Cultivating in Different Professions

Otherwise, the City Lord’s Mansion would never have allowed our Sect Leader to establish a foothold in Wuling City. Don’t you agree, Little Su?"

"So, our Sect Leader established the Qingcha Sect merely to help our poor brothers get a bite to eat. He never intended to rebel or cause chaos. On this point, I hope you can rest assured, Little Su."

Zhou Yin continued, "To show our sincerity, I’ve brought something special with me."

Su Mu remained noncommittal.

Zhou Yin cleared his throat. "Young Lord Su, if you would please step outside."

After a long moment, Su Mu slowly nodded, rose, and walked out the door.

Zhou Yin was secretly amazed. ’This Little Su projects such an intense, oppressive aura. He even felt as if he were facing the Sect Leader.’

’To have cultivated such an imposing presence at his young age... A prodigy is a prodigy. Ordinary people simply can’t compare.’

Outside the South City Government Office, a dozen or so hand-pushed wheelbarrows were parked. A person stood behind each one, pushing it.

On each wheelbarrow sat two large baskets, one on the left and one on the right. They were covered with white cloths, obscuring their contents.

Zhou Yin walked up to one of the wheelbarrows and lifted the white cloth.

Inside were heads of cabbage and large cuts of fresh meat.

"Little Su, this is the sincerity of our Qingcha Sect," Zhou Yin said.

The Ronghua Association’s actions against the East City Bureau were, naturally, no secret to the Qingcha Sect.

Knowing the East City Government Office was short on food, they had actually delivered grain and vegetables right to its doorstep.

Staring at the cartloads of supplies, Yu Xiujiang couldn’t help but swallow hard.

With these supplies, the East City Bureau would no longer have to worry about going hungry.

He stole a glance at Su Mu, then at Zhou Yin, unable to understand why the Qingcha Sect was doing this.

’Shouldn’t the Qingcha Sect prefer to see the East City Bureau and the Ronghua Association fight to the death?’

’Why were they helping the East City Bureau?’

"Young Lord Su, our Qingcha Sect is just a group of pitiful people who have gathered together to feed themselves. We have never thought of opposing the Government Office. Young Lord Su, please see our true intentions," Zhou Yin said, cupping his hands.

Su Mu looked at him. Zhou Yin’s face was a mask of sincerity.

Frankly, Su Mu didn’t believe a single word Zhou Yin said.

But he wasn’t about to refuse supplies that were delivered right to his door.

"I accept your sincerity."

Su Mu spoke slowly, "In three days, I will host a banquet at the Drunken Full House to thank your esteemed sect for this kindness."

He raised his hand and pointed at the supplies. "At that time, please have Sect Leader Shi and Vice Sect Master Zhou honor me with their presence."

A flash of surprise crossed Zhou Yin’s face. He pondered for a moment before finally nodding.

"The Gang Leader and I will be there on time."

...

The moon hung high in the sky.

A shadowy figure silently appeared outside the Inner City walls.

Looking toward the East City District, he crossed the moat in a single stride.

Just then, a subtle fragrance suddenly filled the air.

Immediately after, a silk ribbon shot out from a dark alley, reaching the figure in an instant.

The figure snorted coldly and raised a hand.

BANG!

Amidst the sound of releasing inner energy, the ribbon shot back, and the figure slowly retracted its arm.

"Hu Dazhen, Elder Hu, please turn back."

A woman’s voice drifted from the alley. It seemed she was deliberately altering her voice, making it sound slightly awkward.

"You intend to stop me?"

Hu Dazhen looked at the figure emerging from the alley.

Though her face was covered by a black veil and her figure hidden by a wide black robe, she still exuded an air of peerless beauty.

"You cannot stop me," Hu Dazhen said coldly.

As a master of the Blood Transformation Realm, his strength had not waned despite his eighty-six years. On the contrary, the older he got, the more profound his martial skills became.

Although he had not yet comprehended a Domain, he had mastered three types of Momentum. His strength was considered top-tier even within the Inner City’s Hu Family.

’A mere slip of a girl thinks she can stop me?’

"Elder Hu is welcome to try," the woman said, the subtle fragrance emanating from her seeming to grow stronger.

A silk ribbon, as if alive, coiled and danced nimbly around her.

"Just flashy tricks!"

Hu Dazhen snorted, took a step forward, and formed a blade with his hand, slashing out horizontally with his palm.

