Chapter 8

So, Xiuying said she really liked it and that he should give it to her so it wouldn’t go to waste. Bu Zheng then said, "Isn’t giving it to you a waste too? How about I give it to you at eighty percent off?" Xiuying turned around and left, not bothering to deal with Bu Zheng. In the end, Bu Zheng chased after Xiuying for a long time, reducing the price from eighty percent off to thirty percent off. His pained expression made Xiuying want to beat him up. What made her even more speechless was that Bu Zheng still tried to get close to the girl in front of him. She could only say two words: "Despicable!" Of course, she knew that Bu Zheng was doing this to marry a beautiful wife, not because he truly loved her. But this only made his despicable nature more apparent. Xiuying didn’t try to persuade Bu Zheng to give up, not because she thought it was possible. In fact, the girl in front of her was close to most of the talented young men in the village, and it was unlikely that Bu Zheng would have a chance. She didn’t persuade Bu Zheng to give up because she knew it wouldn’t work, and she also had a bit of a mean streak, enjoying seeing Bu Zheng in a bind, though she didn’t mock him excessively. No matter what, when she saw the girl coming, she was sure Bu Zheng would go over. She was already waiting to see Bu Zheng get embarrassed. But to her surprise, Bu Zheng didn’t act as expected. He didn’t even look at the girl, just casually saying, "I saw her, isn’t it just Zhao Yuer?"

"??"

Xiuying found this strange. What was going on? From his tone, it seemed he was treating her like a passerby. Could it be that this guy had finally come to his senses and realized he had no chance?

She didn’t know that after meeting Murong Qing and Ling Aoxue, ordinary beauties couldn’t impress Bu Zheng anymore. In Zhao Yuer’s case, he had initially been attracted to her beauty, but now he found her beauty to be quite ordinary, no different from Xiuying. Given this situation, and the fact that he had no particular feelings for Zhao Yuer, he naturally had no interest in pursuing her.

"Hurry up and get your sword!" Bu Zheng urged Xiuying, preventing her from thinking too much about it. At that moment, the girl glanced curiously at Bu Zheng, finding his reaction today strange, but she quickly dismissed it and paid no more attention to Bu Zheng’s odd behavior.

Bu Zheng got the iron sword and immediately left Xiuying, which left her speechless. "You really don’t treat me like an outsider, not even saying thank you."

Forget it, she thought, and went back to continue practicing. In a month, it would be the recruitment month, and she needed to join a good sect. She had forgotten to tell Bu Zheng, but he probably knew already.

Bu Zheng, of course, knew. He was very concerned about the recruitment month, as it was his chance to turn his life around. Practicing swordsmanship was partly to prepare for this opportunity. Looking at the iron sword in his hand, though it was a crude one, it suited his current needs and was more than enough for practice. He would cherish and maintain it, making it look the part.

Of course, it wasn’t because it was from Xiuying! His sword skills were becoming more proficient, but they were also becoming less like the original. This made him wonder if he lacked the talent for swordsmanship, but he didn’t give up. He continued practicing, as it was beneficial to him. Bu Zheng felt that the most useful thing he learned from the two beauties was not the sword skills but their movement techniques. In their battles, they used several highly advanced movement techniques—agile, fast, and deceptive. They fought from the mountaintop to the valley and back, so movement was crucial.

The deceptive techniques, like illusions, didn’t interest him. He preferred the fast and agile ones because he used them for gathering herbs, not for combat. Practicing swordsmanship was more of a hobby and for hunting wild animals to improve his meals.

He learned what he could at his current level. The more advanced techniques were still beyond him, but even so, he was satisfied because his efficiency in gathering herbs had greatly improved, and he could now reach places he couldn’t before.

Because he needed to gather herbs, he used movement techniques more often than swordsmanship, which made his movement skills better, especially in speed, jumping, and climbing. These were for gathering herbs, not for combat. Of course, he also practiced combat techniques while training with the sword.

Whether it was swordsmanship, qi cultivation, or lightness skills, he practiced them for his livelihood, not to compete with others. His life goal was simple: earn money, buy land, and get married.

Becoming a world-class expert? That wasn’t his dream, nor could it be. His life hadn’t been stirred by any great passion. Although his parents had died, it was an accident and a result of life’s pressures, not a vendetta. His values were simple, with no grand ambitions. In short, he was a small-town bumpkin! How could a small-town bumpkin have grand aspirations? Becoming the best in the world and maintaining peace? All he could think about was eating well, living well, and dressing well. After being well-fed and warm, he might not even think about more; he would just want a good night’s sleep and a pleasant dream.

Unless, his talent was discovered, and he might have a slightly bigger dream. Yes, earn more money, buy more land, and take another wife.

But for now, he was still a simple, honest small-town bumpkin. Time passed quickly, and the recruitment month was approaching. For him, this was a significant event. If successful, he would have a good job. To him, this was a good job, but to others, it was an opportunity to gain power and change their fate. This recruitment month was a universal event, though it might be a bit later or earlier in different places. All over the world, sects would recruit disciples during this month. There were also special recruitments, which were not time-bound, but only geniuses of geniuses could enjoy this treatment, not ordinary geniuses!

For someone like the young man, who was even a bit of a liability, it was impossible to enjoy such treatment. He could only enter the sects through the recruitment month. Now, he needed to go to the county town with the villagers. The recruitment place was in the county town, and the sects wouldn’t come to the village to recruit, unless they heard of a genius. Usually, everyone would go to the county town and participate in the small trials prepared by the sects. Of course, he could go alone, but he wasn’t that reclusive. Going with others provided support, and most importantly, a group led by someone didn’t need to pay an application fee.

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