Late at night.
At the foot of Tangshan, within the tent of the Logistics Army of Dingyou Camp, snoring thundered.
Chen Mu lay on the ground mat at the entrance, eyes fixed and staring into space at the top of the tent.
Having practiced Shape Cultivation seven times, his senses were sharp; to him, the snoring was no different from thunder.
“How I desire a tent of my own.”
Unfortunately, that was a privilege reserved for Qu Zhang, the highest-ranking official in Dingyou Camp; everyone else had to squeeze inside the tents.
All ten members of the Logistics Army were crammed into this tent, including his Seventh Uncle.
Buzz buzz buzz…
Annoying insects were buzzing near his ears again.
Hiss!
A streak of black light flashed and was gone.
Sleeve Sword Technique!
“Silence at last…”
Chen Mu’s eyes narrowed slightly as he carefully felt the iron ring on his left hand.
The inside of the iron ring had a pinhole, and the impression could be distinctly felt on the pad of his finger.
He had probed it with Five Ghosts Black Smoke, finding a small space encircling the iron ring.
He thought of the middle-aged man’s operation of etching the iron ring.
It wasn’t just etching identity numbers; he was also opening a nest and releasing black filament.
Chen Mu’s gaze fell on the Five Ghosts Bag.
In a sealed compartment, a black silky thread as long as a foot and as thick as a strand of hair lay still on a wooden board.
A tiny paper figure with the character “Xia” was squatting beside it, staring unmoving at the filament.
Swish!
A live fish appeared.
Whoosh!
The thread, like an arrow leaving the string, instantly pierced the body of the live fish.
The fish struggled violently.
The next moment, a black iron ring materialized beside the fish.
The fish that had been convulsing ceased struggling and calmed down immediately.
“The iron ring indeed can restrict the black filament,” Chen Mu realized.
In previous tests, the black filament penetrated live fish, drying them up like jerky in the blink of an eye.
Initially as long as the index finger, the black filament had now grown to the length of a foot after sapping dry dozens of fish!
“The iron ring is both a nest and a shackle,” Chen Mu understood.
“If the iron ring were lost, wouldn’t a living person be rapidly desiccated?”
Just thinking about how this thing almost penetrated his own body made Chen Mu shiver involuntarily.
“No, that can’t be right! It’s impossible for people to wear the iron ring without interruption, there must be times when it’s accidentally taken off. Why haven’t there been any bizarre deaths?” Chen Mu wondered, puzzled.
“There’s likely another control mechanism,” Chen Mu shook his head and stopped thinking further.
If the Tangshan Army dared to use such a dangerous thing as a means of control,
They must already have a comprehensive plan.
“Enough thinking, time to sleep.”
Chen Mu opened his eyes.
Smoke pervaded, a colorless and odorless version of Mesmerizing Divine Smoke spread within the tent.
One by one, the Logistics Army soldiers, who were sleeping in all kinds of sprawling and presumptuous positions, suddenly shuddered, then promptly turned over on their own to adjust their sleeping positions, their breathing became even smoother, and they rapidly sank into a deep and comfortable sleep.
The tent instantly became quiet.
“All my effort into improving Mesmerizing Divine Smoke three times wasn’t in vain,”
He pulled out the odorless Insect Repellent Incense and a Soul-Calming Stake that functioned like air conditioning, and Chen Mu serenely closed his eyes.
“I really do want my own tent…”
…
On the banks of Fenxi River, at the edge of a small grove.
Gentle cooking smoke twirled in the air.
“The grilled fish you made is really delicious,” the girl in the emerald green dress said with a cheerful smile.
Delicious? If it’s so delicious, why don’t you eat less of it! I haven’t even had any yet!
Internally complaining, yet his face naturally lowered, flushed, and shyly smiled in quick succession—a perfect country bashful youth.
Then he stammered in a low voice, “Good… good, if you like it, eat… eat more.”
“Hehe…” The girl in the emerald green dress looked at Chen Mu with interest and laughed even more joyously.
Laugh, laugh, laugh! Laugh it up! Aren’t you afraid of choking on a fishbone!
While Chen Mu grumbled inside, his face showed no sign of it as he earnestly grilled the fish.
Should I not have unlocked the cooking skill?
Why do I always end up cooking for others everywhere I go? I don’t want to be a chef!
“Your cooking is so delicious, why don’t I transfer you to the mountain to cook for me?” the girl in the emerald green dress asked with a beaming smile.
