My experience of grinding in another world

Chapter 21 Meeting Again
Having broken through the Yi Jin Jing, Chen Mu was overjoyed all day.

Besides habitually practicing the flying locust stone and the kestrel training technique.

Chen Mu made a special trip to Ruyi Zhai in Anlefang.

This is a famous vegetarian restaurant in the entire Qingshan County.

He used to be reluctant to spend money here.

He didn't go to a private room, but found a seat in a corner of the lobby and ordered a whole table of dishes.

While slowly savoring the food, listen to the storyteller rambling on in the main hall.

"The world is a place where what is united will eventually divide. The Great Liang Dynasty has lasted for more than six hundred years, and now it is old and feeble."

"Our place is located in the southwestern border region and is not very conspicuous. In the Central Plains, various rebel armies have emerged, and the mountains are full of strongholds, which is already in complete chaos."

"Heroes emerge in times of chaos. Let's set aside matters of state for now and tell you about a hero of a turbulent era. This man possessed unparalleled martial arts skills and was known as the Iron-Fisted Saint Fist..."

The storyteller's tale was full of twists and turns, and the audience in the hall listened with great enthusiasm.

Chen Mu listened with great interest.

He had been engrossed in practicing martial arts, completely isolated from the world. When he first heard about the chaotic state of the martial arts world, he was immediately captivated.

"Iron Fist Holy Fist? What level must that be? The Marrow Transformation level of perfected Form Refinement Technique?" Chen Mu thought with a hint of envy.

"No rush, take it one step at a time, we'll be able to transform our marrow sooner or later."

His proficiency is his greatest asset.

Fortunately, Qingshan County is located in a remote area.

At least they won't be affected by the chaos of war.

If he can focus on his liver for two or three years, he can master the art of form.

At that time, even in chaotic times, he would dare to venture out.

……

at dusk.

Chen Mu left Ruyi Zhai with lingering reluctance.

The food was indeed delicious, and the storyteller's tales were captivating enough. If it weren't getting late, I would have stayed a little longer.

Unfortunately, the world is not peaceful.

According to popular belief, nighttime is a peak time for evil spirits to appear.

Since coming into this world, he has never gone out at night unless there is a special reason.

As the lanterns of Anlefang were lit, the faint sounds of women singing could be heard.

Chen Mu glanced at the pretty young lady showing her face not far away, looked up at the setting sun, and smiled sheepishly: "Next time, next time for sure."

……

The Chen Family Residence in Ping'anfang.

Back home, Chen Mu had just locked the front door when he noticed someone sitting in the dark room.

Silver-white beard and hair, eyes narrowed to slits, and a serious face devoid of expression.

Chen Mu calmly walked into the room, already used to the old man's elusive nature.

"Payment for the goods," Jie Jia said succinctly as always.

"Wait a moment," Chen Mu said calmly.

Then he lit the oil lamp, opened each cloth bag, and took out the medicinal herbs to examine them carefully.

A moment later, Chen Mu placed a small cloth bag in the middle of the table and stared at Jie Jia speechlessly: "This is fake medicine."

"Did you figure it out?" Jie Jia asked expressionlessly, glancing at the medicinal herbs with a fleeting look of disappointment.

Chen Mu: “…”

What are you disappointed about?!

"They always give me fake medicine to scam me out of money. Is this really necessary?" Chen Mu said helplessly.

You're supposed to be a top-tier assassin, so how come you're resorting to cheating and dishonesty when running errands for others?
"It seems you have a deep misunderstanding about me," Jie Jia said calmly.

Chen Mu: "..." Why does this face seem so familiar?

Forget it, I'm a magnanimous person, I won't argue with this old man.

After removing the portion for counterfeit drugs, Chen Mu obediently handed the money to Jie Jia.

Watching the other party disappear in a flash, so fast that Chen Mu couldn't help but sigh.

"I still can't beat him. Otherwise, I would have beaten him up no matter what."

The joy of breaking through the Yi Jin Jing (Muscle/Tendon Changing Technique) was immediately diminished by more than half.

"Keep practicing."

He's just a newbie who's just started practicing martial arts. The world is a big place, and pride and complacency are no good.

"I need to find a few books that record medicinal herbs to read."

He suffered a great loss the first time. He was cheated by the old man with fake medicine.

"This old man's methods of passing off inferior goods as superior ones are getting more and more cunning; we need to be careful."

