Stability

Behind Tianyi Hall, just beyond a wall.

Jie Jia picked up a slice of crystal pork knuckle and chewed it carefully. The fresh, savory flavor continuously assailed his taste buds, making saliva flood his mouth and his eyelids lift slightly.

He gave Chen Mu a surprised look.

The scholar could cook too?

"If you like it, have some more!" Chen Mu said enthusiastically.

"I don't stay at Tianyi Hall at night," Jie Jia said flatly.

You want me to intimidate the malevolent spirits for you? You've probably miscalculated!

"That's fine. I don't stay here at night either," Chen Mu said calmly.

As long as you're here during the day.

The old man Jie Jia did not even change expression when speaking of Yinhun.

Chen Mu had long suspected that the old fellow had some means of dealing with Yinhun.

He immediately rented this residence next to Tianyi Hall at a high price.

It was somewhat different from folk legends.

Yin Soul Monsters were not afraid of sunlight; they simply disliked it. So there was still danger during the day.

Jie Jia gave Chen Mu another surprised glance.

So confident?

Forget it. No point thinking about it. Eat. Such delicious food should not go to waste.

After drinking the last mouthful of fish ball soup, Jie Jia let out a satisfied burp.

It was not impossible to let this scholar live here.

As long as he did not tamper with the food, at least the three daily meals would be enjoyable.

Since that was the case, he could charge a little less silver. "Ten taels a month."

Chen Mu stared at Jie Jia in astonishment. "Could this residence belong to you?"

"No." Jie Jia did not understand why he was asking.

"Then how can you charge me rent?" Chen Mu asked with a serious expression.

Jie Jia: "..."

Was I asking you for rent?

It was a fee for warding off evil!

"Old Jie may not know this, but the rent was paid with one month's deposit and three months in advance. There's no need for you to collect it on the landlord's behalf." Chen Mu smiled pleasantly.

I'm not paying. Move if you can.

Jie Jia: "..."

By evening, the sky had begun to darken.

Chen Mu had eaten dinner early.

After locking his door, he headed unhurriedly toward the north of the city.

He tried to keep to main roads and places where other people could be seen.

Before long, he arrived in front of a residence.

He took out a key, opened the brand-new copper lock, and pushed the door open.

It was a large residence with three courtyards.

All the courtyards he had rented before combined were not this large.

The rent was equally expensive, costing five taels of silver a month.

His old residence had cost only one tael of silver for an entire year.

"Even if it's expensive, I have to rent it." Chen Mu turned to look next door, and his heart settled.

Just beyond the wall was the Zuo Family Compound, the residence of Eldest Young Master Zuo Sheng.

Eldest Young Master Zuo was a ruthless man who had truly cut down malevolent spirits!

This was information he had spent ten taels of silver confirming through the Zuo Family's coachman, gardener, night watchman, and an injured guard who had experienced it firsthand.

"With Jie Jia and Eldest Young Master Zuo as two passive guardians, the Yinhun crisis is temporarily nothing to worry about." Chen Mu thought silently.

"It's just a bit expensive."

He had already spent a fortune stockpiling medicinal herbs and grain in March.

And recently, in order to ensure his own safety, he had scattered quite a bit more silver.

He now had only eighty-six taels of silver and a jar of copper coins left.

"It won't affect my life, but I'll eventually run out if I keep spending without earning."

He entered the room closest to the Zuo Family.

Chen Mu shut the door tightly, washed up, and went to bed.

"I need to sell more fish."

The core shopkeepers and clerks of Wonderful Painting Workshop had all left Qingshan County, leaving behind nothing but an empty shell.

Chen Mu's portrait business was completely finished.

Selling fish had instead become one of his major sources of income.

If he made a few more trips each month, he could save at least eight to ten taels.

It certainly could not compare to the enormous profits from portraits.

But it offered steady, lasting income and was safe and reliable.

Bailang River, south of Qingshan County.

Early in the morning, Chen Mu arrived there covered in morning dew.

He had deliberately chosen this deep-water cove far from Qingshan County.

Because it was so far away, few people came here to fish, and the waters were rich with fish.

He cast the bait and scooped up fish in one smooth sequence.

After filling two large bamboo baskets, Chen Mu regretfully glanced at the drunken fish floating crookedly across the water's surface.

