Chapter 137: Xu Li's Sense of Loss

This sudden turn of events caught not only Wei Wuji, but even Zheng Dali and the other guards completely off guard.

The fellow actually just like that... dropped to his knees.

Could it be that I possess some sort of magnetic, kingly aura? Have I really reached the stage where people bow their heads the moment they see me? Wei Wuji mentally flattered himself.

"Why is the-good-sir doing this?" Wei Wuji asked in confusion. How did this fellow even know his identity?

"With the esteemed Young Lord gracing us with his presence, how could this lowly person not pay his respects!" The youth in gray raised his head and said—though now, he should probably be called Xu Li.

"How did you recognize this Young Lord!" Wei Wuji said in a deep voice, which also served as an indirect admission of his identity.

"A few days ago, when the Young Lord championed the righteous and punished that wicked young scoundrel with a whip right in the middle of the street, this humble commoner was standing right beside you." Xu Li explained honestly.

Hearing this explanation, Wei Wuji nodded, and his lingering suspicions toward Xu Li lessened somewhat.

"Rise!" Wei Wuji said slowly, his voice full of majesty, devoid of sorrow or joy.

Seeing this, Xu Li felt a twitch of panic, briefly regretting his recklessness, but the memory of all those years of living as a spineless nobody quickly reinforced his resolve.

Slowly standing up, Xu Li said softly, "The Young Lord's dashing demeanor that day left this humble person completely awestruck and filled with inexplicable admiration."

Now that the other party knew his identity, hearing such flattery no longer gave Wei Wuji the same thrill.

His guard went up. There were simply too many people with ulterior motives in Wu'an City, and Wei Wuji certainly did not believe he possessed any genuine kingly aura.

"When villains run amok, this Young Lord naturally cannot sit by and do nothing. It was merely a matter of convenience, nothing worth mentioning!" Wei Wuji said lightly, remaining completely indifferent to Xu Li's "sycophancy."

"You did well today."

At this, Wei Wuji turned to Zheng Dali and instructed, "Reward him with a few gold leaves!"

"Understood!" Zheng Dali responded, keeping all the money on his person.

Sensing that Wei Wuji was about to dismiss him and leave, Xu Li's expression instantly tightened.

It was true that he loved wealth, but he was even more obsessed with status and power. He had suffered through a lifetime of mediocrity, enduring the days when people cursed him as a good-for-nothing.

With Wei Wuji right here, this was nothing short of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to soar straight to the heavens.

"Young Lord, this lowly person is willing to serve you..." Losing his composure, Xu Li lunged forward, terrified that Wei Wuji would just walk away like this.

"Stand back..."

Seeing Xu Li's ignorance of what was good for him, the guard at the front let out a stern shout and drew his sharp sword, the cold glare reflecting directly across Xu Li's face.

At the same time, Wei Wuji's expression turned frigid. This fellow was truly lacking in judgment.

"This lowly person deserves death... this lowly person deserves death..." Feeling as though he had been targeted by the Grim Reaper, Xu Li broke out in a cold sweat all over his body, bowing frantically to Wei Wuji to acknowledge his mistake.

"You say you want to serve me. On what grounds?" Wei Wuji stared down at Xu Li and asked coldly.

This was his chance. With a tight knot in his heart, Xu Li immediately straightened his posture.

"Young Lord, this lowly person's martial arts are passable; I can serve as your personal bodyguard..."

"Are you as brave as they are?" Wei Wuji pointed at the guards beside him and stared at Xu Li with a mocking look.

The guards by Wei Wuji's side were personally selected from the Imperial Clan's Mansion and were top-tier experts within the Wei army; they were simply not someone Xu Li could compare to.

Xu Li still retained a modicum of self-awareness, and immediately pivoted to his next pitch. "Young Lord, this lowly person's scholarship is acceptable. I can manage documents and paperwork for you..."

"The army has its own scribes; I am in no shortage of them," Wei Wuji shook his head. This fellow was of no use in that regard either.

Xu Li refused to give up. This opportunity came only once; he could not let it slip away.

