Undercurrents Surge in Chuzhou, Charity's Silver is Hard to Come By

The person who came was named Shi Jie. He was a friend Shi Jie had met by chance some time ago. He hailed from the Taihui Sect, and his position within the sect seemed to be quite high.

Meng Ruochuan knew the government office's ways all too well; sometimes they were less straightforward than these martial arts sects. Therefore, he hadn't put all his eggs in one basket.

"Does Brother Meng know about the 'Hand-Eating Monster' that's been causing such a stir recently?"

"I've heard a little. Rumor has it that several Five Levels experts were attacked and had an arm severed.

In my opinion, this is more likely man-made than the work of some Strange Creature."

"It's just as Brother Meng said. This morning, Lan Xu, the Sect Master's Direct Disciple from our Taihui Sect and one of the witnesses to this case, woke up. Can you guess what he said?"

Meng Ruochuan paused. With the other party having said so much, and suddenly bringing this up, the answer was already obvious.

"You mean, the so-called 'Hand-Eating Monster' is actually Chen Duan?"

"Heh! You guessed it, Brother Meng!"

Shi Jie recounted what he knew, slowly and clearly.

"Although it sounds absurd, I specifically investigated this person's background afterward. He is indeed a formidable character.

Now it seems, this person was probably a top-tier expert all along, hiding his strength and coming to the Prefecture to experience the world.

It's just that this scoundrel's actions are truly bizarre. He doesn't kill people, but only severs an arm. According to everyone's speculation, this person might be cultivating some kind of Evil Cultivation that requires arms."

Shi Jie spoke in great detail, as the Taihui Sect had no intention of concealing anything. After all, the matter had a terrible impact and concerned the reputation of many parties.

With so many Five Levels experts falling victim one after another, if the true culprit couldn't be identified quickly, there would likely be trouble.

Therefore, informing Meng Ruochuan, who was already part of the government office, was a natural course of action.

A moment later.

Shi Jie took his leave.

After seeing Shi Jie off, Meng Ruochuan sat alone at the table, lost in thought.

With Shi Jie's explanation, many previously vague doubts began to connect and become clear.

But this was not good news; instead, it made the situation more troublesome.

If the worm was truly in Chen Duan's hands, and he became a wanted criminal, then the attention of many forces would converge, making it difficult to act in secret and without a trace.

"The news will likely spread quickly. I can only find a way to speed things up on my end. The Capital City is pressuring me..."

Capital City.

Imperial Palace.

Hall of Mental Cultivation.

The curtains were lowered.

An Zhicheng, the Grand Eunuch, stood with his body bowed, reporting to the figure behind the curtain:

"Your Majesty, another Blood Worm has been successfully recovered."

"Hmm, handle it as usual. Find a suitable container for it again. Do not make any more mistakes this time."

A hoarse and flat voice came through.

The tone revealed no hint of joy or anger, but it made An Zhicheng nervous.

"Blood Worms are merely a minor ailment."

The voice behind the curtain spoke again, pulling An Zhicheng's thoughts back.

"In Chuzhou, the Desire Flower is about to bloom. Do not disappoint this lonely one again on this matter."

An Zhicheng forced himself to remain calm and replied:

"Your Majesty, please rest assured. Several experts have been secretly dispatched to Chuzhou. It will be foolproof."

"Hmm."

The voice behind the curtain paused, then asked:

"What is the latest on the group of outsiders in the Capital City recently?"

"Reporting to Your Majesty, we have people keeping a close eye on them. As expected, they have secretly made contact with people in the palace."

"Heh~"

The person behind the curtain let out a light laugh.

"Let them stir up trouble for now. Let's see how big a splash they can make this time."

"Yes!"

An Zhicheng cautiously withdrew from the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

Only then did he dare to breathe a sigh of relief and straighten his back slightly.

Having served in this deep palace for decades, he knew better than anyone that this Majesty was not like the rumors outside, who only knew how to cultivate and ignored everything.

On the contrary, in recent years, this person's methods had become increasingly profound and unpredictable. Every seemingly casual command could hide thunderous consequences behind it.

This made him tread even more carefully, feeling immense pressure.

Rumors outside all say Your Majesty's dragon body is nearing its end, but how many people realize that the source of this news was Your Majesty themselves?

This kind of act has happened more than once or twice, yet every time, someone falls for it.

Although it does help to eliminate some hidden dangers, every time the Capital City experiences a bloody storm, with countless heads rolling and families destroyed.

