Chapter 136: A Shopping Episode

Wei Wuji was a man of prompt action. The morning after breakfast, he informed Lady Dan of his intention to go and reward the troops.

Lady Dan naturally found no reason to object and readily agreed.

Although her son would be away for three to five days once again, Lady Dan no longer felt the reluctant attachment she used to.

Her son had grown up, and he naturally needed space to spread his wings. In this regard, Lady Dan remained sensible and understanding.

Moreover, regarding the ruthless methods Wei Wuji had recently employed—though Lady Dan had initially disagreed with them—subsequent events had proven that harsh measures did not necessarily bring unbearable consequences.

Then let him make his noise! Lady Dan thought to herself.

Accompanied by his personal guards, Wei Wuji wandered leisurely through the main avenue.

The morning air was not yet hot, and strolling among the bustling crowd to enjoy a moment of unhurried leisure made Wei Wuji feel quite content.

Strolling through the markets was not something exclusive to women.

The reasons men feared shopping were probably twofold. First, they would be treated as beasts of burden, forced to carry this and that.

The second reason, and likely the most crucial one, was that shopping cost a lot of money, which caused a great deal of heartache.

Right now, Wei Wuji faced this very dilemma: he had to spend a significant amount of money.

Since he was going to reward the army, he could hardly go empty-handed!

Naturally, he had to make massive purchases in the market. Wine and meat were things of which one could never have too much.

Consequently, money flowed away like water. Watching one gold ingot after another leave his hands—even though the wealth had been plundered from the Gu family—Wei Wuji still felt a sharp pang of regret in his heart.

Yet this money had to be spent. Back on the front lines in the State of Chen, Wei Wuji had promised his ordinary soldiers that he would treat them to a grand feast of abundant wine and meat.

For that very purpose, he had once created a ruckus at the logistics department, resulting in the death of a quartermaster.

Although he had improved the soldiers' meals after arriving at Tielin County, providing them with truly lavish quantities of wine and meat was still a far cry from reality.

"Has the money been distributed?" Wei Wuji asked casually as he walked in the lead.

He certainly wouldn't do such a chore himself; it was enough to delegate it to his subordinates while he merely footed the bill.

"It has already been distributed. The brothers are out hiring carts right now," Zheng Dali replied, his hand resting on the hilt of the sword at his waist as he followed closely behind Wei Wuji.

Wei Wuji nodded and continued forward.

Wuan City was truly vast, a fact made even more apparent in the Western District.

An ordinary street wide enough for six carriages to run abreast could never be filled, no matter how many people walked through it.

Shops lined both sides of the road. Amidst the surging crowds came the cries of hawkers, creating a lively and bustling scene.

Wei Wuji stood rooted to the spot, feeling as though he had returned to the streets of a small town in another world—the place where he had grown up.

His eyes grew somewhat moist. Twenty years had passed like awakening from a deep dream, and sometimes he could no longer tell which world was truly real.

Yet Wei Wuji understood one thing: that dream-like world was somewhere he could never return to.

"My Lord, what... is wrong with you?"

Behind him, Zheng Dali noticed Wei Wuji's unusual behavior.

Wei Wuji snapped back to consciousness, rubbed his eyes clumsily, and came up with a cliché excuse: "The wind is too strong; it blew some sand into my eyes."

Zheng Dali looked around in confusion, wondering to himself: was there any wind?

Wei Wuji paid no mind to this and continued walking, eager to take in the sights and sounds of this world.

His recent memories would not make him dwell in nostalgia; although he felt a hint of regret, Wei Wuji knew he must let go, for he could not allow himself to become overly sentimental.

Dangerous though this world might be, it possessed its own unique brilliance.

With states contending for hegemony and heroes vying for supremacy in this age of prominent figures, he, Wei Wuji, could not let such a lofty position go to waste.

He had to fight for his place, to forge his own legend and achieve renown—whether for his own sake or for the sake of those who cared for him.

