YIN-YANG DEVOURER

The next few days were quite quiet in Ruvan's mansion. Xiong Mei was resting peacefully in her courtyard most of the time, so Ruvan would occasionally go to her to ask for advice on the Dual Cultivation techniques that she had taught him.

Apparently a subordinate of Xiong Mei was in charge of going to look for 'cultivation resources' for Ruvan, so Xiong Mei lived her stay in the Mansion in a much more relaxed way.

Ruvan, for his part, had not neglected his Dual Cultivation training... During the nights he would organize meetings with several of his partners in the city to put into practice the new techniques learned. This would naturally lead to several orgies, which would undoubtedly cause a political earthquake in the City, if the identities of many of Ruvan's couples were known; after all, many of them were married women belonging to large families within the Capital.

If there was something new in the mansion, it would be the presence of three new faces... The first visible faces were those of the sisters that Ruvan had decided to forgive.

The two girls were between fourteen and twelve years old respectively. Both girls had slender figures and pretty faces. They would undoubtedly be quite pretty girls when they grew up in a few years. The girl's names were Mina and Sasha. Although they were both blood sisters, they both had their own unique traits. Sasha had black hair while Misha had orange hair. Both girls had been incorporated into the mansion's staff of servants.

Meanwhile, the other addition to the mansion was the young man named Ryu, this boy with oriental features, who had been left under the tutelage of Lira, who since then had been training him mercilessly.

Sometimes Ruvan himself felt bad for the boy but he seemed happy to be receiving severe training so he just let it go. In this way life in the mansion became a little more lively.

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At noon two guests arrived at the door of Ruvan's Mansion, they were Aaron and Jiri who had returned a few weeks before Ruvan. They were both old acquaintances so naturally they were invited in.

Ruvan soon came out to welcome them while inviting them both to have a glass of wine while they decided the matters regarding the mercenary group.

"Captain Jakob, it's good to see that you didn't have any major inconveniences on your trip," Aaron said with a sly smile as he raised his wine glass in a toast. 

"Thank you very much Commander Aaron. We had to deal with some small bandits there along the way but nothing that was relevant" Ruvan said with a smile while shaking his hand.

"There hasn't been any news from Wiltord?" Ruvan asked with clear feigned ignorance to which Aaron and Jiri could only roll their eyes as they answered him.

"We received reports that he had left a few days before us with his group. Several wandering cultivators were also sighted with them."

"However, after that there was no news; however it was reported that an unknown subject was claiming rewards for several of the wandering cultivators who accompanied Wiltord."

"Following this line of thinking, it is not strange to imagine that Wiltord has met the same fate as those wandering cultivators. Now the question is… Who was that unknown guy who did all that?" Aaron said with a sarcastic tone. 

"It is certainly a mystery, Commander" Ruvan said with a smile as he took a sip from his glass of wine. 

"Now returning to the affairs of our mercenary group"

"The lightning grass you obtained from the Purple Mountain Sect leader was delivered to the Auction house. What we get from her will be divided within the three of us due to Wiltord's disappearance and Dalbert's passing." Aaron said.

Ruvan and jiri had no problem with that arrangement so they naturally raised no objections and calmly continued with the conversation.

"The loss of Dalbert and Wiltord has left our mercenary group greatly weakened. It will take quite a massive recruitment to get back to our strength standards that we had before"

"That brings me to the next point…"

"As you well know, I have been a mercenary for more than one hundred and fifty years. I have seen almost all my friends die during my life, and I have also had to kill those who I come to consider as such."

"Life as a mercenary is the only way of life I know but something in me has been changing as I have gotten older. The peaceful life that I once considered boring and monotonous has been seducing me lately… That is why I have planned to retire from my position as Commander of the Blood Wolf Gang, after this auction concludes" Aaron said with a tone sentimental.

He had founded this band with five friends while they were drinking a few beers in a tavern. What began as a small group of mercenaries eventually transformed into one of the most respected mercenary bands on the continent of Marxus. Without a doubt this was his greatest achievement in life.

"That's why I would like to know if any of you have any intention of continuing with the band?" Aaron asked seriously.

"I personally also planned to retire after the Auction concluded," Jiri said as he raised his hand.

"Wow, that is quite a surprise after all, you have been a mercenary for more than forty years… It can be said that you are at the peak of your career in terms of age," Aaron said with some surprise. He would have expected that from Ruvan but not from Jiri who had been a mercenary all his life.

"Hahaha I didn't see it possible either, however the Crown Prince made me an offer that I couldn't resist…"

Seeing that both men were looking at him with interest, he decided to tell a little about the job offer he had received.

"The Crown Prince offered me the position of General of the Armies of the Northern border of the kingdom. After the previous general died, during the previous rebellion, the position had been vacant…" Jiri said with a smile that he hid behind the sleeves of his suit.

"Congratulations Jiri! Now you will be one of the most important men not only in the kingdom but in the region."

"The crown prince is a rather ambitious man so I'm sure you'll have a lot of work to do" Aaron said with a smile as he patted the effeminate captain in front of him a few times.

The fact that a mercenary could establish himself and settle in one of the most important kingdoms on the continent was a cause for pride and celebration.

"What about you Ruvan? I understand that this place is too small for you but I would still like to know about your plans" Aaron asked curiously.

"I must confess that I also plan to leave the group"

"I have searched for a long time and finally a powerful expert has come to recruit me as his disciple"

"The offer was also too good to refuse…" Ruvan said with a smile as he commented on his situation. Of course he was quite vague with the identity of his Master, at no point did he mention the name of the Thousand Desires Sect, after all he wanted to leave as few clues as possible that would connect him to his past in this place.

"Wow, that's a surprise, but I can't say I'm too surprised... Your talent was too great to stay on a place like this" Aaron said with a smile as he patted Ruvan on the shoulder.

He had seen Ruvan transform from an impulsive and reckless young man to a respected and mature squad captain. He himself had named him captain after the death of the previous captain, in a way he felt part of Ruvan's growth process. 

"It's a shame boy... The continent loses a handsome man with your departure" Jiri sighed sadly.

"I imagine the Crown Prince will also be very sad," Aaron said with a smile, trying to deflect Jiri's flirtations.

"Yes, it is a shame that he is campaigning in the south." 

"I don't think I'll be able to say goodbye," Ruvan said as he remembered his friend. They had forged a great friendship thanks to their near-death experiences.

'I would definitely come back to say hello at the first opportunity I had'