That morning, when Yuan Xiaoxin and her grandfather passed by the front of the three-story building, Lieutenant Wu Xu was in the courtyard hanging up laundry. His sleeves were rolled up, and his head was tilted back as he worked with total absorption.
This had been going on for quite some time.
Accustomed to the sight, grandfather and granddaughter waited by the gate for a moment. When his gaze turned their way, they smiled and nodded to Wu Xu.
Wu Xu nodded back to them.
Ever since that first time, this nodding acquaintance had gone on for a while, but it went no further than that. Lieutenant Wu Xu didn't seem fond of talking, wasn't warm, and never smiled.
"I haven't seen Brother Wu Xu sparring with them lately," Yuan Xiaoxin remarked as they walked down the street.
"Indeed," Yuan Youque nodded.
In truth, if given the chance, he urgently wanted to ask about Wu Xu's background—which of the hidden clans he actually belonged to, and how he had ended up falling in with the people from Azure.
Because when it came to that weapon, the Binggu Spear, Yuan Youque was certain he had heard of it before. Yet among the families that had jointly discovered the Bones of Eternal Life back then, there had seemingly been no Wu family. The name had never crossed his memory at all.
Continuing forward, the old man covered his mouth, bowed his head, and coughed several times. Concealing the blood in his palm, he reached into his pocket and wiped it clean on the damp towel he prepared every day.
For nearly two years now, his granddaughter had known about his coughing, but she had never seen any blood.
Between his old wounds and the passage of time, 'My time, it seems, is running out.'
Thinking this, the old man turned to look at his granddaughter. Mingled with his loving gaze were deep worries and reluctance to part.
...
Around noon that day, Major Qing walked past the street in front of their stall.
"Major Qing is going to play with Mr. Shu You again," Yuan Xiaoxin muttered upon seeing him.
Walking from the Third District to the First District wasn't very far if one took shortcuts.
Shu You's own residence was in the First District, situated inside a rather ordinary-looking house.
The fact that Shu You lived in this house hadn't originally been public knowledge, but during this period, Major Qing's frequent visits had exposed it completely.
It wasn't that Shu You couldn't move elsewhere, but the city was only so large. With the Azure Dragon Gang's current reach, that pest would definitely track him down regardless. Moving would be pointless.
Seeing Major Qing approach from afar, Shu You's subordinates hurriedly tried to shut the door.
Yet with a sharp whoosh...
Han Qingyu was already standing right beside him.
At the same time, Mr. Shu You was heading downstairs. Spotting Major Qing, his steps hesitated, and he seemed about to turn back up, but then he thought of how this was his own home. Why on earth should he retreat?
"No matter what you say, it's useless," Shu You said coldly as he descended the stairs. "At any rate, once the next Huaxia New Year passes, if you can survive under my hand, you can take the Bone of Eternal Life. Otherwise, I'd rather trust myself."
"Yeah, I didn't come to persuade you today either," Han Qingyu said solemnly.
Shu You turned around. "Then what did you come for?"
"I came to propose a different way to settle the match," Han Qingyu said in all seriousness. "Otherwise, if we duel and one of us ends up dead, just imagine how thrilled that old dog Alphonse will be! Boss Shu You, think about it—am I right or what?"
Shu You's gaze wavered in thought before he nodded in agreement. Truth be told, he had no desire to kill Han Qingyu... With that in mind, he replied cautiously, "Let's hear it, then."
"How about we compete in the long jump?" Han Qingyu suggested.
Shu You froze for a moment, staring at him to make sure he wasn't joking.
The long jump? Barring any surprises, both of them could leap incredibly far. But within a certain range, wherever this guy tossed his column sword was pretty much where he could leap to. There was no countering that trick; he could even bury the column sword underground ahead of time.
"Heh," Shu You sneered.
"The high jump works too," Han Qingyu added.
"Roll!" Shu You snapped. It was a Huaxia word he had recently learned, and his pronunciation was spotless.
