Selling Bewildering Divine Miasma was out of the question.
Even if it were to be sold, it would have to be through Lu Zhishen.
Chen Mu’s identity was that of an ordinary small-time farmer.
Besides, Bewildering Divine Miasma wasn’t user-friendly.
If the concentration was high, it could easily knock a farmer off their feet.
If too low, not even the white-striped black rats would succumb.
Having crisply dismissed Shang Huan, Chen Mu tidied up the messy cups and plates while lost in thought.
“This is a good opportunity,” he mused.
The farmers of the Lower Courtyard needed something to help them fight against the Exotic Beasts.
Figuring it out could lead to a big profit.
“What a pity…” Chen Mu shook his head, discarding the thought.
The pressing matter was to resolve the bottleneck in cultivating the Illusion Breaking Technique.
“The Administrative Affairs Institute and the Inspection Courtyard also have a good number of disciples at the Perceptive Spirit Light stage,” he squinted his eyes contemplatively.
…
Ten miles below Peng Yue Mountain.
A dense forest had been cleared to make an open space.
A bonfire blazed at the center, crackling and popping.
“The leader’s surname is Zheng, originally a Team Leader of a ten-man squad in the Inspection Courtyard,” said Wu Ruo calmly, sitting beside the fire.
“His cultivation level is Perceptive Spirit Light.”
“He has a total of fifteen people under him, only five of whom have achieved Spirit and Soul Unification and mastered the Jade Seed Secret Techniques.”
“They have hunted five Exotic Beasts so far, with total gains ranging from four to five hundred White Jade Coins.”
Xu Rao followed with a calm voice, “The baited prey has already been sent over.”
“It was a wild boar from nearby that ‘accidentally’ fell into their trap, quite naturally. The drug is also hidden well enough to avoid detection.”
Lu Ku nodded with a smile, “Very good.”
“Let’s eat first. After the meal, we’ll make our move.”
The others nodded silently.
Suddenly, Ai Ji sitting by the bonfire spoke up, “Gongsun Sheng hasn’t paid attention to us in what, half a year?”
“Nearly half a year without contact, it’s possible that something unexpected has happened,” Yu Lin said hesitantly.
“Or he may have left Jilong Road,” Wu Ruo said with a smile, clearly in a good mood. Experience more tales on empire
“Or he’s staying in the Lower Courtyard by the Tongtian River, fishing in troubled waters,” Xu Rao narrowed his eyes.
“Do you think there’s a possibility that he’s dead!” Ai Ji chuckled maliciously.
The other five were taken aback.
“Half a year, you know. If he were still alive, it wouldn’t be hard for him to just glance our way, right?”
“I’m sure he’s dead!” Ai Ji said, his face alight with excitement.
The five others stared at Ai Ji in silence.
“It’s better if he’s dead! I don’t want to be watched over anymore!”
“You don’t know what it’s like; I had to be careful even when going to the bathroom half a year ago. Killing someone was nerve-racking.”
“Now it’s so much better. I pit people against each other if I want, or kill and rob them if I feel like it!”
“Hey, why aren’t you guys talking?”
“Shi Xian, is your eyelid twitching? Want me to throw a punch and fix it for you? Haha!”
“Right, right, we had even devised a blinking code to deal with his Perceptive talent,”
“We are the unbridled seven brothers of Wu Mountain; when have we ever been this stifled!” Ai Ji grumbled.
“Alright Shi Xian, stop blinking, I still remember our code. No need to remind me,”
“Don’t believe me? Watch.”
With zeal, Ai Ji began to blink; but as he did, he froze in place.
His neck creaked like rusted hinges, turning to look at Shi Xian and then to the others with a crackling sound.
“Just now…”
Shi Xian looked at Ai Ji expressionlessly, then turned to Lu Ku, speaking in a cold voice, “He wants a list.”
“A list of the disciples at the Perceptive Spirit Light stage from the Inspection Courtyard and the Administrative Affairs Institute.”
