LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 152: Transformation Strength Rank Sixth Stage
Chapter 152: Transformation Strength Rank Sixth Stage
The Zhao family, consisting of hundreds of men, women, and children, stood on the street, attracting curious glances from passersby.
Zhao Yuqing spoke up, “Although we are penniless now, we are still cultivators. We won’t starve to death. We can use our energy to help people unblock their meridians and earn a substantial amount of money. Then, we can buy some houses and settle down before making further plans.”
Zhao Yuhe’s eyes lit up as she also came up with an idea, “We can also go hunting outside the city. With our skills, it will be easy to catch a lot of game, which we can sell for money.”
The members of the Zhao family nodded in agreement. First, they needed to earn some money and find a place to live. Standing on the street with people staring at them was too embarrassing.
So the head of the Zhao family made arrangements and divided the family into two groups.
One group, led by Zhao Yuqing and Zhao Yuhe, would set up stalls to help people clear their meridians and earn money.
The other group, led by the family head himself, would go hunting outside the city and sell the game for money.
“Although times are tough, as long as we unite and work together, we will eventually revive our family and return to our place among the great families of Pingyang County,” the head of the Zhao family encouraged everyone, waving his hand. “Let’s go!”
With that, the Zhao family members split into two groups and began their tasks.
Zhao Yuqing and Zhao Yuhe picked up wood and stones from the roadside to set up temporary stalls. They wrote on the ground: Cultivators helping ordinary people unblock their meridians. This not only strengthens the body, but also prolongs life. Only 100 taels of silver per person. Come quickly!
The street was crowded with people, but despite the crowd, not a single person came to have their meridians unblocked.
As time passed, their stomachs growled with hunger, and everyone grew anxious.
“Why doesn’t anyone come to have their meridians unblocked? It’s a rare opportunity for cultivators to help ordinary people. In the past, people would beg for it, and wealthy families would pay any amount. And now, it’s only 100 taels of silver.”
“Is 100 taels too expensive?”
Zhao Yuhe gritted her teeth and erased the “100 taels” on the ground, changing it to 50 taels.
However, even after waiting for a long time, no one came to her stall.
On the verge of tears, Zhao Yuhe changed the price to 10 taels.
That was already a ridiculously low price. It was unimaginable for cultivators to spend their energy unblocking energy channels for ordinary people for only 10 taels of silver. Still, no one came.
Seeing that Zhao Yuhe was about to lower the price again, Zhao Yuqing grabbed her hand and said with a somber expression, “There’s no need to change the price. It’s not about the cost. It’s because we still have the stigma of being criminals. People are afraid of being implicated.”
Hearing this, the others realized the truth and fell silent.
They all felt a deep bitterness. Had Pingyang County really become a place where they could no longer belong?
The other group, led by the head of the Zhao family, returned with lots of game, from small pheasants to large wild oxen. However, their faces were somber.
As if expecting this, Zhao Yuqing asked, “The game didn’t sell?”
The head of the Zhao family nodded silently and lit a fire by the side of the road to roast the game, letting the family members fill their stomachs first.
“Who gave you permission to light a fire on the street?”
“What if you set the houses on fire?”
A few patrolling officers came over, scolding them and driving them away.
The family members felt completely hopeless. It seemed that misfortune always targeted those who were already in dire straits.
When Xu Lian heard about the Zhao family’s plight, he rushed over on horseback. He waved the officers away.
“Brother Xu Lian.”
Zhao Yuhe could not hold back any longer. She threw herself into Xu Lian’s arms, hugging him and crying. The grievances she had endured in this single day were more than she had faced in her entire life.
Xu Lian felt a pang of heartache. “It’s alright, it’s alright.”
After comforting Zhao Yuhe, he took out a stack of property deeds from his pocket and handed them to the head of the Zhao family. “These are the properties that originally belonged to the Zhao family, including the spiritual residence on First Street. They’re all here.”
The Zhao family head and the others were stunned. How could the confiscated properties be returned?
Looking at Zhao Yuhe in Xu Lian’s arms, the head of the Zhao family and the others understood.
The head of the Zhao family quickly smiled and accepted the property deeds with both hands. “Thank you, Manager Xu. Since Manager Xu has feelings for Yuhe, and Yuhe also likes Manager Xu, why don’t you two be together?”
