“`
“The plan has gone down the drain,” Chen Mu sighed.
“I’m really not cut out for undercover work.”
Black smoke tumbled in his palm as the “Bone Reading for Physiognomy” manual disappeared without a trace.
He glanced back at the two men at the door, chatting away.
Then he looked up toward the direction of the spiral staircase.
Chen Mu silently placed his hand on the bookshelf, and a billowing black smoke quietly spread out.
An hour later, Chen Mu, with a darkened face, hurriedly left.
Inside the Five Ghosts Bag, there were now dozens more medical and poison compendiums, as well as swordsmanship secret manuals.
At the entrance of Wu Character Camp.
“Brother Song, call your brothers over, let’s go have a good time at Chunfeng Tower,” Old Ding said with a beaming smile.
“I wouldn’t want to disturb your fun, you go enjoy yourself.”
After all, if he didn’t enjoy himself now, he might not have the chance to ever again.
Chen Mu sent the overly happy Old Ding on his way, then turned to look at the vermilion gate.
“It seems we’re destined but not fated,” he mused.
With what had happened with Xing Lao Liu, he dared not stay in the Inner City military camp any longer.
It was all quiet now, but what if someone were to spill the beans?
“Third Rank Shape-shifting Technique is still not enough,” he thought.
…
As evening approached, at the Prefectural Government Office of the Inner City, inside a small compartment next to the storeroom where the clerk worked.
The plump Chen Zhushi, who should have been off work and resting, stood in the room with a troubled look on his face.
Candles as thick as a child’s arm were lit all around, and the room which had been somewhat dim was now brightly illuminated.
Zong Tai sat at the head seat with a grim face.
He stared at Old Ding, who was kneeling in the middle of the room: “What’s the background of that Song Jiang?”
“He’s a tough guy from Liang Mountain in the north,” said Old Ding with a swollen face, not daring to conceal anything, dressed only in a thin layer of clothes.
He had been having a good time at Chunfeng Tower when someone had knocked him out with a punch just as he had climbed into bed.
Dragged out of bed stark naked, he barely had time to grab some clothes to cover himself before he was brought here.
“Where is Liang Mountain?” Zong Tai took a deep breath.
The loss of dozens of medical and poison compendiums and swordsmanship secret manuals from the Scripture Pavilion was trivial.
They could simply demand their return. And with enough money offered, they could even allow the other party to transcribe a copy to keep.
But he had searched high and low and couldn’t find this Song Jiang!
“You mean to tell me he’s a hero from Liang Mountain, and you didn’t know?” Old Ding looked amazed.
Zong Tai was clueless: “Hero of Liang Mountain? Is that famous?”
“Eating big chunks of meat, drinking from large bowls, and sharing out gold with big scales – the one hundred and eight heroes of Liang Mountain. You don’t know?” Old Ding couldn’t believe it.
Zong Tai looked at Chen Zhushi, bewildered: “Do you know about this?”
The plump Chen Zhushi: “I… should I know?”
“What on earth is going on?!” Zong Tai suddenly had a bad feeling.
Old Ding also sensed that something was amiss and dared not hide his activities of the past few days.
The more Zong Tai listened, the darker his expression became: “You’re saying they all went to Wu Character Camp?”
“Yes, I personally let them in!” Old Ding insisted.
“But in the past four days, not a single person has shown up to report at Wu Character Camp!” Zong Tai stared at Old Ding furiously.
He was now fully aware.
Old Ding was played by that group!
He himself had been played by that group!
Right under his nose, those people blatantly stole four manuals of Shape Cultivation and dozens of medical and swordsmanship books!
He had already been at fault for being careless and nearly leaking information.
Chao Tianwang had to attack the city earlier than planned, narrowly avoiding a disaster, hence Zong Tai was punished to guard the Scripture Pavilion.
And now another blunder had occurred…
Thinking of the potential consequences of continued estrangement, Zong Tai’s eyes turned blood red with rage!
“You greedy old fool… deserve to die!”
With a snap, Zong Tai crushed the armrest of his chair into pieces!
Old Ding was so frightened that he turned pale and collapsed on the ground.
Chen Zhushi’s body trembled, and sweat immediately began to drip down his forehead. He too had taken money, after all.