Glancing around, he saw fabric shops, teahouses, wine shops, inns, and even... brothels along the roadside.

He paused in front of a teahouse where people were arguing over something, catching his attention.

Of course, Wei Wuji wasn't simply idle; the focal point of the argument inside happened to be Wei Wuji himself.

Thanks to the deterrent presence of Wei Wuji's guards, the crowd naturally parted to clear a path, leaving him with an excellent vantage point.

"Are you saying that the achievements of our Fifth Young Lord are entirely fabricated?"

On one side of the main hall, a young man clad in a gray long robe was angrily denouncing the person opposite him.

One could tell from his words that the surrounding people were casting looks full of intense indignation toward the middle-aged man in brocade attire on the other side.

"If I say they are, will you eat me alive?" the brocade-clad man asked as he looked around, putting up a bold front despite his inner cowardice.

With this, Wei Wuji clearly distinguished between friend and foe.

Suppressing Zheng Dali, who looked ready to make a move from behind, Wei Wuji cast an encouraging gaze at the gray-robed youth.

Say it! Hurry up and speak of all my achievements! Wei Wuji shouted inwardly.

"You Qi people are simply foolish! My Lord routed the Chen army at the River He, and within the borders of Xianghe, he defeated the main force of the Chen cavalry with a mere two thousand men..."

At this point, the gray-robed youth paused, then cast his gaze around the room as if seeking the crowd's support.

Amidst the cheering support of the onlookers, the gray-robed youth caught sight of Wei Wuji, only to find that Wei Wuji was also staring directly at him with a smile on his face.

Looking away, the gray-robed youth swelled with pride, feeling as though he were a hero who roamed the world unchecked. Basking in the flattery of the crowd, he felt a deep sense of satisfaction.

"Are these achievements, known to all under heaven, also fabricated?" the gray-robed youth demanded, glaring fixedly at the man across from him.

Before the man could retort, the youth pressed on aggressively, "And what about defeating an Qin army twice his size and shattering their sinister plot—are those also lies?"

"That's right... Qi people, get out..." someone shouted from the crowd, instantly igniting everyone's patriotic fervor as they began to curse the brocade-clad man angrily.

"Everyone, these Qi people are full of malice, coming here to slander our Great Wei's Young Lord. Don't you all think scum like this deserves a beating?" The gray-robed youth sneered, his gaze turning icy as he looked at the brocade-clad man.

"Beat him... Go on, smash the Qi dog..."

"Make them pay for slandering the Young Lord and violating the territory of Great Wei..."

The crowd roared in anger, raising their fists as they surged forward.

The brocade-clad man had prepared in advance; seeing this scene, he immediately turned around. Ignoring the front door, he leaped straight out through the window.

Unwilling to let him escape so easily, the crowd chased eagerly after him.

Watching this spectacle, Wei Wuji couldn't help thinking that the Qi man was utterly foolish for not keeping a low profile while in an enemy nation's capital.

Looking back at the person who had been passionately praising him, Wei Wuji's eyes crinkled with smiles. It would be wonderful if there were more people like this.

"Your words uphold the majesty of our Great Wei; you are truly a man of valor!" Wei Wuji praised the gray-robed youth with genuine admiration.

By this time, the teahouse had emptied out considerably. Inside the main hall, there remained only Wei Wuji, his retinue of guards, and the gray-robed youth.

Glancing at the extraordinary-looking youth beside him, the gray-robed youth did not immediately respond to the praise.

He walked slowly toward Wei Wuji, his expression turning solemn.

This reaction struck Wei Wuji as rather peculiar, prompting Zheng Dali and the guards to heighten their vigilance, forming a tight protective barrier around Wei Wuji.

Just as the atmosphere seemed to heat up and the tension began to mount... it was abruptly broken.

The gray-robed man suddenly dropped to his knees, performing a full prostration before declaring, "This humble commoner, Xu Li, pays respects to the Young Lord."