My experience of grinding in another world

Chapter 37 Price
Chen Mu jumped over the courtyard wall and saw a bunch of people lying on the ground under the tree.

Only one bald man lay under the sun, his scalp shiny and oily from the sun.

Chen Mu squatted down and rummaged around for a while, and actually pulled out two taels of silver!
Good start!

He couldn't help but look expectantly at the group of henchmen under the tree.

Not long after, Chen Mu walked towards the inner courtyard with a gloomy expression.

After taking a couple of steps, I felt irritated.

They turned around and dragged all the people under the tree out and threw them into the sun.

They put the bald guy back in the shade and even positioned him in a comfortable position. After all, he had paid for it.

Then he strode into the inner courtyard.

There were still a bunch of henchmen lying on the floor inside.

A quarter of an hour later.

Chen Mu left Dengjia Lane, carrying a large, ghost-headed sword, looking utterly dejected.

The leader of a gang, a man of such stature, doesn't even have a single copper coin on him?!
They're not even as good as his underlings!

He sought information from Jie Jia and specifically went to the headquarters of the White Wave Gang leader.

He had hoped to make a fortune, but after working hard for half a day, he only got four taels of silver and a few dozen copper coins.

"You dare to call yourself a member of society with this kind of attitude?"

"I'd rather sell fish!"

"Disgraceful!"

Chen Mu was quite indignant.

Bai Lang's monster-spawning spot is finished.

What a waste of a gourd of incense.

"Hopefully this knife will be worth something."

As the sword of a gang leader, it must be... probably quite valuable.

A gang leader who doesn't even have a single copper coin can't really inspire much confidence in him.

……

Inside the Zuo family mansion.

Zuo Quan, the head of the Zuo family, sat in the main hall with a gloomy face.

“Fifty thousand taels of silver per family, that Taoist Qianshan is taking advantage of the chaos.” Zuo Sheng’s expression was also unpleasant.

"It's taking advantage of someone's misfortune. But if the county doesn't have a protective artifact to ward off evil, no one can sleep soundly." Zuo Quan sighed.

“Especially since our Zuo family has been plagued by evil spirits before. Didn’t that Taoist Qianshan also say that people like us are most likely to attract evil spirits again?”

"Hmph! I think he has ill intentions!" Zuo Sheng said coldly.

"Will he harm us?" Zuo Quan immediately became worried.

"Father, we need to make plans early," Zuo Sheng said, squinting.

"What does Sheng'er mean?"

"Let's move to Nanyang Prefecture," Zuo Sheng said decisively.

"Moving... I'll think about it, and think about it some more." Zuo Quan hesitated a bit: "Isn't there Qingfeng Temple?"

“Qingfeng Temple…” Zuo Sheng frowned.

Qingfeng Temple has a great reputation, but whether it has real skills is anyone's guess.

He didn't want to entrust his life to someone else.

"I still recommend moving," Zuo Sheng said firmly after thinking for a moment.

"Alright." Zuo Quan frowned and pondered for a moment before finally nodding: "You focus on your martial arts training, I'll take care of things."

His own son was a martial arts fanatic who secretly practiced martial arts since he was a child, and he managed to fool him all of that.

Outsiders thought he was a spoiled young master.

Who would have thought that he would develop amazing martial arts skills?

Last time, when their house was haunted by evil spirits, their son displayed incredible power, which revealed his true strength to everyone.

He valued his already beloved only son even more.

"We still need to play along with Master Qianshan for a while; we can't be the ones to stick our necks out," Zuo Sheng said calmly.

"Sheng'er has considered everything thoroughly." Zuo Quan nodded with satisfaction.

……

Chen Mu goes out to fish every two days.

With the Red Falcon's Form Training Technique, distance is no obstacle.

He switched to two larger bamboo baskets and kept changing fishing spots along the Bailang River.

They have also reached cooperation agreements with several restaurants, including Anlefang Bafanglou.

He didn't need to hawk the fish; he could sell them directly to restaurants and eateries.

After a busy month, he saved up more than twenty taels of silver.

It was also thanks to the chaos of war and soaring prices that it became possible.

Otherwise, it wouldn't be able to sell for such a high price.

He doesn't go to the White Wave Gang much anymore.

You'd be better off fishing than robbing them.

"I'll leave once I've saved up two hundred taels," Chen Mu thought unwillingly.

If there were no evil spirits causing trouble, staying in Qingshan County wouldn't be too difficult.

