The Wu Family

"Huh?"

Shi Mu looked closely, surprised.

The object on the ground was actually a pitch-black iron plate. Its surface was engraved with intricate patterns that looked like writing, yet he could not recognize a single one.

"Miss Zhong, do you recognize this?" Shi Mu curiously picked up the iron plate, turned it over a few times, and couldn't help but ask Zhong Xiu.

"I've never seen this thing either. It must have been something the zombie carried with it. That's not strange; zombies are transformed from the dead, so it's normal for them to have some accessories on them." The young girl walked over, enduring the pungent odor, took one look at the plate, and shook her head.

Shi Mu nodded. After hesitating for a moment, he tucked the iron plate into his clothes and, supporting the leaf-wrapped corpse with his other hand, walked out the gate.

Not long after, the two were walking along the mountain path back to the city.

On the way, Shi Mu couldn't help but ask Zhong Xiu about the scream that had caused the zombie such pain earlier.

However, the girl looked completely blank, clearly knowing nothing about it.

Seeing this, Shi Mu naturally found it difficult to press further. Since it was already late and the west gate of Feng City was closed, he simply took the girl directly to his manor on the outskirts of the city.

That night, Shi Mu fiddled with the iron plate in his bedroom.

At first glance, the object seemed to be cast from ordinary black iron, but it was actually quite heavy and cold to the touch. The intricate patterns on its surface, when examined closely, possessed a sense of ancient mystery.

Although Shi Mu didn't know the origin of the iron plate, it was clearly no ordinary object. After checking it for a while and finding nothing more, he put it away and took out the wooden box that Zhong Ming, the middle-aged man, had forced into his hands before dying.

The Zhong Family father and daughter seemed to have some history. Since the man had called this a family heirloom, it was likely quite valuable.

After opening the lid, he found a thick, yellowed manual inside, with the four red characters "Zhong Craft Secret Manual" written on the cover.

Shi Mu was stunned, then took the book out and began to flip through it page by page.

The entire manual was over three hundred pages long, all written in tiny, ant-sized black characters, with many pages accompanied by vivid illustrations.

Shi Mu only read the first few pages before a look of astonishment appeared on his face.

Half a quarter of an hour later, after hurriedly flipping through the entire manual, he gasped and stared blankly at the object in his hands, speechless.

This Zhong Craft Secret Manual was roughly divided into two parts. The first half recorded the forging methods for many unconventional weapons, while the latter half recorded the construction of small tools and mechanisms, as well as formulas for over a hundred types of poison. Whether it was the former or the latter, the bizarre and incredible nature of the contents far exceeded anything Shi Mu could have imagined.

For example, one weapon called the "Black Stone Poison Heart Sword" appeared to be an ordinary black iron longsword, but the blade was actually hollow and filled with a large amount of poison. If a martial artist used this sword to fight an opponent, the blade would shatter after only three or five strikes, causing the poison inside to spray out and kill the opponent.

There was also a small crossbow called the "Bow Crossbow" that was even more vicious. It involved mounting a specially made hard crossbow on one's back; if one bowed to greet someone, they could pull a hidden string in their sleeve to fire three bolts directly from their back, catching the opponent off guard.

As for the poisons recorded in the formulas, they ranged from those that caused immediate unconsciousness to those that took several days to kill, with no shortage of either.

"What exactly does the Zhong Family do to have such things? Judging by the worn state of this manual, it was most likely left behind by their ancestors," Shi Mu thought to himself, grimacing.

However, the things in here truly opened his eyes. If he could master them, he wouldn't be caught unprepared if someone ever used similar tactics against him in the future.

Additionally, a few items recorded in the manual piqued his great interest.

Shi Mu flipped through the pages again and quickly returned to an illustration depicting two weapons, one large and one small.

These two weapons were arranged vertically. The larger one above was a slightly curved single-edged blade with a long handle, almost long enough to be gripped with both hands, and a black thread was faintly visible connecting to a ring on the hilt. The smaller one looked like a short blade; it appeared sharp but was incredibly compact.

The young man focused intently on the illustration and the accompanying notes, falling into deep thought.

Early the next morning.

Shi Mu, dressed in green, appeared on a street in Feng City with Zhong Xiu, whose eyes were still red and swollen. On one side of the street stood a mansion occupying over a hundred acres, which was quite eye-catching.

Shi Mu looked at the green gate in front of him and the massive "Wu" character on the golden plaque above. He stepped forward and knocked heavily on the thick copper ring on the gate several times.

"Who is it? Making such a racket at the crack of dawn! Who are you looking for?" The gate finally opened, and a man dressed in servant's clothes walked out. He looked at the two of them and spoke impatiently.

"This Miss Zhong is a relative of your master's household. Please report it." Shi Mu reached out, took the jade pendant the girl beside him handed over, and passed it forward.

"A relative? Wait a moment." The man was taken aback by this. He took the pendant with a skeptical look and closed the gate again.

