I Have A Martial Arts Panel

by Stayrr

In a world entrenched by monsters filled with myriad factions, state disputes run wild. Amid these troubling times, martial arts have come to prominence and prosper. Xu Ning transmigrates to this world with a Martial Arts Panel and becomes an ordinary villager. He only has one goal in mind: to become a master of martial arts. Spend three energy points to level up Gale Knife Techn

3. 41 - 60

Read I Have A Martial Arts Panel Chapter 41 - One Punch online for free - AllNovelFull

Chapter 41: One Punch

Pan Du fainted.

Xu Ning had used too much force.

Pan Du was only a muscle bone realm warrior, while Xu Ning had already been promoted to the inner enrichment realm, and was in the intermediate realm of the Source Breath Bodybuilding Tactic.

Xu Ning had consumed 9 units of energy for these upgrades, so he still had 3 units of energy left.

Reaching to the intermediate realm of the Source Breath Bodybuilding Tactic doubled Xu Ning's physical strength.

With that, the power of his strike exceeded Pan Du's pain tolerance.

After Pan Du fainted, Xu Ning tossed him to the ground.

Pan Du's injury was quite serious, but it was not life threatening..

Xu Ning was aware of this.

"Old Feng."

Xu Ning ignored Pan Du, walked next to Feng Sigua, and helped him stand up.

"Master…"

After taking a moment to catch his breath, Feng Sigua was finally able to speak.

However, his face was pale and he looked exhausted.

"Good job, you did well."

Feng Sigua leaned on Xu Ning as they walked out of the small courtyard.

Soon after, Xu Ning saw a city guard standing at his post.

Xu Ning gestured to him to come over.

"Call for someone to use a stretcher to carry Feng Sigua to the hospital." Xu Ning ordered, "Be careful, don't hurt him. When the doctor asks about medicine, use the best medicine available, don't worry about spending money."

"Oh yeah, let the hospital issue a bill on the cost of diagnosis and treatment. Give me the bill and I'll ask the guard station to sort it out."

After Feng Sigua heard this, he wanted to say something, but was interrupted by Xu Ning.

Xu Ning said, "Don't worry, I will deal with it."

Feng Sigua was then carried away.

Xu Ning stood in the guard station's courtyard as he looked at Chen Ren's plants and flowers.

Xu Ning's face was calm with not a hint of care in his eyes.

This was the first time someone had been injured because of him.

Xu Ning felt a little guilty, but mostly angry. However on the surface, Xu Ning was emotionless.

"Captain Qu said that I am the foundation."

Xu Ning thought to himself, 'Then I should build a strong foundation for us.'

With that thought in mind, Xu Ning walked towards Lieutenant Chen's study confidently.

…

Five people were waiting in Chen Ren's study.

"Why hasn't Pan Du come back yet?"

A bald-headed Black Armored Guard rubbed his head with a fierce look on his face.

Chen Ren also frowned, seemingly dissatisfied with Pan Du's lack of efficiency.

Chen Ren had organized this meeting in regards to Xu Ning's behavior.

But Xu Ning was nowhere to be found. Chen Ren was getting a little impatient.

While he was thinking, the door was suddenly pushed open.

Xu Ning walked in confidently.

"Master Chen."

Xu Ning greeted with his cupped fists.

But there was no trace of humbleness in his tone. He just stood there with his back straight the entire time.

Chen Ren's eyelids trembled slightly, as if it was suppressing his emotions.

"How is a newcomer so ignorant of proper etiquette? Do you still need me to teach you how to properly salute?"

The strong, bald-headed man stood up and said with a threatening tone.

His name was Zhuang Dingshi, Chen Ren's right hand man. Through Chen Ren, he had also obtained a ton of bribes from Dayuan Trading Company.

Xu Ning turned to look at him.

Afterwards, Xu Ning smiled faintly and took half a step back. He did not respond, but his right hand behind his back was gripping a dagger.

Zhuang Dingsh's heart was full of fire.

Xu Ning was provoking him.

Just when he couldn't contain his anger, Chen Ren spoke.

"Xu Ning, this is a guard station after all, the Maple Lane Black Armored Guards Post."

Chen Ren stared at Xu Ning. "You have to follow the rules."

"Okay, master."

Xu Ning did not refute. He responded immediately.

He then remained silent again.

Chen Ren took a deep breath. Just when he was just about to reprimand Xu Ning, he suddenly realized that Pan Du, who had gone to retrieve Xu Ning just now, had not come back with him.

"Where is Pan Du?"

Chen Ren asked Xu Ning.

Xu Ning explained without hesitation, "Pan Du had beaten up a city guard for no apparent reason. I have already taught him a lesson, so he may still be lying in the courtyard in front of my study."

"Bastard!"

Finally, Chen Ren could no longer suppress his anger. He stood up and slapped the desk with his palm.

Chen Ren's face was red.

Xu Ning had attacked their own people.

Although Chen Ren had been in the Maple Lane Guard Station for a long time, he still felt threatened.

"Zhuang Dingshi, take Xu Ning to the confinement room!"

Chen Ren decided to do something to Xu Ning.

What Xu Ning did before and what he was doing now was beyond Chen Ren's tolerance level.

"Yes!"

Zhuang Dingshi did not hesitate.

He stepped forward.

The rest of the people stood aside. All of them were watching the show.

Bam!

Xu Ning shook his arm and flinged Zhuang Dingshi's hand away.

"You dare to resist an order?"

Zhuang Dingshi angrily said.

Zhuang Dingshi raised his thick arm and punched Xu Ning.

Xu Ning was not afraid at all, and he responded back with a punch.

The two fists collided.

Zhuang Dingshi snorted, but sweat suddenly appeared on his forehead.

The bones in his forearm were broken.

"What?!"

Chen Ren's pupils shrank.

He looked at Xu Ning with disbelief.

Zhuang Dingshi was an inner enrichment realm warrior, and was in the elementary realm of the Source Breath Bodybuilding Tactic. He was one of the few subordinates in the entire Maple Lane Guard Station that Chen Ren could rely on.

But now, his bones were broken from Xu Ning's single punch.

He had read Xu Ning's information before, so he knew that Xu Ning was only in the muscle bone realm.

'Even if he was improving during this time, he still shouldn't be able to defeat Zhuang Dingshi so easily!'

Chen Ren's brain was thinking, 'If he had increased his strength to this level in such a short amount of time, he would have had to use dan medicine and be under the guidance of an expert…'

He thought back to the quarrel between Cai Qinghan, Qu Dayou and the others, plus Xu Ning's assignment from Camp Site Three. Chen Ren finally realized that Xu Ning was a planted foundation in the guard station!

'Xu Ning was deliberately planted by Qu Dayou!' Chen Ren automatically filled in the details. 'Xu Ning's information may have been modified by Qu Dayou before all this, and the purpose of this is to make me underestimate him.'

'In the past, I had thought that Yu Xinghe's allocation of Xu Ning was a trivial matter. Now it seems that I was too naive.'

Chen Ren suddenly felt a huge threat.

After all, he was just a lieutenant. He was also controlled by Dayuan Trading Company.

And behind Xu Ning was Qu Dayou.

Although he was in Cai Qinghan's camp, Qu Dayou was still in charge.

"Master Lieutenant."

Xu Ning's expression remained unchanged.

In fact, Xu Ning's forearm was also in a bit of pain, but there was no substantial injury.

"It's not that I resisted the order."

Xu Ning said, "I hit Pan Du because he violated the rules first. Punishing me does not make sense."

"Moreover, my identity is still a Camp Site Three member first. If you wish to impose personal restrictions on me, please consult with Master Qu first."

Afterwards, Xu Ning cupped his fists again. "Master Qu has something for me to do. I have to leave now, farewell."

Xu Ning glanced around at the several people around him.

There was deep hostility in everyone's eyes.

But when Xu Ning turned around and left, no one did anything.

Xu Ning's identity was already complicated. With Qu Dayou behind him, Chen Ren obviously was worried. As for the Black Armored Guards who were bought out by Dayuan Trading Company, they did not want to fight with Xu Ning.

Once Xu Ning left, the study went silent.

"Let's all leave."

Chen Ren waved his hand.

Chen Ren no longer had the calmness he had before.

The rest of the Black Armored Guards in the room looked at each other and then quickly left.

Only Chen Ren was left, standing alone at the window, with a thoughtful look in his eyes.

Chirp! Chirp!

The birds raised by Chen Ren were chirping.

In the past, Chen Ren would feel vengeful, but now, he only felt upset.

'No, I have to find the chief manager!'

Chen Ren thought for a moment and made a decision.

He must not let the Maple Lane Guard Station become the first battlefield between Cai Qinghan's camp and Qu Dayou's camp.

Afterwards, Chen Ren put on his coat and animal-skin hat, walked straight out of the room, and went to Dayuan Trading Company.

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Chapter 42: New Year

Xu Ning left and went straight back to his study.

He completely lied about Master Qu having something for him to do.

The situation was obvious: Chen Ren was dissatisfied with Xu Ning.

If Xu Ning wanted to continue surviving in the Maple Lane Guard Station, he would have to use Qu Dayou's name.

When Xu Ning returned to the small courtyard, he noticed that Pan Du was gone.

He wondered if Pan Du had woken up by himself, or was carried away by someone else.

Anyway, Xu Ning didn't really care. He just went straight back to his study.

.

An hour later, the city guard who had just sent Feng Sigua to the hospital returned.

He brought over the bill for Feng Sigua's treatment at the hospital.

"Twenty taels…"

Xu Ning took note of the cost of Feng Sigua's treatment.

This was less than Xu Ning expected. It seemed that Feng Sigua's injury might not be as serious as it seemed.

This was good news, but it was obvious that Feng Sigua had to rest for a while.

"Go and take this bill to the accountant and let them sort it out…"

Xu Ning said to the city guard.

"Okay."

The city guard took the bill, turned around, and left.

…

Over the next two weeks, Xu Ning stopped going to the guard station every day. He only showed up once every few days.

Qu Dayou met up with Xu Ning again during this time period.

This time, Qu Dayou talked about the feud with Cai Qinghan.

Ever since Qu Dayou became the captain of Camp Site Three, the alliance of Qu Dayou, Xia Yuanxing and Ning Fengwen finally surpassed Cai Qinghan's overall power.

But Cai Qinghan obviously didn't intend to just let others overrule him. He seemed to be planning something in the meantime.

Qu Dayou urged Xu Ning to pay attention to his own safety and watch out for any sneak attacks from Dayuan Trading Company.

When the two parted ways, Qu Dayou gave Xu Ning 500 taels of silver.

Xu Ning did not decline.

He knew why Qu Dayou was giving him money.

After all, it would cost a lot of money to fight against the Maple Lane Guard Station and Chen Ren.

…

A few days passed by.

It was the end of the year.

The atmosphere of Chinese New Year was evident in Kangyun County.

The newcomers of Camp Site Three also received their subsidies corresponding to their performance.

Xu Ning received a subsidy of 200 taels of silver and a Swallowtail Flower. In addition to this, he also received his salary from the Maple Lane Guard Station.

However, compared to the subsidies given to newcomers, his monthly salary was a lot less. It was only 50 taels of silver.

In the past, Xu Ning had an income of 250 taels a month. But luckily, after entering the Black Armored Guards, Xu Ning had quite a lot of money saved up in his hands.

Xu Ning had nearly 800 taels of silver saved up.

Xu Ning did not intend to use all of it to buy spirit medicine.

One reason was because the energy points supplied by spirit medicine could no longer fundamentally increase his strength anymore.

The second reason was because Xu Ning also needed money for his livelihood.

A few examples of this would be for maintaining relationships, or just sending money home to his family in order to improve their lives.

The new year was approaching.

At night.

Inside Camp Site Three.

"Xu Ning."

Tao Qingping, Xu Ning's roommate, opened the door. After seeing Xu Ning, he said, "The new year is coming soon. What are your plans?"

Xu Ning heard his words and thought for a second. "No special plans."

In fact, Xu Ning wanted to go home, but that was not possible right now.

Camp Site Three had regulations for newcomers. Only after completing the first assessment, were they allocated five days of leave.

In addition, no one was allowed to leave Kangyun County unless it was required by their task.

"We are all on break the day after New Year's Day. Tao Qingyuan is going to invite twenty of us to the Runfeng Restaurant for a celebration gathering."

Tao Qingping said, "I talked with him just now, and he asked me to tell everyone."

"Good."

Xu Ning was supportive of this idea.

The twenty individuals from the Tao Village hadn't gathered together ever since taking on their tasks.

This time, the New Year celebration would allow everyone to gather together, uniting the hearts of the Tao Village people.

As the candidate for the next leader of Tao Village, Tao Qingyuan was obviously the organizer.

…

New year.

Xu Ning woke up from his sleep. There were already the sounds of crackling firecrackers outside his house.

"Get up, Xu Ning!"

Tao Qingping had already put on his clothes.

Today was New Year's Day, so they didn't have to wear the Black Armored Guards uniform.

Tao Qingping put on a brand-new cotton coat, which he had bought on the streets a few days ago.

"After eating breakfast, Master Wei will come to the school field to celebrate the New Year. Although it is not mandatory, it is better not to be absent."

Tao Qingping said.

"Got it."

Xu Ning rubbed his eyes.

This was his first New Year's Day in this new world. There were no relatives to celebrate with him, but fortunately, he was not alone.

After washing up, Xu Ning put on a brand new cotton coat as well.

His sister Xu Lian had bought the coat before Xu Ning came to the county city.

After changing his clothes, Xu Ning and Tao Qingping went outside.

Red lanterns were hung in the air over Camp Site Three, couplets were pasted on the doors, and various festive decorations were also placed in the camp site.

Regardless of whether they knew each other or not, everyone took the initiative to greet each other.

After eating breakfast at the dining hall, everyone went to the school field together.

After waiting for a while, Wei Changqing stood on the platform and congratulated everyone on the new year.

After giving out a congratulatory message, Wei Changqing encouraged the newcomers in Camp Site Three to practice martial arts, perform their duties seriously, and live up to the reputation of the Black Armored Guards.

After that, Wei Changqing left. Afterwards, everyone disbanded and went to celebrate the New Year by themselves.

"Everyone from Tao Village, come here!"

After disbanding, Tao Qingyuan yelled to the crowd.

Soon, he was surrounded by newcomers from the Tao Village.

"I'm inviting everyone to celebrate at Runfeng Restaurant! Today at lunch!"

After Tao Qingyuan finished speaking, the Tao villagers around him began to cheer.

They didn't care much about the food.

There were plenty of delicacies at Camp Site Three.

The reason why everyone was excited was because they could celebrate New Year's Day together.

"Come, let's go now!"

When Tao Qingyuan saw that everyone was in high spirits, he had a big smile on his face.

"What time is it? It's still too early for lunch!"

Someone said to Tao Qingyuan.

Tao Qingyuan smiled. "I know… We're just going to the restaurant now, not to immediately eat. I have already booked the room in advance. We have tea, dried fruits, and nuts waiting for us."

"Qingyuan, you're so thoughtful!"

The crowd cheered again.

Xu Ning was in the crowd. He was completely drowned in the festive atmosphere.

Recently, he was busy feuding with the Maple Lane Guard Station and Dayuan Trading Company, so it was rare for him to feel completely relaxed.

"Let's go!"

Tao Qingyuan led a group of twenty people towards the restaurant.

Xu Ning walked at the end of the line, and Tao Jin was walking next to him.

"Happy New Year, Xu Ning."

Tao Jin said to Xu Ning out of nowhere.

"You too. I wish you great fortune in the new year."

Xu Ning smiled as he responded.

Tao Jin was taken aback when she heard Xu Ning's words. A smirk suddenly appeared on her face.

"As a warrior, shouldn't you congratulate me on my martial arts?"

"Same thing, same thing…"

Xu Ning responded.

Tao Jin saw that Xu Ning didn't want to converse, so she stopped talking.

She walked half a step behind Xu Ning and looked at him from behind.

'I sense changes…'

Tao Jin noticed that Xu Ning's temperament had changed a lot.

Now, Xu Ning looked more confident and capable than before.

'I wonder how much his martial arts has progressed after coming to the county city…'

Tao Jin thought in her heart.

After arriving in Kangyun County, Tao Jin's own strength had not improved much.

She had been stuck in the inner enrichment realm for a long time, and she was still far from reaching the qi realm.

However, Tao Jin was not in a hurry, because there was a large skill gap between the inner enrichment realm and the qi realm. It took time and diligent practice to break through the realms.

Additionally, she also needed a fortuitous opportunity in order to break through.

Even Tao Qingyuan had yet to reach the qi realm.

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Chapter 43: Resolve

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

Runfeng Restaurant was located in Yunshi Alley, which happened to be under the control of Tao Qingyuan's guard station.

Tao Qingyuan was walking in front of the group. People who knew him often came up to him and greeted him for the new year, and Tao Qingyuan responded enthusiastically in return.

From the outside, he really had the temperament of a leader.

Soon, everyone arrived at Runfeng Restaurant.

"Why did we slow down?"

Runfeng Restaurant was right in front of them, but Xu Ning noticed that the pace of the group had slowed down.

Xu Ning looked to the side and saw another group of people walking towards the restaurant.

The leader of the opposite group was Tan Fengying.

.

'We ran into the Tan Village?'

Ever since the two sides fought at the dining hall, they were still feuding against each other.

Xu Ning was worried about what would happen once they ran into each other like this.

Master Wei Changqing had mentioned in his congratulatory speech that he hoped that everyone could support each other and resolve internal disputes.

So, it would not be good if Wei Changqing heard about the two groups fighting again.

Tao Qingyuan had a bad look on his face.

He had already noticed the group of Tan villagers when they were still quite far away from the restaurant.

But when the other group saw him, they started to walk faster; thus, they arrived at the restaurant at the same time.

Tao Qingyuan did not want to incite another dispute, as the other party was obviously hostile. With this in mind, he ignored them and walked towards the restaurant.

"Slow down."

Tan Fengying took a step forward and reached out his hand to stop Tao Qingyuan.

"What are you doing?"

Tao Qingyuan's tone was calm, not annoyed in the slightest.

He did not want any conflict on the first day of the new year.

"We were here first, let us go in first."

Tan Fengying stared into Tao Qingyuan's eyes as he spoke.

Tao Qingyuan's eyebrows furrowed. He turned his head and glanced at the Tao Village people behind him.

The two sides had gradually gathered together, facing towards each other.

If he compromised and backed down right now, although everyone would know that he was trying to avoid confrontation, it would inevitably hurt his image.

"The restaurant's gate is so wide. Two people can walk in at the same time."

Tao Qingyuan was still restraining his emotions.

There was suddenly a crowd at the entrance of the restaurant.

When the restaurant's waiter saw the crowd at the front gate, he was stunned.

Although no one was wearing the Black Armored Guards uniform, the waiter was aware of the identities of both parties.

The waiter didn't know how to resolve the tension between the two parties.

"My foot was on this step first, so we should go in first."

Tan Fengying clearly did not accept Tao Qingyuan's proposal, as his hand was still blocking Tao Qingyuan's way.

As expected, Tao Qingyuan began to lose his patience.

If he continued to hesitate like this, he would appear weak.