“`
Feeling Zong Tai’s murderous gaze on him, Chen Zhushi’s legs instantly turned to jelly.
Zong Tai took a deep breath, suppressing the urge to kill.
He glared fiercely at Chen Zhushi, “Take people and raid his house. Guards, strip this old goods naked and hang him on the flagpole outside the sixth room of the Prefectural Government Office!”
“Treat him well with food and drink, don’t let him die, hang him for a month!”
“I want those crafty clerks to know, anyone who dares to make money without shame, I’ll make sure they can’t get the money and lose their face too!”
Two soldiers rushed in like ferocious wolves, tearing the old man’s clothes apart in an instant.
Lifting the other’s thin arms, they ignored his whimpers and struggles, dragging him out of the room like a dead dog.
“If it weren’t for the fact that you married the sister of Jia Laosan, I would hang you no questions asked,” Zong Tai said coldly, staring at the chubby Chen Zhushi.
“Thank you, Second Master!” Chen Zhushi immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
Zong Tai glanced at him emotionlessly, “Go and confess to Jia Laosan yourself.”
“If you really mess up Tianwang’s big plans, even Jia Laosan won’t be able to save you.”
Chen Zhushi’s face stiffened.
“Don’t hope for luck; I can watch over the Scripture Pavilion, let alone you,” Zong Tai said indifferently.
Immediately rising to leave, he said over his shoulder, unturned, “Bring me the information on those people.”
He had never been played like this before.
Search!
No matter how much effort it takes, they must be found!
…
Nightfall
On the edge of the Inner City, Lin Heng Neighborhood.
“We can’t go back to TaoHua Neighborhood and Shanglin Neighborhood anymore.”
Chen Mu and Chen Jia’s identities were recorded.
If someone were to investigate, following the records of these two identities, they could track it down.
“Having more than one hideout is useful after all.”
The residence he was now living in was three streets away from the old house in Lin Heng Neighborhood.
He had also used a paper effigy to check the house across from the old one, and it was already empty.
Your adventure continues at мѵʟ
“Having stayed in the luxurious residence of the Prefectural Government, I wouldn’t want to live in these small houses either,” Chen Mu mused as he sipped his tea.
Muttering three syllables, he initiated the Five Ghosts Moving Mountain Curse.
Black smoke billowed, and instantly, a stack of dozens of books appeared on the desk.
Chen Mu sorted through and picked out books one by one.
“Twenty-seven medical and Poison Compendiums; I can continue grinding the Pharmaceutical Technique. Just set it for an hour before sleep.”
Chen Mu continued flipping through.
“Three Swordsmanship Secret Manuals, two manuals on hidden weapons. They can only help to broaden my knowledge a bit.”
The items were not bad, but for a Fourth Rank Iron Lotus Seed and Sleeve Sword Technique, they were of little use. At most, they could help broaden his horizons.
“The first floor is ultimately a bit lacking.”
He had taken these two books simply to make up numbers.
After all, having so many Martial Arts manuals laid out, it felt like a loss not to take a couple.
Chen Mu tucked them away, “I’ll look at them if I have time, and never mind if I don’t.”
“Seven volumes of records on the secrets of Jianghu. That’s good, something to pass the time with.”
If it weren’t for fear of leaving too many gaps on the bookshelf causing the caretaker to notice something amiss, he would’ve taken even more secrets.
“I need to see what Da Liang’s Jianghu is like.”
In this world for over three years, he was either holed up at home or busy moving to a new hiding place. He truly lacked understanding of this strange world.
“These four are the main event,” Chen Mu said gleefully, pulling out four Shape Cultivation Technique books and couldn’t help but browse through them again.
The last one was called Cloudy Mist Shape Cultivation Technique, with one hundred and eight variations in the Breathing Method, which was also quite good.
Compared to the three high-end Shape Cultivation Techniques before it, it was a bit inferior.
But if compared to the Red Falcon Shape Cultivation…
Forget it, let’s not compare; a small fry will always be a small fry.
“To think that I’ve actually amassed ten Shape Cultivation Technique books?!”
Half of them were even high-end Shape Cultivation Techniques.
Chen Mu was somewhat surprised himself.
On such a happy day, why not… Chunfeng Tower?