Chapter 32

Taking his rightful spoils, Yang Yu then went to the government office to claim his reward from the accountant and returned the ghost-head saber to Wei He.

Only then did Yang Yu return home.

Unlike the constables, leaving one's post without permission was a serious offense for a jailer.

However, with Wang Fobao's permission, he naturally felt justified in returning home to rest.

"Indeed, as the ancients said, diligence is not as good as laziness, and laziness is not as good as plunder. The money these two bandits carried is more than what Old Li earned from storytelling in two years."

Yang Yu weighed the gains and losses in his mind.

The streets were sparse with pedestrians after the rain, and there were few vendors. Yang Yu wandered aimlessly, trying to dispel the oppression in his heart while also looking for other ingredients.

Unfortunately, he found nothing. Even in the pawnshops he had instructed, there were no ancient artifacts that caused the Cauldron of Gluttony to react.

As evening approached, he could only buy a batch of medicinal herbs and return home.

Before he even entered, he heard the sound of conversation inside. His heart stirred slightly, and he pushed the door open.

A quick glance revealed an old man with gray hair and a cane sitting at the head of the hall, talking to Grandma Yang.

"Xiao Yu is back?"

Seeing Yang Yu, the old man greeted him with a smile.

Grandma Yang, a bit nervous, hurriedly pulled Yang Yu's hand to introduce him.

This old man was named Yang Baotian, the nominal head of their branch of the family, a cousin to the old master. Their relationship seemed to have been good in the past.

"Alas, I am old. I have been living in the estate outside the city, but I never thought that Wang Liu would be so bold as to bully you."

Yang Baotian struck his cane heavily, seemingly indignant.

"Oh."

Yang Yu nodded coldly, sneering inwardly.

Good relationship?

It had been half a year since the old master's incident, and if their relationship was good, why did he only come now?

Moreover, he clearly remembered that on the day he killed Wang Liu, the couple mentioned that an elder from the clan had instructed them.

This old man might not be innocent.

"Alas, it is only natural for Xiao Yu to resent me."

Yang Baotian's brows furrowed slightly, and he sighed, "There are many people in the clan, and I cannot take care of everything..."

"Xiao Yu."

The old woman tightened her grip on Yang Yu's hand.

"Grandma, I'm tired. I'll go rest."

Yang Yu was too lazy to deal with this old man's nonsense, put down his things, and turned to go back to his room.

Back in his room, Yang Yu drew his waist knife and slowly reviewed the process and details of his fight with the two bandits.

At the same time, he listened to the commotion in the hall.

The walls were thin, and his hearing was excellent, so he could hear everything clearly, even if the voices were low.

However, to his surprise, Yang Baotian seemed to be there for a genuine visit.

Apart from chatting with Grandma Yang, he was just reminiscing about the past, which bored Yang Yu. After listening for a while, he stopped paying attention.

After half an hour, Yang Baotian took his leave, and Grandma Yang saw him to the door before returning to Yang Yu's room.

"Xiao Yu, don't let this old man deceive you!"

Yang Yu didn't speak, but the old woman's first words reassured him.

Closing the door and windows, the old woman pulled Yang Yu to sit down and whispered, "This old man says he has connections and wants you to take the child examination."

"Examination?"

Yang Yu's brows furrowed.

The Ming Dynasty was founded on military might, and for several generations, it was strong in martial arts but weak in literature. However, after the country stabilized, the situation reversed.

After all, no matter how many enemies you can defeat in battle, in governance, you cannot match the officials.

Yang Yu, of course, didn't take it seriously, but the old woman seemed somewhat moved, hesitating for a while before saying,

"Being a jailer is not a good career..."

"Grandma, we were almost forced to ruin and death, and this old man didn't come to help. Now he suddenly offers us a benefit, there must be something fishy."

Seeing the old woman's hesitation, Yang Yu patiently explained.

The difficulty of the examination was no less than martial arts training. He was already struggling with martial arts; how could he afford to be distracted?

"Then refuse him tomorrow."

The old woman's frown eased, and her mood improved. She really didn't want to have any more contact with these so-called relatives.

"There's no need to refuse."

Yang Yu shook his head, his eyes gleaming,

"Always being on guard is not a solution. Let's just agree and see what this old man is up to!"

He hadn't forgotten the clan elder mentioned by the couple on the day he killed Wang Liu.

He had only stopped because he had been training in martial arts for a short time and didn't know who was behind it, but that didn't mean he had forgotten.

He knew very well that if it weren't for the Cauldron of Gluttony, his life and Grandma's life would be in grave danger.

"This..."

The old woman hesitated but finally nodded.

Yang Yu had told her about Wang Fobao teaching him martial arts. Wang Fobao's reputation was significant, and it indeed dispelled the old woman's hesitation.

The old and young chatted for a while, mostly the old woman talking, and he listening.

In the past half year, the old woman's mood had improved, but as she spoke, Yang Yu's brows furrowed again.

Because more and more people were dying in the outer city, and the trend was spreading to the inner city.

The old woman wanted to go to the Liansheng Sect to pray.

"Grandma, stay away from the Liansheng Sect in the future."

Yang Yu was getting a headache.

Since obtaining the 'Old Mother's Breath Record,' he had been very concerned about the Liansheng Sect.

Although he hadn't found any substantial evidence, just thinking about the old woman he saw in the Cauldron of Gluttony made him shudder.

"If you don't fulfill your vow, you will offend the Old Mother..."

Seeing Yang Yu's serious expression, the old woman hesitated and worried, "I heard that those who don't fulfill their vows get seriously ill, and their whole family dies..."

"How is that possible?"

Yang Yu didn't believe it, but seeing the old woman's hesitation, he sighed,

"Grandma, the city is not peaceful these days. In a few days, I'll go with you to fulfill the vow, okay?"

"Grandma will listen to you."

The old woman nodded and went to the kitchen to prepare food.

"Troubled times!"

Sitting cross-legged on the bed, Yang Yu sighed, then gathered his thoughts and began to move his internal energy.

The hundred meridians of the human body are naturally connected. The purpose of the breath technique is to extract the internal energy generated daily from the blood and circulate it independently throughout the body.

The path of internal cultivation is to continuously accumulate internal energy.

The strength of a Blood Transformation Realm martial artist largely depends on the 'length of this breath.'

Like the iron dragon exhaling a breath that can kill, it is a method of using internal energy, a true 'internal energy martial art.'

The bandits using internal energy to make their blood flow like fire was just a superficial use of internal energy.

"I hope the saber techniques contained in this ghost-head saber are 'internal energy martial arts.'"

After a long time, he put aside the discomfort of killing and the烦恼 in his heart, and finally calmed down, entering the Cauldron of Gluttony.

The thick and broad ghost-head saber was emitting a faint red light.

"Refine!"