8mi Chapter 48 Offering
Chapter 48 Offering
The second day of the ten-day period.
Lin Mu arrived at the Palace Guard at 3:45 AM as usual.
The lights were already on in the side rooms of the west courtyard.
He pushed open the door and went in. Surprisingly, Zhao Rong was not bent over the desk copying, but standing by the window, holding a teacup in his hand, with a smile that he could not suppress on his lips.
"Lord Zhao is in a good mood today."
Zhao Rong turned around, looked him up and down, and his smile deepened.
"Chen Kui is dead."
Lin Mu hummed in agreement.
He died last night in the bamboo forest east of the city.
Zhao Rong said meaningfully, "His death was similar to that of his three hall masters—his meridians were severed."
"The last hidden strength of the Wind Riding Gang is gone just like that."
Seeing that he didn't respond, Zhao Rong wasn't in a hurry and continued, "Yesterday, the Zhao family's Grandmaster of the Transformation Realm rushed back from out of town, intending to personally deal with Chen Kui."
"When we got to the side courtyard, the person had already run away."
He followed the trail all the way to the bamboo forest in the east of the city.
He paused, a hint of amusement in his voice, "And guess what?"
"When he arrived, Chen Kui was already lying on the ground, a bamboo stalk piercing his chest, and the blood was still warm."
"What is Lord Zhao trying to say?"
"Then the Zhao family's retainer saw the eagle head lift his mask, revealing his true face."
Lin Mu's hand, which was dipping in ink, froze in mid-air.
He raised his eyes and met Zhao Rong's gaze.
The air in the room was quiet for a moment, with only the candlelight flickering slightly.
Seeing that he leaned back slightly in a somewhat wary manner, Zhao Rong unconsciously softened his tone: "No need to be nervous."
"The Zhao family has good intentions towards you."
"I'll keep it a secret for you."
He extended two fingers and tapped them lightly on the table.
"He told me about this last night after returning from the offering ceremony, and my brother immediately gathered the clansmen to go to the Wind Riding Gang."
"With the Wind Riding Gang leaderless, the Ming Jin Gang members either scattered or fled, and those who remained were all absorbed by the Zhao family."
Zhao Rong slammed the teacup down on the table, his tone revealing a rare air of boldness.
"My brother said that the Zhao family's business has recovered to its peak, or even slightly surpassed it, because now the territory of the Yufeng Gang is also ours."
"The gambling dens, restaurants, medicine shops, and even their warehouses on the outskirts of the inner city all had their signs replaced with Zhao's yesterday."
Zhao Rong stood up, walked to the bookshelf, took down a wooden box from the top shelf, and placed it in front of Lin Mu.
The wooden box was small, made of ebony, with its edges polished smooth and shiny, clearly an old item that had been used for many years.
"My brother said," Zhao Rong opened the wooden box, inside which were three porcelain bottles stacked side by side, each labeled "Qi and Blood Pills," and a bulging purse, "that if you're willing, the Zhao family will treat you with the same respect and devotion."
He pushed the wooden box toward Lin Mu.
"Twenty taels of silver per month, and three Qi and Blood Pills per month."
Lin Mu looked down at the three porcelain vases.
The Qi and Blood Pill costs at least ten taels per pill, so three pills would cost thirty taels, more than a month's salary.
He considered it for a moment, and finally accepted it.
"Now that you have become a retainer of the Zhao family, come to our residence for a chat."
After Zhao Rong finished speaking, he pulled Lin Mu toward the Zhao family's old house.
The Zhao family's old residence is located two alleys away to the east of Dianqiansi.
Lin Mu followed Zhao Rong through a narrow alley and stopped in front of a black lacquered wooden door.
The gate was small, without stone lions or plaques, only a palm-sized bronze plaque nailed to the lintel with the character "Zhao" engraved on it.
If an unsuspecting passerby were to walk by, they would most likely assume that this is the back door of an ordinary household.
Zhao Rong pushed open the door and went inside; the courtyard was much deeper than he had imagined.
