Origin Cicada

Shen Mu carried the strong liquor and beast meat, making his way back to the Origin Mulberry Field he was assigned to guard.

After salting the beast meat to preserve it, Shen Mu stepped out of the bamboo shed and couldn't help but cast his gaze toward the Origin Mulberry Tree before him.

If I pick twenty catties of Origin Mulberry Fruit at midnight tonight, that should be enough for me to brew a batch of Origin Mulberry wine, right?

Shen Mu pondered to himself.

It wasn't that he didn't dare to pick more, but the wine gourd he had brought simply didn't have the capacity to hold any extra.

The beast meat I've purchased should be enough for me to nourish sufficient blood energy to push for the second stage of Boiling Blood.

However, once I promote to the second stage of Boiling Blood, I will need at least thirty catties of unranked beast meat to reach the third stage.

I only have twenty taels of silver left, but once I add next month's salary and the meat ration, it shouldn't be too far off.

It's just that after reaching the third stage of Boiling Blood, advancing to the fourth stage won't be nearly as easy.

Shen Mu looked toward the distance where the outer sect disciples were busy trampling the Origin Mulberry Leaves, his mind drifting to the future.

Promoting to the fourth stage of Boiling Blood would require at least forty catties of unranked demonic beast meat.

If he relied solely on his salary to nourish his blood energy, it would take him five months to save up that amount.

The feeling of having a Martial Dao Tree to aid his cultivation, only to be limited by the lack of resources—like a clever housewife struggling to cook without rice—undoubtedly left Shen Mu feeling somewhat frustrated.

Forget it, it's too early to worry about that. The silver I have on hand will at least last until I reach the third stage of Boiling Blood, and that's still two months away.

Shen Mu shook his head; there was no need to fret over things that wouldn't happen for another two months.

He took off his outer garment, picked up the Moon Embroidery Saber, and began his training once more.

By the time the setting sun slanted across the horizon and Shen Mu had finished practicing the Army-Breaking Saber Technique, he collapsed onto the ground, feeling completely drained, quietly savoring the surrounding tranquility.

"Gurgle, gurgle..."

A fierce hunger erupted from his stomach, and Shen Mu knew the beast meat he had consumed had been completely digested.

He rested for a moment, returned to the bamboo shed to boil water, and then blanched a catty of Red-Armored Ox meat.

Enduring the thick, bloody scent, Shen Mu wolfed down the catty of Red-Armored Ox meat, and a sense of fullness washed over him once again.

He focused his mind and took a look at the Martial Dao Tree within his consciousness.

Currently, the second root was already five percent covered by the scarlet mist.

Once his body recovered a bit of strength, Shen Mu picked up the Moon Embroidery Saber and went out to train again.

Until the silver moon hung high and the sky was dotted with stars, Shen Mu lay atop the bamboo shed, enjoying the breeze on his face, and soon drifted into a deep sleep.

However, when midnight arrived, Shen Mu woke up right on time.

Now, it's time to get to work.

Shen Mu sat up. The surroundings were silent—the perfect time to pick Origin Mulberry Fruit for his wine.

Is someone coming?

Before he could make a move, he saw a black shadow in the distance, moving rapidly across the field toward his bamboo shed.

It couldn't be such a coincidence, could it? My second day here and I'm already running into someone trying to steal Origin Mulberry Fruit?

Shen Mu's expression turned strange. He jumped down from the bamboo shed without a sound and pulled out a signal arrow.

If the intruder attempted to steal the fruit, he would ignite the arrow to drive them off.

Since the intruder dared to come to Emerald Cloud Valley, they likely possessed at least the first stage of Boiling Blood cultivation; Shen Mu would never risk his life recklessly.

But the next moment, Shen Mu's expression inside the bamboo shed turned grim.

The intruder didn't sneak into the Origin Mulberry Field but was heading straight for his bamboo shed.

Are they coming for me?

Shen Mu's heart skipped a beat.

"Who goes there?"

When the figure was still five yards away from the shed, Shen Mu shouted in a deep, guarded voice.

Seeing this, the black shadow hurriedly stopped in his tracks and said, "Brother Shen, don't misunderstand. It's me, Wei Bo. I was the one who took you to see Deacon Hong yesterday."

"Wei Bo?"

Shen Mu was stunned. Why would this man come looking for him at such an hour?

"Brother Wei, it's so late. May I ask what brings you here?"

Shen Mu did not lower his guard, and he kept a firm grip on the signal arrow in his hand.

If the man made any suspicious moves, he could instantly ignite the arrow and bring the other guards in the vicinity to his aid.

"Oh, it's like this. Deacon Hong sent me to find you; he has something important to discuss."

Wei Bo was already familiar with Shen Mu's guarded nature.

Just seeing how he hid his silver in separate stashes was enough to show that he was a man of extreme caution.

He had assumed the other party would be fast asleep by now, but he never expected to be discovered before he had even approached the bamboo shed.

Could this fellow be sleeping with his eyes open?

"Deacon Hong?"

Shen Mu couldn't help but be startled, then asked, "I wonder what Deacon Hong might want with me?"

"Heh heh, Brother Shen, you needn't worry about that. This matter is absolutely a good thing for you."

Wei Bo chuckled.

