Xu Guang’s expression showed some thoughtfulness; he understood what Old Zhao meant.
Old Zhao was not from Feiyun City, or even Qing State. Xu Sanduo had previously mentioned that Feiyun City strongly rejected outsiders. The reason Old Zhao could stay safely in the city for so many years was that he had someone backing him. But in exchange, Old Zhao and the disciples he had trained over the years would need to enlist in the army and become defenders of Feiyun City in times of crisis.
Xu Guang thought of many things. He had become Old Zhao’s apprentice through the connections of the Cheng Family’s young lady, Cheng Lian’Er. It stood to reason that Old Zhao should have known the conditions the Cheng Family had discussed with him back then, but he hadn’t mentioned it just now.
Did this mean that the Cheng Family, or rather Cheng Lian’Er, was also affiliated with the City Guard’s Mansion?
At this thought, Xu Guang looked at his senior brothers and sisters. Were the families of these people also secretly supporting the City Guard’s Mansion? As for why the Cheng Family didn’t openly support the City Guard’s Mansion, it wasn’t hard to guess.
From a single drop of water, one could see the entire ocean; from a small clue, one could glimpse the big picture.
Feiyun City was not small, boasting a population of hundreds of thousands. The factions within the city were intricately entwined yet interconnected. It must all be part of a game played by the higher-ups. The players in this game were naturally the top three major factions—the Feiyun City Guard’s Mansion, the Cold Blade Sect, and the Immortal Crane Sect. Perhaps only the three major families of the Inner City had the privilege of remaining neutral. As for the rest of the factions, big or small, none could escape the shadows of the three major powers.
Xu Guang narrowed his eyes. The City Guard’s Mansion’s impatience in forcing Old Zhao to take a side was, to some extent, a sign of their lack of confidence. Did this mean that the so-called Yellow Heaven Sect outside the city hadn’t completely settled down?
"I have no opinion on whether you join the army or not. However, I can tell you that if you refuse or have other ideas when the City Guard’s Mansion conscripts you in the future, I will cut off your supply of Secret Medicine. This is not a threat, but a requirement from the City Guard’s Mansion, and it is also to keep you alive."
That was the last thing Master Zhao said to Xu Guang.
Xu Guang remained silent, his heart wavering. The fact that Master Zhao could speak so frankly to him showed he had already done his utmost out of goodwill. He couldn’t make up his mind. Master Zhao was bearing the pressure on this matter; otherwise, anyone registered on the roster would be forced to enlist. However, Master Zhao’s decision to let him choose had put him in a tough spot.
Making a choice was a very difficult thing. Joining the army had its pros and cons. The benefit was that it would be easier to access corpses, especially those of high Cultivation. The downside was the danger. The safest option, of course, was to work at Xu Sanduo’s family slaughterhouse. But the accumulation would be too slow. Animal blood was truly inferior to human blood.
During the afternoon Cultivation practice, Xu Guang seemed absent-minded. It wasn’t just him; most of his senior brothers and sisters were the same. The news they had learned today must have caught everyone off guard and sent them into a panic.
War was never a matter of just one or two casualties.
Once Old Zhao left, everyone started packing up. Even Xu Sanduo lost his interest in visiting the brothel. Xu Guang couldn’t care less; he also put on a despondent look and left. His mood was quite complicated. Master Zhao had done him a favor. If he didn’t agree, it wouldn’t affect Master Zhao much, but it also meant he would no longer receive the Secret Medicine.
When he returned home, Mrs. Xu was rather surprised. "Brother Guang, why are you back so early today?"
In front of his mother, Xu Guang tucked away his thoughts and said with a beaming smile, "My master said I was pushing myself too hard with my Cultivation recently and told me to come home and spend more time with you."
Hearing this, Mrs. Xu smiled as brightly as a flower. "Your master is a good man."
Xu Guang nodded in agreement.
