After a long period of fighting, Lu Xian finally got his long-awaited rest. He immediately got busy with important matters. He had already decided in Yan Jing that upon returning to Yuzhou, he would find a sensible and understanding woman to marry. However, it had been delayed due to various affairs.
From spring to summer, Lu Xian was either out rescuing people from disasters or killing mutated beasts in the wilderness. He had very little leisure time. He envied Yang Chang, who got married so quickly. He only saw two girls once and immediately married them without any hesitation. As long as the woman was beautiful and slender, he would marry her, even faster than a shotgun wedding.
Now that there were no more wars in Yuzhou, and the surrounding mutated beasts had been cleared, Lu Xian had a relatively long holiday. He finally had time to consider his lifelong event.
"Let me see, where can I find a gentle, lovely, and sensible woman? Preferably unmarried," Lu Xian muttered to himself, lying on his rooftop and looking at the street with binoculars.
Lu Xian was not searching aimlessly. Opposite his building was a park, where people came and went. Many were performing for money. From the rooftop, he could see if people below had any talents. Lu Xian wanted to find a woman who understood music, as such a person would share his hobbies and surely accompany him until old age.
Standing on top of the building, Lu Xian began to search for a target, muttering as he did.
"This woman is beautiful, with a curvaceous figure and long legs. If she wasn't holding hands with a man, she'd be perfect."
"This woman playing the guzheng must understand music, but... isn't she already forty? No, no, I'm still young grass."
"This is also hard to find. Most of the performers in the park are men. Alas, it's not easy to find someone."
Lu Xian stood on the building, muttering, watching the people in the park, and couldn't find a suitable candidate for a long time.
Given Lu Xian's current behavior, in a previous era, he would have been reported. While he might not have been charged with hooliganism, he would certainly have been criticized and educated, as peeping with binoculars was embarrassing even to mention.
Just then, a deep voice came from behind him: "What are you looking for? Do you need my help?"
Lu Xian was startled and turned around to find that Guo Pinming had appeared behind him silently. If he had used his abilities, no one could have approached him so easily. It was also because Lu Xian was too focused on watching the park and hadn't used his abilities, which allowed Guo Pinming to approach him.
"Old Guo, it's you. You scared me. Why didn't you announce your arrival? And how did you get in?" Lu Xian, seeing that it was Guo Pinming behind him, finally felt relieved. There were no enemies in Yuzhou, but Guo Pinming's sudden appearance had startled him.
Guo Pinming took out his phone and said seriously, "I sent you a message, but you never replied, so I came to find you. When I got to the downstairs of your house, I used my abilities to make a key. Look at your phone if you don't believe me."
Lu Xian felt his pockets and realized he hadn't brought his phone, so he hadn't received Guo Pinming's message.
"Forget it, forget it. What did you come to find me for? I'm still looking for my other half, someone sensible and understanding," Lu Xian waved his hand, no longer intending to pursue Guo Pinming's trespassing.
Guo Pinming smiled awkwardly and said, "I'm a bit short on cash, can I borrow some money?"
So, Guo Pinming had come to find Lu Xian in such a hurry just to borrow money.
As soon as Lu Xian heard about borrowing money, he became displeased. Although they were brothers who had faced life and death together, he still needed to be clear about this matter.
"I have to say something about you. You are too extravagant. Brother, your position is already very high. You get a stack of ration coupons every month, more than you can eat. Even if you go to the brothel every day, you wouldn't spend this much. How did you spend it all?" Lu Xian began to question him directly.
Shen Feng took good care of his subordinates. Salaries were paid in ration coupons. An ordinary person would receive several hundred jin of ration coupons per month, which was enough to support a family's food and drink. There were also red envelopes during festivals. For someone in Guo Pinming's position, as a capable subordinate of Shen Feng, the ration coupons he received monthly could be exchanged for ten tons of staple grains, enough to eat himself to death. Yet, Guo Pinming still didn't have enough.
When Guo Pinming was short of money, he would ask his brothers for help. Not only Lu Xian but also Yang Chang, Cao Fuli, and even Lu Kaiyang had been approached.
At Guo Pinming's level, face was important. Refusing to lend money would be considered disrespect, and it would always be awkward to meet again. Therefore, everyone would lend Guo Pinming a few hundred jin of ration coupons, and Guo Pinming would repay them when he received his salary.
Seeing Lu Xian's reaction, Guo Pinming couldn't help but say, "Lu Xian, I always repay the money I borrow. Lend me some, and I'll return it when I get paid."
Lu Xian was a bit unhappy, but he did have a lot of ration coupons on hand, so it was unreasonable not to lend him money. He said, "Then give me an idea of how to find a suitable other half. There are no matchmaking agencies around here, so I can't find a suitable partner."
Guo Pinming put his hand on the stubble on his chin, stroking it as he thought, and finally gave an answer: "How about this, go find Lin Yue and Qi Lingshan. These two manage the intelligence department, and they'll definitely know where to find the person you're looking for. What do you think of this answer?"
Lu Xian thought that this was indeed the case.
"Come with me, I'll give you two hundred jin of ration coupons. As for this month, you should go to fewer places of ill repute," Lu Xian said lazily.
Lu Xian went to the bedroom and opened the drawer, revealing stacks of ration coupons. He casually took out twenty sheets of ration coupons and handed them over, "There you go. These two hundred jin of ration coupons should be enough for you to live on for a while, enough until next month's salary."
"Alright, alright, I'll return it to you as soon as I get paid. I won't let you suffer any losses," Guo Pinming said quickly.