SWISH! The ribbon coiled around his attack like a nimble snake.

Under the moonlight, the two instantly clashed.

Muffled thuds from the collision of their energies echoed continuously. The two seemed to have a tacit understanding, both deliberately controlling the noise, unwilling to attract attention.

A moment later, the two figures broke apart after a single exchange.

Hu Dazhen stumbled back several steps before steadying himself, his arm aching and numb.

The woman opposite him floated back ten feet, the silk ribbon having already vanished from sight.

"Elder Hu, if you turn back now, this will be the end of it. If you insist on going forward, I’m afraid you will die," the woman said.

Hu Dazhen’s eyes flickered, his pupils filled with vigilance and gravity.

"Who in the world are you?" Hu Dazhen said coldly.

"Who I am is not important. What’s important is this: no one from the Hu Family at the Blood Transformation Realm is to set foot in East City," the woman said in a low voice.

"Why must your Fragrance Sect oppose my Hu Family?"

A flash of anger crossed Hu Dazhen’s face, but he suppressed it and growled.

"You don’t need to know why," the woman said.

Hu Dazhen hesitated, then snorted coldly. "Very well. I will remember what happened today. But this matter is far from over!"

With that, he turned, crossed the Inner City moat, and leaped up the city wall, disappearing toward the Inner City.

Only after Hu Dazhen had completely disappeared did the woman stagger, spitting out a mouthful of blood that dyed her black veil red.

In the end, she was still slightly weaker than Hu Dazhen.

"Young Miss—"

An old man flickered into view, supporting the woman with a worried expression.

"Was it worth it? If you make a move and attract the attention of the wrong people, exposing your identity... the consequences would be unimaginable," the old man sighed.

"It’s not a matter of whether it’s worth it, only whether I’m willing," the woman murmured, her voice soft and melodious now.

"Even if we had to act, you could have let this old slave do it."

The old man said with a hint of resignation, "There was no need for you to act personally, Young Miss. If this old slave had acted, Hu Dazhen would not have escaped."

"If I act, the Hu Family won’t be able to gauge my true strength. They’ll just be suspicious and paranoid," the woman shook her head and said, "Uncle Shi, if you had acted, your style is too distinct. That wouldn’t have scared the Hu family. Quite the opposite."

"Sigh..."

Shi Ziran let out a long sigh.

"I just worry that you’ll make all these sacrifices, and a certain someone won’t know, or won’t appreciate it."

"I never wanted him to know in the first place," the woman murmured.

"You’re just as foolishly devoted as your mother," Shi Ziran said with a sense of helplessness. "What do you plan to do next, Young Miss?"

"Nothing. As long as the Hu Family’s Blood Transformation Realm masters don’t make a move, he can definitely handle the rest himself. Uncle Shi, you don’t need to go out of your way to help him either," the woman said. "If it’s just competition among his peers, you don’t need to interfere. But if someone tries to use their seniority to bully him, then I’ll have to trouble Uncle Shi to intervene from the shadows."

"I understand," Shi Ziran said, then couldn’t help but sigh again.

"Young Miss, your injuries—"

"It’s nothing. I’ll be fine after a few days of rest."

With that, the woman also headed toward the Inner City.

Shi Ziran watched until the woman had safely scaled the city wall, then turned and walked toward the East City District.

A vicious glint flashed in his eyes.

’The Hu Family... How dare they injure my Young Miss!’

He snorted coldly, his figure suddenly accelerating. After a few flickers, he was gone.

His speed was something that no one at the Fourth Stage of Body Tempering could ever hope to achieve.

---

"Who is it?!"

In the Inner City’s Hu Mansion, Hu Gongxiu angrily swept everything off his desk and onto the floor.

"Who in the hell is protecting Su Mu?!"

"It’s the Fragrance Sect—" Hu Dazhen said.

"Fourteenth Uncle, you were deceived. It can’t be the Fragrance Sect," Hu Gongxiu panted heavily and said in a low voice. "Someone is deliberately trying to mislead us. I’m even starting to suspect that someone is pulling Su Mu’s strings from the shadows, directing him to sabotage our Hu Family’s businesses in the Outer City.

The most likely culprit is the Luo Family!

Think about it! In all of Wuling City, what young woman could fight you to a standstill, Fourteenth Uncle? Besides that little girl from the Luo Family, who else could it be?"