“As comprehensive as possible.”
Lu Ku nodded calmly, “Understood.”
By the bonfire, a silence fell for a moment.
“Gongsun… Gongsun Sheng?!” Ai Ji’s hair almost stood on end!
“When did he get here?”
“At the moment you said he was dead,” Shi Xian said softly.
“Then, everything I said—didn’t he hear it all?!” Ai Ji grabbed his hair, feeling a tingling all over his body.
“Can we still go and rob that hunting team?”
The others stared at him without saying a word.
You’ve spilled the beans completely; what’s there to rob now!
…
Two days later, in the Yiyou District.
Chen Mu sat in a rocking chair, flipping through a stack of papers one by one.
Zhang He, between forty and fifty years old, Team Leader of the Inspection Courtyard team of ten, secret technique for cultivation unknown, suspected to be of speed enhancement type, fond of drinking, other hobbies unknown…
“I just wanted a list, but to think it would come with such detailed identity information.”
After flipping through a few more pages, some even had noted down the person’s daily routine, what others thought of them, and so on.
Chen Mu clicked his tongue in amazement.
“Are they really this skilled in their line of work?”
“It feels like they’re scoping out victims to kidnap just like bandits,” he muttered.
“This is professionalism at its finest,” Chen Mu couldn’t help shaking his head.
This group of people was always up to no good, either causing trouble for others or on their way to do so.
Chen Mu wouldn’t have contacted them if he hadn’t been in need of a reliable source of information.
“Better reduce contact in the future,” Chen Mu resolved secretly.
It’s said that one takes on the color of one’s company; he was a good man and couldn’t let them lead him astray.
Pulling out a piece of paper from a stack of white sheets, Chen Mu’s face showed satisfaction: “Liang Cheng, regular habits, diligent at work, simple-natured and timid, simple social relations, a truly honest person.”
“He’s the one!”
…
Liang Cheng was not tall and had a thin body.
Even after undergoing Shape Cultivation, he still did not possess a strong physique.
Due to his introverted and simple nature, he was often bullied by his peers when he was young.
Fortunately, he had an open mind. He would avoid confrontations if possible, keep out of trouble, and be kind to others, all the while studying hard in secret.
The day he succeeded in practicing Spiritual Light, those who had bullied him in the past one by one became kind—well, they had no choice but to be kind.
Because he was reserved and looked easy to bully, his current colleagues would still pick on him.
Yet, he did not take it to heart; it was just a rerun of the previous years.
He still avoided trouble, continued to be kind to others, and persevered in his training in secret.
When the day came for him to master Illusion Breaking Technique, the expressions on his colleagues’ faces would surely be priceless.
Of course, first, he had to get past today’s challenge.
Liang Cheng was restrained by an invisible force in midair.
A voice appeared abruptly behind him.
“Liang Cheng?” Chen Mu altered his voice and spoke indifferently.
He was dressed in black, with a white mask on his face, and swirling black mist surrounding his body.
He had also adjusted his body shape and posture to appear like a cold, indifferent killer.
In a moment, he would drop a couple of seemingly calm but actually crazy hard lines, fearing that this simple and timid fellow would not comply.
“There’s a loose brick near the east wall; you can take it out. All my White Jade Coins are inside.”
“My primary job in the Administrative Affairs Institute is document registration. Basic information about disciples from the Lower Courtyard is mostly in my head.”
“You don’t have to tell me who you’re looking for, just tell me which sections, and I will write down all the information I know.”
“I’m somewhat ostracized in the Administrative Affairs Institute, so I don’t know much about Director Song.”
“However, the one who has been in charge of Cold Moon Pond recently has always been Liang Yi, the Minor Supervision Court. The fact that the Director’s injuries haven’t healed seems to be true.”
“And please, rest assured. Since a moment ago, I have kept my eyes closed and will definitely not see any information about you.”
Chen Mu: “…”
Is he this cooperative?
Is the life of a kidnapper this easy now?