"Young Lord, this lowly person has spent his entire life mingling in teahouses and is well-connected with intelligence..." Xu Li said urgently, no longer able to maintain his composure.

Hearing this, Wei Wuji hesitated slightly... His own intelligence-gathering network was far from impressive, and until now, he had relied entirely on Zheng Dali going out to overhear rumors.

However, a person like Xu Li was far too calculating and utilitarian, making him somewhat difficult to employ.

Furthermore, the man's origins and background were unknown, leaving Wei Wuji genuinely unable to trust him.

"Enough, say no more..." Wei Wuji said coldly. If he didn't plug this fellow's mouth, he would probably keep talking all day.

"Everything you have offered is something this Young Lord has no use for." Wei Wuji delivered his verdict to Xu Li.

Then, amidst Xu Li's despairing gaze, Wei Wuji turned around and said in a deep voice, "Let's go!"

"Young Lord, I can still—" Xu Li still refused to yield, showing just how intense his utilitarian drive was—to the point of completely clouding his judgment.

"You're courting death..." Zheng Dali spun around and delivered a flying kick, sending Xu Li sprawling several meters away. Zheng Dali felt a visceral hatred for this man's character.

Lying prone on the ground, Xu Li watched as Wei Wuji's figure gradually disappeared into the distance. Tears of agony welled up in his eyes—not from the physical pain, but from the anguish in his heart.

Glancing at the few gold leaves scattered on the ground, Xu Li slowly crawled over, carefully gathered them up, and then, amidst the frightened gazes of the nearby shop hands, slowly left the teahouse.

..........

"Young Lord, I actually pulled my punches just now. I should have kicked that scoundrel to death to let off some steam." Walking down the street, Zheng Dali continued to grumble.

Toward such a petty villain, Zheng Dali genuinely felt the urge to slash him down with a single sword. He had initially harbored a shred of appreciation for the man, never expecting him to be such scum.

"Flattering the powerful and chasing after influence—that is merely human nature!" Walking ahead with his hands clasped behind his back, Wei Wuji elevated his demeanor and spoke.

What Xu Li's temperament was like didn't actually matter much to Wei Wuji, because there would always be a time and place to use such people. A true leader could never judge right and wrong based purely on personal likes and dislikes.

The crux of the matter was that Xu Li's background was murky; who knew if he harbored malicious intentions? Someone so frantically impatient for success was likely full of ambition without the talent to back it up, and his actual abilities would be severely limited.

"Young Lord, do you think that Qi person from earlier had a screw loose? Daring to spout nonsense right here on our turf." Abandoning his frustration with Xu Li, Zheng Dali brought up the man in the brocade robe.

"Indeed... he must have had a screw loose," Wei Wuji murmured. Yet, he had witnessed with his own eyes just a moment earlier that the man in brocade had shown no signs of madness.

If the crowd hadn't looked ready to beat him up, the fellow probably would have stood his ground with absolute impunity and argued fiercely with Xu Li.

That's right—Wei Wuji had sensed from that Qi native that the fellow acted as though he had nothing to fear.

Perhaps I misread the situation! Wei Wuji told himself, for otherwise, it was simply inexplicable.

"Young Lord, we've reached the West Gate!"

Just as Wei Wuji was deep in thought, he heard Zheng Dali's reminder. Looking up, he saw that sure enough, they had unconsciously arrived at the West Gate.

What brought an even brighter look to Wei Wuji's eyes was that the purchasing guards were already waiting outside the West Gate.

Passing discreetly through the city gates, he saw a dozen or so horse-drawn carriages lined up side by side in an open space nearby, laden to the brim with wine and meat.

"Has everything been handled?" After thoroughly inspecting the carriages, Wei Wuji asked the guard in charge.

"Following the Young Lord's instructions, everything has been fully prepared." A guard representative replied.

Wei Wuji nodded and instructed them, "Deliver the entire batch to the Wu'an Military Camp."

"Understood!" The guards responsible for the task answered in unison.

"Very well, everyone else mount up, we'll head out first!" Wei Wuji vaulted into the saddle and called out to the remaining guards.

And so, nearly thirty military horses galloped away, kicking up a trail of dust outside Wu'an City.