It was seven or eight in the evening.
Chen Mu wandered out of the Ruyi Tower in East Market.
“Just so-so,” Chen Mu smacked his lips dismissively.
The food was not as good as in Sihai Tower. In terms of environment and layout, except for being smaller, it was almost a carbon copy of Chunfeng Tower.
However, the dancing girls were bolder in their attire and dance moves.
It seemed somewhat vulgar, flamboyantly vulgar, but… but quite appealing to the eye.
“Although they can’t compare with Yu Tao and Qiu Ying in grace, they each have their own charm. Hehe…”
The only downside was probably the overly enthusiastic waitress girls trying to freeload a meal, coming wave after wave.
Trying to score a free meal without paying?!
Who do they think I am?!
He had sent them all away in one fell swoop.
Humming an unknown tune proudly, Chen Mu strolled towards Yongtong District.
Bang!
A loud noise suddenly erupted from not far away, coming from the surface of the Lijiang River.
The little paper man in his sleeve whooshed up into the air.
Instantly, a bird’s-eye view of the riverside appeared in his mind.
Two dark figures kept flickering and colliding on a boat.
Every collision resonated like a huge bell, creating a thunderous roar.
The boat more than fifty meters beneath their feet seemed as fragile as a pile of sand.
It would snap at a touch and crumble on impact; in just a few movements, a large boat was cut in half by the continuous clashing of the two figures.
Bang!
Another loud noise, one of the figures was blasted into the water by the other.
The water’s surface exploded into a seven or eight-meter-high splash.
This sight made Chen Mu’s scalp tingle!
Even though the dock’s light was dim, Chen Mu still made out the black light shining off the two small figures’ skin.
“Shell Soul?!”
Where did these two Shell Soul masters come from?
He knew of only a handful of Shell Soul masters, and the one he had met was Jie Jia.
He had thought that Shell Soul masters were either local tyrants or hidden away in Jianghu, both rarely seen.
But what was this all about?!
Many people were attracted by the noise and rushed towards the dock.
A martial artist with good skills ran fast and was the first to reach the dock.
Unfortunately, that person was hit by the Shell Soul master emerging from the water.
With a splat, the martial artist was split into pieces and scattered on the ground.
Chen Mu shivered on the spot.
He turned and ran home.
“That’s damn dangerous!”
One must be cautious when watching a fight!
…
After returning home, Chen Mu’s heart was still pounding vigorously.
It was the first time he had seen Shell Soul masters fight. The destructive power was simply terrifying.
Such a large wooden boat was treated like a toy, easily dismantled.
Running into a person was worse than getting hit by a truck in his previous life; they were smashed to pieces in an instant.
“How come there are so many masters in Lijiang Guard City?”
Not long ago there had been a master whose strength far exceeded estimates, making Jie Jia give up the mission.
And today, he encountered two Shell Soul masters fighting.
“Wasn’t it said that Lijiang Guard City, south of Da Liang and away from war, was very safe?”
The string in Chen Mu’s head, urging him to flee, immediately began to buzz.
“Don’t panic, the situation in Nanyang Prefecture is worse.”
“Let’s stay for a few more days and see.”
Chen Mu suppressed his alarm.
“It’s still best to go out less.”
…
For three days in a row, Chen Mu didn’t sleep well.
The little paper man was constantly monitoring in all directions.
Fortunately, Lijiang Guard City returned to calm once more.
As if that heart-stopping battle had never happened.
After staying at home for two more days, Chen Mu went out to East Market, to Lijiang Tower, to gather information.
The sight of the broken boat hull piled by the dock clearly told Chen Mu that there indeed had been two Shell Soul masters fighting that night.
Listening to the people around, it seems the two were passing-by masters who fought more and more fiercely until they disappeared on the opposite side of the river and never showed up again.
Chen Mu breathed a sigh of relief.
“The world is in chaos, all kinds of demons and goblins are emerging.”
In the past, he never saw Shell Soul masters, but now he had encountered them. Chen Mu shook his head.
“It’s better to go home and continue to work on my Proficiency.”
On his way, he sold a lot of vegetables and fresh meat. With the Soul-Calming Stake brand refrigerator, he wasn’t worried about the food going bad.
He then quickly went back home.
…
Five days later.
Chen Mu frowned and pulled up the gray wall, staring at the last item without speaking.
Cloud Mirage Shape Cultivation Technique: 795/10000/Fourth Rank;
“This Proficiency is not normal.”
“It’s abnormally slow!”
The Divine Intent Diagram phase of the previous Shape Cultivation Techniques, whether short or long, took around one or two months at most.
