My experience of grinding in another world

Chapter 119 Rent
The seventh day of the sixth month in the year 641 of the Great Liang Dynasty.

Nanyang Prefecture, Shanglin Ward. An old wooden house by the river.

A swirling cloud of black smoke billowed in mid-air.

The next moment, it plunged headfirst into the water tank next to the wall, then flew out and plunged into the water tank next to it again.

The fish, raised with the secret medicine and given a ferocious nature, seemed to sense something was wrong and began to jump around wildly.

The water tank made a loud banging sound as it was being slapped. One of the children even jumped two meters high and easily leaped out of the tank.

The black smoke, like a ravenous snake, deftly probed into the air, and the leaping fish vanished.

In just five breaths, all seven tanks of live fish disappeared.

Chen Mu stared intently at the black smoke of the ghostly spirit.

Their attention, however, was focused on the Five Ghosts Bag. A wisp of reddish-green mist appeared.

"This will be much easier." Chen Mu breathed a sigh of relief and dissipated the black smoke.

Feeding them with secret medicine makes the live fish vigorous and full of vitality, resulting in a greater amount of refined essence.

With the Ghost-Locking Curse fully completed, Chen Mu's ability to snatch food from the mouths of ghosts has become even stronger.

"Finally, it's no longer as small as a sesame seed."

Although it was still in a misty state, far from condensing into a liquid, it had at least grown to the size of a mung bean.

"A few more... a dozen more times, and you should be able to refine a drop of Palace Crimson." Chen Mu nodded in satisfaction.

"We need to keep catching fish."

Chen Mu brought out the intoxicated bait, cast it as usual, and waited to catch the fish.

They filled seven water tanks and half-filled the feeding well, continuing until there were fewer and fewer fish in the pond.

"Let's raise them for a while." Chen Mu looked thoughtfully at the large water vat. "Should we buy some live pigs?"

"Forget it, let's settle Jiejia's debt first." Chen Mu shrugged.

With the Soul-Locking Curse perfected and the Illuminating Palace Red Technique nearing completion, I'm in high spirits today. Let's head to Spring Breeze Pavilion... Hmm, let's go find out some news from the world.

……

Taipei, Chunfeng Tower.

In a corner cubicle on the first floor, Chen Mu ate a table full of food with a look of disgust on his face.

As culinary skills improve, the sensitivity of the palate increases significantly. Dishes from Fanlou that used to taste alright can now be detected as having various flaws.

Although it wasn't as delicious as what she made herself, Chen Mu still finished off each plate completely.

Not wasting food is a habit he was raised by his parents in his previous life.

No matter how much rice is in my bowl, I have to finish it all unless I can't eat anymore. My parents, however, always feel I haven't eaten enough, so they always fill my bowl to the brim and then pack it down, so…

He naturally went from being chubby to very fat.

"It's better now, I can eat as much as I want without gaining weight." Chen Mu chuckled as he watched the graceful figure of the Jade Peach girl on the stage.

Five ghostly paper figures scurried around the hall.

Dim lighting, cheerful laughter, and paper figures lurking in the shadows create an eerie atmosphere, as if demons are dancing wildly.

Chen Mu, however, was enjoying himself, easily manipulating the paper figures to elicit information that interested him.

"The Jinghong Gang's northward campaign to suppress bandits failed, so they recruited another group of people to help them."

"The salary has more than doubled."

“I’m not going. This money is for saving my life. I might have the life to take it, but I might not have the life to spend it.”

Chen Mu nodded in agreement. This江湖汉 (jianghu man, a person of the martial arts world) was still quite clear-headed. That wasn't going north to suppress bandits; it was going to risk their lives to fight evil spirits.

"I heard that as long as you reach the Bone Transformation stage, you will immediately receive four Dragon Transformation Pills."

Four?!

"Then why are we even drinking? Let's go, let's go sign up!"

Chen Mu shook his head. He had just praised him for being clear-headed, but he hadn't expected him to succumb to just four Dragon Transformation Pills.

"The influence of powerful families is profound," Chen Mu sighed.

Martial arts heroes all regard the Yellow Dragon Pill as a miraculous medicine. Yet few know of its hidden dangers. If Jie Jia hadn't spoken of it, Chen Mu himself wouldn't have known either.

The martial arts world of the Great Liang Dynasty has been taken over by powerful families.

"Tangshan Camp is also reportedly ramping up its recruitment efforts. They're offering the same Dragon Transformation Pills, along with a large settlement allowance, and you can freely learn any form of training technique."

"Forget it, I don't really want to go. Military camps are too strict. I'd rather join the Jinghong Gang."

