Enlightenment: Beginning as a Disposable Warrior-Chapter 91 - 82: Silver Blade Catcher, Buying a Residence (Part 3)

"The Gu King emerges, all Gu insects meet their end..."

Su Mu murmured softly, after this incident he suddenly realized that the Gu insect within him was actually a double-edged sword. If used wisely, it could render him fearless against any Gu Master or Gu insects in the world.

"In the future, perhaps it can be subdued!"

If he manages to do so, then perhaps someday this thing could become a powerful weapon in his hands.

The Gu King is the absolute bane of all Gu insects.

The strength of the Black Snake, the Lifebound Gu of the Black Insect Elder, undoubtedly surpasses that of the Red Peak Gu and Celestial Beetle Gu, yet even such a powerful Black Snake was suppressed and killed by a mere buzz from the untransformed Gu King within him.

If he can conquer the Gu King, in the future he will no longer fear any Gu Master or Gu insects in the world.

"There are still some days before the auction, I'll first return to the Demon Slayer Bureau,..."

Su Mu had some interest in the Qingyun Auction, but it was still early, so after determining the direction, he swiftly left Baihe Town heading towards Qingyun City.

Just after Su Mu departed.

A man with a single arm in a dark outfit arrived, a Yanling Saber slung slantwise at his waist, his hawk eyes shimmering with hatred and hesitation.

Li Yan lowered his head, glancing at his empty left sleeve; it was the Black Insect Elder who had taken his arm. People only knew the Black Insect Elder's Gu insects were dangerous, but they didn't know the villain's hand with the Southern Border Curved Saber was equally ruthless.

He knew the journey was fraught with danger, but he had no choice but to go alone. His second brother had been captured by the Black Insect Elder, and if he missed today, his brother would surely die.

"Second brother, big brother is here!"

Determined to die, Li Yan went alone to Black Bull Mountain, and soon after, his breathing became more rapid as he stood before the dense forest.

"A worst-case scenario—death. I'll live and die with my brother, but even if dying is inevitable, I, Li Yan, will take a piece of him with me!"

Just as he was about to pass through the dense forest, Li Yan's expression suddenly changed; he sniffed a thick scent of blood.

"Second brother?!"

Li Yan was instantly furious and rushed through the forest only to stand frozen in place, the intense stench of blood invading his nostrils. His pupils constricted upon seeing a headless, hunched body.

"The Black Insect Elder... has been killed?"

Outside the cabin, signs of a struggle were evident, and there was blood everywhere. Li Yan identified many shattered Gu insects in the largest pool of blood, numbering perhaps hundreds or even thousands.

Gulp.

Li Yan's throat moved; the number of dead Gu insects here was at least several times more than when he encountered the Black Insect Elder!

Immediately, the image in Li Yan's mind was that of the Black Insect Elder deploying thousands of Gu insects to fend off an oncoming threat, only to be overpowered and slain along with his insects, his head sliced off and taken.

"Who is the person that killed the Black Insect Elder?"

Li Yan's mind was shaken; he momentarily forgot the purpose of his trip up the mountain. Upon regaining his senses, he strode into the cabin, trembling when he saw a corpse covered with a white cloth.

His hands shook as he lifted the cloth, suddenly becoming rigid; the remnants of flesh had been devoured, leaving only bits of fabric for Li Yan to recognize his brother's skeleton. The tall man fell to his knees, his Long Saber clanging to the ground.

"Second brother... it's the elder brother's delay that caused you!"

Li Yan fell to the ground, crying loudly. Before descending the mountain, he carried his brother's remains and bowed thrice before the blood-stained Curved Saber.

"A benefactor's great righteousness, I, Li, will remember forever... if we meet again, I, Li, am willing to serve as cattle and horse!"

Li Yan recognized the blood-stained Curved Saber as the weapon of the Black Insect Elder. The fact it appeared beside his brother's remains, while the elder died outside the cabin, held a clear implication.

The benefactor must have used this saber to decapitate the Black Insect Elder and placed it by the corpse to comfort his brother's spirit in heaven. Covering the corpse with white cloth filled Li Yan's heart with immense gratitude.