He waved his hand and moved Tan Fengying's arm away.

When Tan Fengying saw this, a smirk appeared on his face.

In fact, today's confrontation was not entirely because of the fight from last time.

It was also because Tan Fengying felt that his influence in the Tan Village had weakened.

After everyone was assigned to their respective guard duties, he felt his position of power in the group diminishing.

Tan Fengying wanted to re-establish his own prestige. Truthfully, he did not want to fight Tao Qingyuan. He only needed to provoke him, in order to consolidate his position in the Tan Village.

As for whether he was at a disadvantage in the fight, Tan Fengying did not know.

Ever since he entered the Black Armored Guards, he had practiced hard day and night, purchased dan medicines, and learned all types of tips and tricks. After going through all that, he finally cultivated his Source Breath Bodybuilding Tactic to the elementary realm.

According to Tan Fengying's sources, he was the only person among Camp Site Three's village leaders to achieve this.

Just as Tao Qingyuan was about to step into the restaurant, Tan Fengying grabbed his sleeve.

Tao Qingyuan finally lost patience.

He clenched his fists and stepped forward.

It was Tan Fengying's turn to act.

Both of them were in the inner enrichment realm, but due to Tan Fengying's elementary realm in the Source Breath Bodybuilding Tactic, he definitely had the upper hand.

Tan Fengying clenched his fist, preparing to strike Tao Qingyuan.

Slam!

The two punches collided.

Suddenly, a figure appeared between them. It was Xu Ning.

The second before the fists collided, Xu Ning reached out his hands and blocked both punches at the same time.

The huge forces behind the two strikes from inner enrichment warriors were easily blocked by Xu Ning.

"Xu Ning?"

Tao Qingyuan felt his arm being held back.

When he saw that the person who stopped him was Xu Ning, he was stunned.

'Isn't Xu Ning in the muscle bone realm? How could he block my punch?'

'Unless he leveled up to the inner enrichment realm, and improved in his Source Breath Bodybuilding Tactic…'

Tao Qingyuan looked at Xu Ning's unwavering eyes. He felt a little frightened for a second.

In just one month, Xu Ning had made such a huge improvement.

Tan Fengying was just as confused as Tao Qingyuan.

'How powerful is this person? He was able to block my full punch so easily!'

Tan Fengying also recognized that Xu Ning was the opponent who beat him previously.

Previously, Tan Fengying only thought that this person was sneaky, but now, Tan Fengying instantly gained newfound respect towards Xu Ning.

"Qingyuan, Brother Tan."

Xu Ning said, "Today is New Year's Day, so I am afraid a conflict is not appropriate. Moreover, like Master Wei said, I hope we get along in harmony."

"To be able to celebrate the New Year in the same restaurant today is an honor."

Tao Qingyuan and Tan Fengying looked at each other and pulled back their fists at the same time.

However, underneath their calm faces, their blood was boiling.

Xu Ning sensed that both of them had backed down, so he walked and stood behind Tao Qingyuan.

This fight was different from the fight at the dining hall.

Back then, Xu Ning's strength was not enough to handle the situation.

But now, Xu Ning's strength had improved to the point he had the strength to control the field.

Xu Ning did not want Tao Jiazhuang to be blacklisted by Wei Changqing, and he did not want to see a bloody conflict on the first day of the new year.

Moreover, Xu Ning also noticed the slight changes in Tan Fengying's breathing pattern when he exerted his strength, which made Xu Ning realize that Tan Fengying had already practiced the Source Breath Bodybuilding Tactic to the elementary realm.

With his increase in strength, Tao Qingyuan would definitely lose the fight.

The combination of various reasons contributed to Xu Ning's initiative to resolve the conflict.

"Xu Ning…"

Tao Jin looked at Xu Ning's face with a complicated expression.

After a long time, she lowered her eyes.

The emotions of both sides stabilized.

"Brother Tan, Happy New Year."

Tao Qingyuan greeted Tan Fengying.

Tan Fengying glanced at Xu Ning in the crowd before nonchalantly replying, "I wish you the same."

"Please."

Tao Qingyuan gestured.

"Please."

Tan Fengying responded.

This time, both groups entered the restaurant at the same time.

…

Everyone arrived at the private room that Tao Qingyuan had booked in advance.

Like Tao Qingyuan said before, the room was filled with tea, fruit, nuts, and a fireplace.

The private room was located on the second floor, so they could see the lion dance and other New Year activities on the street below through the windows.

"Xu Ning."

After Tao Qingyuan greeted everyone, he began to speak to Xu Ning.

"Thank you for breaking the conflict just now."

Tao Qingyuan personally handed Xu Ning a cup of tea.

Xu Ning took it and thanked him. "No problem, I just don't want anyone to get hurt during the New Year celebration. Even if Captain Qu wants us to maintain vitality through internal competition, he doesn't want to see his own people get unnecessarily injured."

"I see…"

Tao Qingyuan listened and nodded in agreement.

"Xu Ning, I heard that Captain Qu visited you twice recently."

After pondering for a moment, Tao Qingyuan asked tentatively.

The recent contacts between Xu Ning and Qu Dayou had been noticed by the people in the camp.

But because Xu Ning wasn't well known in the past, no one paid much attention to it.

"Yes, it's all related to Maple Lane."

Xu Ning nodded as he responded truthfully.

"The matter with Dayuan Trading Company?"

Tao Qingyuan lowered his voice.

Tao Qingyuan was highly valued by the lieutenants at the Yunshi Alley Guard Station, so he also learned about the struggle between Cai Qinghan and Qu Dayou.

"Yes."

Xu Ning had also asked Tao Qingyuan to help investigate the affairs of Dayuan Trading Company, so he said, "We are Captain Qu's people, but because of this, it's not easy to get along with people at the guard station."

"That's really quite troublesome…"

Tao Qingyuan nodded silently.

"Xu Ning…"

After a moment of silence, Tao Qingyuan wanted to ask about Xu Ning's martial arts progress.

But he stopped the words from coming out of his mouth.

This was Xu Ning's private matters after all. Unless Xu Ning actively displayed or explained his martial arts skills, it was impolite to ask.

"What?"

Xu Ning asked.

"Nothing."

Tao Qingyuan raised his teacup. "Happy New Year."

"Happy New Year."

Xu Ning and Tao Qingyuan clinked glasses.

'If Xu Ning was surnamed Tao, maybe he would have taken over my position…'

Tao Qingyuan sighed in his heart.

But he didn't have any hints of jealousy.

After all, integrity was a core part of Tao Qingyuan's personality.

After that, Tao Qingyuan got up and greeted everyone one by one for the new year.

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Chapter 44: Visit

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

Once Tao Qingyuan was done talking with Xu Ning, people kept coming over to greet Xu Ning for the new year.

When Xu Ning stopped Tao Qingyuan and Tan Fengying from fighting at the entrance of the restaurant, everyone witnessed Xu Ning's strength.

A person who could stop Tao Qingyuan and Tan Fengying with his own strength must be extremely strong.

Some people have begun to wonder whether Xu Ning would be Tao Village's third yellow plate newcomer after the assessment in two months.

Xu Ning had slowly begun to replace Tao Jin to become the second most respected person in the Tao Village.

If Xu Ning's surname was Tao, he might have been able to contest for Tao Qingyuan's position.

Everyone had lunch together in the lively atmosphere.

Although Kangyun County was not far from the Tao Village, they had not gone home in a long time, so everyone felt homesick during the festive season..

Fortunately, they were around people from their own village.

Xu Ning also immersed himself into the warm atmosphere. It was rare for him to relax.

Everyone was happy, but Xu Ning also noticed that Tao Jin was eating with a blank expression.

But the two were not close friends, so Xu Ning did not say anything about it.

In fact, Tan Fengying, who was in another private room, was also secretly worried on the inside.

Xu Ning's sudden progress made Tan Fengying feel threatened.

If Xu Ning intended to challenge a yellow plate holder during the assessment, he would definitely be the first to bear the brunt.

The Tao Village would definitely not give up any opportunity to defeat him.

'When lunch is over, I will go practice!'

Tan Fengying was already thinking about practicing martial arts.

…

After eating their first lunch of the new year, the people of the Tao Village did not return to the camp together.

Everyone separated into their own small groups. They took advantage of the holiday and planned to stroll around town.

Today was the first day of the new year, so there were many festive events.

Tao Qingyuan asked Xu Ning to go shopping, but Xu Ning declined.

Instead, Xu Ning bought some cakes, sweets and other gifts on the street, before heading to the eastern residential area.

Xu Ning wanted to visit Feng Sigua.

Yunshi Alley was not far from the eastern residential area, so Xu Ning reached his destination within 15 minutes.

"Hello, do you know where Feng Sigua lives?"

Once he arrived at the residential area, he saw rows of connected houses in front of him, with only one wall separating each house.

Xu Ning only knew that Feng Sigua lived in this area, but he didn't know exactly where Feng Sigua lived. Hence, he could only ask a few children for directions.

"You mean City Guard Uncle Sigua?"

The child looked to be seven to eight years old. There were other children wearing thick jackets behind him. It looked like this kid was the leader of their group.

"Yep, him."

"Why are you looking for him?"

The child tilted his head as he asked Xu Ning the question.

Xu Ning smiled. "I heard he was injured, so I came to see him."

"Oh…"

The child nodded. "Come, follow me. I will take you."

"Thank you, little brother."

Xu Ning was quite polite.

As the child skipped around, the other little kids also followed behind him.

Xu Ning followed them before arriving in front of a private house.

"Right there."

The child pointed.

Xu Ning looked over.

He saw that the door of this house was ajar, with Spring Festival couplets on the door, as well as lanterns hung up in the air. It looked quite festive.

After all, Feng Sigua was a city guard. Although his income was not as high as a Black Armored Guard, it was not bad for an ordinary citizen in Kangyun County.

"Thank you, little brother."

Xu Ning took out two pieces of taels. "Take this and go buy some fireworks."

When the child saw this, he declined. "My mother said that I can't accept other people's money easily."

Xu Ning was amused by the kid. He then took out a packet of the candy he bought just now and handed it over. "Then I will give you candy instead."

The child hesitated for a moment. He then looked at his little group of buddies behind him before finally grabbing the bag of sweets. "Thank you."

The child bowed towards Xu Ning.

The other little kids also bowed towards Xu Ning.

"Thanks guys."

Xu Ning waved his hand.

The children did not linger around. They left to find a place to divide the candy.

When Xu Ning looked at these children, he suddenly thought of Tao Tao.

He wondered if Tao Tao missed him.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

Xu Ning stepped forward and knocked on the door.

"The door is open, just come in."

Xu Ning heard footsteps approaching when suddenly a female voice came from the inside.

Xu Ning opened the door and walked in.

A woman around 30 years old was holding a handful of pumpkin seeds in the courtyard.

The woman's body frame was quite large. She looked very strong. Her eyebrows and eyes had a fierce energy. From her appearance, she was clearly quite powerful.

Xu Ning instantly guessed that this woman was Feng Sigua's wife.

Feng Sigua complained to him many times about his sturdy wife.

"You are…"

When Sigua's wife saw Xu Ning, she had a suspicious look in her eyes..

She had thought someone had come to greet her for the new year, but when she walked outside, she saw a tall, skinny stranger with well-defined features.

"Ma'am, I am Xu Ning, a colleague of Old Feng."

Xu Ning introduced himself without mentioning his occupation.

"Xu Ning…"

Sigua's wife pondered for a moment, when suddenly her eyes widened. "Master Xu?"

She quickly spit out the pumpkin seeds in her mouth, turned around and shouted, "Sigua, Master Xu is here!"

Xu Ning suddenly heard footsteps.

Feng Sigua walked out of the house and looked at Xu Ning with a shocked expression. "Master Xu, why are you here?"

Xu Ning scrutinized Feng Sigua's condition. He noticed that his lips were still a little pale and he looked a little weak. But generally speaking, Feng Sigua looked fine.

"You were injured, so I came to visit you."

Xu Ning handed the gifts to his wife.

"Master, come on in quickly."

Feng Sigua greeted.

He really didn't expect Xu Ning to come.

Xu Ning had granted him a long vacation, and he had also asked the hospital to use the best medicine for his treatment. Xu Ning even sent someone to visit him a couple times.

Feng Sigua was already satisfied with Xu Ning's care.

Although his wife still complained that he did not receive any benefits from Xu Ning and was beaten up instead, Feng Sigua knew very well that no one in the Black Armored Guards was as compassionate as Xu Ning.

Feng Sigua planned to return to the guard station after a few days' rest during the new year. Truthfully, he was afraid that Xu Ning would find someone else to replace him.

He didn't expect that Xu Ning would come to visit him.

"Just the two of you at home?"

Xu Ning entered the house and did not see anyone else.

"My parents are at my older brother's house. We're eating dinner at their house later." Feng Sigua said, "The two children went out to play, the New Year makes them go crazy."

The house was not large, so Xu Ning casually sat on a small stool while leaning against the stove.

The stove was mixed with wood and coal, so the fire was burning strong.

The smoke from the stove followed a chimney to the outside of the house.

"Master Xu, water."

Sigua's wife poured water into a clean tea cup and handed it to him.

Although she was dissatisfied with Xu Ning in the past, she really didn't dare to show any attitude when he was in front of her.

After all, Master Xu was a member of the Black Armored Guards, so in her eyes, he was a superior being.

Report chapter

Chapter 45: After New Year

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

Sigua's wife placed the teacup on the table in front of Xu Ning.

Xu Ning did not refuse the tea either, as he immediately took a few gulps.

"Old Feng, it is my fault that you were beaten up."

Xu Ning knew well that when Pan Du came to call for him, he was the reason that Pan Du was so furious.

And once Pan Du saw Feng Sigua blocking his path, he deliberately took action.

"Master, you are too kind."

Feng Sigua quickly said, "I was only doing my own job at the time. How could it be your fault? It was just that Pan Du was just too cruel and vicious."

Xu Ning did not sense any underlying dissatisfaction in Feng Sigua's tone..

Feng Sigua might have felt unjust from being beaten up, but he did not attribute the fault to Xu Ning, instead he attributed it to Pan Du.

"And, master, you have avenged me."

Feng Sigua felt a little warm in his heart. "You have beaten up Pan Du for me, so I don't feel any grievances, instead I feel quite happy."

Feng Sigua often thought back to that moment.

Master Xu Ning went to beat up another Black Armored Guard just for his sake, and as a humble servant, he had never experienced this kind of treatment before in the guard station.

Although he was a low ranked official, Feng Sigua still had his dignity, but he needed to put aside his honor when facing reality.

But when someone finally stood up and protected his dignity, Feng Sigua felt truly respected.

Xu Ning smiled softly when Feng Sigua said this.

"Once you go back to the guard station, just try to avoid Pan Du."

Xu Ning said, "That guy beat you up for no reason. So obviously, he has no morals, and I can't protect you all the time."

"But Old Feng, don't worry, if Pan Du dares to make a move on you again, I won't stand by and let it happen."

Xu Ning sounded trustworthy.

Currently, Xu Ning was clearly an outcast among the Black Armored Guards in the Maple Lane Black Armored Guards Post. When one's own interests were in danger, it was necessary to use extreme methods.

As long as he didn't actively seek trouble, with Qu Dayou behind his back, Chen Ren and the others would not dare to make a move.

"Thank you, sir."

As of this moment, Feng Sigua was totally reliant on Xu Ning.

This was not simply because Xu Ning had shown him respect, but it was also because Feng Sigua saw the potential in Xu Ning.

Xu Ning was only 17 years old.

And even then, he was easily able to defeat Pan Du.

Camp Site Three had just been established, and the position of lieutenant was still vacant. Xu Ning definitely had the opportunity to take on this position. If that happened, Sigua's identity and status would also improve.

Feng Sigua felt this would take five years at most.

Xu Ning was sitting by the fire stove, talking to Feng Sigua, and feeling the warmth of the flame.

Ever since Xu Ning had been promoted to the inner enrichment realm, he could resist the winter cold even without clothing, but his body's natural instincts still made him crave for warmth.

After chatting for 15 minutes or so, Xu Ning did not intend to stay any longer.

Xu Ning did not want to disturb Feng Sigua and his wife.

Xu Ning got up but before leaving, he took out a 100-tael note and stuffed it in Feng Sigua's hand.

Feng Sigua looked at the silver note in his hand. This amount of money made his heart beat faster, as this was almost equivalent to his yearly salary.

When Sigua's wife saw this, her eyes lit up.

"Master, what is this…"

Feng Sigua was still a little confused.

"Keep it."

Xu Ning patted Feng Sigua on the shoulder.

Feng Sigua was taken aback, but he quickly declined, "Master, no need, no need."

Feng Sigua put the silver note back into Xu Ning's hand.

He knew that Xu Ning's monthly salary was only 50 taels. Even with subsidies, his income was only around 200 taels. Although it was a lot of money for him, for Xu Ning, a newcomer who was under the pressure of their assessments, this money could be used to buy medicinal material.

If Feng Sigua continued to follow under Xu Ning as Xu Ning's status improved, Feng Sigua would earn more money in the future.

However, in his estimation, that was something 3-5 years in the future.

"I understand your intentions."

Xu Ning said, "But you followed my orders and did things meticulously and thoughtfully, which saved me a lot of trouble. I also wanted to thank you. In the future, there will be more things that need to be dealt with at the guard station. When you help me with favors, you will inevitably have to spend money."

"So just keep it."

Xu Ning stuffed the silver note into Feng Sigua's hands.

"Then… then thank you sir."

Feng Sigua felt that meeting Xu Ning was the best thing that had ever happened to him.

Feng Sigua and his wife accompanied Xu Ning and walked him outside the residential area before bidding farewell.

The 100-tael note was placed on the table, and Feng Sigua and his wife just stared at it.

Although Feng Sigua earned a dozen taels of silver a month, the prices in the county city were high. After deducting their living expenses and the cost of their children's education in martial arts, they did not have much savings left.

100 taels was a lot of money for them.

"Hey, who said I wasn't receiving any benefits from Master Xu?"

Feng Sigua asked rhetorically.

Sigua's wife did not dare to complain anymore, "I was wrong, I was wrong."

Seeing this, Feng Sigua felt happy, and he put away the 100-tael note.

"You…"

Sigua's wife was a little anxious. She wanted to save the money.

"Where are you putting this?"

Feng Sigua looked annoyed. "Think about it, what did Master Xu say just now? He said he will ask me to do more errands in the future! Using this money to help Master Xu is the best option!"

Sigua's wife also realized this. "You are right, you are right…"

…

In the midst of the festive and warm atmosphere, the New Year celebration was over.

The Black Armored Guards had six days of vacation, but they still had their work shifts.

However, the Maple Lane Guard Station was being lazy as always, so they did not arrange any work shifts.

The first day after the New Year's break, Xu Ning went to the guard station.

What made him confused was that none of the Black Armored Guards came to the guard station, not even Chen Ren.

The flowers and plants in the yard were wilting because they had not been carefully taken care of for a long time.

Xu Ning didn't care about this. He only had to focus on his own tasks.

Other than patrolling with the city guards every day, dealing with disputes in Maple Lane, and completing the chores assigned by the higher ups, Xu Ning had nothing else to do.

