“Meet with Mo Wuzhou?” Chen Mu kept his voice calm and gentle, yet the tone carried a hint of bone-chilling amusement.
Shang Huan felt a chill in his heart and obediently replied, “Yes!”
“Because of the Insect Repellent Incense?” Chen Mu continued, his voice still gentle.
Shang Huan’s scalp tightened, “Yes!”
How did Gongsun Sheng become so… clear…?
“Curious how I know so clearly?” Chen Mu suddenly spoke with a playful tone.
Shang Huan’s body stiffened on the spot.
Chen Mu silently controlled the United Heart Rope to activate mutual sensation.
Hum!
Enjoy new chapters from empire
A weird, heavy feeling suddenly emerged in Shang Huan’s mind.
It felt as if someone had suddenly climbed onto his back, and that person was now looking down at him with a pair of eyes.
“Hehe…” Chen Mu chuckled lightly.
Shang Huan’s sweat poured down like rain.
United Heart Gu?! I knew there’s no such thing as a free lunch.
No wonder the seven brothers of Wu Mountain were so well-behaved.
Turns out this thing not only greatly increases the host’s strength but also completely surrenders oneself to another person.
Someone who can control your life at will and monitor everything you see and hear through the United Heart Gu.
This…
Realizing that his every move might have been under Gongsun Sheng’s surveillance, Shang Huan’s sweat poured down like rain!
The times I secretly cursed him as a pervert… won’t be discovered, will they?!
Damn it!
…
Seeing Shang Huan’s pale face and his tense body, Chen Mu was satisfied and withdrew the United Heart Curse.
This should ensure that the fat man no longer doubted my identity.
Not many people know the details of the incident with the Insect Repellent Incense.
I can’t let this fat man make any connection to me.
Glancing at the black-clothed Patrolling Inspector lying on the ground, Chen Mu couldn’t help but sigh.
Wealth can seduce hearts; such greedy people are everywhere.
And this is just Insect Repellent Incense. If it was the more profitable Wood Spirit Boy… it won’t be easy.
Black smoke swirled, and the body of the dead Wu Lie on the ground was suddenly swallowed up by the Five Ghosts Moving Mountain.
Lost in his thoughts, Shang Huan’s heart clenched, and he suddenly snapped back to reality.
Looking up, he saw a palm-sized scroll floating in front of him out of thin air.
Clatter clatter…
A series of strange noises followed, as a small black wooden horse hopped in front of him.
The little black horse had a white spot on its brow, eerily calm like an eye, staring at him.
“You’re going to see Mo Wuzhou? It just so happens I have a good deal to offer him.”
“Wood Spirit Boy, a Magic Artifact scout, one hundred White Jade Coins each.”
“Tell Mo Wuzhou, I’ll give him a twenty-percent profit, I want to borrow his reputation for a bit.”
Chen Mu watched Shang Huan calmly.
“You can do it, can’t you?”
Do what, my ass!
Shang Huan couldn’t help but curse inwardly.
I’m just a lowly disciple of the Lower Courtyard, how can I influence Mo Wuzhou’s decisions!
The issue with the Insect Repellent Incense hasn’t even been settled, let alone this clearly big deal with the Wood Spirit Boy!
Shang Huan felt uneasy, his face a tangle of emotions.
“Mr. Gongsun, I’m really not close with Brother Mo; what if he refuses?”
“It’s fine,” Chen Mu replied with a gentle smile, “Just go and negotiate.”
“If he agrees, he can earn an easy twenty percent profit.”
“And if he doesn’t agree?” Shang Huan asked tentatively.
If he doesn’t agree? Then I just won’t sell it. What else can be done.
Chen Mu thought to himself, yet his voice became calm and detached, “I’m just informing him.”
“If he doesn’t agree, hehe…”
Shang Huan’s scalp tingled immediately.
He’s set on leveraging Brother Mo’s name forcefully.
If there’s a snag…
Meeting the calm gaze of the other party, Shang Huan felt a chill in his heart.
This Mr. Gongsun, he’s not even afraid of Brother Mo?
Can he handle any situation that arises from Brother Mo’s resistance?!
Hisss…
Shang Huan felt a headache coming on.
Trouble!
If Brother Mo and Gongsun Sheng have a conflict, being stuck in the middle means I’m doomed!
“I must convince Brother Mo!”
…
The fourth pioneer squad of Yiyou District.