The bond between brothers is akin to a limb; in ancient eyes, the dead held a significant place.

As he descended the mountain, it was nearing dusk. Passing by Yaozi Village, he encountered some villagers returning from work, engaged in idle chatter. Li Yan listened, suddenly shocked, hurriedly stepping forward.

"What were you saying just now, repeat it!"

Li Yan grabbed a villager by the shoulder, causing them to cry out in pain, feeling as though their shoulder bone would fracture. Li Yan hurriedly let go.

"Who are you?"

"Old man, don't be afraid, I am also an assassin." Instantly, Li Yan took out a Silver Order with a wolf emblem.

"So you're a hero from the Demon Slayer Bureau. That Hero Li is truly formidable." The villager rubbed his shoulder and sighed, "Hero Li apprehended that Insect Child in one move, then left with him... let's hope Hero Li's solo endeavor doesn't fall victim to treachery."

"Why do you speak like that, Hero Li wouldn't fall victim to a plot."

The villager felt they misspoke and immediately spat a few times.

"Li Feiyu... the benefactor is Li Feiyu!"

Li Yan silently memorized the name Li Feiyu, thanked them, and left.

Meanwhile, Su Mu smoothly arrived at the foot of Qingyun City. Entering the city, he sneezed several times, "Could someone be thinking of me?"

Arriving at the Demon Slayer Bureau's entrance, Su Mu removed his Conical Hat and the constable immediately recognized him.

"Take me to see Director Li."

"Yes, please follow me."

Su Mu had just seated himself in the study when Li Zhihe, informed by the servant, arrived promptly. Su Mu raised his hand.

Thump!

The cloth bag was unfurled onto the desk, revealing a sinister head inside, identical to the one in the Wanted Order.

"Director Li, luckily I did not fail you."

Li Zhihe looked at the head on the table and was quite surprised, swallowing back the words he initially intended to say.

He had just received the latest intelligence that the Black Mountain Rebel Army seemed interested in recruiting the Black Insect Elder, and it was possible that the Black Insect Elder's strength had been greatly underestimated.

Thus, upon hearing of Li Feiyu's return, Li Zhihe wanted to share the latest intelligence immediately, but he didn't expect Li Feiyu to directly bring back the head of the Black Insect Elder.

After a change of expression, Director Li sincerely exclaimed, "Brother Li is truly extraordinary."

"Director Li, why not inspect it?"

"No need, I trust Brother Li." Li Zhihe waved with a smile, "Brother Li, the ointment can be collected now, but the White Jade Order and one hundred gold taels deposited with the Government Office need to be verified first."

"Brother Li has accumulated ten rewards, enough to be promoted to Silver Blade Catcher. The Silver Order needs to be specially crafted, so why not come and collect them together in three days?"

"Alright, then I'll follow Director's suggestion."

At that time, Li Zhihe also spoke about the Silver Blade Catcher, "Now Brother Li has become a Silver Blade Catcher, and the monthly salary will increase from five taels to ten taels. At the same time, Second-Level Rewards will be open, and you can travel through the Three Counties of Cyan Cloud, Changfeng, and Cang River without paying the entry fee with the Silver Order."

Hearing this, Su Mu was somewhat surprised, although he didn't care about the entry fee, traveling through the Three Counties without paying it was a privilege only officials had in the Great Yan Dynasty.

In this respect, even the Five Great Powers of Cyan Cloud were no exception; as long as they weren't in an official position, they had to pay the entry fee.

As for the opening of Second-Level Rewards, Su Mu didn't care much, since the rewards he accepted had long been Second-Level, and personally handed over by Director Li Zhihe of the Demon Slayer Bureau.

"Thank you, Director, for informing me."

Before leaving, Su Mu returned that token of the deceased assassin, seeing the Assassin's Order, Li Zhihe sighed, stood up, clasped his fists, and thanked him.

After leaving the Demon Slayer Bureau, Li Feiyu transformed back into a young man in the alley.