Not long after, the gate opened once more, and two people walked out.

The person in front had a fair face and a long beard, while the person behind him was a youth about the same age as Shi Mu, with features somewhat similar to the older man but a face full of arrogance.

"So my niece has arrived, that's wonderful. Ever since I received the letter, I have been waiting for you for many days. Huh? Where is Brother Zhong? And who is this..." The fair-faced man was all smiles when he saw the girl, but his expression turned puzzled as his gaze swept over Shi Mu.

"This is Young Master Shi. My father was murdered on the road. It is thanks to Young Master Shi's escort that I was able to make it here," Zhong Xiu said, bowing gracefully to the fair-faced man, tears shimmering in her eyes.

The youth opposite saw the blue birthmark on the girl's forehead, and a flash of disgust crossed his eyes.

"What? Brother Wu was murdered? How did this happen? Hmm, this is not the place to talk. Niece, come into the manor with me first and tell me the details," the fair-faced man said, clearly shocked.

The girl naturally nodded in agreement.

"Oh, little brother, thank you for escorting my niece here. Take this silver as a reward." The fair-faced man glanced at Shi Mu again, frowned, and took a piece of silver from his sleeve to hand over.

"No need for the silver. Escorting Miss Xiu'er here fulfills my duty," Shi Mu said, looking at the silver before shaking his head and turning to leave.

"Hmph, how ungrateful! Father, I've seen plenty of guys like this. They pretend not to want money on the surface, but they're usually planning to squeeze a huge sum out of us later," the youth beside him sneered.

"Brother Shi is not that kind of person," Zhong Xiu said softly.

The fair-faced man merely smiled, then led the two of them inside the gate.

Shi Mu did not leave Feng City. Instead, after turning through several streets, he suddenly walked into a building bearing the sign "Flowing Wind Martial Hall."

He passed through the main gate, and before him lay a training ground paved with bluestone tiles, where over a dozen teenagers were currently brandishing swords and spears.

"Brother Shi Mu, you've come." The moment Shi Mu appeared, two young men immediately walked up to greet him; one appeared to be twenty-one or twenty-two, while the other looked to be about sixteen or seventeen.

"Brother Feng, Brother Gao, you are here as well." Seeing the two of them, Shi Mu was slightly surprised and cupped his hands in greeting.

"We heard that the martial hall acquired a batch of cheap Body Tempering medicine, so we came to see if we could purchase some. Though, Brother Shi, there's no need for you to be so eager to come here; you have already reached the Great Completion of Body Tempering, so you shouldn't need this batch of medicine." The older, scholarly-looking youth said with a smile.

"I heard from Instructor Li that your Body Tempering Technique is about to break through to the tenth layer. Is this true?" The other, younger youth, who had a deep scar across his brow, stared at Shi Mu and asked with a hint of disbelief.

Both of them were people Shi Mu had met after arriving at this martial hall; the older one was called Feng Li, and the younger one was called Gao Yuan.

"It is true that I am close to breaking through to the tenth layer of Body Tempering. I didn't come here for the medicine, but rather because I encountered some problems in my cultivation and need to consult Instructor Li." Shi Mu replied with a smile.

"So the rumors are true! It seems that Brother Shi, despite your young age, has a great chance of sensing Qi. Tsk tsk, you truly are the genius Instructor Li speaks of. By the way, let's gather at your family's restaurant again when we have time." Feng Li clicked his tongue in wonder and said with a sigh.

Beside him, Gao Yuan listened with an expression full of envy.

"Sounds good, I'll have a few drinks with you both then." Shi Mu readily agreed, and after chatting casually with the two for a moment longer, he took his leave.

However, the moment Shi Mu brushed shoulders with Feng Li, the other man suddenly gave him a meaningful look.

Shi Mu's expression shifted slightly, but he immediately walked away as if nothing had happened.

A moment later, Shi Mu appeared in a secluded courtyard behind the training ground. Li Canghai was lying on a grand armchair in the middle of the courtyard, his eyes slightly narrowed as if pondering something. Seeing Shi Mu walk in, he revealed a faint smile, said "You're here," and stood up from the chair.

"Master Li, do we still need to ask those senior brothers for help this time?" After bowing respectfully, Shi Mu asked.

"No need. You are now at the critical juncture of breaking through to the 11th Layer of Body Tempering; I must handle this personally. By the way, you haven't told anyone else that you are about to break through to the 11th layer, have you?" Li Canghai asked unhurriedly.

"Rest assured, Master Li. I have followed your instructions, and everyone else in the martial hall still believes my Body Tempering Technique is only at the Great Completion, still at the ninth layer." Shi Mu replied with a smile.

"Very good. If that's the case, your participation in the Four Great Martial Halls competition in half a month will surely shock many people and elevate the influence of our Romantic Wind Martial Hall to a new level." Hearing this, the smile on Li Canghai's face deepened.

(The Demon Heaven Record is finally finished! Everyone can go check out the ending of the last two chapters!)