“You recognize the Five Ghosts Bag?” Chen Mu asked in surprise.
“The Thousand Mountains Sutra is widely circulated,” Jie Jia said indifferently.
Chen Mu was skeptical. “How come I’ve never heard of it?”
Jie Jia gave Chen Mu a glance. “Just focus on nurturing your Soul Strength.”
Chen Mu had an embarrassed smile on his face; he was being dismissed for his lack of strength.
However, his heart couldn’t help but stir. Could it be that behind this Jianghu, there existed some secret circles?
Just as he was about to ask out of curiosity, he suddenly stopped himself.
“What’s the use of knowing it? I haven’t cultivated my Shell Soul anyway,” Chen Mu shook his head privately.
Knowing too much made it easy for one to aim too high; it was better to practice diligently.
…
After sending Jie Jia away, Chen Mu took out the Five Ghosts Bag and pondered.
“The Five Ghosts Bag can refine the Three Treasures Essence?” Chen Mu wasn’t surprised in the slightest.
The Five Ghosts Bag had always been somewhat sinister. Consuming flesh, swallowing people, billowing black smoke—it was obviously not an item for the righteous.
“Another malicious use doesn’t seem like a big deal,” Chen Mu was very open-minded about it.
If it’s useful and not harmful to oneself, what’s there to fear!
“I’d better stick to practicing my Shape Cultivation Technique.” After understanding the nature of the Dragon Transformation Pill and the Red Essence from the Hall of Reflection, Chen Mu lost interest in both.
He didn’t plan on consuming them.
“Better think about where to acquire more Shape Cultivation Techniques,” Chen Mu’s mind began to race.
The appearance of Elder Ge had given Chen Mu some ideas.
Those Jianghu hermits who, due to old age, began to consider the younger members of their clans, there must be more than one.
Chen Mu narrowed his eyes. “I’ll have to investigate quietly.”
“So, I have to keep going to Chunfeng Tower.”
“Sigh… It’s all for the Shape Cultivation Technique. Necessary socializing and networking, can’t be helped.”
…
Half a month later, in the evening at Chunfeng Tower.
Tangerine-yellow lanterns hung high and low, intermingled with red and green ribbons.
Under the hazy luminescence, behind gauzy screens, laughter was endless.
Chen Mu sauntered into the main hall on the first floor, as usual, took a seat in a corner booth, and adeptly ordered a table full of delicious food.
Chen Mu took a big gulp of milk, wincingly waved away a beautiful lady who wanted to freeload a meal.
Black smoke billowed at his feet, and the Five Ghosts Paper Man appeared, scattering through the shadows under the dim light.
In the private rooms where the members of the Startling Swan Gang were dining, every one was under surveillance by the paper men.
“Helmsman Kui, since you followed the envoy up north, could you tell us what we’re going to do there?” a skinny man with a little mole on his nose asked with a sycophantic smile.
The men around him immediately chimed in.
“I heard that there was quite a bit of death and injury last time—did we encounter a large band of strong bandits?”
Kui Tuo raised his glass of wine and gulped it down.
“Don’t even think about running,” Kui Tuo said with a dark face hidden by his sideburns. “You can’t run away.”
The men immediately exchanged apprehensive glances.
“We are going to cleanse evil spirits to ensure the safety and peace of the people,” Kui Tuo said mockingly, before taking another fierce gulp of wine.
The last experience was still fresh in his memory; he was scared too!
“What a joke!” the man with the mole exclaimed in disbelief.
Among those who lurked in the Jianghu, how many were good people? To have them remove evil spirits for the sake of others?
“What if… we run away?” the man with the mole suggested tentatively.
The other men’s eyes suddenly flickered with possibility.
“You can’t run; after practicing the Sand Gathering Formation, fleeing equals death,” Kui Tuo said with a wry smile.
He used to wonder why the Startling Swan Gang didn’t impose a gag order. Weren’t they afraid of panic spreading, scaring people into fleeing?
Yes, the reward was indeed generous, but there were also no small number of deaths.
It was only after he saw those corpses hung on flag poles that he realized the Startling Swan Gang was confident for a reason.
“If you want to save your life, go buy some protectives Amulets,” Kui Tuo said, unconsciously squeezing his sleeve.
