The next day, Han Yu woke up with a big stretch.
"AHHHHH~ that was nice," Han Yu said, feeling quite relaxed.
His spine popped as he stretched, feeling the stiffness disappear.
"Man, I needed that sleep," he said, feeling much better.
He peeped out of the window and looked at the sky outside.
"Huh... almost afternoon," he muttered, a bit surprised. "I slept a lot." He took a deep breath and finally decided to get ready for the day.
Jumping out of his hideout's window-slash-door, Han Yu made his way to his friends' usual hangout. But upon reaching there, he didn't see them anywhere.
"They're not here?" Han Yu was surprised. "That's strange. Even if I'm late, it's not like those two would go to 'work' on their own."
Firstly, they couldn't play their 'games' without Han Yu's handiwork, and secondly, they'd probably forget about it and get busy playing cards or dice. They wouldn't even bother coming to knock on Han Yu's door and try to wake him up.
That was if they even knew where he lived.
Last time he let them know, he had an entire gang chasing him through the night after an unfortunate misunderstanding involving a bet, a missing rooster, and one very angry butcher's wife. Which was totally not his fault... at least not the missing rooster.
From that day, Han Yu had learned just how loud-mouthed his friends were and knew the best way to keep a secret was to keep it away from other people's minds.
"That was such a nice hideout too. Right in the middle of the town," Han Yu lamented his lost prime 'real estate.'
Pushing away the sad memories, Han Yu focused on the present.
"Right... where did they go?" He wondered and asked around in the tavern, but none of the people seemed to know either.
"Mr. Liu, do you know where my friends are?" Han Yu asked. "You know, the fatty that can't stop eating and the horse-faced idiot?"
"Oh, those two? Fat Kui and Dan Hu," the tavern owner recognized them immediately.
After all, they were still his regular customers and ate at least one meal here every day.
"Yeah," Han Yu nodded like a chick pecking rice.
"No idea," the owner said, dousing Han Yu's hope.
"They haven't been here today?" Han Yu asked.
"Nope. Haven't seen a sight of them," the owner denied. "Though, now that I think of it... they haven't paid for yesterday's meal." His eyes turned sharp.
"Uhh..." Han Yu could recognize that look anywhere and had been at the receiving end more times than he could count. 'A debt! He's gonna ask me for the payment for their debt!' His instincts screamed at him to run.
"Don't you dare turn around!" Mr. Liu said sternly.
"Who said I was turning around? I was just... uhhh... stretching my neck! Yeah, that's it!" Han Yu quickly replied. "It's been sore since I slept wrong last night. Gotta get a new mattress," he added with an innocent smile.
"If you got the money for a new mattress, then you definitely have money to pay their tab," the owner said.
"You should ask them. I'll go find them right away," Han Yu said, but a firm hand gripped his shoulder before he could move.
"Not falling for that again," Mr. Liu said. "Pay up."
With the strong grip on his shoulder, there was no way Han Yu would be able to get free. 'If only he wasn't at the Eighth Stage of the Body Tempering realm.' Han Yu cursed his luck. 'Just you wait. Once I get strong, I'll throw you over if you touch me again.'
But as much as he was fuming inside, his face was like that of a chaste monk, as if he had never committed a misdeed in his life.
"No worries, I'll pay. Saints say paying a friend's debt is the same as saving their life. You will get endless merit!" Han Yu randomly chanted a line he had heard somewhere.
He quickly took out a few copper coins and paid the man.
"Fuck off." The owner said, not caring about him.
"Yep!" Han Yu turned tail and ran.
Once he got outside the tavern, though, he spat.
"Why's he always like that with me? Did I steal his chickens, sell his cow, or molest his goat?" Han Yu muttered with a frown.
Frustrated at the start of his day, Han Yu began his search for his friends. He looked at their usual haunts but didn't see them anywhere. He even went to Fat Kui's house, only to be kicked out once his dad saw who had visited. Han Yu didn't even get a word in before he was sent away.
"Damn. How would I even talk to him about the auction?" Han Yu grumbled. "No wonder Fat Kui's so afraid of him." He sighed.
He wondered if the auction was even a viable option for him now. Feeling lost, he wandered through the streets aimlessly. It wasn't like he could conduct his 'business' without his two companions in crime either.
As he roamed the town's streets, he came across a crowd near the town square.
"Huh? What's happening there?" It was uncommon to see so many people crowded together in the middle of a workday.
Getting closer, Han Yu heard the people's excited chatter.
"They're really coming?"
"Yeah, the poster is up already."
"Are we sure it's real, though?"
"Of course! Didn't you see the seal? No one would dare to fake that."
"What're they talking about?" Han Yu wondered as he pushed through the crowd and got to the front.
Standing before him was a pillar with a notice board attached to it. And on top of the notice board was a single large poster.
'The Copper Cauldron Sect, the Solitary Edge Sword Sect, the Soaring Tiger Saber Sect, and the Twin Leaf Peak Sect shall be conducting recruitment within a month's time.'