Three-Tailed Demon Fox

The next day.

After the previous night's interlude, Shen Mu slept until noon before getting up and walking out of the bamboo shed.

"Brother Shen, morning."

At this moment, outside the bamboo shed, Zhang Bohan was sitting on a nearby field path, supervising the outer-circle gang members as they harvested Origin Mulberry Leaves in the Origin Mulberry Field.

"Morning to you too, Brother Zhang."

Shen Mu greeted him with a smile.

"By the way, Brother Shen, have you heard?"

Zhang Bohan couldn't help but say, "I heard that last night, some thief snuck into the valley to steal Origin Mulberry Fruit?"

Shen Mu immediately widened his eyes, feigning ignorance: "There was such a thing?"

He then gave a bitter smile: "I was practicing the Army-Breaking Saber Technique last night and was so exhausted that I slept like the dead."

Zhang Bohan chuckled: "You've only just reached the first level of Boiling Blood, which is merely the basic requirement to practice the Army-Breaking Saber Technique. It's inevitable that you'll find it strenuous. Once you advance to the second or even third level of Boiling Blood and possess more strength, practicing the Army-Breaking Saber Technique won't be like this anymore."

"So that's how it is."

Shen Mu pondered for a moment and understood.

Although reaching the first level of Boiling Blood granted him the qualification to practice the Army-Breaking Saber Technique, it was, after all, a simplified version of the Yellow-tier primary martial art, the Demon-Subduing Saber Art. For him at the first level of Boiling Blood, every move required exhausting his entire strength, so practicing it was naturally extremely difficult.

However, Shen Mu understood that his primary goal in practicing the Army-Breaking Saber Technique was to quickly digest the beast meat he consumed, with comprehending the technique itself being secondary.

"Brother Zhang, have you mastered the basics of the Army-Breaking Saber Technique yet?"

Shen Mu couldn't help but ask.

"Not yet."

Zhang Bohan shook his head and smiled bitterly: "I'm only at the second level of Boiling Blood, and since I have to lead the outer-circle members to harvest Origin Mulberry Leaves every day, I don't have much time left for body tempering."

Speaking of this, Zhang Bohan glanced at Shen Mu with a look of regret: "When I first advanced to the first level of Boiling Blood and became a gang member, the higher-ups gave me the chance to choose my post, and I chose this one."

"If I had known it would be like this, I should have done the same as you and chosen the post of guarding the Origin Mulberry Field. Although you have to watch out for thieves stealing the Origin Mulberry Fruit, at least you have plenty of time during the day for body tempering."

Clearly, his time in Emerald Cloud Valley had allowed Zhang Bohan to figure out the ropes.

The guards were undoubtedly the most leisurely workers in Emerald Cloud Valley.

With a Signal Arrow in hand, even if they discovered a thief sneaking into the valley, they could simply use the arrow to drive them away.

There was no need to fight the thieves to the death; their main task was simply to be on guard against the theft of the Origin Mulberry Fruit.

It was just that at the time, after some hesitation, he had chosen the position of managing the outer-circle members in harvesting the Origin Mulberry Leaves.

Who would have thought that this split-second decision would make him want to slap himself every time he saw a guard practicing the Army-Breaking Saber Technique.

Looking at the annoyance on Zhang Bohan's face, Shen Mu couldn't help but feel a sense of emotion.

If he hadn't gone to find Wang Jin when he registered as a gang member to express his gratitude for his previous care, he wouldn't have chosen to become a guard either.

He likely would have made the same choice as Zhang Bohan.

Shen Mu smiled and consoled him: "Brother Zhang, there is no need to be annoyed. Once you advance to the fourth level of Boiling Blood and become a core member of the gang, you can choose your post again."

Zhang Bohan shook his head and smiled bitterly: "How difficult is it to advance to the fourth level of Boiling Blood?"

"I have to lead these guys to harvest Origin Mulberry Leaves every day, so the time I have for body tempering is minimal. Being able to digest three catties of unranked beast meat a month is already a lot."

"By the time I reach the fourth level of Boiling Blood, it will be at least two or three years from now."

