Chapter 288 - 186: Outer Disciple and Reencountering Fu Chuan
Chapter 288: Chapter 186: Outer Disciple and Reencountering Fu Chuan
With that said, he took out a knife and started skinning the carcass.
The others didn’t hesitate either, and everyone pitched in.
While pulling on a pig’s leg, Xiao Gu said with a laugh, "It’s all thanks to Yuan. We’ve been here for half a year without a single bite of meat. Now Yuan’s been here for less than ten days, and our meals have already improved so many times."
"Yeah," Xiao Mie agreed.
RRRIP!
With that, the entire boar hide was pulled away.
The group worked quickly. In less than two hours, a pot of meat and a basin of rice were served.
Everyone’s eyes glistened as they gathered around the table.
"Alright, let’s eat. Don’t stand on ceremony," Lu Yuan said, digging in.
At the same time, their cups were filled with wine.
The candlelight danced on their faces, each person looking genuinely happy.
After downing a bowl of wine, Lu Yuan said, "On my way back today, I ran into a notorious bandit named Hu Yue. They say his favorite method is to run people through with a longsword before robbing them.
I figured he was the one behind what happened to Mangu Hun, so I took care of him.
As it happened, some Evergreen Sect disciples saw me. They invited me to become an Outer Disciple, and I accepted.
I should be starting the job officially tomorrow."
The announcement caused a stir.
Lu Yuan’s words brought everyone to a halt.
"Hot damn, how long has it been and you’re already an Outer Disciple? That’s our Yuan, alright," Xiao Mie exclaimed, his eyes full of pleasant surprise.
They had been worried that it would be difficult for Lu Yuan to support so many people.
But now that he was an Outer Disciple, that would no longer be a problem.
The Evergreen Sect provided a good number of Spirit Crystals each month, enough to support everyone. Once things stabilize, they could even start a business.
They had finally established a firm foothold in the shantytown.
The others nodded in agreement, joy filling their eyes. Now that Lu Yuan was truly an Outer Disciple, they finally had some backing.
"My plan is to wait a while until we’re firmly established in the shantytown, then we’ll start a business. When that time comes, all of you can join me, and we’ll all be together again. As for what kind of business, I haven’t decided yet."
"Hehe, no rush on that. You have status now, are you afraid of not having business? Restaurants, brothels, caravans, we can dabble in all of them," Li Qing said with a chuckle.
’I really didn’t follow the wrong person.’
’Lu Yuan... he really didn’t let anyone down.’
"Exactly! With the status of an Outer Disciple, we can do anything. I, Man, will be the first to follow your orders!" Mangu Hun boomed.
He was incredibly grateful that Lu Yuan had avenged him.
Only Mangu Hun knew how desperate he had felt that night.
He even thought he was going to die.
If Mangu Tun and the others hadn’t arrived in time...
He would have been a dead man.
But he was weaker, so all he could do was endure.
In a place like this, if your cultivation wasn’t strong enough and you didn’t learn to bow your head, death was the only path.
But to say he didn’t feel wronged would be a lie.
Now that Lu Yuan had gotten revenge for him, how could he not be grateful?
After the meal, they discussed their future plans for a bit. Then, everyone took a piece of meat and went their separate ways.
Lu Yuan also accompanied his two wives back to the bedroom.
「The next morning.」
Lu Yuan left early and headed for number thirty-two Fruitwood Lane, the address Meng Tong had given him.
Standing at the entrance, he couldn’t help but marvel. ’No matter where you go, there are always people living in luxury.’
’People change, but social classes are forever.’
It was a massive estate built right in the middle of the shantytown, completely out of place with the surrounding hovels.
Two Outer Disciples stood guard at the gate. After seeing Lu Yuan’s Token, they let him pass without any trouble.
Their attitude was decent enough.
As soon as he entered, a servant led him to a training ground where over a hundred Outer Disciples were standing in neat formation.
Lu Yuan joined the formation and saw Sun Gui, who gave him a quick wink as a greeting.
A moment later, Meng Tong appeared.
She turned to one of the Outer Disciples and asked, "Is everyone here?"
"Reporting to Senior Sister, all are present," replied the Vice Commander, an Outer Disciple who helped Meng Tong manage the others.
