Looking at Wang Meng, covered in blood, Luo Yi felt a lingering wave of fear.
"Uncle Wang, are you all right?"
"Don't worry, Xiao Yi. These little wounds are nothing to me."
After hearing Wang Meng's answer, Luo Yi, who had mastered Introduction to Poisons to Perfection and now knew some medicine, looked him over carefully. Once he was sure Wang Meng was all right, he lay down on the grass nearby to rest.
The three hiding deep in the woods saw the two of them kill the monsters and hurried over to check their injuries.
Wang Meng's wife, Aunt Li, saw him covered in blood and dropped to her knees, sobbing.
"My husband! My husband! You can't die! What would Xiao Yong and I do if anything happened to you?"
"Don't worry. I've only got a few flesh wounds. I'm not dying yet." Wang Meng looked at Luo Yi with a smile. "Sorry you had to see that, Xiao Yi."
"It's all right, Uncle Wang. Aunt Li was just worried about you." With that, Luo Yi went to see if the attackers had anything else worth taking.
As the black smoke dissipated, the bodies of the two guard commanders who had turned into werewolves gradually returned to human form.
Their clothes were in tatters, and a search turned up nothing.
Luo Yi went over to Yang Jie, whom he had shot dead before the fight, and found a blood-red pill in the man's clothes.
Wasn't this the pill those two had swallowed? Good thing I took one of them out first. If it had been three against two, who knew which side would have won? Luo Yi felt a rush of relief.
He dragged Yang Jie's body off the Official Road and into the trees.
Three swift horses were grazing beside the Official Road. Since there was no sense leaving them behind, he gathered their reins.
Leading the horses, he returned to where Wang Meng and the others were resting.
Worried more pursuers might come, they helped the injured Wang Meng onto a horse, packed their belongings, and hurried toward the county seat, all five of them.
They had set out from Dongsheng Town at first light. Apart from the time lost to the attack, they had spent the whole day on the road.
By the time they reached the gates of Yunlu County, there were not many people waiting to enter.
Some of the townspeople ahead of them saw the three swift horses, one carrying a man covered in blood. They quickly stepped to either side of the road to let the group through.
Without having to queue, the five reached the gate.
"Tooth Tokens?" Seeing Wang Meng covered in blood on horseback, the guard asked no further questions. He checked their identification and found nothing amiss.
After paying fifty copper coins in entry fees, they entered Yunlu County.
Worried Wang Meng's injuries might worsen, they went straight to an apothecary without stopping.
The apothecary's shopkeeper had been sitting idle behind the counter. At the sight of a customer covered in blood, he smiled and came forward.
"Are you here for treatment or medicine?"
"Just some flesh wounds. Have someone dress them for me." Wang Meng found a seat and sat down.
The shopkeeper examined him carefully. Aside from a fairly serious cut on his arm, none of the wounds were deep, and the shopkeeper promptly lost interest.
"Xiao Chen, put some Trauma Ointment on this customer and bandage him up."
The apprentice, Xiao Chen, worked for ages and wrapped Wang Meng up like a rice dumpling.
"Your wounds are taken care of, sir. That'll be three taels of silver."
"That much? Three taels for a little medicine?"
Wang Meng paid with a wince, and the five left the apothecary.
"Xiao Yi, what are you planning to do next?"
At Wang Meng's question, Luo Yi touched the more than two hundred taels he carried, then thought of the Tiger Hide he had yet to sell. He had enough money for now.
"Uncle Wang, I'm going to buy a house in the city first and get settled."
Hearing that Luo Yi meant to buy a house, Wang Meng worried he might not have enough money. He took out the two-hundred-tael Silver Note from earlier and offered it to him.
"Xiao Yi, houses in the county seat are expensive. Take this and use it."
He tried to stuff the Silver Note into Luo Yi's clothes, but Luo Yi quickly pushed it back. To keep them from going back and forth, he changed the subject.
"Uncle Wang, we have enough money for now. What are your plans?"
Seeing the sincerity in Luo Yi's eyes, Wang Meng stopped insisting. After a moment's thought, he said, "I'm going to take your Aunt Li and Xiao Yong to stay with my younger brother in the city."
"Xiao Yi, if you ever need anything, come find me here." Wang Meng left him an address.
After saying goodbye to Wang Meng, Luo Yi took his sister to the property broker he had visited on his last trip to Yunlu County.
He wanted to buy a house for around two hundred taels of silver.
The broker showed them every house for sale in Yunlu County's South District.
In the end, Luo Yi chose a single-courtyard house.
It had a main house, two side rooms, and east and west wings. A wall a little over a meter high surrounded it. In the middle lay a stretch of bluestone paving with a large banyan tree at its center. A stone table and stools stood beneath the tree.
Because the open space in the courtyard was so large, the house cost Luo Yi 220 taels of silver.
After he paid, the broker took Luo Yi and the former owner to the government office to complete the paperwork. By the time Luo Yi had the deed, night had fallen.
On the way home, Luo Yi stopped at the General Store and bought four sets of bedding.
Back at the new courtyard, he caught the aroma of cooking and went into the kitchen.
Luo Xi was busy there. When she saw Luo Yi return, she brought out the food she had prepared and kept warm in the pot.
The brother and sister happily ate their first meal in their new home.
After dinner, Luo Yi finally had a moment to himself. He went into the courtyard and opened the Attribute Panel:
Host: Luo Yi Age: 16 Realm: Skin Refining, Great Accomplishment Skills: Basic Archery (Great Accomplishment 126/400) Fierce Tiger Skin Refining Technique (Great Accomplishment 1/400) Introduction to Poisons (Perfection) Trait: Immune to Poisons Energy Points: 26
Looking at the Energy Points on the panel, Luo Yi thought about how a single point could raise a skill's progress by ten. The more he considered it, the more valuable Energy Points seemed.
All his Energy Points so far had come from the demon behind Mister Li. If he wanted more, he would inevitably have to deal with demons again.
In Great Qi, the Demon Suppression Department held a great deal of information about demons. It seemed the best path for him.
The Fierce Tiger Skin Refining Technique would soon reach Perfection, too. He needed to start looking for a Flesh Refining Realm Cultivation Technique.
Having settled on his path, Luo Yi took the Bear Gall and Tonic Medicine and began practicing the Fierce Tiger Skin Refining Technique.
After nearly three double-hours of practice, the technique's progress on the panel had risen by nineteen points.
After a quick wash, Luo Yi returned to his room. His sister had made up the previously bare bed with the bedding he had brought home.
Lying down, Luo Yi instinctively looked up for the night sky, only to see dark roof tiles.
He couldn't help laughing at himself. He had grown too used to living in a broken-down house.
At last, he no longer had to sleep on the floor. That night, Luo Yi slept especially soundly.
The next morning, the neighbors learned that new people had moved in and came calling, hoping to find out more about them.
Their voices outside woke Luo Yi from a deep sleep.
He got up and opened his door to find a group of aunties chatting with his sister Luo Xi in the courtyard.
When Luo Xi saw her brother emerge, she introduced him to the women around her.
"Everyone, this is my brother. He bought this courtyard."
The aunties looked at the young man, amazed that someone his age could put up so much silver.
They rose and crowded around Luo Yi, each eager to introduce him to a prospective match.
Luo Yi politely declined their offers and left his sister to entertain them.
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