The three-courtyard mansion has old elm wood pillars with some peeling paint, but they are kept clean.
Passing through the moon gate, the backyard suddenly opened up into a bright and spacious area.
A flat loess field with wooden dummy and stone weights standing in the corner, clearly used for martial arts training.
A middle-aged man stood in the center of the field with his back to them, holding a long knife in his hand, the blade gleaming coldly in the sunlight.
He heard footsteps and turned around.
The man was in his early forties, not very tall, but with extremely broad shoulders, standing there like a door panel.
He had a square face, a short beard, high brow bones, and deep-set eyes that, though small, were extremely bright. He wore a short, gray cloth coat with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, revealing veins on his forearms that bulged like earthworms.
"Big brother." Zhao Rong nodded to him, stepping aside to let Lin Mu pass. "This is Lin Mu."
Zhao Hu inserted his long sword into the weapon rack, and the blade hummed.
"Hidden strength?"
"It was a recent breakthrough."
Zhao Hu didn't say anything, but suddenly pushed off the ground with his left foot, lunged forward, and slapped straight at Lin Mu's chest with his right palm.
The sharp whistling sound of the palm strike piercing the air exploded in the courtyard, and the sand on the loess field was swirled up and hit the wooden dummy not far away, making a crackling sound.
Transform the force.
The fist comes before the mind.
Lin Mu's pupils contracted slightly, and his body-tempering technique activated instantly. Dark energy surged from his dantian, and his will guided it to spread evenly across his body.
Zhao Hu slapped his chest with his right palm.
"Bang—"
A muffled thud, like the beating of a drum.
Two thin cracks appeared in the yellow earth beneath Lin Mu's feet, and he swayed, taking half a step back.
"Good lad! You actually managed to withstand one of my palm strikes. No wonder you were able to take down four hall masters, and even throw Chen Kui in as a bonus."
"Did my second brother tell you about the offerings?"
"Twenty taels of silver per month, and three Qi and Blood Pills."
"Now that you've become a retainer of the Zhao family, there are some things I won't hide from you."
"for example?"
"Yu Mubai".
"He has peacock blood, is proud and arrogant, and has reached the Transformation Realm cultivation level."
"On the surface, he is the chief instructor of the Palace Guard, but in reality, he is responsible for recruiting geniuses and prodigies from all over the world for the Xuanmen sect."
"As long as you're in Heyuan County, you'll have to deal with him sooner or later."
"Will he lay a hand on me?"
"Not openly," Zhao Hu shook his head. "Duanmu Hong is stationed in Heyuan County, at the Core Formation Realm. No matter how bold Yu Mubai is, he wouldn't dare to attack the Zhao family's retainer within the inner city. But once you leave the inner city, it's hard to say."
He paused, then added, "Furthermore, Yu Mubai and Ling Feng have a very close relationship. Although Ling Feng is only at the early stage of the Transformation Realm, he has the bloodline of the Snake King and is ruthless and vicious. This time, the Xuanmen meeting has trapped Ling Feng in Maple Forest Town, and he can't return for the time being, but he will come back sooner or later."
"There's one more person you need to watch out for—Yan Hua."
"Great Demon Bloodline".
"Yan Hua's physical constitution ranks among the top three in Heyuan County's internal strength training."
"You think he's staying at Changfeng Martial Arts School because he's grateful to his master? He's doing it for the Zou family's body-forging techniques."
"Body Tempering Technique is hailed as the unparalleled martial art within its realm." Zhao Hu gestured with his finger on the stone table, indicating the name. "Starting from the Dark Force stage, the practitioner can attach a layer of energy to their body, containing the Dark Force of their trained fist techniques. Once someone strikes this layer, not only will they not be harmed, but the Dark Force will also be triggered to counterattack. It's like you stand still, and the person attacking you will be killed by the shockwave. If Yan Hua masters Body Tempering Technique after reaching the Transformation Realm, coupled with the bloodline of a great demon—there won't be many people in Heyuan County who can subdue him."