"Good. Go on patrol. We have a new recruit today named Lu Yuan. Assign him to the first team. Have him collect his uniform and sect reward in a bit," Meng Tong said, her voice even.
The Vice Commander immediately replied, "As you command!"
His gaze then fell on Lu Yuan. After Meng Tong departed, the Vice Commander called out, "Sun Gui, take your new recruit to get his uniform and reward."
"Yes, Sir." When addressing Meng Tong, these Outer Disciples usually called her Senior Sister, but they all addressed the Vice Commander as "Sir."
As the crowd dispersed, Sun Gui walked over and clapped Lu Yuan on the shoulder. "Brother, you’ll be with me from now on. I’m Sun Gui, captain of Team One in the shantytown. We’re all brothers here. You’re really something else. Killing Hu Yue with a Void Breaking cultivation... even I couldn’t catch that guy. You’ll be in charge of ranged attacks for us."
Lu Yuan nodded. "Sounds good."
Sun Gui then led Lu Yuan toward a storehouse in front of the training grounds. An old man with white hair was sunbathing outside. Seeing Sun Gui approach with someone in tow, he said lazily, "This must be the newcomer. Here’s your uniform, and the reward for killing Hu Yue yesterday: three hundred Spirit Crystals."
Lu Yuan took the items, a flicker of joy in his heart.
After all, three hundred Spirit Crystals was no small sum for him at the moment.
The old man then said, "Kid, give me your Identity Token."
Lu Yuan unfastened the token and handed it over. He saw the old man tap it with a finger, and a rune was inscribed upon it. "The one Merit Point for killing Hu Yue has been recorded.
In the future, when you kill more rule-breakers, the Merit Points will be automatically added to your Identity Token."
"Thank you!" Lu Yuan said, clasping his fists.
The old man just waved a dismissive hand, signaling for him and Sun Gui to leave.
As the two of them turned to walk out of the estate, Sun Gui chuckled. "That’s just Old Huang’s personality, don’t mind him. His status is anything but ordinary."
Lu Yuan nodded and asked, "Where are we going next?"
"There isn’t much to do during the day; the patrols are mainly at night. Since it’s your first day, we have to give you a proper welcome. I’ve already told the other brothers to wait for us. We’re going to my trading post for a drink.
It’s not that I’m too cheap to take you to a tavern—the really good stuff is at my place. For our own people. The flesh of a Transcendence realm beast. There isn’t much left, but it’s enough for a meal."
"Thank you, Captain."
"Bah, none of that ’Captain’ stuff. We’re all in this together now. You’ll get it after a while. Just call me Sun."
Sun Gui patted Lu Yuan’s shoulder.
In truth, while these Outer Disciples looked impressive, only they knew their own hardships. They were the grunts of the sect, the ones fighting and dying on the front lines.
Almost every night, they had to fight the Demon Race.
Adding another skilled fighter to the team gave everyone a better chance of survival, so of course they were warm toward Lu Yuan.
An ordinary rookie would never have received such a warm welcome.
Sure enough, as they walked out of the estate’s main gate, seven or eight burly men were waiting for them.
Every one of them greeted Lu Yuan warmly when they saw him.
After introductions were made, Sun Gui led the group down the street.
By now, Lu Yuan had changed into his uniform.
He looked much sharper.
In just a few moments, they arrived outside a large courtyard.
Sun Gui smiled. "This isn’t my home, but it’s a sort of base of operations for us. The brothers come here to drink and chat in our downtime. You’ll get used to it."
The group stepped into the courtyard.
The guards at the gate hurriedly bowed. "Greetings, Master! Greetings, gentlemen!"
Their attitude was utterly subservient, but Sun Gui and his men didn’t even give them a second glance.
The courtyard, with its four main sections, was quite large. The front was used for storing goods, while the back was where they ate, drank, and rested.
Today, members of a merchant caravan were sorting goods. Seeing Sun Gui’s group, they all stopped to bow.
If the Xiao Clan were here, they would have recognized this courtyard. It was the very same place they had come looking for Fu Chuan.
Lu Yuan followed the crowd inside.
Just then, as his gaze swept over the stacks of goods, a familiar figure flashed past his eyes. It was Fu Chuan, who was in the middle of hauling a heavy crate.
As if sensing the gaze, the man looked up. For a moment, he froze, stunned.
He clearly hadn’t expected to see Lu Yuan here.