Bang!
As Chen Mu closed his door,
Chao Fang immediately gave a look to the round-faced man beside him. Explore new worlds at mvl
The man instantly put down the lantern in his hand and darted into the courtyard next to Chen Mu’s.
Under the cover of moonlight and shadow, he hid and kept a close watch on Chen Mu.
…
In the courtyard, Chen Mu felt an annoying itch on his scalp but didn’t dare to scratch it.
With a sidelong glance, he peeked at the shadow on the neighboring rooftop.
“Careless! I actually forgot to use the paper figures to scout ahead.”
“Staying in a place for too long indeed makes one lose their vigilance.”
Like any ordinary person, Chen Mu fumbled in the dark to light a lamp, hummed a tune while fetching water to wash up, and even poured himself a cup of iced tea to cool off.
“They’ve taken over my courtyard, and now they’re watching me…”
Outrageous!
Totally unacceptable!
The more Chen Mu thought about it, the angrier he became—but he took a deep breath… and blew out the light to sleep.
Can’t provoke four or five Wandering Soul masters.
…
“Big Brother, that guy’s asleep,” said the man from across the courtyard, his voice filled with unease.
“Zong Tai, be more careful the next time you do something,” Chao Fang sighed.
The round-faced man stiffened.
Chao Fang waved his hand: “Let it be. Looking at that person, he probably has a solitary nature and rarely goes out.”
“I urged you too urgently, and it’s understandable that you didn’t notice him, given the circumstances.”
Zong Tai was still worried: “Big Brother, with a major event impending, shouldn’t we…”
Chao Fang narrowed his eyes, thinking: “Don’t act just yet.”
“But he lives right across, and in the long run, if he finds our movements suspicious, I’m afraid…”
Chao Fang glanced at Zong Tai: “Do you know his surname or name? Do you know who he is friends with? Do you know who he meets with most often on a daily basis?”
Zong Tai faltered and did not dare to speak.
“Killing someone is the most basic method,” Chao Fang sighed.
“We have to catch them all at once!”
Chao Fang spoke earnestly. “To eradicate a problem completely, that is the superior approach.”
Lying on his bed with his eyes open, Chen Mu, who had been eavesdropping and spying with paper figures: “…”
“Ruthless people indeed,” Chen Mu sighed.
Being all secretive and moving house in the middle of the night, then immediately being surveilled by a neighbor—nothing good comes of this.
And that major event they mentioned sounds ominous.
What to do?
Should I… wait for them to fall asleep and then take them down?
A plan of action quickly formed in his mind.
After thinking it over, Chen Mu gently slapped his face.
“I’m getting carried away,” he said.
“Dare to kill and silence people!”
“Against four or five Wandering Soul experts and at least one unknown powerhouse likely to be the head of the household, where did I get such courage? From the Mesmerizing Divine Smoke or the Sleeve Sword Technique?” Chen Mu reflected with annoyance.
“Better to run,” he sighed.
After all, I’ve rented over a dozen houses.
The next day, Chen Mu slept in as usual, until he woke naturally.
He got up and made himself a pot of pan-fried dumplings.
After he finished eating and cleaned up the dishes, he changed into clean clothes and casually walked out the door without bringing anything.
…
“Big Brother, I’ve lost him,” said Zong Tai, his face filled with shame.
Chao Fang’s brow furrowed: “What happened?”
“It seems he’s skilled in the Face-Changing Technique. He entered the bustling North Market, and in the blink of an eye, he was gone,” Zong Tai reported.
“Our movements…”
Chao Fang carefully recalled the events of the previous night.
“We’ve encountered a master.”
Realizing something was amiss and immediately fleeing without them being able to react at all.
“I knew we should have dealt with him last night!” Zong Tai said bitterly.
Chao Fang glanced at him and sighed: “Even if we did, it would’ve likely been troublesome.”
Everything about the man seemed normal. Either he was extremely cautious and always in disguise, or he had already noticed he was being shadowed.
Either way, if they had truly confronted him last night, they would have definitely caused a commotion.
“Looks like we can’t wait any longer. Notify Tu Shan to enter the city,” Chao Fang commanded.
“Send someone to deliver the evidence of the Zhang Family’s collusion with us to Shangguan Tong.”
“Secure the twelve Soul Capture Pillars.”
“As soon as the signal of Shangguan Ji’s critical injury arrives, immediately initiate the blood sacrifice.”
Zong Fang’s heart chilled: “Understood!”
…
Nanyang Prefecture, east of the city, Pottery Alley.
Chen Mu silently arrived at a small alleyway.
He scaled the back wall of a residence and slipped inside.
“After all the twists and turns, I’ve returned to the place where it all started,” Chen Mu sighed.
