Origin Mulberry

The next day.

When the rooster crowed, Shen Mu woke up right on time. His first instinct was to sink his consciousness into his mind to observe the changes in the Martial Dao Tree.

"It seems as I expected; when I am not actively engaged in body tempering, the Martial Dao Tree shows no changes whatsoever."

"In other words, even if I consume monster meat, if I do not pair it with external body tempering to digest it, the Martial Dao Tree will not help me process the meat during that time. My wish to improve my cultivation while lying idle is likely to fall through."

Shen Mu sighed inwardly.

However, this was within his expectations.

How could there be a harvest without effort?

The fact that the Martial Dao Tree could triple the progress of his body tempering was already enough to make him feel pleasantly surprised.

He got up, washed, changed into clean clothes, and stepped out of his house.

"Brother Shen."

Luo Tao had already been waiting on the street corner. Seeing Shen Mu, he immediately raised his hand to greet him.

"Brother Shen, have you heard the news about the curfew being implemented in the city starting at the Hour of the Rat?"

As Shen Mu approached, Luo Tao immediately asked.

"I've heard."

Shen Mu nodded and laughed helplessly, "I went out last night and already heard about it. I suppose it's because too many martial artists are passing through Cloud Dragon County, causing too many accidental injuries, so the authorities came up with this method."

"I guessed as much."

Luo Tao echoed, then sighed with emotion, "With the appearance of Gu Yunfan, I reckon martial artists from all over the Great Yu are rushing toward Cloud Province. Cloud Province is likely to become a complete mess soon."

"Indeed."

Shen Mu lamented, "Before this trend passes, it's best for ordinary people like us not to wander around outside to avoid being caught in the crossfire of these martial artists."

Luo Tao gave a bitter smile, "Ever since what happened the night before last, how could I dare to linger outside?"

The two chatted idly as they walked toward the headquarters of the Firewood Gang.

When they presented their tokens and entered the main gate of the Firewood Gang, they made their way to the training grounds. By then, many peripheral gang members had already arrived and had spontaneously begun their body tempering.

Seeing this, Shen Mu couldn't help but feel a sense of emotion.

For those unwilling to accept their current circumstances, the only way to change their situation is to change themselves.

Since his family background was poor, he could not afford to be lazy, even if the possibility of seizing an opportunity was only one percent.

Just as a fisherman does not know if he will return with a full catch on his next voyage, he still sets sail without hesitation.

Setting sail might not guarantee a harvest, but staying in port guarantees nothing at all.

Shen Mu and Luo Tao had no time to idle, immediately throwing themselves into their body tempering.

From the moment before the morning sun rose, peripheral members arrived at the training grounds one after another. By the time the sun climbed over the mountain peaks, the grounds were already packed with dense crowds of people.

Clearly, the obsession to become a martial artist had become the driving force for all the peripheral disciples' training.

However, Shen Mu knew deep down that of those present, fewer than one in ten would truly be able to step into the Boiling Blood Realm.

Even with the Martial Dao Tree accelerating the digestion of the monster meat, Shen Mu dared not slack off in the slightest.

He had even staked his only foothold in this world on it.

There was no choice but to succeed!

The instructor, Mao Shouzhuo, appeared to guide the group for half an hour before quickly leaving to conduct his own training. He was only at the first level of the Boiling Blood Realm, so naturally, he could not spend the whole day teaching others. Body tempering relied entirely on self-discipline; if one neglected the hard work, no one could save them.

It wasn't until the sun set that the day's training finally came to an end.

"Another thirty percent digested. If I continue training for one more day tomorrow, I should be able to completely digest the pound of monster meat I consumed."

Shen Mu observed the Martial Dao Tree. At this moment, the roots of the tree were occupied by the scarlet blood energy, covering roughly another six or seven percent of the area.

"Once the monster meat is fully digested tomorrow, I'll need to spend my own money to buy another pound of monster meat to consume."

Shen Mu thought to himself.

Just as everyone was preparing to disperse, the middle-aged man from yesterday appeared once again and shouted in a clear voice, "Everyone, assemble into your squads!"

Although the crowd was confused, they quickly formed up into their respective squads.

Facing their gazes, the middle-aged man announced loudly, "The Origin Silkworms currently being raised by the gang are about to spin silk and form cocoons, causing the demand for Origin Mulberry to increase significantly. We are now in urgent need of manpower to harvest the Origin Mulberry. We need about two hundred people. Those who go to harvest will receive a reward of five taels of silver per month!"

"Anyone interested can sign up with your respective instructors!"

After hearing the middle-aged man's words, the peripheral disciples below immediately began to discuss it in hushed tones.

