My experience of grinding in another world

Chapter 430 Secret Investigation
Chen Mu slunk out of Guyuezhai.

"Bullhead, you're really useless. Why didn't you carry more jade dewdrops with you?" Chen Mu sighed.

He thought he had made a fortune by stealing the jade dewdrops from Niu Sanmiao and Haiyuan last time, but he realized how poor he was when he entered Guyuezhai.

A common book, the "Flying Flame Sutra," costs 1,800 jade dew beads, while he only has 800 or 900 jade dew beads on him at most.

Forget about buying it, he wouldn't even give that goatee a second glance.

"How about... we try to steal that Minotaur again?"

"Hmm...it's not impossible!"

……

Jigucheng South District.

As night fell, countless bright red lanterns were lit up.

The taverns and teahouses were bustling with noise, storytelling, opera, and acrobatics, even more lively than the capital city.

Chen Mu looked around with great interest.

Since leaving Daliang and arriving in Yunzhou, he had either been cultivating at home or on the run. Upon careful reflection, he realized that it had been almost ten years since he had seen such a prosperous scene.

"It's strange that the underworld is more lively than the mortal world."

He ultimately abandoned his plan to rob the bull's head.

It's not that I can't bring myself to do it, it's just that in this vast sea of ​​people, I can't find anyone.

"What a pity..."

"Fortunately, I was quite diligent and mastered the Dew Gathering Spell early on."

"Otherwise, I don't know how I would have accumulated this much Jade Dew."

Although limited by the total amount of Yin Spirit divine power, there is still a limit to the amount of Jade Dew that can be collected each day, but it has already far exceeded that of ordinary Yin Spirits.

If we collect to the maximum extent, we can easily accumulate more than ten jade dewdrops each day. With the previous assistance from Niu Sanmiao, we can manage to buy the "Flying Flame Scripture" in two or three months.

After a quick mental calculation, Chen Mu was no longer in a hurry and began to stroll around the market, happily enjoying the long-lost prosperity.

Before coming to Jigu City, he had imagined it to be gloomy and terrifying, teeming with demons and monsters. But now it seemed that while there were indeed many strangely shaped creatures, there was little in the way of gloom and terror.

Surprisingly, the atmosphere in the entire market was quite harmonious.

Upon closer reflection, it suddenly dawned on me.

Although Jigu City recruited a large number of Yin soldiers, there was no news of any wars in the Yin and Yang realms.

Although ordinary spirits have become human-shaped spirit fields, confined to Jigu City, they can still live a comfortable and easy life by simply chanting the Dew-Gathering Incantation, compared to the impoverished people struggling in the workshops and fields of the mortal world.

Moreover, the city has everything you could want for eating, drinking, and entertainment. Just plant a few more burdock trees and chant a few more spells, and you can enjoy all of these things.

"I am so happy here that I don't miss home at all."

It is probably this atmosphere that makes the spirits so engrossed that they don't want to return to the mortal world.

"It's a pity there's no earth elemental energy, otherwise it wouldn't be bad to stay here and cultivate." Chen Mu said with a regretful expression.

As I walked, I heard the sounds of birdsong all around me.

My feet involuntarily turned around, and I immediately saw a strange building called Yicui Tower.

Groups of alluring female ghosts draped in red and green gauze leaned against the railing, teasing passersby.

These female ghosts were all fair-skinned and beautiful, dressed in bright colors, and acted boldly.

The subtle charm that emanated from her eyes and brows instantly made Chen Mu's heart pound and his scalp tingle as if it had been electrocuted.

Good trick!
His expression immediately turned serious.

I knew it!

This underworld is indeed not as simple as it seems!
No, I need to take a closer look and build up my courage!

What if we fall for these female ghosts' tricks next time?!

……

In a small alley near the south side of Jigu City.

A short, chubby man with a round face leaned against the wall, crunching on a brown snack that looked like pumpkin seeds.

Not long after, Niu Sanmiao, carrying a brand-new red lantern, walked into the alley with a gloomy expression.

