Wu Family Blacksmith Room

It seems now that Chen Mo is not only peerless in martial prowess but also a person of integrity.

Wang Jing took a deep breath, feeling a sense of self-reproach within; he had trusted his wife's words too readily, and it was fortunate that no misunderstanding had come to pass.

Chen Mo had never met this legendary brother-in-law of middle-class standing before, but looking at the facts, while that family was not much to speak of, this brother-in-law was not nearly as bad.

"Brother Chen..." Wang Jing choked on his words at this point.

"Brother-in-law, you can just call me Chen Mo."

Wang Jing wiped his sweat discreetly, "Right... Chen Mo, and cousin, have you moved into the Wu Family residence?"

"Yes, we are staying here for the time being," Chen Mo answered briefly.

Following this, Wang Jing chatted with Chen Lan for a while before mentioning he had to go to the county seat to handle some goods, taking his leave.

After Wang Jing left, Chen Lan told Chen Mo to sit properly in his guest room, forbidding him from walking a single step or doing any work!

He was not to bump his injured arm!

Chen Mo had no choice but to obey, sitting on the exquisite sandalwood chair and smiling.

Before long, a maid from the Wu Family brought over breakfast, and seeing Chen Mo there, she went back to fetch another portion.

Chen Mo looked at the sumptuous breakfast set before him and, without any pretense, devoured it until it was all gone.

After the maid returned, footsteps soon echoed outside the room again.

Then, Wu Zhiai pushed open the half-closed door, her expression looking slightly urgent.

"Chen Mo."

Seeing Chen Mo sitting upright at the table holding his chopsticks, her expression relaxed slightly.

"Sister Ai."

Chen Mo stood up, but Wu Zhiai gestured for him to remain seated.

"Your hand..." Wu Zhiai saw the blood seeping through the cloth bandages, her brows knitting together, "You need to have a physician treat it."

"There is no need to trouble them," Chen Mo waved his hand, "It is just a superficial wound from a fall; it didn't reach the bone and will heal on its own."

At this moment, Chen Lan also urged, "You should just go with Sister Zhiai; it will be troublesome if it gets any later."

Chen Mo could not win the argument and had to agree, though he knew clearly in his heart that Wu Zhiai had something she wanted to tell him.

The two left the guest room and went to the inner hall, where Wu Zhiai's expression turned complex, "It was the Hansha Gang who made the move, wasn't it..."

Chen Mo nodded.

Wu Zhiai blamed herself, "It is the Wu Family that has implicated you. The night raid on the caravan and Xu Shan's provocation at your door both had the shadow of the Hansha Gang behind them. You cleared the way for the Wu Family, yet the Wu Family has caused you to fall into danger..."

Chen Mo smiled, however, "But I also used this to hone my combat experience; as the saying goes, a blessing in disguise."

Seeing that Chen Mo did not vent his anger on the Wu Family, Wu Zhiai felt somewhat relieved, "Do you know what the scene near your house was like this morning... The authorities came, as did people from the Black Tiger Hall and the Hansha Gang. They were all 'gathered in one place'; you have certainly made a name for yourself..."

People die every day in Black River Town.

If the person who dies is a pauper, no one cares; the authorities would at most bury the body casually or simply toss it into the river, and it wouldn't cause the slightest ripple.

Human life is as cheap as grass; nothing could be more true than that.

Yesterday was a bit different; the ones who died were from the Hansha Gang, two Ming Jin practitioners, who could be considered the backbone of the gang.

"The authorities and the Black Tiger Hall came?" Chen Mo frowned slightly.

Wu Zhiai signaled for Chen Mo to sit down, "Yes, the Black Tiger Hall is essentially the 'authorities' of Black River Town, but the problem is that the Hansha Gang and the Black Tiger Hall are at odds. With the Black Tiger Hall stirring things up, and the fact that a neighbor happened to see the two men enter your house with blades, the authorities ultimately ruled it a case of home invasion where the intruders were killed in self-defense."

Chen Mo let out a sigh of relief, "Then, do the authorities intend to summon me?"

Wu Zhiai pondered for a moment, "Logically speaking, they should, but in this world, things aren't always so reasonable."

Chen Mo mulled over these words.

