Chapter 84: Schi Lin
Chapter 84: Schi Lin
The morning sun shone upon the city, casting its warm glow over the streets.
Along the walls, the icicles that had once lined them had now mostly melted, leaving only small remnants the size of a fingertip.
Chen Mu, dressed in his dark green patrol uniform, strolled through the main street of Willow Grove, accompanied by several enforcers. He noticed that while there was still some snow left in the alleys, most of it had been cleared away, leaving the streets clean and passable.
"Patrol Commander!"
"Patrol Commander!"
As they walked, passersby would greet Chen Mu with respectful bows.
Before the Lunar New Year, the common folk of Willow Grove had mostly feared Chen Mu, the newly appointed Patrol Commander of the City Guard. But now, after he had dispatched men to provide relief to the disaster-stricken citizens, the entire lower class of Willow Grove was abuzz with praise for this new Patrol Commander.
"It seems like the snow will be completely melted in a few days," Chen Mu remarked as he surveyed the streets.
"Yes, sir," Shang Qinglai, who was walking alongside him, replied politely.
"The cold winter is finally over. I heard that the ice on the western city defense river has broken, and some of the pleasure boats have started accepting customers again," Shang Qinglai added.
After saying this, he suddenly felt a bit awkward and glanced at Chen Mu cautiously.
But Chen Mu didn't seem to mind. Pleasure boats, brothels, and music halls were always popular among some people, as long as they weren't engaging in forced transactions.
Speaking of which, Chen Mu used to enjoy such entertainment, but as his strength and status gradually increased, his interest in them waned. Although he had attended a few social gatherings and experienced them a couple of times.
After inspecting more alleys and markets with Shang Qinglai and the others, Chen Mu dismissed them and headed back home.
In the backyard, two young maids were playing and chasing each other joyfully.
As Chen Mu entered, one of the maids, Ku Er, ran towards him and collided with him, too startled to dodge in time.
"L-Lord..." Ku Er stammered, feeling as if she had run into a wall. But upon recognizing Chen Mu, she became even more frightened and quickly knelt before him.
Chen Mu frowned and said, "You're so clumsy. Go to Nie'er and get five slaps on your palm as punishment."
"Y-Yes..." Ku Er replied with a bitter expression and went inside the house.
Chen Mu shook his head, thinking that if Chen Yue were here, she would probably scold him for spoiling the maids too much. A few slaps on the palm was a light punishment for bumping into the lord of the house. But he didn't want to be too harsh on the young maid; he just wanted to ensure she didn't get too spoiled.
The maids in his courtyard, though young, were all sensible and well-behaved.
"Lord," Le Er, who had been playing with Ku Er, greeted Chen Mu timidly.
Chen Mu raised his hand and gently tapped her forehead before walking past, "That's enough, get up. Go and boil some water."
In his bedroom, Chen Mu took out the Black Jade Sinew Transformation Pill from his cabinet.
Nearly two months had passed, and the pill was still the size of an infant's fist, but its color had changed from a deep black to a dull gray.
This indicated that the medicinal power within the pill had been almost completely extracted, gradually turning into medicinal residue.
"It should last for about ten more days," Chen Mu estimated after examining it closely.
He had already entered the Sinew Transformation stage, and the pill was no longer essential for his subsequent tempering training. Even without Black Dragon Blood, he could achieve the same effect by gathering other medicinal powders and concocting them. Of course, the Black Jade Sinew Transformation Pill remained one of the most effective medicinal ingredients, but Chen Mu had not been able to obtain a second pill in a while.
With a thought, he summoned the system interface.
[Black Jade Sinew Transformation Technique (45%)]
[Experience: 8 points]
Since reaching 30% and surpassing the threshold of Minor Sinew Transformation, the progress of the Black Jade Sinew Transformation Technique had slowed down. Now, it required 20 experience points to increase by 1%.
Chen Mu was not surprised by this, as the difficulty of Sinew Transformation training was directly proportional to its intensity. Otherwise, there would be more people like him, who had trained their skin and muscles to the limit, achieving a Refined Golden Body.
