Chapter 28: Settling Down

Upon their return to Linjiang City, Gu Mo and Gu Chuxia were no longer in a hurry as they had been on their way out. It took them a total of five days to get back. Soon after entering the city, their carriage was intercepted by another. The person who stopped them was Yan Sanniang from Bu'er Villa, accompanied by her bodyguard A Qi, who was driving the carriage.

“Young Hero Gu, welcome back!”

Yan Sanniang climbed directly into Gu Mo's carriage, carrying a large bundle that landed with a clatter, revealing a pile of gleaming silver.

“What’s this?” Gu Chuxia asked, puzzled.

“This is the bounty for Iron Arhat and Nun Kuxin,” Yan Sanniang explained. “A total of five hundred and fifty taels of silver, all of it is here.”

Gu Mo asked, bewildered, “Doesn’t Bu'er Villa take a commission?”

“No, we don’t,” Yan Sanniang replied. “You and Young Miss Chuxia encountered and eliminated them yourselves. Bu'er Villa won’t take a single cent of the bounty.”

Gu Mo stated, “That doesn’t quite follow the rules. If I recall correctly, the official government bounty for these two combined was only around three hundred taels. Since there’s five hundred and fifty taels now, it means Bu'er Villa still put in effort to collect the private bounties. In such cases, according to the contract we signed, Bu'er Villa should take half of the additional two hundred and fifty taels.”

“No, not a single cent,” Yan Sanniang insisted. “Young Hero Gu, let’s amend our contract again. From now on, for any wanted criminals whose information isn't provided by Bu'er Villa, as long as you eliminate them yourself, Bu'er Villa will help you collect private bounties from various places for free. Furthermore, even for bounties where Bu'er Villa provides the information, the commission will change from fifty percent to thirty percent. I’ll only charge a small cost fee.”

“Really?” Gu Chuxia asked, surprised.

“Absolutely, truer than real gold,” Yan Sanniang affirmed.

Gu Mo, however, remained rational. He asked, “Boss Yan, you’re a businesswoman, not a philanthropist. There must be a reason for this, right?”

“Ah,” Yan Sanniang sighed, “Young Hero Gu, aren't you asking the obvious? Your standing in the bounty hunter profession is quite different now.”

“Because I killed Feilong?” Gu Mo inquired.

Yan Sanniang shook her head. “The Tang family in Zhushan County suffered an attack from a powerful deviant master. This news hasn't spread widely yet, but for us in the information-gathering business, intelligence is our primary tool. We’ve found out that Young Hero Gu single-handedly counter-killed Feilong, Wu Huan, and Yang Tang despite their combined efforts. Most importantly, Shen Bai, the White Cloud Sword, personally admitted that your martial arts prowess surpassed his.

That’s Shen Bai, the White Cloud Sword! His single statement has quadrupled your value in the bounty hunter profession. Although you’re still a newcomer, your worth is already comparable to a gold-tier bounty hunter. I'm afraid now. Bu'er Villa finally found a bounty hunter with top-tier potential like you, and if other information bureaus poach you, I'll be heartbroken.”

Gu Mo smiled slightly. “Boss Yan, this offer is even better than what most gold-tier bounty hunters receive. I doubt any other information bureau would offer me such terms. Aren’t you afraid of losing money?”

Such generous terms could indeed lead to a loss. After all, gathering intelligence is very expensive, and Yan Sanniang's thirty percent commission would yield limited profit. More critically, it doesn't guarantee that every piece of intelligence given to Gu Mo will result in a successful bounty. Bu'er Villa would only break even if Gu Mo's success rate was at least eighty percent – eight out of ten attempts. If it fell below that, Bu'er Villa would certainly incur losses. Furthermore, Yan Sanniang promised not to take a commission for wanted criminals Gu Mo found or encountered on his own, and even offered to pay to help collect private bounties from various locations. This level of compensation strongly suggested Bu'er Villa was heading towards a loss.

Yan Sanniang smiled and said, “Young Hero Gu, I am a businesswoman. You must believe that every decision I make has its logic. Perhaps you’ll profit, but I certainly won’t lose money. Bu'er Villa, as an information bureau, is still new. We lack both bounty hunters and wealthy clients. In this situation, I’m betting you can become a top-tier bounty hunter. When that happens, Bu'er Villa will leverage your reputation, and our business will surely thrive. You will be a living signboard for Bu'er Villa. Do you think I would lose? I might invest a little money in you now, but I'll earn it back many times over from other sources.

