The sun was setting in the west, painting the clouds a fiery red.
Sizzling sounds arose from the small courtyard as hot oil popped and hissed in the frying pan.
Chen Mu held a spatula, rhythmically stirring the bright green vegetables to ensure each piece was evenly heated.
Under the grape trellis, beside the stone table, sat the old man in Jie Jia armor, looking utterly at ease.
In front of him lay a pile of Silver Pieces, which he was rolling into little silver beads.
Chen Mu brought the dishes to the table, “Does every top assassin have some weird hobby?”
He really couldn’t comprehend the reason behind rolling Silver Pieces into round beads.
Jie Jia paid no attention to Chen Mu, speeding up his hands, and concealed all the silver beads into his sleeves.
Standing up to wash his hands, he took out a clean handkerchief to dry them and then casually threw it into the fire pit.
Chen Mu rolled his eyes and began to divide the food with serving chopsticks.
After getting familiar with him, the old man’s demands kept increasing.
The utensils had to be clean, ingredients fresh, and communal chopsticks were required to share the meal.
What a hassle! He hadn’t been this particular when they traveled from Qingshan County, braving the elements.
Moreso, for someone just freeloading a meal, he had an awful lot of demands.
Could he tolerate this?
“Yours,” said a grey cloth bag as it landed on the table in front of Chen Mu.
Hmm, Chen Mu felt he could tolerate it.
He grabbed the grey cloth bag and weighed it – it must have been at least a hundred taels of silver.
“This is your dish!” Chen Mu cheerfully proceeded to divide the meal.
The Three Yang Six Lords Pills had been renamed to Divine Intent Pills, and this was the first month’s bonus.
In total, he had only produced a little over twenty Divine Intent Pills.
The profit was truly high!
…
After the meal, Chen Mu handed Jie Jia a gourd the size of a palm.
“Yellow Dragon Powder, have someone test it. The effect might be slightly lacking, but our cost is even lower.”
“Good,” Jie Jia’s eyelids twitched involuntarily.
Divine Intent Pills, being Healing Precious Medicine, were unnecessary for light injuries and unaffordable for the impoverished. Although profitable, the sales volume was low.
Only around twenty-plus pills were sold in a month.
But Yellow Dragon Powder was different. What person from Jianghu didn’t carry some antiseptic medicine with them? This high-end antiseptic, while not absurdly priced, was more effective than ordinary medicines and had a much wider market.
Before leaving, Jie Jia asked Chen Mu, “Do you still want the Shape Cultivation Technique? You can buy it on credit.”
Chen Mu gave him a sidelong glance, “Are you really Jie Jia?”
Jie Jia just looked at him expressionlessly.
“Take it from my share.”
Chen Mu breathed a sigh of relief. He thought someone had replaced Jie Jia on him.
“Not in a hurry,” Chen Mu waved his hand. Anyway, without the Divine Intent Diagram, it didn’t matter whether he switched techniques or not.
“Although the sophisticated Shape Cultivation Techniques don’t have the Divine Intent Diagram, it’s not impossible to develop Soul Strength,” Jie Jia offered some advice.
“Shape Cultivation itself contains Divine Will. Ten years of Shape Cultivation, a hundred years of nurturing the soul.”
“When Shape Cultivation Technique is fully accomplished, and if you continue to refine it, there’s a chance you will grasp the core essence and develop Soul Strength.”
“The Red Falcon Shape Cultivation Technique is too rudimentary.”
Chen Mu pondered, glancing at his Proficiency panel.
Red Falcon Shape Cultivation Technique: 3601/10000/Fourth Rank;
“You think you can develop Soul Strength with the Red Falcon Shape Cultivation Technique?” Jie Jia asked calmly.
Enjoy stories on m_v lem|p-yr
Chen Mu just smiled without saying a word.
“Good luck,” Jie Jia said dismissively as he turned to leave.
…
Jie Jia’s advice was rather disheartening.
“But who said I can’t enjoy trying?” Chen Mu shrugged his shoulders, continuing to adjust his breathing.
