The Three Halls

The next day.

The sky had only just begun to pale with the first hint of dawn when Shen Mu was already up. After washing up, he hurried to meet Luo Tao, and the two of them set off toward Yunxiang Street.

"Brother Wang."

As soon as they reached Yunxiang Street, they saw Wang Jin assigning tasks to the gang's outer members.

Yunxiang Street had several lanes, and more than two thousand households lived along it. At least a thousand made their living by chopping and selling firewood, and they accounted for only some of the households in the city from whom firewood fees had to be collected.

"Well, Shen, what brings you here?"

Seeing Shen Mu and Luo Tao approach, a flash of surprise crossed Wang Jin's face. He smiled and said, "I heard you've advanced to First Stage Boiling Blood. Congratulations!"

Although Shen Mu had only advanced to First Stage Boiling Blood the previous night,

quite a few outer members had witnessed it firsthand. After word spread overnight, Wang Jin had already heard the news.

When he first heard it, even he had been startled.

In just one month, Shen Mu had advanced to First Stage Boiling Blood?

Wasn't that cultivation speed a little too fast?

Shen Mu smiled sheepishly. "I was just lucky."

"Shen, now that you've advanced to First Stage Boiling Blood, you're qualified to become a member of the Firewood Gang. If I still made you collect firewood fees, wouldn't that be an insult to you?"

Wang Jin put on an exaggeratedly wary expression.

Shen Mu smiled. "Even if I've advanced to First Stage Boiling Blood, you're still my big brother. Besides, my advancement happened so suddenly that it hasn't been officially registered yet. I plan to finish collecting the firewood fees with Luo Tao today, then register tomorrow."

"Heh, you and Luo really are as close as brothers."

Wang Jin nodded and smiled. "All right, you two can keep collecting the firewood fees in the same lane as before."

"Sure."

Shen Mu answered, then added, "Brother Wang, you've looked after me ever since I joined the Firewood Gang. Do you have time today? I'd like to host a meal at Yunxiang Restaurant to thank you for everything you've done for me."

Wang Jin gave Shen Mu a long look and smiled. "Of course. I wouldn't miss your promotion banquet!"

"Then Tao and I will go collect the firewood fees."

Shen Mu said no more. He led Luo Tao toward the lane where they had collected the fees the previous month.

Having collected the firewood fees once before—and now possessing the cultivation of First Stage Boiling Blood—Shen Mu had long since surpassed the limits of an ordinary person. He felt far more confident about collecting the fees this time.

The two no longer went door to door. Instead, Luo Tao went straight to the doors of several households and knocked, speeding up the collection.

It took Shen Mu only two hours to collect all the firewood fees from the 137 households in the lane.

"Tsk, tsk. We collected the firewood fees several times faster today than last time."

Luo Tao shook the money pouch in his hand. The copper coins inside jingled, and excitement showed on his face.

Shen Mu only smiled without a word.

Without the cultivation of First Stage Boiling Blood, he wouldn't have dared to collect the firewood fees so openly, for fear that the woodcutters might band together to protest and revolt.

But now that he had reached First Stage Boiling Blood, and had spent a month putting his body through intense training, he could take on ten ordinary men with ease. He had no reason to fear the woodcutters joining forces.

"Brother Wang, there's the firewood money from all 137 households. We've collected it all. Would you like to count it?"

Shen Mu and Luo Tao found Wang Jin enjoying tea at a teahouse on Yunxiang Street. They set the pouch of firewood fees on the table.

"Haha! A month ago, you two were the last ones to collect the firewood fees. This time, you finished in just two hours."

Wang Jin's tone was faintly teasing.

Shen Mu smiled. "We owe it all to you, Brother Wang. When those woodcutters hear we're collecting firewood fees, even if they won't give us face, they'll have to give you face, right?"

Then he changed the subject. "Brother Wang, it's lunchtime already. I've booked a private room at Yunxiang Restaurant. Shall we head over?"

"All right."

Wang Jin nodded, and the three left the teahouse and headed toward Yunxiang Restaurant.

In a private room at Yunxiang Restaurant, the sight of Shen Mu advancing to First Stage Boiling Blood had stirred Luo Tao to action. On top of that, the beast meat in his body hadn't been fully digested. At Shen Mu's urging, he toasted Wang Jin three times, made his excuses, then headed straight to the Firewood Gang's headquarters to train.

"Shen, if you hadn't come to see me today, I wouldn't have had the chance to tell you this. Since you're here, though, I might as well explain it. You'll learn about it eventually, once you become a member of the Firewood Gang."

With only Shen Mu and Wang Jin left in the private room, Shen Mu kept eagerly offering him drinks. Wang Jin suddenly seemed to remember something and spoke with a meaningful look.

Shen Mu's heart stirred. "I'm all ears, Brother Wang."

Wang Jin smiled. "Shen, you've been with the Firewood Gang for two months. You should know that it has three main halls, right?"

Shen Mu nodded, filled Wang Jin's cup to the brim, and put on an attentive expression.

Wang Jin continued, "Now that you've reached First Stage Boiling Blood, you'll be eligible to join the Firewood Gang once you register."

"When the time comes, you'll have to choose one of the three halls to join. The hall I belong to, for example, is the Firewood Hall. We mainly oversee a few outer members who collect firewood fees on Yunxiang Street!"

Shen Mu immediately realized that Wang Jin was explaining the three halls so they could grow closer.

If he hadn't come to see Wang Jin and treated him to a meal, he wouldn't have heard any of this.

The thought left Shen Mu feeling rather fortunate.

If he'd been completely in the dark and joined some hall at random, he might regret it later—with no way to turn back.

"Brother Wang, I haven't decided which hall to join yet."

Shen Mu asked earnestly, "Could you tell me more about the three halls?"

"The three halls are the Beast Hunting Hall, Yuan Mulberry Hall, and Firewood Hall."

Wang Jin drained his cup, then continued at length. "The Beast Hunting Hall is mainly responsible for traveling to the Dark Night Beast Forest, more than a hundred li from Cloud Dragon County, to hunt demonic beasts."

"Members of the Beast Hunting Hall are mainly responsible for digging traps and surrounding and killing the beasts."

"That makes it the hall with the highest casualty rate in the Firewood Gang. Of course, its members also get the highest monthly pay, and there's plenty of beast meat—if you can eat it all!"

"Shen, would you be willing to join the Beast Hunting Hall?"

Shen Mu shook his head at once.

He understood, of course, that rewards always came with risks. But with the Martial Dao Tree speeding up his cultivation, why take such a risk?

Once his cultivation improved, earning money would be easy.

If he joined the Beast Hunting Hall and ended up killed by a demonic beast, there'd be no one left to mourn him.

His short-term goal was to turn the silver he had on hand into greater strength. There was no point in earning more money if he didn't live long enough to spend it.

His goal was to become a Martial God one day and attain eternal life. He couldn't die halfway there!

Shen Mu said, "Brother Wang, I've always lived by one principle: if I can avoid taking risks, I do. The Beast Hunting Hall pays well, but what use is earning a fortune if you lose your life?"

Wang Jin gave him an approving look and smiled. "You're right, Shen. We train and cultivate so hard just to live a better life."

"But if we have to keep our heads on the chopping block to make a living, aren't we putting the cart before the horse?"

Shen Mu filled Wang Jin's cup again, then asked, "What about Yuan Mulberry Hall?"