Chapter 989: Old Friend

After the two of them left, Chu Li and Xiao Qi were the only ones left in the courtyard.

Xiao Qi glanced at him.

Chu Li smiled. “Lady, you may leave too, I’ll be fine on my own.”

“If someone attacks you, how are you going to counterattack? You can’t just run away!” Xiao Qi replied.

Chu Li nodded. “That’s true. Thank you in advance then, my Lady.”

“I’ll buy two residences tomorrow.” Xiao Qi added, “We’ll just stay in one each.”

Chu Li looked at her helplessly.

Xiao Qi explained, “We should abide by the rules that physical contact between a man and a woman is forbidden, we can’t stay in the same residence.”

“Uh…” Chu Li shook his head. “Lady, your Regal Sword Scripture is at a sufficient level of attainment, right?”

He wondered, ‘Looks like Xiao Qi saw through my intentions. Being at the waterfront allows me to catch the rising moon first. If we were to stay together in this small town, in time, my constant efforts will spark love between us. As defensive as she is with her heart, she won’t be able to resist me.’

“Yes.” Xiao Qi answered, “I’ll have to cultivate in isolation one of these days.”

Chu Li replied, “Alright.”

‘One of the residences can be used for cultivation, while the other is for normal usage.’ He secretly planned.

With that, Xiao Qi and Chu Li went to look for a middleman in town and found two residences that were connected. The two residences were located near the river in the north, where the stone steps were covered with moss and long grass filled the gaps between the bluestone paths.

Both Chu Li and Xiao Qi were very satisfied with the residences.

Right outside, a clear little river could be seen. They could wash their clothes by the river, or sail on a boat. Beside the river, weeping willows swayed beautifully with the wind, which was quite a dreamy view.

In addition, a shop was situated behind their residences, hence they bought it as well.

Previously, the shop sold grains but had been closed down.

The shop was positioned on the side of the central street, thus was facing a rather bustling area.

Although this town was not as flourishing as Fairy’s Capital, it was not at all inferior to Qing Yun Town. In fact, it was even better than that. After all, people who were sent here were influential, wealthy figures who lived extravagantly; which was why they were able to attract skillful craftsmen. There were quite a number of extraordinary people in the town.

That being said, Chu Li was not going to open the shop as he was not short of money and did not want to be distracted by such worldly matters. Besides, money would surely attract trouble, nobody could simply earn money mindlessly because there were other things to deal with.

He decided to study the White Tiger Power.

In the evening, the sun began setting, so the two of them left their residences to look for dinner. Being the third lady of the High Duke’s Public House, Xiao Qi had no culinary skills, hence they dined in a restaurant in the town.

Everywhere around them was filled with a lively atmosphere. As they sat by the window and enjoyed their dinner, they conversed.

“Is he going to drop this matter?” Xiao Qi asked, then took a sip of wine.

She had removed her veil, therefore revealing her stunning looks which attracted the attention of other men.

Xiao Qi was totally unbothered, she furrowed her brows and fixed her gaze on Chu Li. “If you force him to admit defeat, there’ll definitely be hidden troubles. I’m afraid that he’ll plot a scheme against you in the future!”

“It’s not the time yet.” Chu Li smiled. “I’ll slow things down and settle him slowly. If I don’t push him to a dead end, he’ll eventually spring up again.”

“At least you understand.” Xiao Qi could finally be at ease.

She was afraid that Chu Li would neglect Chang Gui as she knew that a petty fella like him would only become an obstacle, especially when it was such a crucial time for Chu Li. Should Chang Gui hinder him even if it meant risking his life, the consequences would be unpredictable.

All of a sudden, Chu Li was stunned. He called out, “Commander Xu!”

When the middle-aged man who was walking up the stairs slowly looked up and saw Chu Li, his face lit up with a smile. The man was Xu Huande.

He wore a long, dust-colored gown, and appeared to be spiritless.

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Immediately, Chu Li stood up to greet him with a fist salute. Xu Huande approached him, then sighed. “I can’t believe that we’ve become brothers in hardship, you’re here too!”

“I’m here to accompany you, Commander Xu.” Chu Li smiled.

