Nanyang Prefecture City is located to the southwest of Da Liang, where the weather is scorching hot.
Shanglin Neighborhood, close to Luo River, also gets more humid.
But if there is wind over the river, the banks of the riverbank become cool and comfortable instead.
Chen Mu sat under the pavilion in the breeze, slowly flipping through the book in his hand, occasionally sipping on some brown medicinal tea.
After a while, Chen Mu set down the book and looked up.
“This ‘Golden Wind Jade Dew Technique’ is something else, huh.”
He tried to adjust the muscles on his face, making the thin parts swell to add bulk, and contracting muscles in the plump areas to make them appear smaller.
After a few attempts, he already bore a three-point resemblance to Jie Jia.
“Ponder it for a few more days, and maybe it’ll become a skill.”
“The technique is good, it’s just that its applications are rather unorthodox.”
Only after careful study did Chen Mu realize that this book might truly be somewhat unorthodox.
It was interspersed with the author’s personal experiences.
The author claimed he often cross-dressed, mingling in various women’s societies using makeup skills to befriend beautiful women, and offering them his exclusive beauty Secret Medicine.
Then, using a type of strange insect to lock onto their souls from thousands of miles away, he would track the Secret Medicine and slip into their boudoirs under the cover of night.
At first, Chen Mu thought the author might just be a cross-dressing master.
Later on, he found out the guy was actually a philandering thief!
Ventriloquism was to make his voice sound more feminine.
The sleep manual was for restoring Vital Energy.
The makeup techniques were for infiltrating from within and conveniently using the Secret Medicine to locate his target.
“What a talent…”
Chen Mu felt utterly shaken.
…
Packing away the book, Chen Mu moved to the edge of the pavilion.
“Might as well continue practicing the Five Ghosts Moving Mountain Curse.”
For nearly twenty days, he devoted all his energy to the Five Ghosts Moving Mountain Curse.
Frequently activating the Five Ghosts Bag put immense strain on his body.
Too long a duration would leave him dizzy and unfocused. Even though he hadn’t done any physical labor, he would feel utterly exhausted.
Chen Mu had to practice intermittently.
He would train the Five Ghosts Moving Mountain Curse for half an hour, rest for half an hour, while continuously drinking tea that replenished his Vital Energy and boosted his spirit.
A deep Curse echoed out, as billowing black mist appeared and vanished around Chen Mu.
A distinct feeling suddenly emerged.
He felt that several sections of the long-winded Curse could be omitted.
He also felt as if he had an extra hand.
With a thought, he summoned the gray wall.
Five Ghosts Moving Mountain Curse: 1/10000/Fourth Rank;
Three balls of black smoke appeared out of thin air in front of him, and immediately they condensed and shrank into three paper figures.
The little paper figures were eerily lifelike, each with a character on their back — Spring, Summer, Winter.
“With an extra Summer, I’m just missing an Autumn,” Chen Mu remarked contentedly as he looked over the three Ghost paper figures.
Thinking of their knack for suppressing Ghosts, Chen Mu found the paper figures increasingly adorable the more he looked at them.
The bizarre paper figures floated.
Thick black smoke swirled around.
Chen Mu smiled, his eyes sparkling, “My little darlings…”
Ghost paper figures: “…”
…
To the north of Nanyang Prefecture City, upstream on the Jinshui River, an oval-shaped lone island stood in the middle of the boundless expanse of the river.
The island in the river’s heart was called Shangyang Island, covered in verdant vegetation.
At the island’s center was a cluster of buildings. Palaces with soaring eaves and cornices, sculptures of immortals and beasts, all extremely majestic.
A broad stone staircase led straight from the central palace to the dock at the island’s edge.
The enormous flagship of the Startling Swan Gang was currently docked at the pier.
Helmsman Jin Wuduan led the way, with the various sectional leaders and helmsmen behind him unless they held important positions and truly could not leave their posts; the rest all stood behind him waiting.
Everyone stood silent and respectful in the square in front of the palace.
“Helmsman, did the Seventh Miss mention when she would arrive?” Zhuo Yinghai, the master of the Tianqi Hall, leaned in and asked softly beside Jin Wuduan.
“Just wait,” Jin Wuduan said lightly with a smile on his face.
“Yes!” Zhuo Yinghai’s eyelids twitched as he bowed and retreated.
Beside him, Zuo Sheng stared intently with a slight frown at his own master.
Who could this person be, worthy of making his master, the second top expert of Nanyang Prefecture, wait with all the high ranks of the gang through a whole morning?
Even if waiting were necessary, shouldn’t they be at the dock? What were they doing waiting at the center of the island?
Before he could figure it out, a black dot appeared in the sky, speeding toward them.
Before Zuo Sheng could get a clear look, the dot rapidly grew in size.
An eagle with a wingspan of seven or eight meters descended from the sky.
“`
The fierce wind swept up, making everyone’s clothes flutter and crackle loudly.