Although Old Zhao half-controlled his many disciples using the recipe for the Secret Medicine—to some extent ensuring they advanced and retreated with him while working for the City Guard’s Mansion—this was a method used by all Sects. Xu Guang had no right to criticize it. Aside from this, Old Zhao was actually quite kind to his disciples. He could be considered a good master.
The mother and son chatted for a long time. When the topic turned to the current food shortage in the city, Mrs. Xu felt a bit sorrowful. Her maiden family had all starved to death during a severe drought twenty-three years ago. Xu Guang comforted her for a long time.
That night.
Xu Guang thought it over and over, but he still didn’t want to join the army and risk his life for others. He wasn’t a desperate outlaw with no other way out who had to gamble his life in the military. But the reality was that if he didn’t enlist, Old Zhao would definitely cut off his Secret Medicine supply, which meant his path of Cultivation would be severed.
He wondered if he could switch to another Cultivation Technique.
At this thought, Xu Guang suddenly realized—yes, he could practice other Cultivation Techniques!
Like...
He took out the Cultivation Technique manual he had acquired from the thieves a few days ago. Ignoring the accuracy of its content, it was incredibly detailed. However, the numerous blanks and code words within it made it impossible to practice. If others wanted to practice it, they could only find people to test it out repeatedly, using trial and error to correct the mistakes. But he was different. He had the Searcher. He could directly search for the errors and decipher the code words.
It should be feasible. After all, the Searcher could even uncover secrets like the Ancient Celestial Eye, which sounded overwhelmingly profound. The only uncertainty was the drawbacks and the price of switching to another Cultivation Technique.
Xu Guang didn’t dwell on it any longer. He took out the Secret Medicine he had purchased from Master Zhao upon returning today and began his Cultivation.
However, the progress of the Bone Forging Chapter wasn’t fast. At this stage, he could only rely on constantly practicing the movements, using them to mobilize the vitality in his body and infuse it into his bones.
He could only rely on one word: grind.
It was ultimately different from the Skin Polishing Cultivation. Although Skin Polishing also relied on grinding, thanks to the Essence Blood in his Blood Eye, as long as he had enough ruthlessness in his heart and wasn’t afraid of pain, there were still some shortcuts. Now, with Bone Forging, Essence Blood remained important, but he could no longer advance by leaps and bounds like he did during Skin Polishing.
A few days flew by.
Xu Guang practiced his Cultivation until noon. When he came out, the world outside was already cloaked in a layer of silvery-white snow. Without realizing it, December had already arrived.
He sighed silently. Ever since his conversation with Master Zhao that day, a sense of urgency had weighed on his heart. But the Searcher was still cooling down, and there was no way to speed up his Cultivation progress. All he could do was wallow in pointless anxiety.
Xu Guang picked up a broom and consciously began sweeping the snow in the courtyard before Mrs. Xu could ask him to.
CRUNCH, CRUNCH.
Amidst the crunching of footsteps on the snow, someone pushed open the front gate. It was his brother-in-law, whom he hadn’t seen for a long time. Seeing Xu Guang busy, Wang Ming quickly grabbed a broom to help, and they soon piled the snow into a mound.
Xu Guang wiped the sweat from his forehead and asked, "Brother-in-law, how do you have time to visit today?"
Wang Ming took the towel Xu Guang handed him, wiping the sweat from his neck and forehead with a joyful expression. "The Yellow Heaven Sect outside the city and the City Guard’s Mansion have sworn by the Wei River and signed a pact. Starting today, the strict crackdown is over. I suppose we won’t have to worry about war anymore."
A ceasefire agreement? A rebel faction made up of refugees reached a compromise with a City Guardian appointed by the Court?
Xu Guang was speechless. He had no idea what the higher-ups in Suiyang State City above Feiyun City were thinking, allowing such an absurd thing to happen. If he were the boss of Suiyang City, he would definitely send troops to suppress them.
"That’s truly a good thing. The Yellow Heaven Sect is entirely made up of refugees; why would they agree not to attack Feiyun City? Could it be that they found food?"
