Chapter 27: The Situation
Chapter 27: The Situation
To advance the Jade-Gold Skin Polishing Technique to Rank 2, one needed 100 experience points, and to reach Mastery, 300 points were required.
"Now that my skin tempering has reached Rank 2, my qi, blood, and stamina have all improved. Next, I'll increase my skin tempering practice from twice a day to three times. I should be able to handle it, and if so, in about ten days, I'll be able to enter the Mastery stage of skin tempering."
Chen Mu's thoughts raced.
Mastery of Skin Tempering!
For ordinary people, this would take at least a year of hard work, but he could achieve it in less than a month. This progress was unimaginable for most, but for him, it was just right.
Currently, his publicly known strength was that he had not yet cultivated any body tempering techniques and had only mastered the Blade Aura. Therefore, it was best to be cautious and quietly continue his skin tempering practice, aiming for perfection and possibly even entering the realm of muscle tempering.
As he pondered this, the voice of the old servant suddenly sounded from outside.
"Lord, Sir Min has come to visit."
"He's here."
Upon hearing this, Chen Mu immediately gathered his thoughts, quickly put on his clothes, stood up, and went to greet the guest at the door.
There stood Min Baoyi, dressed casually, with a smile on his face. Seeing Chen Mu, he said, "Little brother, do you have some free time to accompany me, your elder brother, for a few drinks?"
"I dare not refuse your invitation, elder brother."
Chen Mu bowed respectfully, then quickly instructed the servant a few words before following Min Baoyi out the door.
Min Baoyi was alone, without any attendants. As they walked along the clean and tidy cobblestone streets, Min Baoyi sniffed the air and said, "Little brother, you must be practicing the Jade-Gold Skin Polishing Technique. I hope I haven't interrupted your training?"
"I just finished."
Chen Mu didn't hide it; practicing the skin tempering technique wasn't much of a secret.
Min Baoyi smiled and said, "The Jade-Gold Skin Polishing Technique is an excellent skill. If I had learned this technique in my youth, I might have had a chance to reach the realm of Sinew Transformation by now. Unfortunately, I only received the support of the Yu Family later in life."
"The Yu Family?"
Chen Mu was taken aback by Min Baoyi's words.
With just one sentence, Min Baoyi had revealed the origins of the Jade-Gold Skin Polishing Technique, indicating that his relationship with Xu Hongyu was more than just a simple superior-subordinate one. He was likely a trusted confidant of Xu Hongyu, but Chen Mu was puzzled by the mention of the Yu Family.
However, Min Baoyi quickly clarified his confusion.
"Although the District Prefect is surnamed Xu, she is from the direct line of the Yu Family..."
Min Baoyi briefly explained Xu Hongyu's background. The Yu Family held immense power in the Inner City, their influence spread throughout the entire city. His position as the District Prefect was due to the support of the Yu Family, and naturally, he became a direct member of Xu Hongyu's faction after she assumed the role.
Soon, they arrived at a tavern on Central Street. The owner personally escorted them to a private room on the second floor, where they sat down. Min Baoyi then began to talk about the various factions in Yu City.
Although Chen Mu had spent most of his days as a Senior Patrolman practicing blade techniques and skin tempering, he had also gathered some information about the city's factions from various sources. However, much of his knowledge was vague, and he didn't have a clear understanding like Min Baoyi.
"The Inner City has four major families: Yu, He, Xie, and Xue. The city leader is from the Xue Family, so I won't elaborate on that... The other three families are influential. The Xie Family controls ninety-nine percent of the city's medicinal ingredient trade, handling almost all the needs of martial cultivators. The He Family monopolizes the iron smelting and textile businesses, while the Yu Family controls the salt administration."
Min Baoyi spoke freely, indicating that this information wasn't a secret to those with some status.
Chen Mu had a vague understanding of this before, but now it was much clearer. It wasn't surprising that in a city with a population of over a million, controlling the salt, iron, textiles, and medicinal ingredients meant having a grip on ninety-nine percent of the city's economy.
As for rice, wheat, and other staple foods—the most crucial commodities—it was natural that no single family could control them. It was likely that all four families had a hand in it, similar to the City Guard Post, which wasn't under the control of any one family.
"Salt administration..."
When the salt business was mentioned, Chen Mu's thoughts wandered. Unfortunately, in his past life, he wasn't skilled in chemistry or interested in collecting salt refining methods for future needs. There wasn't much personal gain to be had in this area.
Min Baoyi only briefly touched on the four inner city families before turning the conversation to the City Guard.
"Yu City has a population of over a million, with four major guard posts in the east, south, west, and north, totaling more than ten thousand guards. Currently, all four families are vying for control of the guard post, intending to make it their private army. As a result, there's hidden friction among them. The Deputy District Prefect of the Southern City Guard, He Mingxuan, is from the He Family of the Inner City and is at odds with the District Prefect. You should be cautious of him when you're at the City Guard."