Chen Mu’s heart skipped a beat.
The Bai Family’s young lady had free access to Tangshan Camp; she was special.
I’m just a country bumpkin, and she’s inviting me to cook for her alone?
If I go, it’ll be hard not to draw attention!
So much for staying hidden and undercover.
Chen Mu muttered to himself for a while before saying timidly, “I’m not worthy!”
“You mean you don’t dare, right?” the girl in the emerald green dress said with a sly smile.
Of course, I DON’T dare. If someone discovers I don’t have the black line inside me, wouldn’t I be done for?
“I’m afraid of strangers.” Chen Mu said, scratching his head apologetically.
“Hehe…” The girl in the emerald green dress laughed even more joyfully.
Bang!
A huge creature with exposed fangs and glossy black fur fell in front of Chen Mu.
“Trouble now,” the imposing figure said in an androgynous, calm voice.
You know it’s trouble and still you caught it?!
Chen Mu said with a smiling face, “It’s not a bit of trouble at all.”
“Ha!” The girl with the emerald green dress covered her face with her sleeve, almost doubling over with laughter.
…
After dinner,
Chen Mu cautiously asked to take his leave.
The girl in the emerald green dress nodded with a smile and let him go.
“The grand army will set out soon. Someone will verify identities; make sure you have your Iron Ring,” the robust woman said indifferently.
“I’ve got it on, I’ve been wearing it the whole time,” Chen Mu nodded repeatedly.
The robust woman glanced at Chen Mu, then turned and said flatly, “Let’s go, Cui Cui.”
Then, in an instant, she appeared twenty meters away.
The girl in the emerald green dress immediately stood up, waving her hand and said cheerfully, “Dingyou Camp’s Logistics Army’s Sun Dawang, see you!”
Damn, she remembered me…
Chen Mu waved his hand, looking flattered.
“See… see you.”
The girl in the emerald green dress had a beaming smile, took a step, and instantly appeared beside the robust figure.
Chen Mu: “…”
None of them are simple!
Wait a minute, Cui Cui?
So that strong and formidable brother… is actually Bai Miaojin?
Heh…
…
The year 642 of the Da Liang era, February 11th.
The grand Tangshan Camp army begins its march.
Chen Mu, blending in with the Logistics Army, followed the Dingyou Camp to the Fenxi Crossing.
Massive fifty-meter-long ships were already docked at the bank.
The Laborer Camp queued up in an orderly fashion to board the ships, based on their sequence numbers.
At one end of a pier stretching into the river, a lean man in his fifties sat calmly behind a long table.
He checked and verified the Iron Bracelets of each person boarding the ship.
“I wonder what the situation with the Ghosts up north is like,” Chen Mu thought anxiously.
Thinking of the Zuming Talisman in his cuff, the Five Ghosts Bag on his chest, and the Soul-Calming Stake in the bag, Chen Mu felt somewhat reassured.
Then thinking about the Soul Strength that had almost reached his thighs, Chen Mu finally eased his mind. “Even if I encounter Ghosts, I won’t be afraid. With all these trump cards ready, I’ll be able to kill… um, I can definitely run away,” he thought. Enjoy exclusive content from M-V-L
“Stay low-key and undercover, don’t act rashly,” Chen Mu reminded himself.
Clang!
A clear clinking sound echoed.
Bang!
A dull thud followed, and a dark figure was thrown out like a rag doll.
Four elite soldiers in black leather armor leapt into the air and swiftly subdued and bound the figure.
“Take him away,” the lean old man behind the long table ordered calmly, as he retracted his fisted right hand.
What’s going on?
Chen Mu hastily looked over.
The guy has an Iron Bracelet, right?
“Heh! Someone must have bought someone else’s Iron Bracelet and tried to sneak in,” Zheng Yuan in front of him said schadenfreude. “Just you watch, both the buyer and seller are going to be in trouble.”
Chen Mu’s heart skipped a beat: “Isn’t it the bracelet that matters, not the person?”
Zheng Yuan chuckled: “It’s both the bracelet and the person; the bracelet must be on the right individual.”
The bracelet must be on the right individual?
If you don’t have an Iron Bracelet, the black line could drain you dry! That’s quite ‘The bracelet must be on the right individual’, isn’t it?
Wait a minute! The bracelet and the person are both recognized? How do they identify the person?
Can that old man detect the black line?!
Chen Mu: “…”
Well, isn’t this just great!