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    Bang!

    The window shattered.

    Zong Tai burst forth with splinters of broken wood, breaking through the window.

    Midair, he tapped the ground with his Soul-Calming Stake.

    In an instant, he twisted his waist, turning his body while still in the air.

    Pfft!

    His feet, like iron nails, plunged into the soil.

    Bang!

    The solid, hard ground, like a crushed biscuit, burst apart, dirt flying everywhere.

    Zong Tai solemnly stared at the figure following closely behind, holding a dagger, with long hair cascading over their shoulders.

    Damn! He had found the wrong person!

    "Friend, hold on, don''t make a move—there''s been a misunderstanding!" Zong Tai hastily called out.

    Chen Mu''s eyebrows furrowed deeply.

    A librarian? A misunderstanding?

    They haven''t discovered my affair yet?!

    Luckily!

    He needed to mislead this person first, but he couldn''t compromise too soon. Chen Mu pretended to be grim, "You don''t look like you''re acting on a misunderstanding!"

    Zong Tai took a deep breath, knowing that if the other party was still talking, there was room for negotiation.

    "It really is a misunderstanding!"

    "I still have two drops of Hall-illuminating Red on me as compensation, how about that?"

    "Friend, you might not know, but Hall-illuminating Red is the essence of the Dragon Transformation Pill, one drop is worth thirty pills!"

    Hall-illuminating Red? Chen Mu''s brow quirked, feigning desire and hesitation, then greedily spoke, "Not enough!"

    "I also have a silver note worth three thousand Silver Pieces. If you''re still unsatisfied, I will go back and get you more," Zong Tai hurriedly said.

    "Forget it, let''s just leave it at that!" Chen Mu pretended to be reluctantly agreeable.

    "Thank you for your understanding, my friend!" Zong Tai sighed in relief and slowly straightened up.

    He gestured with his hand for Chen Mu to be patient, then slowly took out a white porcelain bottle from his bosom and threw it to Chen Mu.

    "Friend, catch."

    Chen Mu couldn''t help but fix his gaze on the porcelain bottle. Was that where the Hall-illuminating Red was? He had never seen Hall-illuminating Red in its complete form before.

    Woo...

    Suddenly, a low whooshing sound rushed into his ears.

    The Soul-Calming Stake, wrapped in a fierce wind, smashed harshly toward Chen Mu''s head.

    Zong Tai was midair, unable to contain his laughter.

    Was there such a naive person in the Jianghu?!

    Negotiate peace?

    "Ha!"

    The Soul-Calming Stake, though late to start, almost instantly appeared above Chen Mu''s head.

    In the blink of an eye, as if time stood still, Chen Mu slowly looked up, indifferently watching Zong Tai.

    Then, he quietly stepped back.

    The Soul-Calming Stake brushed past the tip of Chen Mu''s nose.

    Hisss!

    The gust of wind tore a small cut across the tip of his nose.

    "What a disappointing world."

    "The most basic trust between people has completely vanished."

    With a forlorn expression, Chen Mu tightened his left hand, silently hiding away the Iron Lotus Seeds he had been about to throw a moment before.

    "I truly wanted to reconcile with this world. Really!"

    "But the world keeps repaying me with malice!"

    Chen Mu''s expression contorted with resentment.

    "I can only fight evil with evil!"

    Hum!

    A net-like Soul Strength quickly surfaced on his right arm.

    The mighty power bestowed by the six types of Shape Cultivation Technique surged forth.

    Underneath the skin, the muscles writhed as if a dragon was turning over, rapidly bulging and rising.

    "Something hasn''t happened to him, has it?" Jia Xiang couldn''t help but turn pale.

    Lately, Second Brother''s luck hadn''t been very good.

    "Big Brother, I''ll go have a look!" Jia Xiang suddenly stood up.

    Chao Fang gave a somber nod.

    The others set down their wine cups, daring not to say more, and the atmosphere sank into a lull.

    A quarter of an hour later, Jia Xiang stormed back into the room.

    "Big Brother, the item was taken, but... there''s no one!"

    Chao Fang''s expression turned grim in an instant.

    He immediately took out a bright yellow scroll, about the length of a forearm, from his chest.

    The scroll was neither paper nor silk, but soft and resilient.

    Chao Fang pulled it open fiercely, and a line of quail egg-sized, archaic characters jumped into view—Thousand Mountains Scripture: Cultivating Dark Tactic.

    Behind the title was a blank space, large enough for two palms, with symmetrical borders drawn around it, comprising straight lines, cloud patterns, and flame designs.

    Chao Fang hurriedly took out a white porcelain bottle.

    He uncorked it and poured all of the bright red liquid inside onto the blank area, then quickly began muttering a Curse.

    In just fifteen breaths, the walnut-sized bright red liquid boiled and frothed, seeping into the bright yellow fabric.

    Thirteen spots quickly materialized in the blank space.

    One black spot the size of a peanut sat in the center, with eleven red spots the size of soybeans clustered around it.

    Another red spot stood isolated, slowly moving to the right.

    Chao Fang released a sigh of relief, then said grimly, "Follow me! I want to see what Second Brother is up to in the North Market right now..."

    Crack!

    The porcelain bottle in Chao Fang''s hand was suddenly crushed, and he glared at the bright yellow fabric, his complexion extremely ugly.

    The moving red spot that had just been there was gone!

    The Soul-Calming Stake... one was missing!

    ...

    North Market, a street full of medicinal shops.

    At the end of the street lay an inconspicuous little pharmacy named Hesheng Hall.

    The night was deep and quiet, the apprentices and clerks in the front hall had gone home.

    However, the room in the back courtyard was still brightly lit.

    Jie Jia was wiping down the tables and chairs meticulously with a white handkerchief.

    Having just brewed some tea, Jie Jia placed it at hand and solemnly took out a bulky fist-sized cloth bag from his bosom.

    Gingerly loosening the bag''s drawstring, he poured out a heap of Silver Pieces with a clatter.

    He then started to roll the silver into beads, one by one.

    While rolling, his hands suddenly paused, and then as if nothing happened, he continued rolling before speaking in an indifferent tone, "Are you coming down yourself, or should I knock you down?"

    The rooftiles gently clinked.

    Creak.

    The door opened, and Chen Mu walked into the room with a cheeky grin.

    "I reckon you didn''t get your fill this afternoon, how about we grab a midnight snack?"

    Jie Jia''s bright yellow pupils moved as he stared at Chen Mu without saying a word.

    Chen Mu: "..."

    "How about this? I''ll stay here for a while, what do you say?"

    "Who have you offended now?!" Jie Jia''s eyelids involuntarily lifted slightly.

    "I''m as honest and upright as they come, who could I have possibly offended?" Chen Mu rolled his eyes.

    Jie Jia watched Chen Mu, his eyelids rising even further: "Okay."

    Chen Mu immediately let out a long sigh of relief.

    "Twenty silver notes... a day." Jie Jia stretched out two fingers.

    "Why don''t you just rob me!" The old man was taking advantage!×

    "Robbing isn''t as profitable as taking your money." Jie Jia replied languidly.

    "Aren''t you afraid I''ll just turn around and leave?" Chen Mu argued back.

    Suddenly, a messy sound of horses'' neighing emerged from outside.

    Calls and hollers could faintly be heard, seemingly in search of someone.

    Chen Mu''s face twitched.

    Jie Jia grinned: "Heh heh..."

    Chen Mu: "..."