章 10: Chapter 9 Peace and Stability
About a moment later.
Several shadows appeared at the entrance of the alley, looking at the Black Snake Gang Branch Leader lying in a pool of blood, they fell into a silent, ponderous hush.
Someone crouched down to examine the wound and whispered, "Traceless as the wind... this seems to be the Blade Technique of the Xun Wind lineage from the Qian Heaven Kun Earth eight styles. Judging by the force and accuracy, at least a Major Achievement level practitioner is behind this, and we don't have such a person in our gang."
Rising to his feet, he addressed another person, "Branch Leader Qu, shall we investigate this?"
The man referred to as the 'Branch Leader' contemplated the corpse before him for a moment, then shook his head and said, "A Blade Technique of Major Achievement... Let it be, it's better not to meddle in more affairs. After all, the man's already dead, and we can report this and be done with it."
In these chaotic times, if the assailant had been some minor figure who had gotten lucky, it might indeed require some looking into, but if they had encountered someone of Major Achievement in Blade Technique, then there was no need for further entanglement.
After all, someone who achieved Major Achievement in Blade Technique could either be a Branch Leader of a gang, a Protector martial master of some power, or even a Head Constable of the City Defense Division; without any cause for enmity, they saw no reason to provoke such an individual.
It was just that they didn't know who this person was.
…
Chen Mu quickly returned home and shut the door behind him.
Chen Yue looked at Chen Mu, who had rushed into the house without saying a word. She sniffed lightly, catching a faint scent of blood, and with a thoughtful expression in her large eyes, she quietly followed him inside and asked quietly,
"What's wrong, Brother?"
"I ran into a bit of trouble, but it's fine now."
Once Chen Mu secured the door and listened intently for a while, his mind finally calmed down.
Feeling the Silver and gold leaves, nearly seventy or eighty taels worth, hidden in his pocket—-a fortune that a common family couldn't earn in a lifetime. In these troubled times, many were driven to sell themselves into servitude out of sheer desperation. Often, the life of a girl of eight or nine could be worth less than ten taels of Silver, and the price for males was even cheaper.
With fifty taels of Silver, one could afford to buy a small courtyard in the more tranquil area of Ninth District, close to the City Defense Division. Normally, only the likes of tavern and pawnshop owners, small gang leaders, or Head Constables could afford to live there.
To say that suddenly coming into such an amount of money didn't stir his heart would be impossible.
But Chen Mu was different from his past self now. His Mastery of the Blade Technique and strength provided him confidence and composure, allowing him to hold onto such a sum without being overwhelmed by the urge to splurge, instead analyzing his situation calmly first.
"He tried to kill me, and I killed him in self-defense. It's only natural. Even if they track it back to me, it doesn't matter. Besides, others may not even know he was carrying such a large sum of money... And even if they do find out and come for me, it's not an issue. With my current abilities, I can handle trouble over seventy or eighty taels of Silver."
If he were just a common low-level officer who had stumbled upon this fortune, keeping it would be incredibly risky. If discovered, not only would he be forced to surrender the money, but he could also face plenty of other troubles, perhaps even consider giving most of it to a higher-ranking Constable for protection.
But now, it was different.
He possessed Mastery of the Blade Technique, enough to be a Branch Leader in a gang, or qualified to be a Patrol Head Candidate in the City Defense Division. A mere seventy or eighty taels of Silver were well within his ability to manage.
And importantly, it was the other party who attempted to kill him first, and he killed in self-defense. Morally, logically, and in terms of brute force, his actions were justifiable.
With that in mind, Chen Mu felt even more at peace.
"This money is enough for me to move Yue'er to a better house. Our lives will improve significantly in the future. However, it's best not to attract too much attention for now. I need to keep a low profile and see how things unfold. I made sure there was no one around when I killed him, and nobody knows of my true strength. They only think of me as an ordinary constable, so it's unlikely they will suspect me. It's better to avoid unnecessary trouble."
He had lived in this old house since arriving in this world. Its condition had deteriorated over the years, lacking windows and occasionally leaking rain. He had always dreamed of moving Chen Yue to a better place should he ever come into fortune, and now the opportunity had finally arrived.
But to avoid trouble, it would be better to wait a while longer.
As for their daily sustenance, which would not be noticed if improved at home—-they could afford to live more comfortably. Now, he could ensure the little girl ate meals with rice, flour, and meat regularly while he himself could eat better to strengthen his physique and health.
While Chen Mu was contemplating all this, Chen Yue walked around him, and finally, beside the hem of his garment, she discovered some blood that had not yet dried.
Her gaze paused slightly, but she said nothing. Instead, she turned back and playfully sniffed at Chen Mu with feigned innocence, saying, "Brother, there's a smell on you. Take off your robe; I'll wash it for you."
"Okay."
Caught up in his thoughts, Chen Mu didn't notice Chen Yue's actions and casually took off his servant's robe, handing it to her.
Chen Yue then ran off to the woodshed with the robe.
