Xu Guang followed the Maid toward the mysterious young lady’s table.
Since he had been sitting still, no one had paid him any mind, but now that he was up and moving, he caught the attention of a few people—Susu and Han Juan among them.
"Junior Sister Su, is that Xu Guang?" Han Juan asked.
Susu turned her head away from the young nobleman she had been chatting with, a hint of confusion appearing on her face. "Isn’t Xu Guang of humble origins? How did he manage to enter the Inner City and come to Cang Mang Tower?"
"Who knows? But seeing him here makes me feel like the standards of this matchmaking event at Cang Mang Tower have been lowered," Han Juan remarked.
Susu replied casually, "Maybe our junior brother, Xu Guang, has some hidden connections or background. Otherwise, Senior Brother Xu Sanduo wouldn’t treat him with such special regard. Besides, the fact that he achieved Skin Grinding Mastery in just three months is quite strange."
Han Juan chuckled softly. "I actually think Senior Brother Xu Sanduo is just trying to buy his loyalty. The resources needed for his Skin Grinding Mastery were probably provided by Xu Sanduo as well. Buying loyalty is an investment, and the earlier you invest, the better the results. Xu Guang comes from a poor family and has a reserved personality. People like him tend to value gratitude and favors more than anyone else.
"Our Senior Brother Xu Sanduo has quite the deep schemes. Whether it’s Zhao Yong or Xu Guang, I bet he’s grooming them in advance to be his die-hard retainers."
The two women conversed in hushed tones, but the young nobleman still overheard them. "Who is this Xu Guang you two are talking about?"
"Just a lowly commoner who isn’t worthy of Young Master Ren’s attention. He only gets to practice martial arts with us due to a fortunate coincidence," Han Juan answered casually.
"Oh, I see. However, Miss Han makes a fair point. Grooming die-hard retainers relies heavily on granting favors, but gratitude alone isn’t enough to keep a person tied down. One must also employ other methods. Does your Junior Brother Xu still have living family members?" Young Master Ren spoke softly. Though phrased as a question, his tone was exceedingly certain.
Realization dawned on Susu and Han Juan. Both hailed from minor aristocratic families, so upon hearing Young Master Ren’s words and recalling some of the practices used by their own elders, they instantly understood the implication.
"Senior Brother Xu really has impressive methods. Next time we meet, I should ask him for some advice. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to take in a few fiercely loyal guards of my own," Han Juan said.
Susu, however, held a different opinion. She was generally an accurate judge of character, and to her, Xu Sanduo didn’t seem like the type to harbor such convoluted schemes.
Unaware that he was the topic of their discussion, Xu Guang simply followed the Maid to a quiet corner where a young woman stood waiting.
She possessed a graceful, curvaceous figure with a notably perky rear, giving her a somewhat seductive air. Yet, her facial features were as innocent as a child’s. This stark contrast between her alluring body and her youthful face gave her a unique, captivating charm.
Xu Guang merely glanced at her once before averting his gaze. He certainly didn’t harbor any delusions that this woman had taken a romantic interest in him.
"Xu Guang?" Her voice was crisp and melodious, like a babbling spring.
Xu Guang nodded silently. "And you are, Miss?"
Wang Yue looked at Xu Guang, a flash of surprise in her eyes. His appearance was completely different from the shabby, unkempt commoners she was used to seeing.
"Wang Yue."
Xu Guang thought to himself that she must be a member of the Wang Family. He immediately understood why Wang Yue had sought him out; it was most likely because of his brother-in-law, Wang Ming.
"May I ask why Miss Wang Yue asked to see Xu?"
Wang Yue scrutinized Xu Guang for a long moment before rather impolitely staring at his forehead. "What’s with the white cloth on your forehead?"
Xu Guang paused in surprise, then replied, "My father passed away this year. It’s just a little trinket Xu made out of mourning for him."
Wang Yue nodded, seemingly deep in thought.
Xu Guang grew slightly irritated. He felt that this grand matchmaking event was a waste of his precious martial arts training time. He was on a tight schedule, especially since he had yet to initiate his Bone Forging.
"Are you in a rush?" Wang Yue asked.
Xu Guang shook his head.
"Whatever. We’ve met now, and that’s that. When the time comes, just tell my older cousin that you weren’t interested in me," Wang Yue said in a rather haughty tone.
She belonged to the First Branch of the family. In her early years, Wang Ming’s mother had acted as her wet nurse, meaning she owed Wang Ming a favor. Meeting Xu Guang at this matchmaking event was her way of repaying that debt.
Xu Guang nodded impassively, feeling absolutely nothing in his heart. Not everyone shared his brother-in-law’s tragic childhood, nor would everyone look favorably upon a peasant born outside the city walls. Over the past eight years, he had seen enough of human nature to understand this well.
Wang Yue was quite satisfied with Xu Guang’s indifferent attitude. She continued, "You should know the reason I agreed to meet you today. Since nothing came of this arrangement, the favor I owe my cousin can be considered settled through you."
She gave an order to the little Maid, who retrieved a box from the side.
