My experience of grinding in another world

Chapter 431 Meeting Again
South of Jigu City, at Guyuezhai.

Chen Mu, carrying a cloth bag containing a wooden box, walked to the east side of the second floor with a cold face.

The goatee-bearded shopkeeper who was in charge of buying and selling spellbooks was still sitting behind the counter with his eyes half-closed, as if he had never moved from his spot.

Upon seeing Chen Mu approach, the other person frowned and stared solemnly at the flower on his forehead.

Chen Mu's heart skipped a beat.

Could it be that the old man has noticed something amiss?
"Your magical tattoos..." Goatee took a deep breath, "are really beautifully drawn!"

Chen Mu: “…”

Seeing Chen Mu standing there in a daze, the old man with the goatee smiled with satisfaction and continued to tease him with a cheerful grin.

“I’ve seen quite a few people draw ghost patterns, but there are very few who can draw them better than you.”

"This reminds me of a customer from a few months ago. He also had a flower drawn between his eyebrows. Just two strokes, and it looked like a divine eye. It was simple and elegant."

"Of course, yours is not bad either, it's just a bit too flashy!"

My foot!
Chen Mu's lips twitched.

I knew it! I've honed my drawing skills for years, how could this old man easily spot my flaws?

It turns out it was all just the old man's wicked hobby of playing pranks.

Chen Mu slammed a box of jade dew beads on the counter and said irritably, "Stop talking nonsense and give me the 'Flying Flame Scripture'!"

The old man with the goatee wasn't angry. He slowly opened the box and examined the jade dew.

After counting each grain one by one for a while, he finally pulled out a black-covered scripture from under the counter.

Chen Mu reached out to take it, but the old man pressed down on the second half of the scripture and wouldn't let go.

"Don't rush to take it. Let me explain the taboos to you before you start." The man with the goatee looked solemn.

"The Flying Flame Scripture cultivates the original azure flame. This flame can burn anything, is difficult to control, and can easily burn one's own essence during cultivation."

"We must proceed step by step, starting small and gradually growing the flame."

"Only after you have completely mastered it can you use it to refine the Yin Spirit divine power, removing the dross and retaining the essence to create supernatural ghost patterns. The whole process is extremely painful and carries a great risk of failure."

"What will happen if we fail?" Chen Mu frowned slightly.

During this time, he wasn't idle; at least he mastered the control of Yin Spirit divine power.

Based on his many years of cultivation experience, he believed that compared to magical power, the power of the Yin spirit was more like physical strength, seemingly involving the very essence of the Yin spirit. Using flames to temper this power was akin to tempering the Yin spirit's physical form, which was extremely dangerous.

The man with the goatee shook his head and sighed: "At best, it will result in serious injury or disability; at worst, it will lead to the death of one's soul."

Chen Mu's expression changed.

This secret technique is indeed dangerous!

"Is there any way to reduce the risk?" he couldn't help but ask.

“Of course there are.” The man with the goatee nodded.

"Eat more Jade Dew to replenish your essence before practicing. Prepare some water from the River of Oblivion. If you feel the Azure Flame getting out of control, quickly pour it into your stomach."

"Although this will corrode the body and make recovery difficult, it is still better than the soul being scattered."

Chen Mu nodded upon hearing this.

Seeing Chen Mu's solemn expression, the man with the goatee couldn't help but smile: "Of course, if we can replace it with a more advanced and detailed secret technique, we will naturally avoid these risks."

"I have a copy of the 'Hidden Moon Secret Manual' here. It's safe and secure, with no hidden dangers."

"With just three thousand jade dews, you can easily complete the cultivation of supernatural ghost patterns."

"How about we take a look?"

Chen Mu's face immediately darkened.

I thought you were talking so much because you were worried about my safety, but I never imagined you were actually after my money!
You're trying to sell me your products!
He grabbed the Flying Flame Scripture and turned to leave.

The man with the goatee wasn't annoyed at all. He chuckled and called out from behind, "If you can keep practicing, then keep practicing. If you can't, come back and find me to switch."

"You won't waste this money on the Flying Flame Sutra; I'll give you a 50% discount and a cashback!"

