Chapter 291

Chapter 291: We’ll Get Married When I Return

Early the next morning, Xu Ming went to find Li Han and once again encountered Ye Ye.

Xu Ming even had breakfast with Ye Ye in the courtyard.

Xu Ming and Ye Ye were just like last night; it was as if nothing had happened.

Afterward, Xu Ming went with Li Han to look for Yin and the others.

Walking into Yin’s courtyard, the first thing Xu Ming and Li Han saw was a young girl.

The girl had a pure appearance. Even though she was only wearing hemp clothes and pants, her attire was very clean.

“Miss, is this Guang Yin’s residence?” Xu Ming bowed politely, thinking he might have come to the wrong place.

Li Han laughed and said, “Ming Brother, don’t you recognize her? She’s Hutao.”

“Hutao…” Xu Ming found the name somewhat familiar, but soon he remembered, “Are you Hutao?”

Previously, when Xu Ming went on his first mission at Blood Floating Pagoda, Yin took in a girl. Xu Ming and the others brought Hutao into the Blood Floating Pagoda, where she worked as a little kitchen maid.

However, after Xu Ming left Blood Floating Pagoda, he never saw her again. Roughly calculating, it had been more than three years.

He didn’t expect such a big change that he wouldn’t even recognize her.

“Yes, Master Xu, this servant is Hutao.” Hutao bowed respectfully, her eyes filled with joy, “Master Xu, it has been a long time since we last met. This servant has always heard about Master Xu.”

“I didn’t expect that the little girl from before has grown up to be so elegant and refined.” Xu Ming smiled, his eyes full of warmth.

Hutao’s small freckles were gone, her skin was good, and the previous malnutrition-induced thinness had been resolved.

She could now be considered a little beauty.

If graded by looks, she felt similar to Sister Chun Yan in her teens, or even slightly prettier.

“Thank you for your praise, Master Xu. Please come in, Master Xu and Master Li,” Hutao invited them, leading both men into the courtyard.

Hutao served tea to Xu Ming and Li Han.

Sure enough, Blood Floating Pagoda also gave Li Han a vacation, and even Hutao got some time off.

If this wasn’t the Emperor’s doing to help Xu Ming reconnect with family and friends, it really wouldn’t make sense.

It must be said that the Wu Emperor’s subtle methods of winning people’s hearts were indeed quite effective—low cost, yet showing concern everywhere, making one feel like they’ve encountered a wise ruler, willing to lay down their lives for him.

However, Hutao returned early to clean the courtyard, while Yin was currently training new recruits at Blood Floating Pagoda and would only return today.

Xu Ming and Li Han sat drinking tea in the courtyard.

Li Han winked at Xu Ming and secretly told him some gossip.

In the past year, the relationship between Yin and Hutao had progressed rapidly.

The main reason was due to an event.

Because Hutao had grown up to be increasingly elegant and refined, most of the men at Blood Floating Pagoda were young and single.

So many wanted to marry Hutao as their wife. During every mealtime, Hutao’s window would be surrounded by people.

There was even one time when someone proposed to Hutao.

But Hutao refused, stating that she already liked someone else—Yin.

This matter quickly spread, and some people challenged Yin to a duel, speaking with fists.

Even if winning against Yin wouldn’t make Hutao like them, Blood Floating Pagoda was like that—if you weren’t happy, you could always go to the martial arts practice area for a match.

At first, Yin was confused, claiming he had no relationship with Hutao and only thought of her as a younger sister.

Upon hearing this, Hutao cried for three days and nights.

Then even more people came to challenge Yin to duels, thinking Yin wasn’t a real man to make such a good girl cry!

Yin’s feelings were also in turmoil, unsure whether he should accept Hutao’s affection.

If Yin only thought of Hutao as a younger sister, that wasn’t true either. Yin definitely had some feelings for Hutao.

But Yin wasn’t sure if he could give Hutao lifelong happiness.

Especially since Blood Floating Pagoda often dealt with dangerous missions, life was uncertain, and Yin worried about dying outside someday.

So he preferred Hutao to marry a stable household.

Yin shared his thoughts with Hutao.

On that day, Hutao didn’t say much, just remained silent.

Not long after, Hutao directly ran to Yin and confessed, “I’ve thought it through. I still like you. If you die, I’ll be a widow for life, and I won’t regret it! Do you really not like me? If you don’t like me, just say it clearly! I’m only asking you this one time!”

Finally, Yin and Hutao got together.

They just haven’t married yet.

But it was estimated that it would happen soon, probably within this period.

After hearing this, Xu Ming felt quite moved inside.

He didn’t expect that his old friend was about to get married.

Not long after, Yin returned. They caught up, then all went to find Haizhi together.

The group ate dinner at a tavern, catching up.

Since Xu Ming had finally returned, Yin also announced something—that next month, he would go on a mission.

After completing the mission, he would marry Hutao.

Yin hadn’t told Hutao about this yet, planning to surprise her.

Naturally, Xu Ming and the others congratulated him.

After all, their good friend getting married made them happy too.

Still, Yin’s statement, “After finishing the mission, I will marry Hutao,” made Xu Ming feel uneasy inside.

It seemed ominous somehow.

Xu Ming felt he needed to talk to the people at Blood Floating Pagoda, ensuring Yin didn’t take any dangerous missions during this time.

As a trainer, teaching properly was quite nice.

In the evening, everyone gradually parted ways and returned home.

Xu Ming returned to the Xu Mansion, took a bath, and sat in the courtyard meditating with his eyes closed.

Xu Ming had given Zhou Wanfeng a communication flying sword, which would likely reach the “Taoist” in a few more days.

During this time, he also needed to find a place to break through his cultivation level.

Then, he planned to visit the Rootless Mystic Realm.

After returning from the Rootless Mystic Realm, the Taoist would probably arrive, and he’d deal with his mother’s divine soul issue.

Although he was home, Xu Ming found himself unable to relax at all.

Taking a deep breath, Xu Ming ended his meditation and decided to go back to sleep.

But the next moment, Xu Ming suddenly turned around and swung his sword.

“Clang!”

Sparks flew between the swords.

A masked man was struck ten meters away by Xu Ming.

The moment the man steadied his footing, Xu Ming’s longsword had already pierced toward his brow.

[Today I washed a bedsheet and put it out to dry on the rooftop balcony of my apartment building, then went out. The weather was fine, but suddenly it started raining heavily. All my efforts were wasted.]