There's time to practice, and money to be made. No disputes or troubles.

I spend my days at home grinding for skill points, and often treat myself to some delicious food.

This truly aligns perfectly with Chen Mu's ideal life.

"pity……"

A month passed, and the haunting continued unabated. Chen Mu had no choice but to make plans sooner.

……

He intends to leave Qingshan City.

While making money from fishing, Chen Mu began preparing for his long journey.

I made two pieces of clothing for easy movement from durable and stain-resistant gray fabric, along with two pairs of sturdy cloth shoes. I also prepared meat floss, dried meat, and other dry rations that are easy to store.

Whenever he had free time, he would wander around the cattle and horse market in the west of the city. He planned to buy a mount.

The distance from Qingshan County to Nanyang Prefecture is not short.

With bags and packages lining the journey, a means of transportation was essential.

That day, he had just come out of Niuma City.

I saw a group of people gathered under the archway at the market entrance.

There was a wooden board there with many notices posted on it.

Buy donkeys at high prices;

Cattle breeding;

A family tradition of repairing horseshoes...

Chen Mu had a feeling of déjà vu, like looking at small advertisements on telephone poles in his past life.

At this moment, a large notice was posted in the middle, and a government official was standing in front of the wooden sign, loudly announcing it.

"Qingfeng Temple outside the city is building a prayer altar and is now recruiting workers from all over the city."

"Due to the requirements of the ceremony, the laborers must be born in January, July, or December."

“Those who are selected will immediately receive one tael of silver or one hundred and twenty catties of white wheat as a resettlement allowance.”

"Three meals a day will be provided, and you'll receive ten copper coins. Anyone willing to do this, hurry to the east gate to sign up."

As soon as the constable finished speaking, a large group of people ran towards the east gate.

With soaring prices, life is difficult.

A resettlement allowance of 120 jin of white wheat, plus three meals a day. For an ordinary person, this is a very good job.

Chen Mu stood on the periphery of the crowd, listening intently.

"A prayer altar?"

"Is this Qingfeng Temple's method for fighting against the ghostly spirits?"

"Has the county government finally managed to persuade Qingfeng Temple to cooperate?"

Chen Mu was quite pleased.

Does this mean I don't have to walk anymore?
He longed to see the outside world, but didn't want to leave his familiar surroundings.

This is probably why a nobody will always remain a nobody.

Chen Mu shook his head to shake off the jumbled thoughts.

If he had just arrived in this world, he would definitely have eagerly signed up like those ordinary people in front of him.

Now... the salary and benefits are really bad.

Avoiding the surging crowds on the street, Chen Mu hurried home.

He needs to ask Jie Jia for information.

Let's ascertain the capabilities of Qingfeng Temple.

……

"I don't know," Jie Jia said calmly.

Chen Mu looked at Jie Jia with surprise.

“Using magical artifacts comes at a price,” Jie Jia glanced at Chen Mu.

“Feng Ren’s strength is passable. But to protect the entire city, no matter what kind of magical artifact it is, he can’t afford the price,” Jie Jia said calmly.

This wasn't the first time Chen Mu had heard of magical artifacts.

But I didn't expect there would be a cost to using it.

"Do all magical artifacts come at a price?"

"Can you go without eating?" Jiejia retorted.

Chen Mu immediately understood.

Just like a gasoline car needs fuel, a computer needs electricity, and a person needs to eat.

Magical artifacts possess special abilities, but they require energy to function.

"What is the price of the Evil-Repelling Mirror?" Chen Mu asked curiously.

This item is an official talisman distributed by the Liang Dynasty to ward off evil spirits; almost every major city at the county level and above has one.

"I don't know. It seems to be related to some kind of ritual," Jiejia said uncertainly.

"Different magical artifacts come with different costs. Some require drinking water, others require eating meat; some require being struck by lightning, others require being burned..."

Chen Mu listened with great interest.

He was very curious about this thing.

I originally thought it was just a simple martial arts world.

But the appearance of ghosts and magical artifacts made Chen Mu realize that there were still many mysteries in this world.

"Are you that picky about food?" Chen Mu chuckled. "Anything else?"

Jie Jia remained silent, his eyes beginning to dart towards Chen Mu's money pouch.

Chen Mu turned around and went to practice his hidden sword technique.

After working hard for more than two months, his hidden sword skill is about to reach level three.

As for information about the ritual implements, we can inquire about them when we have the chance.

We can't let this old man get away with it.

(End of this chapter)