Chapter 15: City Folk

“This was a tremendous haul.”

Strolling down the bustling streets of Longwind City, Lu Yan wore a faint smile at the corners of his lips, his mood buoyant. Along the way, he had already taken stock of his silver notes: a total of three hundred and eighty taels, plus the one hundred and ten taels from the gaunt middle-aged man earlier, bringing the sum to four hundred and ninety. Adding to that the value of the Redblade Leaf—about five hundred taels—he’d gained nearly a thousand taels from just one trek into the mountains.

Truly, there’s gold to be made in risky ventures.

Passing by Warrior’s Rest, he caught another whiff of that intoxicating aroma.

“I’ll sell the Redblade Leaf at the Linglan Trading Guild first,” he mused, “then come back to try the martial feast at Warrior’s Rest.”

Lu Yan had long coveted that martial fare.

Soon enough, he arrived at the Linglan Guild. Of course, before entering, he had taken the precaution of altering his appearance and bearing somewhat. When he mentioned his intent to sell Redblade Leaf, he was promptly ushered in to see the manager.

After weighing the goods, it came to a full jin and six liang. Wild Redblade Leaf was scarce this year, so prices were a little higher than usual: three hundred and fifty taels per jin for fresh leaves, a total of five hundred and sixty taels.

It was even more than Lu Yan had expected, so he sold without hesitation. Now, with his previous savings, he had nearly one thousand two hundred taels to his name—a small fortune.

After the sale, Lu Yan wandered through Longwind City’s marketplace. He was still thinking about that mysterious orb. The stalls offered a dazzling array of goods, and he hoped to find another orb like it, or at least something similar. He tried communicating with the Dao Tome as he browsed, but the tome gave no response, so he left disappointed.

Leaving the market, he made straight for Warrior’s Rest.

“I’m sorry, sir, but today’s martial feast has already sold out,” a young, beautiful woman on the fourth floor explained to him with a polite smile.

“Sold out?” Lu Yan was taken aback.

“Yes, exotic beast meat is rare, so our daily servings are limited. If you wish, you may reserve in advance, though we do ask for a deposit, or you can try coming earlier tomorrow,” she said.

Lu Yan glanced inside and saw the tables were empty—clearly, she wasn’t deceiving him.

It seemed even wealth couldn’t guarantee a taste of the martial feast. He made a mental note of this.

“Would you like to reserve a spot, sir?” she asked, still smiling. Like the staff at the Linglan Guild, the employees here were thoroughly professional, showing no disdain for his plain attire.

“Thank you, but I’ll come another day,” he replied.

After all, he was about to buy a house and settle in the city; there would be plenty of chances.

He stepped down to the third floor and ordered some regular fare.

“Waiter, I wanted to ask you something,” Lu Yan said, sliding a large coin his way. “If an outsider, a practitioner who’s broken through their limits, wanted to find employment in Longwind City, what would you recommend?”

Unlike ordinary coppers, the large coin was square and worth a hundred wen—about a hundred yuan on Earth. The waiter’s face lit up as he pocketed the tip with practiced ease.

“Sir, you’ve come to the right person. There’s little about Longwind City I don’t know…” And at once, he launched into an enthusiastic explanation.

By the time Lu Yan left Warrior’s Rest, he had made up his mind. Though Zhang Jun had previously recommended he join the Scarlet Guards, Lu Yan preferred not to act rashly. He wanted to weigh the options carefully.

For practitioners seeking work in Longwind City, there were a few main paths:

First, one could become a guard for a wealthy household—but Lu Yan dismissed this out of hand.

Second, one could join a trading guild or an escort agency as a guard or armed escort. The pay was decent—about fifty taels a month for a practitioner who’d broken through their limits, with additional bonuses depending on the value of the goods or the risks involved. The downsides were high risk, lack of freedom, constant travel, and no martial fare provided.

The third option was to join the Liu family’s Scarlet Guards or the Wu family’s Wind Patrol. But the Wu family was out of the question—Lu Yan had just killed several of their Leaf Seekers; joining their ranks would be courting death.

The details of joining the Scarlet Guards matched what Zhang Jun had said: thirty taels a month, one serving of martial fare every five days—about a jin each time—and the option to choose a third-rate martial technique upon joining. As his cultivation advanced, so too would his benefits. There was also a dedicated training hall, and the duties mainly involved patrolling to maintain order—relatively free compared to other jobs. When there were no cases to handle, one could spend the day cultivating after a routine patrol.

