Chapter 21: Another Encounter

Having broken through to the Tendon-Altering stage, Chen Mu spent the entire day in high spirits. Aside from his habitual practice of the Flying Locust Stone technique and the Kestrel Body-Refining Art, he made a special trip out to Ruyizhai in Anle Ward. This was a renowned vegetarian restaurant in the entire Qingshan County, a place he had previously been too frugal to patronize.

He did not head to a private room, but instead found a seat in a corner of the main hall and ordered a table full of dishes. As he slowly savored the meal, he listened to the storyteller holding court in the hall.

"The trend of the world is that long division leads to unity, and long unity leads to division. The Great Liang Dynasty has reigned for over six hundred years, and now, it is showing its age."

"We are located in the remote southwest, so we are not very conspicuous. In the Central Plains, however, various rebel forces are emerging, carving out their own territories; it has become quite the chaotic mess."

"Chaotic times bring forth heroes. Let us set aside state affairs today and tell the tale of a hero of these troubled times. This man possesses peerless fist techniques, known as the Iron-Wristed Saint Fist..."

The storyteller spoke with dramatic flair, and the crowd in the hall was stirred to fervor. Chen Mu listened with great interest. He had previously been buried in his martial arts training and was cut off from the outside world. Hearing about the chaotic world of martial arts for the first time, he was immediately captivated.

"Iron-Wristed Saint Fist? What realm would that be? The Bone-Tempering level, where the body-refining art is mastered?" Chen Mu thought with a touch of envy.

"No rush. Step by step, I will eventually reach Bone-Tempering." His proficiency points were his greatest asset. "Fortunately, Qingshan County is remote." At the very least, he would not be caught up in the chaos. As long as he steadily grinded for two or three years, he would master his body-refining art. By then, even in a chaotic world, he would have the courage to venture out.

...

By dusk, Chen Mu left Ruyizhai with lingering satisfaction. The food was delicious and the storyteller’s tale was gripping; had it not been getting late, he would have stayed longer. Unfortunately, this world was not peaceful. Local legends claimed that the night was a high-risk period for supernatural occurrences. Since arriving in this world, he never went out at night unless absolutely necessary.

As the lanterns were lit in Anle Ward, the faint sounds of singing and laughter drifted over. Chen Mu glanced at the beautiful young women showing their faces nearby, then looked up at the setting sun and offered a sheepish smile: "Next time, definitely next time."

...

At the Chen residence in Ping'an Ward, Chen Mu had just bolted the door when he noticed a figure sitting in the darkened room. Silver hair, eyes narrowed into slits, and a stern, expressionless face. Chen Mu walked into the room calmly, already accustomed to the old man's habit of appearing like a ghost.

"Payment for the goods," Jie Jia said, as concise as ever.

"Just a moment," Chen Mu replied coolly. He lit an oil lamp, opened the cloth bags one by one, and carefully inspected the medicinal herbs. After a moment, he placed a small bag on the center of the table and stared at Jie Jia, speechless. "This is fake medicine."

"You spotted it?" Jie Jia remained expressionless, his eyes darting to scan the herbs, a flicker of disappointment crossing his face.

Chen Mu: "..." Why are you the one looking disappointed?! "Is it fun to trick me with fake medicine every time?" Chen Mu asked helplessly. You are a high-level assassin who comes and goes like the wind; why must you be so dishonest when running errands?

"It seems you have a deep misunderstanding of me," Jie Jia said faintly.

Chen Mu: "..." Why does that expression look so familiar? Forget it, I am a magnanimous person; I won't haggle with this old man. After deducting the cost of the fake medicine, Chen Mu handed over the money. Watching the man vanish in a flash, his speed so great that it made Chen Mu sigh, he thought, "I still can't beat him. Otherwise, I’d definitely give him a beating."

The joy of his breakthrough to the Tendon-Altering stage was more than halved. "Back to training." He was still a novice starting his martial arts journey; the world was vast, and arrogance would be his undoing. "I need to find some books on medicinal herbs. I suffered a big loss the first time, getting swindled by this old man."

...