Despite this, his cultivation progress remained remarkably fast. In just over a month, he had increased his proficiency in Sinew Transformation from 30% to 45%, nearly completing half of the technique.
In reality, as his Sinew Transformation progressed, his strength improved daily, accumulating into significant growth. In contrast, his Martial Dao Insight had not shown any changes until he accumulated enough experience points.
"I estimate that in about a month, I'll be able to enter the Mastery of Sinew Transformation, and then it will be complete," Chen Mu said as he closed the system panel.
With his physique and Martial Dao Insight, once he reached the Mastery of Sinew Transformation, Chen Mu was confident he could spar with those who had not yet grasped the concept of Bone Forging. And once he achieved the completion of Sinew Transformation, Bone Forging would be within his reach.
If one didn't consider the powerful figures behind the scenes in the inner city, who had mastered the Organ Refining Realm, the true elites of Yu City were those who had reached the Bone Forging Realm.
The Outer City Magistrate!
The Demon Slaying Division Magistrate!
The Yu City Commander!
These were the true high-ranking and influential figures in the city.
Since Chen Mu had slain He Zongchasi, the Evil Blade of the Evildoers Gang, he hadn't used his strength again. He was always cautious and decisive when necessary, but he never showed off unnecessarily.
Boiling water, concocting medicine, and Sinew Transformation training—Chen Mu followed his usual routine.
After completing his Body Tempering training, he immersed himself in the comprehension of the Thunder Diagram until the evening.
He had thought this day would pass like any other, but as he regained his senses from his meditation, he called for a servant to prepare dinner. Suddenly, a young servant from the front yard came to report.
"Lord, Liu Song is here."
Chen Mu's expression shifted slightly, and he said, "Show him in."
Currently, Liu Song still held the position of an enforcer in the City Guard, but secretly, he followed Chen Mu's instructions and organized a team to gather various kinds of information.
This was also something he learned from Min Baoyi. While Min Baoyi oversaw the City Guard Headquarters of the Nine Streets, he also had his own network of informants, keeping himself apprised of events everywhere. The City Guard Headquarters and Min Baoyi's network worked in tandem, one in the light and the other in the shadows.
Soon after, Liu Song's figure appeared in the courtyard. After hurrying over, he quickly reported several matters to Chen Mu.
Upon hearing this, Chen Mu's brows furrowed slightly, and he asked, "Any news from the Chief Magistrate's side?"
Liu Song shook his head.
After a brief moment of contemplation, Chen Mu waved his hand and said, "Alright, I understand."
For over a month now, he had been safe and sound in Willow Grove. Whether it was disaster relief or other matters, nothing had hindered him. He had only heard that there were disputes within the Chief Magistrate's office, both openly and secretly. He Ming Xuan, taking advantage of Xu Hongyu's absence, wanted to stir up trouble, but Xiao He managed to suppress it.
This time, too, the situation wasn't aimed at him but at Xiao He. Compared to his position as Patrol Commander, He Ming Xuan clearly wanted to remove Xiao He completely.
However...
This situation was probably very unfavorable for Xiao He, but she hadn't informed him. She must have wanted to handle it herself.
But regardless, now that he knew, he couldn't just ignore it. With nothing else going on, he decided to discreetly check it out.
...
The westernmost part of Willow Grove.
The City Defense River.
The river's surface still had some broken ice chunks, making it impossible to sail, but some floating restaurants and pleasure boats had already opened for business. As night fell, several of these establishments were brightly lit.
Since the City Defense River didn't belong to either the western or southern districts, and thus wasn't under the jurisdiction of any party, the floating restaurants, pleasure boats, brothels, and gambling houses thrived here. With winter not yet completely over, a small portion of these establishments had already opened for business.
These floating restaurants and pleasure boats were basically connected directly to the inner city. Those who came to enjoy themselves weren't just the gentry and elders from the Southern District and the western areas but also included officials and nobles from the inner city.