Zhao Yuhe’s face turned red with shyness, but she didn’t object, which was tantamount to agreeing.
Since things were already so clear, Xu Lian didn’t want to beat around the bush and said directly, “Yuqing should be with me as well.
The head of the Zhao family hesitated, “But Yuqing has already been given to the Inspector who lives in Residence A1. Won’t that offend the Inspector?”
Xu Lian replied, “It’s fine. I’ve already talked to the Inspector. Out of respect for my position as the Town Guard Commander’s subordinate, he’s willing to let Yuqing be with me.”
Hearing this, Zhao Yuqing’s eyes turned red and tears welling up as she cried tears of joy. Actually, she had always liked Xu Lian, but she was afraid that the mysterious Inspector would cause trouble for Xu Lian and the Zhao family. That’s why she had never expressed her feelings to Xu Lian before. Now that the obstacle was gone, she could finally follow her heart.
The head of the Zhao family chuckled, “In that case, there’s no problem.”
So Xu Lian led the Zhao family members back to First Street.
At the Zhao family mansion, a simple wedding ceremony was held that night.
Xu Lian got his wish – first admiring the lotus in the rain, followed by the clear skies after the rain.
Although the wedding was simple, the atmosphere was warm and harmonious.
The entire Zhao family, from top to bottom, unanimously approved of such a capable son-in-law.
The next day, Xu Lian received a pleasant surprise. The double 90/100 favorability from the sisters directly earned him two progression points.
Thinking about it, it made sense. They already had a foundation of goodwill towards Xu Lian. When they were imprisoned in the dungeon, at their most desperate moment, Xu Lian had appeared like a prince on a white horse, saving them and their family. As a result, their favorability had been set to a starting point of 90.
He immediately allocated the points to his rank, using Joint Grass materials to advance to Transformation Strength Rank 6th Stage!
Even though he had already earned the progression points, he didn’t leave. He was reluctant to part with them during this honeymoon period, and it was also a good time to solidify their favor.
Five days later, Xu Lian finally left.
First, he inspected the leasing office on First Street, reviewing the accounts for the rental and sale of spiritual residences. After confirming that everything was in order and running smoothly, he headed to the Lichun Brothel.
As he calculated the time, the Pingyang County Flower Queen Contest was about to begin.
Although he had already internally decided that Chuntao would be the Flower Queen, he still needed to make his presence known from time to time to increase her favorability.
When he arrived at the front building of the Lichun Brothel, Xu Lian was surprised by the scene before him. Even in broad daylight, the place was packed with customers.
It truly lived up to the saying, “The brothel is full, yet everything is orderly…”
Aunt Fang was grinning from ear to ear, skillfully navigating through the various customers like a fish in water.
When she saw Xu Lian arrive, she quickly left the other customers and came over to greet him.
Xu Lian asked curiously, “On my way here, I noticed that other brothels were quite empty. Why is yours so crowded? And to be honest, the girls here aren’t as pretty as those in other brothels.”
Aunt Fang gave him a coquettish glance, “Although the girls here may not be as pretty as those in other places, they’re all from Green Bamboo Town. The men of Pingyang County are tired of the local food. Who wouldn’t want to try the specialties of Green Bamboo Town?”
That made sense… Xu Lian felt like he had just gained a new insight, broadening his horizon.
Aunt Fang then asked about Chuntao’s place in the Flower Queen Competition.
Xu Lian said, “No need for special arrangements. Just take Chuntao directly to the competition.”
“Alright,” Aunt Fang smiled. Over the past few days, she had heard some things about Xu Lian from customers. It was said that Xu Lian was a trusted confidant of the current Town Guard Commander, the second most powerful person in Pingyang County. With such a strong background, Chuntao was practically guaranteed to become the Flower Queen.
Xu Lian didn’t say anything else and entered the Lichun Brothel to find Chuntao.
Of course, he gave her plenty of encouragement.
By the evening, Chuntao’s favorability had increased from 75/100 to 80/100. Only then did Xu Lian leave.
Perhaps it was the tragic experience of being sold into the brothel for food that made Chuntao keep her distance from everyone. Her favorability had been slow to increase, but it was steady.
Even though Xu Lian rarely spent time with her, her favorability continued to grow steadily. It was clear that she remembered Xu Lian’s kindness, and that was enough for him. Xu Lian wasn’t in a hurry.