Tailgating

Shen Mu's brows knit slightly at Guo Jinchuan's words. He was half inclined to refuse.

But he had just turned down the other man's request for a loan. If he now refused to escort him to the clinic, Guo Jinchuan might well hold a grudge...

I hope this guy doesn't try to target me again. Otherwise...

A faint, almost imperceptible murderous intent flashed in Shen Mu's eyes. He nodded with a smile. "All right. I'll go with you, Brother Guo."

He quietly hung Moon Embroidery at his waist, then smiled. "Brother Guo, it's not safe out here at night. I'm bringing a blade to protect myself."

There was an unspoken warning in the gesture.

Seeing this, Guo Jinchuan immediately understood. What had just happened must have made Shen Mu realize something, and put him on his guard.

Unfortunately, it's too late.

Guo Jinchuan sighed inwardly. If he had made his move last night, the silver Shen Mu had on him might already have been in his own pocket.

He had hesitated for just one day, and now he had lost the initiative completely.

"Brother Shen really is cautious. That's good, too."

Guo Jinchuan's eyes flickered. He gave an awkward smile, and the two of them set off toward the valley entrance.

"Brother Guo, how did you end up owing the Money Gang so much silver?"

As they walked along the road to Cloud Dragon County, Shen Mu couldn't help asking.

In his estimation, Guo Jinchuan was only at the third level of Boiling Blood. Even if he ate thirty jin of beast meat a month, it would take him a long time to spend two hundred taels of silver.

Besides, Guo Jinchuan had earned seventy taels just two months ago by catching Origin Cicadas.

Add his wages from these past two months, and the total came to three hundred taels of silver.

"Ah, what else could it have been?"

Regret flashed across Guo Jinchuan's face. He sighed. "Two months ago, after everyone finished catching Origin Cicadas, we came into a windfall. How could we not go out and spend some?"

"Wei Bo suggested we visit Fragrant Shadow Pavilion. We'd been cooped up in Emerald Cloud Valley for so long, so naturally everyone agreed."

Shen Mu smiled. "If all you did was visit Fragrant Shadow Pavilion, it shouldn't have cost you this much, right?"

Guo Jinchuan nodded with a bitter smile. "You're right, Brother Shen. Even if we'd spent every night at Fragrant Shadow Pavilion for the past two months, we couldn't have spent that much."

"But the night we were there, some guy won several hundred taels at the gambling house the Money Gang ran next door. He came straight over to Fragrant Shadow Pavilion and booked two girls..."

"When we heard about it, we were tempted, so we decided to go see how our luck was."

"Wei Bo and the others had bad luck. They lost more than ten taels in no time and stopped playing."

"I never expected to have such good luck. I won over a hundred taels."

"When Wei Bo and the others said they were leaving, I stopped, too, and left with everyone."

"But after that, I couldn't focus on my training. Every day, I kept thinking that if I'd won a little more at the gambling house that day, I wouldn't have to train so hard. I could just buy Blood Qi Pills to increase my qi and blood. Wouldn't that be the life?"

"If no one would go with me, I'd go by myself. Who knew that would send me tumbling into the abyss? Not only did I lose everything I'd won before, I even signed a promissory note with the Money Gang for a loan of two hundred taels. They gave me one hundred and eighty taels, and I have a month to pay it back. If I miss the deadline, they start charging interest..."

After hearing Guo Jinchuan's story, Shen Mu couldn't help shaking his head to himself.

He didn't know whether the man had been lucky or unlucky.

He'd won over a hundred taels. Wouldn't it have been better to quit while he was ahead?

As the saying went, human desire knew no bounds. After winning so much money all at once, he'd thought he'd figured out every rule of the gambling house. With his skills, wasn't the gambling house practically handing him money?

After experiencing the daily grind of body-tempering training, who wouldn't want to use Blood Qi Pills to improve their qi and blood?

Alas, fate's gifts had long since come with a price marked in secret!

Shen Mu continued, "Earlier, Brother Guo told those two that you'd have the money to repay them in half a month. Will you really have it by then?"

A flicker of unease crossed Guo Jinchuan's face at Shen Mu's question, but he quickly smiled. "That's right. I'll have some money coming in half a month. Someone owes me a sum, and they should be able to pay me back around then."

"I was planning to lie low in Emerald Cloud Valley until they paid me back, then use the money to plug the hole with the Money Gang. I just never thought the Money Gang would dare barge into Emerald Cloud Valley in broad daylight..."

Clearly, the Money Gang's sudden visit had thrown Guo Jinchuan's repayment plans into disarray.

Shen Mu continued, "Now the Money Gang wants you to pay within three days, or they'll go after your family. Can you raise that much money, Brother Guo?"

Guo Jinchuan sighed. "I can only go find the fellow who owes me money tonight and see if he has any."

Shen Mu said nothing more. He accompanied Guo Jinchuan to Cloud Dragon County, where the clinic immobilized and bandaged his broken right arm.

"Brother Shen, thanks for helping me tonight."

After they left the clinic, Guo Jinchuan said gratefully.

"It was nothing. Don't mention it."

Shen Mu shook his head with a smile.

Guo Jinchuan added, "Brother Shen, I still need to visit the person who owes me money. How about you be a good man to the end and come with me? Then we can head back to Emerald Cloud Valley together. What do you say?"

Shen Mu's brows knitted slightly. "Brother Guo, it's too late today. I'm only at the second level of Boiling Blood, and my strength is limited. You're injured, too. If we run into bandits on the way back, we could be in danger."

"I think we should stay at an inn in town tonight and return to Emerald Cloud Valley early tomorrow."

Guo Jinchuan nodded at his words and took a tael of silver from inside his clothes, holding it out.

"Brother Shen, you've thought this through. We'll do as you say. Take this tael of silver and keep it. I'll cover the cost of lodging tonight."

Shen Mu didn't take the silver. He shook his head. "You have debts hanging over you, Brother Guo. You'd better keep it for emergencies."

"As for collecting your debt, it wouldn't be appropriate for me to tag along, so I won't go with you."

Shen Mu didn't want to get mixed up in debt collection.

If he went along, might the other party think Guo Jinchuan had hired him as muscle?

"Then... all right. If you don't want to go, I won't press you."

Guo Jinchuan forced a smile and waved goodbye to Shen Mu. "There are a lot of martial artists from the jianghu in town these days. Be careful, Brother Shen."

"Will do."

Shen Mu said no more and turned into the stream of people in the street.

Watching Shen Mu's retreating figure, Guo Jinchuan's smile slowly faded. He, too, turned and headed in the opposite direction.

What he didn't know was that as soon as Shen Mu had merged into the crowd, he quickly slipped into the shadows to watch Guo Jinchuan's retreating back.

Now that I know you mean me harm, how could I possibly do as you suggested?

Shen Mu murmured inwardly.

Guo Jinchuan was already half-crippled. Naturally, he couldn't do much to Shen Mu himself.

But the trouble lay in the friend he was going to ask for repayment.

What if he and this friend joined forces against Shen Mu? How would he protect himself then?

That was why, when Guo Jinchuan asked him to accompany him to collect the debt, Shen Mu had refused without a second thought.

And from his earlier conversation with Guo Jinchuan, he'd also sensed something amiss.

As a member of the Firewood Gang, who would owe this guy at least two hundred taels of silver?

And how could he have lent out that much in the first place?

"I'm rather curious how that person ended up owing you so much."

After saying this, Shen Mu followed far behind Guo Jinchuan.

He did it partly out of curiosity, but also to keep his guard up.

If the man really intended to team up with his friend and rob Shen Mu, at least Shen Mu could plan ahead and prepare for it.