If it weren't for the bandits causing chaos and the pharmacy running out of medicine, Chen Mu would have dumped this old man long ago.

We don't know where they source their medicinal herbs, but they've never been missing.

"After all, assassins might have secret channels."

……

On the 19th day of the first month of the year 639 of the Great Liang Dynasty, the weather was clear.

Chen Mu got up early, washed up and ate breakfast, and spent the whole morning practicing the Flying Locust Stone and the Red Falcon Formation Technique.

For the past six months, Chen Mu has been living this way.

After breaking through the Yi Jin Jing (Muscle/Tendon Changing Technique), his physical fitness greatly improved, enabling him to cultivate for a longer period of time.

However, upgrading to second-tier skills is also difficult.

With both sides clashing, the daily proficiency gains are actually not that significant.

Upon reaching the Bone-Changing Realm, the breathing cycle increases from sixty breaths to ninety.

Nine new movements have been added to the body techniques.

The secret medicine is the same as before.

However, Chen Mu discovered that the secret medicine was less effective by one-third.

It's unclear whether it's due to drug resistance or Sheng Hong keeping something secret.

"Should I spend another hundred taels to seek your advice?" Chen Mu shook his head.

Not worth it.

Sheng Hong, that old fox, might not actually say it.

"Let's practice like this for now." With practice, we'll master it sooner or later.

In the afternoon, Chen Mu left home and followed the two burly men at the door straight to the south of the city.

Miao Hua Fang arranged a portrait business for him today.

This is the first transaction of the month.

"Zhou Liang, has anything major happened at Miaohua Workshop lately?" Chen Mu asked the burly men on his left as they walked. These two men were members of a small gang in the east of the city, hired by Miaohua Workshop to protect him.

"I haven't heard anything major, it's just that Boss Zhen went to Nanyang Prefecture for more than half a month and hasn't returned yet," Zhou Liang replied.

Chen Mu nodded to indicate that he understood, but couldn't help but wonder to himself.

According to the original plan, Miaohuafang was supposed to arrange four business deals for him each month.

But now, it's late January and the first order hasn't come yet.

This gave Chen Mu a faint sense of crisis.

He practices martial arts every day and eats large amounts of meat, so his energy expenditure is extraordinary.

If something goes wrong at the art studio, his quality of life will be immediately affected.

"I hope Boss Zhen can come back soon."

Before long, Chen Mu arrived at the gate of a large mansion. A plaque hung above the gate, bearing the two large characters "Zuo Mansion".

Zhou Liang and Zheng Huan went up to knock on the door and announce their arrival.

A servant led him inside. Zhou Liang and Zheng Huan were left in the gatehouse to rest and wait.

Chen Mu had been drawing portraits for several months and was very skilled in the craft.

Upon meeting Master Zuo and learning of his requirements, he immediately began painting.

With his current second-tier painting skills, even if he deliberately delayed to show his seriousness, he finished the painting in less than an hour.

Having received twenty taels of silver as a commission, Chen Mu followed the servant and walked out happily.

As I passed a small courtyard, I heard a shout.

Chen Mu couldn't help but turn his head to look.

Through the moon gate, a young master was practicing martial arts.

The man standing next to me, who looked to be in his forties or fifties, was patiently giving me instructions with a smile on his face.

Seemingly sensing that others were watching, the man turned his head to look over.

The two looked at each other and were both taken aback.

Sheng Hong?

Is this someone hired to come to your home and teach you martial arts?
Chen Mu felt a pang of unease as the other person stared at him: "Won't they find out that I've mastered the Red Falcon Formation Technique?"

He showed no sign of it on his face, smiled and nodded at Sheng Hong, and then left unhurriedly with his servant.

Sheng Hong looked at Chen Mu's back with a puzzled expression; he felt that the person from earlier looked familiar.

Upon closer thought, it suddenly dawned on me: "It's that scholar who paints!"

He was deeply impressed by Chen Mu.

Over the years, he has used the kestrel training technique as bait to catch countless suckers.

The art of physical training is not so easy to learn.

Anyone who comes to him has to spend at least three hundred taels of silver before they realize the reality.

But the scholar came once and never came back.

How could he forget the other party when he was made to earn two hundred taels of silver less?

"Judging from the other person's movements and posture, it seems to have the shadow of a physical training technique. Has he really mastered it?" Sheng Hong wondered.

