Capítulo 28: Chapter 26 Mr. Chu truly deserves to be an adult.
The monthly protection fee collection day.
This was the first time Chu Ning had the money to collect but didn't want to step out of the patrol house's main gate.
Ever since that drunken episode at the restaurant, he hadn't strolled around the town for seven days.
"It's all Tang Ruowei's fault, otherwise why would I suffer such social death!"
Chu Ning clenched his teeth in hatred. That day, after Tang Ruowei threw him out of the courtyard, he, along with Zhang Song and He Jin, didn't know which onion was acting funny and insisted on comparing sizes.
If you're going to compare, then compare, but the three were insistent on their own size, and even went to look for someone to judge.
The end result was that he came out on top.
But he also died a social death.
Now, the entire populace of Xiazhen Town knew that he was "big."
"Social death is social death, it's still better than being like Zhang Song and He Jin who died a social death and also lost," Chu Ning consoled himself. After a great deal of mental preparation, he finally stepped out of the patrol house's main gate.
"Mister Chu, ah, truly worthy of being called Mister Big."
"Mister Chu, what do you usually eat, can you share with us?"
"Mister Chu, any woman who's yours surely has her work cut out for her in the future."
As soon as he stepped out, confronted with the joking remarks of the townspeople, Chu Ning almost turned around and went back to the patrol house. Over the past two years, he had become familiar with the townspeople, and they all knew he was easygoing, which is why they dared to joke with him.
But this wasn't the main reason. For some unknown reason, the news had reached Old Auntie's ears. Old Auntie was very pleased, and every time she chatted with the women on the street, she would say to anyone who'd listen, "My little Ning..."
Unlike young girls, these women didn't mince their words, especially in small towns where crude and lewd jokes are common. From one to ten, ten to a hundred, the news spread like wildfire, and there was even a tendency for it to spread to other towns.
"If anyone mentions the word 'big' today, their tax silver increases by ten percent!"
Arriving at the commercial street and seeing those smiling merchants, Chu Ning spoke first, fearing that each of them would ask about it otherwise.
Sure enough, as soon as he said this, the merchants' faces fell with disappointment.
"Mister Chu... Mister Big, that doesn't count, right?"
"It doesn't count, pay up," Chu Ning glared at them, and under his menacing gaze, the merchants dared not joke any further.
...
...
A month later, at Daning County's Farewell Pavilion on the outskirts.
Chu Ning said goodbye to Ji Yang.
Two months later, Chu Ning bid farewell to Zhao Qin and Tang Ruowei.
"Cough, Chu Ning, don't worry. With me in the provincial city taking care of Tang Ruowei for you, I won't let other men get close to her."
Zhao Qin clapped Chu Ning on the shoulder, and Chu Ning rolled his eyes. That comment sounded so awkward.
"Why don't you fight me instead? If you can't defeat me in three moves, why don't you just kill yourself here?"
"Cough, what are you talking about… You and I are schoolmates, how could I fight you? I'll wait for you guys up ahead."
Zhao Qin, who had revealed his true self after getting drunk last time, wasn't so unapproachable anymore.
As for fighting Chu Ning, although he really wanted to, he knew that he couldn't defeat Chu Ning within three moves.
Because he couldn't defeat Tang Ruowei in three moves either.
And Tang Ruowei had said that she couldn't beat Chu Ning.
Now, only Tang Ruowei and Chu Ning remained at the scene.
The two looked at each other, speechless.
In the end, it was Tang Ruowei who broke the silence first.
"Chu Ning, how far have you come in your martial arts practice?"
"Do you want the truth or a lie?"
"What's the lie?"
"The lie is that I'm slightly stronger than you."
Tang Ruowei squinted her eyes into crescents, obviously somewhat tempted.
If being slightly stronger than herself was a lie, then it meant Chu Ning was not as strong as her.
She really wanted to beat up Chu Ning before leaving.
"And the truth?"
"The truth is, I could probably take on a dozen of you right now."
Tang Ruowei: …
The west wind picked up, stirring up the dust on the official road, and also brought along Tang Ruowei's voice.
"Chu Ning, when I feel I can beat you, I will definitely come back immediately to thrash you."
With a smile curving on his lips, Chu Ning watched the red figure racing down the official road, until she finally disappeared into its depths, leaving behind only a stunningly beautiful silhouette that lingered in his heart.
Standing there for a moment, he shook his head lightly with a laugh.
...
...
In the following month, Chu Ning began his banqueting career.
Jin Le got married.
Zhang Song got married.
He Jin got married.
...
Being a virgin had certain benefits for cultivating Dark Energy, but clearly, these three didn't care anymore. Anyway, since they couldn't advance to martial master in a short time, it didn't matter if it was a year earlier or later.
He thought after three wedding feasts it would be over.
The second month:
Jin Le took a concubine.
Zhang Song married a concubine.
He Jin married a concubine.
...
...
Chu Ning began to suspect that these three guys had conspired to take advantage of his solitude to extort wedding gifts.
In the second month, Chu Ning also received a letter from the borderlands, sent by Ji Yang.
In the letter, Ji Yang mentioned that he had joined the army and had been favored by a Martial General who took him as his personal guard. Chu Ning was happy for Ji Yang since being a general's personal guard meant he wouldn't have to be on the front lines.
