An Interlude

When Shen Mu returned to the Firewood Gang's headquarters and its Martial Arts Arena, things were different from yesterday. Only a little over a hundred outer gang members remained, working up a storm as they tempered their bodies.

Yesterday, they'd had to wait in line to use the body-tempering equipment. Today, however, there was more than enough for every outer gang member to have a set of equipment to train with.

Only then did Shen Mu remember that Yuan Mulberry Hall had taken more than two hundred people out yesterday to gather Origin Mulberry.

"Big Brother Shen."

Seeing Shen Mu arrive, Luo Tao immediately stopped what he was doing and greeted him with a smile.

Shen Mu smiled back and quickly joined them.

It wasn't until the sun sank behind the mountains that the day's body-tempering session finally came to an end.

A long-missed feeling of hunger rose in Shen Mu once more.

Has the beast meat I ate finally been completely digested?

Delighted, Shen Mu sank his consciousness into his mind and inspected the changes to the Martial Dao Tree.

One of the tree's roots was now a tenth of the way suffused with crimson blood energy.

"Tao, how much of the beast meat you ate have you digested?"

As they left the Firewood Gang's headquarters, Shen Mu turned to ask Luo Tao.

"Probably about forty percent."

Luo Tao scratched his head and gave a simple, honest smile.

Forty percent?

Shen Mu was taken aback, but quickly understood.

Luo Tao was unusually large to begin with, and after three days of body-tempering, he had probably digested the beast meat a little faster.

"At his rate, he should completely digest the beast meat he ate in another five days or so. Since it takes ten jin of beast meat to reach the First Stage Boiling Blood, he'll need around eighty days."

"And with the Martial Dao Tree tripling my digestion speed, I should be able to reach the First Stage Boiling Blood in about a month."

Shen Mu already had a rough estimate.

As they walked, the two exchanged some thoughts on body-tempering, then parted ways on the street.

Since his house had already been sold, Shen Mu headed straight for the beast meat shop the Firewood Gang ran in the city.

Now that the beast meat in his body had been completely digested, he had to buy more to keep building his blood energy.

After making his way to the shop, Shen Mu spent one tael of silver on a jin of Red-Armored Ox meat.

The Red-Armored Ox was an unranked, grass-eating beast that could weigh several thousand jin. Its cumbersome build made it poor at running, so it could be easily caught with traps. It had long held an important place on the martial artists' hunting list.

Afterward, Shen Mu found a Cloud Sky Inn in a secluded alley nearby. After bargaining with the proprietor, he paid six qian of silver to rent a room for a month at twenty copper coins a day.

Using the inn's kitchen, Shen Mu briefly boiled the Red-Armored Ox meat he'd bought. He forced himself to endure its overwhelming bloody stench and wolfed it down, mouthful after mouthful.

"Burp~"

An intense feeling of fullness washed over him again, and Shen Mu couldn't help letting out a loud burp. The whole room was filled with the smell of blood.

"Becoming a martial artist really isn't easy."

With a sigh, Shen Mu opened the door and window to air out the room. He picked up a change of clothes and went downstairs to wash away the sweat from his training.

"Bang, bang, bang!"

At the same time, Shen Mu's former home was once again pounded on by Shen Hong and Li Ling.

"Little Mu! Little Mu! It's your second uncle. Open the door!"

Seeing candlelight inside the courtyard, Shen Hong called out loudly.

"Do you really think your plan will work?"

While they waited for Shen Mu to answer the door, Shen Hong couldn't help asking Li Ling.

"Don't worry. It'll work, absolutely. You're an official at the yamen—would they really take his side over yours? We're only doing this for his own good, aren't we?"

Li Ling wore a confident expression and spoke with absolute conviction.

After they'd gone home yesterday, Li Ling had thought up another plan: get in first and invent a pretext. Under the excuse of looking out for her nephew, they would forcibly take the deed from Shen Mu, then use their connections at the yamen to transfer ownership. Once the deed was done, they could talk about it afterward.

Shen Hong was now at the Boiling Blood Seventh Layer. Dealing with Shen Mu, an ordinary person, would be a piece of cake.

And Shen Hong was a constable at the yamen. Even if Shen Mu went to them, what could he do?

They'd simply say Shen Hong couldn't stand by and watch his nephew squander his inheritance. Surely the yamen would take their side.

That would give them room to maneuver.

Shen Mu wasn't dead yet, but that didn't mean he wouldn't die one day.

If he met with an accident in the future, wouldn't the house become hers?

Lin Wan had been dragged down to her death, too.

Not only would they no longer have to repay the sixty taels of silver, they'd also have a constable's iron rice bowl to rely on.

In the ten years Shen Hong had served as a constable at the yamen, he'd already earned at least five hundred taels of silver.

