My experience of grinding in another world

Chapter 107 Going North
"You know the Five Ghosts Bag?" Chen Mu asked in surprise.

"The Thousand Mountains Classic is widely spread," Jie Jia said calmly.

Chen Mu asked suspiciously, "How come I've never heard of this?"

Jie Jia glanced at Chen Mu: "Take good care of your courage."

Chen Mu gave an embarrassed smile; it seemed his abilities were being underestimated.

A thought suddenly struck him. Could there be some hidden circles behind this world of martial arts?

I was about to ask a question out of curiosity, but then I suddenly stopped.

"What good would it do to know? I haven't mastered the Armor Soul technique yet." Chen Mu shook his head inwardly.

Knowing too much can easily lead to unrealistic ambitions; it's better to focus on solid practice.

……

After seeing Jie Jia off, Chen Mu took out the Five Ghosts Bag and seemed to be deep in thought.

"The Five Ghosts Bag can extract the essence of the Three Treasures?" Chen Mu was not surprised at all.

The Five Ghost Bag was rather sinister from the start. It ate meat and swallowed people, billowing black smoke—it was clearly not a respectable thing.

"Even if it has another wicked use, it doesn't seem to be a big deal." Chen Mu was very open-minded.

It works well and won't harm you, so what's there to be afraid of!
"I'd better just stick to practicing my Body Refinement Technique." Having understood the true nature of the Dragon Transformation Pill and the Palace Illumination Red, Chen Mu lost interest in both.

He doesn't plan to eat it.

"I'd rather figure out where to get more Body Refinement Techniques," Chen Mu thought to himself.

Old Ge's appearance gave Chen Mu some ideas.

There must be more than one reclusive martial artist like this who, as he gets older, starts to think about the next generation of his family.

Chen Mu narrowed his eyes: "We need to find out quietly."

"So, we still have to go to Chunfeng Tower."

"Sigh... It's all for practicing physical techniques; it's necessary social interaction. There's no other way."

……

Half a month later, at dusk, at Chunfeng Tower.

Orange lanterns hung at varying heights from the top, interspersed with red and green ribbons.

Under the dim light, laughter echoed continuously from inside the room separated by a sheer screen.

Chen Mu strolled into the lobby on the first floor, sat in a corner booth as usual, and skillfully ordered a large table of delicious dishes.

Chen Mu gulped down a mouthful of milk and, with a heavy heart, waved away a pretty young lady who wanted to freeload a meal.

Black smoke billowed beneath their feet, and five paper ghost figures emerged, spreading out in all directions along the shadows cast by the dim yellow light.

The paper figures were listening in on several of the members of the Jinghong Gang's gathering in their private cubicles.

"Chief Kui, you went to the north with the envoy. Can you tell us what we're going there for?" A thin man with a black mole on his nose asked with a fawning smile.

The people around immediately echoed his sentiment.

"I heard there were quite a few casualties last time. Did they encounter a large group of bandits?"

Kuito picked up the wine glass and gulped it down.

"Don't even think about running." The thick beard obscured the gloom on Krato's face. "You can't run anyway."

The men looked at each other in bewilderment.

"We must go and cleanse the land of evil spirits and protect the people," Kui Tuo said sarcastically, before downing another cup of wine.

The last experience was still fresh in his mind, and he was scared too!

"What a joke!" The man with the mole looked utterly bewildered.

How many good people are there among those who roam the underworld? Are they really expected to exorcise evil spirits for others?

"How about we run away..." the man with the mole said cautiously.

The others' eyes immediately lit up.

"There's no way to escape. We've practiced the Sand Gathering Formation; running means certain death." Kui Tuo smiled bitterly.

He had previously wondered why the Jinghong Gang didn't keep quiet for them, weren't they afraid of spreading panic and scaring people away?
The rewards are plentiful, but so are the number of people who die.

Later, when he saw the mummified corpses hanging from flagpoles, he realized that the Jinghong Gang was fearless and had nothing to fear.

"If you want to save your life, go buy some amulets." Krato subconsciously clenched his sleeve.

