Brocade Robe Unparalleled

Chapter 22 Give in to others

Two of the three bottles of Bone Tempering Liquid that were supposed to be his were stolen. Lin Xuan was furious, but there was nothing he could do.

Is he, a mere banner officer, really going to appeal?
Perhaps there are corrupt officials in the government office he appealed to who withheld his reward.

I guess I'll just have to accept my bad luck.

The man in black robes spoke again, his tone tinged with a hint of sarcasm: "You'll gradually find out just how dark the officialdom of Yong Kingdom truly is..."

Although Lin Xuan had only been here a short time, he had already gained a profound understanding of the darkness within officialdom.

At this moment, the man in black spoke again, saying calmly, "Have you gathered any useful information lately?"

Lin Xuan shook his head and said, "No, although Wu Baihu has stopped making things difficult for me these past few days, he doesn't trust me either. He only entrusts important tasks to his trusted confidants."

The man in black robes sneered, "It seems you still haven't taken my words to heart..."

Lin Xuan sensed the chill in his voice, her heart skipped a beat, and she immediately said, "My lord, I really..."

The man in black robes raised his hand and said coldly, "You don't need to explain, and I won't listen to your explanation."

He looked at Lin Xuan, his eyes flashing with a chilling light beneath the hideous demon mask, his tone equally icy: "Considering your two merits, I'll give you another half a month. If you're still half-hearted and don't work properly for us during this time, I won't hesitate to let you experience the agony of the Gu worms gnawing at your heart again..."

Lin Xuan's hand unconsciously went to his chest. Recalling the excruciating pain he had experienced last time, beads of cold sweat appeared on his forehead.

In recent days, the black-robed man's attitude towards him has softened, making Lin Xuan forget his ruthlessness.

This person is not only vicious, but also has a thorough understanding of his ulterior motives.

He's right. Lin Xuan was indeed half-hearted in his dealings with Nanzhao, not thinking about doing a good job for them, but only about reaping benefits...

Meeting those two sharp gazes, he felt like he'd been caught red-handed slacking off.

The man in black robes gave him a cold look: "You'd better watch yourself!"

After leaving those words, he waved his sleeve and disappeared into the darkness outside the door.

Lin Xuan slowly closed the door, then leaned against it and let out a long sigh.

The high-ranking spies of Nanzhao were indeed not so easy to fool...

It seems he has to do something...

Lin Xuan didn't sleep a wink that night.

As dawn broke, Lin Xuan went into the courtyard and washed his face with the cool well water, which made him feel much more awake.

The man in black robes was clearly unreasonable, only caring about the result and not the reason.

If Lin Xuan didn't want to suffer the pain of the Gu worms devouring her heart again, she could only do as he said and provide him with some valuable information first.

The current problem is that Wu Baihu, as the only centurion in the Sizhou Jingbian Division, is in charge of both intelligence operations and intelligence work. Only his confidants have access to those core secrets.

To gain access to valuable intelligence, one must first gain Wu Baihu's trust.

Fortunately, after several years of working within the system, Lin Xuan had gained some insights into how to gain the trust of his superiors...

After leaving his home, Lin Xuan did not go directly to the Jingbian Division, but instead knocked on the gate of the neighbor's courtyard.

A moment later, the courtyard gate creaked open and slowly opened a crack from the inside.

A'Luo rubbed her sleepy eyes, her long, black hair disheveled. She must not have gotten up yet, as she was wrapped in a cloak.

The large cloak covered her body completely, with only the neckline slightly open, revealing a small section of her fair and delicate neck and exquisite collarbone.

A Luo rubbed her sleepy eyes, looked at Lin Xuan, and asked while yawning, "Brother Lin, what's up so early?"

Lin Xuan's gaze subconsciously swept quickly over her neckline before he looked away and said, "Nothing else, just wanted to let you know that you don't need to buy groceries today. I probably won't have time to come back to cook lunch, and I can't guarantee dinner either. I probably won't have many opportunities to cook at home these next few days..."

"what?"

A Luo's beautiful eyes widened suddenly, the lingering sleepiness instantly replaced by astonishment. She subconsciously gripped the edge of her cloak, her voice tinged with urgency: "W-why? Is the money I gave for the groceries not enough? Brother Lin, I can pay for the groceries myself!"

Lin Xuan shook his head and said, "You misunderstood. It's just that the Jingbian Division will be very busy for a while, and I probably won't have time to come back and cook. Why don't you ask Aunt Wang or Aunt Li next door if we can cook together..."

The man in black robes was putting a lot of pressure on him, and Lin Xuan could no longer slack off like before.

At the very least, he should pretend that he is trying to do something.

Upon hearing this, A Luo froze on the spot.

Her expression held a mixture of unexpected astonishment, dashed expectations, and a barely perceptible hint of regret...

"But... I just love your cooking!"

A Luo's long eyelashes fluttered, and her big, watery eyes looked pitifully at Lin Xuan. She said, "Brother Lin, a job is a job, and life is life. They are two separate things. You can't neglect your life just because you're doing a job. How meaningless is that..."

Lin Xuan sighed inwardly.

Work is work, and life is life. A'Luo's words were not wrong, but neither work nor life is as important as saving one's life.

Lin Xuan thought about it carefully. He did need something to spice up his life and relieve the pressure the man in black robes was putting on him.

These days, his most tense moments are when he faces the man in black robes.

The only thing that could ease his tense nerves a little was the warmth and comfort of cooking together with A'Luo around the stove every day.

He looked up at A Luo, and her expectant little face softened his heart for a moment. He nodded and said, "You're right. Here's what we'll do: I'll try my best to come back and cook dinner. As for lunch, you'll just have to make do with what you have."

