CHAPTER 36: CHAPTER 36: A MEAL’S GRATITUDE

The Celestial Register, in the past, seemed to be a power controlled only by the Great Zhou Royal Family. I wonder if there’s any record of it in the county annals of Qingshuo County.

It seems necessary to find records related to the Celestial Register, perhaps I can find a way to use it.

I thought of methods like dripping blood as well, but just didn’t dare to act rashly for the time being, who knows what bad things might be triggered.

While Xu Guang was pondering, he suddenly realized that the turtle shell, which he had been unconsciously fiddling with, once pieced together, seems to form continuous lines.

But...

These scattered rune lines, however, piece together into the shape of a map.

A map...

Xu Guang widened his eyes and looked carefully, feeling a sense of familiarity, this place looks like the territory of Qingshuo County.

It just lacks some details, unable to find the location indicated by the map.

Could it be that Wei Shuangnian also came to Qingshuo County to search for some kind of treasure?

This possibility is quite high, which could also explain why Wei Shuangnian, after being attacked, dared to come to Qingshuo County again.

Xu Guang sighed; the depths of this world are greater than he imagined.

Originally thought that the extraordinary elements were only Martial Dao, didn’t expect this time out of the city, ghosts, Celestial Register, and even dragons, all sorts of extraordinary things truly surprised him extremely.

Without understanding what the top fighting forces of this world are, it’s better to keep a low profile as much as possible for now.

However, some things need to be put on the agenda.

Since there is a saying about demonic ghosts, when it comes to ghosts, Xu Guang feels he must make early preparations, after all, the capabilities controlled by such unnatural beings are unimaginable. If General Wei cannot provide timely support, he needs to have his own way to deal with them, can’t rely on using blood to disperse them every time he encounters one.

In this regard, there should be such professions among the people, when the time comes, I’ll look into it.

Calculating, the next two new professions have set goals, one leaning towards appraisal, the other towards dealing with ghosts.

...

As for what the treasure is, with the map incomplete, Xu Guang does not have the mind to excavate it in the short term. The Iron Armor Sect has bought so much armor and military equipment, surely there will be big moves, and the upcoming affairs are expected to be numerous.

Lost in thought, a sound comes from outside the door.

It’s Wang Jun from the street delivering food to General Wei with a few other people.

Wang Jun smiles flatteringly at Xu Guang.

"Dharma Protector, this is today’s food for General Wei... You..."

As he speaks, his gaze unconsciously sweeps over a corner.

There lies General Wei’s excrement.

General Wei eats a lot, hence naturally excretes a lot each day. Xu Guang finds the excrement unsightly, even bothersome, but for Wang Jun, this excrement is highly valuable, whether for fertilizer or dried as fuel, they can fetch a good price.

"Rest assured, General Wei already recognizes you, you can handle the excrement yourself, thank you for your hard work."

Xu Guang thought of something, "By the way, I will apply to the sect, starting tomorrow, General Wei needs more food, remember to gather enough manpower, don’t let General Wei go hungry."

Wang Jun’s face instantly turns red, he glanced at General Wei with lips quivering.

"Rest assured, Dharma Protector."

He wouldn’t dare let General Wei go hungry.

Xu Guang smiled, took out some copper coins and handed them to Wang Jun.

All were fated to hardship, he has a good impression of this hardworking and enduring man, though taking General Wei’s excrement in exchange for money, it still helps relieve some troubles, he is not stingy with some benefits.

But it can’t be too much, everything must have a limit.

...

Another day.

Xu Guang found that General Wei’s body size, which had previously slowed in growth, started growing rapidly again, in less than two days, General Wei’s shoulder height had increased by five centimeters!

For a being of General Wei’s size, even a small growth brings a tremendous visual impact.

Xu Guang is quite satisfied with this, but more so, he is troubled.

It’s foreseeable that General Wei’s food requirements will reach an astonishing extent for a long time afterward.

Fortunately, he now also has the support of the Iron Armor Sect, otherwise...

Having Wang Jun handle the excrement, after General Wei finished eating, Xu Guang once again rode the elephant to Mr. Fang’s house.

Mr. Fang is considered his first mentor, and he discovered one thing, that under Mr. Fang’s guidance in alchemy and medicine matching, the skill proficiency and experience points increased more than when he practiced at home.

Adhering to the principles of frugality and home sustainability, Xu Guang didn’t abandon this bit of experience.

Moreover, he plans to showcase his talent in alchemy, this slow and steady progress is also more reasonable.

With his current growth speed, it won’t take too long.

This year, Qingshuo County has had bad weather, nearly a month without rain since spring began, the ground has already started cracking.

Regarding food and such, as a Dharma Protector, Xu Guang doesn’t need to worry about it.

It’s just that the situation on the street is not good.

Zi Ming mentioned that ever since the collapse of the government office, every spring in Qingshuo County there is a shortage of food, leading to a period of turmoil, but the three major forces will not let the chaos spread.

