Chaos in the City, Hiding Behind the Scenes

Chen Mu did not know how much time releasing the Waterway Map would buy him.

There was still one day left before the martial academy's three-day assessment deadline. Chen Mu did not dare let down his guard.

Every bit of strength he gained now was capital for killing enemies.

He immediately took out the Black Tiger Baleful Heart Art and began reading it.

Chen Mu quickly memorized its routes for circulating Blood Essence and its breathing method.

He made a few simple attempts and found that meditative circulation was terribly inefficient. His Blood Essence still flowed along the route of Rampaging Bull Force.

Chen Mu frowned slightly and reluctantly circulated it once along the new route. He immediately felt nauseated, as though he might vomit.

"What is this?"

Chen Mu furrowed his brow deeply and discovered that the panel had changed.

[Yellow Grade High-Tier internal art "Black Tiger Baleful Heart Art" detected. Proficiency: Beginner (1/1000)]

[100 points of Karmic Slaughter may be consumed to merge and replace the current internal art. Begin deduction immediately?]

Chen Mu's eyelids twitched slightly. He had not expected even the Beginner stage to require a thousand proficiency points!

It seemed that internal arts truly were far more profound than ordinary martial arts.

More importantly, he had finally realized what had happened.

That nauseating bodily abnormality from before had clearly been caused by Blood Essence surging backward into his mind.

It seemed the circulation routes of the two internal arts were in conflict.

If he mindlessly forced himself to continue practicing, he would likely damage his own foundation instead.

Chen Mu had practiced martial arts for too short a time and did not know the depths of it. Only after suffering a loss did he grasp some of its principles.

Ordinary martial artists with a master would be taught from the moment they entered the discipline:

Though martial arts under heaven underwent ten thousand transformations, none could escape the four attributes of "yin, yang, internal, and external."

Especially for internal arts, the foundation of martial cultivation, the distinction between yin and yang came first.

Of the two techniques Chen Mu practiced, Rampaging Bull Force was a forceful and domineering yang art.

Meanwhile, the Black Tiger Baleful Heart Art was a typical yin-baleful internal art.

Their energies clashed. If he forcibly practiced them in reverse, at best his Blood Essence would crash through his channels and damage his dantian.

At worst, he would suffer qi deviation, and blood balefulness would enter his mind.

Then, not only would he lose his sanity and fall into madness, but in severe cases, he might even burst his blood vessels and die.

Chen Mu gained a vague understanding at this moment. Though disappointed, he was not too discouraged.

"Looks like I can only wait until I can add Karmic Slaughter."

Once Rampaging Bull Force and the Black Tiger Baleful Heart Art were merged, the conflict between the internal arts should be resolved.

Unfortunately, he had just exhausted all his Karmic Slaughter in one push to break through.

He could only try again another day.

After sorting these matters out in his mind, Chen Mu stopped cultivating in vain, got up, and went out.

The sky outside had already brightened.

Chen Mu knew chaos would certainly erupt throughout the city today. He did not dare show his face rashly, nor did he set up his stall as usual.

Keeping himself concealed, he swiftly reached the entrance to West Market and slipped into a tavern to gather information.

Just as Chen Mu had expected, the city was indeed in turmoil.

Many drinkers had originally been discussing how someone had died again in the western district last night, worrying that it was a demon disaster.

Chen Mu hid in a corner seat in the tavern's first-floor hall, ordered a small plate of food and wine, and listened quietly.

"Have you heard? Something huge happened over at the yamen."

Someone spoke in a low voice.

It turned out that trouble had broken out at the yamen just as dawn was breaking.

It was said that men from the Patrol Office had killed Seventh Master Rong of the Red Whale Gang, even alarming Commander Zhao.

As a result, government soldiers and martial men from the Red Whale Gang had started fighting openly in Caiyi Street early that morning.

These drinkers had all sorts of versions of the details, none of them entirely reliable.

Some said Commander Zhao had obtained a treasure map of a dragon vein, which concealed secret treasures from the former dynasty.

Others even dragged out rumors that Seventh Master Rong had slept with Commander Zhao's concubine.

By then, Chen Mu had lost most of his interest.

He had already inferred the general situation.

News of the Waterway Map must have spread, and the Red Whale Gang surely knew about it.

They had gathered men first thing in the morning. Using Yan Rong's death as an excuse to demand an explanation was false; competing for the Waterway Map was true.

Chen Mu did not dare be careless. He knew the Red Whale Gang would soon come looking for trouble after suffering this setback.

It seemed he could no longer stay at home. He had to hide for the next couple of days, and A-Ning needed to be moved elsewhere as well.

