Lu Xuan squatted beside Xu Zhong’s corpse and began searching his belongings.
Soon, he found twenty silver pieces, a dagger, and a jade pendant.
He tucked the silver into his chest, threw away the dagger, and took the jade pendant in his hand to inspect it. The jade quality was decent, worth a few silver pieces.
Lu Xuan discarded the blade, which was hard to conceal, and tucked the jade pendant away.
Carrying a weapon like that through the streets would only attract unnecessary attention, while the jade pendant was small enough to hide and could be sold later if he needed more money.
This was just Xu Zhong. With his current cultivation level, he couldn’t afford to make a move against anyone else of status in the Lu Family... not even that good-for-nothing Lu Hao.
Xu Zhong had been careless and alone, giving Lu Xuan an opportunity. The others would not be so easy to deal with, and exposing himself too soon would only bring trouble.
Lu Xuan stood up and glanced at the corpse on the ground, then picked up the blade and cut away the blood-stained sections of silk.
The blood would make the silk impossible to sell, and leaving it behind would also make it easier for someone to trace what had happened.
After that, he gathered the bolts, folded them, tucked them under his arm, and turned to walk out of the alley.
He returned to the entrance of the escort agency, where Xiao Lin was waiting for him at the door.
"Brother Xuan, what are you holding?"
"Silk," Lu Xuan replied casually. "I bought it for my wife."
Xiao Lin’s eyes widened slightly. He leaned closer, examining the fabric.
"This material is nice! It must have cost quite a bit, right?"
Lu Xuan shrugged.
"It’s alright. I sold an old wolf skin and used some of the money."
Xiao Lin clicked his tongue in admiration.
"Brother Xuan, you’re really something. Most people would save every coin they had, but you’re already buying good fabric for your wife."
Lu Xuan carried the bundle into the gatehouse, put it somewhere out of sight, and sat down in his chair.
Only after settling in did he allow his thoughts to drift back to the events of the day.
Ye Qingyi’s blade technique.
He closed his eyes and began replaying the movements in his mind.
As he rested there, he began replaying Ye Qingyi’s blade technique in his mind, going through it strike by strike. With his System, he could remember it after seeing it only once.
Tonight, he would practice it at home. The escort agency was too crowded, and revealing even a trace of the technique here might cause others to become suspicious... he is just that paranoid.
Evening came, and Lu Xuan closed the door before walking home.
Shen Yuyan was cooking in front of the stove. When she heard the door open, she turned around to look, "Husband, you’re back?"
"Yeah."
Lu Xuan placed the silk on the table, and Shen Yuyan froze for a moment.
"This... what is this?"
"Silk. I bought it to make clothes for you."
"Where did you get the money?"
"I earned it by selling the wolf skin."
As he spoke, Lu Xuan handed her the twenty-five silver pieces. Shen Yuyan’s mouth fell open, her face filled with disbelief.
"That wolf skin sold for so much silver?"
"The shopkeeper said the wolf was special. Its fur was different, so it was worth much more than an ordinary wolf skin."
Shen Yuyan opened her mouth, but no words came out. She didn’t know much about wolf skins to begin with, and since Lu Xuan insisted, how could she doubt him?
She lowered her head and touched the silk, but before long, tears began to fall.
"Why are you crying?"
"No... nothing..."
Shen Yuyan wiped away her tears, lifted her head, and smiled.
Lu Xuan stepped closer.
"If you don’t like the color, we can exchange it for something else."
Shen Yuyan shook her head quickly.
"No! I like it."
"Then that’s settled."
He gave her shoulder a gentle pat before returning to the table.
"Now, if you keep standing there crying, dinner will get cold."
Shen Yuyan let out a soft laugh through her tears.
Soon, Shen Yuyan brought the dishes to the table. Among them was the stewed pheasant Xiao Lin had given him earlier.
Lu Xuan sat down and began eating.
Shen Yuyan settled across from him, but she seemed less interested in her own meal than in watching him eat. Whenever he reached for another piece of meat, a quiet smile appeared on her face.
Lu Xuan said nothing. He simply lowered his head and ate the stewed pheasant, he knew she was happy, and seeing her reaction made him feel that the money and effort had been worth it.
After dinner, they sat together beneath the moonlight, Shen Yuyan stared at him with her flawless face, her eyes filled with tenderness.
"Husband..."
"Hm?"
"You’ve been so good to me lately."
Lu Xuan turned toward her.
She lowered her eyes, her fingers unconsciously twisting the edge of her sleeve.
"I don’t know how to repay you."
"We’re married," he said. "You don’t have to repay me for every little thing I do."
"But—"
"No buts." His tone was gentle rather than stern. "If I want to buy you something, I’ll buy it. If you want to do something for me, then do it because you want to, not because you think you owe me."
Shen Yuyan gently bit her lip and thought for a moment before speaking in a voice as soft as a mosquito’s buzz.
"How about tonight... I’ll be on top. You don’t need to move...tonight."
The moment she said it, her face grew so hot that it felt as though she could boil an egg with it.
Lu Xuan’s body trembled when he heard this. He had originally planned to spend the night quietly cultivating the blade technique, but his wife’s sudden offer made that plan impossible.
He reached out and gently took her hand.
"All right," he said softly.
It’s over... half a year’s cultivation wasted again.
Next Morning...
Lu Xuan opened his eyes to find Shen Yuyan lying on his chest, still fast asleep.
Last night... she had been on top.
She must have been exhausted.
Lu Xuan stared at the ceiling, his expression complicated.
He had wanted to refuse, but Shen Yuyan had been so happy and sincere that he could not bring himself to disappoint her. Besides, as her husband, taking care of her feelings was more important than a single night of cultivation.
What happened to the "control, control" we agreed on?
Forget it.
[Ding! Sleep Cultivation complete.]
[Five Animals Transformation Art progress: 78%.]
[Deer Form: Great Perfection. Tiger Form: Great Perfection. Bear Form: (70%). Crane Form: (60%). Ape Form: 30%.]
[Demon-Subduing Righteous Sun Blade progress: 0%.]
[Current Realm: Martial Apprentice Realm: Level Four.]
It had increased again. Even without deliberately cultivating, the System continued to advance his cultivation while he slept, allowing him to improve little by little every night.
When he saw the Demon-Subduing Righteous Sun Blade, Lu Xuan was ecstatic. He hadn’t expected that merely seeing and memorizing it once would be enough for the System to copy it, by now he knew one more thing it is not that System can’t help him in copy the techniques of others, maybe they are too much inferior to fit System standards.
This meant he no longer needed to spend years slowly comprehending every technique he encountered.
It was just a pity that the Five Animals Transformation Art still hadn’t reached Great Perfection. It seemed he could only officially cultivate the blade technique once it reached Perfection.
Without completing the foundation of the Five Animals Transformation Art, forcing himself to practice the new technique might only waste time or even cause problems.
However, there was no rush. He had endured for more than a dozen years, so waiting a few more days was nothing.