As the Victory Banquet ended, guests streamed out through the carved vermilion doors, their lively chatter drifting down the long street on the evening breeze.
Shen Fei avoided the family heads clustered together exchanging pleasantries and strolled alone toward the side corridor. His gaze swept over the people beneath it, and he immediately spotted Xiao Ning'er walking slowly by herself.
Several ladies from prominent families had detained her in conversation for quite some time. Weariness lingered in her eyes, impossible to hide, and her fingertips unconsciously rubbed the patterns on her sleeve. She walked slowly, her mind far removed from the social exchanges around her.
Shen Fei raised his voice slightly to call to her, pausing to leave room for passersby.
Xiao Ning'er looked up at his voice. When she recognized Shen Fei, some of the weariness in her expression eased, and she stood quietly where she was to wait.
Shen Fei approached her side, his tone even, without any deliberately ingratiating courtesies. "The banquet was dull, and going back would only mean shutting ourselves in our rooms to check inscription drawings. Why not take a walk beyond the western outskirts and clear our heads?"
Xiao Ning'er lowered her eyes and considered for a moment.
She had spent the entire day on social obligations and tedious inscription calculations, leaving her nerves stretched taut. She truly did not want to return immediately to the Winged Dragon Family and face its tangled affairs. With a gentle nod, she accepted his invitation.
They left the main street outside the City Lord's Mansion side by side. The bustling flagstone road gradually gave way to a dirt path, and the rows of brick-and-tile residences on either side grew sparse, replaced by low adobe houses and small vegetable gardens enclosed by fences.
The farther they walked toward the western outskirts, the more the city's clamor faded. Most people on the road were commoners carrying farming tools or low-tier cultivators heading out to gather herbs. They wore plain clothes, and children of prominent families were rarely seen here.
Xiao Ning'er followed quietly. After half an incense stick's worth of walking, she finally could not resist asking, "We're heading into a secluded part of the outskirts. Where are we going?"
Shen Fei did not explain his reasons, replying only, "To see someone." He continued leading the way, turning with practiced familiarity into a narrow alley. At its end stood an old plank door, its wood weathered pale and its iron knocker covered in rust.
He raised a hand and tapped lightly on the wooden door. Two short knocks sounded, and hurried footsteps immediately came from inside the courtyard.
The door opened a crack from within, and a boy, Su Ming, poked his head out. The instant he recognized the two people outside, his eyes widened. Astonishment crossed his face first, followed by excitement he could not suppress.
The man who had offered him guidance in the alley that day had actually come looking for him at his own home.
Su Ming hurriedly pulled the door fully open, stepping aside and bowing to invite them in. His fingers nervously clutched the hem of his coarse cloth shirt. "Big brother, how did you find this place? Please, come into the courtyard and sit."
Flour still clung to him; he had evidently been kneading dough just moments earlier. From inside the house came the faint, intermittent coughing of a woman worn down by prolonged illness. His family's poverty was plain to see.
Xiao Ning'er followed Shen Fei over the threshold. The little courtyard was cramped but clean and tidy. Dry firewood was stacked neatly in a corner, and a crude stone table stood in the middle, with half a basin of unfinished dough spread out on it.
"My mother went to wash and starch clothes for a neighbor. She won't be back until evening."
Su Ming brought over two wooden stools, repeatedly wiping their seats with his sleeve. Then he hurried into the house and returned with two bowls of cool well water, handing them to his visitors before standing awkwardly to one side, unsure how to begin a conversation.
Their previous chance encounter had been only a brief exchange. He had not even had time to ask the man's name. He had always remembered the kindness of that guidance, but had no way to find him.
Shen Fei set down his porcelain bowl and took a parchment appointment document from inside his robe. It bore the bright red official seal of the Mercenary Association. He laid it flat on the stone table and pushed it toward Su Ming.
The parchment had an even grain, and its clear lettering specified the position of captain of an outer patrol squad, along with the pay scale and area of duty.
"A mercenary squad on the western outskirts needs a captain, someone to patrol the villages, give warnings of demon beasts, and escort supplies for commoners. I've already spoken to the association's steward. All the assessment requirements have been relaxed for you. As long as you register today, you can officially take up your duties tomorrow."
Su Ming lowered his gaze to the document, his fingertips trembling slightly. He had never dared hope for a way forward like this.
Born a commoner with no powerful family backing him, and with cultivation at only three-star bronze rank, he had previously scraped by gathering herbs and taking odd jobs to support his sick mother. An official position in the Mercenary Association was an opportunity far beyond his reach.
Ordinary independent cultivators could fight until their heads split and still struggle to secure a squad position, let alone a steady monthly salary and the cultivation resources provided by the association.
The immense surprise battered his senses. Su Ming's throat tightened, and his eyes quickly reddened. His knees bent beyond his control, and he was about to drop straight to the ground and kowtow in thanks.
Xiao Ning'er reacted swiftly, reaching out in time to support his arm. Her touch was gentle, yet it held him firmly upright. She dissuaded him softly. "There's no need for such a grand gesture. He values your character, not your repayment."
Su Ming steadied himself, clenched his fists, and took a deep breath to quell his surging emotions before looking up at Shen Fei.
His tone was utterly resolute. "That day, you taught me to shatter the world's injustices with my own hands. I've never forgotten. I've been working desperately to refine my basic breathing practice, getting up early every day to train my fists and feet, hoping that one day I'll be able to protect the people around me."
Shen Fei watched the boy calmly, a trace of the familiar tenacity of a veteran who had defended the city in his previous life hidden in his eyes. His voice held not the slightest gentle reassurance, only concrete admonitions.
"This position isn't a gift with no strings attached. Mercenary patrols mean staying up through the night on watch. Demon beast ambushes in the wilderness and clashes with displaced people are commonplace, and when danger comes, there's no retreat. I'm giving you this opportunity because I want to see that what you said that day wasn't empty talk. If you back down halfway through, you'll ruin your own future and implicate my contacts in the association as well."
Su Ming straightened his back and bowed deeply, bending very low at the waist. "I will never give up halfway! I'll do everything I can to protect the commoners in every village on the western outskirts. If any demon beast approaches, I'll sound the warning at once. I will never betray the trust you've placed in me."
Shen Fei gave a slight nod and pressed the appointment document into Su Ming's hands.
He added a couple of instructions about registration. "Go straight to the association's western office tomorrow morning. There's no need to mention my name. If anyone asks, say you passed the assessment on your own. I've arranged everything. No one will question your background."
Su Ming gripped the parchment tightly, his fingertips creasing its edges. The gratitude filling his heart defied words. After a moment's hesitation, he gathered his courage and asked, "May I ask your full name, big brother? When I've achieved something tangible in the future, I'll know whose kindness to remember."
"Shen Fei." His tone was plain, without the slightest intention of flaunting his status.
Su Ming silently repeated the name, then froze as towering waves surged through his heart. He had long heard of Shen Fei, the eldest legitimate son of the Sacred Family, one of Glory City's Three Great Peak Families.
Rumor had it that this young master possessed mediocre talent, was disregarded by his family head, and spent his days accomplishing nothing. He seemed a completely different person from the thoughtful man before him who was willing to help a commoner rise. Su Ming stood dazed, unable to recover for a long while. So the rumors had all been a false picture.
Seeing that Su Ming now knew his identity, Shen Fei offered no further explanation and gestured to Xiao Ning'er that it was time to leave.
Su Ming hurried to see them off at the mouth of the alley. He stood there watching their figures disappear at the end of the dirt road. Only after a long while did he lower his head and repeatedly stroke the appointment document in his hands, a light kindling in his eyes unlike any that had burned there before.
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