He immediately lowered the brim of his bamboo hat and tossed down a piece of broken silver.

"Waiter, the bill."

With that, Chen Mu flashed out the door and hurried back to the small courtyard in Rubble Ward, entering the room to wake A-Ning.

She opened her eyes groggily. Seeing Chen Mu, she was delighted at first, then confused. "Husband, last night I think I dreamed..."

"Don't speak." Chen Mu stopped her and instructed, "Listen to my arrangements first."

"Get dressed. I'll take you to Granny Li's home beside the City God Temple for a couple of days. I'll come pick you up again in two days."

A-Ning had taken potent medicine and rested through the night, so her complexion had already improved greatly.

Yet the moment she got out of bed and heard Chen Mu speak so solemnly, panic immediately flashed through her eyes.

"What happened? Why do we need to hide?"

Chen Mu knew that if he did not deceive the girl, she would likely start overthinking again. He immediately gave her a half-true, half-false explanation.

He claimed that demon disasters had been occurring frequently in the city and someone had died again last night. The authorities were conducting a large-scale investigation, and he feared she would be disturbed.

Though A-Ning had her doubts, she also knew that the city had indeed been gripped by panic because of the demon disaster at the docks.

"When will you come get me, Husband? A-Ning only has you..."

A-Ning clung to him and refused to let go, tears shimmering in her eyes.

"Just two days. Think of it as going to the temple to pray for your husband's blessings. You can visit Granny Li too. Don't you miss Su Su?"

Chen Mu stroked her back and comforted her for a while before coaxing her into calming down and obediently packing her things.

Granny Li was a paper effigy maker who made her living from the dead. She lived beside the City God Temple.

Outsiders considered her unlucky and rarely associated with her.

By a stroke of chance, Chen Mu had once saved her young granddaughter when she went out alone.

The girl was named Li Susu. She was only fifteen or sixteen, at an age like a budding flower, and loved wearing goose-yellow clothes.

That day, she had gone out alone to buy supplies and had nearly been bullied by hooligans, almost trampled to death beneath horse hooves.

Relying on a butcher's fierce presence, Chen Mu had frightened off those ruffians. He had saved her life and gradually become familiar with Granny Li as well.

Now that he had arranged for A-Ning to stay there for two days and avoid the storm, Chen Mu himself also intended to avoid the sharp edge for the time being.

He would wait for Liu Qingcang of the martial academy to return from hunting demons before taking the assessment. For these next two days, he would remain hidden behind the scenes.

Soon, the two had changed into disguises that concealed their figures. They slipped out of Rubble Ward, winding through turns and alleys until they reached the bank of the Grass River.

The City God Temple stood on the west bank of the Grass River.

Within the temple grew a century-old Old Yin Locust, its branches hung with peace plaques bearing countless people's prayers.

This place lay in Bai Le Ward, where the alleyways were mostly home to craftsmen of lowly trades and unorthodox professions.

There were paper effigy makers, river corpse retrievers, feng shui seekers, tomb readers, executioners, coffin makers...

All such work was gloomy, lowly business that people found repulsive.

Bai Le Ward was therefore exceedingly sinister. Rumor had it that wandering souls and evil spirits often appeared here, so few people came.

That was precisely why Chen Mu had chosen it. The fewer people there were, the easier it was to hide.

Leading A-Ning into the depths of an alley behind the City God Temple, he knocked on the door of a small residential courtyard.

"Who is it? Coming to see this old woman so early in the morning."

An elderly woman with graying hair came to open the door.

Seeing Chen Mu's face concealed beneath a bamboo hat, she immediately narrowed her eyes and opened only a crack in the door.

"It's me." Chen Mu lifted the brim of his hat slightly and spoke bluntly.

"Granny, the city has been unsettled lately. I would like A-Ning to stay here for two days. Could you do us this favor?"

He shifted aside, revealing A-Ning behind him clutching a bundle.

Granny Li's gaze lingered on A-Ning for only a moment before she looked at Chen Mu in some surprise.

"Hm?"

A glint of sharp light quietly bloomed in her murky eyes. As though seeing Chen Mu for the first time, she revealed a trace of astonishment.

Chen Mu suddenly felt a chill run down the back of his head, as if countless slithering snakes were crawling across his entire body.

The muscles throughout his body abruptly tightened. He nearly leaked his aura, and shock filled his heart.

What is going on? Has an expert locked onto me?!

In that instant, Chen Mu felt as though a giant python had coiled around his throat. His entire flow of energy was locked down, and his hands and feet turned icy cold in a flash.