"As Min Baoyi spoke, he lowered his voice slightly."
Chen Mu's eyes lit up at these words, his expression thoughtful as he clasped his hands and said, "Thank you for the reminder, Elder Brother Min."
He had been unaware of this information before, although he had always vaguely suspected that the City Guard Headquarters wasn't as united as it seemed. Now it appeared to be true. Xu Hongyu hadn't directly transferred him to the Headquarters but had instead kept him at the Nine Streets Ward City Guard to 'hone his skills,' perhaps wanting him to gain more experience.
After all, the Nine Streets Ward City Guard was Min Baoyi's territory, and he practically had the place under his thumb. It was a relatively safe environment for Chen Mu, and once he reached the Headquarters, he would be directly involved in the conflict between the two major factions. With various schemes and conspiracies, one misstep could lead to irreversible consequences. Not only would he be unable to assist Xu Hongyu, but he might even become a burden.
Noticing Chen Mu's serious expression, Min Baoyi laughed and lightened the mood, saying, "There's no need to worry too much. The District Prefect is ultimately above these people, and the Nine Streets Ward is my territory. As long as you're cautious, you'll be fine."
"Additionally, regarding the Crimson Gold Gang and the Black Crow Sect in the Nine Streets Ward, try not to provoke these two forces. I'm not sure who's backing the Crimson Gold Gang, but it's probably one of those few families. As for the Black Crow Sect..."
As he spoke, Min Baoyi's expression turned slightly apprehensive. "The Black Crow Sect seems to be just deceiving ordinary people, worshipping some sort of Black Crow God according to their teachings, but they're also taking advantage of the situation to extort money. The person behind it is also a vicious and ruthless individual."
Chen Mu was well aware of the Crimson Gold Gang and the Black Crow Sect. As a Senior Patrol Officer, just two days ago, a deputy leader of the Crimson Gold Gang had visited him, bringing a 'housewarming gift.'
The gift was quite interesting—a sum of silver and two people. They were the two gang members who had previously tried to kidnap Wang Ni and had taken her silver before leaving. They were now bruised and swollen, lying there.
Chen Mu hadn't taken this matter to heart, and since the other party had shown him such respect, he gave them a way out and accepted the silver, considering the matter settled with no further consequences.
As for the Black Crow Sect...
In these chaotic times, any similar force is extremely dangerous.
In a world ruled by martial artists, even if ordinary refugees and rebels were to gather tens or hundreds of thousands, they wouldn't be able to cause much trouble. But in reality, it's not the case.
These forces extort money and use it to cultivate elites, which is their true purpose.
In the Body Tempering Technique, the Skin Tempering and Muscle Training steps can be forced through with resources, and if one doesn't consider the quality of the method and the body's endurance, a Muscle Training martial artist can be created with just two hundred taels of silver.
While these hastily cultivated individuals have poor overall quality, they become formidable in large numbers. With just a few hundred of them, equipped with armor and weapons, they become a formidable force, and among them, there may even be those who have comprehended the Aura.
In fact, nowadays, anyone with a bit of power secretly cultivates such private armies.
"Apart from these two forces, the rest of the miscellaneous groups have no significant background, so you don't need to worry about them. There aren't any powerful nobles or officials in the Nine Streets Ward, either. Those with some power have either moved to the Inner City or are in the central area of the Southern City." Min Baoyi further explained the situation in the Nine Streets Ward.
"I understand," Chen Mu nodded slightly.
Min Baoyi raised his wine cup and took a sip, smiling as he said, "Alright, I've explained everything clearly. Little brother, you just focus on your cultivation. With two or three years of effort, once you break through to the Muscle Training realm, you'll be transferred to the Headquarters and be able to assist Miss Xu."
As he spoke, Min Baoyi's heart pondered his own past. He was from a branch of the Yu Family and had practiced martial arts since childhood, but he had struggled with comprehending the Blade Aura. It wasn't until he was thirty-four that he finally grasped it. If he had received more attention earlier, perhaps his situation would be different now.
Chen Mu, on the other hand, had already cultivated the Blade Aura and caught Xu Hongyu's attention. But it was only now that he had started practicing the Body Tempering Technique, which was a bit late. He estimated that it would take three to four months to achieve a minor success in Skin Tempering, and about a year to achieve major success. With two to three years, he could reach perfection.
It wasn't difficult for him to reach his current realm before the age of thirty.
However, advancing further and breaking through to the third realm of Sinew Transformation, would be extremely challenging. One step behind meant many steps behind.
A Muscle Training martial artist with Blade Aura was considered a notable figure in the outer city, but in the entire Yu City, they were merely average. Only by stepping into the third realm of Sinew Transformation, where every action carried a thousand pounds of force, would one be considered part of the upper echelon, able to grasp power even in the inner city.
(End)
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