Ming walked away from Lao Jiu's house, pills in hand, feeling grateful as he wandered through the slums of Golden Carp Town, the scenery of which becoming quite familiar after a week of constantly moving back and forth between here and the Drifting Cloud Pavilion on the town's central streets
He was to meet up with Zhu Lian and Li Wei there after he finished saying his goodbyes
The exits to the slums was within a few steps as Ming heard an all too familiar cheeky voice calling out
"Mr benefactor, leaving so soon?"
It was Bu Li, walking up to Ming with a few other beggars trailing behind him
"Bu Li! I was trying to find you" Ming smiled as he patted Bu Li's shoulder, looking past him, there was 3 beggars, all wearing rags and wearing tired expressions
"And these people are?"
"My underlings, of course!" Bu Li slapped his chest in proclamation
"I'm an official of the Beggar's Sect now, remember? Thanks to you, Mr Benefactor" Bu Li smiled as he reached into his pockets
"You have something to give me? You're awfully generous today, what's the catch" Ming smirked knowingly, this bugger Bu Li would never hand out free goods, he knew this lad all too well
"Hey! don't say that, I, Bu Li, your dear friend am extremely generous" Bu Li chuckled shamelessly as he handed Ming a stone slip with his and Bu Li's name carved on it under the Beggar Sect's Emblem
"And this is?" Ming pondered as he traced the engravings with his fingers, it's very well made
"Having this slips means you're a representative of me, Bu Li, within the Beggar's Sect, when you show this slip to the our Sect's regional branch of wherever you are, you'll be treated as if you have the same rank as I do" Bu Li smirked
"And don't worry, this Bu Li will definitely climb higher and higher during your journey"
Ming smiled
'even a guy like Bu Li can show gratitude, huh'
"Don't give me that "I won't use it, but I appreciate the sentiment" look! Mr Benefactor, you do realise that our Beggar Sect has one of Jianghu's best information networks right?" Bu Li rambled after realizing Ming doesn't understand the worth of what he's being presented with
"Wait really? No offense but I thought the Beggar Sect was only good for holding scrappy tournaments?" Ming narrowed his eyes suspiciously, all the things he'd seen so far from the Beggar's Sect isn't exactly favorable
"Hahaha, don't be so closed minded, Mr Benefactor, the Gu tournaments are simply means for lowest rank members of the Beggar Sect's to start their climb" Bu Li grabbed a pair of broken glasses out of nowhere and put them on
"Since it tests one's ability to make connections with capable martial artists in the early Third rate realm to represent them in Gu battles, an essential skill set for anyone who's job is gathering information. Only after winning the Gu tournament once can they officially enter the Sect as an official, gaining some lackeys and minor influence" Bu Li explained ecstatically
"And don't worry, I've been hustling and surviving on these streets for longer than I can remember, it's only a matter of when in terms of me gaining influence within the sect, the value of that slip in your hand will increase exponentially as time passes!"
"Cheeky to the end, you really are a handful, but thanks, I'll be in contact when I need information"
Ming smiles and walks away out if the slums, knowing Bu Li can handle his own and rise up in the world alongside him
'Oh wait, aren't those Lao Jiu's glasses?'
Ming thought as he head to Drifting Cloud Pavilion, chuckling to himself
'No matter how high you climb, you won't get rid of your kleptomaniac tendencies, huh, Bu Li'
On the way, he walked past the street market, recalling how he had helped the naive Zhou Xuelan here yesterday
"Her situation was quite amusing, I wonder how she's is doing now'
Just then, as if he heavens had heard his inquiry, Ming walked past a fancy restaurant on the main road and saw Xuelan waiting tables diligently inside through the windows
'Wait? Isn't that Ms Xuelan? Why is she waiting tables?'
Curious and baffled, Ming changed his course and walked through the restaurant door
"Table for one please" Ming called out, deliberately shouting over where Xuelan was
Absently, Xuelan immediately walked over with a steady pace and a practiced serving smile
"Right over here sir-"
She stopped upon realizing who she was talking to
"Ms Xuelan? I haven't seen you in a day? What happened?"
She frozen, her face turned beet red as she whispered
"I blew all my money… I'm working here to pay off my debt"
"You blew all your money? I taught you the market prices and everything-"
"Just sit down! I'll explain!!"