"Inside this box is a fifty-year-old ginseng root, with a market value of over a thousand taels of silver. Take it with you. When you go back, tell my cousin that we are now even."
Xu Guang shook his head. "Miss Wang is too polite. Whatever favors exist between you and my brother-in-law are for the two of you to settle. It has nothing to do with me. If I were to take this ginseng, my conscience wouldn’t be at peace."
Hearing this, Wang Yue cast a surprised glance at him, though she didn’t press the matter. She knew Xu Guang held a very high place in Wang Ming’s heart, and she had come to repay a favor, not to forge a grudge with her cousin.
However, Xu Guang’s attitude still left her feeling somewhat displeased. It was the same indignation a highly sought-after beauty might feel upon suddenly being rejected.
After parting ways with Wang Yue, Xu Guang looked around. Seeing that all the young women present were already entangled with eager suitors, he couldn’t be bothered to linger. He gathered his things and turned to leave.
He found his brother-in-law outside. Wang Ming was in the middle of bragging to someone, but upon seeing Xu Guang, he looked surprised before breaking into a wicked grin.
"Well? How did the chat with my cousin go? She has a soft spot for handsome young men. Did you two exchange keepsakes or anything like that?"
Xu Guang didn’t know how to answer. He knew perfectly well that his mother, his eldest sister, and his brother-in-law were all highly invested in this matchmaking attempt.
"We didn’t get that far."
Wang Ming’s smile widened. If they hadn’t gotten that far, it meant there was still a chance!
"Not bad, not bad! As expected of my, Wang Ming’s, brother-in-law!"
His booming voice drew the stares of many bystanders.
Xu Guang felt his scalp tingle with embarrassment as he quickly grabbed Wang Ming and dragged him away.
In his past life, he had been an orphan with no parents to nag him about marriage. After transmigrating, however, he had finally learned the sheer terror of being pressured to wed. He could already imagine how relentlessly Mrs. Xu would nag him in the future if he didn’t settle down.
But if he was to get married, who would he even choose?
The faces of his childhood playmates from the village outside the city flashed through his mind. Erya? Or Xiaoni?
He decided to forget about it.
Stepping out of the Inner City, the stench of garbage and animal dung in the streets of the Outer City made Xu Guang feel somewhat nauseated.
He turned his head to look back at the towering city walls. To think that a single wall could create such a massive disparity in living conditions.
Just as he was lost in thought, the rapid thundering of hooves echoed down the street. It was accompanied by loud shouts and the sharp cracking of a whip.
"Urgent military dispatch from outside the city! Make way! All civilians, clear the path!"
"Urgent military dispatch from outside the city! Make way! All civilians, clear the path!"
A soldier clad entirely in black Armor galloped furiously down the street on a tall steed. As pedestrians scrambled to get out of his way, the street was thrown into chaos, and the wails of frightened children blended together in an unbroken chorus.
The soldier wore an expression of sheer panic. Looking closely, Xu Guang noticed that the man’s pitch-black Armor was splattered with dark, grisly remnants of flesh and blood!
Wang Ming hastily pulled Xu Guang aside to clear the way. No matter the era, one could never afford to offend a soldier—especially one wealthy enough to wear armor, as they were usually the city’s elite forces.
With a deep frown, Wang Ming said grimly, "That’s a member of the Feiyun Guard. Something terrible must have happened outside the city."
Xu Guang glanced at his brother-in-law. Since Wang Ming worked at the Government Office, any major incident outside the city was bound to cause unrest inside it, which meant it would inevitably become his responsibility to manage.
"Brother-in-law, you should head to the Government Office and check it out. I’ll head home first."
"Alright. If I make it back tonight, I’ll tell you what’s going on."
Later, upon returning to the Xu Family home, Xu Guang found that his eldest sister was also there. He barely managed to fend off the relentless barrage of questions from her and Mrs. Xu, leaving him utterly exhausted.
Perhaps it really was time to put marriage on his agenda. Mrs. Xu’s words made a certain amount of sense; if the Xu Family ended up without an heir, he would be directly responsible.
Two days passed in the blink of an eye. Xu Guang’s progress on the Bone Forging Chapter remained at zero percent, but he was no longer as anxious as before, as he had finally found a sense of direction.
His Blood Eye had recently gained the Introspection function. After studying it at home over the past few days, he discovered that by combining it with his Stone Skin Bloodline Power, he could slightly manipulate the flow of his qi and blood. By his estimates, it would only take a few more days before he could officially begin his Bone Forging.
It was one of the few pieces of good news he had received lately.
In addition to that, the results of his previous tests had come in. Just as he had hypothesized, the more knowledge he acquired and the higher his Realm became, the stronger and faster the Searcher would operate.
If that was the case...
Countless thoughts flashed through Xu Guang’s mind. Ever since his brother-in-law left for the Government Office that day, he hadn’t returned. His eldest sister had visited the house several times over the last two days, and though she didn’t say it aloud, her expression betrayed an undeniable worry for her husband.
Since the Searcher’s cooldown was finally complete, he decided to investigate the incident outside the city and confirm his brother-in-law’s safety.