Warriors and Sorcerers

Inside the bedroom.

Chen Mu was lying on the bed.

A phantom slowly rose from the floor and drifted above Chen Mu's head. It was Chen Mu's Soulmind, which had left his body through Soul Roaming.

"Fourth Rank Martial Artist..."

Chen Mu murmured inwardly.

The Fifth Rank Martial Artists of the Xuanguo Estate certainly possessed vigorous qi and blood, but they could not give him much of a sense of oppression. Even at close range, he could withstand them with ease.

As for a Fourth Rank Martial Artist, Chen Mu was not afraid even if he encountered one while Soul Roaming. His opponent had no ability to fly through the sky or burrow into the earth. As long as they could not find his physical body, his Soulmind could withdraw calmly.

Of course.

If they clashed head-on, he would probably still be no match.

Chen Mu could feel the faint pressure that the Fourth Rank Attendant's qi and blood exerted on him. If a direct conflict broke out, his opponent's qi and blood could indeed strike his Soulmind!

He had read quite a few books about sorcerers, and he had also read some about martial artists.

The path of martial arts had a watershed at the Fourth Rank!

The Fourth Rank was known as the "inhuman" realm, meaning that its practitioners had already broken free of the human category. Though they still could not fly through the sky or burrow into the earth, their flesh had become as tough as steel and iron. With one person's strength, they could charge into armies of thousands!

The Fourth Rank was the inhuman realm, while the Third Rank was known as the Grandmaster realm. The ability to soar through the air for a short time was the mark of a Grandmaster. Apart from Grandmasters, martial artists rarely possessed the ability to fly.

Above that, the Second Rank was known as the Great Grandmaster realm. A Great Grandmaster was powerful enough to establish a school and found a vast sect, and even the Imperial Court would acknowledge its existence rather than casually come into conflict with it.

As for the First Rank, it was the Martial Saint realm—the ultimate pinnacle of martial arts!

Generally speaking, among the martial artists of the common world, Fourth Rank Martial Artists were already extremely rare. They seldom appeared in public, because existences of this level held status even in the estates of dukes, marquises, and princes.

Moreover, their status was even higher than Chen Mu had previously expected. This Fourth Rank Martial Artist was already an Attendant of the Xuanguo Estate, and even the current Xuanguo Duke treated him with courtesy!

But that made sense upon reflection.

Although the first Xuanguo Duke of the Xuanguo Estate had been recorded as a Third Rank martial arts Grandmaster who had assisted the Great Yuan's founding emperor in pacifying the chaotic world and slain countless demons, seven hundred years had passed since then.

Over those seven hundred years, the Xuanguo Estate had continued to inherit its title and enjoy power, but an existence at the Grandmaster level was not something that could simply be passed down at will. By this generation, the estate was even somewhat short of successors.

"If my Soulmind advances another level, I won't have to fear Fourth Rank Martial Artists."

Chen Mu thought of the sorcerers' realms.

If Fourth Rank Martial Artists were inhuman beings who rarely took action in the mortal martial world and did not contend with the younger generation, then Fifth Rank Sorcerers were existences of the same level!

Sixth Rank Sorcerers were in the Night Roaming Realm, while Fifth Rank Sorcerers were in the Dao Technique Realm!

As the names implied, sorcerers who reached this level would undergo a qualitative transformation and possess their own unique Dao techniques and supernatural abilities.

Freezing a thousand miles, gripping thunder in one's hand, crimson flames scorching the heavens—these were Dao techniques!

Although things would not truly be as exaggerated as freezing a thousand miles, sorcerers at this level were no longer like ordinary mortals. They possessed methods akin to those of immortals!

"I wonder if wiping out the Black Water Gang will be enough to support me in reaching the Fifth Rank."

Chen Mu pondered from afar.

But he quickly reined in his thoughts.

Night had grown deep, and he no longer had any interest in continuing to explore the Xuanguo Estate. His Soulmind quietly returned to his body, and he entered meditation to rest.

The next morning.

Chen Mu slowly opened his eyes and sat up in bed.

"Second Master, good morning."

When he opened his eyes, he saw Xiao Mei standing beside the bed. She was docile and obedient, holding a porcelain cup for rinsing his mouth. Beside her was a steaming copper basin filled with clean, warm-looking water.

"Mm."

Chen Mu was not surprised by Xiao Mei's earth-shaking change overnight.

If a mere Ninth Rank maidservant could do something under the eyes of a Sixth Rank Sorcerer without being noticed, that would be utterly absurd.