"It's alright. After all, Tangshan Camp is under the jurisdiction of Prefect Shangguan. It will definitely be more convenient for us outsiders to join Tangshan Camp in this local area."

Chen Mu shook his head and took back the paper figure.

"They're all sugar-coated bullets." He wasn't going to risk his life.

"Where should I go to learn the art of physical training?" The white jade toad is about to reach its peak.

All he had left was a copy of the Heavenly Serpent Form Refinement Technique.

At his increasingly rapid cultivation speed, he'll run out of shape-training techniques to practice in at most two months. "Honest sellers like Old Man Ge are hard to find," Chen Mu shook his head.

"Just wait."

"Once we refine the Dragon Transformation Pill, with this sugar-coated bullet as a bargaining chip, someone will always be willing to trade for it."

Chen Mu finished off all the dishes on the table and drank a can of milk.

At this moment, Miss Jade Peach had stepped down from the stage to rest, and a new, voluptuous beauty had taken her place.

Chen Mu took a closer look and prepared to leave.

"I heard that the Zhang family in the inner city colluded with Chao Tianwang, the rebel leader of Liangyue Prefecture in the north, to sell salt, iron and grain to them."

"Keep your voice down, you can't just say things like that."

"What's there to be afraid of? With Prefect Shangguan suppressing the rebellion, who would dare to act recklessly?"

"The Zhang family truly deserves to die. They gave Chao Tianwang weapons and provisions; what if he attacks Nanyang Prefecture?"

"Yes, according to those who came here for refuge, this King Chao is ruthless and cruel; he slaughtered the entire city of Liangyue! He's incredibly brutal!"

"The powerful families in the inner city don't care whether we live or die. Isn't this chaos their chance to make a fortune?"

"Just you wait and see, Prefect Shangguan will not let them get away with this."

Chen Mu slowly put the paper figure away.

He left Chunfeng Tower with a slight frown.

The Zhang family? Shangguan Ji?

"Nanyang Prefecture is not peaceful either," Chen Mu sighed inwardly.

"How did we end up in such a chaotic world?"

Changing her appearance, clothes, and route along the way, she slowly made her way to Lin Hengfang's home.

……

As soon as he stepped into his own alley, Chen Mu, who was swaying unsteadily, couldn't help but be taken aback.

The once pitch-black street was now bathed in a dim, yellowish light.

Across from his house, two large lanterns hung on either side of the gate.

A horse-drawn carriage was stopped in the middle of the road, loaded with wooden boxes of various sizes.

Small lanterns hung at the four corners of the car, illuminating the dark alley.

Four or five burly men dressed as servants were unloading wooden crates from the cart.

Chen Mu's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately wanted to turn around and run away.

But the man who looked like the owner standing at the door had already turned his head to look over.

The burly man who was moving the wooden crates immediately stopped, turned his head, silently put down the crates, and reached into the gap between the crates on the carriage.

His forearm muscles bulged, as if he were gripping something. In the shadows of the light, a flash of black light streaked across his arm.

Then they all stared at Chen Mu with blank expressions.

The alleyway fell silent for a moment.

Chen Mu's face twitched instantly.

A wandering spirit?!
Is it too late to run now?
"May I ask, young brother, where do you come from, and where are you going?" Chao Fang squinted his eyes and looked at Chen Mu with a smile.

Don't panic, and definitely don't run!

Feeling the five ghost bags tied to his chest, Chen Mu suppressed his shock.

Let's just gloss over it for now.

Don't be too enthusiastic, or you'll arouse suspicion.

However, one should not be too indifferent, as this may arouse suspicion.

Hmm, pretend to be a withdrawn, socially awkward otaku?

Once he made up his mind, he calmly pointed to the gate opposite the courtyard and said with a hint of impatience, "You came from Chunfeng Tower, go home and sleep."

Chao Fang raised an eyebrow, glanced at the round-faced man next to him, and then said with a smile, "Then we'll have to be neighbors."

Chen Mu frowned slightly, seemingly not very welcoming, and said, "I like quiet. Let's make it clear beforehand that you shouldn't make any noise."

Chao Fang smiled: "What a coincidence, I also like quiet."

Chen Mu nodded noncommittally, then casually walked to the door, took out his keys, and unlocked the door.

"Renting this place must be expensive, right?" Chen Mu glanced at the other person and asked casually.

“Of course. The landlord is greedy; he charged me a lot of money,” Chao Fang agreed.

Chen Mu paused as he pushed the door open, glancing at the other person with a long, lingering look...

You didn't give me a single penny.

(End of this chapter)