I'll Give It to You

"Sir, we've arrived at Youhe Street."

The driver's voice rang out from the hired carriage, and the horse pulling it came to a quiet stop beside the street.

Zhou Muzhi emerged from behind the curtain first, with Lao Xu close behind.

The two stepped down from the carriage.

The road was paved with blue bricks and was not particularly straight; instead, it gave the impression of branching off in every direction.

The carriage remained where it was, waiting.

As a high-end means of transport, hired carriages like this had relatively few wealthy customers and generally catered to their passengers' needs.

The surrounding crowd could hardly be called bustling. Most wore hemp clothing and kept their heads down as they came and went.

Lao Xu's bearing showed naturally as he stepped forward to lead the way.

Being able to become the head guard of a large household was proof enough that Lao Xu had something to him.

After all, this old martial artist even possessed a Body Condensation Method.

Zhou Muzhi followed behind.

The two headed left, passed through a wooden ceremonial archway, and looked along the small brick-and-tile houses lining one side. Cooking smoke rose from every household.

All sorts of voices filled their ears, while the aroma of food lingered around their noses.

As they ventured farther in, a low, tiled-roof house came into view, wreathed in a lingering smell of incense and candles.

A fence surrounded the house, and they could see the layout inside: a millstone, bamboo poles for drying clothes, and three hens catching insects beside a chicken coop. It was very simple indeed.

Lao Xu called out from outside.

"Half-Immortal, are you in?"

Zhou Muzhi had instructed him beforehand not to call for the man in his name.

At the shout, the house's door opened, and a stooped figure emerged. Half-Immortal Xu stood seven feet tall, dressed in old clothes with obvious patches, his tied-up white hair bobbing with his movements.

He raised his eyes to look outside and paused for several breaths. Rather than approach, he simply waved a hand, and his voice carried over.

"Go back. This old Daoist can't help."

Can't help?

A faint smile hung on Zhou Muzhi's face.

I think you can be a great help!

He pressed his palm against the gate woven into the fence and pushed forward with one hand.

With a creak,

the simply latched gate was forcibly pushed open.

Displeasure appeared in Half-Immortal Xu's eyes at the sight.

When he saw Zhou Muzhi stride toward him, he could not help shaking his head.

A wastrel was a wastrel, after all. If the Zhou Family's elders hadn't done me a great favor, I would never have made that earlier visit.

"What, does Young Master Zhou intend to loosen this old man's bones?"

Even as he watched him approach, he remained unruffled.

Following behind, Lao Xu stared dumbfounded and froze for a moment. But after seeing his young master's actions, his narrow eyes narrowed further. He considered for no more than three breaths.

Shing!

His broadsaber left its sheath.

Step by step, he moved to stand one pace in front of Zhou Muzhi.

Since he had promised to guard him properly, he had to do it in earnest. He, Lao Xu, was a man of his word.

Only now did cold sweat break out on Half-Immortal Xu's back.

He actually dared draw his saber!

What a thug.

He doesn't even care about maintaining a wealthy household's dignity.

Just then, Zhou Muzhi's gentle voice rang out. "Lao Xu, your young master is very pleased that you've considered my situation, but pointing your drawn saber at Daoist Xu makes me very displeased."

"Huh?!"

Wait.

Lao Xu suddenly felt his teeth ache.

Young master, you were the one who forced your way in at the start! How has this become my fault?

"Sheathe your saber and step back for now."

Lao Xu did not actually want bloodshed either. Taking an offered way out was what he did best. He immediately sheathed his saber and retreated to half a meter behind Zhou Muzhi.

Their back-and-forth left Half-Immortal Xu unsure what to make of things.

He looked at Zhou Muzhi and scoffed. "Enough. This old Daoist doesn't care whether you're putting on an act. I truly don't have what you want. Please leave!"

It was an outright dismissal.

Zhou Muzhi did not respond to that. Instead, he paced before the house, and his reply had nothing to do with what the other man had said.

"The incense candle you gave me saved my life, Daoist. That is something I cannot forget."

He looked at Half-Immortal Xu, whose expression had not changed in the slightest, then walked over to the discarded upper millstone and patted it.

"I reflected on it for a long time and realized that I still need to learn martial arts to avoid trouble, so..."

Zhou Muzhi stopped speaking and held his breath. Both hands gripped firmly beneath the millstone, and the muscles in his arms suddenly exerted their strength.

The millstone was pulled from the ground like an old scallion and, under Zhou Muzhi's movements, rose steadily past his chest until it was level with his head.

At this, the look in Half-Immortal Xu's eyes changed too.

That strength...

Lao Xu's eyes widened even further, and he cried out inwardly!

A martial arts prodigy!

Only yesterday, the young master had still looked too frail to withstand a breeze. The change now was so great that he could hardly believe it.

Zhou Muzhi steadily lowered the discarded millstone back to the ground, without making much noise even when it touched down.

That display alone was enough to demonstrate his control over his strength.

"Too light. Only a little over two hundred jin."

Seemingly somewhat dissatisfied, yet also somewhat casual, Zhou Muzhi looked at the frowning Half-Immortal Xu and grinned, revealing white teeth. His voice remained gentle.

"This is what I gained in a single day. What do you think, Daoist Xu?"

A single day?

He's reached the entry level of Body Condensation?

Even Half-Immortal Xu could barely keep the corners of his mouth under control.

He snorted. "So you came to threaten me? Do you think this old Daoist fears threats like yours?"

"I wouldn't dare." Zhou Muzhi sighed. "Uncle Xu, you have old ties with my family. Your nephew came here today to ask a favor. How would I dare threaten you?"

Of course, if the other man truly refused to respond to this approach, with life and death at stake, he would still have to turn hostile when necessary.

Half-Immortal Xu fell silent.

He was considering it.

Reaching the entry level of Body Condensation in a single day-such aptitude was enough to make him get involved.

As for whether it was fake, that was even less possible. He had personally visited the Zhou Residence just a few days ago. How could he not know what condition Zhou Muzhi had been in?

"Ah! A thousand cuts wouldn't be enough!"

Half-Immortal Xu sighed and said to Zhou Muzhi, "Wait here. I'll give it to you!"

With things having been said to this extent, how could he fail to see that the other man really would resort to violence if he did not get what he wanted?

After all, great terror lay between life and death.

The other man might look lively and energetic, but Half-Immortal Xu was no blind man. That nauseating aura was almost reaching him.

"Good. Your nephew thanks you, Uncle Xu!"

Not long after returning inside, Half-Immortal Xu brought out another white candle, exactly the same as the first.

For Zhou Muzhi, this thing actually treated the symptoms rather than the root cause. At most, it could buy him a little time.

He stepped forward to take the arm-thick candle and asked, "Uncle Xu, do you have a way to completely drive away or destroy a vengeful spirit?"

Half-Immortal Xu rolled his eyes. If he had that kind of ability, would he still be living in this county town?

It seems he really doesn't.

Still, he had achieved one of his goals. Next, he would see whether he could ask the other man for something with even the slightest connection, then use Deduction Points to forcibly advance it.

Seeing Zhou Muzhi still standing there,

Half-Immortal Xu was helpless and could only tell the truth. "This evil-warding incense of mine really is difficult to make. You have to leave me some stock, don't you? One stick a year wasn't something I said to fool you."

Zhou Muzhi shook his head. He was not trying to get more incense. Rather, the panel had previously mentioned acquiring a trace of true meaning, and he had a feeling that this might be the key to staying alive.

And to unravel the mystery, he needed to learn the entire process.

Then his gaze turned to the white-haired old Daoist, and the moment he spoke, astonishment appeared in the other man's eyes.