Chapter 186: Chapter 184: Completely Different
Not until the sixteenth day, when he felt he had become proficient with the two magical artifacts, did Chu Mu finally stop practicing.
After that, he fell into the familiar routine of refining one batch of Vein Nourishing Pills after another.
Thirty batches yielded an average of twelve Vein Nourishing Pills each, with a total of thirty-two One-Patterned Vein Nourishing Pills!
The final batch even produced as many as three One-Patterned Vein Nourishing Pills.
Unfortunately, there were still none with more than one Pill Pattern.
As was his custom, he kept thirty percent for himself and placed the remaining seventy percent into a Large Jade Bottle.
After cleaning up every trace of his work in the room, Chu Mu finally pushed open the wooden door, which had been shut for over a month.
Due to the isolation Restriction, the two Sound Transmission Talismans had once again accumulated dozens of messages.
Xu Yuan’s messages were still about trivial matters. Thanks to the Vein Nourishing Pills Chu Mu provided, his cultivation had long since broken through to the Qi Cultivation Second Layer.
Chu Mu had repeatedly warned him to keep a low profile, so his cultivation had remained at the Qi Cultivation Second Layer for a long time while he focused on practicing Magic.
This was to avoid attracting unwanted attention due to his rapid cultivation progress.
Wang Mazi’s messages, on the other hand, were almost entirely about the developments following the assassination attempt.
Eight messages, eight pieces of information. A clear picture was forming in Chu Mu’s mind.
According to Wang Mazi, one group that had ambushed him that day was a gang of Local Tyrants from the Jade Emperor Valley’s Black Market—three brothers, all with cultivation at the Qi Cultivation Ninth Layer or higher.
These Local Tyrants were evidently not a major threat, and from his tone, Wang Mazi was clearly not concerned about them.
The other group, however, seemed to have connections to the Jade Emperor Valley’s Law Enforcement Hall and its Outer Hall Law Enforcement Team. This was what concerned him and Wang Mazi the most.
’The Outer Hall Law Enforcement Team...’
Chu Mu frowned. Having lived in Jade Emperor Valley for several years, he was naturally familiar with the Longevity Sect’s ruling structure there.
At the very top was the legendary Golden Core expert, whose position within the Longevity Sect’s system was known as the Guardian Envoy.
Below him were the Internal Affairs Hall and the Law Enforcement Hall.
The Internal Affairs Hall was further divided into numerous and varied branches, governing all aspects of the Marketplace.
In comparison, the Law Enforcement Hall was much simpler.
It was divided into only an Inner Law Enforcement Hall and an Outer Law Enforcement Hall.
The Inner Law Enforcement Hall handled internal supervision, its jurisdiction being the governing body of Jade Emperor Valley itself.
The Outer Law Enforcement Hall, on the other hand, patrolled and enforced the law both inside and outside the Marketplace.
Both the Inner and Outer Law Enforcement Halls each had one Hall Master and five Vice Hall Masters.
The Hall Masters were all experts at the Foundation Establishment Realm, while the Vice Hall Masters varied; some seemed to be at the Foundation Establishment Realm, while others were Longevity Sect disciples at the Qi Cultivation Perfection realm.
And the one who had originally used Wang Mazi as a frontman to acquire the Black Gold was just a captain from the Jade Emperor Valley’s Outer Law Enforcement Hall, and reportedly just an Outer Disciple of the Longevity Sect.
’I hope it’s not a Foundation Establishment Realm expert...’
Chu Mu felt a mix of worry and strange relief.
’In just over half a year, we leveraged a fortune of over ten thousand Spirit Stones. Such an enormous sum would likely tempt even a Foundation Establishment Realm expert.’
’The only saving grace is that I was extremely cautious from the start. Even the identity I used to interact with Wang Mazi was fake.’
’The chances of them tracing it back to me are very, very low.’
’All the pressure is on Wang Mazi.’
’That forty percent cut I gave him was really worth it!’
As his thoughts churned, he sent out a message. Just as he put the Sound Transmission Talisman away, a rhythmic banging sound started, and faint, alluring moans seemed to reach his ears again.
Chu Mu glanced at the closed door across the hall, the corner of his mouth twitching. ’She certainly has a lot of clients!’
"Huh? Fellow Daoist, did you move in recently?"
A voice sounded from the side. Chu Mu turned and saw a middle-aged, long-bearded man in a Daoist robe walking over from the shack diagonally opposite his, a broad smile on his face.
"Our new neighbor has been here for over half a month, and you’re only just finding out, Li Huzi?"
