Buying a Dog! A Big, Fierce, Biting Dog!

Su Mo watched the Female Captain leave in anger.

His lips parted and closed, but in the end, he didn't remind the Female Captain that her use of the word "scram" seemed rather inappropriate.

Fortunately, her affection level was at 8%, she was neutral, and it hadn't changed. No big deal, he could still court death later.

After Lin Moyin had completely disappeared.

Su Mo let out a sigh of relief.

The pressure from the intelligence chief was no ordinary thing. She threatened to kill people at the drop of a hat, and yet you couldn't dare not believe her.

This was because killing people was one of the Imperial Guard's main lines of business.

They didn't just talk; they actually did it!

Especially since the intelligence chief was inscrutable, you had no idea what she was thinking. How could he not be afraid?

Fortunately, Su Mo could see the intelligence chief's affection level.

Otherwise, how would he dare to keep courting death and madly testing the intelligence chief's bottom line!

Su Mo realized now.

The content of the Golden Finger's missions was important, but the affection level was just as crucial!

Unfortunately, up to this point, he could only see the affection levels of Lin Moyin and Xue Yishu.

The sample size was too small to generalize commonalities.

It was difficult to connect the intelligence chief and the County Magistrate's daughter.

There were only two commonalities.

One, they were both women.

Two, they were both beautiful women.

Perhaps a half-point could be added: a connection to the Immortal Path.

One cultivated the Immortal Path herself.

One had a relative who cultivated the Immortal Path!

The Female Captain didn't touch her tea even once before leaving.

Su Mo, with a mindset of not wasting anything, drank the Rock Mountain Tea in one gulp. It did taste better than the coarse tea he used to drink.

Afterward, he looked at the small booklet Lin Moyin had thrown over—the Imperial Guard Soldier Regulations.

The content was very simple.

It could be summarized into two points.

First, obey superior orders!

Second, uphold the honor of the Imperial Guard!

To put it bluntly, you had to listen to your boss and not back down when facing outsiders!

Su Mo was quite satisfied with such regulations.

He would be even more satisfied if he could be promoted to a high-ranking leader in the Imperial Guard.

He still had to continue flattering the Female Captain... um, slip of the tongue, continue flattering the Female Captain and strive to climb up.

At the very least, before he could ride on the Female Captain's neck and confront her head-on, he couldn't easily offend her.

However, it made Su Mo a bit depressed.

His monthly salary of three taels was already small, and he only actually received two taels.

Twenty-four taels of silver a year, which was only four taels more than a Fast Squad Constable. This was completely inconsistent with the prestige Su Mo imagined for the Imperial Guard.

Don't forget, Constables had plenty of side income!

But judging by Lin Moyin's personality, she didn't seem like someone who would embezzle funds or exploit soldiers.

Could the Imperial Guard also be poor?

The court was definitely poor.

They had fought fiercely with the rebels for control of the world, resulting in countless casualties and widespread devastation, leaving the land barren and the people destitute.

Although fifty years had passed for recuperation, with external threats and internal strife, they couldn't become rich. This could be judged from the officials' salaries.

But didn't the Imperial Guard often confiscate property and exterminate entire families?

There should be a lot of side income, right?

With a salary of three taels and only receiving two, weren't they afraid of their subordinates rebelling?

No wonder his third uncle told him to often bring silver to grease the wheels.

It seemed the Imperial Guard was truly poor.

Or perhaps he should take the path of a wealthy benefactor and prove his value to the Captain?

It was much safer than fighting.

Financial management wasn't Su Mo's strong suit; he couldn't make glass and wouldn't dare control the salt trade.

But with knowledge accumulated over hundreds, perhaps thousands, of years, he wouldn't claim to crush others intellectually, but his business concepts could absolutely trample those of ancient people!

For example, if he offered the Female Captain the secret method for distilled liquor and then brewed and sold it himself, he'd surely make a fortune!

Even if the Female Captain wanted to kill him, she'd have to consider whether the other Imperial Guards, or even her superiors, would agree!

Before that, he needed to find someone to gather intel on the true situation of the Imperial Guards.

That Gao Xin was enthusiastic and talkative, making him a good target for information gathering.

Su Mo returned to his bedroom.

The young widow was sound asleep, impossible to wake.

Su Mo initially thought about checking on Xue Yishu and Heroine Chen, but ultimately dismissed the idea.

He wasn't that kind of petty person.

