Settling In!

"Let me see."

The voice coming from outside the crowd made Old Man Wine, who was panting heavily, brighten up.

The surrounding people turned their heads to look.

"A Xiantian Lifeform."

"It's a lord from the Xiantian Battalion."

The few people blocking Zhou Hao's path hurriedly bowed respectfully and stepped back.

Only the powerful Xiantian Lifeforms of the Xiantian Battalion in all of Jade Dragon City could wear cyan armor adorned with flood dragon patterns.

It was a symbol of status.

"Fifty pieces of Dog-Head Gold, right? I'll take it." Zhou Hao flipped his hand, and a piece of gold glowing with a cyan luster appeared, which he tossed directly to Old Man Wine.

"Thunder Gold!?" Old Man Wine caught it in a panic.

Though the Thunder Gold was only the size of a thumb, it felt heavy and pressed down on his palm.

Old Man Wine first stuffed the Thunder Gold into his waistband, then respectfully handed the metal statue to Zhou Hao with both hands.

"My Lord."

"Mm." Zhou Hao took the statue, his gaze toward Old Man Wine somewhat intrigued.

Just now, while it looked like he was stuffing the Thunder Gold into his waistband, he had actually tucked it into a Mustard Stone sewn into his belt.

An old man who claimed to be unable to survive and sold things on the street to make ends meet possessed such a rare treasure as a Mustard Stone?

If one were to take a single Mustard Stone to the Cultivation Market in the East City, it would sell for far more than ten catties of Thunder Gold.

Seeming afraid of being questioned by Zhou Hao, Old Man Wine turned and squeezed out of the crowd after handing over the statue, walking quickly toward the interior of Jade Dragon City.

"My Lord, this Old Man Wine is a drunkard and a gambler; he never says a word of truth. Who knows where he stole that thing from? It's not worth that much gold."

"That's right. He's been trying to sell it in the East City for days without luck, which is why he came to the West Gate Market to swindle someone."

"In my opinion, that thing isn't even worth a piece of beast-head gold."

Some of the surrounding people gathered the courage to speak up, immediately drawing murmurs of agreement from the rest.

Living in Jade Dragon City, they had seen plenty of Xiantian Lifeforms—who were rare sights for ordinary tribes—so their judgment wasn't poor; they naturally recognized Thunder Gold.

That small piece of Thunder Gold was enough for a family to live comfortably for over a decade. Wouldn't it be a huge loss to trade it for a useless statue?

"What kind of status does a lord from the Xiantian Battalion have! A few catties of Thunder Gold might be a massive fortune to you, but to the Lord, it's just pocket change," the burly slave trader nearby said loudly.

Clearly, he was saying it intentionally for Zhou Hao to hear.

Seeing Zhou Hao look over, he immediately bowed his head and fawned with a smile, not forgetting to whisper to the beautiful female slaves beside him, telling them to lift their heads.

Zhou Hao smiled without a word, tucked the metal statue into his Mustard Stone, and turned to leave.

He was no saint; he could not save all living beings.

As for that Old Man Wine, since he had lived in Jade Dragon City for many years, many people knew him.

Once he discovered what was unusual about the metal statue, he could simply find him again.

At the entrance of the restaurant.

Xiangcao and Iron Pillar stood there, gazing into the distance toward the West Gate of Jade Dragon City.

Several torches stuck into the wall illuminated the area outside the door. Xiangcao's face was flushed, and it was unclear how long she had been waiting.

Seeing the two, Zhou Hao's pace quickened.

"It's Uncle Zhou Hao! Uncle Zhou Hao is back!" Iron Pillar saw Zhou Hao in his armor from afar and shouted excitedly, "Uncle Zhou Hao is wearing armor! The Green Flood Dragon Army's armor!"

Zhou Hao scooped Iron Pillar up and asked Xiangcao as he walked into the restaurant, "Where are the others?"

The members of the Iron Ox Tribe, who had been preparing to set up a temporary camp in the open space beside the restaurant, were nowhere to be seen.

"It was Commander Cao Rong," Xiangcao said, following behind Zhou Hao. "He sent people over this afternoon. Hearing that you were studying cultivation techniques at the barracks, he helped us find a courtyard to settle in. My brother and the others have already gone over to tidy up."

Zhou Hao nodded.

At least he didn't only care about his own lower half.

But knowing he was 'studying,' why didn't he come to rescue him sooner?

"Lord Zhou is back." The restaurant owner, Zhu Da, came out to greet him. "You haven't eaten yet, right? Eat something here before heading over. Brother Iron Ox and the others just went to settle in, so they surely haven't prepared anything."