After returning from Soul Roaming the previous night, Chen Mu had entered meditation to rest, but he had remained completely aware of every change around him. Not a single movement inside or outside the entire courtyard could escape his notice.

Xiao Mei had stayed awake all night,

yet she had still risen early to wash clothes and boil water.

Chen Mu took the porcelain cup and rinsed his mouth. Then, with Xiao Mei attending him, he washed up and dressed. It was also his first time since arriving in this world experiencing the proper life of a young master.

While he was dressing,

Chen Mu looked at Xiao Mei and asked, "What is your real name?"

Xiao Mei's hands paused as she fastened the buttons on Chen Mu's padded jacket. She answered softly, "Mo, Mo Mei."

Then there was no mistake.

Chen Mu gave a slight nod, but asked again, "Do you have any sisters at home?"

At those words,

Xiao Mei immediately fell silent. After a while, she finally said softly, "There's no one left in my family. I did have an older sister before."

Hearing this, Chen Mu had basically confirmed it. He also knew that Xiao Mei was aware of the Black Water Gang's affairs. Yet at this moment, Xiao Mei was strictly guarding her place. Even though her heart was filled with hatred for the Black Water Gang, she revealed little of it, merely answering Chen Mu's questions in a quiet voice.

Chen Mu gave a faint smile at Xiao Mei's reaction.

"How did you enter the Xuanguo Estate?"

"In answer to Second Master, when disaster befell my family, I happened to encounter the Xuanguo Estate recruiting servant girls. I was selected and followed them to the Xuanguo Estate. After learning from the older maids for a while, I was assigned to you, Second Master. After that, I never left the Xuanguo Estate, never came into contact with anyone else, and never had any intention of harming you..."

"But Xiao Mei's entire family was harmed by others, and I had always held a grudge in my heart, so I secretly learned Martial Arts."

Xiao Mei assumed that Chen Mu was questioning her origins, so she knelt before him and blurted everything out.

At this point, she raised her head to look at Chen Mu, biting the corner of her lip as she said, "These were all Xiao Mei's own choices and mistakes. Whatever punishment Second Master gives me, Xiao Mei will have no complaints."

All of this had been her own choice, and she had long since prepared herself to accept the consequences. It was only because she had thought the previous night was the end that sorrow overwhelmed her and she had cried in a daze.

She simply had not expected Chen Mu to spare her.

Unable to sleep the entire night, she had considered all sorts of things, such as fleeing and taking her own life. In the end, however, she had done nothing, because Chen Mu had given her the chance to choose. That was a kindness.

She had already gone against Chen Mu once. She could not go against him a second time. Even if she ultimately had to face punishments more cruel than death, she was prepared to accept everything.

Chen Mu said nothing.

He merely looked quietly at Xiao Mei.

He had given Xiao Mei many choices, and among all those choices, she had indeed made the one she ought to have made most.

There were countless men in this world who could not face the things they had done, yet Xiao Mei could face hers. For that alone, she had already surpassed most men.

After a while,

Chen Mu said indifferently, "Get up."

"Yes..."

"Tell me about what happened before—the disaster that befell you, and the grudge you carry."

Xiao Mei began recounting her past.

She told him how her father had been deceived, incurred enormous debts, and, when he could not repay them, was ordered to offer his daughters to settle the debt. After he refused, the Black Water Gang had beaten him to death. She told him many other things as well.

It was far more detailed than the little Chen Mu had seen when he was in the Netherworld.

She also recounted how she had fortunately encountered the Xuanguo Estate recruiting servant girls afterward.

"So the Black Water Gang also doesn't know that you entered the Xuanguo Estate, and after that, you never saw them or your older sister again."

After listening, Chen Mu spoke thoughtfully.

"Mm."

Xiao Mei replied while biting the corner of her lip.

She could face her own choices calmly, but she ultimately could not let go of her older sister or her past.

Chen Mu looked at Xiao Mei and asked, "Then do you know what has become of your older sister?"

"I never managed to find any news about her, but after she fell into their hands..."

Xiao Mei shook her head.

The Black Water Gang members were cruel and utterly devoid of humanity. Since her older sister had fallen into their hands and there had been no news of her for several years, her current circumstances could be guessed without even thinking.

"How much do you know about the Black Water Gang?"

Chen Mu asked again.

Xiao Mei said softly, "Over the past few years, I tried to make inquiries, but I only heard that the Black Water Gang seemed to have declined considerably during this time. Apart from that, I know nothing."

Chen Mu pondered for a while before saying, "All right, I know everything. You may leave for now."

As he spoke, he waved his hand.

Xiao Mei gave a curtsy and withdrew, carefully closing the door behind her.