Liang Country's border was with a nomadic nation that often raided and plundered across the border. Liang Country had once sent a large army deep into their territory, but the enemy was cunning, always fleeing before the advance of the troops, only to return and harass the border once the army had withdrawn.
Chu Ning couldn't reply to Ji Yang's letter because there was no one to deliver it; Ji Yang's letter could be sent back because the court allowed frontier soldiers to send a letter home every month.
By the fourth month, Chu Ning received another letter from Ji Yang, who was quite excited because he had killed three enemy soldiers and exchanged this deed for a bottle of "Invigorating Elixir," which contained ten pills.
Thereafter, every two months, Chu Ning would receive a letter from Ji Yang.
...
...
The year passed peacefully, and time moved into Chu Ning's third year.
Half of the twelve meridians in Chu Ning's body were already opened, quicker than he had imagined. At this rate, in another two to three years, he would break through to Martial General.
A Martial General at twenty would definitely be a genius among geniuses.
He had a bold guess in his heart: perhaps the energy from the Longevity Fruit was being released faster due to the continuous improvement of his physical strength.
This year, Old Aunt's hair had turned even whiter.
This New Year's, Chu Ning originally wanted to invite Old Liao to celebrate together, so he wouldn't be alone with nowhere to go, as even the opera houses would be closed on New Year's Eve.
But Old Liao proudly told him that this year, Xiao Xiang had invited him to spend the New Year at her home.
He also invited his teacher, but the teacher said he was accustomed to being alone and declined the invitation.
Chu Ning had an intuition that his teacher was also a man with a story.
From the teacher's notes, it could be seen that the teacher must have been similar to Zhao Qin in his earlier days. If he hadn't encountered some incident, it was unlikely for him to be teaching at a school.
After the New Year, on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, Chu Ning received a package from Tang Ruowei.
A letter, with only one sentence inside.
"Chu Ning, I have broken through to martial master, and I'm not far from the goal of beating you up."
Inside the package, besides the letter, there was a ceramic doll, a miniature version of himself.
Ceramic figurines were not found in Daning County as there were no kilns, but the capital city had them.
How did Tang Ruowei manage that?
Chu Ning became curious. This wasn't the modern era with photographs to model from, nor were there sketched portraits, so for the craftsman to create such a likeness based on Tang Ruowei's description was impressive.
This year on the Lantern Festival, Chu Ning also released lanterns.
He was becoming more and more integrated into this world.
...
...
"Today is the Lantern Festival."
Ji Yang looked up at the full moon, which was round everywhere, but how different people were everywhere.
He tightened his thick coat and sniffled.
Maybe it was just too cold on the frontier.
"Squad leader, would you like a drink to warm up?"
A teammate in his thirties handed over a leather gourd, and Ji Yang thanked him, took the flask, and took a big gulp, choking and coughing several times.
The liquor on the frontier was strong. In his last letter, he had told Chu Ning that compared to the booze at home, the liquor on the frontier was like water, which Chu Ning and Jin Le would certainly not believe. Especially Jin Le, he would certainly argue that the liquor in his family's tavern was the strongest.
After the war was over, he planned to bring a few flasks of frontier liquor back home. Then Jin Le would have nothing to say.
"Squad leader, seeing you so cheerful, are you thinking about your family?" The teammate sighed, "You know, at your age, it would have been good to continue serving as General Cui's personal guard, steadily earning military merits for a few years. It's dangerous to rush to the front lines like this."
"Aren't you guys on the front lines, too?"
"We don't have a choice. We've never practiced martial arts, we only have this bit of strength. How can we not fight with our lives on the line?"
Ji Yang smiled faintly. Yes, how else would he catch up with Chu Ning and the others if he didn't fight with all he had?
He just didn't want to be left too far behind.
And he had lied. He had told Chu Ning that he killed three enemy soldiers, but in reality, it was only one. It was the soldiers on the front lines who had captured ten enemy soldiers, and the general had allowed him to kill one to earn the credit for beheading an enemy.
Being a general's personal guard meant not having to charge to the front line, just being loyal to the general was enough. When the soldiers below captured enemy soldiers, the general would give his personal guards the opportunity to perform the execution.
But such opportunities only came a few times a year, and there was more than one personal guard for the general. In the end, he resigned from the position of personal guard to become a squad leader for a team of ten on the front lines.
The more it was the end of the year, the more frequent were the enemy soldiers' harassments.
In the two months at the front lines, he had already killed seven enemy soldiers.
From the initial discomfort and hesitation to take a life, since it was a living being, to the subsequent numbness.
If he didn't kill the enemy soldiers, the villagers in the border settlements would be the ones to die.
Being merciful to enemy soldiers was cruelty to the villagers.
"Squad leader, get some good rest. I'll stand watch tonight."
The enemy's soldiers were skilled horsemen, often conducting small scattered raids on the borders, while their own frontline soldiers were divided into squads of ten and companies of a hundred, responsible for patrolling and guarding different areas.
"Enemy attack!"
Just as Ji Yang was about to nod off, a sharp whistle sounded, signaling an enemy raid.
"All squad members, assemble quickly!"
Glancing toward the direction of the whistle, Ji Yang immediately called his nine squad members to move rapidly towards it.
This Lantern Festival, he was destined not to enjoy the moonlight and think of home.
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