"I heard you lost a lot of money this time?" the round-faced man said with a grin.

Niu Sanmiao's face turned ugly. Going to the River of Oblivion to collect Yin Spirits seemed like a great haul, but he ended up with very little of it.

Most of his travel expenses had to be handed over to the authorities in exchange for the red lanterns that provided him with protection. He also had to share some of the proceeds from selling the burdock beads. Otherwise, his position as the guide would be in jeopardy.

He had the potential to make more money this time, but instead encountered a strange, dark wind. Not only did he not make any money, he also lost a considerable amount!

Back in Jigu City, the more he thought about it, the more suspicious the black wind seemed. He suspected that someone among the previous group of spirits had set him up.

Thinking of this, Niu Sanmiao's face grew even uglier, and he tossed a gray cloth bag to the other person: "Where's the list?"

The round-faced man took it, put it in his sleeve, and then took out a folded square piece of paper and handed it to Niu Sanmiao.

"Let me make this clear first: don't come after me for money or murder. I don't want to follow the city lord's rules."

Niu Sanmiao didn't even glance at the list, casually stuffing it into the gas-eating bag at his waist.

"Don't worry, just keep an eye on things for me."

"I just want to see if anyone on this list is a big spender."

The round-faced man shrugged: "Anyway, you're paying for it, so whatever makes you happy."

"But even if you find out, what can you do to him?"

"The fact that they were able to outsmart you shows that they are highly skilled."

"Once they refine the Ghost Pattern Talisman Seed and enter the City Lord's Mansion, you might have to bow and scrape to them. It would be better if you knew that."

Just thinking about that scene made Niu Sanmiao's face twitch.

"That's why I need to know who that person is. If I can't afford to offend them, can't I at least avoid them?"

The round-faced man looked at him suspiciously: "Aren't you going to cause him trouble?"

Niu Sanmiao said seriously, "You said it yourself, I don't want to follow the city lord's rules."

Ah!
We're all swindlers, who are we trying to fool!

"Alright," the round-faced man said cheerfully, "As long as the money is right, I guarantee I'll get things done for you."

"I don't have any other skills, but I'm good at remembering people's faces."

"Once you've met someone, it's like it's etched into your mind; you can't forget it."

"Just watch it!"

……

Two months later.

A small courtyard south of Jigu City.

Chen Mu sat upright at the stone table in the courtyard, silently chanting incantations.

Seven or eight translucent burdock beads, each the size of a longan, floated in mid-air, enveloped in a light mist. As the moisture and dew seeped in and were absorbed, a pale red hue slowly crept onto the surface of the beads.

After a while, the round bead absorbed the dew and turned completely cherry red.

Chen Mu plucked the jade dewdrop and casually opened the wooden box on the stone table, placing it inside. At that moment, the box was filled with a red light, almost entirely filled with the fiery red bead.

"One thousand nine hundred and thirty-two pills, that should be enough."

Two months after returning from Jigu City, he secluded himself at home, focusing solely on collecting jade dew. Day by day, he finally accumulated enough jade dew beads to buy the scriptures.

Chen Mu wrapped the wooden box in a gray cloth, but didn't rush to go out.

After getting up and going back to his room to change into a loose gray robe, he activated the Transformation Technique, which he hadn't used in a long time.

In the blink of an eye, the seventeen or eighteen-year-old bald boy had transformed into a tall, thin middle-aged man with an unfamiliar face.

"Although the atmosphere in Jigu City is harmonious, it's still better to be careful, in case someone gets greedy for money."

He muttered to himself as he put on the wig he had prepared earlier.

Chen Mu looked at himself in the mirror from left to right.

"This birthmark is also a problem."

Then, with a few light strokes of his brush, the silver wavy vertical lines transformed into a fiery red flower pattern the size of a walnut.

The flowers were eerily vibrant, and as he frowned and looked up, they seemed to come alive.

"Hmph! Now even if the Lord of the Underworld comes, he won't be able to see my true face."

(End of this chapter)