Before Chu Mu could reply, a nearby door opened and a scruffy-looking old man eagerly chimed in.
"Old Chen, you’ve always got something to say!"
The middle-aged man grumbled good-naturedly before turning to Chu Mu. "My name is Li Changping, but the neighbors call me Li Huzi. It’s good to have another companion now that you’ve moved in, Fellow Daoist."
"Xu Tao."
Chu Mu nodded. Perhaps from cultivating in solitude for too long, he found this kind of social interaction somewhat uncomfortable.
After giving the name for this identity, Chu Mu fell silent.
Li Changping, in contrast, was clearly a talker. He led the conversation, and with Old Chen—another chatterbox—chiming in from time to time, they managed to draw a few more words out of Chu Mu, who used the opportunity to learn more about the true situation outside the Marketplace.
What the two of them said was more or less consistent with his own understanding of the area outside the Marketplace.
Everyone worked at sunrise and rested at sunset; that was the way of things.
As for the ban on fighting within a two-hundred-li radius of the Marketplace, they said it was practically non-existent.
Without the comprehensive surveillance of the Marketplace or the coverage of Array Restrictions, it was almost impossible for the Law Enforcement Team to track you down if you murdered and robbed someone, as long as you were quick and left no traces.
Moreover, according to the two, the Law Enforcement Team’s patrols were mostly for show. As long as you didn’t cause a major disturbance, they generally wouldn’t intervene.
Limited order amidst a chaotic mix of people—it was just as he had predicted.
For him, in his current state, this chaotic mix of people was nothing to be overly concerned about.
But for the Loose Cultivators living here, it was undoubtedly a source of fear and worry, just as it had once been for him.
In this kind of environment, it was only natural for neighbors to band together for mutual support.
This was a stark contrast to living inside the Marketplace, where one had almost no interaction with their neighbors.
"Oh, right, it’s the tenth today. Look at my memory, I almost forgot."
"As is tradition, Fellow Daoist He from Courtyard Six is organizing an exchange meeting. Most of the neighbors around here usually go."
"We exchange cultivation insights and trade for materials we need..."
Li Changping added quickly, as if he had just remembered.
"Oh, that’s right! If you hadn’t mentioned it, this old geezer would’ve forgotten all about it!"
The old man beside them seemed to snap out of a daze, slapping his forehead and muttering.
"Old Chen, you’d better take a bath and change your clothes before you go this time. Don’t show up all smelly again and put everyone off."
"I know, I know! I just forgot last time..."
"Forgot, my ass! You forget every single time. You’re a disgrace to Ninth Street."
"Hehe..."
Knowing he was in the wrong, Old Chen just smiled awkwardly, not daring to argue.
"Fellow Daoist Xu is new here and doesn’t know the situation. Old Chen, you’re a talker, so fill Fellow Daoist Xu in on the details..."
Li Changping instructed before he left.
Old Chen nodded repeatedly, and Chu Mu also responded with a smile.
CLANG!
Just then, with a loud clang, the closed door across the hall swung open, and a burly, disheveled man emerged with a wide grin.
Behind him, a woman with a thin shawl draped over her shoulders, her alluring figure faintly visible, walked out gracefully and leaned against the doorframe.
"Old Chen, if you keep staring like that, your eyes are going to pop right out of your head!"
The woman said irritably, lifting a delicate finger to brush back her hair.
Chu Mu glanced at Old Chen beside him. With his dumbstruck expression, one would never guess his advanced age.
"Hehe, you’re just too beautiful, Fairy Wang. This old man can barely control himself."
"Then why don’t you go take a bath, change your clothes, and we can have a little fun?"
The female cultivator, looking slightly languid with her face still flushed, gave Old Chen a sultry look. She beckoned with a delicate finger, the very picture of seduction.
"Forget it, forget it. This old man can’t afford a visit to your den of ecstasy."
"You old coot. All you can do is feast your eyes."
The female cultivator chuckled and swayed her thin shawl, her alluring gaze shifting to Chu Mu, who stood silently to the side.
"You’ve been living here for over half a month, handsome. When are you going to come give me some business?"
"You jest, Fairy," Chu Mu said with a smile. "I have only just set foot on the Immortal Path and am completely destitute. The spirit is willing, but the pockets are weak."
Chu Mu chuckled. Just as he finished speaking, the Sound Transmission Talisman in his robes vibrated slightly. He glanced around and saw a faint but somewhat familiar figure in the distance.
He immediately offered a few more polite words, made an excuse, and quickly departed...
...
