A glimpse of opportunity: Start by marrying a mermaid bride.

Yu Biao reached out and pulled Zheng Xuan onto the dock. Zhou Xun looked at Zheng Xuan as if he were a monster. He hadn't worshipped any ancestral masters or systematically learned the Water Ghost Breathing Technique, yet he had such lung capacity. It was terrifying. This guy was simply a born water ghost. What a terrifying talent!

As Zhou Xun pondered this, he looked at his master, and at that moment he saw Li Jitong's hand holding the pipe tremble slightly.

When she looked at Zheng Xuan, her gaze was no longer as casual as before; instead, it held a hint of appreciation, the kind of appreciation one would show for an exquisite jade.

Zhao Zhen also looked at Zheng Xuan and said to Li Jitong, "Senior brother, he's a promising talent."

Upon hearing this, Li Jitong did not deny it, but simply nodded slightly in agreement.

Zhou Xun walked over and looked at Zheng Xuan, who was talking to Yu Biao, and said, "Everyone, please be quiet. I hereby announce that Zheng Xuan is the winner of this selection!"

As soon as the voice came out, Yu Biao looked at Zheng Xuan and said, "Congratulations, brother!"

Upon hearing this, Zheng Xuan looked at Yu Biao and said, "Thank you."

At this moment, He Miao, who was not far away, glanced at Zheng Xuan, feeling unconvinced. However, he knew he was no match for Zheng Xuan and had nothing to say. He went to Captain He's side and said, "Father, I... I lost!"

Captain He sighed upon hearing this and said, "You did your best. There's nothing anyone can do when dealing with such a freak."

As the two were talking, Yu Biao's uncle, Captain Yu, walked over and said with a smile, "Old He, weren't you so confident of victory? Now you're in a bit of trouble!"

Upon hearing this, Captain He glared at Captain Yu and said, "My son wasn't selected, but it's as if your nephew was."

Captain Yu replied, "Haha, as long as your son isn't selected, that's fine."

Captain He glared angrily at Captain Yu, but there was nothing he could do. The two of them didn't get along well usually, so it was no wonder they were saying strange things to each other.

Zheng Xuan successfully stayed, and Yu Biao also came to Captain Yu's side at this time. Captain Yu looked at Yu Biao and said, "Biao'er, it's okay. You weren't selected this time, we'll find another opportunity."

Upon hearing this, Yu Biao looked at Captain Yu and said, "Uncle, I... I don't intend to be a water ghost anymore."

"what?"

Upon hearing this, Captain Yu looked at Yu Biao and said, "If you don't want to be a water ghost, what do you want to be?"

Yu Biao said, "I heard that Zhenhaiwei in Shandong is recruiting soldiers, and I want to give it a try."

"Joining the army? No way!"

Upon hearing this, Captain Yu's expression immediately changed. He said, "Although the imperial court has signed treaties with the foreign devils and established concessions in recent years, those foreigners have huge appetites. Who knows when they might come to attack us with steamships and cannons again? You soldiers will be the first to die then."

"Besides the foreigners, there's also the Taiping Rebellion in the south. These are deadly situations. Joining the army now is suicide! No way, you're not allowed to go!"

"Uncle, please let me go! I'm not afraid of war!"

"I'm scared."

Captain Yu said, "You're my brother's only son. He died young, so I have to look after you for him. If anything happens to you, how can I face my brother?"

Upon hearing this, Yu Biao said, "Uncle, my mind is made up. If you don't let me go, I'll go secretly. You can't just tie me up at home, can you?"

"You, you brat, are you trying to drive me crazy?!"

Captain Yu raised his hand, but Yu Biao didn't move, saying, "Uncle, if you finish your fight, it means you're letting me go!"

"you……"

……

"Fine, fine, go away, nobody cares!"

