Stability

About a quarter of an hour later.

Several figures appeared at the mouth of the alley and looked at the Black Snake Gang Hall Master lying in a pool of blood. For a while, no one spoke.

One person crouched down to inspect the wounds, then said quietly, "Wind Leaves No Trace... This looks like a saber technique from the Xun Wind Lineage, one of the Eight Branches of Qiankun. Judging by the force and precision, it was probably practiced to at least Major Accomplishment. We don't have anyone like that in our gang."

He stood and asked one of the others, "Qu Hall Master, should we investigate?"

The man addressed as Hall Master studied the corpse before him for a moment, then shook his head. "Major Accomplishment in saber arts... Forget it. Better to avoid trouble when possible. He's dead already, and we can report back now."

These days, all sorts of fish and dragons were mixed together. If the man had been picked off by some nobody who happened upon an opportunity, then perhaps it would be worth looking into. But if he had run into someone whose saber arts had reached Major Accomplishment, there was no need to keep entangling themselves in the matter.

After all, someone with saber arts at Major Accomplishment was either a gang Hall Master, a Martial Master serving as a guard for some force, or perhaps even a Head Runner from the City Guard. With no grievance or enmity between them, there was no need to provoke such a person.

The only question was who that person had been.

Chen Mu swiftly returned home and shut the door.

Chen Yue watched Chen Mu hurry into the room without saying a word. Her delicate nose twitched as she caught a faint scent of blood, and a thoughtful look appeared in her large eyes. She quietly followed him inside and asked in a soft voice:

"Brother, what happened?"

"I ran into a little trouble. It's fine now."

After shutting the door, Chen Mu listened carefully for a while longer. Only then did his emotions settle.

He touched the silver and Gold Leaves hidden in his pocket. Nearly seventy or eighty taels—a tremendous fortune that an ordinary family could never earn in a lifetime. And in these chaotic times, countless people who could no longer survive sold themselves into slavery. An eight- or nine-year-old girl's life often fetched less than ten taels of silver, while grown men were even cheaper.

With fifty taels of silver, one could buy a small single-courtyard home in the relatively peaceful area of Nine Stripes Ward near the City Guard. Usually, only tavern or pawnshop owners, small gang leaders, or people such as Head Runners from the City Guard could afford to live there.

To say that receiving such a sum had left his heart utterly unmoved would have been impossible.

But Chen Mu was no longer the man he had once been. The skill and strength of saber arts at Major Accomplishment gave him confidence and composure. Even with such a fortune in his hands, he could suppress the ripples in his heart and calmly assess the situation first.

"He wanted to kill me, and I killed him. That is only natural. Even if they trace it back to me afterward, there's nothing to fear. Others may not even know he carried such a large sum of money... Besides, even if they do know and come looking, it won't matter. With my current abilities, seventy or eighty taels of silver is still something I can hold down."

If he had merely been an ordinary low-ranking Yamen Runner who stumbled upon an opportunity and wanted to keep those seventy or eighty taels for himself, it would have been extremely risky. Once discovered, not only would he have to obediently hand over the money, but there might be no end of trouble afterward. He might even have had to consider offering most of it to the Head Runners above him in exchange for their protection.

But things were different now.

He himself possessed saber arts at Major Accomplishment. In a gang, he could serve as a Hall Master; in the City Guard, he was qualified to be a candidate for Head Runner. A mere seventy or eighty taels of silver was still something he could cover.

Moreover, the other party had tried to kill him first and had died by his hand. By reason, by sentiment, and by fist, it all made sense.

With that thought, Chen Mu's heart grew increasingly calm.

"This money is enough to let Yue Er and me move into a better house, and our days ahead will improve greatly. But it's best not to draw too much attention. I should hold back for now and see how things develop. No one was around when I killed him, and no one knows my strength. They only know I'm an ordinary Yamen Runner, so they may not even think of me. It's better to avoid unnecessary trouble."

He had lived in this old house ever since arriving in this world. It had fallen into disrepair with age: there were no windows, and it leaked whenever it rained. In the past, he had dreamed every day of becoming successful enough to take Chen Yue somewhere better. Now, at last, that day had come.

But to avoid trouble, it was best to wait a while longer.

As for daily food and clothing—things no one would see inside the house—he could be more generous. At the very least, the little girl could have rice, flour, and meat at every meal, while he himself could replenish more blood and qi and strengthen his physique.

While Chen Mu was lost in thought, Chen Yue circled around him once. At last, she found a few specks of blood at the hem of his clothes, not yet dry.

Her gaze paused, but she did not say anything. Instead, she turned back around, deliberately stretched out her nose, and sniffed at Chen Mu with a somewhat innocent air. "Brother, you smell funny. Take off your robe quickly, and I'll wash it."

"Alright."

Chen Mu was still thinking things over and did not pay much attention to Chen Yue. He casually removed his Yamen uniform and handed it to her.

Chen Yue hugged the robe and ran off to the wood shed.

