin!

This was one of the reasons she had always longed to cultivate and grow strong.

But then, Chu Huai Xu let out a scoff: "Tch, who are you putting on that face for? I'm tall and handsome—you think I haven't run into plenty of trouble? Just get used to it!"

Hearing this, Han Shuangjiang felt that this Fox Face in front of her was just too infuriating.

She took the Erlang Wine from Chu Huai Xu and, following his arrangement, headed east.

After just a few steps, she suddenly stopped and called out softly, "Chu Huai Xu."

"Hm?" Chu Huai Xu turned to look at her.

"Why aren't you coming with me?" she asked.

If they had already guessed there might be potential danger, why split up?

Chu Huai Xu looked at her like she was an idiot: "How can you guard against thieves every single day?"

"If—just if—Liu Chengqi wants revenge, and he definitely has some background, seeing us visit Steward Niu's home today, would they act today?"

"But there's always tomorrow, you understand?"

"You can't be sure he'll just swallow this insult, can you?"

Han Shuangjiang thought this over and found it reasonable—she couldn't pin all her safety on the enemy's rationality.

Chu Huai Xu had always believed the world was a giant shoddy stage; he didn't buy that someone acting irrationally meant they had a "stupidity debuff."

How many people in the world were rational their whole lives?

Hell, plenty of people were only born because their old man got impulsive in the heat of the moment.

People, in the end, were ruled by emotion.

Chu Huai Xu knew trouble would come, so he chose to insult Liu Chengqi thoroughly instead.

It both satisfied him and made the other party come looking for trouble quickly—everyone could settle things fast without dragging it out, so he wouldn't have to stay on guard forever.

At that moment, Han Shuangjiang looked at the young man standing not far away and spoke again: "So you chose to go home first, let them come to you, put yourself in danger, and then have me go get help?"

"Yep!" Chu Huai Xu replied.

"You're convinced that Steward Niu will definitely make a move?" Han Shuangjiang said.

"Certain." Chu Huai Xu replied, thinking that Old Niu might even be more anxious than her.

"Good." The cold-faced girl answered.

Then, he watched as she strode forward, handed the wine jar to Chu Huai Xu, her face full of seriousness and resolve, and said with utmost insistence:

"I'm going home. You deliver the wine."