An Zhicheng didn't want to know so much; the more he knew, the closer he was to the abyss.

He tidied his sleeves and quickly left the place.

"Customer, three bowls of plain noodles, and a plate of braised beef!"

The waiter shouted, placing the steaming hot food on the table.

Three people sat at the table, two of whom looked quite disheveled.

As soon as the food was served, they disregarded their manners and began to devour it ravenously.

Watching the two eat like that, Mu Lun couldn't help but frown and said:

"Junior Brother Shi, why have you and your master ended up in such a predicament?"

If you think this book is good, remember to add it to your bookshelf to avoid losing it next time.

Shi Jie swallowed a large mouthful of braised meat and waved his hand.

"Alas, Senior Brother, it's a long story, best left untold!"

Zhang Zhen beside him couldn't help but say:

"It's all because Master insisted on..."

Zhang Zhen's voice stopped abruptly, and he couldn't make any more sound.

A needle had been pricked into his neck again.

"Eat your noodles," Shi Jie said.

Mu Lun looked at the master and disciple pair and rubbed his temples.

Fortunately, Medicine Valley only sent them to assist this time; if they were truly in charge, who knows what kind of jokes would have been made.

"Waiter, two more bowls of noodles."

Mu Lun called out again and then said seriously to Shi Jie:

"It's not far to the Capital City from here. You two should rest here for now and wait for reinforcements."

"Hm?"

Shi Jie looked up and asked vaguely:

"Senior Brother Mu is leaving?"

"There's been a temporary situation in Chuzhou, and I need to go there."

"Are you going to hand over to Junior Brother Wu?"

"Roughly so. Medicine Valley will send more people later. This time, it will primarily be coordinated by Junior Brother Wu and me."

"Chuzhou is not a good place. Senior Brother, you must be very careful on your journey."

"I'm aware of that." Mu Lun stood up.

"I've already delayed for two days waiting for you. I must depart now."

"Senior Brother Mu, wait!"

"Is there anything else?"

"Could you leave me some money for food?"

Mu Lun's mouth twitched. He took out a small coin purse from his embrace and threw it on the table.

"You should earn some money yourself with your medical skills. Constantly asking Medicine Valley for it, only your master dotes on you. There are quite a few elders in the valley who have reservations about you."

Shi Jie, however, looked righteous and said:

"Senior Brother Mu, we've known each other for so many years, you know my character.

When I practice medicine, I focus on '缘' (yuan, fate/affinity). Whether I accept money, or how much I accept, is all determined by fate. This is my principle of practicing medicine to help the world.

If I bow to wealth and lose my original intention, wouldn't my medical skills be tainted with the smell of copper and change their flavor? Wouldn't it be..."

"Alright, alright!" Mu Lun impatiently interrupted him.

"I've heard your speech so many times my ears are calloused. So, you're the only saint in Medicine Valley practicing medicine for the people, and we who work hard are greedy villains!"

"Senior Brother Mu, you can't say that. Everyone has their own aspirations..."

"I'm leaving!"

Mu Lun couldn't bear to listen to his rambling any longer. In a flash, he disappeared.

Shi Jie looked in the direction he had disappeared and sighed.

The world doesn't understand me, not even my fellow disciples. Is there no one in this world who truly understands me?

After a moment of melancholy.

He picked up the money pouch from the table, a smug smile returning to his face.

He'd been broke for days, and finally, he had money again to purchase those rare medicinal ingredients and continue his experiments.

He chuckled as he untied the drawstring and reached inside.

His smile froze on his face.

Then, he slowly pulled out a stone.

He abruptly turned the money pouch upside down and emptied its contents.

Clatter!

It was all stones...

And a note.

Shi Jie picked up the note and unfolded it. It was in Mu Lun's handwriting:

"I knew you'd come begging again, you brat. This time, I'll let you truly experience the hardship of earning money like us common folk. Good luck."

Shi Jie stared, dumbfounded.

This...

This was outrageous.

No camaraderie whatsoever, utterly inhuman!

After a while.

The waiter saw that it had been some time since the two had finished their noodles and approached them.

"Are you two gentlemen done? Who will settle the bill?"

Shi Jie slowly turned his head, his gaze falling on the waiter.

He sized up the waiter from head to toe, his brow furrowed, and spoke with a grave tone:

"Young man, observing your gait, I notice a slight stiffness in your hips and a stagnation of your qi. You likely have internal ailments you're unaware of. I happen to have a family heirloom miracle medicine here. Fate has brought us together today, so I'll sell it to you at half price..."