Chapter Forty-One: Recovering from Injuries

"What a pity about that ghost-head saber."
"And all that loose silver scattered on the ground."

Chen Mu could not afford to linger. Being seen through by a master like Young Master Zuo could have dire consequences, so he had to flee in a hurry.

"I can't go back to that residence anymore." Chen Mu sighed with regret. "Not only did I lose a bodyguard, but I also wasted three months' worth of rent." He had stayed there for less than three months, but he had paid six months' rent in advance. "Stop thinking about it, stop thinking about it. The more I think, the more it hurts."

"Let's check the spoils instead."

He had already buried the two corpses in the abandoned house north of the city, keeping company with Sheng Hong. He had even sprinkled them with a powder that accelerated decomposition, so they would soon return to dust.

"Three and a half taels of loose silver, fifty-two copper coins, and two bank notes worth twenty taels each from Datong Bank."

Chen Mu picked up the bright, white soft sword and gave it a few experimental swings. He nearly sliced his own hand and quickly placed it back on the table. It was a strange weapon; it likely required special technique. An average person couldn't handle it.

"The material is excellent; it might fetch a good price."

The disciple had yielded a decent harvest, so Chen Mu held some expectations for the round-faced Taoist’s belongings. The man had only carried one palm-sized, bulging, bright red leather pouch. The pouch was made of leather, yet it was as soft and light as fabric. Five small figures were embroidered on the front with gold thread, encircling a tiny black mountain peak in the center. The mouth of the pouch was secured with a black cord threaded through several holes, pulled tight and tied into a bow.

"It’s actually quite pretty."

Chen Mu studied it for a moment, then pulled at the bow, gripping the sides of the opening and tugging—it wouldn't budge! He tried several times in succession. The opening seemed as if it had been welded shut; no matter how much force he applied, it wouldn't open.

What the hell? Even though he was heavily injured, he was still a master of the Bone-Refining stage. An ordinary leather pouch would have long been torn to shreds by his strength. Yet, he couldn't even open this one. After half an hour of struggling, the pouch remained unmoved.

He stared at it intently, and suddenly, he realized one of the small figures looked exceptionally familiar. Upon closer inspection, it bore a five-part resemblance to that red paper figurine. Chen Mu’s heart skipped a beat, and he nearly threw the bag away. That blood-sucking paper figurine was too eerie. When he retrieved his short sword last night, he had discovered that the paper figurine he had pinned to the wall had vanished into thin air. He had thought the strange thing had run off, but now it seemed highly likely it had returned to the pouch.

Staring at the pouch on the stone table, Chen Mu’s expression shifted uncertainly.

"This is a treasure."
"A dangerous treasure."

After studying it for a long time, he discovered nothing else. "I'll keep it for now." He couldn't just throw it away. He would study it slowly in the future.

...

Chen Mu felt increasingly less inclined to stay in Qingshan County. However, the very next day, his injuries worsened sharply. His face swelled until it was visibly puffier.

His entire body, from the inside out, ached.

"Sanyang Liujun Pills, ten taels a bottle." Under the pavilion, Jie Jia placed a porcelain bottle the size of a duck egg on the stone table.

Chen Mu fished out the silver to pay Jie Jia, feeling his body ache even more. The Sanyang Liujun Pills were a secret medicinal healing remedy from the Vermilion Pavilion, capable of rapidly recovering his injuries.

"Have you decided to leave?" Jie Jia stared at Chen Mu, confirming.

"Yes," Chen Mu gritted his teeth. "I'll leave once I've recovered." This place, Qingshan County, was a hotbed of trouble that he could no longer stay in.

"Your injuries are not light," Jie Jia remarked, his brows furrowing slightly.

Chen Mu was frustrated too. As expected of a master who had cultivated willpower, that round-faced Taoist had merely slapped him, yet his internal organs had suffered varying degrees of damage. An ordinary person would have died from that blow alone. Fortunately, he had ground his Body-Refining Art to the third stage, which had already begun to strengthen his internal organs.

"I'll have to wait. I don't want to travel long distances while suffering from these illnesses," Chen Mu said helplessly.

Jie Jia nodded, glanced at Chen Mu, and estimated, "Then let’s tentatively set it for three months from now."

Chen Mu agreed. By his own estimation, with active treatment, he could largely recover in three months. Injuries to the bones and tendons took a hundred days to heal, let alone injuries to his internal organs.

"Can you make it any cheaper?" Chen Mu asked, clutching the porcelain bottle with reluctance. The medicine was indeed good, but it was expensive! To ensure his recovery, he would need plenty of it over the next three months. Just thinking about the cost made Chen Mu’s heart ache.