With this in mind, Lu Yan decided to join the Scarlet Guards.

As for the martial corps, there was no need to consider them; they were elite troops raised from childhood by the noble clans, sworn to their families, and trained only in clan martial arts.

At Warrior’s Rest, he spent five taels for two flasks of Ten-Mile Fragrance, then headed for the Scarlet Guard headquarters.

The waiter had been thorough, even giving clear directions to all the major trading guilds, escort agencies, and, of course, the Scarlet Guards. Naturally, as Warrior’s Rest belonged to the Liu family, his words were bound to praise their own, but Lu Yan was not easily swayed.

The Scarlet Guard compound was a grand expanse of sweeping eaves and stately buildings.

Lu Yan stated his purpose at the gate, and soon enough, Zhang Jun came out to meet him.

“Haha! What wind blows Brother Lu my way today? Don’t tell me you’ve saved enough to buy a house?” Zhang Jun greeted him with a laugh.

“Brother Jun, you truly have the gift of foresight! That’s exactly why I’ve come to trouble you today,” Lu Yan replied, handing over the two flasks of Ten-Mile Fragrance.

Zhang Jun’s grin widened. “Come on, let me help you find a house—you’ll get it for the lowest price, guaranteed.”

Over the next two hours, Lu Yan viewed four different houses, finally settling on one for four hundred taels.

The seller claimed that to any other buyer, it would have cost six hundred, but as a friend of a Scarlet Guard, he’d let it go for four hundred.

Lu Yan had originally intended to buy a house for around three hundred taels, but with extra funds on hand, he decided to aim higher.

This house suited him perfectly: five rooms, a living room, kitchen, and even a small courtyard—a rarity within the city. There was also a side wing that could be converted into a training room.

After paying in silver notes and signing the deed, the house officially belonged to Lu Yan, ready for him to move in at any time. Of course, he would still need to transfer his household registration to become a true citizen of Longwind City.

“Brother Jun, I’ll be counting on you when I join the Scarlet Guards,” Lu Yan said.

“Don’t mention it!” Zhang Jun brightened at the news Lu Yan would be joining, and laughed heartily.

Lu Yan then took his leave and made his way home.

By the time he returned to Kaoshan Village, dusk had fallen and the sun was sinking, casting thousands of golden rays across the land.

“One last night in this village,” he thought, feeling a pang of emotion. Here in Kaoshan, he had endured his hardest days, and here he had laid the foundation for his martial path.

That night, the family of three gathered around the table for dinner.

“Father, Mother, pack up tonight—we’re moving into the city tomorrow,” Lu Yan announced.

Lu Qingshan and Wang Cui stared at him in astonishment, momentarily unable to process the news.

“Father, Mother, I bought a house in Longwind City today. We’ll move in first thing tomorrow,” Lu Yan repeated, and only then did his parents come back to their senses.

“Yan’er, as far as I know, even the worst houses in Longwind City cost at least three hundred taels. How did you manage to get so much silver?” Lu Qingshan cut right to the heart of the matter, while Wang Cui was still dazed.

“Don’t worry, Father. I earned it honestly. I went hunting in the Longwind Mountains today and, by chance, found a patch of Redblade Leaf. That’s how I scraped together enough for the house. Just don’t mention it to anyone—wealth should never be flaunted,” Lu Yan cautioned.

“I understand, I understand,” Wang Cui nodded quickly. Then she suddenly realized something and said, “Yan’er, you went to the Longwind Mountains? I’ve heard there are often ambushes over Redblade Leaf there… If something happened to you, what would we do?”

Though Lu Yan sat right before her, Wang Cui still shuddered at the thought.

“Don’t worry, Mother. I won’t take any more risks. Now eat up, and then start packing. We’ll move early tomorrow,” Lu Yan said gently.

At that, a smile finally returned to Wang Cui’s face—not for the prospect of moving into the city, but for her son’s sake.

With a home in the city, Yan’er’s status would rise; he’d be counted as a city dweller and would have a much easier time finding a wife.

At dawn the next day, before the village had stirred, the family of three quietly left Kaoshan Village and moved into their new home in Longwind City.

Afterward, Lu Yan went to have their household registration transferred.

In this era, efficiency was surprisingly high; by the next day, the transfer was complete, and they were officially residents of the city.