As Chen Mu was thinking back on the dangerous encounter in the alley, he touched the blade of his Servant's Knife and murmured, "I indeed possess some strength now. That Branch Leader of the Black Snake Gang was considered skillful, and yet he didn't last many rounds against me. Granted, he was severely wounded and his Blade Technique was scattered and weak, but it was also due to the power and refinement of my Raging Wind Blade Technique. The 'Major Achievement' forcibly boosted by the system is, in a sense, perhaps purer than the Major Achievement recognized by the outside world."
Chen Mu had always considered whether the system's evaluation of Blade Technique at Major Achievement corresponded with the broader assessment made by the outside world. Now, it seemed that the system's standards were likely higher than those of the outside.
That is to say, his mastery of the Blade Technique was more solid than the average person.
Upon this thought, Chen Mu became even more eager to see what it would be like once he achieved Perfection with his blade technique and unleashed a strand of the Raging Wind Blade Momentum. He wondered how much his blade technique would improve and into what kind of formidable expert he would transform.
Perhaps in the whole of Yu City, he might not amount to much, but in the Ninth District of the Outer City, there would probably be few who could best him.
Practice the blade!
Chen Mu exhaled, drew his Servant's Knife, and glanced at it, noticing some bloodstains. He promptly cleaned off the blood, then began his daily cultivation at dusk.
...
The night passed without incident.
Chen Yue, as usual, washed clothes for Chen Mu, cooked meals, and at bedtime, as always, clung to Chen Mu asking for stories. She fell asleep amidst the tall tales of bizarre and supernatural stories he conjured up.
During the night, Chen Mu did not sleep soundly, faintly hearing some noises outside, but it was only the passing footsteps of people. No one paid any attention to the small house he lived in, nor did they care about a City Defense Division constable residing inside.
By daybreak,
Chen Mu also breathed a sigh of relief, basically certain that nothing was amiss, and then went about his day as usual, exchanging his duty plaque at the City Defense Division.
As it happened, when he was at the City Defense Division to exchange his plaque and patrolling with Liu Song, Li Tie, and the others, they passed the alley from last night and saw a corpse lying there, almost untouched. It seemed like the Red Gold Gang hadn't done much.
"Eh, this guy seems to be an incense master of the Black Snake Gang."
Liu Song looked at the body with a slight surprise, then approached and searched the body, but found nothing. He spat out in discontent, "Tsk, it's been cleaned out completely, not a single coin left."
Had it been in the past, he would not have dared to casually spit on an incense master of the Black Snake Gang, even if it were just a corpse, but nowadays, the Black Snake Gang was on its last legs, with almost all its incense masters and gang leaders nearly wiped out, and its former glory long gone.
Chen Mu remained silent and, together with Liu Song and the others, picked up the body and took it outside the city to be discarded at Mass Burial Mound.
"Looks like the Black Snake Gang won't survive this."
On the way back, Liu Song sighed, "That's how it is with gangs, always fighting and killing, never knowing when one's head might be lost. Sure, you can make some Silver, but you never know when your time's up. It's nothing compared to our peace as patrolmen, though we may not have many chances to make money or get ahead, at least our lives are more peaceful."
Li Tie said, "I have a distant cousin who also joined a gang. For the first few years, he fought bravely and earned a good deal of Silver, but then one day he just never came back, neither alive nor dead. In my opinion, it's better to have a steady job as a patrolman than to live on the edge, right Chen Er?"
He looked at Chen Mu with a smiling face.
Liu Song laughed and patted Chen Mu on the shoulder, saying, "You're not married yet, are you? When we get a chance, I'll look into a match for you, so you can settle down and live a steady life."
"No hurry, no hurry,"
Chen Mu chuckled.
Liu Song winked at Chen Mu, "What's the rush? You've probably never...hmm, you know, never experienced that pleasure. How about today, I take you out for some fun?"
Li Tie burst into laughter upon hearing this and said, "Old Liu, you sure are bold. I have to go and talk to your wife about this."
Liu Song discontentedly said, "I'm kindly making arrangements for Chen Er, what are you adding to the chaos for? Come on, you dare mess with me, I'll reveal that time you got drunk and pulled down the widow's pants in the west side of town."
"You wouldn't dare!"
Li Tie's eyes bulged, then he looked around guiltily.
Chen Mu simply smiled at Liu Song and Li Tie's bickering. Before he had no Silver to visit places of pleasure, and now, though he had the Silver, he had more important things to do; he didn't want to delay his blade practice for even a moment.
If he could achieve Perfection with the Raging Wind Blade Technique sooner, he would have a much stronger foundation. Everything that needed to come would come in time. There was no need to rush.
The situation unfolded just as Chen Mu had anticipated.
The Black Snake Gang was swiftly crushed by the Red Gold Gang and vanished completely within days and nights, with not a single gang member in sight anymore. The power that gradually took control of this large area of streets and alleys shifted from the Black Snake Gang to the newly rising Red Gold Gang.
Throughout this process, the death of that incense master didn't cause the slightest ripple; no one even looked for him, and the incident was hardly mentioned, just like any beggar who dies in the gutter, unnoticed.
Chen Mu continued to act with caution, not using the money to make any significant changes like moving to a new house. Instead, on a daily basis, he bought more rice, flour, and dried meat to improve the family's diet. He also got Chen Yue a new cotton-padded coat, delighting the little girl so much she could have jumped onto the roof beams.
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