Lu Xian shrugged and said casually, "No need to return it. We're brothers after all. We've fought side by side for over half a year. What's there to talk about returning or not returning?"
Guo Pinming, however, insisted, "No, I will definitely repay the money I owe. This is a matter of principle. You can rest assured about this. I keep my word."
Guo Pinming then put the ration coupons in his pocket and left, while Lu Xian also went out, preparing to find Lin Yue and Qi Lingshan.
Guo Pinming walked towards the old city. The buildings in this area were very old, so people with power and influence disdained it. Many vulnerable groups were driven to live here, especially the elderly, weak, women, and children. To survive, they lived in the old city.
The buildings in the old city were very dense, and the streets were dim. Near the buildings, one could often see children playing, who seemed carefree and played in the streets all day without needing to attend classes. However, when they encountered strangers, these children instinctively hid in nearby empty houses.
Guo Pinming walked on the street, watching a group of children playing, and a rare smile appeared on his face.
When Guo Pinming had free time, his favorite thing to do was to go to the old city, find some pitiable children, and give them some ration coupons. If there were orphans in the city, most of them were sent to orphanages. However, some children stayed with their parents, and if the parents were in poor health and unable to work, they had no means of survival other than receiving a bowl of thin porridge every day.
Every time he saw children suffering, Guo Pinming felt uneasy. He thought of his own child. If it weren't for the sudden arrival of chaos, his child would probably be studying carefree in school, and these children wouldn't have to worry about their livelihood every day.
As he was walking on the street, a little girl about five or six years old passed by Guo Pinming, reached out, and grabbed the thick stack of ration coupons in his pocket, then quickly ran away.
Guo Pinming didn't expect anyone to dare to rob him. How audacious! He was an ability user who had killed countless zombies and mutated beasts. Yet, now, a little girl was snatching his ration coupons. Truly, a newborn calf fears no tiger.
Guo Pinming didn't chase after her. Instead, he rolled up his sleeves. On his left arm, he wore more than a dozen heavy iron rings. Those who didn't know would think he was doing weight training, as these large iron rings weighed at least thirty pounds. Walking on the street was like carrying a large bucket of mineral water with one hand, which ordinary people couldn't do.
"Go!" Guo Pinming used his abilities, and the iron rings instantly turned into flowing water, flowing forward.
In an instant, the flowing molten iron surrounded the little girl who had stolen the ration coupons.
The little girl closed her eyes nervously, trembling all over. She was terrified by the scene and didn't dare to make any extra moves. She heard the crisp "clanging" sound and felt that she couldn't move at all. She opened her eyes and saw that an iron chain had bound her. It was already impossible to escape.
The little girl instantly fell to the ground. Guo Pinming slowly walked over and asked, "Why did you steal my money?"
The little girl trembled, unable to say anything, but her eyes were still filled with tears, and her mouth pouted, as if she was about to cry.
Seeing this, Guo Pinming shrugged helplessly, took back the ration coupons from the little girl's hand, and then retracted the iron chain. The iron chain turned back into iron rings and was clasped around his arm.
"You're lucky to have met me. I'm a kind person and don't like to kill people casually. Otherwise, if you fell into the hands of Yang Chang or Lu Xian, you would have suffered greatly." After taking back the ration coupons, Guo Pinming turned and left. He let the little thief go.
However, even though Guo Pinming let the little girl go, she still followed him, keeping a distance of five or six meters behind him.
Seeing this, Guo Pinming understood. This little girl must be very hungry, which is why she was forced onto the wrong path. And she was following him, probably thinking that he would help her.
Thinking of this, Guo Pinming turned around and beckoned to the little girl, saying, "Come here!"
The little girl was very timid, only about four or five years old, but she could already distinguish between good and bad. At this moment, she slowly walked over, approaching the man who could take her life at any moment.
"Here, take this. Go buy something to eat yourself. Don't steal anymore. Otherwise, if you're caught, your hands will be cut off, and you'll never be able to become a normal person again." Guo Pinming took out a ten-jin ration coupon and handed it to the little girl.
The little girl timidly took the ration coupon, but her eyes were still fixed on Guo Pinming.
Guo Pinming zipped up the pocket containing the ration coupons and said, "Don't be too greedy. These ration coupons are needed by others. I can't give them all to you."
At this moment, Guo Pinming was a little angry. He turned and left, thinking that the little girl in front of him was staring at the ration coupons in his hand because she was greedy. He had already forgiven her for theft and given her ration coupons to make a living out of kindness, yet she still seemed unsatisfied.
Then, the little girl suddenly knelt on the ground with a thud and began to plead, "Uncle, please help me, I want to leave here."
Guo Pinming frowned, "Leave here? Where do you want to go? You can't do anything now, you know that, right?"
The little girl continued to plead, "Uncle, I will only suffer here. I want to leave here and find my father!"
Just as Guo Pinming was about to ask further, a young man in his early twenties suddenly rushed over from the street in the distance. The young man's face was full of gloom. As he walked over, he shouted, "You little brat, are you itching for a beating? I only looked away for a few minutes, and you dare to go out and cause trouble. Hurry home with me."
Guo Pinming looked at the approaching man and asked, "Are you this little girl's family?"
The man said impatiently, "What's it to you? She's my niece. I'll discipline her however I want."
After speaking, the young man grabbed the little girl's arm and was about to drag her away. The little girl clung to the ground, crying, "He's not my uncle, he's not my uncle! I want to find my father. He's a big liar."
Seeing this, Guo Pinming couldn't help but shake his head. Since it was someone else's family affair, he couldn't meddle too much. So, Guo Pinming turned and continued to walk away.