My wife is a reborn big boss

A few days later, at the gate of Sean Manor.

Wu Qiong looked at the magnificent gate of the manor in front of him, his heart surging with emotion.

It wasn't easy. Almost a month has passed since I received the invitation from Constable Zhao in Yang'an Town.

Along the way, he killed three experts on the Human Ranking, and even fought with Ximen Ji, who was ranked in the top fifty on the Human Ranking. He got lost and went the wrong way, and was abandoned by the carriage halfway. He also gave away the four taels of silver he had swindled because of doing good deeds. After leaving Anzhou City, he survived on cold water. Today, he finally arrived at his destination!

Wu Qiong was about to rush inside when he was stopped by the guards at the gate: "What brings you here, sir?"

"Oh, oh." Wu Qiong slapped his forehead and took out a crumpled invitation from his pocket. "I'm here to apply for a guard position at the Manor Lord's Handwashing Ceremony. Brother, look."

The guard took the invitation, carefully examined the marking in the corner, and then smiled through his expressionless face: "The Master's retirement ceremony will begin at noon tomorrow. Please rest at the temporary guard quarters first."

"Thank you so much, brother guard!" Wu Qiong nodded and walked towards the guest room.

He was stopped by the guards as soon as he reached the door:

"Wait a minute, where are you going?"

"Huh?" Wu Qiongqi asked curiously, "Weren't I supposed to be guarding the residence?"

The guard explained, "Not here."

Wu Qiong laughed and said, "How could it not be? I clearly saw many people go in just now."

"These are the guest rooms for the guests who came to observe the ceremony, and the living quarters for you temporary guards are... over there." The guard pointed to a corner in the distance.

Wu Qiong looked in the direction he pointed.

Dozens of wooden plank beds were placed in an open space, where more than twenty people were sitting or standing. They were all pale-faced, covered in sweat, and some had even fainted and were foaming at the mouth.

"Huh? Are you sure that's the guards' quarters?" Wu Qiong looked up at the sky speechlessly. "In this sweltering heat, are you trying to turn us into dried-out husks?!"

The guard chuckled awkwardly, "Please forgive the poor hospitality, young hero. But that's the custom, so please bear with us for now."

After saying that, he told his two brothers to carry Wu Qiong to that open space and throw him in.

"This is inhumane!" Wu Qiong scrambled to his feet, dusting himself off. "I want to see the Master!"

The guard who threw him in sneered, "You get food, lodging, and wages. What are you complaining about? Just stay put!"

"No! It shouldn't be!" Wu Qiong sighed and found a relatively clean wooden bed to lie down on.

An old man with a weathered face, who had been resting with his eyes closed and picking at his toes, came over and struck up a conversation:

"My name is Murong Shengxue, also known in the martial arts world as the 'Xiaoxiang Swordsman.' May I ask your name?"

Wu Qiong sat up, looked the old man up and down, and cupped his hands in greeting: "My name is Wu Qiong, Murong Shengxue... indeed a fine name. But this name... I feel like I've heard it somewhere before."

He was a rebellious teenager with a pipe in his mouth.

The old man said smugly, "Hehe, to be honest, I am the successor of 'Sword Rain in the Xiang River,' who was ranked number one on the Human Ranking eight years ago. Thanks to the kindness of my friends in the martial arts world, I am now ranked seventy-eighth on the Human Ranking."

Wu Qiong stared in disbelief: "Hey sir, aren't you afraid of biting off more than you can chew? You're probably older than 'Sword Rain and Xiaoxiang's' father, and you're saying you're his successor? I'm 'Sword Rain and Xiaoxiang' myself!"

"Besides, isn't the list only for talented young people under thirty? Why are they even taking in old men? Do you have connections in the government?"

Murong Shengxue looked displeased: "Why do you judge people by their appearance? I am twenty-three years old this year, why can't I be on the list of people? Besides, 'Sword Rain in the Xiang River' was already number one on the list eight years ago, and now he must be nearing forty. You are so disrespectful to my idol, be careful I don't lose my temper!"

Wu Qiong was speechless. "You look like you're only twenty-three? Don't try to fool me by saying I'm not well-educated! Besides, since you've never even seen 'Sword Rain in Xiaoxiang,' how can you claim to be his successor?"

Murong Shengxue handed the precious sword to Wu Qiong and said solemnly, "To be honest, a few years ago I obtained the Xiaoxiang Sword of 'Sword Rain of Xiaoxiang' by chance, and from it I comprehended the sword intent of the 'Xiaoxiang Sword Technique.' Therefore, although he never took me as his disciple, my swordsmanship has indeed improved because of the sword intent I gleaned from his sword. Thus, I respect him as my master in my heart. As for his appearance..." At this point, an unnatural blush appeared on Murong Shengxue's weathered and deeply lined old face.

"I married young and have six concubines. Since ancient times... it's normal for me to look older than my age."

Wu Qiong silently took the sword from his hand and examined it with his head down.

This sword is three feet four inches long, with a blue hilt and a scabbard made of fine sharkskin. Slightly drawing the sword out, near the hilt, one can see the two characters "Xiao Xiang" engraved.

"Yes," Wu Qiong nodded to himself. This was indeed his Xiaoxiang Sword. Several years ago, when he slaughtered a mountain stronghold, he rescued a group of women who had been kidnapped and taken to the mountain.

He felt sorry for the women, so he gave them all the silver he had, leaving himself with no money for food.

After going hungry for two days, he had no choice but to sell his sword. However, he had never practiced any "Xiaoxiang Sword Technique". It can only be said that the guy on the official list in the government office was too unreliable. It was one thing to give him random nicknames, but he even wrote down the name of his sword technique.

But he himself forgot that he had never told anyone what kind of swordsmanship he practiced.

Wu Qiong returned the sword to the old man and asked in bewilderment, "Brother Murong has a beautiful wife and children, and is a renowned young talent...why have you come here to suffer this torment?"

Murong Shengxue happily accepted the 'Xiaoxiang Sword', but upon hearing this, she couldn't help but frown, making her already weathered face appear even older:

"Alas, to my shame, I ran away from home."

I originally thought that after marrying beautiful wives and concubines, I could enjoy the bliss of having multiple wives, but who knew that those women would all have such bad tempers and so many cunning schemes, constantly plotting against each other at home, and at night... sigh, it's a long story. I couldn't take it anymore, so I escaped on a dark and windy night and eventually came to this place.

It just so happens that the owner of this estate is holding a ceremony to celebrate his retirement from public life, so I came to join in the fun.

As for hardship, I've lived a life of luxury since childhood, so experiencing the life of an ordinary martial artist now and then isn't so bad. By the way, you are also a renowned expert on the Human Ranking, so why are you here applying for a mere bodyguard position?

Looking at his weathered old face, Wu Qiong suppressed the urge to punch him, coldly uttering a single word:

"poverty."

"..." Murong Shengxue's face showed an awkward but polite smile.

Just as the two were looking at each other in silence, a commotion arose in the distance.

Wu and Qiong tacitly ignored the previous conversation and turned to look at the source of the noise.

A handsome young man of average height walked slowly over, surrounded by a crowd.