Chapter 87: Spring Begins
Chapter 87: Spring Begins
He Guangzong's chest heaved with anger.
He Ming Xuan wasn't entirely useless among the He family's offspring. After all, he had stepped into the Sinew Transformation realm, which was why the He family had appointed him as the Deputy Magistrate of the Southern District, with the intention of grooming him to eventually take over as the Chief Magistrate.
If He Ming Xuan was merely a hedonistic individual, He Guangzong wouldn't have been so infuriated. After all, the He family was vast and influential, and a few more spoiled heirs wouldn't make much difference. They would still serve their purpose of expanding the family's influence.
"Fourth Uncle, I acted impulsively without much thought..." He Ming Xuan spoke softly after a moment of silence, his voice calm.
Hearing this, He Guangzong's anger subsided slightly. "Do you know where you went wrong?" he asked in a deep voice.
"I shouldn't have started a big fight over a mere maid," He Ming Xuan replied in a low voice.
"It seems you still don't understand," He Guangzong sighed. "If you wanted to kill Ning He, why go through such a big charade? Since you could lure her to the west, why not just kill her directly? Why involve Xue Lin?"
"Ning He is just a maid of Xu Hongyu. She's not Xu Hongyu herself. Even if I killed her, what difference would it make? You're afraid of Xu Hongyu causing trouble for you, but don't forget your surname is He!" He Guangzong coldly laughed. "When has the He family ever feared the Yu family?"
He Ming Xuan was slightly taken aback.
Yes, he had been cautious ever since Xu Hongyu arrived in the Southern District. It was because he wasn't her match, and he feared that Xu Hongyu would take drastic measures against him without hesitation.
If Xu Hongyu truly wanted to deal with him, the He family wouldn't just sit idly by. At most, it would be a conflict between the two families.
It was because he had always been wary of Xu Hongyu that he had resorted to various means and underhanded tactics. He had only wanted to force Xu Hongyu out of the Southern District, and even when she wasn't in the city for a long time, he still felt restrained when dealing with a mere maid.
Just as He Guangzong said, if he found Ning He too troublesome, he should have just eliminated her. The He family and the Yu family had been rivals for a long time, so why worry about Xu Hongyu? If anything, her taking drastic measures against him would give him a reason to force her out of the Southern District.
He had been intimidated by Xu Hongyu's disregard for reason, which was why he had always been cautious.
"I understand," He Ming Xuan nodded.
He Guangzong glanced at him and let out a soft sigh. Then, he turned to look at the corpses on the ground.
These well-trained martial artists with their refined muscle cultivation were precious assets to the He family. It took thousands of silver taels and many years to cultivate just one, and now dozens of them had died. It was a significant loss.
"Fourth Uncle, who are these people...?" He Ming Xuan approached, a hint of concern in his eyes.
He Guangzong slowly replied, "They were all killed by one person. The opponent has a formidable physique, at least at the Mastery level of Sinew Transformation, and possesses the Thousand Wind Intention Realm."
"The Thousand Wind Intention Realm?" He Ming Xuan was shocked, now understanding why dozens of skilled fighters had died.
He suddenly remembered something. "I heard that Zhang Lang was also killed by an Intention Realm master, and it was the Thousand Wind Intention Realm. Could it be the same person?"
"Most likely," He Guangzong nodded slightly, narrowing his eyes. "It was hard to say last time, but this time... it's definitely someone from the Yu family. However, we have no intelligence on when the Yu family gained such a figure."
Intention Realm masters were not common.
In Yu City, those who had mastered the Intention Realm were even fewer than those at the Bone Forging Realm, as not all at the Bone Forging level had attained an Intention Realm.
The Yu family had only a few known Intention Realm masters.
The sudden appearance of an unknown Intention Realm master made He Guangzong wary. However, the Yu family was a deep-rooted power, comparable to the He family, so it was normal for them to have hidden experts.
"Although we suffered significant losses, we can confirm that this unfamiliar Intention Realm master is from the Yu family or has a close connection with them. Their deaths are not entirely meaningless," He Guangzong said slowly. "In any case, I've sent word to the clan, and we will specifically investigate this person."
"Mmm," He Ming Xuan nodded, understanding the seriousness of the matter.
Compared to Ning He, or even Xu Hongyu, this sudden Intention Realm master was far more important.
If such a figure had remained hidden and suddenly launched an attack, it would have been extremely troublesome. But now that they were exposed, even without further information, the He family could at least prepare in advance and not be caught off guard, suffering a significant loss.
He Guangzong looked at He Ming Xuan and said in a deep voice, "Stay low for a while and don't cause any more trouble."
"Yes, Fourth Uncle," He Ming Xuan responded, bowing his head.
At the same time, he felt slightly relieved. It seemed that what he had done wasn't entirely foolish. Accidentally, they had discovered the existence of an unknown Intention Realm master from the Yu family.
...
Under the cover of night, Chen Mu's figure moved stealthily between the houses.