The people from Dayuan Trading Company didn't contact him either.

Xu Ning lived like this one day after another. Finally, after five to six days, Chen Ren came back.

When Xu Ning saw Chen Ren, he maintained composure on the outside. It seemed like the feud between the two was over.

But Xu Ning knew that this was all temporary.

According to Qu Dayou, they were about to go against Dayuan Trading Company and were preparing to reduce the power of Dayuan Trading Company.

Their opponents would never give up so easily, so when the time came, the Black Armored Guards would be in turmoil again.

The peace on the surface now was like the calm before the storm.

It was time to get off work.

Xu Ning left the study and said goodbye to Feng Sigua.

Feng Sigua came back on duty two days ago, which made Xu Ning's job a lot easier.

Xu Ning asked Feng Sigua to handle some official documents and some more cumbersome matters.

Feng Sigua processed the documents and gave them to Xu Ning.

Xu Ning also noticed a change at the guard station.

When he and Chen Ren were together, the guards in the guard station would deliberately stay away from them.

But privately, these city guards seemed to be more enthusiastic towards him.

Xu Ning was well aware of the reason.

The dispute between him and Chen Ren had spread throughout the guard station.

He had Qu Dayou backing him, but these city guards had no one backing them.

They didn't want to be hated by Chen Ren for being too close to him.

After all, Chen Ren was still the lieutenant of the Maple Lane Guard Station, the most powerful person here.

However, because Xu Ning was willing to stand up for his subordinates, everyone felt that Xu Ning was upright and trustworthy, so they all wanted to get acquainted with Xu Ning.

After leaving the guard station, Xu Ning did not go back to the camp immediately, instead he went to a roadside stall, ready to eat wontons.

Kangyun County was the commercial center of several nearby counties. There were a lot of people coming and going. Even at night, there were many travelers, which in turn created many food vendors.

Last year, Xu Ning happened to eat a bowl of wontons here, and he felt that the wontons made by the stall owner were similar to those made by Xu Lian, so he visited here often.

Xu Ning finally arrived at the stall.

The stall owners were a young couple. Before opening the stall, the two prepared the wontons together, and at night, the wife was responsible for cooking the wontons, and the husband was responsible for serving the bowls and cleaning the tables. They worked together harmoniously.

Report chapter

Chapter 46: Being Stalked

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

"Master, you are here!"

As soon as Xu Ning sat down, the male stall owner greeted him.

Xu Ning frequently visited this stall, so the stall owner quickly recognized him.

"Three large bowls of wontons, that's all, thanks."

Xu Ning said to the male stall owner.

"Please wait for a second."

The male owner smiled happily and turned around.

Soon after, the male stall owner brought over a bowl of hot wontons to the table.

.

"Here, call me when this bowl is almost finished, and I will bring you the next bowl."

"Thank you."

Xu Ning said.

The male stall owner was quite mindful. If three bowls of wontons were served together at once, they would get cold.

Xu Ning grabbed a spoon and was about to start eating.

'What?'

Suddenly, Xu Ning sensed something.

He looked to the side.

There was a noodle stall, and that stall was also full of people.

At the corner of the stall, there was a man in a gray coat eating noodles. He looked more than 30 years old. His appearance was unremarkable, so he blended into the crowd.

However, Xu Ning looked at him for a moment.

Xu Ning turned his head back seemingly mindlessly and continued swallowing his wontons.

The moment Xu Ning turned his head, the man in gray also cast his gaze over, staring at Xu Ning's back.

'Was I noticed, or was it just a coincidence…'

The gray-clothed man had a doubtful look on his face.

He lowered his head, causing his hair to cover his eyes, but he kept his gaze on Xu Ning.

Afterwards, Xu Ning didn't look around, he just ate the wontons one bite at a time.

After one bowl was finished, he began to eat another bowl. After three bowls were eaten, Xu Ning paid and left.

Xu Ning did not look at the noodle stall again.

'Maybe I was worrying too much…'

The gray-clothed man felt a little more relaxed when he saw Xu Ning leave quickly.

After Xu Ning paid the bill, he waited for a while for Xu Ning to leave before he got up and paid his bill.

Once Xu Ning left the stall, Xu Ning did not immediately return to the camp, instead he turned around and went to the night market.

The sky had dimmed, and lanterns had been hung up in the sky.

The gray-clothed man followed Xu Ning from far behind.

'Do Black Armored Guards have this much free time…'

The gray-clothed man watched Xu Ning stroll around various stalls and buy a few small nick nacks.

Finally, after shopping for less than half an hour, Xu Ning left the night market.

After leaving the night market, Xu Ning went to Camp Site Three.

He was now directly south of Maple Lane. If he wanted to return to the camp, he had to go through Maple Lane and cross a bamboo forest.

The grey-clothed man followed Xu Ning the whole journey.

The man had excellent stalking skills. Xu Ning did not seem to notice him at all.

When there were many people nearby, he got closer to Xu Ning, and when there were fewer people, he got further away from Xu ning.

Soon, Xu Ning finally arrived at the bamboo forest, and he just went in.

This area was dimly lit, and the road could only be seen with the help of distant road lights and moonlight.

The grey-clothed man did not hesitate. He continued with his pursuit.

'What?'

The gray-clothed man walked quickly, but suddenly, he noticed that Xu Ning had disappeared.

He felt a little anxious and walked faster, but he still did not catch up to Xu Ning.

'I lost him?'

The man was a little upset.

Suddenly, the gray-clothed man felt a cool breeze blowing behind him.

He turned his head subconsciously.

He saw a human face under the moonlight.

It was Xu Ning.

Xu Ning was holding a knife behind his back as he looked at the gray-clothed man with a smile.

The gray-clothed man subconsciously took a step back.

'I was noticed!'

The gray-clothed man realized that he had already been exposed.

As soon as he was about to flee, he saw Xu Ning stepping forward.

Xu Ning pulled out the knife behind him and slashed across the man's escape path.

The blade trembled.

A corner of the man's grey coat was cut off.

'Such fast reaction speed.'

Xu Ning was a little surprised.

Although he used a short knife, his Gale Knife Technique was still in the intermediate realm.

Even with his intermediate realm knife technique and the explosive power of his inner enrichment realm, the gray-clothed man still avoided his strike.

'This person is also in the inner enrichment realm, and he has also mastered some type of body technique!'

Xu Ning could already tell how strong this man was.

'I have to leave quickly!'

The man in gray wanted to escape.

After avoiding Xu Ning's strike, he turned around and went into the denser bamboo forest.

Xu Ning obviously did not want him to escape.

Although the gray-clothed man had mastered some external skills and was flexible in his movements, Xu Ning was in the intermediate realm in the Source Breath Bodybuilding Tactic, causing his physical fitness to be twice as strong as that of an inner enrichment realm warrior, making his speed extremely explosive.

'So fast!'

The gray-clothed man felt the wind blowing from behind. He could hear Xu Ning's footsteps getting closer and closer.

The grey-clothed man knew that he was about to be overtaken, so he clenched his jaw and fled in another direction.

He knew that his strength lay in his body technique.

However, Xu Ning was obviously not bad either. His intermediate realm in the Source Breath Bodybuilding Tactic gave him precise body control.

The distance between the two was getting closer.

Xu Ning jumped around in the bamboo forest.

The man was within Xu Ning's reach.

Xu Ning slashed with his knife, cutting the gray-clothed man's right arm.

The wound was deep, and Xu Ning could feel the blade touching the bone.

The gray-clothed man screamed, and his whole body became unbalanced after his right arm was injured. He staggered and almost fell to the ground.

Xu Ning grabbed the man's neck and pushed him to the ground.

The gray-clothed man had a severe wound, his mouth turned white, and his eyes were full of fear.

"I'm…"

The gray-clothed man was about to open his mouth to explain, but he saw Xu Ning put away his short knife.

"I'm not listening."

Xu Ning hit the man in the neck with his fist.

The huge impact force made the man fall unconscious.

Xu Ning had a lot of power. If the one receiving his punch was a normal person, they might have already died.

After seeing the gray-clothed man faint, Xu Ning tore off the sleeves of his coat and tied it to his injured arm to prevent him from bleeding to death.

Xu Ning could guess who the man was; he was either from Dayuan Trading Company, or one of Chen Ren's people.

Xu Ning knew that the grey-clothed man had no intention of killing him; he was merely stalking him.

As for why he was stalking him, Xu Ning didn't know, neither did he care either.

He would let the professionals deal with this.

Xu Ning dragged him back to Camp Site Three.

Outside Qu Dayou's study.

Xu Ning knocked on the door from the outside.

"Come on in."

Qu Dayou said.

"Master."

Xu Ning entered the house and explained, "Master, someone was following me."

"Oh?"

Qu Dayou raised his eyebrows, but he did not look surprised.

"Does the person following you know you found him?"

Qu Dayou asked.

"He knows." Xu Ning replied, "I have knocked him unconscious and brought to the confinement room."

"…"

Qu Dayou nodded silently.

"Master, why are they doing this?"

Xu Ning asked.

Both of them knew who was behind the person that was stalking Xu Ning.

"I've told you before, we are going to take action against Cai Qinghan and Dayuan Trading Company."

Qu Dayou said, "My guess is that they have also noticed this, and so since you're our foundation at Maple Lane, it's normal for you to be targeted. They want to use your whereabouts to infer clues about our actions."

"But master, I'm just a small character."

Xu Ning asked, "Why don't they find out what our camp is doing instead?"

Qu Dayou laughed. "How do you know that the spy is not from our camp?"

Report chapter

Chapter 47: Chief Manager

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

'There are spies in the camp?'

Xu Ning suddenly thought about the fact that Dayuan Trading Company had used the city guards in the camp to deliver him Qinglu Dans.

Although Qu Dayou intervened in the end, this also meant that the opponents could easily infiltrate the camp.

'However, what is the point of having spies here…'

Camp Site Three was just a camp for newcomers. What secrets could there be?

Xu Ning was a little puzzled.

He wanted to ask Qu Dayou, but suddenly Xu Ning remembered that Tao Qingping told him two days ago that starting from next year, the newcomers in Camp Site Three would receive reduced patrol hours, and would instead begin military battle practice.

'Could it be that Cai Qinghan and Qu Dayou are going to directly fight against each other?'

After connecting the dots between the spies and the military preparation exercises together, Xu Ning had some vague guesses in mind.

.

Xu Ning did not ask any more questions. These were the higher-level plans of Qu Dayou and others. It was better not to be involved.

"Xu Ning, step up your inspections in Maple Lane over the next few days. If you notice any abnormalities, please report it to me as soon as possible."

Qu Dayou said.

Xu Ning cupped his fists and said, "Understood, master."

Although he didn't know what Qu Dayou planned to do against Dayuan Trading Company, he knew that something was happening soon.

"You should go and rest."

Qu Dayou stood up from his seat. "I want to interrogate the person stalking you."

…

Late at night.

Dayuan Trading Company.

In the dimly lit room, only a handful of candle-lit flames were burning on the table.

The flame was so weak that it could barely illuminate the room.

Yu Xinghe, the Deputy Manager of Dayuan Trading Company, stood by the table with a worried look on his face.

At the table in front of him, a man who was about 50 years old was sitting on a chair, his fingers tapping the table lightly. The tapping sound echoed in the large room.

This man was Duan Yihe, the Chief Manager of Dayuan Trading Company.

"It's been so long, but he still hasn't come back…"

Duan Yihe glanced at the moonlight outside the house, his voice quiet.

Yu Xinghe was obviously anxious, as sweat was oozing from his forehead.

"Chief Manager… this is all my fault…"

Although Yu Xinghe was only one rank lower than Duan Yihe, he seemed extremely nervous in front of Duan Yihe.

"I was just thinking, the new shipments are about to leave soon, but Qu Dayou and Xia Yuanxing are putting up a tough stance. I suspect they have caught some new information…"

"So I sent Hui Jiu to stalk Xu Ning. After all, Xu Ning stays at Maple Lane all day. I'm afraid he has noticed something…"

"Idiot!"

Before Yu Xinghe's words could finish, Duan Yihe slapped the table.

Yu Xinghe did not dare to breathe.

"It's okay to stalk him, but why did you send Hui Jiu!"

The calmness on Duan Yihe's face disappeared, and it was instead replaced by extreme anger. "Hui Jiu knows what happened between us and them. Once he falls into the hands of Qu Dayou and exposes our secrets, we will suffer! If this happens, Cai Qinghan won't be able to protect us, he might even kill us himself! Even the Yunying City headquarters will abandon us!"

Yu Xinghe was already sweating. "I sent Hui Jiu there because there was no one more suitable. Everyone was busy arranging the delivery routes, and only Hui Jiu was available… I think he has a strong body and has good experience, he can definitely…"

Slam!

Duan Yihe picked up the oil lamp and threw it at Yu Xinghe's forehead.

Blood was flowing out of Yu Xinghe's forehead, but he didn't dare to cry out in pain at all.

The oil lamp rolled to the ground, and the room plunged into darkness.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

There were footsteps.

The door was pushed open and a figure walked into the darkness.

He picked up the oil lamp and lit it again, and the room was once again bright.

The man was wearing all black. He had dark circles under his eyes and long hair. There was a clear smirk on his face.

"Have you heard?"

Duan Yihe looked at the man coldly.

The man in black was expressionless as he nodded.

After a pause, the man in black said, "If the situation is troublesome, we can postpone the delivery time."

Duan Yihe didn't immediately respond to the man in black. He took a look at Yu Xinghe first.

There was a thoughtful look in his eyes, as if he was making some kind of decision.

"No need, we can continue with the shipment."

Duan Yihe's mood seemed to calm down, and his tone of voice also eased.

"Are you sure there is no problem? This is just one delivery. What's important is your stable supply of goods."

The man in black seemed doubtful.

Duan Yihe didn't speak. He just walked to the window and looked at Kangyun County City under the moonlight.

He had spent more than 20 years here to grow his roots.

A look of reminiscence appeared in Duan Yihe's eyes.

30 years ago, the Source Faction began to control all regions.

With the gradual stabilization of State Feiyun, an era of peace arrived. Everyone knew that people's livelihood would gradually recover over the next few decades.

As one of the major trading companies in Yunying City, Dayuan Trading Company dispatched many subordinates to occupy huge markets in other areas of State Feiyun.

Duan Yihe left Yunying City and was sent to Kangyun County.

When he was in Yunying City, he was just a small assistant. He wanted to use this opportunity to rise up.

However, Dayuan Trading Company was not the only organization that wanted to occupy the State Feiyun market, other trading companies were thinking the same thing too.

After arriving in Kangyun County, Duan Yihe discovered that someone had already made the first step and had established a good relationship with the Black Armored Guards.

In order to squeeze their opponent out of Kangyun County, Duan Yihe used the help from a third party.

The third party was strong, and Duan Yihe successfully achieved his goal.

The opponent kept having supply problems and was eventually pushed out of the market. Then, Dayuan Trading Company began to gradually control the business operations in Kangyun County and even the surrounding counties.

Duan Yihe went from a low-level figure to a big businessman in Kangyun County.

Later on, when the Black Armored Guards changed, he was able to make connections with Cai Qinghan, and with the help of Cai Qinghan, he became one of the most powerful men in Kangyun County.

Duan Yihe looked glamorous to outsiders, but Duan Yihe himself knew well that there was a sharp sword hanging above his head—his safety was always in danger.

Because the third party he received help from was a Magic Faction!

Thirty years ago, the Source Faction defeated all factions in State Feiyun and became the strongest faction, taking over control of State Feiyun.

However, 300 years after the collapse of the previous dynasty, chaos had overrun the state. Although the Source Faction controlled the entire State Feiyun, there were still legacy forces.

Over the past 30 years, the Source Faction had stepped up their control over all areas of State Feiyun, while also insisting on suppressing the remaining forces that disrupted their stability.

While facing the pressure of Source Faction, various big and small Magic Factions disappeared.

The so-called Magic Factions referred to the sects that practiced magic arts.

Magic techniques were different from traditional techniques. Most of their practice was at the expense of others. If a magic technique were successful, innocent people would die for it.

Because magic techniques were quick-acting, there would always be warriors with poor work ethic that were willing to take the risks.

At the same time, this kind of speed had also led to the gradual fixation of practitioners towards magic techniques.

And once they were successful, they would create more bloody incidents to further strengthen themselves.

State Feiyun was striving to create a stable situation, so these Magic Factions must be eliminated.

The Source Faction issued an order long ago that those who practiced magic techniques and colluded with the remaining Magic Factions would be punished by death.

Duan Yihe took the risks and chose the magic path.

But right now, he was about to bear the consequences of his actions.

Duan Yihe's eyes looked away from the windows. He had a firm look on his face.

"Xinghe…"

Duan Yihe looked at him. "Excuse yourself…"

"Chief Manager…"

Yu Xinghe was puzzled. He looked at Duan Yihe with a confused look.

"I will find Cai Qinghan and sort out Hui Jiu."

Duan Yihe stepped forward and patted Yu Xinghe on the shoulder.

"But Hui Jiu might have fallen into Qu Dayou's hands after all…"

Yu Xinghe was still very worried. "Once Hui Jiu fails to keep the secret, then even Captain Cai…"

"Don't worry, I have my own methods."

Duan Yihe's tone was firm. "However, you can't make this kind of mistake again."

When Yu Xinghe looked at Duan Yihe's expression, he finally had some confidence in his heart.

"Don't worry Chief Manager, I will be more careful!"

Yu Xinghe quickly said.

"Go back and rest. You have to wake up and work early tomorrow morning."

Duan Yihe looked at Yu Xinghe leaving and his gaze gradually became cold.

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Chapter 48: Big Event

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

Yu Xinghe left.

"There is a murderous intent in your eyes…"

The man in black acutely noticed this fact.

Duan Yihe shook his head. "No… I won't kill him, but he has to pay the price."

"No need to wait any longer, we will ship immediately. This time, I will come with you."

Duan Yihe looked at the man in black and said.

"Why are you being so hasty?"

The man in black was puzzled..

"What I told Yu Xinghe just now was a lie."

Duan Yihe's tone was cold. "Hui Jiu has definitely fallen into Qu Dayou's hands. Even with Cai Qinghan, there is no way to rescue him. The two of them are rivals after all."

"And… Hui Jiu knows too much, and Qu Dayou is a well-known torture master in the Black Armored Guards… If Qu Dayou interrogates Hui Jiu, 90% of our secrets will be exposed."

Duan Yihe said, "Once exposed, forget about the shipment, the resources I have accumulated over so many years will also vanish."

"The Black Armored Guards haven't acted yet, so it may be that the interrogation has not happened yet. We have to take this opportunity to move quickly."

Duan Yihe's tone was firm.

"In other words, you are going to abandon this place?"

The man in black realized that this unexpected situation might have caused them to lose their stable resource supply.

"There is no other choice. If we don't leave now, we will end up dead."

Duan Yihe said, "Don't feel that it is unfortunate. The person who suffers the most is still me."

Duan Yihe had a distressed tone. This was the accumulation of more than 20 years of his work. It was difficult to throw it all away like this.

"I'll take advantage of this opportunity and join the Seven Line Gates." Duan Yihe had already made up a plan. "Don't think that I am useless. I am still a mortal realm fifth stage pneumatic realm warrior, and I have tons of experience behind my back."