She hurriedly lashed out in embarrassment and she gestured him towards a seat beside the window
She hurriedly went to the counter and asked for a lunch break, the clerk nodded
She returned to Ming's table and sat down across him
"So… what happened after you left the restaurant yesterday?" Ming inquired, resting his head on his palm, elbow firm against the table
"Well… after that, I realized that I was still hungry, so I went to a different restaurant, this one" She said as she looked around
It was a fancy place with spacious tables, decent looking food and a clean interior, but definitely not somewhere you can blow 4 gold pieces in one sitting
"I booked a private room upstairs, ordered their best meals, highest quality wines, and they even offered me a free sword dancing performance… You made me realize how valuable a gold piece actually was, it was like discovering a hidden fortune so I thought I'd let lose a little… Since I thought the pricing was the same as the restaurant I went to with you, I estimated that 1-2 gold pieces was enough…"
Ming's jaw hung loose, was this girl really a Disciple of that Elusive Diancang Sect Bu Li told him about? How does it make sense that she's this sloppy with her money??
"What was the bill?" Ming asked calmly
"6 gold… I was two short so I'm forced to work here for the time being If I don't want jail time…" She hung her head low in shame, her silver twintails usually so active, was droopy like sad dog ears
"For how long exactly? Didn't you tell me that you have to finish a mission for your Sect?"
"A year… and yes, I need to complete that mission before I can return…" She was down in the dumps, she felt like everything was falling apart
Ming thought about it for a second before raising his hand, calling over the restaurant's clerk
"Mr Ming? What are you doing?"
"Helping you out"
"What?" She exclaimed, 'what is this person planning?'
"You called for me sir?"
"Yes, this girl owes this restaurant two gold pieces right?" Ming greeted him politely
"Indeed, she's due for at least a year of service to cover this debt"
"I'll pay it" Ming said after as pulled out two gold from his pockets and laid them on the table
"Very well" the clerk nodded and turned to Xuelan
"Miss Zhou, your debt have been paid, you may go"
"Wha-"
She froze in disbelief, why was Mr Ming, an ex servant rich enough to pay for her debt, using two gold pieces like they're loose chains?
Zhou Xuelan's mind continued to space out as her body walked out of the restaurant with Ming
"So where are you headed for that mission? Miss Xuelan, if you don't mind me asking"
"Why did you help me?" Instead of answering, Xuelan shot back with a question of her own, and then another one and a another one, all stemming from her disbelief of the situation
"Why do you keep helping me?"
"You just threw away two gold pieces for basically nothing, what's your motive?!?"
Before Ming could answer, Xuelan kept interrupting him with more questions as her mind dive further into her own delusions
Gasps!
"Could It be… You're after my body!!" She said in a dramatic manner, blushing like a tomato and hugging herself as if fearing that Ming will somehow magically peer through her clothes
Smack!
"Ow!"
Ming karate chopped Xuelan's head with a blank stare
"Listen to me, miss Xuelan, these far fetched theories will get you nowhere" Ming sighed
"We are on friendly terms so I thought I'd help you out"
"But the gold pieces!"