"Perhaps in three years, Brother Shen will have already been promoted to a core member."

Shen Mu found it difficult to say anything more; after all, this was only their second meeting, and he didn't know the other's temperament well enough, so it was best to speak less to avoid making mistakes.

Just then, a commotion and angry shouts suddenly came from the distance.

"Quick, block it!"

"You beast, where are you running?"

"Beast, stop right there!"

"..."

Hearing the commotion, Shen Mu and Zhang Bohan immediately jumped onto the bamboo shed and looked in the direction of the noise.

They saw that in the Origin Mulberry Field about a mile away, seven or eight shirtless guards, appearing to have been running for a long time, were covered in scarlet sweat vapor.

At this moment, these guards were surrounding and intercepting a pure white fox.

Every time the fox was about to be caught, it would rely on its agile movements to dash out of the encirclement, while guards from all directions who heard the commotion were also rushing toward that side.

"What is that?"

Shen Mu couldn't help but ask in surprise.

Zhang Bohan seemed very familiar with this situation and laughed: "I suppose some unranked beast fell into the valley from the cliff, and the guards in the valley discovered its tracks and want to try to capture it."

Shen Mu asked with some confusion: "Brother Zhang, is this situation common in the valley?"

Zhang Bohan nodded and chuckled, "Brother Shen, you might not know this since you're new here, but demonic beasts often appear above Emerald Cloud Valley."

"Not long after I arrived here the year before last, a Jade Blood Monkey even made its way into Emerald Cloud Valley. That Jade Blood Monkey was already at the peak of the First Rank, and the two Market Masters of the valley couldn't defeat it even by joining forces. In the end, they had to invite an Incense Master from the sect, and only by combining the strength of all three were they barely able to drive it out of the valley..."

Shen Mu's mouth twitched. To think that First Rank demonic beasts actually appeared within the valley?

Just then, the white-furred fox in the arena suddenly turned and bolted toward the direction of the Origin Mulberry Field where Shen Mu was standing.

The guards who were chasing and intercepting it from behind immediately spotted Shen Mu and his companion watching the spectacle from the bamboo shed.

"Brother Shen, hurry and block that beast!"

One of the people participating in the capture of the white-furred fox was none other than Guo Jinchuan, who served under Hong Jingcheng.

Seeing Shen Mu at this moment, Guo Jinchuan hurriedly shouted for assistance.

Shen Mu's mouth twitched; he truly had no intention of getting involved in this.

However, since the white-furred fox was bolting toward his position, it seemed unreasonable not to lend a hand.

Shen Mu leaped down from the bamboo shed, holding Moon Embroidery as he blocked the white-furred fox's only path forward.

Even Zhang Bohan didn't remain idle, positioning himself in a pincer formation with Shen Mu to block another direction, bringing the total number of people participating in the encirclement of the white-furred fox to over a dozen.

"Haha, let's see where you can run now!"

The eyes of those chasing from behind lit up, as if they could already see the fate awaiting this white fox.

At this moment, the white-furred fox finally reached them, and Shen Mu could clearly see its appearance.

It was indeed a fox, with a slightly sharp, elongated face and a pair of blood-red eyes. Its body was seven feet long, and its three fluffy white tails trembled incessantly as it sprinted.

"Is this a Three-Tailed Demon Fox?"

Zhang Bohan recognized the origin of the beast, his face showing surprise, followed immediately by wild joy.

"Brother Shen, a fox-fur shawl made from this creature could sell for at least fifty taels of silver. Don't use your saber and ruin its pelt!"

Zhang Bohan finished speaking in a rapid tone and charged forward immediately.

"Fifty taels?"

Shen Mu couldn't help but be stunned, though he realized that with so many people splitting the profit, he would likely only end up with five taels.

He followed closely behind, wielding Moon Embroidery as he met the beast, immediately unleashing a Sweep of a Thousand Armies.

Seeing Shen Mu open with a lethal move from the Army-Breaking Saber Technique, the people rushing in from all sides were horrified.

"Brother Shen, stop!"

Guo Jinchuan shouted, for if the Three-Tailed Demon Fox were sliced in two, the value of its pelt would be drastically reduced.