Chapter 62: The Gift

It is no wonder that Chen Mu is greedy for more. The process of nurturing the soul is simply too long.

Accelerating secret medicines do exist, but they are all monopolized by the aristocratic families of the Great Liang imperial court. Ordinary people can only rely on eating to speed up the process. However, a person's stomach is only so big; even if one were to eat without stopping all day, how many cows could one possibly consume?

Chen Mu set his sights on the second factor of soul-power accumulation: the initial wandering soul.

The wandering soul is the foundation of the Jia-grade soul, the very source. Chen Mu decided to dig a few more springs within himself.

Since it was impossible to use secret medicines to increase the source of soul power, he would simply improve the conversion rate of vital blood and energy.

He looked up outside. The moon was bright, the stars were sparse, and all sounds were dead quiet. The sprawling city of Nanyang Prefecture had fallen into a deep slumber.

Chen Mu yawned and glanced at the books on the table.

"Well, I'll read this one last time and then go to sleep..."

...

"Hall Master, the guy surnamed Zhang has made a move!" A man with small eyes scurried up to Zuo Sheng and said excitedly, "Hall Master Lin of the White Tiger Hall is leading the team personally!"

"Sigh, isn't harmony supposed to bring wealth?" Zuo Sheng wore a helpless expression. "On one side are my own brothers, and on the other is my beloved senior martial brother. I am in such a difficult position."

The man with small eyes blinked. Was the Hall Master planning to back out?

"What do you think I should do?" Zuo Sheng looked at the small-eyed man with a troubled expression.

"This... should we let the Gang Leader make the decision?" The small-eyed man couldn't tell if he was being serious or not.

"Foolish!" Zuo Sheng glared at him. "How could we trouble his elder self with such a minor matter!"

"Forget it, it seems I still have to go and mediate." Zuo Sheng sighed. "Hall Master Lin will be grumbling at me again."

"The Hall Master is only doing this for the greater good." The small-eyed man curried favor with a thick skin.

"Alas, who can understand my bitter dedication," Zuo Sheng said desolately.

"Hall Master, should I go make preparations now?" the small-eyed man tentatively asked.

"Mm, bring a few more people."

The small-eyed man's skin twitched. "Understood!"

...

Amidst the night, dozens of swift boats sailed straight from the Jinshui River into the Luo River.

Taking advantage of the river's mist for cover, they rapidly entered the city.

At a secluded dock, dozens of figures dressed in black leaped off the swift boats and split into seven or eight groups.

Following secluded alleys, they silently surged into the city.

A quarter of an hour later, the dozens of people reconvened in a narrow alley.

"Brother-in-law, that's the courtyard right there," Fleet Master Zhang said excitedly.

"Our apothecary analyzed the Breeze-Dispelling Powder and discovered an ingredient called Yellow Jade Ganoderma. It's not produced locally and is mostly purchased from Taizhou Prefecture in the north."

"I had my men keep a close eye on all Taizhou cargo ships on the Jinshui River."

"Nearly a third of the Yellow Jade Ganoderma in the city was sent into this courtyard through a small medicine shop."

"Shipped along with it were several other types of herbs for stopping bleeding and relieving pain."

"Nine times out of ten, this courtyard is the production site of the Breeze-Dispelling Powder!"

"Well done!" Lin Que was all smiles.

His pitted, skin-tempered face could not help but flush red. "It is only right that our White Tiger Hall makes a fortune."

"Old Zhang, Old Zhao, the two of you follow me. Once we spot that white-haired expert, the three of us will attack together and kill that fellow first!"

"I've thought it through. That man is old and has poor stamina, but his advantage is speed. I specifically begged the Bright-Mirage Treasure Boat for a golden silkworm silk fishnet. Once we make a move, we'll trap him first, and then lay into him hard!"

"Good!"

"Old Wang, you take Zhang Yun and storm the courtyard together. Move quickly, use thunderous methods to shock the people inside, and capture them alive if possible."

"If anyone is truly ignorant of life and death and resists, kill them!" Lin Que said coldly.

...

Deep inside an alley in Taohua Ward stood a thatched-roof wooden shed.

Two brand-new straw mats were spread out on the ground. Next to them were a plate of salted broad beans and a jar of black pottery wine.

Two thin men in short martial attire with tattoos on their arms were sitting on the straw mats, slowly drinking by the moonlight.

"When will this kind of life ever end?" sighed one of the men, who had a black mole on the tip of his nose.

The other man, with a pointed chin, tossed a broad bean into his mouth and half-lay back lazily. "Heh, that depends on when the hall wants to deal with this scholar."

"Why's that?" The black-mole-nosed man chewed his bean with a puzzled look. "Isn't he just a pale-faced scholar? What kind of profit could he possibly have?"

The pointed-chin man gave a crafty smile and crooked his finger. "Remember how we found that scholar?"

"We tracked him by following that herb-pounding apprentice from Hesheng Hall," the black-mole-nosed man said, still clueless.

"Last month, the hall suffered a huge loss, and the Hall Master's nephew, Zhang Yun, took the blame. He mumbled a few things while drinking his sorrows away. I happened to be delivering wine to his room at the time. Heh heh..." The pointed-chin man grinned.

