Chapter 157: Reliving the Feeling of Scrounging a Meal

On the south side of the Zhen Mo Si government office, an extremely tall wall cut off the view between inside and outside.

In this way, the newcomers inside were made to forget the bustle of Outside Qingzhou and devote all their thoughts to cultivation.

Advancing to the initial realm in ten years was something most sect disciples would not dare hope for.

But with the Zhen Mo Si's abundant resources piled up, the martial artists at the initial realm within these walls actually sprouted up like bamboo shoots after the rain, batch after batch, never ceasing—many of them didn't even need ten years to come out.

No one guarded the gate.

The Captains squeezed every ounce of energy from these newcomers every day.

Led by Chen Jinyu, Shen Yi slowly stepped onto this land thick with the smell of sweat.

If he hadn't managed to break through the initial realm back then, he should be one of them right now.

The black night hung heavy and thick; in the distance were densely packed, cramped little courtyards, flickering with dim light strung together in a line.

"They're all single courtyards."

Chen Jinyu seemed quite satisfied with such an environment—compared to when they were in Bai Yunxian, her brother's current lodging was much more spacious.

Even she, as a family member, had been arranged a separate dwelling not far from here.

"Not bad." Shen Yi nodded casually.

Strict with the newcomers they might be, but they wouldn't really make people squeeze into a communal bunk—after all, these people weren't soldiers; in the future they would all be lone operators in black robes. As long as they could rack up some merits and add a cloud pattern to their cuffs, they could enjoy quite decent treatment.

Called a courtyard, it was actually just two rooms facing each other, with a small patch of open ground in between barely wide enough for five people to stand shoulder to shoulder.

The little cookfire Chen Jinyu had mentioned was set up on the open ground; a glug-glug sound rose from the earthenware pot, the aroma of meat filling the air.

Two men, visibly burlier than before, wearing sleeveless undershirts, squatted on the ground staring longingly at the pot.

Niu Da swallowed his saliva: "Lucky your sister's here—what kind of stuff do they usually feed us."

Chen Ji fanned the fire gently and laughed: "It's good stuff we wouldn't have dared dream of before."

How could the Zhen Mo Si shortchange them on food? It was all medicinal herbs and meat—just that no one bothered to put in any effort, a simple hodgepodge stew not even willing to scatter in two grains of salt, the flavor a bit on the bland side.

Just then, a crisp shout came from behind the two men: "Brother!"

Niu Da instinctively shielded the pot with his body and raised his arm to protect the back of his head.

Chen Ji turned to look, the hand waving the fan slowly coming to a halt, seeming quite surprised.

He then sprang up from the ground in excitement: "Lord Shen!"

Although less than three months had passed, arriving in the unfamiliar Outside Qingzhou somehow always felt as if a very long time had gone by.

He carefully examined the black robe on the young man, saying with pleasant surprise: "You've already put on the Captain's uniform."

Although there was no cloud pattern on the cuff yet, given Lord Shen's strength, that was only a matter of time.

"Scoot over." Shen Yi walked to the pot and squatted down, too lazy to explain to this kid the difference between a Captain and a Deputy Commander.

"Lord Shen." Niu Da hurriedly moved aside, still raising his arm to shield his head—clearly he'd developed a shadow over that uniform—but seeing a fellow townsman strike it rich, he couldn't help but flash a simple, proud grin.

A constable from Bai Yunxian, even arriving in Outside Qingzhou, was not someone to be ordered about.

Chen Jinyu carefully took out three sets of bowls and chopsticks from the room and handed them out: "Shh, don't let the Captains find out."

"Hehe, I'll drink mine back in the room." Niu Da nimbly ladled out chicken soup for Shen Yi—just the same as when they had their midday meal back in the Bai Yunxian government office courtyard.

Shen Yi picked up his bowl, watching the thick layer of oil floating on the soup's surface, the steam pressed down beneath the oil.

It didn't look like it had been stewed for long; the tender, plump chicken leg dripped with juices.

He unusually found a bit more appetite, unsure whether it was the chicken leg he craved, or that touch of tangible feeling toward this world.

"Hah! Caught you lot again!"

With a sharp rebuke, a Captain in a cloud-patterned black robe, whip in hand, strode over, half-annoyed, half-amused: "Told you family members aren't allowed in—want to be dragged out again?"

Niu Da slammed the door shut with a bang, hiding inside the room and wincing as he poured the scalding chicken soup into his mouth.

Chen Ji turned around somewhat awkwardly: "Lord Liu… last time…"

"Don't think just because your talent's good you can do whatever you want." Captain Liu rolled his eyes, not truly angry, and admonished: "You've already wasted so many years as it is—focus your mind, aim to break through the initial realm in two or three years, and get out sooner, alright?"

"And you, which courtyard are you from…"

He raised his whip and pointed inside, then his whole body trembled three times.

The fair-faced young man squatted quietly on the ground, a soup bowl in hand; his dark eyes held a little less of their usual cold severity, but they still instantly reminded Captain Liu of the figure seated astride outside the Vajra Gate.

"Y-you, m-me…" He tucked the whip behind his back.

"Don't mind me." Shen Yi gave a slight nod.

He had simply come to scrounge a meal and didn't want to affect anyone else.

Captain Liu's strange expression clearly left the brother and sister somewhat at a loss, but after one sentence from Lord Shen, the other man retreated from the courtyard with lingering fear: "Please, enjoy your meal."

Chen Ji was briefly stunned, then squatted back down again: "…"

Just as he'd said to Zhang the Butcher before, with Lord Shen, nothing should be surprising—a man like this was destined to be awed by everyone.

Only, in such a short span of time, even a Zhen Mo Si Captain was this cautious around him—surely while he himself was still diligently training, the other had done many great things.

"Lord Shen, is being a Zhen Mo Si Captain very dangerous?" Chen Ji asked curiously.

"Not sure, I haven't been one for many days either, but being careful is always good." Shen Yi waited for the chicken soup to be a little less scalding, then drank it down in one go, feeling the warmth in his stomach; the earlier boredom slowly faded, replaced by a touch of comfort.

Apart from slaying demons and monsters, he actually still preferred the life of an ordinary person.

"Lord Liu said my aptitude's not bad, I'll be able to break through the initial realm soon." Chen Ji excitedly shared the recent news he'd heard.

How a constable from some county had broken through the Skin Barrier and received a reward from a Captain; how some newcomer had secretly slacked off and gotten several lashes.

Shen Yi held the chicken leg, chewed the meat, and occasionally chimed in with a word or two.

Chen Jinyu sat quietly beside them listening, until deep into the night she rose, tidied up one of the rooms, and hugged the fierce wolf cloak as she bid the two goodnight.

Chen Ji saw his sister out of the courtyard, then turned back: "I overheard a few Captains chatting, saying Outside Qingzhou's been unstable lately—Lord Shen should be extra careful too."

"It's alright, they won't let me out these past few days, so I'm just staying here at your place." Shen Yi stretched lazily.

"You got it." Chen Ji fetched water and washed the pot and bowls clean.

He didn't ask Lord Shen why he would leave the Captain's residence to rest in a place like this.

Back then, the other party could casually toss over ten taels of silver, yet begrudge letting him take one more look at the roast goose leg in his hand—Chen Ji had long grown used to it.

(End of chapter)