Chapter 151. The Ways of the World
In the Level Three zone, at a roadside tavern.
Dusk was steadily deepening. The streets had already grown sparse with pedestrians, yet the tavern still glowed with dim yellow lamplight.
Qin Yang and Li Shan sat at a table in the corner, seemingly waiting for someone.
Only after quite a while did a figure finally hurry over.
“Sorry, sorry. Things have been busy on the streets lately, so I got delayed a bit.” As Wang Huan spoke, he sat down in the empty seat, his face carrying a faint look of smug satisfaction.
Qin Yang immediately smiled and said, “Brother Wang, you’re too polite. Naturally, the matters on your end are more important. We can drink together any time.”
Li Shan also shook his head, saying nothing.
Wang Huan glanced at the two of them and suddenly found the feeling oddly familiar to when he had first entered the training compound.
Back then, he had possessed the best aptitude, and everyone in the dormitory had more or less needed to accommodate him, except...
A figure flashed through his mind, but he quickly suppressed the thought.
“Waiter, warm a pot of wine, a plate of fennel beans, and a bowl of stir-fried pork liver. Bring those first.”
Only after ordering did Wang Huan turn back and begin exchanging pleasantries with the other two.
Back in the training compound, the three of them had been the closest. Although they had gradually lost touch afterward, recent efforts to bring them together had reunited them once more.
And among the three, Wang Huan was clearly the one doing best.
Just a few days earlier, he had broken through to the Fourth Meridian and become a Street Guard, basking in unmatched glory.
This gathering, too, had been arranged at his own initiative.
Next came Li Shan. He had now entered the Third Meridian and become a squad leader. His life was not bad by any means, though he had grown somewhat taciturn.
Last was Qin Yang. Ever since he had switched allegiance to Huo Gang after Xu Yuan was attacked, and then Xu Yuan returned, he had been targeted and ostracized. Now he looked utterly dispirited.
As for his cultivation, he was still at the Second Meridian, the lowest of the three, and his life was the hardest.
The three of them exchanged pleasantries just as they had in the dormitory before, yet the hierarchy of their seats had already quietly marked out their stations.
With a fawning smile, Qin Yang poured wine for Wang Huan. “Brother Wang, don’t leave your cup empty. Tell me the moment you finish it. Please, don’t stand on ceremony.”
Wang Huan cast him a glance, answered blandly, and lifted his cup for a small sip.
At that moment, Qin Yang spoke again, his tone tinged with resentment.
“Thinking about it still pisses me off. Chen Sanli not coming is one thing, but Gao Yuan too? Since when did he start putting on airs? Does he really think he’s that impressive?”
Before coming, Wang Huan had also invited Chen Sanli and Gao Yuan, but both had declined on the grounds that they had other matters to attend to.
Hearing this, Li Shan remained silent, no one knew what he was thinking.
Seeing that, Qin Yang instantly grew irritated. He slapped the table and said, “What’s with you today, Shanzi? You haven’t said more than half a sentence all night. Did you come here just to play mute? Captain Xiong isn’t here.”
At those words, Li Shan suddenly turned a cold gaze on him.
That look was as icy and sharp as a blade. It sent a chill down Qin Yang’s spine, sobering him at once.
After all, he himself was still only at the Second Meridian, while Li Shan was a whole realm above him. How could he possibly dare to confront him?
Thinking of that, Qin Yang immediately slapped his own face lightly and forced out a smile. “My fault, my fault. I spoke carelessly. I’ll punish myself with three cups.”
He drained three cups in a row. Only then did Li Shan withdraw his gaze and look elsewhere. After a long while, he finally said in a low voice,
“During the counterattack against the Bai Family, Captain Xiong was ambushed. She died on the spot.”
The moment those words came out, the atmosphere instantly turned cold.
Wang Huan, meanwhile, felt somewhat displeased. He had come here to boast a little, not to listen to this sort of rotten business.
He offered a few perfunctory words of comfort, then shifted the topic and said with obvious interest, “By the way, have you heard? Brother Xu broke through to the eight-meridian stage. Last night, he joined forces with the Chief Overseer of the Level Four zone and killed several seven-meridian experts of the Bai Family, along with one of their Chief Overseers. The moment that news came out, the entire Shangyang Residence was shaken!”
His tone carried deliberate amazement, but his eyes drifted, intentionally or not, toward Qin Yang.
“Brother Xu... Brother Xu... ah...”
The moment Qin Yang heard that, he let out a sigh. A look of anguish settled across his face as he drank bowl after bowl of wine and muttered, “I wronged Brother Xu... Back in Changlin Ward... I was such a fool... such a fool...”