He hoisted the carrying pole onto his shoulders and strode toward Qingshan County.

At first, he merely walked briskly. Then he grew faster and faster, until he eventually broke into a run.

The tip of his foot touched the ground, and the dirt exploded into a small pit.

His figure flashed, and he shot more than ten meters away.

Ever since Bone Strengthening, he had felt as if a Big Flywheel had been installed inside him.

Once he started running, he carried tremendous momentum. With only minimal effort, it propelled him into a mad dash.

Sheng Hong had said that the Red Falcon Body Tempering Technique could make a person faster than a galloping horse.

According to information from his previous life, an ordinary horse ran at around thirty kilometers per hour under normal conditions. Over short distances, it could reach fifty-five kilometers per hour. In a sprint, it could even reach seventy.

Chen Mu glanced at the trees rapidly sliding backward on both sides.

"At least sixty kilometers per hour!"

And he still felt he had the strength to accelerate further.

Bolt from his previous life had only reached around forty-five kilometers per hour, and that was just a short sprint.

But Chen Mu... he felt that he could run all day!

The wind howled past his ears. This sensation of racing through the wind made him feel more exhilarated the farther he ran.

Only now did Chen Mu truly understand the extraordinary nature of a Body Tempering Technique.

It had truly allowed him to surpass ordinary people.

Carrying two baskets of catch, Chen Mu used the Dash Style of the Red Falcon Body Tempering Technique and sped straight toward Qingshan County.

East Market

"Fresh river fish! Thirty copper coins each! First come, first served! Buy them while they last!"

A rough, booming voice suddenly exploded through the streets of East Market.

"Fisherman, you haven't come to sell fish in quite a while!"

"I'm in a good mood today!"

Chen Mu was still dressed in bamboo hat and grey clothes, wearing a Yin-Yang Face as he impersonated Yang Zhi.

"Oh? What good fortune did you run into?"

"Are you buying or not? I don't have time to chat with you. Pay up!"

"Heh! This brute..."

One basket of fish was quickly snapped up.

Before the sun had reached noon, Chen Mu had packed up his stall with the empty basket on his back and returned to his new home in West Market.

Since renting this courtyard, he had spent his days training and grinding Proficiency here.

He had not returned the original house.

After moving out some of the grain and medicinal herbs, he had sealed it up and used it as a secret warehouse.

And after temporarily resolving the Yinhun crisis, Chen Mu settled down.

Though he was quite curious about Yin Soul Monsters, he restrained himself from asking around any further.

With his current strength, forcing himself into the matter would be courting death.

Besides, he had the Proficiency Cheat. Sooner or later, he would train his Body Tempering Technique to mastery.

Once he no longer feared Yinhun, he could investigate as much as he pleased. He could even catch a couple and bring them home to guard the house.

After that, he trained at Tianyi Hall during the day and returned to the courtyard beside the Zuo Family Compound to sleep at night.

Every three or four days, he went fishing once.

At first, it was to eat meat and make money.

Later, though, he came to enjoy the sensation of running at top speed through the wilderness even more.

The thrill of racing through the wind truly made one's blood boil.

And achieving sixty kilometers per hour on his own two legs filled him with an overwhelming sense of accomplishment!

Thus, he grew increasingly fond of grinding Proficiency, day and night without rest.

One night half a month later, Chen Mu successfully raised his Sleeve Sword to Second Tier.

Writing: 1576/10000/Second Tier;
Drawing: 1443/10000/Second Tier;
Throwing: 5753/10000/Tier 3;
Red Falcon Body Tempering Technique: 409/10000/Tier 3;
Culinary: 6226/10000/Tier 1;
Medicine Crafting: 2152/10000/Second Tier;
Sleeve Sword: 16/10000/Second Tier;

He glanced over the data on the Gray Wall, flicked his wrist, and a short sword appeared in his palm. With another flick, the short sword vanished.

At a thought,

a hole suddenly appeared in the wooden pillar beside him.

Concealed, lightning-fast, and concentrated into a single strike.

The Second Tier Sleeve Sword allowed him to instantly complete a series of movements: draw the sword, pierce the wooden pillar, retrieve the sword, and conceal it again.