Cheng Yu looked at Luo Xuan in surprise. "Are you really planning to take him on as a guard?"
"No need to rush." Luo Xuan shook her head with a smile. "We're giving each other a chance to see if he's qualified.
We'll wait for him to find us and see how he performs.
If his improvement next month meets my standards, what's the harm in cultivating him?
Besides, it could also influence Fang Yong.
Killing two birds with one stone."
"He's so lucky. For a country bumpkin to receive your attention and patronage, it must be a blessing he's earned over several lifetimes." Cheng Yu said with a light laugh. "If he knew about this, I'm afraid he wouldn't be able to sleep at night.
In his current situation, without your patronage, Miss Luo, he'd probably have to return to his mountain village next year.
And that would be his life.
If others found out you were going to cultivate him, they'd be beating their chests and stamping their feet in jealousy."
After a pause, Cheng Yu suddenly asked curiously, "But how are you going to give him an opening?"
Hearing this, Luo Xuan smiled and took out a handkerchief. "This."
"How are you going to use that?" Cheng Yu was confused.
Luo Xuan stood at an intersection and waited for a moment until Jiang Man's figure appeared from another street.
Only then did she let go of the handkerchief in her hand, letting it fall. Then, Luo Xuan quickly left with Cheng Yu.
Only after they saw Jiang Man pick up the handkerchief from their hiding spot did Cheng Yu say in admiration, "You can do it like that? Doesn't that mean he'll come looking for you right away to return the handkerchief?
Then the matter of cultivating him will fall into place naturally.
You've given him the opening; all he has to do is take it."
Luo Xuan nodded slightly, a smile on her lips. "Let's go. He'll come looking for us by tomorrow at the latest. We'll just have to see if he can pass my test."
At this moment, Jiang Man stood there, looking at the handkerchief in his hand.
He had just seen Luo Xuan and her companion, so he naturally knew it was theirs.
Especially since it had the character "Xuan" embroidered on it.
There was no doubt about who the owner was.
But she had already stopped asking him to be her sparring partner.
'It'd be a hassle to go out of my way to return it.'
Jiang Man looked around, intending to just leave it somewhere.
'It's just a handkerchief. If she lost it, she lost it. Would anyone really go to the trouble of returning it?
It's not like she's from some poor family that can't afford a new one.'
However, just as he was about to put the handkerchief down, he suddenly saw Song Qing.
The guy had been sparring with him for the past two days.
'He seems okay.'
He was looking all gloomy right now. 'I guess I could give him the handkerchief so he has something to pine over.'
With that, Jiang Man called out to him.
He briefly explained the situation and handed the item over.
Taking the handkerchief, Song Qing looked at Jiang Man gratefully.
He realized Jiang Man was truly a good person. He himself had provoked the man, and couldn't even beat him.
'I thought any chance of a recommendation was impossible.'
'But this handkerchief...'
'Isn't this him telling me to return it to her, giving me a chance for an interview?'
"I'm off," Jiang Man said before striding away.
Song Qing was deeply moved.
He put away the handkerchief and quickly left.
Back at the stables, Jiang Man couldn't shake the feeling that Song Qing's expression had been strange.
'He's not actually going to return it, is he?'
Jiang Man shook his head.
He stopped thinking about it. Instead, after eating a large meal, he began his Cultivation of the Qi Blood Technique.
This time, it was Outer Cultivation, meant to enhance his Qi and Blood and strengthen his Physical Body.
Spiritual Qi guided his Qi and Blood, circulating it through a full Circulation.
As his Qi and Blood resonated with his body, some of it was refined and integrated into his flesh, blood, and bones.
The Qi and Blood entered his flesh, opening the first Gourd.
Physical Body First Layer.
He immediately began to accumulate more.
It was smooth and fast.
Afterward, Jiang Man continued the circulation.
But after just ten repetitions, he felt hungry.
Extremely hungry, to the point of nearly fainting.
Without daring to hesitate, he immediately took out his stored meat and ate it all.
However, the more he ate, the hungrier he became. He couldn't withstand it.
Finishing the meat only provided some relief.
He then immediately ate half of his stored grain.
Only then did the hunger stop.
This kind of hunger left Jiang Man somewhat stunned and bewildered.
'How can I be this hungry?'
He then checked his Blood Gourd; it was less than a tenth full.
