Cultivating in Different Professions

He secretly glanced at Su Mu. Seeing Su Mu’s calm expression, completely devoid of worry, he couldn’t help but feel a wave of emotion.

’A newborn calf truly doesn’t fear the tiger.’

’I wonder where his confidence comes from.’

’The Taiping Bureau? Or the Luo Family from the Inner City?’

While Yu Xiujiang’s mind raced, a constable quickly entered, handed him an invitation, and whispered a few words.

Yu Xiujiang waved the constable away, then walked over to Su Mu with the invitation in hand.

"Sir, the Ronghua Association’s leader, Ma Shuangcheng, has sent an invitation. He wishes to host a banquet for you at the Drunken Full House in three days."

Yu Xiujiang said, holding out the invitation.

"I’m not going. I don’t have time."

Su Mu didn’t reach for the invitation, simply stating his refusal coolly.

He now had the authority to refuse.

「

」

"He refused?"

Ma Shuangcheng’s brow furrowed. "Did you make it clear," he said in a low voice, "that it was I, Ma Shuangcheng, who was inviting him?"

"Leader, I made everything clear," the servant said with a pained smile.

’He actually dared to refuse me.’

Ma Shuangcheng muttered to himself, ’In the East City District, no one has ever dared to refuse me.’

’Young man, you have no idea what you’ve just turned down.’

He narrowed his eyes, a cold glint flashing within them.

"Starting tomorrow, cut off the East City Bureau’s supply of vegetables and meat."

Ma Shuangcheng said coldly.

It was a confirmed fact that Su Mu could fight, but not every problem had to be solved with violence.

The Ronghua Association controlled sixty percent of the grain, vegetable, and meat supplies in the East City District.

The remaining forty percent was in the hands of the Qingcha Sect.

However, the Qingcha Sect’s influence was mostly among the lower classes. Supplies for places like the East City Bureau had always been provided by businesses under the Ronghua Association.

With a single word from Ma Shuangcheng, the East City Government Office might have enough grain to last a few days, but their vegetables and meat would soon be completely gone.

’You think you’re so tough, Su Mu?’

’Let’s see if you can survive without eating or drinking!’

Ma Shuangcheng sneered inwardly. ’Su Mu, I’ll be waiting for you to come begging!’

「

」

When the Weapon Forging Shop was shut down, everyone thought it was the end.

But they didn’t know it was only the beginning.

In the days that followed, new shops were shut down almost daily.

If one were to trace their origins, they would find that all these shops had some connection, big or small, to the Inner City Hu Family.

During this process, aside from a few who put up a desperate struggle and were cut down by Su Mu on the spot...

...everyone else was obediently taken back to the East City Government Office.

After a few days, the jails of the East City Bureau were already overflowing with people.

After arresting the people, Su Mu neither interrogated nor killed them; he simply locked them up.

"Sir, we can’t arrest any more people. If this continues, our East City Bureau really won’t be able to feed them all."

One day, Yu Xiujiang came to Su Mu’s office, a grim look on his face as he spoke.

"What about the silver we confiscated?"

Su Mu asked, confused.

He hadn’t just arrested people; he had also seized the contents of their shops.

’It shouldn’t take that much silver to feed them.’

"It’s not a problem of silver."

Yu Xiujiang said, "The grain merchants in the East City District are refusing to sell grain, vegetables, or meat to the East City Bureau. The Government Office’s existing stock could have lasted a few more days, but with so many people locked in the cells... even giving them only one meal a day is..."

"We have silver but can’t buy anything. Is someone causing trouble?"

Su Mu understood immediately.

"It’s the Ronghua Association. It’s probably because you refused Ma Shuangcheng’s banquet invitation, Sir. That’s why he’s doing this."

Yu Xiujiang said cautiously, sneaking a glance at Su Mu. Seeing that Su Mu didn’t look angry, he quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

"Are there no other ways to buy food?"

Su Mu asked in a low voice.

"The rice, flour, grain, oil, meat, and vegetables in the East City District are basically all controlled by the Ronghua Association and the Qingcha Sect. However, the Qingcha Sect mainly supplies the common folk and has never done business with our East City Bureau before."

Yu Xiujiang continued, "Our large-scale arrests of criminals this time have also infringed upon some of the Qingcha Sect’s interests. At this point, it’s unlikely they’ll be willing to sell to us."