The man in black listened and thought for a moment. "Okay."

"But…" the man in black added, "If the worst scenario does not happen, and that Hui Jiu didn't fall into Qu Dayou's hands, what should we do?"

"This is easy."

Duan Yihe felt that the probability of that happening was low, but he still replied, "If our secrets are not revealed, the Black Armored Guards will definitely not do anything. Once the goods are delivered to you, we will sit back and observe the situation. If nothing happens, we will return to our normal operations."

"If something happens… then we will let Yu Xinghe bare the blame."

Duan Yihe's tone was harsh.

"In that case, ship the goods."

The man in black stood up.

"I will arrange it myself."

Duan Yihe went outside.

…

On the other side.

The confinement room at Camp Site Three.

Hui Jiu, who had been caught by Xu Ning, was covered with blood and tied to a wooden post with an iron chain.

His face was pale, and his eyes were full of fear.

Qu Dayou was sitting on a wooden table in front of Hui Jiu.

Qu Dayou was currently in a state of extreme shock.

Just now, he just heard some major news from Hui Jiu.

Dayuan Trading Company in Kangyun County was involved with the Seven Line Gates Magic Faction!

They delivered weapons, medicines, silver and other resources to the Seven Line Gates at certain periods, and they also gathered information from the Black Armored Guards to help the Seven Line Gates avoid capture from the Black Armored Guards.

'Xu Ning stepped on a gold mine!'

Qu Dayou didn't expect Xu Ning's stalker to be involved with a Magic Faction.

Qu Dayou and the others only found out that Cai Qinghan had been receiving bribes from Dayuan Trading Company to help them conceal violations such as price gouging from merchant sources.

These violations, although bad in nature, would only result in the Black Armored Guards putting pressure on them to make changes.

But now that they were involved with a Magic Faction, the situation instantly became more serious.

Even though Wei Changqing didn't want to get involved, he would have to deal with this situation.

"I have to find Master Wei first!"

Qu Dayou quickly reacted.

It had been two hours since Hui Jiu fell into his own hands, so the people behind Hui Jiu must have already known about his capture.

If the other party was smart, they must have taken action. It was likely that the mastermind behind the scenes might have already escaped from Kangyun County.

"Someone!"

As Qu Dayou walked out, he called for his deputy. "Gather everyone in the camp and tell them to seal off all of Dayuan Trading Company's stores."

"Yes!"

The deputy immediately responded.

As soon as he was about to leave, the deputy was stopped by Qu Dayou again. "Wait, don't call them, go directly to Captain Xia and tell the people from Camp Site Two to handle this instead!"

This matter was too important for newcomers. Moreover, Qu Dayou felt that this group of newcomers lacked experience.

"Yes!"

The deputy then left.

Qu Dayou went directly to Wei Changqing.

It was late at night.

The quiet Kangyun County City started to become lively due to Hui Jiu's capture.

In the dark night, Kangyun County was sealed off. Exit and entry to the county city were blocked.

Five teams of Black Armored Guards went out of the city to search and chase Duan Yihe and the Seven Line Gates.

At the same time, all of Dayuan Trading Company's shops were surrounded, and those who worked at Dayuan Trading Company were arrested overnight.

At the Maple Lane Guard Station, apart from Xu Ning, Chen Ren, Pan Du, and Zhuang Dingshi, the others had their freedoms restricted.

Even Captain Cai Qinghan of Camp Site One was also captured…

…

The next day.

Xu Ning didn't know what happened last night until he got up.

Although Xu Ning was the source of this incident, Xu Ning did not participate in the subsequent development at all.

After learning about the follow-up development of the stalking incident, Xu Ning did not eat breakfast and went directly to the Maple Lane Guard Station.

Maple Lane was usually full of activity in the morning, but now there was barely anyone here.

There were city guards standing near every Dayuan Trading Company store.

There were also Black Armored Guards that were patrolling back and forth between the Dayuan Trading Company stores.

Xu Ning did not recognize these Black Armored Guards; they obviously were from another camp.

Xu Ning entered the Maple Lane Guard Station.

There was no one in the guard station, even the city guards at the entrance were gone.

'I can't believe how serious this was…'

Xu Ning sat at his desk, rubbing his forehead.

After entering the Black Armored Guards, Xu Ning knew how determined the Source Faction was at getting rid of Magic Factions.

The Black Armored Guards in Kangyun County had to check for traces of nearby Magic Factions almost every month.

However, the Black Armored Guards at Camp Site Three were all newcomers, so they would not participate in this task until next year.

'I really have to thank Captain Qu. He protected my identity when he announced the news this morning…'

When Xu Ning saw the announcement in the morning, he did not find his name.

The origin of this incident was hidden in the public announcement released by Qu Dayou.

This way, Xu Ning would be protected to a certain extent.

"Master!"

Feng Sigua's voice came from outside the study.

Feng Sigua seemed to be very anxious, as he didn't even knock on the door before pushing the door and walking in.

Once he saw Xu Ning sitting at his desk, Feng Sigua let out a sigh of relief.

"Master!"

Feng Sigua quickly stepped forward. "I was sleeping at home in the middle of the night when I was suddenly taken away by a Black Armored Guard."

"It's not just me, the other city guards working at the Maple Lane Guard Station experienced the same thing. We were gathered together and were interrogated overnight. After repeated interrogations, some of my buddies and I were released, while some of them are still detained in the confinement room at Camp Site Two."

Feng Sigua had a fearful tone.

Xu Ning nodded silently after listening.

Anything involved with a Magic Faction was a serious matter.

"Master, I also heard that Lieutenant Chen and others have been investigated… You are not involved, are you?"

Feng Sigua touched the sweat on his forehead.

"If I was involved, would I be here right now?"

Xu Ning smiled.

If Feng Sigua knew that Xu Ning was the source of this incident, he would not have asked this question.

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Chapter 49: Assassination

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

Kangyun County.

There were city guards and even Black Armored Guards stationed at every entrance to the county.

Wei Changqing gave out an order that for the next three days, no one could enter or leave Kangyun County, except for Black Armored Guards.

Near the gates of the county city, a figure wearing a beanie and a wool coat peeped over the corner of a wall.

The figure looked at the strict line of defense and slammed the wall with his fist.

This figure was Yu Xinghe; the person who was thrown to the wolves by Duan Yihe.

After Duan Yihe sent away Yu Xinghe yesterday, Duan Yihe took all of his belongings and followed the Seven Line Gates out of the city.

Late into the night, the incident happened.. Yu Xinghe heard the riots in the street as he woke up from a dream.

Yu Xinghe sensed something was wrong, so he immediately got up and went to find Duan Yihe.

Unfortunately for him, Yu Xinghe discovered that Duan Yihe had already left with the Seven Line Gates.

Only then did Yu Xinghe realize that he had become the scapegoat for Duan Yihe.

Yu Xinghe slipped away into the alleys before the Black Armored Guards surrounded the Dayuan Trading Company stores.

In order to avoid the oncoming Black Armored Guards and city guards on the road, Yu Xinghe hid in a private house.

But in the early mornings, the Black Armored Guards began to search houses.

Thus, Yu Xinghe had no choice but to move again. He wanted to find a chance to get out of the city.

However, after he saw the strong line of defense, he felt helplessness and despair.

With such tight defenses, it was almost impossible for him to escape without being noticed.

Once exposed, the Black Armored Guards would chase after him, and once that happened, he would definitely be caught.

'Duan Yihe!'

Yu Xinghe was full of anger, 'I have been with you for more than 20 years, risking decapitation to help you communicate with the Seven Line Gates. In the end, you put me as the fall guy!'

Yu Xinghe wanted to kill Duan Yihe.

But right now, Yu Xinghe knew that he should forget about killing Duan Yihe, as he could barely protect himself.

'There is also that moron Hui Jiu…'

Yu Xinghe clenched his fists with a murderous intent in his eyes, 'And… Xu Ning…'

Ever since he first met Xu Ning, Xu Ning had been constantly giving him a hard time.

In the end, it was him that took the downfall.

Yu Xinghe took a deep breath and disappeared into the alleyways with a hateful look in his eyes.

…

At night.

Xu Ning returned to Camp Site Three.

Camp Site Three was empty, except for a few city guards stationed there. None of the new Black Armored Guards were present.

Last night, Qu Dayou felt that the newcomers were inexperienced and thus, he did not use them.

After the overall situation was basically under control this morning, there was a shortage of manpower. Whether they were stationed at the camp or assigned to a guard station, everyone had a job to do.

Because the Maple Lane Guard Station had been flipped upside down, the lieutenant was no longer there. Thus, as a member of the Maple Lane Guard Station, Xu Ning was not assigned a task.

And Xu Ning, the source of this incident, became the idle Black Armored Guard.

After eating dinner alone at the dining hall, Xu Ning went to his room.

Tao Qingping was not there, so Xu Ning was the only one left in the room.

"Martial Arts Panel."

Xu Ning said silently in his heart.

With free time in his hands, Xu Ning decided to take out the Martial Arts Panel.

—

Name: Xu Ning

Martial Arts:

Spring Breeze Tactic (Mortal realm third stage: inner enrichment)

Gale Knife Method (Intermediate)

Source Breath Bodybuilding Tactic: (intermediate)

Light Feather Bow (elementary)

Available energy: 6 units

—

After upgrading his Source Breath Bodybuilding Tactic to the intermediate realm, he had three units of energy remaining.

But after absorbing the Swallowtail Flower that he received from being a cyan plate, Xu Ning now had 6 units of energy left.

'I only have 6 units of energy left; it is not much…'

Xu Ning contemplated.

Xu Ning was now in the inner enrichment realm, and if he wanted to advance further into the qi realm, he needed 25 units of energy.

6 units of energy was a lot away from 25 units.

'However, 6 units is just enough to upgrade the Light Feather Bow Technique to the intermediate realm…'

Xu Ning glanced at the longbow hanging by his bed.

This was one of the most basic issued weapons in the Black Armored Guards.

The Black Armored Guards newcomers had gone through basic archery practice, but they only needed to master the skills of aiming and exerting force. They did not need to specialize in archery techniques.

However, after weighing his options for a while, Xu Ning finally gave up the idea of leveling up his Light Feather Bow Technique.

Back then, there were plenty of opportunities to use his archery technique in Yunze Mountains.

But now, Xu Ning did not have any opportunities to fight from a distance, so there was no reason to upgrade his Light Feather Bow Technique.

'What?'

Xu Ning suddenly glanced outside the door.

Xu Ning's eyebrows furrowed.

But soon after, Xu Ning looked away. He grabbed a notebook that Tao Qingping had bought, faced the candlelight, and started reading.

After less than half an hour, Xu Ning put down the notebook.

He yawned, washed his face, put out the oil lamp, and went to bed.

The room was dark. Xu Ning could only hear his breathing sound.

Cha! Cha! Cha!

There was a quiet noise outside the door.

The sound was so quiet that it was difficult to hear even if someone was awake, not to mention asleep.

An eye appeared in the narrow gap of the door.

The eye moved, and it was that there was no one at the table. Suddenly, a trace of coldness appeared in the pupil of the eye.

'Xu Ning… I don't know if I can leave Kangyun County alive, but I will deal with you first…'

The person outside the door was obviously Yu Xinghe.

Because he had bribed a city guard at Camp Site Three in the past, Yu Xinghe knew the specific room where Xu Ning stayed.

After hiding around all day, Yu Xinghe was extremely nervous.

This kind of anxiety increased Yu Xinghe's hatred towards Duan Yihe and Xu Ning.

Finally, when it was nightfall, Yu Xinghe decided to relieve his anger and kill Xu Ning first.

Even if he was captured in the future, he would feel less regretful if Xu Ning was dead.

And if he was not captured, he could take the chance to escape and eventually find a way to take his revenge on Duan Yihe.

Yu Xinghe took out a knife and pushed it through the door gap.

The bolt outside the door slowly began to turn.

Yu Xinghe was an inner enrichment realm warrior, and he was also a master of swordsmanship.

Yu Xinghe's movements were stable, so he hardly made any noise.

Finally, the door bolt was completely open.

A cheerful smile appeared on Yu Xinghe's face.

Now, he just had to push open the door and enter, then burst out with all his strength and appear above Xu Ning's bed.

Xu Ning should still be asleep. Even if he woke up, he would be in a daze. With the short blade in Yu Xinghe's hand, he could easily pierce Xu Ning's neck.

Xu Ning's life would disappear silently as his blood splattered on the ground.

Yu Xinghe finally felt relieved in his heart.

'Xu Ning… go to hell.'

Yu Xinghe reached out his hand and pressed the door. He began to push gently.

Squeak!

The door slowly opened. Yu Xinghe's legs were already tensed up.

The assassination was about to begin!

"Long time no see."

However!

Once the door was completely opened, he saw Xu Ning's face under the moonlight.

Before Yu Xinghe could react, he suddenly felt a cold sting in his chest.

"You!"

When Yu Xinghe looked down, he saw a short knife piercing into his heart.

Veins popped up in his forehead as his eyes narrowed. He wanted to cut Xu Ning's neck with the blade in his hand, but he instead felt another sting in his chest.

When Xu Ning turned the short knife in his hand, Yu Xinghe's heart was instantly mangled.

Yu Xinghe lost all his strength as he desperately tried to breathe.

Xu Ning took out the knife.

Thump!

With a thump, Yu Xinghe fell to the ground.

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Chapter 50: Acting Lieutenant

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

Yu Xinghe had lost his life. Xu Ning suddenly felt a little fortunate.

Thank god he had upgraded his Source Breath Bodybuilding Tactic to the intermediate realm. It had strengthened his body while also improving his perception sensitivity.

Otherwise, he might have been eliminated by Yu Xinghe today.

Xu Ning squatted down and touched Yu Xinghe's neck.

Xu Ning laughed at himself. It was simply unnecessary for him to check. Yu Xinghe's heart was mangled, so there was no way he could still be alive.

But after confirming that Yu Xinghe was dead, Xu Ning suddenly felt a little regretful..

If Yu Xinghe was still alive, he would be able to torture him for information.

But after thinking about it in depth, Xu Ning felt that he was right.

Xu Ning learned that Yu Xinghe was already stuck in the inner enrichment realm ten years ago, unable to improve any further.

There were only a small number of people in this world who could continuously break barriers and advance further. For most people, once they reached a certain realm, they would stop advancing.

However, although he knew that Yu Xinghe was an inner enrichment warrior, Xu Ning was not certain about Yu Xinghe's external skill realm.

For most people, once they were not able to further improve their internal skill, they would turn their attention to their external skills.

For the clan elders in Tao Village, their internal skills were continuously improving. They either specialized in the Gale Knife Technique or in the Fierce Sword Wind technique, but very few of them had cultivated these two techniques to the perfection realm.

Xu Ning did not know what external skill realm Yu Xinghe had reached over the past ten years.

In order to ensure his absolute safety and to prevent a fight to the death, Xu Ning seized the opportunity, instantly killing Yu Xinghe before he could react.

Although this would prevent him from gaining more information, this had at least ensured his safety.

'I wonder if there are others from Dayuan Trading Company that want to kill me…'

Xu Ning had some worries in his heart.

Xu Ning was still ignorant of the happenings in the county city. He didn't even know that, except for Yu Xinghe, the rest of the Dayuan Trading Company employees in Kangyun County City were either arrested or killed.

He even didn't know that Duan Yihe had fled Kangyun County.

"I'll wait for follow-up news…"

Xu Ning didn't hesitate anymore. He immediately called for the city guard who patrolled at night.

When the city guard saw the corpse on the ground and heard that Xu Ning was targeted, they were all frightened.

Although with Yu Xinghe's skill, he could easily escape the camp. Nevertheless, it was still the city guard's responsibility to keep the camp safe.

Fortunately, Xu Ning didn't blame them. He just asked the city guards to carry away Yu Xinghe's body and clean the floor. He then went back to his room and fell asleep.

…

Ten days had passed since the Dayuan Trading Company incident.

Over the past ten days, many changes had taken place in Kangyun County.

First of all, Cai Qinghan was removed from his post in the Black Armored Guards. Although he did not know the existence of the Seven Line Gates, he was removed because he was involved with Dayuan Trading Company, and was thus sent back to Yunying City for further punishment.

The vacant captain position of Camp Site One was taken over by Ning Fengwen, the former captain of the personal guards. Ning Fengwen now directly reported to Master Wei Changqing.

Secondly, all shops related to Dayuan Trading Company were investigated.

These shops would later be taken over by other chambers of commerce or businessmen in the form of auctions.

This process would be personally supervised by Master Wei Changqing to prevent a similar incident from happening again.

Due to various reasons, Wei Changqing just wanted to spend a few years in Kangyun County, but because of Dayuan Trading Company's incident, he was now forced to stay in Kangyun County.

Now that ten days have gone by, Kangyun County had basically been restored to normality.

The streets of the county city were full of people.

Of course, this did not include Maple Lane.

The Dayuan Trading Company shops on Maple Lane had not been resold yet, so there were barely any people on the commercial street.

Because they were involved with Dayuan Trading Company, Chen Ren, Pan Du, and others were dismissed from their posts and sent back to Yunying City.

As a result, Xu Ning became the only Black Armored Guard in the Maple Lane Black Armored Guards Post.

During this period of time, the details of the Dayuan Trading Company incident were gradually disclosed.

Xu Ning also knew that apart from Duan Yihe and Yu Xinghe, no one else had escaped punishment.

Yu Xinghe was dealt with by Xu Ning personally, and Duan Yihe had fled with the Seven Line Gates to god knows where. Duan Yihe would definitely not come back.

Hence, Xu Ning would not have to worry about his own safety.

Xu Ning began to experience the most relaxing time he had had since arriving at Kangyun County.

Xu Ning's duty was now over, and he returned to the camp.

Before entering the camp gates, Xu Ning was informed by the city guard that Qu Dayou had asked to see him.

Xu Ning was a little surprised.

Ever since the Dayuan Trading Company incident, Qu Dayou had been too busy to even visit the camp.

Now, ten days later, he had finally returned.

When Xu Ning saw Qu Dayou, he noticed that his beard was long and his hair was messy. He had obviously not taken care of himself for a long time.

However, contrary to his appearance, Qu Dayou's mental state was good.

Qu Dayou was in a good mood after he sorted out Dayuan Trading Company and Cai Qinghan.

"Master."

Xu Ning greeted.

"You're here."

Qu Dayou looked at Xu Ning with a smile on his face. "How are you doing? Comfortable?"

Xu Ning paused for a second and said, "I am working hard at practicing martial arts all day, preparing for the assessment. It's hardly comfortable."

Qu Dayou laughed. "That's more comfortable than most of us!"

"Obviously, the Dayuan Trading Company incident started because of you, but you were the one that experienced the least amount of hardship."

Xu Ning smiled and did not respond.

Qu Dayou put on a serious face. "Xu Ning, do you remember what I said before? I said before that you will be the first lieutenant in Camp Site Three once the Dayuan Trading Company incident is over."

"Lieutenant…"

Xu Ning was really excited about the position of lieutenant.

What excited him was not the power brought by the lieutenant title, but the higher monthly salary and subsidies.