"There are Ancestral Talismans in the Ghost Market. For the sake of your life, you should buy one even if it means going bankrupt," Kui Tuo sincerely advised.

If it weren't for the Zuming Talisman, he would have been finished last time.

"Zu Mingfu?"

"Is it expensive?"

The men were immediately tempted.

“Three thousand taels of silver per sheet.” Kui Tuo Lian Pi twitched.

"hiss……"

"Say it again, say it again!"

The men shrank back, their necks hunched, and a pang of pain shot through them. "Is your life more important or your money?" Kuituo couldn't help but scold.

"I'll listen to the leader!" The man with the mole chuckled in agreement.

The others laughed it off.

Krishna shook his head and stopped trying to dissuade him.

Last time, more than ten of them went into Daliushu Village together. In the end, he was the only one who came out alive.

Oh well, good luck to you.

……

In the corner, Chen Mu couldn't help but pause.

Khutu? Is he heading north again?

So, the Jinghong Gang has resumed training its troops?
Si Kouqing is back! Will she continue the search?

"Don't panic, don't panic." Chen Mu suppressed the restlessness in his heart.

"She was busy going north to fight the evil spirits, so she didn't have the energy to continue the investigation."

"Sincerity seems to have been severely damaged by the siege, and things have probably calmed down."

"And to this day, no one knows that Sikou Yu died at my hands."

Chen Mu's mind gradually calmed down, and he couldn't help but recall the information that Kritu had given him.

"The Ancestral Talisman seems to be able to subdue evil spirits?"

"Could it be the same kind of talisman used for warding off evil spirits?"

"We need to ask Jie Jia about it."

"If it's true, I'll buy it no matter how expensive it is!"

Although he already had the Five Ghost Bag, having another trump card to deal with the ghost monsters would give him more peace of mind.

The message was useful to him. Unfortunately, it wasn't what he wanted.

They never found a suitable client like Mr. Ge.

"No rush, take your time looking."

The Jinghong Gang is still recruiting; sooner or later, they will find someone who meets the requirements.

……

After Chen Mu finished eating and drinking, the small groups of the Jinghong Gang continued to play drinking games.

The conversation gradually moved to the second and third floors of Chunfeng Tower.

Chen Mu found it uninteresting and got up to leave.

The crescent moon hung in the sky, around seven or eight o'clock in my previous life.

The night market near Fanlou in Taipei is bustling with activity.

The restaurants and teahouses along the street were brightly lit. People were chatting and joking around, telling stories and listening to music.

There are also vendors setting up stalls on the streets under the light of shop lights.

Chen Mu also saw a scholar writing letters for others by lantern light. More than two years ago, he had also done this kind of work for a few days.

Judging from the other person's simple attire and slightly troubled expression, business was probably not going well.

Just like when my predecessor was desperately waiting for business, in my memory, this scene was almost yesterday, yet it also seemed to be in the distant past.

His arrival completely changed the trajectory of this body's life.

Although it was a bit timid, it was still quite exciting.

"The predecessor was probably satisfied too," Chen Mu shrugged.

At least for now, I have enough to eat and drink, and I'm quite enjoying life.

It slipped into the alley, changing its appearance and clothes several times. Like a ghost, it walked alone yet contentedly through the crowd, gradually disappearing into the night.

……

Thinking about his future life plans, Chen Mu unknowingly walked to Tongyunfang.

Looking up, a narrow alleyway came into view.

On both sides are brick-walled and gray-tiled houses, and the ground is a pitted path of yellow earth. There are also unidentified weeds of green and yellow growing at the base of the walls on both sides.

Under the moonlight, at the end of the alley, a large banyan tree with a huge canopy stands quietly.

"Why did I end up here with Old Man Ge again?" Chen Mu patted his head, feeling annoyed.

"It's probably just a matter of getting used to it."

"We've been keeping an eye on him on and off for a month now. Since we're here, let's keep an eye on him."

"Hmm... today should really be the last day. This old man is probably heading north too."

"I wonder if we'll ever see each other again," Chen Mu thought regretfully.

It's really hard for ordinary people to survive when they encounter ghosts and monsters.

(End of this chapter)