If he were to look, he'd do it openly; taking advantage of someone's weakness was hardly the act of a gentleman.

Perhaps it was the Rock Mountain Tea.

Su Mo found himself completely unable to sleep.

He simply sat cross-legged and practiced his breathing, cultivating the Yang Tian Jue!

Having his life in someone else's hands felt terrible!

He might win once, but he couldn't guarantee winning a second time.

Cultivation on the Immortal Path must not be neglected!

He cultivated through the entire night, circulating three major Heavenly Cycles.

Su Mo felt the warm current within him had grown slightly stronger, indicating he did indeed have the aptitude for cultivation.

At this rate, the warm current would double in half a month at most!

Su Mo felt that ascending to the Mortal Immortal realm was just around the corner!

After finishing his cultivation, he was full of energy.

He glanced at the naked, graceful, petite yet impressively proportioned, beautiful widow beside him.

Su Mo felt tempted again.

However, she was fast asleep and lacked cooperation, making it uninteresting, so he gave up.

He took a cold shower.

Upon returning to the room, he was surprised to find the young widow had woken up.

She blinked her groggy eyes, looking at him hazily, "Su Lang, you're up so early?"

Then, as if suddenly remembering something, she exclaimed, "Dian Dian!"

"Where's Dian Dian?"

Su Mo smiled, "She's with me!"

"Dian Dian's aunt is looking after her."

The young widow cried out in self-reproach, "How could I have slept until now!"

"No, I must go back and check on Dian Dian!"

She paused, then explained, "If Dian Dian wakes up and doesn't see me, she'll be scared!"

Su Mo nodded and smiled, "You go back, and in the future, let Dian Dian come stay here too."

"Mm, the house is a bit small, but once your husband earns money, I'll buy a bigger one!"

The young widow's pretty face flushed, and she gave Su Mo a resentful glance, "You're calling yourself 'husband' without even marrying me yet, aren't you ashamed!"

She hesitated, then said shyly, "Actually... actually, Su Lang doesn't need to waste money... my... that house... is quite big too."

Su Mo couldn't help but pinch her blushing cheek, then moved his hand down to cup one of her breasts, weighing it.

It was heavy, felt excellent, and its size and shape were just right, endlessly enjoyable.

He then smiled, "Why would I covet your house? Of course, I'll buy a house!"

The young widow quickly pushed Su Mo's hand away, "Su Lang, don't tease me. I really have to go, Dian Dian will be up soon."

She then hurriedly dressed, gave Su Mo a slight bow, and quickly departed.

Su Mo felt famished.

He decided to make breakfast himself.

He even picked some vegetables from the yard and stir-fried them with cured meat, adding plenty of lard, which produced a strong, rich aroma.

"So fragrant!"

Heroine Chen, who had woken up at some point, followed the smell, sniffing the air.

Then she widened her eyes and stared at Su Mo, who was busy cooking, with an expression of disbelief. "It's you?"

"You can cook too?"

Su Mo glanced at Heroine Chen. "Of course! Back when it was just me, was I supposed to starve if I didn't cook? Do you think eating out every day is free?"

He waved his hand dismissively. "Go wait in the inner hall."

"And call that tomboy who calls herself Xue Yuan."

Chen Qianyu couldn't help but ask curiously, "Who exactly is she?"

"Why is she staying with you?"

The female knight-errant, whose moral compass was flexible and who was innocent but not foolish, felt it was necessary to understand the situation with her love rival.

Know yourself and your enemy, and you will win a hundred battles.

Such a man, who was powerful, incredibly handsome, and most importantly, a skilled cook, absolutely could not be snatched away by someone else first!

Sister Qin was one thing.

That tomboy was clearly behind her, so why did she arrive first?

Su Mo stirred-fry the vegetables, casually saying, "She's Magistrate Xue's daughter!"

"She ran away from her wedding and came to me."

Su Mo was actually puzzled. Xue Shan hadn't sent anyone to capture her, not even asking about her.

Did his influence really extend that far?

But he couldn't be bothered to rack his brain to figure it out.

"After breakfast, I'll take you to the East Market to get acquainted with the area."

"And see if there are any suitable shops."

He paused, then added, "We also need to go to the dog market!"

Heroine Chen curiously asked, "What are we going to the dog market for?"

Su Mo gritted his teeth. "To buy dogs!"

"Big, fierce dogs that bite people!"