“In the Ghost Market, there are Zuming Talismans—considering your life, spend your entire fortune if you have to, just to get one to carry with you,” Kui Tuo earnestly advised.
Had it not been for the Zuming Talisman last time, he would have been done for.
“Zuming Talisman?”
“Is it expensive?”
The men were immediately intrigued.
“Three thousand taels of silver for one,” Kui Tuo’s face twitched.
“Hiss…”
“Go on, go on!”
Several men shrank their necks, immediately feeling a pang of pain.
“What matters more, your life or your money?” Kui Tuo couldn’t help but scold.
“Let’s listen to the Helmsman!” the man with the black mole chuckled in agreement.
The others followed suit with forced laughter.
Kui Tuo shook his head and stopped persuading them.
Last time, more than a dozen of them entered the village of the great willow tree together. In the end, only he came out alive.
Forget it, everyone for themselves.
…
In a corner, Chen Mu couldn’t help pausing his thoughts.
Kui Tuo? Is he heading north again?
Does this mean, the Startling Swan Gang has resumed its military training?
Sikou Qing is back! Will she continue the investigation?
“Don’t panic, don’t panic,” Chen Mu calmed his restless heart.
“She’s busy fighting Ghosts in the north and won’t have the energy to continue her search.”
“Cheng Yi seems to have been severely damaged in a siege; the situation has probably calmed down.”
“And to this day, no one knows Sikou Yu died by my hand.”
Chen Mu’s thoughts gradually settled, and he couldn’t help but think about the information Kui Tuo had mentioned.
“Can the Zuming Talisman really restrain evil spirits?”
“It’s not the same sort of thing as the Evil-warding Talisman, is it?”
“I need to ask Jie Jia about it.”
“If it’s real, no matter how expensive, I must buy it!”
He already had the Five Ghosts Bag, but having one more trump card against Ghosts would give him more peace of mind.
The news was useful to him. Unfortunately, it wasn’t what he was looking for.
He still hadn’t found the right kind of client like Ge Lao.
“No rush, keep looking.”
The Startling Swan Gang’s recruitment was still ongoing; the right candidate would come along eventually.
…
Chen Mu had his fill of food and drink while the small teams of the Startling Swan Gang were still playing drinking games.
The chat gradually shifted to the second and third floors of Chunfeng Tower.
Finding the conversation uninteresting, Chen Mu stood up and left.
The crescent moon hung in the sky, around 7 or 8 o’clock in his previous life.
The night market near the Fanzu Tower in the North Market was bustling.
The streetside restaurants and teahouses were brightly lit with storytelling, singing, chatting, and bantering.
Experience more tales on m v|l e’-NovelFull.net
Street vendors set up their stalls in the light of the shops.
Chen Mu also saw a scholar writing letters under the light of a lantern. More than two years ago, he had done this job for a few days.
Seeing the simple attire and slightly troubled expression on his face, business seemed tough.
Just like his predecessor when waiting for business, the memory seemed like yesterday, yet also so far in the past.
His arrival had completely altered the life trajectory of this body.
Though somewhat timid, it was still quite exciting.
“My predecessor is probably satisfied,” Chen Mu shrugged his shoulders.
At least for now, he had no worries about food and drink and enjoyed life quite comfortably.
He slipped into an alley, changed his appearance several times, and switched his clothes. Like a ghost, he walked comfortably yet solitary among the crowds, gradually disappearing into the night.
…
Thinking of his future life plans, Chen Mu unwittingly arrived at Tongyun Fang.
Looking up, he saw a narrow alley appear before him.
On both sides were brick walls and gray-tiled houses; the ground was a dirt path full of pits, with green and yellow weeds growing at the foot of the walls.
In the moonlight, at the end of the alley, a large banyan tree stood silently.
“How did I end up at old Ge’s place again?” Chen Mu slapped his forehead in annoyance.
“Must be habit,” he thought.
“Anyway, I’ve been keeping an intermittent watch on him for a month. Since I’m here, I might as well take another look.”
“Hmm… today should really be the last day. The old man is probably heading north as well.”
“I wonder if I’ll ever see him again,” Chen Mu thought with regret.
For ordinary people, facing Ghosts is truly not an easy life.