Captain Yu was furious. Seeing that Captain Yu had agreed, Yu Biao said, "Thank you, Uncle. By the way, Uncle, Zheng Xuan saved my life, and I owe him a favor. He beat He Miao this time, and I'm afraid that old man He will cause trouble for him. Could you please keep an eye on him?"

Upon hearing this, Captain Yu said to Yu Biao, "Me looking after him? There's no need for that. He's Captain Li's darling now. Anyone who dares to mess with him, even the chief commander would have to give him some leeway."

Upon hearing this, Yu Biao looked up and saw that Zhou Xun and Zheng Xuan had already arrived in front of Li Jitong.

Zhou Xun said, "According to the rules, the winner of this selection can become Master Li's apprentice. Are you willing?"

Zheng Xuan immediately nodded and said, "I'm willing."

As Zheng Xuan was speaking, he prepared to kneel down. In ancient times, one had to kneel to become an apprentice.

Unexpectedly, Li Jitong then used his pipe to block Zheng Xuan, saying, "You haven't formally become an apprentice yet, so there's no need to kneel."

As he spoke, he stood up, holding his pipe, and said to Zhao Zhen, "Junior brother, today I am accepting Zheng Xuan as my disciple on behalf of our sect. Do you, as his senior uncle, have any objections?"

Zhao Zhen said, "What objection could I possibly have to glorifying our family? I have no objection."

Li Jitong said, "Then how about this, the day after tomorrow, I will hold a banquet at my residence, and you can bring a few people to witness it."

Zhao Zhen said, "Of course."

Li Jitong said, "The rest is up to you!"

Zhao Zhen nodded and said, "Zhou Xun, take your junior brother to the clerk to register his identity, then go to the accountant to collect a month's salary. Also, help him with anything else. Your team doesn't have any missions these days."

Zhou Xun replied, "Yes, Uncle-Master."

After speaking, Zhou Xun led Zheng Xuan away to the clerk to complete his identity registration. From now on, Zheng Xuan was an official member of the corpse retrieval team, number 067.

Zhou Xun then led Zheng Xuan to the accounting office and received an advance of one month's salary, five silver dollars.

Looking at the five silver dollars clattering in his hand, Zheng Xuan felt a little unreal. He had already earned five silver dollars? And he earned them every month. No wonder so many people were willing to go to great lengths to become a corpse retriever.

It is indeed a golden opportunity.

Zheng Xuan was thinking when Zhou Xun asked, "By the way, junior brother, where are you from? Did you come to the city alone?"

Zheng Xuan said, "I'm from Nanhe Village. I came to the city with my wife to make a living."

Zhou Xun asked, "Nanhe? That's quite far. Is there a place to stay?"

Zheng Xuan said, "I haven't found a suitable place yet. I'm currently staying at an inn and I'm thinking of renting a house."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Xun said, "Rent a house? Why would brothers rent a house? I have a house on the south side of the city that I don't live in. It's been sitting there for a while. If you don't mind, you can bring your sister-in-law to live there. Anyway, it's close to Master's house."

Upon hearing this, Zheng Xuan looked at Zhou Xun and asked, "Then, Senior Brother, where do you live?"

"I've been living at my master's house for several years now, so you can rest assured that I won't be staying there. But when you do stay, you'll have to tidy it up a bit, it's been abandoned for years."

Upon hearing this, Zheng Xuan replied, "Then thank you very much, Senior Brother."

"Brother, why are you being so polite with me? Come on, I'll show you the house."

In the afternoon, Zheng Xuan and Zhou Xun inspected the house. It was nice; it was a two-room tile-roofed house, covered in dust, but the yard was free of weeds and such. It was much better than Zheng Xuan's home in Nanhe Village.

In the evening, the two rented a horse-drawn carriage, went into town, picked up the fisherwoman, bought daily necessities, and returned to their new home.

The fisherwoman had been terrified at the inn these past two days. Upon seeing Zheng Xuan, she immediately buried her face in his arms. Only after Zheng Xuan alerted her to the presence of others did she realize what was happening, and her face flushed with embarrassment.