Chapter 105: Thunderous Roar
Chapter 105: Thunderous Roar
In the courtyard, the senior members of the Yu Clan were either grim-faced or had a peculiar look in their eyes. Upon hearing Yu Zuyi speak, one of them paused briefly before saying, "This 'Blot-Faced' Tian Jifeng, who has been wanted for many years, suddenly infiltrated our Yu Clan's headquarters in the inner city and targeted a distant side branch, taking a baby girl. It's all very strange."
"Indeed, the He Clan has become increasingly arrogant since the death of He Mingxuan. They are trying to frame us for this incident. Now, with this attack on our bloodline, it's likely an act of revenge." Someone else agreed, their voice cold.
"No, I think Tian Jifeng has no connection with the He Clan. Our intelligence hasn't revealed any ties between them. It's possible that one of the other two families is deliberately stirring up trouble, but we can't be sure." Another person rebutted.
The events of the previous night were indeed bizarre. Tian Jifeng, a wanted bandit with a bounty on his head for years, had sneaked into the Yu Clan's headquarters under the cover of night and abducted a baby girl from a distant side branch. No matter how they looked at it, it was strange.
For the Yu Clan, this incident didn't cause any significant damage, except for infuriating them and provoking their wrath. There were no other consequences.
"Hmph, Third Brother is right. I think that if it weren't for last night, Yu Yao might have 'suddenly' appeared in the He Clan's territory in a few days, directly provoking a conflict between our clans." Another person scoffed.
With the He Clan already blaming the Yu Clan for the death of one of their heirs, and now with the abduction of a Yu Clan member, the two families, already at odds like fire and water, would likely clash even if they knew someone was deliberately setting them up.
After a brief silence, an elderly man with white temples standing on Yu Zuyi's right spoke up, looking at Tian Jifeng's corpse on the bamboo mat with a puzzled expression. "By the way, who exactly was it that stopped this last night and killed this man?"
At this point, the courtyard fell silent once more. Many people turned their gazes to the blood hole in Tian Jifeng's corpse and the stone placed beside it, stained with dark red blood and slightly blackened. Their eyes held various emotions.
Yu Zuyi's expression grew more solemn.
According to the evidence at the scene, the unknown person from the previous night had been at least forty steps away, hidden in the dark night. With a single stone, they had struck and killed Tian Jifeng on the spot.
What was most startling was that this stone had pierced the chest of a master of the Sinew Transformation Realm without shattering, and then flew straight out for several dozen steps, embedding itself in the thick cobblestone wall.
There was no doubt that the force behind this act was of the Bone Forging Realm.
The skill displayed was undoubtedly of the Concept Realm.
Moreover, based on the evidence, the person's mastery of the Thunderbolt Concept wasn't just a simple initial step; it seemed like they had immersed themselves in it, almost perfectly demonstrating the power of the first step of the Concept.
In Yu City, those who had mastered the Thunderbolt Concept were known by name, and those who had reached such a level were even fewer, no more than could be counted on one's hands. The Yu Clan clearly didn't have such a person among them.
At this moment, Xu Hongyu also bent down to examine Tian Jifeng's body carefully, a serious look in her eyes.
She had already heard about the incident, but upon closer inspection, she could better appreciate the terror of it. A small stone, thrown from a distance, had killed a master of the Sinew Transformation Realm, and the stone itself remained intact.
Such formidable power and skill meant that killing her would likely be just as easy, accomplished in the blink of an eye.
This was the kind of strength possessed only by the very top echelon in all of Yu City.
"Could it be someone from the Xie Clan?" someone asked after a moment of silence.
"What's your reasoning?" someone else asked.
The Xie Clan should have wanted the conflict between the Yu and He Clans to escalate further, so they could benefit from the chaos. They shouldn't have intervened in such an incident, and it was even more likely that they were the ones behind it.
Similarly, the Xue Clan was unlikely, and the He Clan even less so. Even if the He Clan had known in advance that someone was trying to frame them, they wouldn't have helped the Yu Clan quietly resolve the problem. It was more probable that they were using this as an opportunity to turn the situation against the Yu Clan.
The group discussed the matter.
Given their positions, they couldn't find a reasonable person.
At this point, someone also recalled that about four months ago, He Mingxuan's death was also at the hands of an unknown master of the Thunderbolt Concept. However, these two incidents were strange, and it was difficult to see any connection between them.
"Could there be another power in Yu City? In recent years, there have been appearances of corpse-poison jade..." someone said.
This statement caused Yu Zuyi's eyes to flicker slightly.
Although the four major families had essentially divided up the entire Yu Prefecture, it wasn't impossible for an outside force to intervene. After all, as long as they could muddy the waters in the inner city, they would have the opportunity to take advantage of the chaos.
Moreover, the Yu Clan had been keeping a close eye on the He Clan, and there were indeed some unusual circumstances. The possibility of them colluding with an outside force couldn't be ruled out, including the repeated appearances of corpse-poison jade in Yu City in recent years, which was also unlikely to be a product of the city itself. However, this made the situation even more complex.
After much discussion, the Yu Clan's senior members still couldn't reach a conclusion. In the end, this incident had avoided some trouble, so they didn't conduct a detailed investigation. Instead, they focused on thoroughly investigating Tian Jifeng's background and the He Clan's involvement.
"Brother, you're back!" Chen Yue exclaimed as she spotted Chen Mu returning to the courtyard. She ran over with a slightly anxious expression, saying, "I heard that yesterday, someone sneaked into the neighboring house... It's unbelievable that such a thing happened at the Yu Family's headquarters."