The Red Falcon Shape Cultivation Technique had entered the Fourth Rank. The first three layers’ effectiveness had greatly diminished, but the newly devised Breathing Method was more efficient.
“The bodily changes are less, but the connectivity and force application have become smoother,” he realized.
Muscle Transformation, Bone Transformation, Marrow Transformation – the three aspects of Shape Cultivation involve altering the body. Once Shape Cultivation is complete, the transformation ends.
The Breathing Method does not stimulate the muscles as the previous techniques did, but it’s more effective because it focuses more on controlling the entire body.
“One towards transforming the hardware; one towards programming the software.”
“Shape Cultivation fortifies the body, the Divine Intent Diagram strengthens the spirit. To change it and to control it.”
“So that’s how it is…”
Chen Mu’s understanding of Shape Cultivation grew deeper.
…
Time flies swiftly.
Each day, Chen Mu would make medicine, read, and consistently maintain his Breathing Method, making pleasing progress.
One day, when his larder ran empty, he had to go out to purchase groceries.
Leaving the pottery workshop behind, he headed north along Renhe Street, passed through Xiuhe Workshop, and arrived at a bustling main street.
The street was wide and was called Ding Ding. It was large enough for five spacious carriages to pass side by side, traversing Nanyang Prefecture and acting as the central axis of the Prefecture City.
Past Ding Ding Street was the South Market, one of Nanyang Prefecture’s two major Market Districts.
The reason why Chen Mu had chosen the pottery workshop was because it was somewhat distant from South Market – a fifteen-minute walk away.
Seeing the hustle and bustle, Chen Mu unexpectedly felt rather glad.
“It’s nice to get out and see some life after being cooped up for so long,” he thought.
As he was about to make a big purchase in South Market, he saw a familiar face.
At the entrance of South Market stood a stone archway. Below it were several wooden boards with numerous postings attached, reminiscent of bulletin boards or flyers from his previous life.
At the moment, quite a few people were gathered around it.
Chen Mu wasn’t interested in mingling with the crowd, but among the throng, he recognized someone.
Zhang Ye?
The other party seemed to have spotted Chen Mu too and, after hesitating for a moment, made his way over.
“Young Master Chen, what a coincidence,” Zhang Ye didn’t know why he felt restrained upon seeing this scholar.
“What’s that about?” Chen Mu pointed his chin at the wooden sign.
“The Startling Swan Gang is recruiting new members,” Zhang Ye’s eyes gleamed.
“You’re willing to be a lackey?” Chen Mu was surprised.
Could this gang leader from Qingshan County accept such a psychological drop?
“It’s not being a lackey,” Zhang Ye said with some excitement.
“The announcement says that as long as you pass the assessment, you will at least be in charge of twenty people. The stronger your strength, the higher your position. You might even take direct control of a hall with hundreds of men under you.”
Chen Mu was surprised.
For a long-standing gang like this, the power structure was stable. It was difficult for insiders to get promoted, let alone outsiders.
Zhang Ye leaned forward to Chen Mu and whispered, “I heard that the Startling Swan Gang ran into some tough opponents; several of their branches were wiped out. They’re urgently looking to bolster their strength.”
“Joining at this time, isn’t it like going to your death?” With so much power given, wouldn’t one have to work oneself to death?
“Hey, if life sucks, you take a chance. Maybe you can get a better lot in life,” Zhang Ye didn’t seem to care.
Chen Mu couldn’t help but take another look.
It was probably this reckless, life-risking temperament that had transformed him from a petty thug into the leader of the Bailang Gang.
“Good luck,” Chen Mu said calmly and turned around.
“Thank you for your kind words!” Zhang Ye, beaming with joy, bowed and said goodbye, then turned back to the wooden sign under the archway to read the announcement again.
…
“Even Nanyang Prefecture isn’t so peaceful,” Carrying a sack of wheat and holding ten pounds of beef, Chen Mu walked leisurely home.