"I get three everyday to use as pocket change, don't sweat it"
His sugar mommy- Cough Cough, Ehem, Sorry dear readers. I meant, Zhu Lian treats him very well, even to the point giving him gold pieces as pocket change, the ever frugal Ming doesn't have any other uses for them anyways
"How about my body…" Xuelan blushed hard as she looked expectantly at Ming's face
"I've already decided to devote myself to someone, I won't have any ill thoughts about you, Miss Xuelan, rest assured" Ming said it as if he was reassuring her that she was safe
Strangely enough, instead of feeling relieved, she felt as if her charms as a women had failed, this was a significant blow to her pride
"Oh- okay…" She muttered dejectedly before puffing up her cheeks into a pout
"Hmph! As if I wanted you to take my body!" She said as she whipped her face away from Ming hiding her blushing face, her long twintail like silvery whips, smacking in Ming's face
"But thanks… again" She muttered quietly, barely audible
Ming could only laugh helplessly
'Well, I guess she's feeling better now, since the shyness is back, haha…' He thought to himself
"About my mission, I can't do it yet, I need to become stronger and gather trustworthy allies before I can fulfill it" She said as she sided eyed Ming expectantly, clearly signaling that she wants them to be friends but can't tell it to his face
Mimg caught on
"Well, me and my companions are heading to the Shaolin Temple for the Martial Arts Expo being held there, do you wanna come with? I'm sure you'll find some decent allies there" Ming smiled reached out his hand, offering a hand
"It aligns with your mission, and having someone as strong as you with us on the road is very reassuring"
As someone who had been a servant all his life, facing the extremely abrupt Zhu Feng, Ming had developed something of a silver tongue
Hearing Ming's compliment, Xuelan felt quite satisfied, 'this guy sure has his ways with words' She thought before reaching out her dainty hand and shook Ming's
"Hmph! Who else but me can protect a weekling like you! I'll accompany you to the Shaolin temple"
Ming firmly gripped her soft and dainty hand, subtly adjusting his fingers feeling around a bit more than necessary, unintentionally making Xuelan blush
'to think that hands this petite could have easily killed him back in the finals in one fell swoop, Jianghu sure is a strange place' He thought to himself blankly, unaware of Xuelan's awkwardness
She breathed a sigh of relief as Ming final let go
"Well, let's go, my companions are waiting"
=================================
With Ming leading the way, they quickly arrived at Drifting Cloud Pavilion
Zhu Lian was drinking tea, gracefully chatting with Li Wei at the outdoors table in front of the restaurant, she seemed annoyed for some reason
Both of them waiting for Ming's arrival, with Ming's backpack and supplies laid ready on the ground under Lian's seat
"I'm back!"
Ming walked up to them and waved
"You're here, brother Ming, I assume you're done with your farewells?"
"Indeed, brother Wei, thanks for allowing me the time to"
Ming cupped his hands respectfully
"Ming! You're finally here! I've gotten bored of waiting, let's go already"
Lian leaped out of her chair and hugged Ming and whined as if she haven't seen him in days (It's only been 6 hours since she last saw him)
Her ruby eyes big and round like a dolls as they stare lovingly at Ming, not that he can tell, unfortunately
Zhou Xuelan, who was behind Ming the entire time awkwardly walked up from behind him seeing Ming and Lian being lovey dovey
She ignored them and greated Li Wei
"Greetings, I am Zhou Xuelan, inner disciple of Diancang Sect"
She cupped her hand respectfully , understanding that Zhu Lian and Li Wei were both Martial Artists in Second Rate Realm like her, Early stage and Late stage, respectively
Li Wei cupped his hands and greeted her accordingly
"Li Wei, inner disciple of Wudang Sect"
Before Ming could chime in, the air around him ran cold, sending shivers down Ming's spine for some reason as Zhu Lian slowly let go of his waist
"Ming… who is this woman?"
Zhu Lian, however, did not offer a greeting, not even a bow to Xuelan
Her face darkened noticeably, well, noticeably to anyone not named Ming
"I asked her to travel with us! She's strong and somewhat reliable, trust me" Ming smiles as he answered Lian's inquiry
Xuelan winced at "somewhat reliable" but she couldn't possibly refute
"Ming!" Lian said loudly, puffing up her chest and staring angrily at Ming
"Yes?"
"I hate you! You dumb lump of meat! Hmph!" Lian pouted as she turned away her face, crossed her arms and walked away from and towards the Golden Carp Town's gate, refusing to talk to him or even look at him
Ming stood there, utterly dazed
'Huh? Did I do something wrong' He thought
"Lian? What's wrong? Hey! Come back! Lian!" Ming called out but Zhu Lian kept walking, refusing to acknowledge him
"You're good at money management, Mr Ming, I'll give you that, but god you're densed" Xuelan exclaimed
"That observation is quite correct, brother Ming here is utterly clueless to ways of a woman's heart" Li Wei jokes, he too had grown a little too tired of how dense Ming was, having heard Lian complaints about her flirting constantly going over Ming's head to him all morning while waiting for Ming to complete his goodbyes
Not understanding what they were on about, Ming ignored them, slung on his backpack, grabbed his supplies and chased after Lian, calling her name and telling her to wait for him
Li Wei and Xuelan shrugged and followed after him
Ming's group is back on the move, now with two more traveling partners