Chapter 55: Noble Figures in the City, Magu's Shock

“Magu, what is that? Such lowly meat—is it even fit for human consumption?”

The youth in fine silks turned pale, pointing at the meat stall and shouting in a somewhat shrill voice.

The smell wafting from the pig offal on the stall was particularly pungent, nearly making him gag.

Magu followed his finger toward the pork stall and couldn't help but feel a sense of helplessness.

At this moment, the entire market had fallen silent.

As for the stall owner, he was as quiet as a cicada in winter, his stout body trembling slightly as he looked ready to crawl under his stall to hide.

It was obvious that the youth in fine silks was a noble from somewhere far away.

Even Lord Magu had to humbly accompany him; how could a mere country bumpkin selling pork dare to offend such a person?

“Young Master Wei, this is the countryside. These poor folk naturally cannot afford anything fine,” Magu said with a conciliatory smile.

“You possess a refined constitution and naturally cannot bear to look at such filth. Let us move over there, lest these things offend your eyes.”

“I have already ordered the residence to be cleaned. You may move in whenever you wish.”

“Then let us go, quickly! If I stay any longer, I fear I shall faint!”

Covering his nose and mouth with an expression of utter disgust, the youth hurried forward.

Magu hurried to follow.

As for the youth's guards, they had not uttered a single word from beginning to end, and even their expressions remained largely unchanged.

It was only a long while after the group had departed that the people in the market dared to gradually resume their activities.

Lu Qing also emerged from the crowd.

He watched the direction in which the group had gone, lost in thought.

That youth in fine silks was clearly a noble from the city.

This was his first time encountering a city noble, and they certainly had a grand air about them.

Even just looking at the guards following him, every single one of them looked like someone not to be trifled with.

Although Lu Qing had not used his supernatural abilities to probe their foundations, he could sense that every one of those guards was far stronger than himself.

He estimated that not one of them was below the Bone-Strengthening Realm.

He wondered about the boy's background; to have so many Bone-Strengthening Realm experts as guards just for an outing was remarkable.

He had originally intended to make contact with Magu, but it seemed that opportunity would not come today.

Lu Qing simply shouldered his bamboo basket and began shopping in the market.

The rice, flour, and meat at home were nearly exhausted, so he planned to buy more this time.

As for salt, he wasn't short; the last time his master went into the city, he had bought a large bag, which should last until next year.

While Lu Qing was happily shopping, on the other side, Magu—who had just arranged the lodging for the youth's party—was walking out of the residence with a bitter expression.

He never imagined that the esteemed young master of the Wei family would suddenly appear in such a small place.

The crux of the matter was that he had to greet him with a smile.

Otherwise, if the clan found out he had failed to properly host the young master of the Wei family, he would truly be in deep trouble.

Yet, this young master of the Wei family was notoriously arrogant and difficult to serve in the city.

If it weren't for the lack of any other choice, he truly would not have wanted to be associated with such a demanding little ancestor.

There was no merit in hosting him well, but there was immense trouble in hosting him poorly.

Most importantly, if anything were to happen to this little ancestor while staying with him, even his clan would be unable to protect him.

Despite his reluctance, Magu was powerless.

He could only pray that the little ancestor would quickly find what he was looking for and leave as soon as possible.

Otherwise, every extra day the boy stayed would be a day of living in fear.

Carrying a heavy sense of misfortune, Magu walked toward the market.

He needed to quickly handle some matters in the market; for instance, those selling poultry and pork should temporarily stay away from the market.

Otherwise, if they offended that cleanliness-obsessed little ancestor again, there was no telling what might happen.

Upon arriving at the market, Magu's first instinct was to head toward the pork stall.

The fat man at the pork stall was usually quite respectful to him; he should let him take a break for a while.

“Young master, take a look. Today's marbled meat is exceptionally good. Tell me which piece you want, and I'll give you a discount.”

Before Magu even reached the stall, he heard these words.

He found it strange; that fat man was usually quite stingy when selling meat.

While he wasn't one to cheat people on weight, if someone asked for a pound, he would never cut even an extra ounce. Why the sudden change of heart to offer discounts?

Then he saw a youth with a bamboo basket standing before the pork stall, looking down as he selected meat.

The silhouette seemed somewhat familiar, but he couldn't quite place who it was.

As Magu was pondering, the youth with the bamboo basket straightened up and pointed at the meat on the stall.

“Boss, I want this piece. The largest one.”

At this moment, Magu finally saw the youth's profile, and he finally remembered who he was.

It was the youth from last month who claimed to be the disciple of Old Doctor Chen!

Seeing Lu Qing brought several things to Magu's mind.

Over half a month ago, Lu Qing had come to the market to buy many things and identified himself as Old Doctor Chen's disciple.

Afterward, Magu had sent his subordinates to investigate Ninth Mile Village.

He discovered that the youth had not lied; he was indeed studying under Old Doctor Chen.

This had piqued Magu's interest, and he had once pondered how to build a relationship with Lu Qing.

However, to his surprise, Lu Qing had not appeared in the market since that day.

This had caused many of his preparations to go to waste.

Given his status, he could not take the initiative to go to Ninth Mile Village to seek out Lu Qing, otherwise, even a fool would know he had ulterior motives.

He thought he had lost the chance, but unexpectedly, Lu Qing had appeared again.

Magu's heart filled with joy, momentarily forgetting the troubles brought by the young master of the Wei family.

He stepped forward and said, "Young Master Lu, it has been a long time."

Lu Qing had just finished picking out a large piece of pork belly. As he watched the boss cut the meat, he suddenly heard the voice. He turned his head, saw Magu, and was momentarily stunned.

Wasn't this man supposed to be accompanying that noble from the city? Why was he here?

However, Lu Qing quickly recovered and smiled. "Ah, Lord Magu, it has been a long time."

It was only then that Magu saw Lu Qing's current appearance clearly.

He froze instantly.

Because compared to over half a month ago, the change in Lu Qing was immense.

The last time Lu Qing had come to the market, he had been thin, sallow-faced, and wearing patched clothes.

He looked exactly like an unremarkable, impoverished country youth.

This was one of the reasons Magu had sent his men to investigate Ninth Mile Village.

In his view, if Lu Qing truly was Old Doctor Chen's disciple, he shouldn't be living in such squalor.

But now, although Lu Qing's clothing hadn't changed much, the change in his physical condition was massive.

His frame was no longer thin; his posture was upright, his complexion was healthy, and his eyes were bright and spirited.

More importantly, he could faintly sense the surging blood qi within Lu Qing's body.

A Blood Qi Realm martial artist?!

A massive shockwave surged through Magu's heart.