On the other hand, Xiao Qi only bowed with her head without saying a word.

Xu Huande asked, “Why were you sent here?”

Chu Li looked around them, then said with a smile, “I told King Ping who the mastermind was.”

Right away, Xu Huande’s face changed, then he shook his head after pondering for a while. “Why bother? You’re looking for trouble!”

“There’s nothing I could do, I can’t change my temper.” Chu Li continued, “Commander Xu, you should be reinstated soon, right?”

“That’s going to be tough.” Xu Huande shook his head again. “My position has been occupied. He’s very adored and trusted by the emperor, so he won’t be stripped of his position as the deputy commander anytime soon. As for myself, the emperor wouldn’t even bother if I were to stay here for a few more years.”

“Uh…” Chu Li was disappointed. “Commander Xu, why are you injured then?”

He could tell that Xu Huande was severely injured but was only forcing himself to look as if nothing was wrong.

Weak inner forces spiraled in his main organs, which were constantly eroding them. His body was deteriorating non-stop and according to the speed, he would be dead in less than two days.

Xu Huande smiled bitterly.

Back in Secret Guardian Hall, he had always put on a solemn face as if he wore an iron mask. He was always expressionless and appeared composed toward everything as in he was numb or indifferent. On the contrary, he now had a sorrowful look on his face. “I offended too many people in Secret Guardian Hall, so they squared accounts with me here.”

“How dare they!” Chu Li’s face darkened.

Xu Huande expressed, “Forget it, they’re either from the Inner Imperial Mausoleum or the Outer Imperial Mausoleum and they’re extremely unrestrained, you won’t be able to do anything to them. Besides, your martial arts have been crippled!”

Chu Li nodded slowly.

“Oh right, you must be careful since you’re from Secret Guardian Hall too.” Xu Huande warned him, “I’m afraid that you’ll face difficulties in the town!”

“It’s alright, I have no commissions.” Chu Li smiled. “Thanks to a few Royal Highnesses, I was assigned with an unimportant commission, where I don’t have to leave my residence, and can cultivate at home.”

“Disaster will knock on your door even if you stay home!” Xu Huande shook his head but smiled at him later. “I’m not as lucky, I dare not be crippled of martial arts.”

He was aware that having martial arts crippled meant that he need not serve at the Imperial Mausoleum, where he could live out of town, and it was very likely that he would be summoned by the emperor again.

However, with his identity, he knew that this would not work for him.

Without any martial arts, he was useless to the emperor and would never be summoned back to Fairy’s Capital. Moreover, he knew that he would suffer as soon as he came to the Imperial Mausoleum since he would be singled out with nobody to rely on. If he were to lose his martial arts too, he would be easily slaughtered by others and that would be a tragedy!

Chu Li nodded with a smile. “If I stay away from the Outer Mausoleum, I won’t face so much resentment, right?”

“The people from Outer Mausoleum will go to you.” Xu Huande shook his head. “They’ll surely seek trouble, I’m afraid that you can’t hide from them!”

“I have the Lady’s protection.” Chu Li grinned.

Xu Huande shook his head again. “According to the Adjacent Town’s rule, non-family members aren’t allowed to stay permanently. She can only stay for a maximum of seven days.”

Chu Li raised his brows.

“When Lady Xiao leaves in seven days, who’s going to protect you?” Xu Huande asked.

“Only family members?” Chu Li frowned.

Xiao Qi frowned without saying a word too.

Xu Huande added, “If Lady Xiao is your wife, she can stay, but she’s not, so she must leave after seven days. Nobody can go against this rule!”

“How else can someone stay here permanently?” Xiao Qi raised the question.

Xu Huande replied, “Brothers or sisters, but they must be related by blood. For those who are not blood-related, they must be one’s husband or wife.

Chu Li could not help but chuckle, “Looks like I’ll have to live by myself.”

Xu Huande commented, “Now that your martial arts have been crippled, don’t think that they’ll let you off according to the rules of the martial arts world. Instead, they’ll take more intensified actions against you!”

Upon hearing him, Xiao Qi became very worried.