Cultivating in Different Professions

"Tell me what happened one more time!"

Dai Jin demanded, his face grim.

He crouched before Lu Dashou’s body, carefully examining the wounds.

A single, fatal blow—clean and decisive.

The attacker’s cultivation was at least at the level of Blood Transformation Realm Perfection.

Moreover, the blade intent lingering in the wound was as immense and heavy as a mountain.

It was the Gen Mountain Realm!

’Blood Transformation Realm Perfection, and they’ve grasped the Gen Mountain Realm... Since when did Wuling City have such a master?’

When Dai Jin had first received news of Lu Dashou’s death, his immediate suspicion was that Su Mu had killed him to silence him.

Lu Dashou had been investigating Su Mu these past few days. Now he was suddenly dead. It was entirely possible he’d found something and been silenced by Su Mu.

However, after arriving at the scene and seeing Lu Dashou’s body, his suspicion vanished.

Su Mu was not at Blood Transformation Realm Perfection. Furthermore, the realms he had mastered were the Kan Water Realm and the Xun Wind Realm, not the Gen Mountain Realm.

"My lord, the one who killed Lord Lu was a Silver-faced Killer from the Golden Wind Tower. We all saw it..."

A wealthy merchant, trembling with fear, recounted the events one more time.

They had only been hosting a banquet for Lu Dashou, hoping to build some connections with powerful people. They had never imagined something like this would happen.

Now they just felt incredibly unlucky. They hadn’t managed to build any connections, and instead had been dragged into a huge mess.

"Are you saying that my Junior Brother Lu was forcing himself on an entertainer, and was then suddenly assassinated?"

Dai Jin asked with a frown. "And the entertainer? Where is she?"

Internally, Dai Jin was already cursing up a storm.

’That Lu Dashou was a good-for-nothing bastard, more trouble than he was worth! To think that at a time like this, he was still in the mood to harass some woman! He died for nothing!’

"Lady Xiang is a renowned musical master in our Wuling City. She sells her art, not her body—everyone knows that. Lord Lu likely took a fancy to Lady Xiang, so—"

a wealthy merchant whispered. "Lady Xiang was so frightened she fainted, so we had her taken to a clinic."

"Hmph!"

Dai Jin snorted coldly, not giving a second thought to a mere entertainer.

"Golden Wind Tower..."

Dai Jin muttered through clenched teeth.

’I’ve been in Wuling City for so long, yet I still haven’t found the cause of Junior Brother Feng’s death, and I haven’t managed to suppress the Taiping Bureau. Not only have I lost a great deal of face, but now Junior Brother Lu is dead, too. This mission is off to a truly terrible start.’

’Who on earth hired a killer from the Golden Wind Tower to assassinate Junior Brother Lu?’

’The Golden Wind Tower is no less powerful than the Shennong Hundred Herbs Sect. Even I can’t do anything to them.’

’Trying to get the Golden Wind Tower to reveal who hired them is practically impossible.’

’The Golden Wind Tower just gets paid to do a job. The person who really wanted Junior Brother Lu dead is someone else.’

’Just you wait,’ Dai Jin seethed internally. ’Once I crush the Wuling Taiping Bureau, Wuling City will be the domain of my Inspection Bureau. When that time comes, I’ll make sure the Golden Wind Tower has no place left here!’

With a wave of his hand, he ordered his men to take Lu Dashou’s body, and then departed in a fury.

The crowd of wealthy merchants bowed as they saw them ashore. Only after Dai Jin’s group had vanished from sight did they straighten up.

"Pah! Who the hell does he think he is!"

one merchant spat. "We call you ’lord’ out of courtesy, but do you really think you’re so great? Coming here to our Wuling City to throw your weight around!"

"That son of a bitch thinks our Wuling City is an easy target."

Another merchant spat, his face full of disdain. "So what if they’re from the provincial capital? Is that supposed to be impressive? Wuling City is what it is today because the Taiping Bureau fought and bled for it. What have these guys done?

That lecher wanted to force himself on Lady Xiang! Where was that bastard when Lady Xiang was on the city walls, playing her music to boost our morale?"

"Good riddance!"

The merchants all spat on the ground, their faces full of contempt, with no trace of their earlier meekness.

"Alright, brothers, which one of you hired the killer from the Golden Wind Tower? Why didn’t you let the rest of us in on it? You can’t foot the bill alone, you have to let me chip in! I’ve had it with that bastard Lu for a long time. He kicked Old Zhang into the river for saying a single sentence! He doesn’t treat us like people at all!"

Everyone looked at each other, and then their eyes suddenly lit up as if they’d all had the same idea.

"My lady, those magnates and merchants didn’t betray us."

Xiang Xiaoyuan had already prepared to flee and live as a wanderer when, at dawn, her personal maid returned from gathering news and spoke in a low voice.

"Chairman Wang of the Inner City Chamber of Commerce said that because you played the Pipa Break on the city walls during the Tier Five Demon Tide, everyone in Wuling City feels indebted to you. They won’t let an outsider bully you."

Xiang Xiaoyuan lowered her head gently. She had never imagined that an unintentional act could bring such a return.

’The blade from last night... it was the Army-Breaker.’

’Was it him?’

’He’s saved me again.’

...

Day broke, revealing a bright and cloudless sky.

Su Mu stretched, feeling refreshed and in high spirits.

’Swatting a fly, getting seventy percent of my money back...’ He’d slept much more soundly last night.

With a faint smile, he ate the breakfast a constable had brought and summoned his system panel.

[Name: Su Mu]

[Identity: Silver-faced Killer (Part-time), Taiping Captain (Seventh Rank)]

[Points: 10,200]

[Realm: Blood Transformation Realm (Body Tempering Extreme Realm)]

[Divine Technique: Indestructible Golden Body]

[Cultivation Technique: Xuanhuang Blood Exchange Technique (Perfection)...]

[Martial Arts: Kan Water Realm (Major Accomplishment), Xun Wind Realm (Major Accomplishment), Gen Mountain Realm (Minor Accomplishment/+), Archery (Perfection)]

A look of pleasant surprise appeared on Su Mu’s face as he read the system panel.

After killing Lu Dashou last night, he had returned and gone straight to bed without checking the system panel.