(End of Chapter 87)
Chen Mu followed Xiao He and Ning Yu from a distance, only stopping outside when he saw them enter the City Guard Headquarters.
"I wonder if Xiao He recognized me."
Chen Mu shook his head slightly.
Given his understanding of Xiao He, she most likely did recognize him, but she might pretend otherwise. After all, Xiao He was intelligent and sensible, and in the darkness of the night, it would have been difficult to identify him.
With their entry into the City Guard Headquarters, they were now completely safe, and Chen Mu finally felt at ease.
Xiao He's previous condition had been peculiar, with her qi and blood surging unsteadily, as if she had consumed some kind of powerful tonic, and in excess. It seemed that something had happened on the pleasure boat, but ultimately, it was more of a scare than actual danger.
But as for He Mingxuan...
A chill ran through Chen Mu's heart as various incidents converged in his mind, and he now considered He Mingxuan as good as dead.
If not for He Mingxuan being a direct descendant of the He family and the Deputy Magistrate of the Southern District, with significant connections, he would have ended up like Zhang Lang, a lifeless corpse.
"I've already used the Thousand Wind Intention twice."
"This identity has likely caught the attention of various families."
"But the next time I take action, it won't be with the Thousand Wind Intention."
Chen Mu's figure slowly vanished into the darkness.
...
"Brother Mu, you're back!"
"Master."
Chen Mu quietly returned to the backyard, where the lamps were still lit. As soon as he arrived, Wang Ni and Ku Er Le Er came out to greet him.
The little maids were well-behaved and didn't ask about Chen Mu's activities outside. Some helped him remove his outer garments, while others fetched water pitchers and basins for him to wash up.
When Wang Ni helped Chen Mu undress, Xiao Qiong's nose twitched slightly, detecting a faint scent of blood. Following the source, she found a trace of blood on Chen Mu's cloak and silently took it outside to clean.
Chen Mu sat between Ku Er and Le Er, who helped him remove his shoes and placed them in the basin. He couldn't help but sigh, thinking, 'What a decadent life.'
In truth, when he first arrived in this world, his goals were modest—he only wanted to change the fate of low-ranking officials, ensure his sister Chen Yue had enough to eat and wear, and have a peaceful home. But with the acquisition of the system interface and his persistent efforts, his strength and status steadily rose, and his goals gradually expanded beyond mere survival and enjoyment.
He now sought to establish himself in Yu City, to have a place of his own, and to live without relying on others.
And today, that goal was within reach.
After enjoying the service of the maids, Chen Mu sent them back to the side room to rest. He then took out the Thunder Rumble Diagram and sat cross-legged on the bed, continuing to study it intently.
...
Time flew by.
In the blink of an eye, more than a month had passed since the incident with Xiao He. The entire Southern District had once again become peaceful, and even He Mingxuan had remained uneventful during this period.
The remaining snow had completely melted, and spring had finally arrived, bringing with it a gradual increase in warmth. Some people had even stopped wearing their cotton-padded jackets.
Early in the morning, Chen Mu finished his meal and returned to his bedroom instead of going to the City Guard Office. He took out the Thunder Rumble Diagram and continued his contemplation.
After a month of studying the diagram, his experience points had soared, and he was now just one point away from reaching ten thousand. By noon today, he would complete this task, so he set aside all other matters.
Mastering multiple Intentions, while not as impressive as reaching the second level in a single Intention, was still far more powerful than having just one.
In fact, in all of Yu City, there were very few individuals who could reach the second level in any Intention, let alone those who could comprehend multiple Intentions. In this county, such individuals were extremely rare.
Chen Mu had been studying the Thunder Rumble Diagram for nearly three months now, and while it seemed like he was merely accumulating experience points on the system interface, he had also gained a certain level of understanding of the 'Thunder Rumble Lineage'. For instance, he had already grasped two types of Power Forms under Thunder Rumble, both of which he had derived from the diagram.
He named these two Power Forms 'Vibration' and 'Resonance'.
If he were to carefully research and deduce, he could use these two Power Forms as a foundation to extrapolate two types of swordsmanship or swordsmanship techniques from the Thunder Rumble Lineage.
However, for Chen Mu, who had already comprehended Intentions, there was no need to deduce swordsmanship or swordsmanship techniques. He didn't need to teach disciples or open a martial arts academy either, as he had no interest in doing so.
It must be said that after comprehending Intentions, one stood at a different level.
Although he had not comprehended the Thunder Rumble Intention, he still found it relatively easy to perceive Power Forms from the Thunder Rumble Diagram. Without reaching this level of comprehension, understanding Power Forms would not have been an easy task.
Chen Mu sat cross-legged, motionless, until the sun was high in the sky.
"It should be enough."
He glanced at the sun outside the window, gradually gathered his thoughts, and then summoned the system interface.
[Martial Dao: Thunder Rumble Intention (Uncomprehended)]
[Experience: 10,002 points]
[Available Deductions: 0 times]
As Chen Mu's thoughts moved, the accumulated ten thousand experience points disappeared, and the available deductions changed from 0 to 1.
Chapter end
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