The Elixir is for You, The Poison is for Me

#185 - Watch the fun

With Amu's household registration finally settled, Lu Jing could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

This meant that Little Wooden Dummy no longer had to hide and could openly accompany him to the academy. He also wouldn't have to worry about the people from the Directorate of Astronomy coming to check his water meter at any moment.

After sending Amu and the black cat home, Lu Jing thought for a moment and then went to Gu Caiwei's residence.

He had been "missing" for more than a month, and he would likely be staying at the academy for an even longer period. Therefore, he needed to inform Gu Caiwei in advance.

So, Lu Jing followed the address Gu Caiwei had left him and arrived at White Crow Lane.

Although Gu Caiwei had gradually gained a foothold in the capital with the help of Princess Fu'an, and her business was growing larger and larger, earning her some money, she still lived in the old house with her mother, waiting for her father, who had been missing for many years, to return.

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It was a small courtyard with only one entrance, less than half the size of Lu Jing's house. With the two of them, plus a gatekeeper and two maids, it was barely enough to live in.

However, as Gu Caiwei's Red Willow Charcoal became more and more famous, business dealings were inevitable. Therefore, Gu Caiwei simply bought the house next door and used it specifically for entertaining guests.

She also spent most of her days there, handling various affairs.

And when Lu Jing came to visit, he happened to catch Gu Caiwei busy.

In addition to her and an old steward, there were also six other people in the small courtyard.

All six of them were martial artists.

Among them were a bald monk who looked like a clergyman, a young swordsman in white, a burly man carrying a Zhanmadao, a hunchbacked old man, a middle-aged woman wielding Emei Piercers, and an accountant carrying an abacus.

Although the six of them were standing in the courtyard, their expressions were different.

The burly man carrying the Zhanmadao seemed quite impatient, and he shouted at the top of his lungs, "Is Boss Gu being a little too unreasonable?"

"Brother Wei, what do you mean by that?"

"This salary of only twelve taels of silver per month, is that for beggars? I only reluctantly agreed to come here as a guard for the sake of Brother Xie San, but this is all the money I get. No wonder people say women are stingy."

"A friend of mine, whose martial arts are far inferior to mine—I can beat him three times over—is now working as a guard for Steward He, and he gets this much a month," the man surnamed Wei said, holding up two fingers, "Not to mention room and board, he even gets to drink and have fun at the end of each month."

"Then why doesn't Brother Wei go and work for that Steward He?" Gu Caiwei retorted.

"Hey, you little lady, I already said that I came here for the sake of Brother Xie San, why are you still so ungrateful?"

The man surnamed Wei seemed a little annoyed, and he moved the Zhanmadao from his shoulder and stood it beside him.

As the blade fell to the ground with a muffled thud, the entire small courtyard seemed to tremble.

However, the expression on Gu Caiwei's face did not change at all, and she continued to speak slowly, "Brother Wei, do you think that just because I am a woman, I don't understand anything? The salary for guards in the capital is indeed higher than in other places, but the general martial artist makes about seven to fourteen taels of silver."

"I'm offering twelve taels, which is already very generous."

The man surnamed Wei didn't seem to expect that the delicate woman in front of him was actually knowledgeable, and that she hadn't been frightened by his outburst just now, so his expression was now obviously a little awkward.

At this time, the swordsman in white also came out to smooth things over, "Hey, everyone, calm down. Didn't Brother Xie San tell us about the salary before we came? Since everyone is still willing to come, they should have accepted the price, so give me, your brother, some face, and don't dwell on this anymore."

His words were meant to be conciliatory, but they were clearly more inclined towards Gu Caiwei's side. After speaking, he also looked at Gu Caiwei with anticipation, wanting to see a look of gratitude on her face, but he didn't expect Gu Caiwei to not look at him at all. Instead, she looked towards the entrance of the courtyard and said in surprise, "Lu Lang, you're back?"

"Yes." Lu Jing nodded, then said, "Caiwei, you go ahead and get busy. My matter isn't very important. We can talk after you're done."

"Okay." Gu Caiwei nodded, not hiding the joy on her face, "You haven't had dinner yet, right? We'll eat together later."

Lu Jing naturally had no objections. He had already heard from the conversation just now that Gu Caiwei was recruiting guards, so he chose a corner to stand in and watched quietly.

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The swordsman in white, seeing the scene just now, felt as disgusted as if he had swallowed a fly.

He wasn't a fool. Although Lu Jing and Gu Caiwei only exchanged a few words, he could tell that the relationship between the two was not simple, especially the way Gu Caiwei looked at Lu Jing, the admiration and tenderness in her eyes could not be concealed at all.

So the expression on his face also darkened.

The swordsman in white was the beloved disciple of the Qilian Sword Sect's leader. He had been ordered by his master to go down the mountain to train. With his status, he actually disdained being a guard. The reason he came was naturally not for the twelve taels of silver per month.

In fact, he had only recently arrived in the capital and had heard people talk about this Boss Gu, who was a peerless beauty. Her husband had been dead for almost three years, but she still hadn't remarried, and she was able to manage her business prosperously as a woman.

But now it seemed that the rumors were not accurate. This Boss Gu, who usually had a cold expression, seemed to have a lover in secret.

The swordsman in white felt as if he had been struck by lightning, and for a while, he was somewhat absent-minded. He didn't hear clearly what Gu Caiwei said afterwards, but he kept turning his head to look at Lu Jing, his expression unfriendly.

It wasn't until a while later that he heard Gu Caiwei say, "Alright, that's about it for the requirements. My place is small, and I don't need many guards. Two will be enough, so next, I'll have to trouble everyone to introduce themselves, and if possible, please show me a few moves."

The six people in the courtyard looked at each other, but in the end, the strong man surnamed Wei, who had argued with Gu Caiwei about the salary earlier, stood up first and said, "Since you all are unwilling to be the first bird to stick its head out, then let Wei be the one to liven things up for you."