It could be said that ever since he had done such a muddleheaded thing in Changlin Ward and been isolated by Xu Yuan, he had spent every single day steeped in regret.
Especially whenever he heard news of Xu Yuan’s breakthroughs, or learned that Chen Sanli, Gao Yuan, and the others had gained some new benefit, that regret gnawed at his heart like a venomous snake.
As Wang Huan watched Qin Yang’s expression, a faint trace of satisfaction surfaced on his face.
He had brought up that news on purpose, just to watch Qin Yang make a fool of himself.
He himself had failed to latch onto Xu Yuan’s rising fortunes, but Qin Yang had at least managed to get a foot in the door, only to ruin it with his own hands.
That kind of pain was probably even harder to bear than never having gotten close in the first place.
Li Shan watched this from the side and shook his head slightly.
To be fair, what Qin Yang had done before had been incredibly stupid. Still, it had also been for the sake of protecting himself, so there was not much to say.
And as for Xu Yuan...
At that thought, Li Shan sighed inwardly.
The man had already spread his wings like a great roc and soared straight into the blue heavens. He was no longer someone on the same level. The distance between them was simply too vast.
...
In the inner courtyard of the Shangyang Residence.
Within an exquisite little courtyard, Shangyang Jinhong held Ye Qing’er’s hand and spoke in a gentle voice.
“Qing’er, you’ve suffered these past few days. You’ve grown visibly thinner, and it pains me to see it... Here, tomorrow, move back.”
Previously, Ye Qing’er’s personal maidservant had died. Some people, displeased by how favored she was, had poisoned her and even wanted to drive her out as well.
It had only been because Shangyang Jinhong intervened that she was able to remain here.
Because of that incident, Ye Qing’er had long since seen through the malice of human hearts and been tempered by it. At this moment, there was scarcely any ripple in her heart, yet on her face she still put on a look of gratitude and delight.
“Fifth Young Master, I would naturally be willing a thousand times over, but Madam...”
“She’s pregnant.”
Shangyang Jinhong cut her off. After a pause, he continued, “Once she gives birth, if it’s a boy, then we should have a child too...”
When he reached that point, he paused, as though remembering something, and added, “Oh, right. Xu Yuan has broken through to the eight-meridian stage and rendered great service in the Level Four zone. He’s in the height of his glory right now. Didn’t you have some history with him? When you have time, invite him over. We should get closer to him. It’ll make things easier if anything comes up in the future.”
Again, it was because of him?
At that moment, an indescribably tangled feeling rose in Ye Qing’er’s heart.
The man she had once given up on had already risen like a dragon into the heavens, far beyond anyone’s reach, while she herself could only preserve her current standing by borrowing the faintest trace of the light he shed without even intending to.
Such are the unpredictable turns of the world. There was truly no knowing where to begin.
...
In the inner courtyard, within an ancient yet luxurious room.
Shangyang Qingcheng sat beside his writing desk, his brows tightly furrowed.
Over the past two days, he had sensed an opportunity in his heart and finally emerged from seclusion after breaking through to the Sixth Meridian. Then he heard that Xu Yuan had already become an eight-meridian expert.
Shangyang Qingcheng found it hard to believe.
He knew a little of the difficulty of the bottleneck between the seven-meridian and eight-meridian stages. At that moment, he could not help but feel even a faint trace of jealousy.
But that emotion only flashed through him for an instant before he quickly dispelled it.
My relationship with Xu Yuan is still fairly good. His breakthrough to the eight-meridian stage, or even to the Extraordinary Meridians, would both be beneficial to my struggle for the position of Family Head.
And I have cultivated the family’s martial arts since childhood. Though my speed is slower, I still have a path toward Organ-Nourishing. As long as I become a Grandmaster, then whether it is the eight-meridian stage or the Extraordinary Meridians, it will amount to little.
Having received the family’s education since childhood, Shangyang Qingcheng was not one to act on emotion. Once he had weighed the pros and cons, only satisfaction remained in his heart.
“Xu Yuan’s talent is even better than I imagined. Breaking through to the eight-meridian stage at a time like this gives us one more powerful general, and that will also help stabilize the situation.”
After pondering for a moment, he called out, “Gao Sheng.”
The old servant outside answered and entered with his head lowered. “What instructions does Second Young Master have?”
“Go to the storeroom and pick out a few good things. Send them to Xu Yuan as congratulatory gifts, and say...”
He thought for a moment, then said, “Say that I am happy for him. If he has time another day, he is welcome to visit the inner courtyard.”