Chapter 1081: Chapter 743: Strange Object
"Still haven’t found him...?" For some reason, it seemed like Yang Xiao had long predicted this result. He wasn’t surprised at all.
"Little Yang, don’t worry too much. Even if he’s still alive, he’s like a startled bird now. It’s unlikely he’d come looking for you deliberately. There’s not that much animosity between you two. Besides, his most urgent task now is to find a safe place to recover."
What Director Nalan said made sense, but Yang Xiao hadn’t mentioned anything about the Soul-Capturing Mirror’s secret chamber to Nalan Shuo. The value of these ancient books was hard to quantify, but they were definitely an astonishing fortune.
He had stolen from the sect master and taken several magic artifacts the sect master had his eyes on. The other party would definitely not let him go.
Recently, Yang Xiao handled his work normally during the day and went to the Mirror World at night to train the Mirror Ghost. He now had a special status, not only was he the Deputy Director of the Lin’an Patrol Office, but he was also acting as a specialist for the Action Bureau, with endless tasks to handle daily.
Keeping busy was good; life became fulfilling. He continuously kept an eye out for information about the young sect master, but after some time, he found nothing. Nalan Shuo consoled him, saying the person probably died somewhere and that the small possibility remaining was that he had smuggled himself abroad.
During this period, Yang Xiao finally settled down and began to resume training. As for firearm training, the Bald Coach straightforwardly told him that other than reminding him to distinguish between friend and foe before shooting, there was nothing left to teach him. In this regard, Yang Xiao was truly the expert.
The training focus shifted to his physical fitness and combat skills. The coach Zhu Yina, who had once beaten Yang Xiao to the point of fainting, was no longer his match. Nalan Shuo hired another martial arts expert specifically for his training.
The new coach was slender, dark-skinned, seeming like someone from the Myanmar and Thailand region, always having the habit of looking at people sideways with a fierce appearance. His Chinese wasn’t very fluent, but his skills were amazing, his moves fierce and aggressive, aiming directly at vital points, and with Yang Xiao’s current level, he couldn’t withstand even ten moves from him.
In his spare time, Yang Xiao chatted with this martial arts expert who called himself Chachai, and they often had to use hand gestures to communicate. Chachai told him that in his hometown, they were forced to practice martial arts from a very young age. Their hard skills were honed by kicking tree trunks and hitting hard wooden stakes. Without practicing, they wouldn’t even have food to eat.
In his hometown, martial arts were rampant, with underground arenas everywhere. Fighters brawled on stage while people below bet on them.
In underground boxing matches, there weren’t many rules, only winning and losing. It was common for people to die in the ring.
He was a somewhat famous boxing king in his hometown. Once, he caught the eye of a domestic boss who was conducting research there and was bought for a high price and subsequently brought back to the country.
Chachai had good impressions of the country. Whenever he mentioned the boss who brought him back, he would fold his hands and pray for him.
After some interactions, Yang Xiao learned that Chachai’s hometown was in the lawless areas around Myanmar and Thailand. However, Chachai seemed quite averse to the topic. Each time it came up, he would either awkwardly change the subject in broken Chinese or remain silent.
Yang Xiao, being perceptive, realized that Chachai never mentioned his family, and his sullen personality might be related to his experiences.
There was also good news during this period. First, he received a letter from Yang Cha, telling Yang Xiao that all was well and that the reconstruction of the Ru Lin Academy was in full swing.
Though the academy had faced a great disaster, it was not defeated. The Old Clan Leader Yang Qianhe had also come out of retirement, and many of the elders scattered across the country were being called back.
Another matter concerned Qu Muzhi; his appointment had been finalized, issued by the Provincial Office, officially appointing Qu Muzhi as the Director of the Rongcheng Luming Public Office.
One must know that under normal procedures, he should have been appointed as Acting Director first and then made permanent after a period of evaluation. But this wasn’t the case for Qu Muzhi, whose appointment was immediate, showing how much the high-level officials of the Provincial Office valued him.
This wasn’t just due to his father’s influence. Qu Muzhi himself was quite capable. Even before making a name for himself, he was undeniably the top captain in Rongcheng.
This top captain title wasn’t just confined to the Patrol Defense Office but among all captain positions in Rongcheng, he was the strongest.
Whether it was the Apostles Union, the Chamber of Commerce, or any other local force, no captain from these could compete with Qu Muzhi.
Thinking about it, just among the captains and vice-captains Yang Xiao was familiar with, Beibei, Wu Zhe, and the late Captain Wu Zhengwu, most were at the high-rank level of Grudge Level, completely inadequate before Qu Muzhi, who was halfway into the Ghost Level.
In the evening, Yang Xiao shamelessly asked Qu Muzhi to treat him to a meal, addressing him as Director Qu and taking full advantage.
Several months passed by unknowingly. During this time, Yang Xiao followed the methods taught by his martial uncle, trying to avoid physical confrontations and using spiritual power gradually when handling magic artifacts. These experiences were extremely useful for Yang Xiao.
Perhaps the good days had been too many; every time Yang Xiao lay in bed, he found himself somewhat nostalgic for the days of struggling to survive in the Nightmare World. It wasn’t true nostalgia, just a sentiment.
