Chapter 27 - Entering

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  “You’re welcome.” Gu Xuan responded with a smile before asking, “But how do we transport it?”

  As he laid his eyes on the boar’s hide, the pieces of meat that were cut from the wild boar they bled, he couldn’t help but think.

  The weight wasn’t the problem, but the mass when carrying both Lin Hua and Lin Heng, as well as the meat and the boar’s hide.

  How to avoid spillage?

  After thinking about it, he thought of an idea, “How about we wrap the meat in the boar’s hide first, wrap it around with a rope so I can carry both you and Lin Heng as well as the wild boar’s parts.”

  Hearing Gu Xuan say that he was going to carry her again, Lin Hua blushed, after all, Gu Xuan basically did it without letting her speak before so it didn’t have much impact but now that she was warned beforehand, it was slightly embarrassing.

  But she doesn’t want to make it difficult for Gu Xuan so she nodded to his suggestion.

  “Let’s do as Brother Gu says then.”

  “Yes! Big brother is taking us on a fast ride again!” Lin Heng cheered enthusiastically on the side as he remembered what had happened awhile ago.

  Although it was quite embarrassing for her, Gu Xuan’s offer was the most logical and efficient choice at the moment.

  Lin Hua then began to neatly stuff the meat she cut from the boar into its hide. After making sure it was gonna fit, she wrapped it around with a rope to make sure that the meat didn't spill on their way.

  Since Lin Hua was doing it herself to not feel that she didn’t do anything, Gu Xuan, of course, let her do what she does best.

  Honestly, he doesn’t even know if he could wrap a rope better than Lin Hua.

  After making sure that it was wrapped properly, she nodded and said to Gu Xuan, “Brother Gu, it’s done.”

  Gu Xuan then instructed, “Come on, carry Lin Heng.”

  Lin Hua agreed and began to do as Gu Xuan said.

  Gu Xuan carried the boar parts with one hand and put it onto Lin Heng’s lap and then hurriedly princess-carried Lin Hua.

  Upon making sure that they were comfortable, Gu Xuan began to move at high speed, once again, utilizing his martial arts technique, the “Silent Step Footwork”.

  Despite moving so fast, they didn’t make a single sound and if someone who isn’t trained or experienced wouldn’t catch a glimpse of their shadow. If they could, they might even think that they were seeing things.

  After a few minutes of travelling through tree branches, Gu Xuan, along with the brother-sister, arrived near the city gate and said, “We’ve arrived.”

  “So fast?” Lin Hua replied with a hint of shock in her heart, she hadn’t noticed it before because she wasn’t able to internalize Gu Xuan’s speed, but now that she has calmed down, it was far more noticeable.

  They arrived so fast that it felt like a blink of an eye especially with the speed in which the scenery changed as Gu Xuan carried them.

  “Well, yeah.” Gu Xuan nonchalantly replied as he put them down on the ground. As soon as he put them down on the ground, he took the wrapped boar parts and carried it himself.

  Since Gu Xuan took it himself, Lin Hua naturally didn’t insist. Although their status was like heaven and earth as she got to know him more, she was socially intelligent enough to know what to do whilst interacting with Gu Xuan and excessive special treatment to him would only backfire.

  “Let’s go, Brother Gu. Just follow us into the city.”

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  Gu Xuan nodded without saying anything and followed behind Lin Hua and Lin Heng.

  Lin Hua and Lin Heng lined up so Gu Xuan stood behind them patiently.

  A few moments later, it was their turn and Lin Hua didn’t even show her necklace pass and just said to the guard as she raised her hand, “Uncle Gao!”

  “Hm?” The only guard on duty looked over and after recognizing her, he smiled, “Ah! Lin Hua, did you have a good hunt today?”

  He initially asked considering Lin Hua’s good mood as she called out to him, but after seeing Lin Hua not carrying anything, he tried to cheer her up instead, “Don’t worry if you didn’t catch anything today, you’ll get it tomorrow!”

  Lin Hua lightly laughed, feeling warm in her heart for the guard’s concern.

  “We caught something big today.”

  “Hm? I don’t see you carrying anything though.” The guard tilted his head in confusion, feeling puzzled.

  “To be exact, we didn’t catch something big ourselves, we met a martial artist that we met along the way and helped us catch something big, let me introduce you, Uncle Gao.”

  Lin Hua and Lin Heng stepped onto the side, so, of course, Gu Xuan stepped forward after observing Lin Hua’s good social ability.

  As Gu Xuan got closer, Lin Hua introduced, “This is Brother Gu. His name is Gu Xuan and he’s…”

  Lin Hua suddenly froze and said in embarrassment, “How old is Brother Gu again?”

