Nanyang Prefecture City, Jingxing Alley, Chen Residence.
The sun had climbed high, and Chen Mu slowly opened his eyes.
A good night’s sleep had left him feeling refreshed and comfortable from head to toe!
In the yard, under the newly repaired thatched canopy, Chen Mu laid out his brunch on the square table one by one.
Rice noodle rolls, spring rolls, pan-fried dumplings, Old Qi’s meat pies, braised beef, pickled green beans, cold mixed vegetables, medicinal congee— the table was packed full.
Chen Mu bit off half of a meat pie in one go, the subtly salty and fresh filling spreading through his mouth, the rich flavors making him squint his eyes with pleasure. Then with another bite, he stuffed the entire pie into his mouth.
“Delicious!”
He had been back in Nanyang Prefecture City for eight days.
During those days, he hadn’t done much. Every day, if he wasn’t pondering over gourmet food, he was indulging in tunes at the brothel. He even neglected his Jie Jia and rarely checked his proficiency.
After months of travel northward, encountering numerous events, returning to Nanyang Prefecture gave him a sensation like he was returning from another world.
“I’m still not quite accustomed to that kind of exciting life.”
Full from eating and drinking, and with smoke swirling around, the Five Ghosts Bag’s online gambling house started up. It wasn’t long before he finished cleaning up.
Chen Mu lay back contentedly in a rocking chair under the pavilion.
Next to him stood a Soul-Calming Stake.
“Be cautious, Chao Tianwang probably won’t come looking again.”
Just as once you start using an air conditioner, whether it rains or the temperature drops outside, you can’t stop using it all summer long, Chen Mu was reluctant to throw away the stake.
It’s too hot in the southern part of Da Liang.
Although he was immune to cold and heat, immunity just meant he could withstand it— when it was hot, it was still hot.
“Even if he comes, I’m not afraid of him.”
Chen Mu was no longer the timid scholar from before.
Seven forms of the Shape Cultivation Technique, Seventh Rank of Five Ghosts Moving Mountain, this granted him enough courage to face Chao Fang.
“I’ll use it first, and figure out a way to shield it later,” Chen Mu made up his mind.
…
“Thousand Mechanism Token.” Chen Mu’s gaze rested on the contents of the Five Ghosts Bag.
Since obtaining the jade gourd, he rarely took it out.
“There likely exists a special method to sense it.”
Previously in Lijiang Guard City, he encountered several Armor Spirit warriors fighting over the Thousand Mechanism Token.
Chen Mu looked at the lustrous jade gourd complicatedly; its origin hardly brought him joy.
Da Liang had stood for over six hundred years, with uprisings every century or so.
Every time there was an uprising, the Thousand Mechanism Token appeared.
The connection between these events was terrifying upon careful thought!
“Is it only Da Liang that’s chaotic, or is the whole world like this?”
All of a sudden, he lost the desire to go overseas.
With his current strength, though not at the very top, he could easily enjoy a carefree life in Da Liang.
But…
A comfortable and leisurely life, if lived for too long, inevitably leads to restlessness.
Even if he liked a comfortable life, he would grow tired of it sooner or later.
It might be another century or more before the Thousand Mechanism Token appeared again.
“If it weren’t for the proficiency cheat, I might have let it be.”
“Ultimately, I’m not content. I’m bound to step out of my comfort zone sooner or later.”
Continue reading at empire
…
Three days later, in the evening.
Chen Mu had prepared a table full of dishes.
At the appointed time, Jie Jia arrived at the courtyard.
Seeing the table full of delicious food, his eyes, squinted into slits, lifted a fraction.
“Speak.” Jie Jia was as concise as ever.
Chen Mu shook his head with a chuckle, the familiar flavor still there: “Let’s talk while we eat.”
“You seem different,” Jie Jia observed, looking Chen Mu up and down.
Different? That was an understatement! Now, your young master is an Armor Spirit Warrior too!
If you dare to trick me again, I’ll dare to arm-wrestle with you!
Puffed up with pride, Chen Mu wore a face full of confidence.
“Spirit Armor Technique?” Jie Jia gazed at the fleeting silver streaks on the back of Chen Mu’s hand, a look of surprise on his face: “Do you really have a special bloodline?”
Jie Jia is familiar with Spirit Armor Technique?
Does the technique require a bloodline?
