Chapter 57

In the dead of night, amidst the chirping of insects and the croaking of frogs, occasionally a muffled roar of a beast would echo through the ground. This was the night in the Guojian Forest.

Gently rubbing the wound on his arm, inflicted by the silver wolf two years ago, Ming Yan, the head of Xiyao Hu, was still awake. He was suffering from insomnia, not because the wound still itched, but because of the surge of emotions in his heart.

Ming Yan was a native of Guojian Marsh, his mother being a birth mother in Xiyao Hu. His father... for a marsh slave of his background, it was impossible to know who his father was.

To rise to prominence, he had struggled and fought for half his life, barely surviving numerous life-threatening situations to reach his current position. In Ming Yan's eyes, everything in the world served the purpose of survival. He did not measure relationships in terms of benefits, but he also dared not easily touch upon emotions, as he believed that such things did not exist in the world of marsh slaves.

However, Ming Yan never expected that his decision to gift the Yu Chang sword to Lu Buqi would lead to the most precious friendship of his life.

Ming Yan held two longer and thicker decapitation knives in his arms, gifts from Buqi, the head of Xibei Hu, along with fifty iron-tipped spears.

Gently caressing the decapitation knives as if touching the oily, smooth skin of a birth mother, Ming Yan couldn't help but smile. When he gave away the Yu Chang sword, his only intention was to express gratitude and hope that Lu Buqi would become a capable person, thereby fulfilling his own wishes. He never thought he would receive anything in return from Lu Buqi.

After all, in Ming Yan's view, a spirit beast heart core was enough to offset everything he had done. If Lu Buqi succeeded, he would no longer be in the same world as him, and how could he remember such a minor figure?

But the reality told him that Lu Buqi always remembered him and even considered him a friend, even a brother. Not only did he personally deliver fifty iron-tipped spears, but also two decapitation knives he had forged himself.

Wang Yingfu also mentioned that the following year, he would send a batch of strong marsh slaves to replenish the losses in Xiyao Hu, because Lu Buqi had repeatedly mentioned that Xiyao Hu had suffered over a hundred casualties in the battle against the silver wolf.

These were not all. Before leaving, Lu Buqi even taught him a set of Five Animal Imitation Boxing, which even the Four Heavenly Kings praised highly. Wang Lihong privately indicated that if he practiced this boxing diligently, his chances of reaching the Bone Resonance Realm would increase by thirty percent.

Because of all this, Ming Yan, a tough man, couldn't help but shed tears in private, and it made him believe that no matter how harsh the living environment was, emotions still existed in this world.

"Think less, practice more!" This was also what Lu Buqi told him, making Ming Yan feel somewhat ashamed. After all, Lu Buqi had said something similar two years ago, but he had not taken it seriously, and his martial prowess had remained at the seventh level for the past two years.

Before becoming the head, Ming Yan was a young man with high aspirations, diligently training his body and learning hunting and combat skills. But after becoming the head, he found it difficult to improve his martial prowess and became somewhat resigned to his fate.

However, today, seeing the fifteen-year-old Lu Buqi so highly regarded by the chief manager and even the Four Heavenly Kings, Ming Yan's once vague future became a bit clearer: "Starting today, I will think less and practice more. If I can break through to the Bone Resonance Realm within three years, the chief manager should be able to help me apply for a surname from the main family, giving me the chance to become a free person!"

Besides Xiyao Hu, Zhongtun Hu and Nan Kou Hu were also two points on Lu Buqi's personal itinerary. When he and Wang Lishou crossed the Guojian Forest, these two village households had also given them a warm reception, and their decapitation knives had been requisitioned by the then Lu Buqi.

As the saying goes, a drop of water deserves a gushing spring in return! Lu Buqi returned better-quality decapitation knives and even gave them an additional twenty-five iron-tipped spears. Such a gesture undoubtedly left a deep impression on the heads of the two village households.