"This old man's methods of passing off fakes are becoming increasingly devious; I must be on guard." If it weren't for the bandits causing trouble and the resulting shortage of herbs at the local shops, Chen Mu would have kicked this old man to the curb long ago. He had no idea where the man sourced his supplies, but they were never in short supply. "After all, being an assassin, he probably has secret channels."

...

In the 639th year of Great Liang, the 19th of the first month, the weather was clear. Chen Mu rose early, washed, ate, and spent the entire morning alternating between practicing the Flying Locust Stone and the Kestrel Body-Refining Art. This had been his life for the past six months. His physical fitness had increased significantly after breaking through to Tendon-Altering, allowing him to train for longer durations. However, upgrading Tier 2 skills was difficult. With the two canceling each other out, the daily proficiency he could gain was not actually that large.

At the Bone-Tempering stage, the breathing cycle increased from sixty breaths to ninety. The movement technique gained nine new maneuvers. The secret medicine remained the same, yet Chen Mu discovered that its effectiveness had dropped by a third. He didn't know if it was due to drug resistance or if Sheng Hong was holding back.

"Spend another hundred taels to ask for advice?" Chen Mu shook his head. It wasn't worth it. That old fox Sheng Hong wouldn't necessarily tell the truth anyway. "Just keep practicing like this." With the proficiency system, he would master it eventually.

In the afternoon, Chen Mu left his home and headed south with two burly men from his doorstep. The Miaohua Studio had arranged a portrait commission for him today—his first of the month.

"Zhou Liang, there hasn't been any major trouble at Miaohua Studio lately, has there?" Chen Mu asked the brawny man on his left as they walked. These two were members of a small gang in the East Ward, hired by the studio to ensure his safety.

"Haven't heard of anything major, just that Boss Zhen has been at the Nanyang Prefectural City for over half a month and hasn't returned," Zhou Liang replied.

Chen Mu nodded, acknowledging the information, though he couldn't help but mutter to himself. According to the original plan, the studio was supposed to provide him with four commissions a month. Yet, here it was, the end of the first month, and this was his first order. This gave Chen Mu a faint sense of crisis. His daily martial arts training and heavy meat consumption were incredibly costly. If the studio ran into trouble, his quality of life would be immediately affected. "I hope Boss Zhen comes back soon."

Before long, they arrived at a large mansion. A plaque on the gate bore the characters "Zuo Mansion." Zhou Liang and Zheng Huan went up to announce their arrival. A young servant led him inside, while the two guards were left to wait in the gatehouse. Having spent months painting, Chen Mu was skilled in his business. Upon meeting the Master of the Zuo family and clarifying the requirements, he immediately began to paint. With his Tier 2 artistic skills, even though he deliberately dragged out the process to appear professional, he finished in less than an hour.

Collecting his twenty-tael fee, Chen Mu followed the servant out in high spirits. Passing a small courtyard, he heard a burst of shouting. Chen Mu couldn't help but look over. Through the moon gate, a young master was practicing martial arts. Beside him stood a man in his forties or fifties, smiling patiently as he offered guidance. Seeming to sense someone watching, the man turned his head.

The two made eye contact and were both stunned.

Sheng Hong? He was hired and brought directly into a home to teach martial arts?

Chen Mu felt a surge of unease as the man stared at him: "My mastery of the Kestrel Body-Refining Art—surely he won't be able to tell, right?" He showed nothing on his face, offering a polite nod to Sheng Hong before following the servant away at a measured pace.

Sheng Hong watched Chen Mu's retreating figure with suspicion; he felt that this person looked familiar. Upon closer reflection, he suddenly realized: "It's that scholar who paints!" He had a deep impression of Chen Mu. For years, he had used the Kestrel Body-Refining Art as bait to lure in countless suckers. The art was not so easy to learn. Anyone who came to him usually spent at least three hundred taels before realizing the reality. But this scholar had come once and never returned. Costing him two hundred taels in potential profit, how could he forget him?

"Looking at his movements and posture, there seems to be a shadow of the body-refining art. Did he really master it?" Sheng Hong wondered. He immediately shook his head and chuckled, "There aren't that many geniuses in this world."