"But…"

Qu Dayou said, "I never expected that the matter of Dayuan Trading Company would be solved so suddenly. You did not even have time to reach the qi realm, so we'll have to put you off the lieutenant position for now."

Xu Ning felt a little disappointed.

But he also knew that Qu Dayou was right.

There were regulations within the Black Armored Guards. If he wanted to be promoted to a lieutenant, he first had to reach mortal realm fourth stage qi realm.

So right now, he was not qualified.

Seeing that Xu Ning was rather disappointed, Qu Dayou suddenly changed his tone, "Although you are not qualified to be promoted to lieutenant directly, you can still be promoted to acting lieutenant."

"Acting lieutenant?"

Xu Ning was confused.

"An acting lieutenant can exercise all the powers of a lieutenant and assume all the duties of a lieutenant. However, an acting lieutenant is still a guard, and is not granted the monthly salary and subsidies of a lieutenant."

Qu Dayou explained to Xu Ning.

When Xu Ning heard this, he had a headache.

What he cared about was the benefits of being a lieutenant.

An acting lieutenant obviously had no improvements in benefits, but carried more responsibility instead.

Xu Ning was already thinking about how to refuse the acting lieutenant position.

"What? Not satisfied?"

Qu Dayou noticed Xu Ning's intentions.

Xu Ning said, "Master, after all, I just came to the Black Armored Guards not long ago, and my qualifications…"

"Qualifications? You are the best among Camp Site Three!"

Xu Ning was interrupted by Qu Dayou before he could finish speaking.

Qu Dayou said, "You put a lot of energy into the Dayuan Trading Company incident. Because of you, we discovered the secrets of Dayuan Trading Company and Seven Line Gates… And, a few days ago, you also cleaned up Yu Xinghe. Who else is comparable to you in this camp?"

"Enough talking, it's decided."

Qu Dayou waved his hand, gesturing to Xu Ning to stop talking.

Seeing this, Xu Ning could only agree.

"Master, as an acting lieutenant, am I responsible for our camp or for Maple Lane?"

Xu Ning asked.

"Maple Lane."

Qu Dayou quickly responded.

---

Read I Have A Martial Arts Panel Chapter 51 - Appointment online for free - AllNovelFull

Chapter 51: Appointment

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

"You're the only person left in the Maple Lane Guard Station, so you should be responsible there."

Qu Dayou said, "I will assign five people to you from the newcomers stationed in the camp. And because they are all newcomers, there is no need to worry about gaining their respect."

Qu Dayou was quite thoughtful. If he assigned an experienced Black Armored Guard to Xu Ning, it would be difficult for Xu Ning to take control.

"Understood, master."

Xu Ning responded.

After talking about the acting lieutenant position, Qu Dayou asked again, "Your martial arts seemed to have improved significantly?"

As the captain of Camp Site Three, Qu Dayou seldom asked directly about the progress of an individual's training, but Xu Ning was a special case.

.

"Made some progress."

Xu Ning responded calmly.

"Can you get a yellow plate in the next assessment that is in two months?"

Qu Dayou asked.

"I'm 90% confident."

Xu Ning replied.

Qu Dayou laughed. "Good!"

…

Xu Ning returned to his room and found out that Tao Qingping had returned.

He was sitting at the table, holding a brush in his hand, writing something on a piece of paper.

"Unusual to see you come back earlier than me."

Xu Ning jokingly said.

Tao Qingping had been extremely busy due to the Dayuan Trading Company incident.

Tao Qingping raised his head and glanced at Xu Ning before smiling helplessly and shaking his head.

He was jealous of Xu Ning's leisure time.

"Come sit down and write a family letter."

Tao Qingping said to Xu Ning.

"Family letter?"

Xu Ning took off his coat and leaned over.

"Just now the camp leaders said that everyone has been away from home for almost two months, so they asked us to write a good letter tonight, and someone will send it back home tomorrow morning."

Tao Qingping explained to Xu Ning.

Xu Ning was quite surprised when he heard this.

'The Black Armored Guards delivered letters?'

Although they were not far from home, more than a month and a half had passed since they first left. Although he occasionally missed his family, he did not miss them to the point of writing letters.

'The Black Armored Guards are quite thoughtful.'

However, since someone was offering to deliver the letter, Xu Ning would obviously write one.

He sat down, spread out the paper, and picked up another brush. After briefly thinking about it, he started to write.

The Tao Village taught children how to write from a young age. Although Xu Ning was not in the Tao Village as a child, he was taught by Guo Ye later onwards.

Hence, he could easily write a letter to his family back home.

In the letter, Xu Ning mainly talked about his living environment. Xu Ning deliberately left out the experience of almost being assassinated, and only talked about the good aspects.

In addition, Xu Ning also briefly talked about his feelings towards his family.

At the end of the letter, Xu Ning thought for a while before also writing something to Guo Ye.

Guo Ye had helped him a lot in the past, so Xu Ning wanted to express his gratitude in the form of a letter.

After he finished writing, Tao Qingping brought over envelopes.

Xu Ning put the letter inside the envelope.

He gave the family letter to Tao Qingping, for it to be delivered to the messenger tomorrow.

…

The next day.

The sun was shining brightly.

Feng Sigua worked hard last night. When he woke up, he noticed that he was late.

Feng Sigua put on his clothes and ran out of the house without even washing his face, even skipping breakfast.

As soon as he arrived at the gate of the Maple Lane Guard Station, Feng Sigua met the two city guards who were guarding the gate.

When the two saw Feng Sigua, they suddenly smiled.

"Father Gua!"

Feng Sigua was taken aback by the sudden title.

Feng Sigua was already happy to be called Brother Gua.

But now, he was called Father Gua. He was a little confused.

"What do you mean by that?"

Feng Sigua asked.

"You don't know?"

One of the city guards leaned forward. "Master Xu has been appointed as the Acting Lieutenant of Maple Lane!"

"What?!"

Feng Sigua was stunned.

"What did you say?! Say it again!"

Feng Sigua grabbed the shoulders of the city guard and listened carefully.

"There is news that Master Xu has been appointed as Acting Lieutenant!"

Another city guard said with a smile.

After confirming that he had not misheard, Feng Sigua slapped his thigh and immediately ran into the guard station.

Feng Sigua laughed as he ran.

"This Feng Sigua, I really didn't expect him to make connections with Master Xu…"

One of the city guards looked at Feng Sigua and said in a jealous tone, "If it was me who was on duty that day, I would have been Master Xu's deputy."

"That kid is so lucky…"

The other city guard was obviously jealous.

Xu Ning was now an acting lieutenant, and it was almost a certainty that he would become an official lieutenant in the future.

Feng Sigua was well-connected with a young lieutenant. If all went well, Feng Sigua might become a superior of the city guards.

Feng Sigua entered the guard station and ran to the notice board.

Feng Sigua then saw Xu Ning's appointment letter at the center of the notice board.

Feng Sigua felt the blood rush to his head. He was full of pride.

'He did it!'

Feng Sigua took a few deep breaths, trying his best to calm his mood.

He tidied up his messy clothes, wiped his face, and walked towards Xu Ning's study.

"Master, congratulations!"

Feng Sigua entered the room and bowed sternly to Xu Ning.

After seeing how joyful Feng Sigua was, Xu Ning wondered if Feng Sigua thought he was the one being promoted to Acting Lieutenant instead.

"Thank you."

Xu Ning smiled and went straight to the point. "The previous person in charge of the city guards at the guard station was connected to Chen Ren, and he had also received money from Yu Xinghe and the others. And now, he has been dismissed and is being investigated thoroughly."

"I am now regarded as the official Acting Lieutenant. I have the power to appoint personnel, so I plan to assign this vacant position to you."

Xu Ning was right.

Appointing the person in charge of the city guards was his right.

He was satisfied with Feng Sigua's work, so appointing him was a reasonable choice.

"Thank you for the promotion!"

Feng Sigua bowed.

He did not expect to already receive benefits from being connected to Xu Ning.

Feng Sigua felt like he was in a dream.

Feng Sigua knew very well that from this moment on, apart from Xu Ning and the Black Armored Guards, he was the most powerful person at the Maple Lane Black Armored Guards Post.

"Old Feng, you can't be arrogant."

Xu Ning looked at Feng Sigua and said, "Don't forget what I taught you."

"Okay, master."

After thinking about Chen Ren and the others, Feng Sigua remained clear headed.

He was also a smart person. He reminded himself to be humble and pragmatic, just like Xu Ning.

Only when Xu Ning was satisfied with him, would he truly become a reliable aid.

"Master, do you want to change your study?"

Feng Sigua asked.

"No need for now."

Xu Ning waved his hand. "It's pretty good here."

"So we'll leave Chen Ren's study empty?"

Feng Sigua asked again.

"Leave it empty for now. When I become a real lieutenant, I will move over."

After a pause, Xu Ning said, "Within the next three days, all the new guards will arrive. You can find someone to clean up the study."

"Also, go to our new accountant at the guard station and check Chen Ren's accounts with him. After checking it, report it to me."

Xu Ning asked again.

"Okay, master."

Feng Sigua suddenly felt his shoulders had become heavy.

Feng Sigua went outside, leaving Xu Ning alone in the study.

He opened the window and let the wind blow in.

Although New Year's had just gone by, there was already a hint of warmth in the air.

"I am taking over the Maple Lane Guard Station."

Xu Ning was ready to embrace the new journey brought about by his sudden change in status.

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Chapter 52: Upcoming Assessment

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

The five Black Armored Guards assigned by Qu Dayou to work under Xu Ning, arrived at the Maple Lane Black Armored Guards Post the next day.

What Xu Ning didn't expect was that one of the five guards to be his roommate, Tao Qingping.

In addition to Tao Qingping, there were also two people from the Song Village, two people from the local county city, but none of them were from the Tan Village.

After looking at the guards before him, Xu Ning had a rough idea of Qu Dayou's intentions.

Over the next few days, the new Maple Lane Black Armored Guards Post had begun to develop. Everything was running in an orderly manner.

Xu Ning suddenly received a letter from back home.

The messenger sent by the Black Armored Guards to the Tao Village did not return immediately after delivering the letters. Only after staying at the Tao Village for one night did the messenger come back with their family letters and some small gifts..

Xu Ning received two replies, one of which was written by his brother-in-law, Tao Yunchuan.

He and Xu Lian asked Xu Ning to take care of himself, follow the higher up's orders, and conduct himself orderly.

Xu Ning did not write in the letter that he was appointed as acting lieutenant. He planned to wait until he became an official lieutenant before he would inform his family about this matter.

Therefore, Tao Yunchuan and Xu Lian did not know about Xu Ning's promotion. Hence, they encouraged Xu Ning to be a model Black Armored Guard.

In addition to the letter, Xu Lian had also sent him a long spring coat. The coat was made and sewn by Xu Lian, and it perfectly fit Xu Ning.

The second letter was written by Guo Ye.

Guo Ye's letter contained only a few jokes. He expressed that he was proud to have a brother in the Black Armored Guards, and he hoped that Xu Ning could be promoted as soon as possible, so that he could brag to his friends.

In addition to the letter, Guo Ye also gave Xu Ning a sealed wooden box.

After Xu Ning opened it, he saw that inside it was a spirit medicine called Wind Jasmine Fruit.

This spirit medicine had similar effects to a Swallowtail Flower; it would help the practice of mortal realm advancements.

The selling price of Wind Jasmine Fruit was around 800 taels, which was quite expensive.

Even for Guo Ye's uncle, Tao Yungang, this was not a small amount of money.

When Xu Ning received it, he felt emotional.

Before leaving the village, Guo Ye and Tao Yungang had already prepared the Wind Jasmine Fruit and asked Xu Ning to take it with him, but Xu Ning refused after thinking for a second.

But in the end, the Wind Jasmine Fruit still ended up in his own hands.

Xu Ning gratefully absorbed the energy in the Wind Jasmine Fruit, which was worth a total of 8 units of energy.

Combined with the 6 units of energy he had before, Xu Ning now had 14 units of energy.

Xu Ning did not intend to use these 14 units to advance his Gale Knife Technique or Source Breath Bodybuilding Tactic to the perfection realm.

Instead, he intended to advance his internal skill to the qi realm.

So, it would take some time for him to accumulate the 25 units of energy.

…

Another day went by .

Xu Ning and Tao Qingping left the guard station at the same time.

They ate some dinner by the roadside, but instead of returning to Camp Site Three, they went to the private residential area by Maple Lane.

The lieutenants of the various guard stations all had residences in this area.

These residences were allocated by the Black Armored Guards.

When Chen Ren was a lieutenant, he felt that the lieutenant residences were too shabby, so he never lived there.

But, Xu Ning did not mind these residences. It was closer to Maple Lane, so living here meant that he would not have to travel from Camp Site Three to Maple Lane anymore, making it much more convenient.

After Xu Ning and Tao Qingping discussed this together, they decided to move in together.

The house had a large yard and many rooms. Even after Xu Ning and Tao Qingping chose one room each, there were still a few vacant rooms.

Xu Ning intended to wait for the right time in the future before having his sister and brother-in-law stay here for a while.

Xu Ning and Tao Qingping walked in the alleyways of the residential area.

The alleyways were cramped and small. At certain spots, they would have to turn their body sideways when encountering someone walking towards them.

While they were walking, Xu Ning and Tao Qingping saw a girl with braids and a thin coat walking towards them.

She looked about 17 to 18 years old, with delicate skin and a petite figure. She looked at Xu Ning with a timid expression.

Perhaps it was because they were wearing their Black Armored Guards uniform. When the little girl passed the two men, her footsteps began to sped up, before she quickly walked by and disappeared into the end of the alleyway.

"What are you looking at?"

Xu Ning slapped Tao Qingping on the back of his head and smiled.

Tao Qingping stared at the corner where the girl disappeared with a reluctant face.

"Stop…"

Tao Qingping was a little embarrassed.

Although inside the guard station, Tao Qingping was a subordinate of Xu Ning's, outside the guard station, these two were good friends.

"If you really like her, you can go ask about her."

Xu Ning said to Tao Qingping.

Tao Qingping and Xu Ning were about 18 years old, so they were already of marriageable age in this world.

"I've already asked about her…"

As he was talking about this, Tao Qingping suddenly felt a little lonely. "She lives in the house behind our back yard, with her parents and a younger brother."

"In addition to this, she also has a childhood sweetheart that lives across from her house."

Tao Qingping continued, "However, her childhood sweetheart seems to have a weak body, and requires to take medicine. The two are in love with each other, but her parents do not agree with their marriage."

"You are quite inquisitive."

Xu Ning praised Tao Qingping's ability to obtain information.

"If her parents are not satisfied with her childhood sweetheart, then won't you have a chance?"

Xu Ning said.

Tao Qingping was now a Black Armored Guard. With that alone, he stood out among his peers in terms of his status.

"Forget about it, if she has someone else in mind, I won't force it."

Tao Qingping said.

"You…"

Xu Ning shook his head and said nothing more.

…

Time flew by quickly.

Another month and a half went by.

Kangyun County had returned to its original peace.

The shops owned by Dayuan Trading Company in Maple Lane were gradually replaced with new owners.

Maple Lane had returned to its former prosperous self.

Kangyun County was once again a comfortable place to live in.

However, while the people in the county lived and worked in peace, there was a nervous atmosphere in Camp Site Three.

It was because the once every three months assessment evaluation was about to begin.

This time, the assessment would be personally supervised by Master Wei Changqing. Everyone's skill level and talent potential would be witnessed by him.

In addition, this assessment was related to the allocation of resources for the next three months, so almost everyone in the camp was nervous.

Except for Xu Ning, of course.

Xu Ning was relaxed, because he had already accumulated 25 units of energy and raised his internal skill to the qi realm!

Xu Ning had saved up 14 energy points, and combined with the past two months of salary and subsidies, he had two Swallowtail Flowers and 500 taels of silver.

With the 500 taels of silver, Xu Ning bought two more Swallowtail Flowers.

Four Swallowtail Flowers converted to a total of 12 units of energy, combined with the previous 14 units, he had a total of 26 units of energy.

Even after Xu Ning advanced to the mortal realm fourth stage qi realm, he still had one unit of energy left.

"Xu Ning!"

Tao Qingyuan's voice came from outside the door.

Because tomorrow was the assessment day, Xu Ning and Tao Qingping had moved back to the camp for tonight.

"Qingyuan."

Xu Ning opened the door and saw Tao Qingyuan, whom he hadn't seen for a long time.

Tao Qingyuan now had a much more stable aura when compared to his previous self. Xu Ning could tell that Tao Qingyuan had made progress in his Source Breath Bodybuilding Tactic.

While Xu Ning was observing Tao Qingyuan, Tao Qingyuan was also observing Xu Ning.

In the past, Tao Qingyuan felt that Xu Ning gave off a strong sense of oppression.

But now, Tao Qingyuan felt like Xu Ning was unpredictable.

"It's been a long time since I saw you."

Tao Qingyuan walked into the room and greeted Tao Qingping.

Afterwards, Tao Qingyuan sat down and asked, "How's it going? Have you thought about which yellow plate holder you are going to challenge tomorrow?"

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Chapter 53: Challenged

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

"Probably Tan Fengying…"

Xu Ning replied to Tao Qingyuan's question.

This question didn't mean much to Xu Ning. He was already in the mortal realm fourth stage, so he did not have any worthy opponents in Camp Site Three.

"I heard that Tan Fengying has been working hard in martial arts recently, and has made great progress. He is only one step away from the qi realm, so I'm afraid he's not easy to deal with."

Tao Qingyuan suggested to Xu Ning. "There is another yellow plate holder in Tan Village, named Tan Chang. Her strength is weaker, so you should challenge her instead."

"Tan Chang?"

Xu Ning knew the existence of this person. During their brawl back in the dining hall, Tao Jin and Tan Chang fought back and forth fiercely..

"I'll see tomorrow."

Xu Ning did not care who his opponent was.

Tao Qingyuan looked suspiciously at Xu Ning.

'Could it be that Xu Ning…'

Tao Qingyuan felt that Xu Ning might have improved even further.

'But Xu Ning had just been promoted to the inner enrichment realm not long ago.'

"Cyan…"

Tao Qingping interrupted the conversation between the two of them. "How are the other people in the village faring?"

Tomorrow was the assessment. Even Tao Qingping's heart was beating fast, he had no confidence in his own strength at all.

"Everyone is around the same, everyone is nervous."

Tao Qingyuan chatted and joked around with everyone tonight, and the purpose was to relieve everyone's nervousness.

As the most central figure in their community, this was his responsibility.

After chatting with Xu Ning in Tao Qingping's yoom, Tao Qingyuan was about to head out.

He had to find Tao Jin.

Tao Qingyuan felt that Tao Jin was not in the right condition. It seemed that she had reached a bottleneck in her martial arts practice.

Tao Qingyuan would have to figure it out himself tomorrow.

"Xu Ning…"

Before leaving, Tao Qingyuan sighed. "You have become an acting lieutenant in less than two months since you joined the Black Armored Guards. You're the most successful person out of the Tao Village."

Xu Ning knew Tao Qingyuan well. He had a very open mind and was not jealous at all.