Young Hero Gu, you might not realize it, but the true profits for an information bureau don't come from the small official bounties. They come from private bounties. Take Feilong, for example; the government bounty was only one thousand taels, but there were private bounties we could connect to totaling two thousand taels. And that's not even a large amount. Last year, Dongyang Information Bureau in the North City accepted a bounty from the wealthy merchant Yang Qiao for an officially wanted criminal. The government only offered five hundred taels, but that criminal was an enemy of Yang Qiao. Yang Qiao went directly to Dongyang Information Bureau and gave them five thousand taels because Dongyang Information Bureau had a great reputation and gold-tier bounty hunters, earning Yang Qiao's complete trust.

Furthermore, having a top-tier bounty hunter makes it easier for me to negotiate deals myself. For instance, if the government recently issued a bounty, and I found out that the wanted criminal had a grudge with a wealthy individual, it would be much easier for me to approach that person for a commission, wouldn't it? These are just a few aspects; there are many other benefits. In this jianghu, reputation means countless riches. Young Hero Gu, I believe you can become a top-tier bounty hunter. So, I'm investing in your future fame. Even if I spend money now, I won't lose in the long run.”

Gu Mo chuckled. “Boss Yan, you don’t sound like a businesswoman; you sound more like a gambler.”

“But I’m very good at gambling. I’ve never lost.”

“I hope you won’t lose this time either, Boss Yan.”

As Gu Mo spoke, he tossed a bundle in front of Yan Sanniang. “These are the heads of Feilong, Wu Huan, and Yang Tang. I’ll leave them to you, Boss Yan.”

“Leave it to me; you can rest assured.”

Yan Sanniang immediately handed the bundle to A Qi, who placed it into their carriage.

“Young Hero Gu, would you like to rest for a while, or should I arrange your next task as soon as possible?” Yan Sanniang asked.

“I’ll rest for a few days,” Gu Mo replied. “This trip brought significant gains in my martial arts, and I need to organize my thoughts. I also want to use this time to properly guide my sister in her martial arts.”

In addition to guiding Gu Chuxia, Gu Mo also planned to retrieve a Minor Rejuvenation Pill from the system for her. He would need a few days to help her absorb its medicinal properties, as she would only be able to absorb a maximum of fifty percent of its full efficacy if she took it by herself, which would be a significant waste.

“That’s excellent. The stronger Young Miss Chuxia becomes in martial arts, the more help she can be to you,” Yan Sanniang mused. “Then, whenever you’ve rested enough and wish to take on a task, just let me know, and I’ll select a suitable one for you.”

***

The next morning, in their small courtyard, Gu Mo and Gu Chuxia were seeing off a middle-aged man. He was a high-ranking member of another information bureau, who had come to recruit Gu Mo.

“Young Hero Gu, please consider my proposal carefully. Our Fuwei Information Bureau is a century-old establishment with extensive networks, not just in Linjiang Prefecture, but throughout all six prefectures of Yunzhou. With your capabilities, you could achieve great things with us. We can even help you bear the breach of contract fees for your current agreement.”

Gu Mo nodded slightly. “I will certainly give it serious thought. Thank you for your kind offer.”

“Then I won't disturb you any further,” the middle-aged man said. “Young Hero Gu, if you make up your mind, feel free to contact me anytime. Farewell!”

“Safe travels.”

The middle-aged man cupped his hands in farewell, then boarded his carriage and departed. Watching him leave, Gu Chuxia said, smiling, “Brother, you really are famous in the martial world now. This is already the fifth information bureau to try and recruit you.”

Gu Mo shook his head slightly. “It’s not really being ‘famous in the martial world.’ It’s just gaining some recognition among bounty hunters. Besides, the reason these information bureaus are willing to offer such terms isn't primarily because of my own demonstrated value, but because of Shen Bai.”

“Hehe,” Gu Chuxia chuckled, “Regardless, it’s still because you’re amazing! In the future, when I’m out and about, if someone asks, ‘Who is this young lady?’ I’ll just slap the table and declare clearly, ‘My brother is Gu Mo!’ Then everyone below will be astonished, hahahaha…”

“Your little head is full of silly ideas all day,” Gu Mo said with a light laugh. “But seriously, no matter how much those other information bureaus try to recruit me, they can’t offer the same terms as Yan Sanniang. While their intelligence capabilities might be stronger, they won't dedicate significant resources to me. Bu'er Villa is different; they are currently giving me complete priority with their resources.”

Gu Chuxia nodded. “That’s true. Boss Yan is quite nice, and she’s beautiful too. She even gave me rouge when she brought the money yesterday. Oh, Brother, we have over two thousand taels now! Once we save ten thousand taels, we can go find Qi Miaoxuan to cure your eyes.”

“We'll see,” Gu Mo replied. “You should find time to buy or rent a larger courtyard. Also, we need to buy a carriage and a good horse. And our blades need to be replaced; we should buy two good ones. If you calculate all that, we won’t have much money left!”