Chen Mu shook his head: “I’m just an ordinary person, no special bloodline here.”
But he did have a cheat.
Jie Jia glanced at Chen Mu. “Four years, with neither Daoist Bone nor bloodline, and you reached Perfection as an Armor Spirit Warrior?”
“That’s all thanks to my diligent practice!” said Chen Mu with utmost seriousness.
Jie Jia: “…”
Tsk tsk… you’re just as shameless as always.
…
“I went to the north, it was terrible,” Chen Mu sighed. “The Thousand Mechanism Token isn’t just a simple boat ticket, is it?”
“That’s just a secondary function,” Jie Jia swallowed his food and spoke methodically, “The true value lies within the token itself.”
Chen Mu thought of the altar in the underground secret chamber.
“Is it something like the Red Hall mirror again?”
Jie Jia glanced at Chen Mu, “You know quite a bit.”
Chen Mu chuckled, “I made another trip to Tianyi Studio.”
“Oh,” Jie Jia said indifferently.
“Aren’t you going to ask what I found?” Chen Mu asked curiously.
But Jie Jia completely ignored Chen Mu.
Chen Mu sighed; Jie Jia definitely knew about the secret chamber underground.
“Is the world overseas just as barbaric and cruel?”
Ordinary people are regarded as lowly weeds.
“Afraid of death? Then you can just hide here and not go out to sea,” Jie Jia said calmly.
Chen Mu chuckled, “Guessed it?”
With a wave of his hand, a jade gourd appeared on the table.
Jie Jia glanced at it twice, then continued eating.
“You don’t want it?” Chen Mu asked curiously: “You’re an Armor Spirit Warrior; don’t you want to go out to sea to see what lies beyond the path of Shell Soul?”
“I’m afraid of death,” said Jie Jia calmly.
Bullshit!
Chen Mu didn’t believe a word of it.
“Can you tell me about the overseas?” A grey cloth bag puffed up replaced the jade gourd, now shrouded in black smoke.
In the end, he decided to set sail and see the wider world for himself.
…
“What do you want to know?” Jie Jia’s sleeve brushed over the cloth bag, making it disappear.
“When is that boat coming?” Chen Mu asked.
“It should be in November here, but the exact day is uncertain,” Jie Jia pondered.
Which means there are about three or four months left.
“Is it safe on the boat?” This was the point of greatest concern to Chen Mu.
The other party might be the builders of the Thousand Mechanism Token altar.
Reaping lives and condensing Thousand Mechanism Tokens—such forces are hardly benevolent.
“Usually, there won’t be problems.”
“Those people mainly come here to collect Thousand Mechanism Tokens.”
“In the past, they would take Daoist Bones naturally born, especially children.”
“I don’t know from when, they began to also collect Armor Spirit Warriors.”
“But you’d have to work for them as your passage fee, with an indeterminate period.”
Chen Mu immediately frowned, “Haven’t I already paid for the ticket?”
Jie Jia glanced at Chen Mu, “Without their asking, the powerful families will help them find the Thousand Mechanism Tokens.”
“That’s just a qualification to get on board.”
Chen Mu’s face looked troubled. Why did it feel like they were selling people off?!
“Overseas, due to environmental and geographical constraints, ordinary people can’t do many things.”
“Armor Spirit Warriors, having undergone physical modifications with Soul Strength for protection, make for the best labor force.”
“But recruiting locals would mean having to pay them. You guys…” Jie Jia glanced at Chen Mu sideways.
Chen Mu immediately understood.
This was just an otherworldly version of foreign labor recruitment, wasn’t it?
From underdeveloped areas, they recruit massive amounts of labor at low remunerations.
Here it was probably even worse.
Lots of work for little pay, or even no pay at all!
“Those high and mighty Armor Spirit Warriors, are they really content to be manual labor?” Couldn’t anyone resist?
“Of course not,” Jie Jia stated blandly. “So, are you going?”
Chen Mu shook his head and gave a bitter smile.
He really had to go!
Even with all the power and influence one might have in Da Liang, there’s still a ceiling to reach.
Only by going out to sea could one witness a broader world.
“Shell Soul is not easy to cultivate, and there’s also the chance of breakthroughs in Perceptive abilities.
“So you’re quite valuable, those people won’t let you be in danger,” Jie Jia offered reassurance.
However, Chen Mu wasn’t in the mood to accept this consolation.