Including Ming Yan, these heads would proudly show off the durable decapitation knives when they met the heads of neighboring village households, and proudly declare that Lu Buqi, the head of Xibei Hu, was their brother.

Seeing Lu Buqi's actions, Wang Yingfu and the Four Heavenly Kings had their own thoughts, but they all shared one common thought: Lu Buqi was definitely not an ungrateful person.

On this day, another sunny morning, Wang Shuangqiao, wearing a light green knee-length dress and with her two "horns" replaced by two long braids, appeared at the North Gate again, standing alone, gazing at the melting snow outside the town.

Under the morning sun, Wang Shuangqiao's graceful figure cast a clear outline on the wooden pillar to the left, and her anticipation was evident.

"Shuangqiao... Shuangqiao?" At the bun shop, the bun widow had already closed for the day. Calling out twice and finding Wang Shuangqiao absent, she smiled with a hint of spring in her eyes: "This stubborn girl, she's off hoping for that boy Buqi again... She's just as silly as her father, Erxizi, when he was courting me."

Indeed, calculating the days, Lu Buqi and his group should be returning soon, so Wang Shuangqiao had been coming to wait every day, from sunrise to sunset, except for lunch, making her a beautiful sight at the North Gate of Guojian Town.

However, such a beautiful sight often inadvertently attracted unnecessary trouble, and even significant changes to one's life.

Accompanied by the sound of hooves, a somewhat strange, duck-like voice sounded behind Wang Shuangqiao: "Sixth Young Master is really something, to run all the way to this remote place for a lowly marsh slave, my crotch and thighs are all blistered..."

"Exactly... Duocai, I really regret coming here with you. Now that the chief manager is not around, that stingy old man just randomly assigned us to an inn without any proper reception. We can't even find women on our own, how embarrassing is that?" Another lecherous voice chimed in: "And there's nowhere to play during the day..."

Hearing this, Wang Shuangqiao frowned slightly, turned her head, and saw four men leading four tall horses approaching. The two men in front, both no more than ten years old, were dressed in fine cotton jackets. One had a broad face like a pancake and a flat nose; the other had shifty eyes and a rat-like appearance. They looked around, almost as if "riffraff" was written on their foreheads.

These men were the ones Wang Bo had sent to win over Lu Buqi. The broad-faced one was Wang Duocai, and the shifty-eyed one was his cousin, Wang Jinbao. The other two were the guards Wang Bo had assigned to them.

Wang Shuangqiao's frown deepened. She detested such people, who gave off an unscrupulous vibe, much like the ruffian Wang Ergou. She disdainfully curled her lip and turned back, continuing to use her mental power to slowly sense the meridians.

However, Wang Shuangqiao didn't realize that her fleeting glance and frown had left Wang Duocai and Wang Jinbao spellbound, their feet rooted to the ground.

"Duocai, this girl is really..." Wang Jinbao swallowed hard: "Too beautiful!"

Wang Duocai's eyes gleamed with desire: "Yes, she's beautiful. I, Wang Duocai, have seen the best of the six flower districts in Yangze, but I've never seen such a beauty..."

They exchanged a glance, their eyes gleaming with wicked intent, and they both approached. Wang Duocai reached out to touch Wang Shuangqiao's shoulder: "Little sister, what are you doing here..."

Wang Shuangqiao didn't expect these outsiders to dare to touch her in broad daylight. However, when Wang Duocai's hand was about to touch her shoulder, the martial skills she had practiced for a year and a half proved effective.

Her shoulder sank, and as she lunged forward without turning her head, her left leg, clad in a cotton pant, kicked back with a burst of strength, precisely the "Heart Deer Collision" from the Five Animal Imitation Boxing.

Feeling the kick hit a peculiar spot, Wang Duocai let out a scream of pain. Wang Shuangqiao used the momentum to surge forward, then spun around, swung her arm, and retreated, shouting: "What are you doing?"

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