"I was just lucky to be chosen by Captain Qu."

Xu Ning waved his hand dismissively as he replied.

Tao Qingyuan noticed that Xu Ning was still humble like before, which was quite admirable.

Their relationship had not changed because of Xu Ning's promotion.

It was rare for a person with a foreign name such as Xu Ning to be able to fit into the Tao Village circle.

"Alright then, good luck with the assessment tomorrow."

Tao Qingyuan bid farewell to Xu Ning and left to find Tao Jin.

…

The next day.

The newcomers at Camp Site Three all got up early.

After eating at the dining hall, they all went to the school field.

Three wooden arenas have been set up on the school field, with weapons of different styles placed next to them.

These weapons were real swords and knives, but they were not sharpened.

After everyone waited for a while, Wei Changqing and Master Qu Dayou finally arrived together.

There was also a team of Black Armored Guards who would be responsible for their evaluation today.

These Black Armored Guards were not newcomers from Camp Site Three; they were instead subordinates of Master Wei Changqing.

The assessment venue had been prepared, and the staff responsible for the assessment had already arrived. At last, the assessment was about to begin.

Wei Changqing was already sitting down on a platform next to the school field.

Qu Dayou stood beside him.

After seeing that everything was ready, Qu Dayou began to shout.

"I'm sure you all know the rules of the assessment, but I will repeat them again."

"Firstly, the form of the assessment is actual combat. I know that some of you are weaker in strength but are talented, so you might think that this assessment is unfair."

"But in fact, if you fight against an enemy, they don't care about your talent, they only care about how to kill you. In the end, converting your talent to your strength is the most important thing."

"Moreover, over the past three months, those of you who are relatively talented, holding cyan and yellow plates, also enjoyed more resources. If your plates get downgraded this time, you can only blame yourselves."

Master Qu Dayou's words triggered some people in the crowd.

But at the same time, it also gave hope to those who were initially identified as having mediocre potential, but had made progress through hard work.

"Secondly, about the challenge. Today, everyone has a chance to challenge those above you. If the challenge is successful, you will obtain the plates and resources of your opponent. If your challenge is unsuccessful, you will stay at your current plate level. Note that if you demote to a lower rank plate, you will no longer have a challenge opportunity."

"Also, as long as you have been challenged once today, you can refuse additional challenges, that is, unless all other members from your plate have already been challenged as well. At the same time, remember that you cannot challenge a person two plates above you."

This rule was beneficial to the challenged to a certain extent.

Because after being challenged once, they could reject all subsequent challenges, so they wouldn't have to worry about their stamina.

"Okay, the assessment has officially begun!"

"Next, starting with the gray plates, draw straws to determine the challenge order."

Qu Dayou gave a Black Armored Guard a gesture, indicating that it was time to start.

The school field, which had more than one hundred people on it, was completely silent. The atmosphere was intense.

Xu Ning was in the crowd. He saw a hint of nervousness on everyone's face.

He noticed that Tao Jin, who was at the back of the crowd, had been clenching her fists with a serious expression on her face.

"The first gray plate challenger, Tao Qingping, the second gray plate challenger, Tan Fenglu…"

The Black Armored Guard took out three paper strips from a gray wooden box.

He opened them one by one and read the names of three people.

Three challenges were conducted at once, which was why there were three wooden arenas on the school field.

"The first one is me?"

After Tao Qingping's name was pronounced, his expression was nervous, with a hint of joy.

According to the rules, the person who went first had the largest selection of opponents.

In this case, he could choose a relatively weak opponent and leave the stronger ones to others.

The three men walked out at the same time and arrived in front of the arenas.

"Name the cyan plate holders you want to challenge."

The Black Armored Guard asked them.

"I choose Tan Fenghe from the Tan Village."

Tao Qingping was the first to select his opponent.

Tao Qingping did his homework before this, and he chose the weakest cyan plate holder in the Tan Village.

"I choose Xu Ning from the Tao Village!"

As for the second gray plate challenger Tan Fenglu, his chosen opponent was Xu Ning.

Xu Ning felt that everyone from the Tao Village had their attention focused on him.

He really didn't expect to be selected already.

But Xu Ning didn't panic at all. He just walked to the arena calmly.

'Tan Fenglu must know how strong Xu Ning is right…'

Tao Qingyuan was a little suspicious: "I've asked around before this. This Tan Fenglu guy is not weak. After entering the Black Armored Guards, he practiced together with Tan Fengying, causing his strength to greatly increase. His chances of defeating a cyan plate holder is high… However, he just happened to challenge Xu Ning, what a waste of opportunity."

Tao Qingyuan suddenly noticed that Tan Fenglu, who was on the stage, glanced at Tan Fengying in the crowd.

Tao Qingyuan realized instantly that Tan Fenglu was following Tan Fengying's instructions.

'He's giving up a cyan plate, in order to help Tan Fengying figure out Xu Ning's strength… The Tan Village is so cunning.'

Tao Qingyuan thought to himself.

Xu Ning also noticed the eye contact between Tan Fenglu and Tan Fengying.

But in Xu Ning's opinion, none of this meant anything.

The gap between the qi realm and the inner enrichment realm was too vast. Unless his opponent was in the perfection realm of an external skill, he would not be able to compete against Xu Ning at all.

Xu Ning looked forward to the fight.

This was the first time he would fight someone after reaching the qi realm.

He would use this fight as an opportunity to test his qi realm strength.

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Chapter 54: Qi Realm?

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

"Xu Ning was instantly challenged."

Wei Changqing was sitting on the high platform in the distance as he watched Xu Ning step into the arena.

Wei Changqing had heard of Xu Ning's name before, but this was his first time seeing Xu Ning.

"You admire this young man very much. Do you think he has the ability to maintain his cyan plate?"

Wei Changqing asked Qu Dayou.

"Certainly, he also has a high chance of obtaining a yellow plate."

Qu Dayou's answer surprised Wei Changqing.

He was confident.

.

In fact, Qu Dayou didn't know that Xu Ning had been promoted to the qi realm. He just knew that after Xu Ning was promoted to the inner enrichment realm, his other external skills had also improved significantly.

"Then we'll see if you're correct."

Wei Changqing looked at the venue with a smile.

His eyes were calm. He did not have high expectations for these young men.

Wei Changqing came from Yunying City, and his family clan was a powerful clan in Yunying City. Thus, he had seen plenty of powerful men.

After all, Kangyun County was a small county. It would be unlikely for him to find a young man that could impress him.

In the crowd, the newcomers waiting for the assessment were staring at the arena where Xu Ning and Tan Fenglu were in.

Tan Fenglu was not well-known, but Xu Ning was very famous.

They had heard that Xu Ning had worked on the Dayuan Trading Company incident, and was highly valued by Qu Dayou. He was also the first acting lieutenant among the newcomers.

Because of his reputation, Xu Ning received a ton of attention.

Quite a few of them wanted to see how strong Xu Ning was.

On the stage.

"Tan Village, Tan Fenglu!"

Tan Fenglu held a spear in his hand and greeted Xu Ning with cupped fists.

"Tao Village, Xu Ning."

Xu Ning also greeted him with cupped fists.

In fact, when they were working at Camp Site Three, they all had the same identity.

But in everyone's heart, they belonged to their own respective villages.

Tan Fenglu looked at Xu Ning cautiously. He was fully focused.

He had seen Xu Ning in front of the Runfeng Restaurant, getting in between Tao Qingyuan and Tan Fengying, so he knew how strong Xu Ning was.

However, even though he knew that he would be defeated, Tan Fenglu was willing to challenge him in order to help Tan Fengying gauge Xu Ning's strength.

Although he would lose a chance to obtain a cyan plate, Tan Fengying had already promised Tan Fenglu that as long as Tan Fenglu challenged Xu Ning, he would provide an additional Swallowtail Flower to Tan Fenglu every month, and would practice with him together in the future.

Hence, Tan Fenglu would not lose anything from this.

'Ha!'

Tan Fenglu took the lead and stabbed Xu Ning with a spear.

Xu Ning, with the knife behind his back, looked like he was in danger.

'Too weak…'

The moment Tan Fenglu attacked, Xu Ning instantly knew how strong Tan Fenglu was.

Tan Fenglu was the intermediate realm in his spearmanship, but his internal skill was barely in the inner enrichment realm.

His strength was considered top-notch among the cyan plate holders. If he didn't challenge Xu Ning, he could easily obtain a cyan plate.

But it was not enough to defeat Xu Ning.

Tan Fenglu's spear struck.

Xu Ning turned sideways and easily avoided the attack.

Although he didn't practice his external skills, Xu Ning's agility was strong only by virtue of his physical fitness.

'So fast!'

Tan Fenglu was startled.

Although it seemed like Xu Ning had barely avoided the attack, Tan Fenglu knew very well that Xu Ning only decided to start dodging at the very last second.

Tan Fengying, who was in the elementary realm in the Source Breath Bodybuilding Tactic, couldn't do this at all.

Just as he was thinking about what to do next, Tan Fenglu suddenly noticed that Xu Ning appeared right in front of him.

Xu Ning's speed was even faster than before.

'He still has time to practice external skills?'

This was the first thought that came to Tan Fenglu's mind.

Xu Ning's agility was beyond what was possible in the inner enrichment realm.

Facing Xu Ning's sudden counterattack, Tan Fenglu chose to fall back.

But his spear was too long. Although the advantage of a long-range weapon was obvious, it was extremely difficult to use when the opponent was in close range.

Tan Fenglu could only push out with his elbow, trying to stop Xu Ning's movements temporarily.

But this was all in vain.

Xu Ning didn't use his knife at all, he only threw out a punch.

Before Tan Fenglu's elbow could block the punch, Xu Ning's punch already landed.

His punch landed on Tan Fenglu's chest, and the tremendous strength behind the punch caused Tan Fenglu to lose his center of balance. In an instant, he fell out of the arena.

After one defensive maneuver and one attack, the fight was over.

The crowd gasped.

Although everyone was mentally prepared for Xu Ning to be strong, no one thought that Xu Ning would be this strong.

According to the rumors, Xu Ning was a knife technique master.

But just now, Xu Ning did not use a knife, he had only used a punch to knock Tan Fenglu out of the arena.

"Xu Ning is this strong already…"

Tao Qingyuan couldn't believe it. "This… Either he's in the intermediate realm of his Source Breath Bodybuilding Tactic, or… he has already reached the qi realm!"

Tao Qingyuan was shocked.

He didn't even consider the possibility that Xu Ning had already achieved both.

"Xu Ning…"

Tao Jin clenched her fist.

She never expected Xu Ning to reach this level of strength.

Becoming an acting lieutenant could be because of his connections with Qu Dayou, but now his strength was obvious.

Tao Jin suddenly became annoyed.

Ever since New Year's Day, Tao Jin felt that her progress was getting slower and slower.

Forget about reaching the qi realm, she hasn't even reached the elementary realm in the Source Breath Bodybuilding Tactic.

Thus, she became more and more irritated.

Tao Jin began to panic.

Tao Jin felt like if she wasn't a genius, she was nothing.

"Winner, Xu Ning!"

"Xu Ning retains his cyan plate, and Tan Fenglu remains a grey plate."

The Black Armored Guard in charge of the assessment gave out the final judgment.

Xu Ning walked off the stage in front of everyone.

Tan Fenglu also slowly got up.

He glanced at Xu Ning's direction first, then lowered his head and glanced at his chest.

Tan Fenglu knew very well that Xu Ning went easy on him.

At the very last moment of that punch, Xu Ning restrained himself.

Additionally, Xu Ning hit the right side of his chest, deliberately avoiding the delicate areas.

Tan Fenglu felt like if Xu Ning used his full power on that punch, he would have been knocked out.

"Brother Ying…"

Tan Fenglu walked back into the crowd and said to Tan Fengying, "Be careful, he's strong…"

After that, Tan Fenglu went to the end of the crowd.

Tan Fengying had a terrible look on his face.

He knew very well that the only person from the Tao Village that would challenge him was Xu Ning.

Because there was no one else in the Tao Village that was strong enough to challenge him.

'Do you really want to challenge me…'

Xu Ning's punch just now impacted Tan Fengying's mental state, causing him to start thinking of other ways to protect his yellow plate.

As long as another Tan Village cyan plate holder challenged him, he could refuse future challenges this round, thus keeping his yellow plate.

However, there were 30 cyan plate holders and only 10 yellow plate holders. He didn't know which round Xu Ning would challenge him, in the worst case, he could be challenged three times.

In other words, if he wanted to keep his yellow plate, he would have to defeat three cyan plates.

But this would mean backing down.

Not only would he lose respect amongst the Tan Village, but Qu Dayou would also be disappointed in him.

He would also lose his reputation in Camp Site Three.

Tan Fengying was in a dilemma.

'Xu Ning!'

Before all this, Qu Dayou had moved his chair and sat beside Wei Changqing.

But Xu Ning's punch caused Qu Dayou to stand up.

He was a warrior of the mortal realm seventh stage, so as soon as Xu Ning made an attack, he knew that Xu Ning was beyond the inner enrichment realm.

Even an intermediate realm Source Breath Bodybuilding Tactic warrior would not have this kind of explosive power.

"He's in the qi realm…"

Wei Changqing, who looked indifferent before this, turned his head slightly and sat up straight.

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Chapter 55: Strength

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

Wei Changqing, a man who was born in a big clan in Yunying City, normally wouldn't be too surprised to see a young man in the mortal realm fourth stage.

But Wei Changqing had heard from Qu Dayou that when Xu Ning first entered the Black Armored Guards, he was only in the mortal realm second stage muscle bone realm.

Going from the muscle bone realm to the qi realm in three months' time was impressive, even by Yunying City standards.

'Perhaps Xu Ning will be the one chosen to enter the Source Faction…'

Wei Changqing looked at Xu Ning, who had walked back into the crowd.

The match between Xu Ning and Tan Fenglu was over, and more challengers continued to fight.

However, the other gray plate and cyan plate holders were less well-known, so they received less attention.

Wei Changqing and Qu Dayou, who were sitting on the platform, also soon lost interest.

So far, no one apart from Xu Ning was able to surprise the audience..

Xu Ning was currently in the audience watching everyone's fight.

As expected, most of the people challenged someone from other villages.

There were only a few people that challenged someone from their own villagers, perhaps due to personal disputes, or perhaps it was a tactic for the challenged one to preserve their plate.

Finally, two rounds of gray plate challenges were over.

In the second round, no one took the initiative to challenge Xu Ning.

For the last person, the rules restricted him to challenge Xu Ning only, so he just gave up. This at least saved Xu Ning some energy.

Throughout the two rounds of challenges, the plate color distribution amongst various villages did not drastically change.

In the Tao Village, they originally had six cyan plate holders and twelve gray plate holders. After the challenges, they now had seven cyan plate holders and eleven gray plate holders. Two of them were promoted and one was demoted.

Tao Qingping, who was the first to go up, had chosen a weaker opponent, but failed to successfully finish his challenge. He felt extremely regretful.

Next up, it was the challenge between the cyan plate and yellow plate holders.

All of the cyan plate holders were preparing, hoping to replace the yellow plate holders to obtain their monthly Qinglu Dan.

As for the yellow plate holders, some were calm and relaxed, while the others were obviously worried about their own strength.

"The first cyan plate challenger, Song Weishu…"

The straw draw started again. This time however, the Black Armored Guard in charge of the assessment drew a name from the cyan plate box.

The assessment continued.

Unlike the previous battle between the gray plates and cyan plates, the fights between cyan plate and yellow plate holders were obviously much more advanced.

The newcomers who practiced quietly could finally show off their newfound strength.

Over these past three months, most of them had received more resources than they had ever had. Moreover, whenever they were stuck during practice, they could go and receive guidance from senior members.

Although Xu Ning didn't need this kind of guidance, it was a good way for most people to learn.

"The next challenger, Xu Ning!"

Finally, in the later part of the first round, Xu Ning was selected as a challenger.

If his challenge was successful, Xu Ning's cyan plate would turn into a yellow plate.

Because he was drawn in the first round, Xu Ning had to go through two challenges from the cyan plate holders before he could receive his yellow plate qualification.

This was the disadvantage of being selected in the first round.

"Xu Ning, who will your opponent be?"

The examiner asked Xu Ning.

Xu Ning didn't even hesitate. "Tan Fengying."

Although Tao Qingyuan's suggestion was Tan Chang yesterday, Tan Chang had already been challenged.

Hence, Xu Ning chose Tan Fengying because his options were running out.

Since Tan Fengying had asked Tan Fenglu to gauge Xu Ning's strength, Xu Ning wasn't going to let Tan Fengying's information go to waste.

"I knew it."

Tan Fengying was forced to go on stage.

"Xu Ning."

"Tan Fengying"

After taking the stage, the two introduced each other.

There was conflict between the Tao Village and the Tan Village, but it was not a deep rooted hatred.

After more than three months of training, Tan Fengying had become stronger as well.

"Xu Ning, have you already been promoted to the qi realm?"

Before starting the fight, Tan Fengying asked.

Xu Ning did not intend to conceal his strength. He just pondered for a moment before giving an honest reply.

He had nothing to hide.

After hearing Xu Ning's answer, Tan Fengying let out a long sigh.

Afterwards, he squeezed the spear and controlled his emotions.

"Bring it on!"

Tan Fengying was utilizing his fighting spirit.

He knew he had no hope of keeping his yellow plate, but he still decided to fight Xu Ning, to at least show off his three months worth of hard work.

Xu Ning nodded.

He was holding a long thin-bladed knife. There was an air current surging between the meridians in his body.

After seeing Tan Fengying's gesture, Xu Ning decided to test the power of his internal energy.

After all, Xu Ning had only used his physical strength in the previous fight with Tan Fenglu.

Tan Fengying took the lead, stirring gusts of wind with the spear in his hand.

He leaped towards Xu Ning.

Xu Ning did not dodge the incoming attack, instead he counterattacked with his long knife.

'Let's see how strong the qi realm is…'

Xu Ning condensed the air current in his body into his right palm.

Suddenly, Xu Ning felt his palm warming up. Air currents could be seen hovering above his palm.

The tip of the spear and the knife collided, giving off a metallic clink sound.

Tan Fengying's arm trembled. He bounced backwards and nearly fell out of the arena.

Tan Fengying was obviously weaker.

This huge difference in power was not due to the difference in internal skill.

Although reaching the mortal realm fourth stage would still increase one's physical strength, the increase was minute.

The reason why Tan Fengying was weaker was due to the difference in realm in their Source Breath Bodybuilding Tactic.

"It hurts!"

Although only their weapons collided against each other, Tan Fengying still felt a sharp sensation in his forearm.

"The power of the qi realm!"

Tan Fengying instantly realized something.

Internal qi was not fully formed at the qi realm, so Xu Ning could only use weapons or direct contact to exert his force.

Force was different from pure strength. Strength was straightforward, but force contained a certain amount of torque, which increased its lethality.

"Is this the power of force…"

Xu Ning was also surprised by the effect of his own attack.

In fact, with Xu Ning's speed and explosive power, Tan Fengying could be instantly defeated.

But in order to test his strength, Xu Ning decided to go easy on Tan Fengying.

Tan Fengying was obviously not worthy to be his opponent.