Even in a small place like Black River Town, Chen Mo realized he did not know much. If he were to participate in the Martial Examination in the future, he would inevitably have to interact with people from other parts of Anyang County, so he needed to understand the various factions of Anyang County in advance.

"Sister Ai, could you tell me about the various factions in Anyang County? I don't know much about them."

Wu Zhiai nodded slightly, "I was planning to tell you even if you hadn't asked. Let's start with Black River Town."

"Black River Town is the place with the most martial artists in Anyang County outside of the county seat. In short, you only need to remember 'one hall, one gang, two families, two halls.' The one hall and one gang are the Black Tiger Hall and the Hansha Gang; the two families are the Zhao Family and the Wu Family."

"The Zhao Family is powerful and is considered a renowned family throughout Anyang County. Their head, Zhao Huayuan, is one of the few Hua Jin experts in the county. Our Wu Family, however, is in decline and is no longer what it once was."

"As for the two halls, they are the Tianqing Martial Hall and the Panshi Martial Hall, which you must already know."

Chen Mo nodded, grasping a key point: Zhao Huayuan was a Hua Jin expert.

But Hua Jin was still far beyond his reach for now.

"And what about the rest of Anyang County?" he asked.

Wu Zhiai sipped her tea and gently wiped the corner of her mouth with her silk sleeve, "The largest families in Anyang County are the Xie Family and the Qi Family in the county seat, both of which have Hua Jin experts guarding them. There is also the Iron Palm Gang on the outskirts of Anyang, and the wealthiest Hefeng Pawnshop."

"These families, along with the Black Tiger Hall and the Zhao Family, constitute the strongest forces in Anyang County."

Chen Mo committed every detail to memory.

At this moment, Wu Zhiai asked, "You should be participating in this year's Martial Examination, right? It's said to be even harder than previous years."

Chen Mo nodded, "There is a quota limit, but I will strive to secure a spot."

"If there is anything you need help with, just ask," Wu Zhiai said with a sincere tone, "After all, if you pass, I'll benefit from the prestige as well."

Chen Mo thought seriously for a moment before asking, "Sister Ai, does the Wu Family have an Iron Furnace Room?"

Wu Zhiai frowned slightly, "Are you talking about the Blacksmith Room used for forging weapons?"

Chen Mo nodded, "Yes, I have a habit of using blacksmithing to train my power."

For now, this was the only explanation he could offer.

Wu Zhiai rested her hand on her forehead in thought, and after a short while, she said, "There is one, actually. It was used by Master Wu in the past, but it was abandoned later. If you need it, I'll have someone clear it out. I remember there should still be some unused iron billets inside."

Hearing this, Chen Mo happily cupped his fists, "Then many thanks, Sister Ai."

"Why are you being so polite with me?"

Wu Zhiai did not delay at all and immediately ordered people to clean up the abandoned Blacksmith Room in the southwest corner.

Chen Mo walked into the slightly cramped Blacksmith Room; although it was small, it was fully equipped. The furnace, bellows, iron billets, charcoal, and all necessary tools were present.

"From now on, I won't need to go to the Iron Furnace Room so often."

He muttered to himself.

With this private Blacksmith Room, he could avoid interference from others and focus on his studies. Perhaps he could achieve better results in his "Thousand Hammer Refinement and Mountain and Water Cultivation."

Thinking of this, Chen Mo lit the furnace and pulled the bellows. The iron billet in the furnace gradually turned red amidst the whistling sound of the bellows.

Tianqing Martial Hall, Inner Hall.

Ji Chang was worried about Chen Mo's safety, and several fellow disciples were also discussing the matter heatedly.

"It is rumored that two corpses were found in Chen Mo's home, both from the Hansha Gang—one at the middle stage of Ming Jin and one at the late stage."

"Hiss, were they both killed by Chen Mo?"

"But Chen Mo's whereabouts are still unknown, and it seems the authorities won't be investigating any further."

Hearing this news, Ji Chang's heart sank, while the gloom on the faces of some other disciples faded slightly.

After all, no one wanted an opponent capable of killing two Ming Jin practitioners, even if that opponent was their own junior brother.

In a corner of the Inner Hall.

Yin Shanshan sat quietly, her brows knitted with a touch of worry.