In the afterglow of the setting sun, the summer heat dissipated in Qingyun City, with a gentle breeze, making the world cool all of a sudden, and Su Mu arrived at the market in Qingyun City.

"Little brother, what kind of wine are you getting?"

"Six bottles of the best ones."

"Good wine, two taels of silver per bottle, totaling twelve taels."

Soon, the shopkeeper brought six bottles of wine, and while receiving the silver coins, he glanced at Su Mu carefully, "Little brother, did you buy wine last year?"

The young man froze for a moment, then smiled, "The shopkeeper has a good memory. I did come once before last year's Liqiu, and also bought six bottles. Unfortunately, it spilled on the way back, and I only drank half a bottle."

Upon hearing this, the shopkeeper immediately turned around and packed another bottle, "Little brother, take this one as a gift for you. Don't spill it on the way this time; the wines here are all good."

"Thank you, shopkeeper." The young man smiled but didn't respond directly; this wine was destined to spill more than half.

"You look familiar to me, little brother. Don't think I'm old, but my memory is quite good; I can remember most of the people who have bought wine here."

After chatting for a while, the young man carried the wine towards Yanque Street. Shortly after opening the gate, hurried footsteps approached from behind, followed by a shout.

"Little brother, wait, you're finally back."

A boy around fifteen or sixteen, looking quite lively, ran over, panting, "Little brother, do you still recognize me?"

"I recognize you, would you like to come in and sit for a bit?"

After chatting with the wine shopkeeper, Su Mu was in a good mood today and invited the young boy into the courtyard to chat. The boy responded with a good-natured reply and, upon entering the courtyard, was startled to find that it hadn't changed much from a year ago.

Su Mu entered the room, set down the wine, and brewed a pot of tea. The boy took a sip, and his eyes lit up, "Little brother, this tea must be expensive, right?"

"I suppose it's not cheap."

Su Mu laughed. These were directly taken from the Pharmacist's room by the Little Doctor, and he didn't know the price, but if it could catch the Pharmacist's eye, it mustn't be ordinary. Besides, Shi Feng always said it was good tea whenever he came.

After drinking a cup of tea, the boy didn't forget the purpose of his visit today, "Little brother, the courtyard you rented before last year's Liqiu, today marks the end of the one-year period. Do you want to renew the lease?"

"No."

Hearing such a decisive answer, the boy's heart secretly sighed, and he was about to speak when he heard a sentence.

"I have gotten used to living in this courtyard and plan to buy it."

"What?" the young broker was shocked. How could the person in front of him earn enough in just a year to buy the courtyard? It would take hundreds of taels of silver.

Even if he didn't eat or drink, he'd have to work for more than twenty years to afford it. Considering the costs of clothing, food, and housing, he might never afford it in his lifetime, which made the young broker reveal a strong sense of envy in his eyes.

"What's the current price of the courtyard? Is it still three hundred and fifty taels?"

"Little brother, you have a good memory."

The young broker hesitated for a moment, "If you trust me, little brother, you can give me five taels of silver, and I can help you negotiate with the brokerage. Three hundred and thirty taels, no, possibly only three hundred and twenty taels to buy it."

"Okay, I'll give you five taels of silver first." 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

"Thank you for trusting me, little brother. I will settle the contract by tomorrow."

"No rush, I'll give you a few more days. Bring the contract in three days."

"Alright, it's a deal!"

The young broker received the silver with both hands and bowed to Su Mu with excitement, then left the courtyard.

That day, the sparrow, flying through Qingyun City to buy its own courtyard, entered Qingyun City after a year. Besides the Forging Workshop, the young man didn't have much fame, but the name 'Unparalleled Boxing and Stick Skills, Li Feiyu' was stirring up the winds in Cyan Cloud City.

On the next morning, the young man carried six bottles of wine out of the city, heading south towards Qingshui Town, like a migratory bird returning home.

Outside of Qingshui Town, on Bailu Mountain, in front of the tombstone, six bottles of wine were spilled more than half, and the young man drank a small portion.

...