Gu Chuxia thought for a moment and said, “Brother, let’s not buy those yet. Can we save money first?”

Gu Mo shook his head. “Sharpening the axe doesn't delay the chopping of wood. I know you want to save enough money to cure my eyes as quickly as possible, but if we establish a good foundation, we can earn money faster. Besides, the items we're currently using are from Boss Yan. Even though she hasn't asked for them back, we can't comfortably keep taking advantage. We need to return her belongings. And don't rush about my eyes. The ten thousand taels of silver for Qi Miaoxuan's help is just the first condition; the most difficult parts are still to come. We can’t rush it.”

“Okay, I understand.” Gu Chuxia was a little disheartened.

Indeed, just as Gu Mo said, among the three conditions for Qi Miaoxuan's help, the ten thousand taels of silver, seemingly a large sum, was actually the easiest to fulfill.

“Don't think too much about it,” Gu Mo said, reaching out to pat Gu Chuxia's head. “I've pretty much adapted now, so whether my eyes are cured sooner or later won't make much difference.”

“But I just want you to recover soon,” Gu Chuxia replied, still glum.

Gu Mo smiled. “Alright, let’s leave it at that. Come on, let’s go inside and practice. I’ll help you absorb the Minor Rejuvenation Pill’s properties. Judging by the progress over the past few days, the medicinal effects should be almost fully absorbed in about three more days, and you’ll be able to break through to the seventh level of the Profound Void Heart Technique.”

The day after returning to Linjiang City, Gu Mo extracted the Minor Rejuvenation Pill from the system and gave it to Gu Chuxia. With him assisting her in absorbing it using his Nine Yang Inner Energy, the effect was twice as good with half the effort.

Gu Chuxia had previously only cultivated the Profound Void Heart Technique to the fifth level. Once the Minor Rejuvenation Pill's effects were fully absorbed, she would reach the seventh level, at which point her inner energy would match that of an ordinary second-rate inner energy martial artist in the martial world.

The Profound Void Saber Art consists of a heart technique and a saber technique. The heart technique is quite ordinary, reaching at most the upper second-rate level even when cultivated to the ninth, perfected stage. However, the saber technique is exquisite and can be considered a first-rate saber art in the martial world. Gu Chuxia had made remarkable progress recently. Her inner energy was boosted by the Minor Rejuvenation Pill, and her saber technique benefited from Gu Mo’s guidance. She had already mastered nearly forty of the seventy-two forms of the Profound Void Saber Art, a level not far from what Gu Mo himself had achieved before he lost his sight.

Furthermore, Gu Mo was also teaching Gu Chuxia two supreme martial arts: Cloud Ladder Traverse and Finger Flicking Divine Skill. However, due to the limited time, she had not yet achieved mastery in them. After all, Gu Chuxia’s martial arts talent was quite ordinary; she wasn't a genius who could grasp things instantly.

***

In the following days, Gu Chuxia became busy, looking at houses everywhere. After about four or five days of searching, she finally bought a small courtyard she truly liked. Afterward, she spent a few more days furnishing it, purchasing a carriage, a horse, and weapons. More than half of the two thousand plus taels of silver they had was spent directly.

Gu Chuxia felt a pang of pain while paying, but at the same time, she was incredibly happy. Ten years ago, the siblings had sold their old home and embarked on a journey to find their parents, drifting through the martial world like rootless duckweed. Now, they finally had a real home.

From the moment they entered their new home, Gu Chuxia excitedly pulled Gu Mo around, bouncing with joy.

“Brother, the East Wing has two rooms: one for your practice, and one for mine. The two rooms in the West Wing can be guest rooms, so visitors can stay there. And over here, in the main hall, one room will be the kitchen, and the other two will be our bedrooms.”

“Alright.”

“Brother, can I keep a big goldfish in my bedroom?”

“Yes, you can.”

“Brother, should we dig a well in the courtyard?”

“Good idea.”

“Brother, I want to go to the rooftop to watch the stars! When we rented other people's houses, I never dared to climb the roof for fear of damaging it. But now this is our own home, so I'm not afraid anymore!”

“Brother…”

Gu Chuxia was truly overjoyed. She pulled Gu Mo to sit on the rooftop and chattered incessantly. Gu Mo sat quietly. Though he couldn’t see with his blind eyes, he could feel that the night sky must be filled with countless stars and bathed in brilliant moonlight. Gu Chuxia seemed to have an endless stream of words, and Gu Mo wondered why her little mind held so many strange and whimsical ideas.

After an unknown amount of time, Gu Chuxia gradually quieted down and fell asleep, leaning on Gu Mo's shoulder.

Gu Mo smiled faintly. Slowly, he raised his head. The moonlight tonight must be very bright!