If one year wasn't enough, then two. If two weren't enough, they could drag it out another ten or twenty years!

Li Ling even regretted a little that she hadn't come up with such a wonderful idea last night. Now she had to make another trip today!

"Creak~"

When the courtyard gate opened, Shen Hong and Li Ling saw Gu Cang inside and looked at him in confusion.

"Who are you? Where's my nephew?"

Shen Hong craned his neck to meet Gu Cang's gaze, asking warily.

At the Boiling Blood Seventh Layer, he could naturally sense a strong threat from Gu Cang.

"He sold me this house for sixty taels of silver."

Gu Cang glanced at them and spoke in a low voice.

"Sold it to you?"

Shen Hong and Li Ling exchanged a look, both utterly stunned.

Shen Mu had sold the house after just one night?

A house worth a hundred taels, sold by Shen Mu for sixty taels in cash?

What a spendthrift!

Li Ling cursed inwardly and hurriedly asked, "Then where's he living now?"

Since the house had already been sold, their original plan was out the window.

But Shen Mu now had sixty taels of silver. If they could get their hands on it, at least they'd make up for some of their losses.

"I don't know."

Gu Cang glanced at them, already looking impatient.

Li Ling's voice faltered. "You..."

"Leave at once, or don't blame me for being impolite."

Gu Cang gave Shen Hong a chilling look and spoke coldly.

"Let's go."

Li Ling still wanted to say something, but Shen Hong immediately stopped her.

He could clearly tell that he was no match for Gu Cang. Shen Mu had already sold the house, so there was no point in lingering.

"Shen Hong, you're a constable at the yamen, for heaven's sake. Why are you such a coward? Does he really dare do anything to us?"

After they left Mist Glow Lane, Li Ling complained.

"Idiot!"

Shen Hong had finally lost his temper. He snapped, "That man's probably a ranked martial artist. If he'd really wanted to kill us, we'd be dead already!"

"A ranked martial artist?"

Li Ling's eyes widened in disbelief.

"There's no doubt about it."

Shen Hong's expression was grave, his certainty absolute.

Li Ling asked, baffled, "Why would a ranked martial artist buy a house like that?"

Shen Hong shook his head. "How would I know?"

Li Ling thought for a moment, then changed tack. "Since the house is sold, that brat must find somewhere else to rent. To rent a place in the city, he'll have to register at the County Yamen. Go there tomorrow and see if you can find out where he's staying."

Shen Hong grumbled, "He's already sold the house. What's the point of finding out where he's staying?"

"How did I ever marry such a fool?"

Li Ling was furious, frustrated with him for being beyond reason. "If we can find him, we can say we're holding on to his money so he doesn't squander it. We're doing it for his own good. What can outsiders say?"

Shen Hong's eyes lit up, and he exclaimed in delight, "You're clever as ever, darling. I'll ask at the yamen first thing tomorrow morning."

What Shen Hong and Li Ling didn't know was that after they left Mist Glow Lane, Gu Cang had already followed them in secret.

"So they want to inherit that kid's estate while he's still alive?"

Watching the two hurry away, Gu Cang stood in a dim corner, a thoughtful glint in his eyes.

"Ah, well. Since I'm already following them, I may as well help the kid out!"

Gu Cang shook his head and muttered to himself.

The next moment, Gu Cang raised his right hand. The air in his palm was compressed with furious force, sending ripples trembling through it.

He flicked a finger. The compressed air shot out in an invisible streak, hurtling toward Shen Hong.

Just as Shen Hong took another step with his left foot, he suddenly stumbled forward, as if he'd caught his foot on a step.

He was about to adjust his posture and stop himself from pitching forward when a gust of wind whistled behind him. Already leaning forward, he lost his balance and crashed to the ground.

The ball of air that had shot toward him burst against his right ankle.

"Crack!"

The sound of a bone breaking rang out.

"Aaagh!"

Shen Hong let out a piercing scream.

"What happened? What happened?"

Li Ling hurried over to help him up.

"Ah, don't... don't touch me. My right ankle's broken," Shen Hong gasped.

His right ankle was twisted at an unnatural angle, with jagged white bone exposed. Blood streamed from the wound, leaving Li Ling pale with shock.

"How could you be so careless?"

"Ahh..."

Shen Hong's face was deathly pale. He panted through the pain and ordered, "I need to catch my breath. Go get Ming and have him help me to a clinic..."

"Oh, all right. Don't move. I'll go get Ming."

Seeing his condition, Li Ling hurried home.

In the dim corner not far away, Gu Cang watched for a moment, then disappeared into the night once more.

Meanwhile, Shen Mu, staying at the Cloud Sky Inn, had spent the day tempering his body. After washing up, he returned to his room and fell into a deep sleep, unaware of the little incident that had unfolded because of him.