'It gets this hungry for just this much?'
He had spent three hundred Spiritual Source on food and ate one hundred and fifty worth in a single sitting?
"How many times did you cultivate? To eat this much?" The Old Yellow Ox came over, a look of confusion on its face.
"Ten times," Jiang Man answered truthfully.
He hadn't expected to get this hungry either.
Hearing this, the Old Yellow Ox frowned. "What layer is your Qi Blood Technique at?"
Jiang Man looked at it and said, "Brother Niu, haven't you already figured it out?"
The Old Yellow Ox fell silent. Qi Blood Technique Ninth Layer, Qi Refining Method Ninth Layer.
'How in the world does he cultivate?'
It didn't ask.
'If I ask, the answer will just be Talent.
It's meaningless.'
"With the Qi Blood Technique Ninth Layer, your improvement is fast, but so is your consumption," the Old Yellow Ox said. "For someone like you, it's best to buy some specially raised Beast Meat."
Jiang Man thought for a moment and said, "I did ask about it. It's three hundred Spiritual Source per jin. I have a little over nine hundred left, so three jin at most."
"If you don't have Spiritual Source, just go earn some," the Old Yellow Ox said casually.
Jiang Man fell silent.
'If Spiritual Source were that easy to earn, I wouldn't have made a point of mentioning the price.
I was lucky and it still took me a whole month to earn 1,300.'
Although his Cultivation had improved now, Spiritual Source was still just as hard to earn.
But he couldn't afford not to earn it. It seemed he would have to find Steward Miao again.
Otherwise, there was no way he could reach the Qi Refining Sixth Layer in two months.
Out of curiosity, Jiang Man asked the Old Yellow Ox if it knew how to earn Spiritual Source.
The answer he got was that it didn't eat meat.
Jiang Man: "..."
In the end, he went to the resource depot and bought the special Beast Meat.
Three jin.
After eating it, he could indeed feel his Qi and Blood surging, and he began to cultivate the Qi Blood Technique.
Again and again.
After forty repetitions, the Gourd was already half full.
'So fast.'
But he was hungry again.
He ate another jin and cultivated until dawn.
After fifty repetitions, the Gourd was filled.
After eating the third jin.
After cultivating for ten repetitions, he broke through and opened the second Gourd in one go.
Physical Body Second Layer.
With that, Jiang Man finally let out a sigh of relief.
He had spent nearly a thousand Spiritual Source.
He could advance his Cultivation now, but Jiang Man wasn't in a hurry. He wanted to fill three Gourds with Qi and Blood first.
Tonight, he would use his Spiritual Qi to earn Spiritual Source.
'I wonder what my base price is now.'
During the day, Jiang Man followed his routine: study, then cultivate.
During sparring, however, Song Qing was somewhat distracted, his mind clearly elsewhere.
In the evening, Luo Xuan led the way out.
Jiang Man also went to the guard post to inquire about the price.
—
Meanwhile, Song Qing spent the entire day mentally preparing himself before finally mustering the courage to walk toward Luo Xuan's residence.
He had already replayed the scene in his mind hundreds of times, knowing exactly what to say and do.
He had to fight for a chance to stay.
At Luo Xuan's residence, Cheng Yu sat at a table with her chin in her hands. "Why isn't that Jiang Man here yet?"
"No need to rush. He needs time to think it through," Luo Xuan said calmly while eating a pastry. "He'll come once he's figured it out."
"He has no idea how many people envy him. For Miss Luo to take an interest in him and give him a chance, it's the opportunity of a lifetime," Cheng Yu said.
Luo Xuan paid her no mind and cultivated quietly instead.
She didn't plan on wasting any time.
A moment later, there was a knock on the door.
Cheng Yu immediately jumped up. "He's here! Let me see how he's going to thank Miss Luo."
She quickly went to the main door and opened it.
But the moment the door opened, she saw a man kneeling on one knee, his head bowed, speaking respectfully, "Miss Luo, I am willing to serve you with utmost loyalty."
————
Thank you to book friend [keyhalo] for the Alliance Leader reward.
This is the second Alliance Leader now, which is honestly a bit embarrassing.
It really didn't have to be this way.
In the future, I'll be too embarrassed to say things like, "I'll post extra chapters when I have time."
Thank you for your support!
When I get the chance, I will add more.