Chen Yue had spent the previous night at Yu Ru's place, sleeping with her, but the thought of such a heinous act occurring so close to their home made her feel uneasy.
"It's fine now. Anyone who dares to cause trouble in the Yu Family's headquarters would have been dealt with already," Chen Mu reassured her.
Chen Mu had just returned from Xu Hongyu's place, and he had almost confirmed his entry into the Demon Slayer Bureau in a month's time. As he walked, he was considering various matters, and upon seeing Chen Yue, he gently patted her head with a relaxed demeanor.
Noticing Chen Mu's nonchalant attitude, Chen Yue puffed her cheeks and said, "Brother, I heard that the thief is a formidable bandit named Tian Jifeng, and he's already reached the Sinew Transformation Realm."
"Hmm, the Sinew Transformation Realm... It's not that big of a deal," Chen Mu replied with a smile.
Chen Yue's expression made Chen Mu chuckle.
Hearing Chen Mu's words, Chen Yue blinked in surprise, then suddenly realized something and said excitedly, "Brother, does that mean you've already..."
Chen Mu smiled and pinched Chen Yue's cheek, not answering her directly. Instead, he walked into the inner courtyard and returned to his room.
Chen Yue watched Chen Mu's retreating figure, feeling a surge of joy in her heart. She was well aware of the difference between the Sinew Transformation and Perfect Meat Cultivation, and if Chen Mu had surpassed that boundary, it would be a significant change. From then on, she would have more confidence when dealing with the Yu Family.
There's no mistake in the 1691 version of the novel!
Chen Yue recalled the events from a few days ago.
When Yu Yun and the others were arguing with her and Yu Ru, they had mocked Chen Mu, saying that even with his talent, if he couldn't surpass the Sinew Transformation Realm, he would be just average. Now, she could proudly hold her head high and respond to their taunts.
Her brother was always so formidable!
Inside the room.
Chen Mu was unaware of Chen Yue's small pride at that moment. Even if he knew about it, he would likely just smile it off. He didn't have much interest in the squabbles between Chen Yue, Yu Yun, and the rest of the Yu Family's young ladies.
As long as it didn't escalate into a competition of 'My brother can...', 'My brother can...', it wasn't a big deal.
The Yu Family intended to arrange for Xu Hongyu, Chen Mu, and Xiao He to join the Demon Slayer Bureau, which would be relatively easy and unlikely to encounter any surprises. Therefore, by the end of the month, Chen Mu's seclusion and cultivation would be almost complete.
This was the perfect opportunity to use the next month to thoroughly enhance the Black Jade Sinew Transformation Art to 100%, reaching the pinnacle of the Sinew Transformation Realm.
...
Time flew by.
Since the incident where Yu Zhen's youngest daughter had her belongings stolen, the Yu Family's headquarters had returned to its usual tranquility.
The security of the Yu Family's headquarters naturally far surpassed that of the outer city. The previous incident had occurred because Yu Zhen was from a side branch of the Yu Family and lived in a relatively remote area in the north. If they lived in a slightly more central alley, such incidents would rarely happen. After all, the Yu Family's night patrol teams were all well-trained elite members. Each one of them could become a leader of a gang in the outer city and were no less skilled than the He Family's elite knife-wielding warriors.
A month passed in the blink of an eye.
Side Chamber.
Chen Mu sat quietly in a water bucket, and as he did, the water gradually changed from black to gray. He slowly opened his eyes and immediately summoned the system panel.
[Black Jade Sinew Transformation Art (90%)]
[Experience: 51]
"That's enough."
Chen Mu took a deep breath, closed his eyes momentarily, and calmed his mind. Then, he spent the final 1% of his experience points.
A dense medicinal power surged within his body, accompanied by a buzzing sound.
His muscles, already tempered and transformed, now resembled the sinews of a dragon, twisting and turning on their own, creating a crackling sound. The medicinal power extended from the top down, permeating every part of her body.
At this moment, if one were to analyze her muscles, but her mind was preoccupied. As she walked, she could feel the subtle changes in her body, and her hand would touch her arm or leg, as if confirming something.
If one were to dissect Chen Mu's flesh and analyze her muscles, they would find that her sinews had transformed into a pale golden color, signifying strength and resilience that surpassed even the strings of a powerful bow! No, to be more precise, her sinews now rivaled the legendary 'Nine-Stone Bow,' a demonic beast's sinews capable of creating a thousand-catty bow. This meant that with every movement, she could exert a force equivalent to a thousand catties, or even more.
"This is the pinnacle of the first stage of the Sinew Transformation Realm."
Chen Mu emerged from the water bucket and stepped out. She stretched her arms wide, and as she did, a subtle sound emanated from her body, like the twang of a bowstring.
This phenomenon was a well-documented sound in the 'Great Martial Arts Canon' known as the 'Tiger Leopard Thunder Sound.' According to the Canon, only those who have reached the pinnacle of the Skin Hardening, Meat Cultivation, and Sinew Transformation Realms can resonate their muscles and sinews to produce this sound. Achieving this level of mastery is a feat accomplished by one in ten thousand warriors.
"Huff..."
Chen Mu exhaled, releasing a misty white vapor that resembled a sword of air.
Tomorrow, she would be joining the Demon Slayer Bureau, and today, she had finally reached the pinnacle of the first stage of the Sinew Transformation Realm.
To be continued in the fourth chapter~
(End of Chapter)
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