Inside one of the pleasure boats.
In a brightly lit cabin, the furnishings were luxurious and exquisite. The most eye-catching feature was the four bright red round beads embedded in the walls, continuously emitting visible heat, filling the entire room with warmth. Despite the blizzard outside not yet fully melted away, this place seemed to have already entered a warm season.
Several women in light veils, with slender and graceful figures, danced to the sound of a zither, their movements captivating. The entire scene was one of extreme luxury.
He Ming Xuan sat in a corner of the room.
But he didn't occupy the main seat; he seemed to be there merely as a backdrop, occasionally chiming in with a few words of conversation.
In the main seat, surrounded by He Ming Xuan and several young men who appeared to be from wealthy families, was a young man around twenty-seven years old. Casually, he embraced a young girl, picked up a wine cup, took a sip, and then placed the cup next to the girl's cheek, letting a drop of the bright red wine fall from it.
The girl dared not resist. She swallowed the drop of wine, but as soon as it entered her mouth, her entire body trembled, and visible steam rose from her.
The young man burst into laughter, releasing the girl, who hurriedly tried to leave. However, she couldn't stand up and, after crawling a few steps, collapsed on the ground.
"This Fire Cloud Wine is truly potent. The batch that Schi Lin brought seems to have some unique qualities?"
He Ming Xuan said with a hearty laugh.
The young man called 'Schi Lin' by He Ming Xuan smirked and said, "A few days ago, I happened to hunt down a Red-Coiled Demon Snake. I used its demon core to brew a few jars of new Fire Cloud Wine. The alcohol content of this wine is several times stronger than regular Fire Cloud Wine. Even a fully trained martial artist wouldn't be able to handle more than a couple of cups."
The people around them flattered him, speaking many pleasing words, and their eyes showed a hint of reverence.
Schi Lin!
Among the fourth generation of the Xue family, he was the most outstanding. Not only was he the most exceptional among the younger generation of the Xue family, but he also surpassed the younger generation of several other families in the inner city, rightfully earning the title of the first among them.
Currently, he held the position of Deputy Magistrate in the Demon Slayer Bureau and had long entered the Bone Forging Realm.
Not to mention He Ming Xuan, even the more core members of the He family would have to bow their heads in front of Schi Lin and couldn't compete with him.
At this moment, inside the pleasure boat, apart from Schi Lin, He Ming Xuan, and the others, there was also a young man around twenty years old. He looked somewhat similar to Xiao He, but his entire body was in a sorry state, soaked in ice water and bound by ropes, kneeling not far away, shivering constantly.
Schi Lin and the others paid him no attention, but occasionally, He Ming Xuan's gaze would sweep over him, accompanied by a cold smile.
Ning He...
Just a servant following Xu Hongyu, yet she dared to oppose him everywhere. How will you handle this today?
Today's incident was also an accident. He had only accompanied Schi Lin to the pleasure boat for entertainment when he happened to meet Ning He's younger brother, Ning Yu. With a little trickery, Ning Yu fell into the trap and directly offended Schi Lin!
Although Ning He, supporting Xu Hongyu's authority, made it difficult for him to deal with, Ning He was still a member of the Ning family, not the Yu family.
Finally, the music stopped.
The door of the pleasure boat opened, and a figure walked in slowly. She had a slightly somber expression, wearing a simple gray casual outfit—it was Xu Hongyu's maid, Xiao He.
"Sister..."
Ning Yu, tied up by hemp ropes on the ground, saw Xiao He enter and felt ashamed. He lowered his head deeply and clenched his fists.
He knew he had caused trouble for Ning He.
He didn't even want Ning He to come to his rescue, but since she had already come, all he could do now was lower his head and not cause more trouble.
Xiao He's gaze quickly swept the room, noticing He Ming Xuan and her brother, Ning Yu, but she didn't linger. Her eyes finally settled on Schi Lin, and she stepped forward to bow.
"Your humble servant, Ning He, greets the Demon Slayer Bureau's Schi Lin."
(End of Chapter)
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