Shen Mu fell into deep thought.

What could Hong Jingcheng possibly want with him at this hour?

One thing was certain: this was not a matter that could be discussed in the open, otherwise, why summon him in the dead of night?

Could it be that my plan to steal the Origin Mulberry Fruit has been exposed?

Shen Mu frowned slightly.

Was he to be guarded against before he had even made a move?

Since Zhang Bohan could use the Origin Mulberry Fruit to steep wine, it stood to reason that pilfering from the Emerald Cloud Valley was a common occurrence.

If it wasn't about that, then why would Hong Jingcheng be seeking him out?

Wei Bo called it a good thing—could this be a way of skimming off the top here in the Emerald Cloud Valley?

Yet, he hadn't expected to have successfully gained the other party's trust so soon after his arrival.

Seeing that Shen Mu remained silent for a long time, Wei Bo, who had been waiting patiently, finally lost his composure.

"Brother Shen, if you feel this is inappropriate, then just pretend I never came..."

Before Wei Bo could finish, Shen Mu smiled and said, "Since Deacon Hong is looking for me, then naturally, I must go."

Shen Mu stepped out of the bamboo shed and said apologetically, "Brother Wei, I truly apologize. It's just that at this hour, one's nerves are naturally on edge. Please forgive my earlier abruptness."

Wei Bo didn't mind at all, laughing, "Ho ho, Brother Shen, what are you saying? As the saying goes, 'caution is the parent of safety.' We are responsible for guarding the Emerald Cloud Valley; if we didn't have a bit of wariness, who knows when we might lose our lives."

"But Brother Shen, you don't need to worry. The reason I've come to you is for a great opportunity. Once you see Deacon Hong, everything will be clear."

"Oh?"

Shen Mu raised an eyebrow and smiled, "Then I shall rely on Brother Wei's guidance."

"What guidance? From now on, we are all brothers."

Wei Bo laughed, "No time to lose, Brother Shen, follow me."

Shen Mu followed Wei Bo, making his way through the moonlight until they reached a bamboo shed.

Shen Mu remembered that when he arrived yesterday, he had asked the guard of this very shed for directions; if he recalled correctly, this person was named Zhou Xuan.

No candles were lit inside the shed, but in the clearing outside, besides Hong Jingcheng, there were several other gang members responsible for guarding the area, all under Hong Jingcheng's jurisdiction.

According to Wang Jin's introduction, Shen Mu already knew the general situation of the Emerald Cloud Valley.

The Emerald Cloud Valley had two masters, both possessing the Ninth-Grade Yijing cultivation, who were rarely seen. The daily operations were handled by six deacons.

Under each deacon were sixteen gang members responsible for guarding the Origin Mulberry Fields within the valley.

As for the outer gang members who harvested the Origin Mulberry, their numbers reached into the hundreds during the period when the Origin Silkworm was about to spin its cocoon.

"Brother Hong, I've brought him."

Wei Bo walked up to Hong Jingcheng and said with a smile.

"Mm."

Hong Jingcheng nodded, looked at Shen Mu, and said with a smile, "Now that Brother Shen is here, our group is complete."

"Wei Bo, have the brothers on watch come over as well."

"You got it."

Wei Bo chuckled, took a fire-starter from his bosom, removed the cap, and blew on it. A spark immediately flared in the night, and he quickly capped it again.

Before long, rustling sounds could be heard from the surrounding Origin Mulberry Fields.

In an instant, more than a dozen people had gathered outside the bamboo shed.

Shen Mu was startled by this sight.

One of the figures had come from the path right beside where he had just walked.

In other words, there had been people stationed on watch within a hundred-meter radius of this shed the entire time?

What kind of business was so mysterious?

Shen Mu did a rough count; excluding himself, there were seventeen people present. This meant that every guard under Hong Jingcheng had been summoned.

Hong Jingcheng walked into the bamboo shed first, and the others followed one by one.

Under the dim candlelight, everyone's gaze fell squarely on him, their eyes tinged with a hint of wariness.

Hong Jingcheng looked around the circle: "Let me introduce everyone. This is Shen Mu, who arrived just yesterday."

"Everyone, let's introduce ourselves."

The group nodded to him in greeting.

"Yuan Wenxuan."

"Sun Jing."

"Ji Shixian."

"..."

After everyone had finished introducing themselves to Shen Mu, Hong Jingcheng smiled and said, "Brother Shen, these are the others under my command who guard the Origin Mulberry Field."

Shen Mu nodded, cupped his hands in a polite greeting to the group, and waited for Hong Jingcheng to continue.

"I wonder, Brother Shen, have you ever heard of the Origin Cicada?"

Hong Jingcheng asked with a smile.

Shen Mu asked in confusion, "The Origin Silkworm fed on Origin Mulberry Leaves?"

Upon hearing this, smiles appeared on everyone's faces.

Wei Bo, standing beside him, explained, "Brother Shen, you've misunderstood. The Origin Cicada that Brother Hong is referring to is the type of cicada that chirps within the Origin Mulberry Field, not the Origin Silkworm fed on Origin Mulberry Leaves."

"Oh, so it's a cicada?"

Shen Mu couldn't help but ask, "But why is it called the Origin Cicada?"