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Two silhouettes leapt down from the back of an eagle.
The leader was a woman about twenty-five or twenty-six years old, dressed in gold-trimmed white clothes, exuding a heroic spirit.
The other person had their hair tied with a jade band, dressed as a man.
With slender eyes that were sharp when opening and closing, providing a unique fierceness.
Following was an equally handsome young master in gold-trimmed white clothes.
“Miss Seven, Young Master Thirteen, you’ve had a tough journey,” Jin Wuduan greeted them with a hearty laugh.
“Uncle Jin, long time no see,” the woman replied with a smile.
“It’s been ten years, and there are some new faces,” the woman glanced over the crowd of hall masters.
“My name is Sikou Qing, and this is my younger brother Sikou Yu. The Startling Swan Gang owes its current fame to everyone’s efforts and development,” she declared.
“I’ve brought quite a bit of Zhaodian Red this trip. As long as you all work hard, rewards will be given later based on your contributions,” Sikou Qing said in a clear voice.
All the hall masters immediately excitedly bowed and thanked her.
Sikou Qing nodded in satisfaction and waved to dismiss the giant eagle, leading the way to the palace.
Sikou Yu lagged a few steps behind, turned his head to scan the crowd, and suddenly spoke up, “Where’s Lin Que?”
Everyone involuntarily halted.
“Recently, there was a conflict between the gang and Zhu Yi Pavilion, and unfortunately, Hall Master Lin has passed away,” Jin Wuduan explained.
“How was it dealt with?” Sikou Yu asked curiously.
“I gave their Pavilion Master a good thrashing,” Jin Wuduan said with a chuckle.
“Uncle Jin still has that fiery temper,” Sikou Qing said with a laugh.
“What a pity…” Sikou Yu shook his head, “If it were me, I wouldn’t rest until Zhu Yi Pavilion was eradicated.”
“Yu’er, don’t speak nonsense! Zhu Yi Pavilion belongs to the Zhang Family; it’s not something you can just talk about destroying,” Sikou Qing reprimanded with a frown.
Sikou Yu pouted but said no more.
The crowd surrounded the two and entered the grand hall.
Within the crowd, Sun Fu’s small eyes stared at Sikou Yu, his thoughts racing.
“This young master’s relationship with Lin Que seems quite unusual…”
Then he looked up at Zuo Sheng.
For some reason, he always felt that Zuo Sheng’s gaze towards him was strange.
“He wouldn’t be planning to silence me, would he?”
…
In Nanyang Prefecture City, North Market, the Heart Origin Tea House.
Chen Mu sat in a corner of the hall, with a pot of tea and two plates of osmanthus cakes on the table.
He had been practicing the Five Ghosts Moving Mountain Curse at home for a month, making his head swell with dizziness.
Although he wanted to continue, he was truly exhausted in spirit.
It was like staying up all night reading novels in his previous life, wanting to continue but feeling overwhelmingly sleepy.
Chen Mu had to take a break for a day and go out for tea and music to relax.
He wasn’t particularly impressed with the tea at Heart Origin Tea House, but he was quite interested in the assorted pastries.
Each visit, he would order a different kind.
With each order, he would try to replicate one.
So far, he had mastered five types.
“There are still thirteen types left, how nice,” Chen Mu mused with pleasure as he looked at the menu and price list on the wall.
“I wonder if the tea house owner would kick me out if he knew,” Chen Mu chuckled to himself.
“Big Brother Chen!” A clear childlike voice suddenly sounded from behind him.
Chen Mu frowned and turned back, “Which child is this, so impolite to startle someone from behind!”
“Big Brother Chen, it’s me, how come your face has changed?” Cheng Ming, the little Daoist boy, was dressed in brand new embroidered clothes, wearing a longevity lock around his neck, and a safety bracelet on his hand.
Anybody unaware would think he was the young master of some landowner.
Chen Mu was somewhat helpless. He had used a new Face-changing Technique to adjust his facial structure whenever he went out.
Even with Jie Jia right in front of him, he might not be recognized. How did this little guy recognize him?
“Where are your parents? There are people kidnapping children in the city; you can’t run around carelessly,” Chen Mu said, glaring to scare him.
“Big Brother Chen, stop pretending,” Cheng Ming giggled.
“Don’t call out like that, I am not your Big Brother Chen.”
“You are.”
“I’m not.”
“You are!”
“I really am not.”
“I can even smell the Fasting Pill!” Cheng Ming climbed onto the bench across from Chen Mu, propped his arms on the table, and stared at him.
Chen Mu: “…” Rice ball, rice ball, that was a rice ball!
Can we not bring up the Fasting Pill incident?
Chen Mu pushed the osmanthus cakes towards the little Daoist boy, “Dog nose!”
“Hehe…” The little Daoist boy, Cheng Ming, grabbed three pieces of osmanthus cakes and crammed them all into his mouth at once.
“`