Jie Jia looked at Chen Mu with a smile, saying nothing.

"You didn't overcharge me, did you?" Chen Mu asked suspiciously. That cheerful expression was very easy to suspect.

Jie Jia immediately returned to a calm expression. "You're overthinking it."

Chen Mu: "..."

If your face didn't change so quickly, I might actually have believed you! This old man would stop at nothing to make money! But even though you make so much money, I never see you spend it. You mooch off my meals every day and spend all your savings just rolling your prayer beads.

Chen Mu waved his hand with a sour face, shooing away the middleman, Jie Jia. After all, he was the only one with the channels.

...

Since he couldn't leave for a while, he had to consider his safety. The supernatural incidents in Qingshan County were completely random and disordered. It was like drawing lots—whoever was picked was unlucky. He couldn't go near the Zuo family estate. Jie Jia wasn't reliable either, as he had to go out in the middle of the night to take assassination contracts.

With things in such chaos, the assassin business was still booming. What a hellish world. Hire Jie Jia for protection? Too expensive! After pondering for two days, Chen Mu set his sights on the Qingfeng Temple outside the city. Jie Jia confirmed that the Qingfeng Temple had methods to deal with ghosts and spirits, making it the safest place in Qingshan County right now. Although his past experiences made him wary of the temple, it was undoubtedly safer than the uncertainty within the city.

"I’ll just make sure not to get too close to the temple." He planned to stick to his current strategy: living in the vicinity and sponging off the temple's warding aura.

...

Five days later, the swelling on Chen Mu’s body subsided. His internal injuries remained, but they no longer hindered his movement. He packed his belongings simply and hurried to Little East Mountain to scout the situation.

Things were simpler than Chen Mu had imagined. The Qingfeng Temple was recruiting laborers to build an altar. Thousands of workers needed food, drink, and lodging. With sheds, tents, and wooden huts being built, a shanty town had spontaneously formed at the foot of the East Mountain. Shrewd merchants had even organized a small market there.

Chen Mu put on gray cloth clothes, wore a bamboo hat, and applied makeup to simulate a birthmark. The fisherman Yang Zhi blended in easily. He planned to have someone build a wooden hut on the edge of the shanty town, near the mountain path to Qingfeng Temple. He could see the temple on the mountain with a single glance, and if he jumped onto his roof, he could overlook the entire shanty town.

The construction of the wooden hut proceeded quickly. All sorts of skilled craftsmen had gathered here. Three men started work in the morning and left happily in the evening, each clutching a hundred copper coins. That night, Chen Mu moved into the house, which still smelled of damp wood. The timber was fresh and prone to rotting and attracting insects, but Chen Mu didn't intend to stay long. The house met his requirements perfectly.

...

Over the next few days, Chen Mu was busy with daily necessities. Pots, bowls, ladles, and basins were essential, as were oil, salt, sauce, and vinegar. He hauled four sacks of white wheat from the cellar of his second old residence, each weighing over a hundred pounds; it was the last of the food in the cellar.

"I really am leaving Qingshan County for good now." The price of grain in the county was becoming increasingly absurd; a sack of white wheat now cost as much as one and a half taels of silver. He also bought two large water vats and caught a basket of fish to keep in them for slow consumption.

Then, Chen Mu closed his doors to guests and holed up in the wooden hut to nurse his injuries.

...

"Here is the medical book you wanted." Jie Jia had one hand behind his back and carried a burlap sack in the other, which he dropped with a thud in front of Chen Mu.

Under the shade of a tree, Chen Mu lay on a bamboo chair, rocking back and forth while leisurely reading a book.

"Thanks." Chen Mu straightened up and reached into the sack to rummage through it. The yellowed pages emitted a faint, musty scent of ink. These were the various medical books he had asked Jie Jia to help buy. Since he couldn't practice martial arts while injured, he had the time to grind his Pharmacy skill. Finding that he hadn't read most of the books, he tossed a small cloth bag to Jie Jia and nodded with satisfaction.

"Are you planning to replicate the Sanyang Liujun Pills?" Jie Jia weighed the bag and tucked it into his sleeve.

"Don't believe it?" Chen Mu didn't hide his intent.

Jie Jia said sincerely, "I believe you."

This time, it was Chen Mu’s turn to be stunned. I don't even have confidence in myself, so why do you?

"Do you need any medicinal herbs? I have channels," Jie Jia said solemnly.

Chen Mu: "..."

You truly do have eyes that can spot a business opportunity anywhere.