Shen Lang had no idea that his days of idling and freeloading were about to come to an end. A scheming uncle-nephew duo was slowly extending their claws toward him, plotting in secret.
In the two days since he left Shuyu Tower, Shen Lang’s life hadn’t changed much… or rather, one thing did change—he had taken over the courtyard he lived in for 800 taels of silver.
With 200 taels left in his purse, he immediately felt his spine straighten, and even walking out the door felt like he was stirring the wind. When you’re poor, your ambition shrinks—just like that!
So, on the third morning, Shen Lang woke up with a bold decision. No more fried dough sticks and soy milk. Today, he was going for beef vermicelli soup.
In front of Wang’s Beef Noodle House, he called out, “Boss, two bowls of beef vermicelli soup, and two fire-baked flatbreads!” As soon as he stepped into the steaming hall, he walked straight to the counter, laid out thirty copper coins in a perfect line, and instantly radiated the aura of a nouveau riche.
He took a seat at a square table by the door, crossed his legs, and watched the diverse crowd on the street. Today was a good day—a payday.
Every month around this time, as a proud member of the paycheck-to-paycheck tribe, Shen Lang would become especially generous. It felt unbearable not to be extravagant.
Soon, the beef vermicelli soup arrived. Shen Lang picked up the bowl, blew on it, and was just about to take a sip when a commotion erupted on the street. Looking up, he saw a handsome young man riding a 5th-grade spirit horse, leisurely heading toward the imperial palace with over a hundred guards escorting him.
Following his usual philosophy that a good spectacle is never too noisy, Shen Lang brought his bowl to the roadside. He slurped a mouthful of vermicelli. Damn, it was delicious.
After swallowing, he nudged a nearby vendor who was also watching and asked, “Who’s that guy? So flashy?”
Without even turning his head, the vendor replied, “You don’t know who that is? That’s Mu Changge, Personal Disciple of Sect Master Bai Tianyu of the Xuantian Sect, and the eldest son of the Mu family, a powerful noble clan in Jiangnan. He came here to marry into the royal family. Just look at him—handsome, talented in both civil and martial arts. He’s the top candidate for the emperor’s son-in-law.”
Shen Lang took a sip of soup and said, “With all those titles, I thought he was someone special. Turns out, he’s just living off a woman. What a disgraceful era.”
The vendor looked annoyed and was about to snap back, but when he turned and saw the official uniform on Shen Lang, he immediately shut his mouth. Commoners don’t argue with officials—he wasn’t stupid enough to get in trouble over an idol. Not everyone had the lofty morals of pondering the Dao at Dragon Field.
Shen Lang sneered, “If he’s got time to show off, he might as well visit a brothel at night. Hah, and he thinks the royal family’s food is easy to eat? So naïve.” With that, he returned to the noodle shop and began tearing into his flatbread. To him, these little dramas were nothing more than entertainment to kill time.
After eating and drinking his fill, Shen Lang stood up and headed toward the imperial palace.
“Time to get my salary. Might as well check out what this whole consort selection scene looks like. Hopefully, it’s fun.”
About 30 minutes later, Shen Lang was rubbing his hands together, standing inside the Jingwei Division’s side courtyard within the palace.
As soon as he appeared, everyone subconsciously straightened up and fixed their eyes on him. This man barely showed up a few times a month, and now that he had, everyone’s feelings were mixed.
Su Yun immediately stepped forward and greeted him, “Captain Su Yun, greets Hundred-Household Shen.”
Shen Lang glanced sideways at her and asked casually, “New here?”
Su Yun was instantly displeased but forced herself to clasp her fists and reply, “I transferred last month. Hundred-Household Shen, we met once at Falling Moon Pavilion.”
Shen Lang said, “Mm, tough work. Jingwei Division’s missions are grueling. You’ll suffer in the future.”
Su Yun shook her head and said firmly, “It’s not tough. I hope that one day I can become someone like Hundred-Household Shen.”
Over the past few days, she had come to view Shen Lang differently. In the year since the founding of the Jingwei Division, only Shen Lang had maintained an unmatched record. Whether it was assassination, escort, or espionage, any task he took on was completed beautifully and flawlessly.
The only complaint was that this superior of hers had no interest in managing his subordinates and was considered the most irresponsible among the four captains of the division.
Shen Lang laughed, patting her on the shoulder. “Little Su, of all the people to aspire to be, why me? Just be yourself.”
Su Yun frowned slightly, not understanding the meaning behind his words.
At that moment, another youth, also a Hundred-Household officer, spoke up. “Hundred-Household Shen, your subordinate holds you in such high regard, and this is how you respond?”
Shen Lang looked over and saw a man in his late twenties, spirited and dignified, staring at him with a serious expression. This man was Zhao Ang, a peak-stage acquired realm cultivator and one of the top fighters in the Jingwei Division.
As the saying goes, small temples have wild winds and shallow ponds breed many turtles. Though the Jingwei Division wasn’t large, its internal structure was far from united.
Among all the members, Zhao Ang was the one who disliked Shen Lang the most. He had tried multiple times to get Shen Lang dismissed for neglecting his duties, but failed miserably. Not just because of Shen Lang’s private relationship with Jiang Shangxian, but also due to the outstanding merit Shen Lang had on record—Zhao Ang had no chance.
The reason Zhao Ang stood up now was simple—he had his eye on Su Yun. Since the moment she joined the division, he had repeatedly invited her out for dinner to build a relationship. She rejected every single time.
But instead of backing off, Zhao Ang pursued her even more aggressively, to the point of interfering with her daily life. It was unbearable.
Now seeing Shen Lang make such a “familiar” gesture toward Su Yun only stoked Zhao Ang’s jealousy. He couldn’t help but lash out. You are reading on g.com, the official source.
But clearly, he picked the wrong target.
Shen Lang asked flatly, “Who were you talking to just now?”
Zhao Ang raised his chin and said, “Who else but you? Shen Lang, aside from having someone protect you from above, what real ability do you have? Why act so superior?”
Shen Lang replied calmly, “If you’re so jealous, go find someone to cover your back too. What, just because you’re useless, you think everyone else is too?”
His retort was sharp and forceful, leaving Zhao Ang’s face ashen.
Zhao Ang snapped, “Don’t get too full of yourself. One day, I’ll have you kneeling and begging me!”
Shen Lang stepped forward and said, “Why wait for ‘one day’? How about today? I’d love to see how a useless guy like you plans to make me kneel.”
The air turned tense. No one from the Jingwei Division dared breathe.
Zhao Ang found himself cornered. His hand instinctively moved to the hilt of his blade. But Shen Lang’s next sentence made cold sweat run down his back.
“Believe it or not, before you even draw your blade, you’ll get a good look at your own back.”
That sentence left Zhao Ang utterly humiliated. He knew just how fast Shen Lang’s blade was—there was no way he could match it.
The atmosphere was frozen.
As Zhao Ang tried to calculate how Shen Lang might strike, a voice finally broke the silence.
“Hundred-Household Shen, please sign for your salary.”
“Coming!” Shen Lang called out.
To both men, the voice was a gift from the heavens. One finally got his long-awaited paycheck, the other finally had a way out.
As Shen Lang excitedly dashed into a small room in the courtyard, Zhao Ang let out a sigh of relief, though the resentment in his heart toward Shen Lang only deepened.