Gate Knocking

Back in his room, Zhou Muzhi called Xiaozi over and told her to prepare hot water. He wanted a bath.

Xiaozi immediately set to work, directing the other servants to help.

Taking advantage of the spare moment, he opened the panel again.

[Name: Zhou Muzhi]

[Status: Curse (temporarily sealed)]

[Skills: Incense Maker (novice), Nine Heavens Profound Intent (time remaining: twenty-one double-hours), Wisdom of the Ancients · Enlightenment (1/3)]

[Deduction Points: 3.5]

Since the precious pill had not been fully absorbed, the trace of scorching fire true intent it contained had not appeared here.

"I also need to find a new source of Deduction Points as soon as possible."

Zhou Muzhi knew that as less and less aura seeped from the statue, there were already few Deduction Points left inside.

Besides that, he needed to attempt Gate Knocking as soon as possible.

Only by reaching the current ceiling of his strength could he go about things more easily.

If he had been terrifyingly powerful, the people he had gone looking for just now would not have been mere street thugs.

"Young Master, the hot water is ready," Xiaozi's clear voice rang out.

"Let's go."

Zhou Muzhi followed Xiaozi into a small room reserved specifically for his baths.

Warm steam now filled the entire room, its billowing haze obscuring his vision slightly.

Xiaozi undressed the Fourth Young Master.

Bare-chested, Zhou Muzhi stepped into the bathtub. The heat prickling his skin released the fatigue in his muscles.

A pair of soft, delicate hands came over to knead his shoulders and pummel his legs, following a familiar routine.

Having someone dedicated to waiting on him like this was more in keeping with the stereotypical image of a Lineage.

Except for his head, which needed to stay above water so he could breathe, Zhou Muzhi submerged his entire body in the warm water.

He closed his eyes, his nerves relaxing, while he continued making plans.

Tonight's events had proved that Lao Xu was a capable man. His strength was not insignificant, and his reasons for following Zhou Muzhi were actually fairly straightforward.

Besides serving him, he also wanted to improve his strength.

Given the dangers that might arise later, raising Lao Xu's strength a little was therefore necessary.

There was also the information he had obtained today. Memories of Sun Yao had surfaced along with it.

Sun Yao was a childhood playmate from a modestly wealthy family that owned two shops. They had played together before, but had not seen each other for a long time now.

Since he was involved in this affair, Zhou Muzhi would have to meet him.

Once the water gradually cooled, Zhou Muzhi rose and stepped out, letting Xiaozi dry his body. After changing into a close-fitting silk sleeping robe, he returned to his room.

He needed to rest his mind tonight, so Zhou Muzhi did nothing else and simply went to sleep.

Elsewhere.

Suming County's most extravagant den of squandered gold-the Covered Rain Gambling House.

The gambling house had three floors aboveground and one underground.

Ordinary patrons played on the first floor, the wealthy on the second, and people from Lineages on the third. Prominent figures who could not conveniently show their faces played on the underground floor.

At that moment, on the underground floor.

In the lavishly constructed underground space, masked people moved between specially partitioned areas.

Pai gow, dice, prize draws, ring toss, pitch-pot.

There were so many varieties that the eye could scarcely take them all in.

Inside one of the very few specially enclosed private rooms, Qian Zhen was keeping the county magistrate's son, Zuo Qiu Jun, company. A small mountain of silver lay on the table before Zuo Qiu Jun, whose face was full of smug satisfaction.

The outer corners of Qian Zhen's eyes tilted upward, and his smile held no warmth. His purple robes were somewhat heavy, patterned with subtle designs, and his bearing was highly distinctive.

His gloomy face always seemed to wear a smile.

The look he directed at the other man was like a spider hunting, drawing him step by step into its web.

Then someone hurried into the private room and whispered a sentence into his ear.

"Gui Chengyang and the three ruffians under him are all dead."

Qian Zhen's expression shifted slightly. Turning his eyes toward the speaker, he said with a false-looking smile, "Do I need to teach you what to do next?"

The subordinate was an old hand. Not daring to be careless, he immediately nodded to show he understood, then left the private room.