Every once in a while, Ling Yanyu would report the situation of Xiang Ma Town to him. According to Ling Yanyu, Tong Han was completely acting like the one in charge now, managing their business and the dozens of apostles under their command with clarity. Some newly recruited little apostles who were unaware even naively believed that Tong Han was the Pingxi Marquis.
After the last encounter, Granny Jin was also extremely respectful towards Tong Han, acknowledging his leadership position completely.
"Excessive is as bad as insufficient. You are a veteran; you need to remind her not to overdo things," Yang Xiao instructed his half-disciple. "Remember, too clear water has no fish. Others look to join us hoping to gain some benefits from this big tree of ours. We need to provide ample welfare benefits, and it’s fine to turn a blind eye when they make some small money on the side. After all, everyone is human and humans have private desires, so we must have the magnanimity to accommodate them."
"Well... how can I give Ms. Han advice? Ms. Han is the best. When you’re not around, we all unite closely around Ms. Han’s leadership. You can rest assured."
Ling Yanyu laughed obsequiously, and through the phone, Yang Xiao could imagine Ling Yanyu’s sycophantic appearance. After a pause, Yang Xiao lowered his voice: "Is Tong Han next to you?"
"Hahaha—" Ling Yanyu didn’t speak and just laughed awkwardly.
"Give her the phone." Yang Xiao scratched his head helplessly.
Facing Tong Han, Yang Xiao couldn’t say much either because she was helping for free, and his words might not even be effective.
After some coaxing, he finally agreed with Tong Han to return and check on his business in the coming days.
From Tong Han, Yang Xiao learned some good news. The embroidery needle obtained from Cen Fengyang was indeed a treasure, rated at Ghost Level by the Peace Hotel.
Besides that, the handkerchief that could remove a person’s face was also top-notch within the Fierce Grade. Although the net was slightly inferior, it was still a bona fide Fierce Grade artifact. This boy indeed had treasures all over him.
Lina’s Resentful Eye wasn’t bad either, also at the Fierce Grade, just underutilized by her.
One Ghost Level, three Fierce Grades, Yang Xiao didn’t expect such an unexpected bounty to be so abundant.
Three nights later, Yang Xiao arrived at Xiang Ma Town as promised, gathering Tong Han, Ling Yanyu, Guardian Yun, and other veteran leaders, along with newly joined Li Generation masters like Granny Jin for a brief meeting. Now, as a member of one of the Four Major Families, Yang Xiao’s subordinates included five Li Generation apostles and nearly 30 Resentment Level apostles, not counting those with close relations who had not yet joined him officially.
Yang Xiao, the newly appointed Pingxi Marquis, had the best reputation among the four families in Xiang Ma Town because he was generous and never stingy about rewards.
Just in terms of crucial intelligence, for instance, where others might offer 200,000 gold, Yang Xiao would double it to 400,000. If it was later confirmed that the intelligence was highly valuable, he would even proactively find the informant to present them with a considerable amount of money.
When it comes to selling intelligence, as long as his reputation spread, intelligence dealers would think of sending important information to Yang Xiao first.
Moreover, he was benevolent to his subordinates without the bloodthirsty rules of cutting off hands or feet like the other three families. As long as they didn’t betray or backstab, or bully women, for minor issues, they would turn a blind eye. If subordinates caused trouble, they would also step in to smooth things over whenever possible.
In less than a year, Yang Xiao, the newly appointed Pingxi Marquis, had firmly established himself in Xiang Ma Town, and business was even more prosperous than it had been under his predecessor.
Of course, besides Yang Xiao and his brothers’ efforts, a very crucial reason was the Peace Hotel, or more specifically, the care from his master’s teacher and Senior Brothers Qingfeng and Ming Yue.
When it got late at night, Yang Xiao went into the storeroom’s secret chamber to pick some of the best artifacts to pack up and give to his master’s teacher and two senior brothers, for without their care, he wouldn’t have the good days he was enjoying now.
He contacted Senior Brother Qingfeng ahead of time and entered the hotel in the early morning hours, but this time, he didn’t see his master’s teacher. Instead, Senior Brother Qingfeng took him to his residence.
"Junior Brother, I was just about to find you. Can you stay in this town for a few more days? Master hopes you can do him a favor."
"Whatever Uncle needs me to do, just go ahead and order." Yang Xiao knew his own limitations, figuring it was probably about using his official status for some tasks, as killing and arson were not his domain.
Seeing Yang Xiao agree so readily, Senior Brother Qingfeng nodded in satisfaction. "In three days, a Treasure Appraisal Gathering will be held in the Peace Hotel. Although it’s called a treasure appraisal, it’s actually an auction where an item very important to Master will be auctioned. Due to our special identities, we are not suitable to appear, so we hope you can bid for that item on our behalf."
"That’s all?" Yang Xiao thought it was a trivial matter, just a minor task, wasn’t it?
Senior Brother Qingfeng shook his head upon hearing this and leaned in to whisper, "Junior Brother, it’s not that simple. This Treasure Appraisal Gathering is entirely different from the previous trading you’ve done at the hotel. This time it’s public, and many rare guests will attend because the items being auctioned are all unusual things."