The gloom on A Luo's face vanished instantly, replaced by a bright smile. She nodded vigorously, "Okay, I'll just grab a quick bite for lunch and wait for you to come back tonight!"

Lin Xuan nodded and said, "Okay."

He turned and walked out of the alley, and when he reached the alley entrance, he subconsciously looked back.

A Luo stood at the door, waved vigorously at him, and shouted, "Brother Lin, see you tonight!" At that moment, Lin Xuan inexplicably remembered Chen Baihu's instructions before he left.

Settling down here seems like a pretty good idea?
……

Lin Xuan spent the entire morning practicing martial arts at the Jingbian Division.

For banner officers, being busy is not necessarily a good thing, but being idle is definitely not a good thing.

Promotion of a banner officer requires merit, and the only way to make a name for oneself in the Jingbian Division is through tasks assigned by the centurion.

Wu Baihu's confidants always managed to snag easy and lucrative jobs.

Marginalized individuals like Lin Xuan are often assigned either arduous, dirty, or dangerous jobs.

After the dispute over the water source between the two villages, although Wu Baihu did not make things difficult for Lin Xuan again, he clearly did not consider him one of his own.

After having a quick lunch on the street and changing into casual clothes, Lin Xuan arrived at the calligraphy and painting street in the city.

Although Wu Baihu appears to be a rough and rugged warrior, he actually possesses the demeanor of a scholar.

His duty room was filled with various calligraphy and paintings.

Lin Xuan planned to cater to his preferences.

Although he had always despised this behavior, in order to fulfill his duty to the man in black robes and for the sake of his hard-won second life, he had no choice but to go against his conscience.

Having chosen a shop with a decent number of customers, Lin Xuan had just entered when a portly figure approached him with a smile and asked, "What are you looking for, sir? Calligraphy and paintings or antiques? Would you like me to show you around..."

……

A quarter of an hour later, Lin Xuan emerged from the calligraphy and painting shop, carrying a scroll carefully wrapped in plain brocade.

Lin Xuan knew nothing about appreciating calligraphy and paintings, and could only judge the value of these things based on their prices.

The shopkeeper initially asked for 130 taels of silver for this landscape painting, but Lin Xuan bargained it down to 100 taels.

Lin Xuan felt a pang of regret for buying paintings that were a bit more expensive.

A sum of around one hundred taels demonstrates sincerity without appearing stingy.

Wu Baihu has no shortage of good paintings; what he gives is not important, but rather the attitude.

Upon returning to Jingbian Division, Lin Xuan went straight to the door of Wu Baihu's duty room.

He knocked on the door and said softly, "Your subordinate, Lin Xuan, requests an audience with Commander Baihu."

"Come in."

Wu Baihu's voice came from inside.

Lin Xuan pushed open the door and entered. Wu Baihu was sitting behind his desk, flipping through a file.

He looked up at Lin Xuan, a smile appearing on his face, and asked, "What business does Lin Xiaoqi have with me?"

After what happened last time, his attitude towards Lin Xuan has changed significantly.

Lin Xuan stepped forward, took out a scroll from his sleeve, and gently placed it on a corner of the desk. He didn't unfurl it immediately, but smiled and said, "My lord, I acquired this painting yesterday by chance, a gift from a friend. I'm a rough man and know absolutely nothing about such refined things. It's a real waste to have this painting here with me..."

He paused, then spoke with even greater sincerity, saying, "My lord, you are a learned and refined person who truly understands and loves painting. This painting can only be fully utilized in your hands. I humbly offer this painting to you, my lord, and hope you will accept it."

"Oh?"

Wu Baihu glanced at the scroll, his gaze falling on Lin Xuan, a hint of surprise flashing across his face.

Everyone in Sizhou Jingbian Division knew that he loved painting, and many people would send him paintings on a regular basis. However, it was quite unexpected that this painting came from the hands of Lin Xuan, who was always straightforward and even a bit dull.

It seems that what happened last time was not an accident.

This Lin Xiaoqi is indeed different from before.

In the face of life and death, some things can indeed be changed.

He was very pleased that Lin Xuan had this awareness.

Wu Baihu opened the scroll and quietly admired the painting.

After a long while, he nodded slightly, a faint smile appearing on his face. His tone was much gentler than before as he said to Lin Xuan, "You've put your heart into this. I appreciate your kindness."

Lin Xuan secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

In official circles, accepting gifts signifies approval and tacit consent.

Once Wu Baihu accepts the painting, things will be much easier.

Having achieved his objective, Lin Xuan clasped his hands in a fist salute and said, "I will not disturb you any longer while you are appreciating the painting. I will take my leave now."

Commander Wu nodded and said, "Go..."

Lin Xuan bowed and withdrew, closing the door behind him.

After Lin Xuan's footsteps faded into the distance, Wu Baihu's gaze fell once more on the landscape painting. He smiled and said, "Friend... hehe, this painting, Cuizhuxuan would probably sell for at least a hundred taels. He's quite willing to spend that much."

Wu Baihu's gaze did not linger on the painting for long. He casually rolled up the scroll and tossed it onto the pile of scrolls in the corner of his desk.

The brushwork in this painting is passable, but the artistic conception is mediocre. Its market value is at most eighty taels.

But what's important isn't the painting itself, but Lin Xuan's attitude.

What he wanted was exactly Lin Xuan's attitude.

Wu Baihu picked up the teacup on the table, took a small sip, and looked out the window. He said with satisfaction, "She's sensible. Sensible is good. She's worth cultivating further..."

(End of this chapter)