"Tsk tsk, five taels of silver for a month of picking Origin Mulberry? Our Firewood Gang is truly wealthy."

"The pay is indeed good, but we just ate monster meat yesterday and haven't fully digested it yet. We are right in the middle of body tempering. If we go to pick the mulberry, wouldn't the monster meat we ate yesterday go to waste?"

"Pfft, brother, your perspective is too narrow. Body tempering can be postponed, but making money cannot. If you miss this opportunity to earn, the next one won't come until next year."

"That's right. If we earn some extra silver over these few months, we'll be able to buy more monster meat for body tempering later on."

"..."

"Instructor Lin, I want to sign up!"

"I'm signing up!"

"..."

In an instant, many peripheral disciples sought out their respective instructors to sign up for the Yuan Mulberry harvest.

"Brother Shen, what about us?"

A hint of temptation couldn't help but flicker in Luo Tao's eyes as he looked toward Shen Mu.

His father had once said that Shen Mu was clever, and that in the Firewood Gang, he should just follow whatever the other did.

Judging by the collection of firewood fees, Luo Tao felt his father was right.

It was precisely for this reason that Luo Tao's first instinct was to ask Shen Mu, wanting to see what he would do.

Meeting Luo Tao's inquiring gaze, Shen Mu shook his head and said, "We aren't going."

He had even put his house up for sale for the sake of body tempering; how could he interrupt his progress for a mere five taels of silver a month?

Once he broke through to the first level of Boiling Blood, would he still need to worry about not earning those few taels of silver?

Watching the peripheral gang members eagerly signing up, Shen Mu couldn't help but shake his head inwardly.

Seeing Shen Mu shake his head, Luo Tao immediately abandoned the thought of signing up. Although he didn't understand Shen Mu's reasoning, he knew that listening to him could never be wrong.

The Firewood Gang had three major halls: the Beast Hunting Hall, the Yuan Mulberry Hall, and the Firewood Hall, each with its own method of generating revenue.

The Firewood Hall was responsible for collecting monthly firewood fees, providing the most stable income.

The Beast Hunting Hall was responsible for organizing teams to hunt demonic beasts; aside from supplying the gang members, most of the beast meat was sold for profit.

The Yuan Mulberry Hall was responsible for raising the Origin Silkworm.

The Firewood Gang owned a thousand-acre Yuan Mulberry field outside Cloud Dragon County used for raising the Origin Silkworm. The silk spun by the Origin Silkworm, after processing, was known as Yuan Brocade.

Clothing made from Yuan Brocade was warm in winter and cool in summer, making it highly favored by high-ranking officials and nobles.

In the short span of an incense stick's time, the labor shortage for the Yuan Mulberry harvest was filled. Many who hadn't managed to sign up in time wore expressions of regret, hating themselves for being a step too late and missing out on this lucrative opportunity.

"Brother Shen, you can earn five taels of silver in a month just by picking Yuan Mulberry. Why aren't we going?"

On the way home, Luo Tao still couldn't suppress his inner confusion and couldn't help but ask out of curiosity.

Shen Mu laughed helplessly: "Taozi, let me ask you, what was our main purpose in spending ten taels of silver to join the Firewood Gang?"

Luo Tao replied without hesitation: "That goes without saying, it's to become a martial artist!"

"Correct."

Shen Mu said: "Since our goal is to become martial artists, everything else must make way for that!"

"Picking Yuan Mulberry is indeed well-compensated, but it would slow down our body tempering progress."

"As long as we can break through to the Boiling Blood realm and become official members of the Firewood Gang, wouldn't earning five taels of silver be simple?"

"Taozi, we cannot sacrifice our future or betray our original intentions for a bit of immediate profit or temptation."

Luo Tao scratched his head and smiled foolishly: "Although I don't quite understand what you're saying, Brother Shen, my dad said that as long as I follow you, I won't go wrong."

Hearing this, Shen Mu couldn't help but offer a wry smile; he was playing the lute to a cow after all.

Luo Tao was someone who didn't like to use his brain, but his father, Luo Zhen, was an extremely shrewd fellow.

On the very first day the two became peripheral members, Luo Zhen had told Luo Tao to follow Shen Mu and listen to him no matter what happened.

The two parted ways on the street, each heading toward their own home.

Before Shen Mu even reached his house, he saw two people standing at his door.

"Xiao Mu, you're back."

Seeing Shen Mu return, the two people standing at the door immediately walked up to greet him.

"Second Uncle, Second Aunt, why are you here?"

After seeing clearly who they were, Shen Mu frowned slightly.