Chapter 19: Warmth

Not long after, Fang Tieshan gathered everyone who had gone on the escort mission in the main hall.

As usual, he asked about every detail of the trip.... who had fought well, who had been injured, and what exactly had gone wrong.

Once he had heard the full story, he reached beneath the table and brought out a bag of silver.

"The client paid fifty-six silver pieces."

According to the rules of the escort agency, half belonged to the agency, while the other half was divided among the escort warriors.

With six people receiving a share, each would normally get four silver pieces, while those who had been injured would receive double.

Old Guo received eight.

Ye Qingyi received four.

Xiao Lin received four.

Then it was Lu Xuan's turn.

Old Guo's expression immediately darkened. "A piece of trash like him gets four silver pieces too?"

The room fell quiet.

Truthfully, no one had originally planned to give Lu Xuan a full share.

Fang Tieshan had only brought him along as a favor, giving him an opportunity to earn a little extra money.

But no one had expected them to encounter twenty-four mountain bandits.

After hearing the full account of what had happened, everyone understood that if Lu Xuan hadn't driven the cart away and drawn ten of those bandits away from the main group, the outcome could have been far worse than Old Guo simply injuring his leg.

Fang Tieshan didn't even bother responding to Old Guo.

He simply picked up four silver pieces and shoved them into Lu Xuan's hand. "This is yours. Take it."

Lu Xuan stared at the silver in his palm, genuinely surprised. "This..."

Fang Tieshan's tone left no room for argument. "Take it."

Lu Xuan looked at him for a moment before finally nodding. "Thank you, Uncle Fang." He quietly put the silver away.

Old Guo immediately snorted.

"If it weren't for my brother Duan Lei stepping in, would any of you have made it back alive?"

He pointed his crutch toward Lu Xuan. "And look at him! He didn't lose a single hair, yet he still takes the money. Shameless."

Ye Qingyi sat nearby, holding her teacup. She didn't even raise her head. "Duan Lei is your brother?"

Old Guo's expression froze.

Ye Qingyi finally looked at him. "Then call him here. I'd like to thank him in person."

Old Guo opened his mouth, but nothing came out.

For a moment, the entire hall became strangely quiet. Even the other escort warriors looked at him with awkward expressions.

Old Guo's face slowly turned red.

"Ahem... he's... he's a busy man."

Ye Qingyi didn't say anything. She simply lowered her eyes back to her tea.

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Fang Tieshan saw the awkwardness and waved his hand.

"Alright. That's enough. Everyone disperse."

The escort warriors gradually left the hall. Lu Xuan followed them, the four silver pieces resting warmly in his palm.

A faint smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

Thunderclap Hand Duan Lei...

He had committed that name to memory. It might come in handy someday.

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Evening.

The escort agency closed its doors, but Lu Xuan didn't head home immediately.

He still needed to stop by the rice shop to buy some brown rice. With his cultivation improving so quickly, ordinary meals were becoming less and less sufficient.

If he wanted to continue advancing at this pace, he needed to make sure he had enough food to support his body.

After buying the rice, he slung the bag over his shoulder and began walking home.

On the way, he cut through a narrow alley, but his footsteps suddenly slowed when he noticed two figures squatting in a shadowed corner ahead and whispering to each other.

Their clothes immediately caught his attention.

They didn't look like people from the city.

Wet mud was still caked onto their boots and sleeves, and the smell of the mountains clung faintly to them.

Mountain people.

Lu Xuan's ears twitched.

The Deer Form of the Five Animals Transformation Art didn't merely make his movements light and elusive.

After reaching Great Perfection, it had sharpened his senses to an almost inhuman degree.

His hearing, in particular, had become frighteningly sensitive.

Although the two men were some distance away, Lu Xuan only needed to focus slightly to hear every word as clearly as if they were whispering directly beside him.

"...Ten died. The Fortress Master is furious."

"...Have you found out who did it?"

"Not yet. This time, it happened because of the Iron Mountain Escort Agency. We need to figure out the background of that agency first."

Lu Xuan didn't slow down.

He continued walking at the same casual pace, the bag of rice resting over his shoulder and his expression remaining completely blank. But inside, his thoughts were already turning.

So Flying Cloud Fortress wasn't planning to let the matter go.

And now the Iron Mountain Escort Agency was going to be dragged into it.

He quietly committed the information to memory, then continued home as though he had heard nothing.

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Lu Xuan pushed open the door.

Shen Yuyan was standing beside the stove, and the moment she heard the familiar creak of the door, she immediately came skipping out of the kitchen.

Her face lit up like the moon breaking through the clouds.

"Husband, you're back?"

"Yeah."

Lu Xuan set down the bag of rice, then reached into his robe and pulled out a small carved hairpin.

It wasn't extravagant, but the craftsmanship was delicate.

Tiny flowers had been carefully etched along the spine, giving the simple piece a quiet elegance.

Lu Xuan stepped closer and gently slid it into Shen Yuyan's hair.

She froze, her eyes widening in surprise.

Then came that familiar mixture of happiness and helpless reproach whenever she realized he had spent money on her.

"Why are you spending money on me again?"

She reached up and touched the hairpin. "I don't need this."

Lu Xuan smiled. "Why wouldn't you need it?"

He looked at her seriously.

"When I have real money someday, I'll buy you gold hairpins and jade ornaments."

Shen Yuyan's breath caught. For a moment, she simply stared at him.

Then she slowly removed the hairpin from her hair and held it carefully between both hands, examining it as though it were some priceless treasure. Her fingers gently traced the tiny flowers.

From childhood until now...

Who had ever thought of her like this? Who had ever looked at her and thought she deserved something beautiful?

A warmth spread through her chest.

She pressed the hairpin against her heart.

Lu Xuan noticed her expression and smiled softly.

He then reached into his robe again and placed the remaining silver on the table.

"For this escort mission, Uncle Fang gave me four silver pieces. I spent some on the rice and the hairpin."

He pointed at the silver. "The rest is here. A little over three silver pieces and some copper coins."

Shen Yuyan's eyes immediately brightened when she saw the pile of silver.

She instinctively began calculating how many days and nights of embroidery it would take her to earn that much.

But the excitement lasted only a moment before a shadow of worry crossed her face.

Three days.

Four silver pieces.

That much money for such a short trip also meant that the work had been dangerous.

Shen Yuyan slowly looked up at him. "Husband..."

Lu Xuan met her eyes.

"I don't need gold hairpins or silk."

Her voice was quiet, but there was a firmness in it that surprised him. "I only need you to come home safely."

She lowered her gaze.

"In the future, if Uncle Fang asks you to go on another escort mission... just refuse."

She gently held the hairpin in her hands.

"I don't earn much from embroidery, but it's enough to keep us fed. I don't want you to put yourself in danger."

Lu Xuan felt a warmth spread through his chest.

He could have explained that the danger wasn't really dangerous to him.

He could have told her that his strength had already reached a level she couldn't imagine. But looking at the worry in her eyes, he couldn't bring himself to say it.

So he simply nodded. "Alright."

Then, before she could say anything else, he smiled. "What delicious thing did you make today?"

Shen Yuyan blinked, and the worry on her face slowly disappeared.

"Chicken fried rice!"