In this fight, Xu Ning just wanted to test the force of his knife skills.

But before that could happen, Tan Fengying actually threw away his spear, raised his hand, and jumped out of the arena.

"I surrender."

Tan Fengying glanced weakly at Xu Ning before walking towards the back of the crowd.

Tan Fengying already knew that he had lost all respect from the Tan Village.

"From now on, I will not care about reputation or fame, I will only care about martial arts."

Tan Fengying was humbled.

Tan Fengying rolled his sleeves. He saw that his forearm was red and swollen.

'No wonder they say there is a huge gap between the inner enrichment realm and the qi realm…'

Tan Fengying smiled bitterly.

Just from the short confrontation, Tan Fengying could already tell the difference between his and Xu Ning's strength.

If they continued to fight, he would undoubtedly be overpowered by Xu Ning.

If he continued to persist, he might even be permanently injured.

Therefore, Tan Fengying decisively chose to surrender.

The examiner announced Xu Ning's victory.

The crowd did not exclaim in surprise, instead they went silent.

Everyone now knew that Xu Ning had to have reached the qi realm already.

This foreigner from the Tao Village was the strongest Black Armored Guard in Camp Site Three.

Xu Ning definitely deserved the position of acting lieutenant.

Report chapter

Chapter 56: Tao Jin's Downfall

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

The assessment continued.

Soon after, the first round of challenges between the cyan plate and yellow plate holders was done.

In the Tao Village side, Tao Qingyuan and Tao Jin both kept their yellow plates.

Tao Qingyuan easily won his match.

His talent was almost comparable to Tan Fengying.

Other than Xu Ning's unique strength, Tao Qingyuan and Tan Fengying were the top newcomers.

However, since Tan Fengying had lost his yellow plate, and had no chance to challenge someone again, he was stuck with a cyan plate.

Unlike Tao Qingyuan, Tao Jin's battle was hard-fought.

.

When facing the challenger, Tao Jin had a clear advantage on paper.

However, during the actual fight, Tao Jin seemed very timid when fighting against her opponent. She was not decisive in her attacks. If it weren't due to her strength, she would have been defeated.

Soon after, the second round began.

This time, Tao Jin was challenged instantly.

Her poor performance when she was challenged in the first round was witnessed by other cyan plate holders.

A newcomer from Song Village challenged Tao Jin. She was also a girl, named Song Qingwei.

"Tao Jin."

"Song Qingwei."

The two stood facing each other with their weapons.

After Tao Jin made the first move, the two began to fight.

"Tao Jin looks impatient…"

Xu Ning watched the fight between the two. "Her mental state seems a bit chaotic."

The longer the fight went on, the more passive Tao Jin was.

According to Xu Ning's inference, Tao Jin and Song Qingwei's strengths should be similar.

However, Tao Jin had reached the inner enrichment realm long ago, while Song Qingwei had advanced only recently. Comparatively, Tao Jin had the advantage.

Tao Jin wanted to quickly pressure her opponent. She attacked aggressively, without any preliminary moves, as if she was anxious to quickly defeat the opponent.

She looked emotional.

And her opponent Song Qingwei was clearly aware of this.

She was not in a hurry to gain an advantage. She just continued to pull back and defend against Tao Jin's assault.

Tao Jin looked fierce, but the more her opponent defended, the more anxious she became. And soon, she started making several mistakes in her fight.

Song Qingwei was still clear-headed, so after noticing Tao Jin's mistakes, she quickly counter-attacked.

On several occasions, Tao Jin felt highly pressured.

"If this goes on, she will lose…"

Tao Qingyuan stared at the two closely.

He frowned and looked worried.

Once Tao Jin was at a disadvantage, it was impossible for her to calmly deal with the situation.

'I can't lose!'

Tao Jin's mental state had completely fallen out of balance.

Tao Jin felt that she was on the verge of defeat.

'I've been receiving attention since I was a child. Everyone in the Tao Village said that I am a genius, just like Tao Qingyuan. They said that I will definitely become a martial arts master in the future.'

The more she fought, the more thoughts were running through Tao Jin's mind. 'If I lose now, then others will think I am nothing. They will say that my previous martial arts achievements are all because of my grandpa…'

'I can't lose… I can't embarrass my grandpa…'

Thoughts of 'I can't lose' echoed in Tao Jin's mind.

Her movements also began to break down.

'She's going to lose.'

Xu Ning and Tao Qingyuan were thinking the same thing.

Sure enough, Tao Jin made another mistake during her assault.

Seeing this, Song Qingwei's eyes lit up, and the stick in her hand struck Tao Jin's wrist.

Tao Jin was in pain, and her posture collapsed.

Song Qingwei seized the opportunity again and hit Tao Jin's abdomen with the top of the stick.

Tao Jin didn't have time to defend, and she was pushed out of the arena.

The side of the Tao Village went silent.

The side of the Song Village started to cheer.

Song Qingwei had a smile on her face.

"Winner!"

Song Qingwei bowed towards Tao Jin before returning to the cheering crowd.

"I lost…"

Tao Jin stood up.

She looked at Song Qingwei's direction. She was stunned.

Her clothes were worn out, and her wrists and arms were bruised, but she didn't seem to be aware of this.

"Tao Jin…"

After seeing this, Tao Qingyuan quickly went over to support Tao Jin.

Tao Jin tilted her head slightly, glanced at him, and looked at the Tao Village crowd.

Everyone stared at her with looks of surprise, disappointment, and ridicule in their eyes.

Tao Jin recognized all of these expressions.

"Get off."

Tao Jin flung Tao Qingyuan's hand away.

She walked through the crowd and left the school field.

Tao Jin walked past Xu Ning at the back of the crowd.

Xu Ning wanted to say something, but realized that he did not have a close relationship with her, so he remained silent.

"Tao Jin…"

Tao Qingyuan looked at Tao Jin walking away with a worried look on his face.

The two of them have been receiving attention ever since they began practicing martial arts; they had practically grown up together.

Tao Qingyuan was concerned about his partner.

'I just hope that she can calm down and stop caring about other people's opinion, and understand that she's practicing martial arts for herself. If she can realize this from this experience, then the loss would be worth it.'

Tao Qingyuan sighed.

On the stage.

"It seems that the mental states of some newcomers are still very fragile."

Wei Changqing watched Tao Jin's performance.

However, although he spoke critically, his tone was calm.

"Tao Jin is the granddaughter of Tao Village's Tao Jingxing."

Qu Dayou said, "She probably was the favorite one ever since she was a child, and has had an easy life. But now that she's encountering difficulties, she's beginning to struggle. Just now, she clearly had the advantage, but she lost her composure and her chance of coming back."

"So she's Tao Jingxing's granddaughter… She's considered the future of Tao Village then…"

Wei Changqing said.

He seemed to have thought of something as he sighed.

"Family… It is both an honor and a burden."

Wei Changqing felt emotional.

…

Another hour passed by.

The assessment was now over.

On the Tao Village's side, Xu Ning and Tao Qingyuan received their yellow plates.

Generally speaking, there were not many changes.

After everyone received their new colored plates, the crowd began to disperse.

Those who were promoted were in high spirits.

And those who were demoted had already left the school field, just like Tao Jin.

"Xu Ning, come here."

Everyone started to leave, but Qu Dayou stopped Xu Ning.

Everyone in the field looked at Xu Ning enviously.

Qu Duwei's concern and respect for Xu Ning was obvious to all.

"You've met Master Wei before."

Xu Ning was in front of Wei Changqing and Qu Dayou.

"Xu Ning, how did you manage to cross two realms in three months?"

Qu Dayou seemed to be in a good mood. "Are you spending all your time at the guard station practicing martial arts?"

Qu Dayou said in a teasing tone.

"I've been taking my tasks seriously. I've just gotten lucky recently and made a few breakthroughs."

Xu Ning replied.

"Xu Ning, it seems like you're quite talented."

This time, Wei Changqing was the one talking. Although he was the top-ranked person in Kangyun County, he was quite approachable.

"I've seen many outstanding young talents at Yunying City, and you're not far behind them."

Wei Changqing continued, "I just hope you can cherish your talents and maintain your current state. If you can maintain this progress, the spot at the Source Faction belongs to you."

Xu Ning couldn't believe that Wei Changqing was making him a promise like that…

"Yunying City, Source Faction, that is the real holy land of martial arts in State Feiyun."

Wei Changqing stood up and patted Xu Ning's shoulder. "By the way, now that you've been promoted to the qi realm, you're eligible for the lieutenant position at Maple Lane…"

"Qu Duwei, we're at the end of month right now, and Xu Ning is now officially appointed as a lieutenant, so might as well give him this month's prize."

Wei Changqing said to Qu Dayou.

"Understood, master."

"This month's prize?"

Xu Ning was confused.

Obviously, this was one of the benefits of being a lieutenant.

Report chapter

Chapter 57: Qi Dan

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

Once Wei Changqing left, Qu Dayou and Xu Ning were the only ones left behind.

"Master, what is this month's prize?"

Xu Ning asked Qu Dayou.

Qu Dayou smiled. "After being promoted to a lieutenant, in addition to your monthly salary, you will also receive resources."

"Resources?"

Xu Ning realized that this prize was not a monetary reward.

"That's right," Qu Dayou explained, "generally speaking, after being promoted to a lieutenant, you have to spend some time doing tasks, which will affect your martial arts practice."

"In order to reduce the impact on your training, the senior officials of the Black Armored Guards in Yunying City have decided to distribute training resources to the Black Armored Guards at the rank of lieutenant and above."

"As a lieutenant, you will receive three Qi Dans every month.."

"Qi Dans?"

This was the first time Xu Ning had heard of this kind of dan medicine.

"A high-level member of the Black Armored Guards in Yunying City commissioned an alchemy master to refine the Qi Dans, so it has many great uses."

"In the Black Armored Guards, any official lieutenant must be at least in the qi realm. Therefore, this prize is appropriately awarded."

Qu Dayou said.

"In other words, the Qi Dans come from Yunying City?"

Xu Ning noticed the key information from Qu Dayou's words.

"Yes, it is a fine product produced in Yunying City."

Qu Dayou smiled and said, "Qi Dans are not very expensive in Yunying City. They're priced at 500 taels each. But in Kangyun County, you can't buy it even for 1000 taels; it's a rare commodity."

"Although its raw materials are not precious, the refining techniques for this dan are extremely demanding, so only experienced alchemists in Yunying City can refine it."

Xu Ning was intrigued when he heard the value of Qi Dans.

For him personally, spirit medicine was more cost-effective than refined dan medicine.

But according to Qu Dayou, Qi Dans were so expensive in Kangyun County that he could sell Qi Dans in order to buy more spirit medicine.

Almost as if Qu Dayou could read Xu Ning's thoughts, Qu Dayou squinted his eyes and said with a smile, "What, the price is so high that you're starting to have second thoughts?"

Xu Ning did not hide his intentions as he explained, "Master, since Qi Dans are so valuable, wouldn't it be better to buy some other type of dans or spirit medicine with the money we get after selling our Qi Dans? Even though Qi Dans are powerful, it may not be suitable for everyone."

"That is the case."

Qu Dayou patiently said, "For some martial artists in the qi realm, the effects of Qi Dan are weak. Like you said, they can sell Qi Dans in exchange for taels, in order to buy more precious resources."

"However, this is strictly forbidden within the Black Armored Guards."

Seeing the confusion on Xu Ning's face, Qu Dayou continued, "Because once Qi Dans are sold, it is impossible to supervise how the money will be used after the sale. Not everyone is willing to continue to endure hardships and practice martial arts. After a person reaches the lieutenant rank, they might lose motivation."

"After selling the Qi Dans for taels, they might use it for personal enjoyment, or even for other purposes, which completely deviates from its original intention. If you do this secretly and get discovered, the punishment is extremely severe. You will be stripped of your Black Armored Guards qualification, and might even suffer other internal penalties."

Qu Dayou's remarks made Xu Ning quite disappointed.

It seemed that it was definitely impossible to obtain more resources by selling Qi Dans.

However, the monthly prize itself was still a bonus.

"Come, let's go to the resource room to get your Qi Dans."

After explaining the nature of the monthly prize to Xu Ning, Qu Dayou personally took Xu Ning to retrieve his Qi Dans.

The Qi Dans were placed in a wooden box, just like other dans.

However, this wooden box was sealed with a Black Armored Guards stamp on it.

Xu Ning didn't open it immediately, instead he planned on absorbing the energy at home.

Because today was assessment day, the newcomers in Camp Site Three were allowed to take a day off, so Xu Ning did not go to the Maple Lane Guard Station.

He wanted to find Tao Qingping, but Tao Qingping had gone out with the other members from the Tao Village.

They wanted to ask Xu Ning to come, but Xu Ning declined.

Xu Ning only wanted to find out how much energy was stored in the Qi Dans.

…

Xu Ning walked quickly in the alleyways of the Maple Lane Residential District.

Just when he was about to get home, a person walked out of the corner of the alley and almost ran into Xu Ning.

Xu Ning reacted quickly and easily avoided the person, but the person seemed to be taken aback.

She looked up and instantly recognized Xu Ning.

She was the girl Tao Qingping was talking about before.

"Sorry, master…"

The young girl looked a little panicked when she saw Xu Ning's uniform.

Xu Ning waved his hand, indicating that it was fine.

But when the girl was about to leave, Xu Ning stopped her.

"Wait a second."

"Master."

The girl looked a little nervous.

"What's the matter with your injury?"

Xu Ning glanced at her and saw several signs of swellings on her face and some bruises on her exposed neck.

If this was an ordinary stranger, Xu Ning wouldn't have bothered.

But because of Tao Qingping, Xu Ning recognized this person.

"This… this is…"

The girl quickly covered her neck with her blouse and lowered her head. "It was… I accidentally fell…"

"Accidentally fell?"

Xu Ning obviously didn't believe her.

From what he could tell, she was obviously beaten by someone.

"Yes…"

The girl was embarrassed.

After seeing this, Xu Ning frowned and did not say anything else.

Since she didn't want to talk about it, he shouldn't intervene with other people's business.

"If you need help, you can ask the city guards."

Xu Ning reminded.

"Understood, master."

After the girl whispered, she walked away quickly and disappeared into the end of the alley.

Xu Ning shook his head lightly, walked a few steps quickly, and went back home.

After entering the house, Xu Ning looked at the empty front yard and the empty rooms. Xu Ning intended to return to the Tao Village to pick up his sister's family.

After closing the door, Xu Ning went to his room.

He couldn't wait to remove the seal and open the wooden box.

Inside the box, three pure white dans were neatly placed, giving off a faint, pleasant fragrance.

Xu Ning saw the Black Armored Guards logo carved on the surface of the white dan medicine.

"They even carved a logo…" Xu Ning thought to himself, 'If someone sells this, it can easily be traced.'

Xu Ning no longer hesitated, and he picked up a Qi Dan with his hand.

—

Discovered energy: 5 units

Absorb?

Yes/No

—

"5 units?"

Xu Ning was happy after hearing the prompt.

According to Qu Dayou, in Yunying City, where the Qi Dan was produced, each Qi Dan cost 500 taels.

500 taels for 5 units of energy was not a bad deal for Xu Ning.

"Captain Qu said that the raw materials of the Qi Dan are not precious, but even so, it is worth 5 energy points. It seems like the Source Faction alchemists are quite competent."

Xu Ning sighed and pressed yes.

Soon after, the three Qi Dans were absorbed by Xu Ning.

—

Name: Xu Ning

Martial Arts:

Spring Breeze Tactic (Mortal realm fourth stage: qi realm)

Gale Knife Technique (Intermediate)

Source Breath Bodybuilding Tactic: (intermediate)

Light Feather Bow Technique (elementary)

Available energy: 16 units

—

After the last series of advancements, Xu Ning only had 1 unit of energy left.

Now with the additional 15 units, he had saved up a small amount of energy units.

'It seems like I have made the right decision to participate in the Black Armored Guards assessment.'

Xu Ning thought to himself.

If he was in the Tao Village, even if he went into Yunze Mountains everyday, he wouldn't be able to collect this many resources.

Even if his strength increased, he wouldn't be able to find precious spirit medicine everyday.

Now that he joined the Black Armored Guards and was promoted to the lieutenant rank, he now received his monthly salary, the newcomer's allowance, and the lieutenant's monthly prize. His income was quite substantial.

In the future, he wouldn't need to use all his silver taels to buy spirit medicine. He could instead use part of it to increase his quality of life.

Report chapter

Chapter 58: Tao Tao Enters The City

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

'Should I save the 16 units of energy or advance my external skill?'

Xu Ning looked at his Martial Arts Panel.

His Source Breath Bodybuilding Tactic and Gale Knife Technique were in the intermediate realm, only one step away from the perfection realm.

16 energy points was enough to make this leap.

'How much will I gain from increasing my external skill to the perfection realm?'

Xu Ning asked Qu Dayou before about what it would be like to improve his external skill to the perfection realm.

Qu Dayou said that for those in the first three stages of the mortal realm, it was enough to kill a higher realm enemy, while for those in the fourth to sixth mortal realms, it could save their lives against a higher realm enemy, and for those in the seventh to ninth mortal realm, reaching perfection realm would not make a huge difference.

"It takes 45 units of energy to advance from the qi realm to the pneumatic realm. Although it's less than twice the amount of the previous advancement, it's still a lot…"

Xu Ning pondered for a while, before he finally decided to improve his external skills first.

.

The reason for this decision was because the price to performance ratio was high, only 12 units of energy were needed to achieve a qualitative change in his strength.

The second reason was because Xu Ning really wanted to feel the power of the perfection realm.

'I'll level up my Source Breath Bodybuilding Tactic…'

After making a decision, Xu Ning shifted his gaze to the "" sign beside his Source Breath Bodybuilding Tactic.

Although Source Breath Bodybuilding Tactic and Gale Knife Technique were both external skills, Xu Ning always felt that the Source Breath Bodybuilding Tactic was more sophisticated than the latter.

—

Consume 12 units of energy to upgrade the Source Breath Bodybuilding Tactic?

Yes/No

—

"Okay."

Xu Ning confirmed his selection.

Soon, Xu Ning felt the changes in his body.

Although he couldn't look inside his body, Xu Ning felt that his bones had become harder, his muscles had become tighter, and his fascia had become more resilient.

His body strength had doubled again.

'What?'

After feeling the changes in his body, Xu Ning's eyebrows furrowed, unsatisfied.

'That's all the changes from reaching the perfection realm?'

Although his physical improvement was obvious, Xu Ning did not experience the changes he had expected.

Xu Ning looked at the martial arts panel.

—

Name: Xu Ning

Martial Arts:

Spring Breeze Tactic (Mortal realm fourth stage: qi realm)

Source Breath Bodybuilding Tactic (Perfection Realm)

Gale Knife Technique (Intermediate)

Light Feather Bow Technique (Elementary)

Available energy: 4 units

—

His Source Breath Body Building Tactic had reached the perfection realm.

The "" sign beside it had also disappeared.

He had finished leveling up his Source Breath Bodybuilding Tactic.

'Is this the only change?'

Xu Ning decided to test out his Source Breath Bodybuilding Tactic.

'Um?!'