But now, after ten days of intense practice, his Proficiency was barely over seven hundred.
“Could it be that the Cloud Mirage Shape Cultivation Technique is incomplete?” Chen Mu’s face looked troubled.
The Shape Cultivation Techniques available in the market are mostly released by noble families.
They either have little potential or have been simplified.
“Should I switch to a different Shape Cultivation Technique?” Chen Mu hesitated.
Given his current pace, he figured it would take at least four months to master the Cloud Mirage Shape Cultivation Technique.
That’s enough time to acquire two different Shape Cultivation Techniques!
Chen Mu felt a bit conflicted.
“Forget it, let’s just keep grinding for now.”
…
One month later.
In Ruyi Square, East Market of Lijiang City.
Chen Mu emerged with a sallow complexion.
Even the enchanting dance of the pretty young ladies failed to lift his spirits.
With a thought, a gray wall appeared before him.
Cloud Mirage Shape Cultivation Technique: 2903/10000/Fourth Rank;
“As I suspected, it’s been tampered with!” Chen Mu seethed inwardly.
“What about the other three, then?”
Chen Mu had a bad feeling stirring within him.
No wonder Chao Tianwang was so generous in releasing it.
He probably knew it was incomplete, not worrying about others practicing it.
Even with external assistance, the progress was unbearably slow.
Those from the Jianghu wanting to practice it would probably spend their whole lives going around in circles within the Triple Easy Shape Cultivation.
Accustomed to a rapid pace of training, the sudden slow down was incredibly disconcerting for Chen Mu.
Moping along, an image suddenly flashed through his mind.
Chen Mu was taken aback and quickly adjusted the perspective of the small paper man floating in mid-air.
This… isn’t this Old Ding?!
A small smile curled at the corner of Chen Mu’s mouth, Ah, fate!
…
Old Ding left Ruyi Tower, staggering all the way home.
He didn’t dare sleep in Ruyi Tower anymore; he had his reservations.
What if he was knocked out and abducted again?
Besides, the gentle embraces of his concubines at home were far more alluring than the girls here in Ruyi Tower.
The more he thought about it, the warmer his desires grew; the alcohol effect receded, and he hurried home.
Once at home, he rinsed off briefly and then slipped into his concubine’s bed.
The next day, Old Ding didn’t wake up until the sun was high in the sky.
After lunch, he walked into his study, massaging his sore back.
He didn’t even plan on visiting his shop.
“I don’t rely on that little shop to make a living, why bother!”
He closed the door of the east side study and carefully removed a book from the middle compartment of the bookshelf.
He took out a brown-red square wooden box from behind a green brick in the back wall of the shelf.
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Gently removing the dust from the precious box with his sleeve, Old Ding brought it to the desk.
Rubbing his hands together, he opened the box with an excited expression.
It was time to count his money, one of his few enjoyments.
Old Ding’s eyes sparkled as he took out the thick stack of silver notes.
“My nest egg.”
“A hundred taels.”
“Two hundred taels.”
“Five hundred taels!”
“Haha…”
Counting the silver notes with glee, his vision suddenly blurred.
Thump!
He slumped over the desk, falling into a deep sleep.
The next moment, a wisp of black smoke slowly materialized on the desk…
…
After an unknown stretch of time, Old Ding’s eyes fluttered open.
“I’m getting old. I was only slightly busy last night, and now I’m falling asleep while counting money?”
“I need to get some tonics…”
“Hold on, where is my money… how come there’s so much missing?!”
Old Ding felt like he was going crazy.
His thick stack of money had shrunk by more than half!
He hurriedly began to count again.
“Seven thousand six hundred taels!”
“A full seven thousand six hundred taels are gone!”
“Which son of a thousand…”
He hadn’t finished cursing when he spotted a small note on the desk.
“I’ve taken the settlement money for the four brothers. Not a fen more, not a fen less. —Chao Old Flea of Liang Mountain, Shi Qian.”
Old Ding: “…”
“But I’ve only embezzled one thousand six hundred taels from you four.”
“Why don’t you go after Chen the Fatty?” Old Ding cursed, nearly popping his eyes out in rage!
“My nest egg!”
Chen Mu, hiding outside the courtyard wall: “…”
Took too much?! Impossible, absolutely impossible!
If it’s said to be seven thousand six hundred taels, then it must be seven thousand six hundred taels!
Chen Mu nodded confidently, humming a tune as he made his way home.
The frustration stirred up by the Cloud Mirage Shape Cultivation Technique instantly vanished without a trace.