"We can compete in rolling, too."
"..."
"I was originally going to suggest a race around the city, but in that case, rolling around the city works just fine."
Was the City of Iniquity about to host a sports meet? Shu You thought helplessly, but a sudden spark of amusement flickered within him. It was genuinely comical, and he wanted to laugh, but he held it back.
Over this period, Shu You's life and mood had shifted considerably. While he never forgot his vengeance, the suffocating gloom it brought seemed to have been diluted. There appeared to be a preposterous yet wondrous magic about this bunch.
They even gave Shu You the familiar feeling of being around his old comrades-in-arms... After all, who hadn't had a few scoundrels and rogues at their side back in the day?!
"I meant roll your ass out of here!" Shu You snapped sternly, glancing toward the entrance.
Right at that moment, another figure walked in.
'Don't tell me he's here to drag me into playing mahjong again?' Shu You thought, feeling a faint glimmer of anticipation despite having already lost a lot of money.
Wen Jifei stepped inside, shot Han Qingyu a look, and chided, "What kind of nonsense are you spouting? You think you two are athletes?" Then he turned to Shu You. "Don't listen to him. Why don't I make a suggestion instead?"
Shu You looked at him.
"I suggest a civilized bout," Wen Jifei said.
"What's a civilized bout?" Shu You asked out of curiosity.
"A civilized fight. The two of you stand in the street; you hit him with a punch, then he hits you with a punch. Neither is allowed to dodge, and whoever can't take it first loses..."
"Do I get the first strike?" Shu You asked.
"No, no, I was just using that as an example," Wen Jifei said. "As for who goes first, how about rock-paper-scissors? Winner strikes first."
"..." That wasn't entirely unfeasible, and shouldn't I have the upper hand that way? Shu You thought... Wait, no. He had nearly been led by the nose again.
Since they were the ones proposing it, there was definitely a catch.
"I'll say this one last time: we are not discussing this issue anymore. It's pointless," he said sternly, turning around and walking away.
Better to hide.
Though in a few days, they would undoubtedly be back.
Time moved on like this...
Another ordinary, peaceful morning arrived.
Yuan Xiaoxin's hair had grown a bit longer lately. Walking along the road, she wore a short-sleeved T-shirt, as August's summer had already arrived.
As they drew near the front of the three-story building, the figures of Lieutenant Wu Xu and Major Qing crossed from the intersection.
They had already bought breakfast and were returning; Lieutenant Wu Xu carried a bag of fried dough sticks in his hand.
The distance between them wasn't far.
Just like always, grandfather and granddaughter came to a stop. When Wu Xu's gaze turned toward them, they smiled and nodded to him, nodding to Major Qing along the way as well.
Wu Xu halted his steps and looked at them. Seeming to ponder for a second, he walked over, opened the bag in front of Yuan Xiaoxin, and said, "Do you want to eat? Take some."
This was the first time.
Yuan Xiaoxin felt a bit nervous and turned her head to look at her grandfather.
Her grandfather nodded.
The little girl happily took one, looked up, and said, "Thank you, Brother."
"Mm. Take one for your grandfather too," Wu Xu said.
"Huh? Okay."
Yuan Xiaoxin took another one.
And so, bidding them farewell, the pair passed by the entrance.
"Brother Wu Xu seems to be in a very good mood today," Yuan Xiaoxin said thoughtfully as she ate the fried dough stick.
"Is that so? Why? Even though he gave you fried dough sticks, he didn't smile either," Yuan Youque asked.
"I don't know, but that's just how I feel. I feel like he's really, really happy," Yuan Xiaoxin said, feeling quite happy herself.
At the same time, inside the three-story building, the group was gathered around the table chatting while having breakfast. Wu Xu, of course, was silent.
"There's something I need to tell you all," Wu Xu said abruptly.
Everyone stopped, turning their heads to look at him with various breakfast bites still in their mouths.
"I've reached Super," Wu Xu said.
Chapter 515