"Tell me, tell me quickly, what did he mutter, and what does it have to do with this scholar?" The black-mole-nosed man immediately leaned closer.

The pointed-chin man chuckled, took a blissful sip of the slightly sour, inferior wine, and stopped talking.

"Brother, tell me, I'll treat you to this wine tomorrow!" The black-mole-nosed man promised with a wave of his hand.

The pointed-chin man pinched a broad bean into his mouth and still remained silent.

"I'll add two catties of spiced beef, let's have a real feast!" the black-mole-nosed man said through gritted teeth.

The pointed-chin man was delighted.

"Tell me, hurry up and tell me about it." Seeing the other party satisfied, the black-mole-nosed man eagerly urged him on.

"That's right, tell me too, I want to know why as well."

Abruptly, a voice sounded out of nowhere right outside the straw shed.

"Who?!"

The two tipsy men were terribly startled.

In the middle of the night, in a desolate, dead-end alley, a person had silently appeared out of thin air. Both of them were scared sober instantly.

They hurriedly turned their heads to look.

Under the moonlight, a tall and slender figure stood quietly, his back to the moon.

The faint moonlight shone on the side of his face, and his slightly narrowed eyes were filled with complete indifference.

"The pale-faced scholar?!" The scalps of the two men tinged with terror.

Being discovered while staking a place out—and under this kind of atmosphere in the dead of night—their hearts gave a violent leap, and they turned to run.

However, when they looked back, they found that someone had inexplicably appeared behind them.

Chen Mu arrived behind the two like a teleporting phantom, looking at them calmly.

...

Ah!

Puff, puff, puff...

A series of short, miserable screams suddenly shattered the night.

...

Boom!

The tall courtyard wall collapsed abruptly.

Lin Que, with his head and face covered in rubble and dust, ran frantically toward the Luo River dock without even looking back.

Dozens of subordinates burst through the holes in the wall, fleeing in all directions.

As he turned a street corner, Lin Que ran while tilting his head slightly, his peripheral vision sweeping across the street behind him.

Seven or eight figures clad in black night garments with red-in-black patterns leaped silently from the small courtyard, melting into the shadows like ghosts.

His subordinates were running blindly, not expecting lethal swords to suddenly thrust out from the shadows at their feet. Caught off guard, they were quickly stabbed down. In just a few blinks, a good half of their personnel were killed on the spot.

Lin Que's pupils abruptly constricted.

Where did so many Vermilion-Clad Pavilion assassins come from?!

Wasn't this supposed to be a drug-manufacturing den?

How the hell did it turn into an assassin's nest?!

At that moment, the hairs on the back of his neck suddenly stood on end. Lin Que snapped back to his senses just as a trace of cold light quietly arrived, filling his heart with sheer terror!

Damn it! I let my guard down!

...

"Mirage Gang, White Tiger Hall, Breeze-Dispelling Powder..." Chen Mu's expression was heavy.

He had come to Nanyang City over three months ago. With his daily food and drink fully provided and spending his days practicing martial arts for leisure, he had almost forgotten this detestable world.

"I honestly manufacture medicine and earn my meager bit of hard-earned money."

"I haven't provoked anyone or crossed paths with anyone. Why do people always have to make things difficult for me?"

Chen Mu's expression grew even uglier. After pondering for a long time, however, he couldn't help but sigh.

"The Mirage Gang..."

That was the number one gang in Nanyang. In their eyes, he was not even worth an ant. A flick of their fingers could crush him to death.

"I can only find a way to run," Chen Mu smiled bitterly.

He had finally transmigrated to another world, only to spend his days hiding here and there. "It's truly disgraceful."

Fortunately, he had been careful this time. Adhering to the philosophy of a clever rabbit having three burrows, he had secretly rented all seven small courtyards surrounding his own.

Only then did he discover these two scouts behind the wall of one of the courtyards.

Thinking of the potential consequences, Chen Mu couldn't help but feel a lingering fear.

"No, I can't stay at home anymore." Chen Mu immediately began packing his things.

"But in the middle of the night like this, where can I go?" Chen Mu frowned.

"Those two said that the White Tiger Hall has a dock stronghold on the Luo River." Chen Mu's heart stirred. "From there, you can take a boat to board the White Tiger Hall's main flagship."

"The most dangerous place is the safest place." Chen Mu nodded involuntarily.

"I suppose I'll just have to hide on the White Tiger Hall's ship," Chen Mu thought helplessly.

It was truly impolite to disturb someone in the middle of the night.

Better bring some gifts along.

"Sleeve swords, soul-bewildering smoke, hmm... and iron lotus seeds!" Amidst billowing black smoke, Chen Mu swept a massive hemp sack from the corner of the room into his Five-Ghosts Bag.

Chen Mu looked at his fully packed Five-Ghosts Bag and nodded. "Courtesy demands reciprocity; they shouldn't mind this."

Soul power manifested beneath his feet, and with a flash, Chen Mu silently vanished into the thick night.