“It’s a shame about my pots and pans, I had gotten used to them.”
The black smoke billowed, instantly cleansing the leaf-strewn courtyard.
He pushed the door open and casually removed a spiderweb hanging in the air.
“I wonder who will benefit from the grains and cured meats I just stored in the cellar,” the black smoke continued to sweep through.
The room, once full of dust and cobwebs, was soon spotless.
Chen Mu opened the windows to ventilate the room and sat at a square table, frowning.
“Nanyang Prefecture is becoming increasingly chaotic.”
“After I get another lot of Zuming Talismans from Jie Jia tonight, I’ll leave Nanyang.”
Suddenly, four or five Wandering Soul experts appeared, and he always felt that his new neighbor had big plans.
Even the leaders of the Startling Swan Gang might not be Wandering Soul experts. Yet that man with the square-shaped face treated them like servants.
“I can’t afford to provoke them, no I cannot…”
…
Dusk.
Chen Mu baked a strange-looking filled pastry with an odd expression on his face.
Just then, he had achieved great success with the White Jade Toad Shape Cultivation Technique.
Inside and outside his thighs, a patch of Soul Strength the size of a palm appeared on each side, yielding four Wandering Souls on his legs.
A pleasant surprise!
The gloominess of being forced to leave home dissolved into nothing.
“Just you wait, when I have cultivated Shell Soul, I’ll see if I don’t come after you for rent!” Chen Mu thought joyously.
Upon careful inventory, he found that he had quite a few Wandering Souls on his body.
Together, they covered almost one-twentieth of his entire body.
“It may be a little small, but… the prospects for Shell Soul look promising,” Chen Mu thought with satisfaction.
…
On the square table, two large platters with diameters as long as a forearm were placed in the center.
One platter contained marinated beef and pork head, the other blanched Chinese broccoli, with a small bowl of chili dipping sauce in between.
At the side was a flat bamboo basket, piled up like a small mountain with charcoal-grilled fresh meat pastries.
Jie Jia, following the covert signs left by Chen Mu, arrived and looked at the hearty dinner laid out on the table, a bit stunned.
“I wanted to prepare something nice. Unfortunately, circumstances didn’t allow it, so we’ll have to make do,” Chen Mu shrugged.
“A bunch of tough guys moved in across the street, so I have no choice but to leave.”
Jie Jia nodded: “Indeed, you can’t beat them.”
Chen Mu rolled his eyes in response and remained silent.
“Let’s eat!”
The room immediately fell silent.
Both men had physical constitutions akin to monsters. The amount of food was enough to satisfy five or six ordinary people, but the two of them consumed it as if slowly yet quickly, and it wasn’t long before it was all gone.
“Give me a few more Zuming Talismans,” Chen Mu hesitated for a moment before speaking up.
“You really don’t need to run,” Jie Jia glanced at Chen Mu and said reluctantly.
Chen Mu shook his head and spoke cautiously: “Better to hide in Lijiang City.”
There was no need to seek out danger unnecessarily.
He had Proficiency, and sooner or later, he would cultivate Shell Soul.
Beyond that lay the unexplored vistas of opening the heavenly gate and achieving immortality.
But before that, survival came first.
“I’ll give you the recipes for Gentle Breeze Powder and Blue Medicine Pills. Tell me how many Daoist Talismans you can give me at once.”
Jie Jia’s eyebrows raised: “Do you not plan on coming back?”
“The situation doesn’t seem right; I suspect that Nanyang Prefecture City might descend into chaos soon,” Chen Mu expressed his concern.
Jie Jia was about to speak when he suddenly turned his head toward the Inner City. Then, he got up and walked out the door.
Chen Mu couldn’t help but follow him out to the courtyard and looked in the direction Jie Jia was staring.
They could only see distant flickering flames along the walls of the Inner City.
“What are you looking at?” Chen Mu asked, puzzled by the dim, distant walls.
With an impassive face, Jie Jia glanced at Chen Mu with his bright yellow eyes: “It’s already begun.”
Chen Mu was taken aback, his face a picture of astonishment: “You’re kidding?!”
“They’ve started already?”
He immediately jumped onto the roof beam, widened his eyes to look toward the Inner City: “I can’t see anything.”
Jie Jia stood beside him, looking up at the distant sky, then suddenly pulled a stack of Daoist Talismans from his sleeve and handed them to Chen Mu.
The Daoist Talismans felt heavy in hand, certainly no fewer than twenty.
“Keep the Zuming Talismans close and don’t go out tonight,” he said.
“What do you mean?” Chen Mu, clutching the Zuming Talismans, suddenly had a bad premonition.
“Don’t think about running,” Jie Jia said indifferently: “There are more outside the city.”
Chen Mu: “…”