  Gu Xuan just chuckled and replied as he put down the boar parts wrapped in its hide, and gestured a fist and a palm, “This uncle, my name is Gu Xuan. I’m 15 years old. I’m mainly travelling to hone my martial arts. You can just call me Xiao Gu or Xiao Xuan, I don’t mind.”

  “Hoh? Travelling to hone martial arts at the age of 15?” The guard repeated as he looked at him in curiosity.

  Once again, Lin Hua’s mouth opened wide in shock as she heard his words.

  ‘15 years old?’ She thought that he was at least as old as her or even a few years older with his demeanor but it turns out that he was 3 years younger than her!

  She then woke up from her stupor and sighed, “I didn’t expect that Brother Gu is so much younger than me.”

  Gu Xuan smiled, “Is 3 years so much?”

  “What? Did I tell Brother Gu that I was 18 years old?”

  Gu Xuan tilted his head, feeling that Lin Hua was a little too forgetful as he answered, “Didn’t you tell me indirectly earlier when you were telling me stories about your boar cutting and hunting experience growing up?”

  “Did?” Lin Hua processed in her mind and then she indeed recalled that she mentioned her age when she and her brother first escaped from their enemy.

  Upon remembering, she couldn’t help but marvel at Gu Xuan’s ability to piece things through with so little information available.

  If she didn’t know that Gu Xuan had just come out of the hidden sect, she would have mistaken him for a seasoned traveller.

  He doesn’t even need to be told and if there’s even the slightest detail about it, he could deduce it himself.

  ‘Brother Gu is the type of person that if he was a merchant, he’d be impeccable and difficult to fool because he asks a lot of questions on the contents of the contract or cooperation. Maybe he doesn’t even need to ask and already knows the loopholes created by the other party and would even take advantage of it himself. How terrifying.’

  “Travelling to hone martial arts at such a young age… you must come from a family of martial arts don’t you? How about it? I’m a martial expert, wanna spar later?”

  The guard’s fighting spirit surged, meanwhile Gu Xuan was slightly surprised by the sudden invitation but he ultimately agreed, “Sure.”

  The guard nodded in satisfaction seeing Gu Xuan accept his invitation to spar and said, “I look forward to it. In any case, you’re a traveller so it's 50 copper coins for a week for a temporary pass.”

  Gu Xuan then pointed to Lin Hua and said, “She’s paying for me.”

  Then picked up the boar parts that he had dropped to the ground for a second.

  Hearing Gu Xuan’s words, the guard couldn't help but frown, “You’re a martial artist yet you’re relying on a poor brother and sister to pay for you? Let me tell you something since you came from a family of martial arts and you’re probably ignorant about the world but 50 copper coins isn’t something that these two can earn easily!”

  Before the guard could scold further, Lin Hua eased, “Uncle Gao, it’s not without reason! The wild boar is enough to sell for a week, and even if we just keep a portion of it, we can sell the rest so it doesn’t spoil. He’s giving it to us since we’re the first person to converse with him as he left his family’s estate and he didn’t bring copper coins with him since he didn’t expect that he’d need it when he enters the city.”

  The guard observed Lin Hua’s expression for a moment and saw that she wasn’t being threatened but he still asked in doubt as he turned his attention to Gu Xuan, “Is that true?”

  Gu Xuan calmly replied, “It’s somewhat true, I don’t mind helping them hunt for another, it’s not too much for me anyways but it’s a lot to them.”

  Hearing Gu Xuan’s words and magnanimity, the guard’s face relaxed as he laughed out loud while patting his shoulder happily, “Although Xiao Xuan is quite young, he’s really admirable! Sorry about that, I thought you were taking advantage of this girl who grew up under my watch.”

  “It’s okay.” Gu Xuan shrugged, it wasn’t a big deal anyway. And it didn’t come out of malice but genuine care so why would Gu Xuan be angry?

  The guard nodded in satisfaction as he gave him a temporary pass made out of copper, “My name is Gao Ning. I’ll cover the cost. Although Lin Hua and his brother has their own business, let me cover the 50 copper coins as an apology for my previous doubts to you.”

  Lin Hua looked over in shock, while Gu Xuan smiled as he caught the temporary pass made out of copper, “That’s fine, Uncle Gao. I’ll be in your care.”

  “Haha! Go and accompany Lin Hua and Lin Heng to their place, I’ll see you there later tonight to spar.”

  Lin Hua smiled as she held Lin Heng’s hand and said to Gao Ning without pretence, “Thank you, Uncle Gao, we’ll go first.”

  “Go, go, go. I’ve delayed the line long enough.”

  Seeing Gao Ning hurry them, Gu Xuan didn’t say more and followed Lin Hua and Lin Heng inside the city.

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