Two burly men, both towering at nearly six-foot-three, snuck up on a couple of Night Watchers who were nodding off, dozing intermittently.
In the campfire pile, where no open flame remained, only glowing scarlet charcoal flickered with a red light.
Just as the two men reached out, preparing to snap the Night Watchers’ necks,
An invisible force suddenly descended.
The eyes of the burly men bulged, and they instinctively struggled to break free, but like insects trapped in amber, they were unable to move an inch.
Then, lifted by the invisible force, they silently drifted into the dark, dense forest.
A gentle breeze blew by.
One of the Night Watchers shivered awake.
“Was there someone just now?”
“You must’ve been dreaming!”
“Then it must’ve been a dream.”
…
In the dense woods, dark smoke billowed.
The two burly men disappeared on the spot, following in Wu Lie’s footsteps.
“Lucky we’re not too far, lucky we spotted it in time, or else Shang Huan tonight would have really become a dead fatty,” Chen Mu sighed.
Once again, there was no choice but to kill.
“You can’t just stand by and watch someone die.”
That fatty had just brought him a big jar of White Jade Money.
“I wonder if Mo Wuzhou will agree,” Chen Mu felt some regret.
What if it draws covetous eyes? What then?
This action was, after all, somewhat risky.
But thinking about the exorbitant price of the Condensing Aperture Technique, Chen Mu knew he had to plan early.
“Hmm, maybe I can sell less.”
“If I only sell ten or eight, it won’t attract too much trouble.”
…
The second pioneer squad of Yiyou District.
Chen Mu, in a gray short robe and with a yellow gourd hung at his waist, carried a door-sized Chopping Knife in his right hand.
With a wave of his hand, whoosh, he chopped down a large tree.
He didn’t rush to find Shang Huan and didn’t use the United Heart Rope to connect; honestly, he just stayed with the pioneer team cutting trees.
Not far from him, Old Hao leaned against a fallen tree, skilfully slacking off.
Next to him, two or three other elders also leaned against tree trunks, smoking and chatting at their leisure.
Old Hao exhaled a puff of white smoke and waved to Chen Mu, “Xiao Mu, come take a break. Let the bugs nibble on the grass, then we’ll continue working.”
Chen Mu, easy-going as ever, shouldered his door-sized Chopping Knife and joined them.
When it came to cutting trees and pioneering, Peng Yue Mountain did not set a clear target.
As long as there was daily progress, it was fine.
This group of old pros naturally did the bare minimum. After all, no matter how fast and how much you chopped, Peng Yue Mountain just paid that fixed monthly salary.
If you wanted to earn more, you had to venture forth, but that money was not easily earned.
Chen Mu approached the group, nodded a greeting, and leaned against the tree trunk to rest.
He untied the yellow gourd from around his waist.
Giving the others a glance, he sneakily teleported chilled tea from the Five Ghosts Bag, which had been chilled by the Soul-Calming Stake, into the gourd while no one was looking.
After taking a pleasant sip of the refreshing tea, Chen Mu’s attention was caught by the conversation of the group.
“I heard there’s another fatality,” an old man with white-speckled hair said with a frown as he fanned himself with a door-sized knife.
“Exotic Beasts aren’t so easy to kill. It’s quite normal for people to die,” countered another tall, lean elder.
“But haven’t you noticed? More people have been dying recently,” the white-speckled old man said worriedly.
“With dozens of miles cleared, I reckon most of the nearby Exotic Beasts should have been killed, right?” Old Hao puffed on his cigarette.
“It’s said that without the deterrence of the Cold Moon Toad, Exotic Beasts from far away are swarming here.”
“We might be facing a beast tide,” the muscular elder whispered.
“Aren’t you thinking too much?” another retorted.
“Hard to say…”
“A beast tide?” Chen Mu’s expression abruptly changed.
He couldn’t help but think of his time at the Lower Courtyard beneath Tongtian River.
Back then, a beast tide had also surged against the Lower Courtyard.
The danger was no small matter.
Hummm…
A low buzzing interrupted Chen Mu’s reflections.
A swarm of gray insects, like a tidal wave, surged across the ground.
Everything they passed was eaten to the ground.
Low shrubs, tall weeds, and twining vines were all munched and chewed up.
The dense forest, previously choked by thick undergrowth, now felt spacious, leaving only towering trees reaching into the sky.
Chen Mu took another sip of the tea and secured the yellow gourd at his waist.
“I need to make some preparations.”