The pedestrians on the road walked slowly, most with flushed faces, their lives did not seem hard.
“I wonder how long this peace can last.”
With the Startling Swan Gang being the largest gang in Nanyang Prefecture, and several of their branches being destroyed, chaos could come no matter who the enemy is.
“Should I hoard supplies?”
He immediately laughed and shook his head.
With the powerful Prefecture City Army guarding Nanyang Prefecture, even if the gangs fought below, large disturbances were not allowed within the city. He had been scared by the chaos in Qingshan County, somewhat like a startled bird.
“In such an important city, how could chaos strike so easily.”
“Relax, live a simple life, and focus on improving proficiency.”
…
Three days later, Chen Mu wiped the sweat from his forehead.
A circular space about three meters high and five meters in diameter had appeared beneath the floor of Chen Mu’s bedroom.
Covering it with lime and secret medicines, he made it moisture-proof and insect-proof.
Chen Mu recited the Five Ghosts Moving Mountain Curse.
Bag after bag of wheat continuously appeared in the space below. Only when it was completely full did he stop.
“It’s always good to be prepared. If we can’t eat it all, I’ll turn it into Fasting Pills.”
Chen Mu looked at the full cave of food, feeling very secure.
…
While hoarding supplies to alleviate the tedium of training, Chen Mu once again immersed himself in increasing his proficiency.
In the meantime, he slightly adjusted the Yellow Dragon Powder formula based on the Jie Jia test results. It was now successfully on the market. The monthly profit was considerable, conservatively speaking, at least two hundred Silver Pieces.
His savings steadily grew stronger.
Two months later, Chen Mu took a deep breath.
He had ceaselessly improved the complicated Breathing Method, now rhythmically circulating.
In his mind, the red shadow became clearer and clearer.
What used to be a tangle was now a series of lines whose intricacies could gradually be discerned.
Finally, after Chen Mu exhaled his last breath, his mind suddenly became clear. A distinct image appeared in his consciousness.
It was entirely woven from black and red lines, with a structure similar to the flowing edges of a skirt hem. It was roughly symmetrical on both sides and looked like an abstract bird at first glance.
The bird was changing constantly. The black and red lines, like living creatures, moved and wove continuously, forming a relatively stable three-dimensional structure.
“Divine Intent Diagram?”
Just as he had this insight, a stinging pain like needles suddenly struck the soles of his feet.
Then a cold sensation spread as if he were standing on ice that had been smeared with oil.
He stumbled and nearly fell.
Instinctively taking a step, he seemed to vanish from under the grape arbor in a daze, and suddenly found himself face-to-face with the wall.
“With such speed… it’s like my feet are really oiled!”
Chen Mu took a deep breath and summoned the gray wall.
Written: 1756/10000/Second Rank;
Painting: 1623/10000/Second Rank;
Throwing: 9833/10000/Third Rank;
Red Falcon Shape Cultivation Technique: Limit;
Cooking: 3506/10000/Second Rank;
Pharmaceutical Technique: 5126/10000/Third Rank;
Sleeve Sword Technique: 3966/10000/Third Rank;
Five Ghosts Moving Mountain Curse: 4447/10000/Third Rank;
“Limit?”
“Is the Red Falcon Shape Cultivation Technique maxed out?”
Remembering the constantly changing wing structure in his mind.
His body, changed just now, was quickly brought under control.
Aside from the initial stumble against the wall, he had completely adapted to the change.
Chen Mu took off his shoes and socks; a black spot the size of a soybean appeared in the center of his forefoot.
Touching it felt slightly cold, flexible, and hard.
His heart moved, the black spot disappeared. Recalling the image of the Divine Intent Diagram, the black spot slowly emerged.
“Soul Strength…” Chen Mu couldn’t help but be moved to tears.
Stumbling and fumbling, bleeding and sweating, it had taken him a year and a half to cultivate Soul Strength.
“I really am just an ordinary person,” Chen Mu covered his mouth and sighed.
Hmm, he covered it because he was afraid to laugh out loud.