Zuo Qiu Jun remarked, seemingly casually, "Brother Qian, with how well you treat me, I have to repay you somehow. If you need anything, just say the word."

Qian Zhen laughed heartily. "Of course, of course. I'm relying on you to smooth things over on my end, Brother Zuo Qiu."

Seeing his manner, Zuo Qiu Jun steered the conversation elsewhere.

"I hear your younger brother has taken a great scholar as his master and is studying under him. Truly remarkable. We should visit each other more often."

"My younger brother merely showed a moment of cleverness. You mustn't praise him, Brother Zuo Qiu! Otherwise, he'll start thinking no one is worth his notice."

"You're being far too modest."

Qian Zhen looked at the tiles in his hand and casually played one.

Zuo Qiu Jun brightened and laid out his tiles. "My apologies. I've won again!"

The two kept playing until Zuo Qiu Jun had won nearly a thousand taels of silver.

For a time, cheerful voices and laughter rang out without end.

Meanwhile, the man who had left had already begun seeking people out, trying to discover who had killed the four ruffians his young master had been keeping an eye on.

The sky was clear today, without a cloud for ten thousand miles.

The Li Residence.

Outside a side room in the rear courtyard.

Li Jingfei brought Zhou Muzhi into the rear courtyard for the first time.

"Are you sure you want to attempt Gate Knocking today?"

Walking ahead, Li Jingfei's voice carried a slight fluctuation as he confirmed the matter once again. He seemed somewhat doubtful about attempting Gate Knocking now.

Zhou Muzhi nodded without speaking, but his calm eyes told him that he was already prepared.

Last night, the wronged spirit had partially formed a physical body. Whenever someone connected to it died, it grew a little stronger, giving him an intense sense of danger.

If he did not improve his strength, he feared he would be finished sooner or later.

"All right. You can knock at the Blood Gate three times. Failing the first time is no great matter. Once you've nurtured your blood and qi back to strength, you'll have another chance. If something feels wrong, you can stop."

Only now did Li Jingfei show something of a teacher's manner, resolving his disciple's uncertainties. Everything he told him was a genuine key to Gate Knocking.

These details would never be committed to writing. They had always been secrets of the school, passed down only by word of mouth.

That Li Jingfei could explain them one by one meant that in his heart, he regarded Zhou Muzhi not only as a disciple, but also as a successor.

By the time he finished speaking, the two had entered the room.

As soon as they entered, they smelled an unusual scent that could settle the blood and qi and soothe the mind. A single breath of it was enough to tell that it greatly benefited the body.

Li Jingfei had put thought into preparing such an aid for him.

Zhou Muzhi soon spotted the source of the scent: a tea-brown, iron-colored lotus-shaped incense burner, its lid carved with openwork lotus petals. Wisps of milky-white smoke drifted from it.

Li Jingfei spoke again.

"Do you remember what I just told you?"

Zhou Muzhi immediately answered, "I understand, Master!"

"Repeat it."

Zhou Muzhi repeated it faithfully, until Li Jingfei nodded.

Li Jingfei turned and walked out. At the doorway, he paused and turned sideways to look at Zhou Muzhi, his voice taking on a measure of seriousness.

"If you can't do it, don't force yourself. I'm getting old, and finding a sufficiently gifted disciple isn't easy. Your talent is outstanding, so there's no need to rush."

Those words truly came from the bottom of his heart.

Zhou Muzhi smiled and gave his disciple's salute, his voice likewise taking on a measure of seriousness.

"Master, you can trust me."

"All right!"

With that, he strode out and closed the door behind him.

Once Zhou Muzhi was alone, the room immediately felt much quieter.

Zhou Muzhi walked over to the square white cushion beside the incense burner. This was the best position prepared for him to circulate his energy and break through, allowing him to absorb the medicinal potency from the burner more fully.

He took off his shoes, stepped onto the cushion, and circulated his energy to settle his blood and qi. Then he began setting the blood and qi throughout his body in motion, attempting to knock open the Blood Gate on the martial path!