Hearing this, Xu Guang didn’t think much, continued making elixirs with Fang Cheng’s small furnace.

All the materials were taken by Mr. Fang from the pharmacy, all were some rather inexpensive herbs, just for Xu Guang to practice with.

However, Xu Guang’s performance left Fang Cheng extremely amazed.

"The elixir is a bit too dry. When adding Four-Eyed Grass in the middle, the fire was a bit too strong, making the elixir slightly fierce."

Fang Cheng tried hard to pinpoint the flaws in Xu Guang’s newly produced elixir and offered his comments.

[Pharmacist’s Log: You successfully refined the elixir and received guidance, gaining 25 Experience Points for the Alchemist.]

The experience from alchemy had already made Xu Guang abandon the idea of finding street thugs, leaving only the ’signing in’ at the Martial Arts Academy, and focusing on alchemy, walking, and taking care of General Wei.

With two batches of elixir being produced daily, approximately 50 Experience Points were gained. With the White Crane Ladder Cloud Soaring, running for one hour a day could yield around 40 Experience Points.

Overall, the daily acquisition of experience points had reached the 200 mark!

Just as Xu Guang was carefully listening to Fang Cheng’s teachings, the courtyard door was suddenly knocked on loudly.

"Mr. Fang, save me!"

The voice was feminine.

Zi Ming was the first to rush out, seemingly familiar with the visitor.

"Yu’er!"

Soon, Xu Guang saw a slightly disheveled young girl rushing in from outside.

Xu Guang’s initially casual expression instantly became solemn.

This girl looked somehow familiar to him.

"Mr. Fang, save me. My father and my older brother have been taken by the Wang Family. I beg you..."

The girl ignored Zi Ming’s shout and directly knelt before Fang Cheng.

Qingshuo County is a large county, with a population of seventy to eighty thousand in the county town, and the only family truly worthy of the title is the Wei Family. There are some local wealthy gentry who claim to be families, one being the former Zhu Family, and another being the Wang Family the girl mentioned.

Fang Cheng showed a troubled expression. Although he held some status in the gang, the Wang Family had long aligned with the Wei Family, and he truly wasn’t sure if he could gather sect experts to assist.

"This..."

"The Wang Family? Teacher, let me handle this."

Actually, Xu Guang hadn’t expected to encounter Liu Yu here.

He had three benefactors in Qingshuo County, truly noble individuals who brought him to this day. One was Old Li who led him to the Zhu Family.

Another was Zhu Cheng and Zhu Fu, the father and son.

The last was the person who gave him half a roast chicken.

He only knew that the roast chicken was given by a certain lady from the city, someone from a big family who rarely appeared, and he didn’t know her identity.

He was not one to like owing favors, always wanting to find that lady.

The voice from the sedan gradually melded with the voice of the girl before him.

Fang Cheng was visibly startled, looking at Xu Guang in surprise, having not expected him to speak at this moment.

Xu Guang, however, stepped forward on his own, speaking softly, "Miss Yu, do you still remember me?"

Liu Yu lifted her head, her eyes filled with confusion.

"Cold winter, Da Ren Collection outside the city, half a roast chicken, two buns."

Distant memories flooded Liu Yu’s mind, and she looked incredulously at Xu Guang, "You... you are..."

"A meal’s kindness, and now it’s time to repay it."

"No, the Wang Family is very strong. They have quite a few Eighth-grade experts in their house. Are you a member of the Iron Armor Sect now? I presume your master must be an Elder; perhaps you can ask your master..."

Liu Yu looked anxious. She was inherently kind; otherwise, she wouldn’t have sent food home when she saw Xu Guang begging by the street while visiting home.

Fang Cheng’s expression became complex upon hearing Xu Guang’s words.

In times like these, to have someone who knows gratitude and repays it is truly worthy of being called a righteous person.

Moreover, he knew Xu Guang did not possess much strength and relied on General Wei.

"Xu Guang..."

Xu Guang waved his hand, "Teacher, no need to say more. Xu Mou stands by faith, repaying the meal’s kindness from the past today."

With that, he proceeded to walk out.

Fang Cheng sighed.

Liu Yu looked at Fang Cheng, "Mr. Fang..."

"Miss Yu’er, follow Xu Guang. The Wang Family dares not touch him."

Fang Cheng paused, his expression showing a hint of relief.

"With such a devoted disciple, naturally, I will not sit idle as a teacher. Master Liu has shown kindness to me, and today, even if I risk my old face, I will ensure the help of the sect."

Roar!!!

A loud roar reverberated through the surrounding streets.

Liu Yu looked incredulously at Xu Guang seated on the elephant’s back.

"You..."

She spoke hesitantly, her mind a blank, staring at the giant beast in front, feeling dizzy.

Xu Guang’s face showed a smile, carrying a sense of ease.

"Miss Yu’er, Xu Mou will take you to... save people!"