chsdbacks Chapter 12: The Appearance of an Old Friend
Chapter 12: The Appearance of an Old Friend
"Ho ho! Ho ho!"
The Khitan soldier, biting his blade, gasped for breath, his eyes wide with disbelief that he would fall to such a young boy.
[Progress completed (Python Pattern Technique): 90/200]
[Progress completed (Blade Splashing Technique): 30/100]
The Book of Heaven is shining brightly.
After a battle, the progress has far exceeded what I could accumulate in a day!
Wu He was slightly out of breath when he thought of taking back the Book of Debt.
"Take it down!"
At the same time, the government troops finally arrived and tied the Khitan soldier up.
The unrest in the streets finally ended.
Immediately, the leather-armored man who seemed to be the leader walked up to him and looked Wu He up and down.
"Your skills are quite good. You managed to stop this Khitan scout; that's a merit you've earned."
"You flatter me, sir."
Wu He threw away the knife in his hand, let out a long sigh, and looked at the man in front of him who seemed to be not much older than himself.
The latter understood immediately and nodded, saying, "This man has committed numerous crimes in the city, and the government has issued a formal reward. Once this spy is imprisoned, you will receive one hundred taels of silver."
"What's your name? Where do you live?"
"Wu He, one two three four five, the crane in Fei He."
He paused, then added, "I'm currently staying at the Desire Immortal Pavilion."
"Wu He, Yu Xian Lou, I've got it."
The soldier nodded: "My name is Qian Bin, one of the ten scouts of the Zhenguan Army. This hundred taels of silver will be delivered to Yuxianlou in a few days."
"Eighty taels? Alright, then I'll trouble you, sir."
Wu He smiled gently, then turned and left.
Qian Bin stared intently at his retreating figure, lost in thought.
"Heh, this kid's pretty good at handling things. He knows he can't take it all and has to offer you a little. But he's being too stingy," a soldier chuckled beside him.
He then stepped forward and lowered his voice, saying, "Brother Bin, the usual rule, 50%?"
"If he doesn't smoke, give him a hundred taels."
Qian Bin, however, spoke with a serious expression, contrary to his usual demeanor.
The soldier exclaimed "Huh?" and asked suspiciously, "Brother Bin, what's going on?"
"Did you recognize the sword technique he used just now as a 'splashing sword' technique?"
"That's for sure. This kid's knife skills have clearly reached a certain level, better than many veterans."
"Then can you see anything different about his swordsmanship?"
His eyes were deep and thoughtful, which stumped the soldier next to him, who shook his head.
Qian Bin explained, "His swordsmanship has reached the basics, and it also has some unique aspects, making it more powerful than what we've practiced. I've only ever seen this kind of swordsmanship on one other person."
"Who?"
"Li Bo".
Upon hearing this name, the soldier's eyes widened, and he gasped slightly: "That 'Sword-Wielding Li' who saved you once during the Northern Expedition?!"
"That's right, this kid's swordsmanship style is exactly the same as his, he has obviously received the real teachings."
Qian Bin squinted slightly, a hint of reminiscence on his face.
"The disciple of one's benefactor should be treated with kindness."
After the incident of intercepting the Khitan soldiers, Wu He returned to the Yuxian Tower and first changed out of his blood-stained clothes.
He then sat down in front of the stove in the kitchen, and his body finally relaxed a little.
At the same time, a chill ran through me.
This first real-life combat experience left him deeply unsettled for a long time.
Of course, I'm happy.
"After practicing the Splashing Blade Technique, my combat strength at the mid-stage of Skin Tempering should be quite high, or even formidable."
"This time, in addition to testing my own combat strength, I also verified that combat can increase progress, and it is more efficient than training on my own."
"And more importantly, one hundred taels of silver!"
"A very fruitful harvest indeed."
As Wu He pondered this, he felt hungry again.
After a battle, the exhaustion was clearly considerable.
"We still have some time to rest, let's grab a quick bite."
It was obviously too late to cook meat at this time, so Wu He went to the nearest restaurant and ordered a large bowl of pork offal and pork.
This is currently the cheapest meat available; a whole table full of meat costs the same as a single roast chicken.
Wu He sat with his arms wide open, like a sturdy horse, and wolfed down his food with the force of a whirlwind.
Soon after, Wang Er shouted at the entrance of Yuxianlou, "Tiegen, let's get to work!"
……
Before you knew it, it was evening.
Just as Wu He finished tidying up the table, an old man in a gray long coat appeared at the door.
It was Wen Xin.
Beside him was another man, a scarred-faced man who looked rather fierce.
"Hey! It's Zheng Zhong, the leader of the Seven Killings Society, the Spinning Top Blade!"
Wang Er exclaimed in surprise, looking curious and gossipy: "Who's that old man over there? His father? Or his grandfather?"
"Hehe, brothers fight side by side, father and son are soldiers on the road!"
Wu He was speechless. He said helplessly, "You're going to die because of that mouth of yours sooner or later."
At this moment, Zheng Zhong and Wen Xin appeared, and Xu Niang ran to greet them.
The sounds were chaotic and indistinct, coming from a distance of more than half the front hall.
But Zheng Zhong immediately launched into a tirade of abuse at Xu Niang, then stepped aside. Xu Niang, her face filled with terror, bowed repeatedly to Wen Xin, as if apologizing.
The latter remained calm and composed throughout, making it impossible to discern his thoughts.
Wow, that's a lot of energy!
Wu He was slightly surprised when he saw this.
By directly contacting the leader of the Seven Killings Society, Wen Xin clearly struck at the heart of the matter, proving that his influence in the underworld is probably quite significant.
The sight of that middle-aged woman acting like a grandson made Wang Er and the other pimps laugh so hard they were doubled over.
"Iron Root! Iron Root!"
Then Xu Niang straightened up, glanced around for a moment, glared fiercely at the laughing pimps, and then stopped on Wu He.
"Quickly, invite Miss Wen to a private room on the second floor!"
"Hurry up!"
As she spoke, she ran over in small steps. Only then did Wu He notice that there was some cold sweat on her forehead, and her terrified eyes were still frantically trying to signal to him.
Upon approaching, he quickly whispered, "Go and invite Miss Wen here, and try to say some nice things to her!"
"I've always treated you well, haven't I? I know you often bring her food, and I won't hold that against you. But you'd better think carefully about how to say nice things to her."
"If you handle this matter well, the ten taels of silver... will be wiped clean!"
She spoke rapidly, like marbles, her previous arrogance gone, even bordering on pleading, her hands trembling.
Wu He nodded gently: "Okay, I'll do my best."
This time, she really messed up.
Indeed, who would have thought that the disheveled woman fleeing famine would be the niece of the esteemed Doctor Wen?
Wu He turned and walked towards the backyard, while Xu Niang walked up to Wen Xin with a smile on her face.
"Dr. Wen, Master Zheng, please... please have a seat in the Erya Pavilion!"
Wen Xin glanced towards the backyard and said indifferently, "Is that person your household servant?"
"Yes, yes."
"Oh."
Wen Xin looked at her as if she were an idiot, then went up the stairs.
Xu Niang was somewhat confused by his question.
"Look what you've done!"
As Zheng Zhong walked by, he shouted rebukes loudly, while glancing around and rubbing his index and middle fingers together with his thumb in front of his abdomen.
Xu Niang immediately understood and secretly held up three fingers.
Zheng Zhongwei nodded almost imperceptibly, then shouted again, "You blind fool, hurry up and serve Doctor Wen tea!"