"Then I'll trouble you, Boss Zhu."

Zhou Hao was indeed hungry; Master Jingzhi's lectures had no breaks.

"It's no trouble at all." Zhu Da smiled and brought over a basin of boiled Zhilong Meat. "With Lord Zhou's strength, I imagine you'll be a commander after tomorrow. Just look after my humble shop in the future."

"Boss Zhu is certainly well-informed," Zhou Hao laughed.

The Green Flood Dragon Army's martial competition was tomorrow, and all members of the Xiantian Battalion in Jade Dragon City were required to attend. He had only received the military order that afternoon.

If Master Jingzhi hadn't leaked it in advance, he would have only known about the competition, not that the Xiantian Battalion would be adding a new unit to its establishment.

How could Zhu Da already know such news?

"Lord Zhou, you jest. I have no other skills, just this craft. Many people, like Commander Cao and the various lords of the Xiantian Battalion, love to eat here. Since they come often and talk a lot, I naturally learn more."

Zhu Da laughed heartily and explained, "The martial arts tournament is tomorrow, and the City Lord himself will attend. The news that a new unit is being added and a fifth commander is being selected has already spread throughout the city today."

"No wonder." Zhou Hao nodded.

That made sense; if even Zhao Hu already knew, the news was clearly no longer a secret.

"Lord Zhou, please continue eating. If it's not enough, just say the word. I'll head to the kitchen to oversee things." After saying a few more words, Zhu Da turned and left.

Zhou Hao wolfed down his food.

He had finally obtained a Qi-refining technique from the Xiantian Battalion, and even without the upcoming tournament, he was impatient to begin cultivation as soon as possible.

"Boss Zhu Da is a very good man. He had his servants help us settle in and even sent meat to Brother and the others tonight." Xiangcao brought another basin of meat to Zhou Hao. "Eat slowly."

"Mm, he is a good man, quite warm-hearted."

At the very least, he was better than Cao Rong and his two lackeys.

After eating his fill, Zhou Hao left two pieces of Dog-Head Gold for Zhu Da before leaving the restaurant with Xiangcao and Iron Pillar.

Although he harbored some resentment toward Cao Rong for abandoning him earlier today, the residence he had arranged was truly excellent.

Located in the northwest of the outer Jade Dragon City, it was not far from West Gate Market, and it was quite convenient to reach the military camp directly through the North Gate of the outer city.

With two courtyards—one large and one small—and over a dozen rooms, it was a bit cramped for the entire Iron Ox Tribe, but it was still far more comfortable than camping outside.

"Tomorrow, I'll go out and find a suitable place to establish the tribe's camp." Having received the Tribe Decree, Iron Pillar was full of drive.

Finally able to settle down within the sphere of influence of Jade Dragon City, Zhou Hao gave Iron Pillar the Divine Arm Ape Demon Body technique he had obtained from Yuan Lie's Mustard Stone Space to serve as the future heritage technique for the Iron Ox Tribe.

With both a camp and a cultivation technique, Iron Pillar was deeply convinced that everything for the tribe would only get better.

After a moment's thought, Zhou Hao reminded him, "It's best not to choose a location too far away."

The Black Hand Tribe was, after all, a hidden danger, and Yuan Lie was a Xiantian Lifeform belonging to the Fire Worship Sect—the only force in the Wilderness World that dared to challenge Jade Dragon City. It was said that they were also backed by an immortal cultivation sect, with strength not inferior to the Jade Dragon Sect.

"Let's just look within a thousand-mile radius of Jade Dragon City." Zhou Hao had heard from Master Jingzhi that the family tribes of Xiantian Battalion commanders, in addition to receiving a Tribe Decree and the protection of Jade Dragon City, could also obtain a 'Signal Talisman'.

With this Signal Talisman, as long as it was crushed within a thousand-mile radius of Jade Dragon City, the Green Flood Dragon Army headquarters would receive a distress signal and dispatch Xiantian Lifeforms to the rescue.

However, only the family tribes of Xiantian Battalion commanders were eligible to receive such a Signal Talisman.

"Alright, we'll look within a thousand-mile radius." Iron Pillar naturally would not object.

"Young Brother Zhou, you have already joined the Xiantian Battalion, so you don't need to worry about the tribe's affairs.

Once I select a location tomorrow, I will take them to build the camp. With the Thunder Gold you provided, our Iron Ox Tribe will be able to become a large-scale tribe within a few years."

"Mm, Brother Iron Pillar, just go ahead and do it," Zhou Hao said with a smile.

Compared to developing the tribe, he yearned more for the path of immortal cultivation.

Especially in this Wilderness World, without strength, how could there be peace!