"Send Chen Song."

Su Mu said calmly.

A wry smile appeared on Yu Xiujiang’s face. ’Little Su Sima is as straightforward as ever.’

’His methods for solving problems are so direct.’

’These past few days, Chen Song’s methods have gotten dirtier and dirtier. It’s as if he’s grown a new brain; he’s become increasingly adept at all sorts of schemes.’

"Sir, we really can’t just arrest these people. It will affect the livelihood of the common folk and could easily incite a riot."

Yu Xiujiang advised.

Shutting down places like the Weapon Forging Shop or cosmetics shops was one thing; the impact was limited.

But grain and vegetables were matters of public livelihood. If they arrested the grain merchants and butchers, the people would have nothing to eat and would surely cause trouble.

If the Ronghua Association fanned the flames from behind the scenes, it would truly become a major incident.

Besides, after these past few days, the Ronghua Association must be aware of the East City Bureau’s tactics. They’re bound to be on their guard and won’t let Chen Song frame them so easily.

Su Mu thought for a moment and understood the logic.

He tapped his fingers on the desk, a pensive look on his face.

Just then, Zheng Wang hurried in from outside.

The East City Bureau had been very active these past few days, but the three men Su Mu had brought from South City seemed to have vanished. No one knew what they were up to.

Yu Xiujiang looked at the suddenly returned Zheng Wang with some confusion, curious about what he had been doing.

Zheng Wang hurried to Su Mu’s side and whispered something in his ear.

Yu Xiujiang pricked up his ears but only managed to catch a few words like "tea" and "place." He couldn’t make out what Zheng Wang had actually said.

"Minister Yu, you may go. Don’t worry about the food supply; I’ll figure out a way to resolve it."

After Zheng Wang finished speaking, Su Mu slowly said, "Also, help me compile a file on Ma Shuangcheng. The more detailed, the better."

"Didn’t he want to treat me to a meal?"

"Tell him, three days from now, at the Drunken Full House."

’Even if we’re going to have a meal, I’ll be the one to set the time and place.’

Yu Xiujiang acknowledged the order and left.

Only then did Su Mu turn to Zheng Wang. "Are you sure?"

"I’m sure! It was a coincidence. My wife has a cousin who’s now a disciple of the Qingcha Sect. He has a bit of status in the sect, which is how I was able to find this out."

Zheng Wang said in a low voice, "The Qingcha Sect is actually a branch of the Fragrance Sect. The reason they changed their name to Qingcha Sect was to act as a cover."

The Fragrance Sect was a notorious sect in Da Xuan. They once plotted a rebellion and were suppressed and wiped out by the Da Xuan Court’s army.

However, the Fragrance Sect was like a centipede that dies but never falls down; remnants of the sect often popped up all over Da Xuan, sometimes causing considerable trouble.

Su Mu hadn’t expected that the Qingcha Sect, entrenched in the East City District, was actually connected to the Fragrance Sect.

"Is there any evidence?"

Su Mu asked grimly.

"No."

Zheng Wang shook his head. "My wife’s cousin only happened to overhear a few stray words once."

"This kind of heretical sect hides itself extremely well. I’m afraid it will be very difficult to find any concrete evidence linking them to the Fragrance Sect."

Su Mu mused.

Without clear evidence, even if he reported it to the Inner City, the matter would likely just be dropped in the end.

The Qingcha Sect has been entrenched in the East City District for decades. The fact that they’ve never been exposed means they’ve hidden themselves well enough.

Su Mu didn’t think he could persuade the Inner City to exterminate the Qingcha Sect.

As for the East City Bureau itself, it currently lacked the ability to do so.

"Have you found the whereabouts of the Qingcha Sect’s Leader, Shi Ziran?"

Su Mu asked thoughtfully. He didn’t care if the Qingcha Sect was related to the Fragrance Sect or not, but the Qingcha Sect could not be allowed to cause chaos in East City. This was a point he needed to discuss with the Qingcha Sect’s Leader face-to-face.

"We have."

Zheng Wang nodded. "The Qingcha Sect Leader, Shi Ziran, has been living on Tea Mountain in the east of the city. He’s said to be in seclusion, practicing some kind of Cultivation Technique. It’s very likely he is much more powerful than the rumors claim."