He immediately shook his head and chuckled: "There aren't that many geniuses in this world."

"Forget about him, let's focus on fooling this young master. He's the real sucker." Sheng Hong grinned as he watched the clumsy movements of the young master from the Zuo family. "He's got a lot of money and resources. Maybe one good meal will be enough to support me for the rest of my life!"

……

Ping An Fang, inside the Chen family residence.

"I never expected to run into Sheng Hong."

Since learning the Red Falcon Form Training Technique, Chen Mu has subconsciously avoided the neighborhood where Sheng Hong lives.

Sheng Hong is using the Body Refining Technique to swindle money. He learned it in one go. If the other party finds out, will they be happy about it?

Chen Mu not only avoided the other party, but also Officer Lu.

The two were in cahoots, and Chen Mu was afraid of attracting unnecessary trouble. Otherwise, he wouldn't have hired Jie Jia at a high price to buy medicinal herbs.

"Judging from Sheng Hong's expression, he didn't seem to recognize me immediately," Chen Musong breathed a sigh of relief.

"Now that he's become the coach of the eldest son of the Zuo family, he's even less likely to have any interest in me."

According to Zhou Liang and Zheng Huan, the Zuo family is one of the six major families in Qingshan County.

The city had vast tracts of land outside and rows of shops inside, making it incredibly wealthy.

"I heard that the young master of the Zuo family is a playboy who frequents brothels and theaters. He can't stand hardship or fatigue, and it's considered diligent if he can practice martial arts for half an hour every day."

“Teaching students like this to practice martial arts is incredibly easy.”

"Given the difficulty of mastering the Form Refining Technique, Sheng Hong could at least stay in the Zuo family for a year and a half."

"One hundred taels for seven days, half a year, oh..."

I wish I could take his place!
"I don't want to think about it anymore, the more I think about it, the more bitter I feel. I should just focus on practicing my skills and making a living."

Cold mixed vegetables, pan-fried fish chunks, and crystal pork knuckle, served with a bowl of fragrant white wheat rice.

Chen Mu set up a square table in the courtyard, enjoying the beautiful sunset while savoring the increasingly delicious food.

With a substantial income, mastery of martial arts, and delicious food to enjoy, this was the life he had always dreamed of in his previous life.

"Scholar, you know how to enjoy yourself, don't you?" A voice suddenly rang out from behind.

Chen Mu shuddered and suddenly turned his head.

Before I knew it, a figure was already standing behind me.

Sheng Hong?!
The other party sneaked into his home silently, and he was completely unaware!
"Master Sheng, how about we share a bite?" Chen Mu raised his hand and gestured towards the food on the table.

"Not going to bother you?" Sheng Hong said with a mocking expression.

"No, it's my honor to invite Master Sheng to dinner." Chen Mu took out a new set of bowls and chopsticks and prepared them.

"I never knew you had this skill." Sheng Hong chewed on a piece of crystal pork knuckle and clicked his tongue in amazement: "I almost didn't want to cook it myself."

Chen Mu's scalp tightened immediately.

"Of course, I'm not an unreasonable person either." Sheng Hong ate the fish pieces slowly and deliberately.

"Six hundred taels of silver, six hundred taels to buy your life, is that reasonable?"

Chen Mu couldn't help but tremble all over.

"Don't tell me you didn't. I've investigated thoroughly. You earn at least a hundred taels a month painting for others. It's been more than half a year, how could you not have six hundred taels of silver?"

Chen Mu felt as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over his head.

He never expected that Sheng Hong had been thinking about him all along.

"Didn't you already become the head instructor of the Zuo family?" Chen Mu asked incredulously. "You've already made a lot of money, why are you still thinking about me?"
"Who would complain about having too much money?" Sheng Hong chuckled.

"Aren't you afraid of offending Miaohuafang?!" Chen Mu roared angrily.

Sheng Hong glanced at Chen Mu: "I advise you to just obediently pay up. Those two idiots outside have already been knocked unconscious by me. No matter how loudly you shout, they won't hear you."

Have Zhou Liang and Zheng Huan already been released?
Although he had completed the Yi Jin Jing (Muscle/Tendon Changing Technique), Sheng Hong had practiced Xing Xing (Form-Refining Technique) for half his life, and was at least at the Yi Gu Jing (Bone Changing Technique).

"Did you really knock those two unconscious?" Chen Mu couldn't help but ask.

(End of this chapter)