Wang Ming shook his head. "I don’t know, but this news is definitely true. It’s spread all over the Government Office." After speaking, he draped the towel over Xu Guang’s shoulder. "Hurry up and change your clothes. I’m taking you to the Inner City to hang out."
The Inner City again? Thinking of his last blind date, Xu Guang didn’t really want to go, but since his brother-in-law had finally invited him out, he found it hard to decline.
After tidying up, the two told Mrs. Xu where they were heading and left the house.
The streets were still empty, but the snow on the ground was covered in footprints. In these days of food scarcity, everyone was cautious, and anyone could potentially be an enemy.
This time, they went to Cang Mang Tower again.
As if seeing the confusion in Xu Guang’s eyes, Wang Ming explained, "Cang Mang Tower is the most well-informed place in the Inner City. The previous matchmaking event was just one of their businesses, the kind that happens only once a year."
Realization dawned on Xu Guang.
This was the first time Xu Guang truly grasped the luxury of Cang Mang Tower. Upon walking through the doors, he saw eight young girls standing at the entrance, all dressed in white skirts. Despite the snow outside, they still exposed a small section of their smooth calves, which were slightly purple from the cold, adding a somewhat pitiful and touching charm.
"Don’t stare too much at these women; your eldest sister wouldn’t approve," Wang Ming warned from the side.
Xu Guang gave an awkward smile.
One of the girls stepped forward. Wang Ming exchanged a few words with her, and she led them upstairs. They sat down at a table by the window, which already had a sign with the character ’Wang’ placed on it. It must have been reserved by Wang Ming. After guiding them, the girl stood by the table and didn’t leave, waiting for their orders. Every table was like this, which clearly showcased the extravagance of Cang Mang Tower.
Wang Ming casually ordered a few dishes. Not long after the girl went down, a waiter came up, carrying the dishes and a jug of wine.
"Neither of us has reached the Refining Viscera stage yet. We should drink less wine on regular days."
Xu Guang was of the exact same mind. He didn’t like drinking much anyway. In the TV shows from his past life, many big shots were assassinated because they drank too much. Although he wasn’t a big shot and didn’t have many enemies, in times like these, who cared whether you were an enemy or not?
"Erlang, you stay cooped up in Feiyun City and never go out. Today, I brought you to broaden your horizons," Wang Ming said, looking out the window. "Today, the Yellow Heaven Sect’s people are heading to the City Guard’s Mansion to sign the agreement, and they’ll be passing by here. Didn’t you ask me many questions about Abnormal People before? I can’t say much about Government Office matters, but there are Abnormal People among those from the Yellow Heaven Sect entering the city this time."
Wang Ming stopped there and didn’t continue.
Xu Guang’s interest was piqued. He was indeed very curious about this incredibly mysterious Yellow Heaven Sect—not just the Abnormal People, but also the fearless army Wang Ming had mentioned last time, the ones capable of fighting tooth and nail against Armored Soldiers. After killing Ma Wu previously, the man’s resurrection and utter fearlessness reminded Xu Guang of what Wang Ming had said before: the Yellow Heaven Sect had people like that too.
He wondered if the two were the same kind of existence.
"Below the Yellow Heaven Great Mage, Zhang Qing, the Yellow Heaven Sect has established Thirty-Six Canon Seats. Rumor has it that all Thirty-Six Canon Seats are Abnormal People. The ones entering the city this time are the Jade Elephant Canon Seat and the Vajra Canon Seat.
"The agreement isn’t just a few simple words; there will be many details involved. Not only is our Feiyun City anxious, but the Yellow Heaven Sect also doesn’t want to continue risking their lives. The two great Canon Seats are entering the city to meet City Guardian Lord Ming."
Listening to Wang Ming’s low-voiced explanation, Xu Guang brought the wine goblet to his lips and took a small sip.
This spot was excellent, offering a clear view all the way to the end of the street. It seemed the Yellow Heaven Sect’s people hadn’t entered the city yet.
As they waited, the snow slowly drifted down. In just a moment, the ground was entirely white...