17: Snowflakes blow in the wind and people on the road

Bai Liangshu turned his head toward Zhang Yu with a slightly distorted expression. "Sir, are you serious?"

Zhang Yu sat calmly in his chair. "Why don't you go ask the Town Chief yourself?"

Alright then, it seemed this was for real.

Turning back to face Chu Shengfan, a smile was already plastered on Bai Liangshu's face. "Come, come, come. Follow me to register your information over here. You should be literate, right?"

"I am." Although the youth was young, his tone was very steady.

As such, Bai Liangshu asked many questions from the side. Once the registration was complete, he handed an identification plate to Chu Shengfan.

"This is your identity token for entering and exiting the Town Chief's Mansion. Keep it safe. Starting tomorrow, come to me to report for duty."

After speaking to Chu Shengfan, he turned to Zhang Yu. "Sir, it has been handled."

Zhang Yu stood up from his seat and smiled at Chu Jingyu. "Mr. Chu, is there anything else you need to arrange on this end?"

Chu Jingyu cupped his hands. "Nothing else. I still need to arrange a place for him to stay, so I won't disturb you further."

"If you don't mind, there are dormitories here in the Town Chief's Mansion. How about we arrange for him to stay here?"

Chu Jingyu smiled and waved his hand. "We have a relative in town. I'll feel more at ease if he stays there, so I won't trouble you with the arrangements, Sir."

Seeing this, Zhang Yu did not insist and allowed the Chu grandfather and grandson to leave the Town Chief's Mansion.

After the two left, Bai Liangshu's face showed curiosity. "Sir, what's that person's background? To think the Town Chief personally spoke up to arrange a position for him."

"At first, I thought that Old Gentleman was the one joining us."

"If that Old Gentleman had come, the position of the head of the Logistics Department would have to change hands."

"Huh?" Bai Liangshu's face was filled with shock.

"After all, purely in terms of Realm, that Old Gentleman is not weaker than me."

Zhang Yu narrowed his eyes as he looked out the door, his mind calculating something unknown.

...

When the grandfather and grandson reappeared, they had already arrived at Medicine Heart Hall.

Because of the cold weather, many braziers had been lit inside Medicine Heart Hall. Entering the building, a wave of warmth that made one's whole body go soft hit them in the face.

"Old Gentleman Chu, why have you come on such a snowy day?"

The apprentice's surprised voice woke the drowsy shopkeeper behind the counter.

"I've come to purchase some medicinal herbs, and also to find your master. I have an important matter to entrust to him."

Aside from purchasing herbs, the latter part was not something the apprentice could handle.

As it happened, the shopkeeper nearby also heard Chu Jingyu's words, so he gave Chu Jingyu a bow. "Then please wait a moment, Old Gentleman. I will go inform the master."

"Thank you for the trouble."

The shopkeeper's figure vanished through the back door, while the apprentice walked toward the medicine cabinet. "Is it the same as before?"

Chu Jingyu often sent medicinal herbs here and frequently bought some to take back. Although the herbs he sent varied, the ones he picked up were always the same few types.

Chu Jingyu smiled and shook his head. "No, I'll take a few more types this time. Why, is Master Liu not here today?"

The apprentice shook his head. "The weather is too cold. The master felt Master Liu is getting on in years and it's inconvenient for him, so he was granted a few days off. Old Gentleman Chu, which new herbs are you adding?"

"Three stalks of three-year-old purple iris flowers, five Pink-Leaf Lotus Seeds, five stalks of five-year-old Blood Life Grass, four stalks of Twin Grass, and one piece of Bright-Light Jade."

Medicine Heart Hall had a complete stock of herbs, so even though some of the herbs Chu Jingyu mentioned were quite niche, the apprentice found them one by one.

Just after all the herbs were gathered, the shopkeeper emerged from the back door and spoke with a smile, "Mr. Chu, please follow me."

Chu Jingyu put away the herbs the apprentice had just wrapped, then he and Chu Shengfan followed the shopkeeper through the back door.

Maidservants and servants were bustling about, taking advantage of the break in the snow to clear the accumulation from the courtyard.

Between the blue bricks and gray tiles, only a tree of unpicked persimmons hung from the branches like lanterns, giving the scene the flavor of an ink wash painting.

In the freezing weather, Sun Chunchen sat in the main hall enjoying hot tea he was brewing. The doors were wide open, showing not a shred of the respect usually due to the freezing cold.

Seeing the figures of Chu Jingyu and Chu Shengfan appear in the courtyard, Sun Chunchen spoke from a distance.

"Old Brother Chu, once my Source Beasts are sold, they are absolutely non-refundable."

Chu Jingyu naturally knew this was Sun Chunchen's joke. "I didn't come for that today. Instead, I've come with the thick skin to ask for another favor."

Sun Chunchen's heart stirred. Something was up; over the years, Chu Jingyu was not the type of person to easily ask for help.

"To make Old Brother Chu open his mouth to beg me, it must truly be no simple matter. I am quite curious."

Although he didn't know what Chu Jingyu was asking for, coming from the Prefecture City, he naturally had his own confidence and assurance.

"My grandson is going to take a position at the Town Chief's Mansion, so I'd like him to stay here with you for a while. A child in this town is in unfamiliar territory, so I also want you to look after him a bit, Old Brother."

"He's going to work?" Sun Chunchen's face showed a hint of doubt, which then turned into realization. "I'm afraid that Town Chief's target is you, isn't it? You really are something, pushing your own grandson out instead."

Chu Jingyu did not defend himself. "There was no other way. That Town Chief is a Spirit Rank Contract Master after all. An old man from the wild like me has to consider things carefully."

Sun Chunchen shook his head but brought up an unrelated topic. "With your Talent, you shouldn't have stopped at the Uncommon Rank."

"Haha, this old man only wants to see my grandson grow up quickly and protect the Family. That way, I can be at peace."

Seeing Chu Jingyu's open-minded attitude, Sun Chunchen felt uncomfortable. He waved his hand and said impatiently, "Fine, fine. Just let the kid stay here with me. I'll take good care of him. Xiaohui, arrange a good room for him."

"Yes."

The delicate Maidservant who had been silent like a background prop spoke up crisply.

The little Maidservant stepped forward, about to lead Chu Shengfan toward the other courtyards.

Chu Jingyu, however, waved his hand. "There's no need to look at rooms. Any place to stay is fine. we still have to rush back today. I'll be counting on you in the future, Old Brother Sun."

The little Maidservant was stunned, then turned her gaze toward Sun Chunchen.

"Fine, if you have other things to do, go ahead and get busy. During his time in town, even if the whole town is destroyed, I guarantee he'll remain completely unscathed."

The two left Medicine Heart Hall and hurried back toward Fuhe Village.

There was a faint urgency in their hearts, anticipating exactly what form the Phosphorescent Butterfly would evolve into in Ancestor Chu's hands.

However, the road back seemed a bit more difficult than the journey there. At some point, the snowflakes began to fall hurriedly again, and the temperature seemed to drop even further.

It was only afternoon, but the sky had already grown very dim.

Something seemed to be brewing within the thick, dense cloud layers.

Scattered lamplight peeked through windows, casting a warm orange glow on the white snow. Even if there were a few pedestrians on the street, most were in a great hurry.

Clouds press down on the lights below; snow in the wind blows on travelers on the road.

The road home was still long. The grandfather and grandson tightened their collars and traveled on in silence.