After Xu Ning activated his Source Breath Bodybuilding Tactic, he suddenly felt his skin hardening.

Xu Ning rolled up his sleeves and looked at his forearm.

His skin color had become a little darker.

However, the change in color was minor. If he was not deliberately observing for changes, he wouldn't even have noticed it.

But the small change was definitely present.

'My skin is harder…'

Xu Ning touched his skin with his fingertips.

His touch perception was still normal, but Xu Ning felt a subtle difference. He felt like he would be able to withstand more damage.

Xu Ning didn't hesitate and decided to test this directly.

He stopped activating his Source Breath Bodybuilding Tactic.

Xu Ning's skin soon returned to its normal state again.

Xu Ning picked up the short knife and stroked it against his skin. A thin wound appeared as blood slowly flowed out.

Xu Ning activated the Source Breath Bodybuilding Tactic again and noticed his skin change.

Xu Ning slashed at himself with the knife again, with the same amount of strength.

This time, a white mark appeared on his skin, which disappeared after a few seconds.

'This is the change after reaching the perfection realm?'

Xu Ning looked surprised.

'Is this the same for all external skills, or is this only the case for the Source Breath Bodybuilding Tactic?'

Xu Ning's other external skill was the Gale Knife Technique, a pure external skill, which was not the same as Source Breath Bodybuilding Tactic.

'Doesn't matter, I'll think about this later.'

Xu Ning did not continue to ponder this problem, instead he continued to test his hardened skin.

Afterwards, Xu Ning even tested boiling water and spikes.

After some contemplation, Xu Ning came to a conclusion.

His hard skin had raised his physical defense capabilities by one magnitude.

Once he activated the Source Breath Bodybuilding Tactic and increased the hardness of his skin, he could reduce the damage caused by force to a certain extent.

'I chose the right advancement!'

Xu Ning smiled.

With this, his survivability was also improved.

He could be more aggressive in his future battles.

'However, activating my hardened skin seems to consume stamina…'

Xu Ning discovered this when he tested it just now.

The longer his hardened skin was maintained and the larger the coverage area, the more it consumed his stamina.

This type of stamina consumption was similar to when he was running.

'But this is a minor issue'

Xu Ning also discovered that he could control the coverage area of the hardened skin.

He could choose the area of coverage based on the specific combat situation.

After some experimentation, the novelty began to wear off.

After cleaning up the residue of the dan medicines, Xu Ning left to grab a bite to eat.

…

Several days went by.

Outside Kangyun County.

Several donkey carts passed through the city gates.

"We're here!"

Sitting at the front donkey cart were Guo Ye and Tao Yungang.

More than four months had passed since the last time they had escorted a carriage.

Because of the previous incident, Tao Yungang's business was put on hold for a while.

On a separate note, Tao Yungang, who initially wanted to switch to horse carriages, continued to use donkey carriages because he had spent a lot of money to compensate for the casualties.

"There are so many people here!"

A small head popped out from behind the herbal medicine boxes.

Her eyes and mouth were wide open. She looked at the pedestrians coming and going.

"Be quiet."

The young woman flicked the little girl's head.

These two were Xu Lian and her daughter Tao Tao.

"What did I say, Tao Tao, Uncle Ye didn't lie right?"

Guo Ye turned his head and smiled at Tao Tao. "The county city is full of people, and they sell delicious food everywhere!"

"Brother Yungang, thank you for this."

Xu Lian hugged Tao Tao as she thanked Tao Yungang.

"No worries!"

Tao Yungang smiled heartily.

When he and Guo Ye were about to enter the city yesterday, Xu Lian came to ask if they could ride along.

If this was in the past, Tao Yungang would definitely not agree.

Although the journey into the city was not long, there was the possibility of encountering horse bandits.

If there was an emergency, it would be impossible to ensure their safety.

But the times have changed. Since the Tao Village and the Black Armored Guards were closely connected, any horse bandit with half a brain cell would not dare to touch the Tao Village's carriages.

In addition, in order to ensure their safety even more, Tao Yungang also spent a lot of money to hire a mortal realm fourth stage master.

Since they had a qi realm master, their safety was guaranteed.

In the end, Tao Yungang agreed with Xu Lian's request and brought them to Kangyun County.

"Sister Lian, when we find a place and settle down, I will take you and Tao Tao to find Xu Ning."

Xu Lian replied, "Then thank you in advance."

"I can finally see Uncle!"

Tao Tao tugged at her pigtails happily.

Report chapter

Chapter 59: Gathering

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

After finding a place to settle down, Guo Ye took Xu Lian and Tao Tao to the Maple Lane Black Armored Guards Post.

When Xu Ning wrote the letter back home, he had written where he was performing his duties, so they knew where to find them.

"Let's go find Xu Ning now, we won't disturb him right?"

Xu Lian suddenly thought of this and felt worried.

"Don't worry, Sister Lian."

Guo Ye said, "When we find a place, we'll ask around. If it is convenient, we will go see him. If it is not convenient, then we won't rush anything. We will just find a place to wait for Xu Ning."

After hearing what Guo Ye said, Xu Lian was relieved.

.

Guo Ye used to go to the city, so he knew where Maple Lane was.

But when they arrived at Maple Lane, Guo Ye didn't know the exact location of the guard station.

"Are we there yet?"

Tao Tao was obviously tired after walking such a long distance.

Guo Ye wanted to hire a carriage in the city, but Xu Lian refused.

Xu Lian felt that there was no need to spend money at all.

"Don't worry, Tao Tao, we're almost here."

Guo Ye patted Tao Tao's head. "I'm going to find someone and ask for directions."

Coincidentally, a group of city guards was walking over.

There were about less than ten guards in this group. The leader of the group was thin and lanky. He looked unapproachable.

"I'll ask the city guard."

Guo Ye wanted to walk over and ask for help.

"Go ask someone else."

Xu Lian quickly grabbed Guo Ye's sleeves. "They don't look friendly…"

When Guo Ye saw this, he shook his head. "Sister Lian, don't worry. I've heard that these city guards are subordinates of the Black Armored Guards, so Xu Ning's status is higher than them. I can ask for Xu Ning's whereabouts from them."

"Okay then."

After listening to Guo Ye's explanation, Xu Lian agreed.

Xu Lian grabbed Tao Tao's hand and stood by the side of the road as Guo Ye walked over.

In the past, when Guo Ye saw a Black Armored Guard or a city guard, he would stay far away.

But the situation was different now. Xu Ning was a Black Armored Guard at Maple Lane, and he was Xu Ning's friend. With this in mind, he felt confident.

Guo Ye didn't even notice that he was walking with his back straight.

"Master."

Guo Ye approached the leading city guard.

"What?"

The city guard's face was cold. He looked very serious.

He squinted when he saw Guo Ye approaching him.

Seeing this, Guo Ye suddenly paused.

But his heart remained calm.

There was a smile on Guo Ye's face, and his body bowed slightly.

"Master, I want to ask you about something…"

Guo Ye spoke quickly, afraid of wasting other people's time. "Excuse me, where is the Maple Lane Guard Station? We want to find someone there…"

"Find someone?"

The city guard raised his eyebrows. "Who are you looking for?"

"Xu Ning."

Guo Ye answered truthfully.

"Xu Ning?"

The city guard was taken aback for a moment.

The only person named Xu Ning in the guard station was Lieutenant Xu Ning.

The leader of the city guard leaned and asked in a quiet voice, "Why are you looking for Master Xu?"

'Master Xu?'

Guo Ye saw that when the city guard heard Xu Ning's name, his expression and attitude suddenly changed.

Guo Ye finally gained some confidence, and his back straightened unconsciously. "Family visit."

'Family visit?'

The city guard realized that these were Master Xu's relatives.

"I am Xu Ning's brother, and my name is Guo Ye." Guo Ye then pointed to Xu Lian and Tao Tao on the side of the road. "They are Xu Ning's sister and niece."

The city guard suddenly had a smile on his face.

"Relatives of Master Xu! My apologies!"

The city guard quickly said, "I am Feng Sigua, Master Xu's deputy."

Feng Sigua quickly waved towards Xu Lian.

He was patrolling around the streets with his team, and he did not expect to run into Lieutenant Xu's family.

In Feng Sigua's mind, Xu Ning's family was equally as noble as Xu Ning.

"You're Xu Ning's deputy?"

Guo Ye did not expect this coincidence.

'This kid Xu Ning, even his deputy is already so prestigious, he must be doing quite well…'

Guo Ye thought to himself.

"Come, follow me, I will personally escort you to the guard station."

Feng Sigua quickly walked towards Xu Lian as he spoke.

"Master, you can just tell us where to go, no need to…"

Xu Lian was holding Tao Tao's hand. She obviously respected the City Guard Feng Sigua.

When Feng Sigua heard this, he waved his hand quickly. "You can call me Old Feng—Master Xu usually calls me that."

"You guys, keep on patrolling, I have important things to do."

Feng Sigua turned his head and ordered in a serious tone.

The patrolling city guards left, and Feng Sigua's expression instantly changed from serious to friendly again.

Tao Tao scratched her head.

'This person is really weird.'

"Please follow me."

Feng Sigua made an inviting gesture.

When Guo Ye and Xu Lian saw Feng Sigua's enthusiasm, they couldn't refuse.

"Old Feng, visiting Xu Ning won't disturb his work right?"

"Nope, the guard station hasn't been busy lately, and the Lieutenant's workload is not huge. He usually locks himself in his room to practice martial arts all day long."

Feng Sigua replied.

"Oh…" Guo Ye nodded, then he seemed to realize something, "Lieutenant? What kind of lieutenant?"

"Lieutenant Xu, Master Xu is a lieutenant…"

Feng Sigua suddenly realized that Master Xu's family did not seem to know about his promotion to a lieutenant.

"Master Xu was promoted to a lieutenant just a few days ago."

Feng Sigua replied.

Guo Ye's eyes widened. "That kid Xu Ning is already a lieutenant?"

Xu Lian couldn't believe this.

Guo Ye had told her that a lieutenant was the highest rank one could have in a guard station.

Xu Ning had only been in the Black Armored Guards for three months, and he had already been promoted to a lieutenant?

Tao Tao scratched her head after seeing her mother and Guo Ye so surprised.

'What are they talking about? I'm so tired.'

Finally, they arrived at the guard station.

"I will take you directly to Master Xu's study."

Feng Sigua took a half step ahead and rushed towards Xu Ning's study.

…

Xu Ning was in the study reading a thick book.

It was about the history of the Black Armored Guards' development in Kangyun County.

Although Xu Ning knew about the Black Armored Guards and Kangyun County's past, his knowledge was relatively fragmented. But with the help of this book, he could finally gain a systematic understanding of Kangyun County.

After reading for a while, Xu Ning got up and moved around.

He looked at the small courtyard outside the window. With the trees beginning to sprout, Xu Ning realized that spring was coming.

'I'll go home in a few days and visit them.'

Xu Ning thought silently to himself.

According to the regulations of Camp Site Three, after passing the assessment test, the newcomers could go home and stay for a few days.

Xu Ning had also discussed with Tao Qingping and the rest. They were preparing to go back to the Tao Village together and spend a few days with their relatives.

Xu Ning suddenly heard footsteps.

He saw Feng Sigua first, and behind him, a small figure followed.

The small figure walked quickly. She looked like she was in a hurry.

Xu Ning rubbed his eyes.

It's Tao Tao!

Guo Ye and Xu Lian also appeared in the small courtyard.

Xu Ning quickly opened the door.

"Uncle!"

When Tao Tao saw Xu Ning standing at the door, she ran over and leaped into Xu Ning's arms.

Xu Ning smiled as he patted Tao Tao on the head. He then lifted her up into the air.

Tao Tao started to mess with Xu Ning's black armored belt with her small hands.

Xu Ning ignored her and asked Xu Lian and Guo Ye, "Sis, Guo Ye, why are you here?"

"My uncle escorted the carriage into the city, and he brought Sister Lian and Tao Tao along."

Guo Ye was afraid that Xu Ning would be worried, so he explained, "There are very few horse bandits these days, and my uncle also hired a qi realm master, so the trip was very safe."

"Then thank you and Uncle Gang."

Xu Ning said.

When Xu Lian saw her younger brother, her face was also full of joy.

"Oh yeah, where is my brother-in-law?"

Xu Ning suddenly realized that his brother-in-law Tao Yunchuan had not come with them.

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Chapter 60: Goodbyes

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

"I planned to bring your brother-in-law and come together, but over the past few days, his back injury has relapsed, making it hard for him to move."

Xu Lian sounded a little downhearted when talking about Tao Yunchuan.

"Then you should take care of him at home…"

There was a hint of disappointment in Xu Ning's tone.

Xu Lian explained, "I planned to take care of him at home, but your brother-in-law said that the weather is getting warmer, and you haven't taken your spring and summer clothes with you, so I came here to send you some clothes and to bring you some food. The stuff I brought for you is at our lodge."

"And Tao Tao always said that she misses you recently… So he told me to come visit you."

Xu Ning felt uncomfortable after hearing this.

"I wonder if there's a way to treat his injury…"

A thought came to Xu Ning's mind..

Back in the day, Tao Yunchuan was injured in an accident. He suffered problems with his limbs, and there were also hidden injuries in other parts of his body.

During certain time periods, Tao Yunchuan's old injuries would manifest and cause body aches.

Now that Xu Ning had become an official lieutenant, he felt that he had more connections and resources.

Xu Ning decided to ask Qu Dayou if there were any spirit medicine or dan medicine that could treat his brother-in-law's old injuries.

"Master, do you need me to find a place for them to stay?"

Feng Sigua quickly opened his mouth to break the silence.

"No need, they can just live with me. I have an empty room and a spare bed."

Afterwards, Xu Ning looked at Guo Ye. "Do you want to stay with us?"

Guo Ye shook his head. "I have to help my uncle… Just let Sister Lian and Tao Tao stay with you. And when I leave, I'll bring them along."

"Okay…"

If Tao Yunchuan came, Xu Ning would have liked for the three of them to stay for a long time.

But Tao Yunchuan was alone at home, and Xu Ning was worried about him.

"Right, Guo Ye."

Xu Ning said, "When Uncle Gang invites his shopkeeper friends to dinner, remember to call me."

When Guo Ye heard this, his eyes lit up, "Sure!"

Xu Ning was now a Lieutenant of the Black Armored Guards. If Tao Yungang brought him to dinner, other businessmen would definitely look at Tao Yungang in a different light.

This would make it easier for him to talk business.

Tao Yungang had helped Xu Ning a lot before, so Xu Ning wanted to repay the favor.

…

Soon afterwards, they parted ways.

Xu Ning took Xu Lian and Tao Tao to the vegetable market and bought some fresh vegetables before returning to Xu Ning's residence.

Although Guo Ye didn't stay at Xu Ning's house, he and Tao Qingping ate a delicious home-cooked dinner with them together.

Xu Ning and Tao Qingping hadn't eaten a home-cooked meal in a long time, so they ate very comfortably.

Only Tao Tao was the unhappy one. Before coming to town, Guo Ye had promised to take her to a restaurant for a big meal.

However, Tao Tao's disappointment disappeared the next day, as Xu Ning used up his vacation days to accompany Tao Tao and Xu Lian to visit around Kangyun County.

Xu Ning bought Tao Tao a lot of fun things and took her to eat at some fancy restaurants.

Xu Lian complained about Xu Ning's reckless spending.

But after Xu Lian heard how much Xu Ning was making, she stopped complaining.

Soon, a few days had gone by.

Tao Yungang's carriage was about to make the trip back home.

Although Xu Ning was somewhat reluctant, he still personally escorted them out of the city.

"Sis, take this money."

Xu Ning stuffed a 100-tael note into Xu Lian's hands.

He has been in the Black Armored Guard for three months, and he had received a lot of taels during this time. However, most of his money was used to purchase resources in order to exchange for energy points.

This hundred taels of silver was from Qu Dayou.

Xu Lian wanted to decline, but she eventually accepted it.

"Xu Ning, this is for you."

Guo Ye and Tao Yungang also came over and gave Xu Ning a wooden box.

Xu Ning knew what was inside without opening it.

It was definitely spirit medicine.

"Uncle Gang, Guo Ye, I've already received so much help from you guys, so there's no need for this."

Xu Ning refused firmly.

Now that he received three Qi Dans every month, there was no need for ordinary resources.

"Xu Ning, you have helped me a lot the other day. I would feel better if you accepted this."

Tao Yungang persuaded.

Two days ago, when Tao Yungang was eating with the shopkeepers in the county city, Xu Ning was also there.

After knowing Xu Ning's status, the shopkeepers' attitudes towards Tao Yungang changed drastically.

They became quite generous, no longer negotiated needlessly and even introduced new supply channels to Tao Yungang the next day.

This was the happiest Tao Yungang had ever been while running his medicinal material business.

And he knew that this was all due to Xu Ning's help.

Although he had always allowed Guo Ye to help Xu Ning, he never thought that one day Xu Ning would repay the favor.

But in the end, he was rewarded handsomely due to Xu Ning's reputation.

"Uncle Gang, I don't feel comfortable accepting this."

Xu Ning said.

In the end, the two of them did not force Xu Ning and took back the gift.

The donkey carriage started to move.

"Goodbye, Uncle!"

Tao Tao waved to Xu Ning.

Xu Ning stood there and waved back.

"Goodbye, Uncle!"

Tao Tao kept repeating this.

Xu Ning could still hear Tao Tao's voice as the carriage continued to travel away from him.

After a while, the donkey carriage was finally out of sight.

Xu Ning was still standing where he stood. He sighed and returned back into the county city.

…

After bidding farewell to his family and friends, Xu Ning felt a little empty.

He went back to the guard station and flipped through the internal news of the past few days.

Every guard station in Kangyun County would receive a summary of yesterday's events every morning, ensuring that every Black Armored Guard was familiar with what was happening in the county.

'What?'

When Xu Ning was flipping through several internal reports, he suddenly read a headline with the word "Magic Faction" on it.

Because of the Dayuan Trading Company incident, Xu Ning paid a lot of attention to Magic Factions.

Xu Ning carefully read the content.

This report was issued yesterday.

It described a murder case of a Magic Faction warrior that occurred in Lushui Lane, the day before yesterday.

This Magic Faction warrior was an ordinary shop assistant in the county city.

But for some reason, he had learned a magic technique.

When he first learned the magic technique, the shop assistant was so scared that he didn't dare to practice it.

But one day, the shop changed owners, and the new owner began to abuse and insult the assistant.

In response to this, the resentful shop assistant began to practice the magic technique secretly.

In less than half a year, the shop assistant reached the inner enrichment realm.

Three days ago, when the shopkeeper punched and kicked him again, the shop assistant decided to retaliate.

That night, the assistant sneaked into the shopkeeper's house and prepared to beat the shopkeeper.

But because he was practicing a magic technique, the hostility in his heart was completely out of balance, affecting his mental state.

He just wanted to teach the shopkeeper a lesson, but he had lost control of his spirit and killed several people in the shopkeeper's family.

When he was escaping, he was captured by Black Armored Guards.

In the final interrogation, the shop assistant suddenly died, so the interrogation did not reveal much useful information.

The Magic Faction murder case ended without much of a resolution.

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