"Forget it, don't think about him. Better to focus on fooling this young master here. Now this is a real sucker." Watching the clumsy movements of the Zuo family's young master, Sheng Hong’s face lit up with joy: "With such a wealthy family, maybe one big haul will be enough to cover my expenses for the rest of my life!"

...

At the Chen residence in Ping'an Ward.

"I didn't expect to run into Sheng Hong." Ever since learning the Kestrel Body-Refining Art, Chen Mu had subconsciously avoided the district where Sheng Hong operated. Sheng Hong used the art to swindle money. If the man found out he had mastered it on the first attempt, would he be satisfied? Chen Mu not only avoided him but also Constable Lu. The two were in cahoots, and Chen Mu feared unnecessary trouble. That was why he paid a high price for Jie Jia to procure his medicinal herbs.

"Judging by Sheng Hong's expression, he didn't seem to recognize me immediately," Chen Mu breathed a sigh of relief. "Now that he's the coach for the Zuo family's young master, he’s even less likely to dwell on me." According to Zhou Liang and Zheng Huan, the Zuo family was one of the six great clans of Qingshan County. They owned vast lands outside the city and rows of shops within, with astonishing wealth.

"The Zuo young master is said to be a playboy who haunts the pleasure houses. He can't endure hardship or fatigue; practicing martial arts for half an hour a day is considered diligent."

"Teaching such a student is incredibly easy."

"Given the difficulty of mastering the body-refining art, Sheng Hong could easily linger at the Zuo residence for a year or more."

"One hundred taels every seven days... for half a year... hiss..." He wished he could take his place!

"Stop thinking about it, stop thinking about it. The more I think, the more bitter I get. Better to just honestly practice my own skills and eat my own food."

Cold-tossed vegetables, pan-fried fish fillets, crystal braised pork knuckle, paired with a bowl of fragrant white wheat rice. Chen Mu set his table in the courtyard, enjoying the beautiful sunset while savoring the increasingly delicious meal. A good income, progress in martial arts, and gourmet food to enjoy—this was the life he had dreamed of in his previous world.

"Scholar, you certainly know how to enjoy yourself," a voice suddenly sounded behind him.

Chen Mu shivered and turned around abruptly. Before he knew it, a figure was standing behind him.

Sheng Hong?!

The man had infiltrated his home without a sound, and he hadn't noticed a thing!

"Master Sheng, would you like to... share a bite?" Chen Mu gestured with his hand toward the food on the table.

"Would I be intruding?" Sheng Hong asked with a playful look.

"Not at all. It is my honor to host Master Sheng." Chen Mu prepared a new set of bowls and chopsticks.

"I didn't expect you to have such skills." Sheng Hong chewed on a piece of crystal pork knuckle, clicking his tongue in wonder: "I almost can't bear to make a move."

Chen Mu felt his scalp tighten.

"Of course, I'm not an unreasonable person," Sheng Hong said, slowly chewing his fish. "Six hundred taels. Six hundred taels for your life—that's quite reasonable, isn't it?"

Chen Mu couldn't help but tremble all over.

"Don't tell me you don't have it. I've checked clearly. Your painting commissions earn you at least a hundred taels a month. It's been over half a year; how could you not have six hundred taels?"

Chen Mu felt as if a basin of ice water had been poured over his head. He never expected that Sheng Hong had been keeping an eye on him the entire time.

"Aren't you already the coach for the Zuo family?" Chen Mu asked, incredulous. You're already making plenty of money; why are you still targeting me?

"Who would complain about having too much silver?" Sheng Hong chuckled.

"Aren't you afraid of offending the Miaohua Studio!" Chen Mu roared in extreme anger.

Sheng Hong glanced at him: "I advise you to hand over the money obediently. Those two hammers outside have already been knocked unconscious. No matter how loud you scream, they won't hear you."

Zhou Liang and Zheng Huan had been taken out? Though he had completed Tendon-Altering, Sheng Hong had been practicing body-refining for half a lifetime; he was at least at the Bone-Tempering level.

"Are those two really knocked out?" Chen Mu couldn't help but ask.