Chen Mu then recalled the perilous scene at the alley entrance. He reached out and touched the hilt of his Yamen Saber, murmuring, "I really do have some strength now. That Black Snake Gang Hall Master could be considered skilled, yet he couldn't last more than a few exchanges against me. Of course, that was partly because he was badly wounded, his saber moves scattered and weak. But it was also because my Whirlwind Saber Technique is refined and fierce. The system's forcibly elevated 'Major Accomplishment' may, in some sense, be purer than the Major Accomplishment recognized by the outside world."

Chen Mu had always wondered whether the system's assessment of Major Accomplishment in saber arts corresponded exactly to the outside world's broad standard of Major Accomplishment. Now, it seemed the system's standard was likely somewhat higher.

In other words, his Major Accomplishment in saber arts was more solid than that of most people.

At that thought, Chen Mu grew even more eager for the day his saber arts reached Perfection and he forged a thread of Gale Saber Intent. He wondered how much his saber arts would improve then, and what kind of formidable expert he would become.

Perhaps he would amount to nothing across all of Jade City, but in Nine Stripes Ward of the Outer City, there were likely not many who could defeat him.

Practice saber techniques!

Chen Mu let out a breath and drew his Yamen Saber for a look. Seeing that some blood still stained it, he went to wash it clean, then began his usual evening training.

The night passed without incident.

As usual, Chen Yue washed Chen Mu's clothes and cooked for him. When they went to sleep that night, she clung to him as always and asked him to tell stories. She drifted off amid the strange tales he made up at random.

Chen Mu did not sleep deeply that night. He vaguely heard some movement outside, but it was only the footsteps of passersby. No one paid attention to his two small rooms, nor did anyone care about a City Guard Yamen Runner living inside.

When daylight came,

Chen Mu also let out a breath, basically certain that nothing was wrong. He then went to the City Guard as usual to change his badge.

By coincidence, when he arrived at the City Guard and patrolled with Liu Song, Li Tie, and the others, they passed through the alley he had taken the previous night. At the alley entrance, he saw the corpse still lying there almost exactly as before. It seemed the Red Gold Gang had done nothing at all.

"Eh, this man looks like a Black Snake Gang Hall Master."

Liu Song looked at the corpse with mild surprise, then walked over and searched it from top to bottom. He found nothing at all, and finally spat in disappointment. "Tsk, picked clean. Not even half a coin left."

In the past, he would not have dared to spit so casually at a Black Snake Gang Hall Master, even if it was only a corpse. But now, the Black Snake Gang was already like the setting sun, its Hall Masters and Gang Master nearly all dead. Its former might had long since vanished.

Chen Mu said nothing. Together with Liu Song and the others, he carried the corpse out of the city and threw it into the Mass Burial Grounds.

"The Black Snake Gang probably won't make it through this."

On the way back, Liu Song sighed. "That's what mixing with gangs is like—fighting and killing every day, with your head tied to your belt. Sure, you can rake in some silver, but you never know when you'll be gone. In the end, it can't compare to us Yamen Runners living steadily. We may not have many chances to make money or rise through the ranks, but our days are much more secure."

Li Tie said, "I had a distant cousin who joined a gang too. In his early years, he was bold and willing to fight, and he made quite a bit of silver. But one day, he never came back. Neither alive nor dead. If you ask me, it's better to live steadily as a Yamen Runner. What do you think, Chen Er?"

He looked at Chen Mu with a cheerful smile.

Liu Song also smiled and patted Chen Mu on the shoulder. "You don't seem to be married yet. When there's a chance, this old brother will see about finding you a match, so you can settle down and live steadily."

"No rush, no rush."

Chen Mu smiled.

Liu Song waggled his eyebrows at Chen Mu. "What do you mean, no rush? You brat probably haven't... ahem, right? You don't know what it feels like. How about today? This old brother will take you somewhere to have some fun?"

Li Tie burst out laughing. "Old Liu, you've got some nerve. I ought to go have a word with sister-in-law."

Liu Song said unhappily, "I'm kindly arranging something for Chen Er, so why are you stirring up trouble? Go on, go on. If you dare tear down my stage, I'll tell everyone about the time you got drunk and tore off the West End widow's underwear."

"You wouldn't dare!"

Li Tie widened his eyes, then guiltily glanced around.

Chen Mu merely smiled at Liu Song and Li Tie's bickering. In the past, he had lacked the money to visit places of pleasure. Now he had the silver, but he had more important things to do. He did not wish to delay saber practice for even a moment.

The sooner he trained the Whirlwind Saber Technique to Perfection, the sooner he would have greater confidence. Everything that should come would come; there was no need to rush.

Events developed exactly as Chen Mu had expected.

The Black Snake Gang was soon completely crushed by the Red Gold Gang. Within a few days and nights, it vanished without a trace. Not a single gang member could be seen again, and the force gradually taking control of this broad stretch of streets and alleys changed from the Black Snake Gang to the newly risen Red Gold Gang.

Throughout this process, the death of that Hall Master caused not the slightest ripple. Let alone anyone finding Chen Mu, he did not even hear anyone mention the matter. Just like the beggars who froze to death in roadside ditches, he went unnoticed and unmourned.

Chen Mu continued to act cautiously. He did not use that money for any major move like changing homes. He only bought more rice, flour, and dried meat for daily meals to improve the food at home, and added a new cotton-padded jacket for Chen Yue. The little girl was so delighted she nearly jumped onto the roof beam.