Chen Mu's face darkened even more.

With such skillful sales pitches, and the promise of cashback, are you absolutely certain that I'll come back to exchange them?

What the hell!
Could it be that there are really serious hidden dangers in cultivating this "Flying Flame Scripture"?

……

Opposite Guyuezhai is Baihe Teahouse.

A short, stout man with a round face sat at a square table near the railing on the first floor, listening to the storyteller's voice, but his eyes were fixed on the entrance of Guyuezhai across the street.

Not long after, a young man dressed in a brown short-sleeved shirt hurriedly walked out of the Guyuezhai.

"Someone went to buy the 'Flying Flame Sutra'?" The round-faced man asked with a strange expression.

The young man in the brown shirt and shorts looked smug: "Isn't that right?"

"Another one who's eager for quick success and instant benefits."

"Everyone in Jigu City knows how difficult that thing is to master."

"Instead of wasting that money, it's better to save up for a few more years and buy a better secret manual. It's safer to get it right the first time."

"Of course, it's best to go on the expedition with the main army. The secret techniques within the city lord's mansion are truly high-end."

The round-faced man raised an eyebrow.

The seasoned veterans of Jigu City certainly know how to choose. But what if this is a newcomer, someone who's just arrived and doesn't have the necessary information?
His heart skipped a beat.

Could it be that Niu Sanmiao really picked up a ruthless person this time? The kind of ruthless person who dared to plunder Yin soldiers as soon as he climbed out of the River of Oblivion?
"Where is he?" he asked, intrigued.

"Look, the one with the red flower on his forehead, easy to spot." The young man in brown raised his chin, then shook his head and sighed, "Another guy obsessed with supernatural powers." "Tsk tsk, I must say, it's quite vibrant!"

The round-faced man quickly turned his head to look, and a tall, thin middle-aged man in gray clothes came into view.

The other person had a cold expression, with a striking red flower pattern on their forehead, and a face that said "keep away."

"What a pity..." The round-faced man was immediately disappointed.

He thought he could squeeze more money out of the bull, but unfortunately, he never remembered the tall, thin middle-aged man's face.

"Alright, I'll go back and keep an eye on things for you." The young man in brown shrugged.

The round-faced man smiled and nodded, then tossed a small gray cloth bag to the other man.

"Thank you for the reward, Fifth Brother!" The young man in brown skillfully put it away, drank the tea in the teacup in front of him in one gulp, and turned to run back to Guyuezhai.

The round-faced man shook his head slightly as he listened to the melodious storyteller behind him: "Looks like I'll have to keep an eye on him for a few more days."

……

Walking down the bustling main street of Jigu City, Chen Mu felt increasingly uneasy.

"This 'Flying Flame Scripture' is probably in real trouble."

Upon arriving in the unfamiliar underworld, he was preoccupied with quickly acquiring power to facilitate his return to the mortal realm. In his haste, he inevitably lacked clear thinking.

Looking back now, I feel even more that my previous actions were somewhat hasty.

The joy of having just acquired the secret technique vanished instantly.

"Never mind, let's practice first and see."

"Fortunately, I pushed the Dew Gathering Spell to its limit. With this secret method of making money, it will only delay things by a few months at most."

Chen Mu sighed, slowed his pace, and looked around at the bustling street scene to calm his restless mind. As he was aimlessly looking around, a shop suddenly came into view.

Looking at the gold characters on the black plaque, he felt a sense of familiarity for no reason.

"Yu Pin Xuan..."

"It seems like I've seen it somewhere before?"

Chen Mu walked forward curiously, and as soon as he entered, he saw a middle-aged man in his forties with a fair complexion sitting behind the counter.

The other person was dressed in white, with a calm expression, giving off a gentle and composed vibe that made people feel at ease at first glance.

But Chen Mu frowned deeply, feeling more and more as if he had seen this person somewhere before.

At this moment, the middle-aged man suddenly looked up, paused slightly when he saw Chen Mu, and then smiled gently.

"Brother Chen?"

"It's been a long time since we last met..."

Chen Mu was instantly shaken, and almost switched back to his original body to give this guy a few flying sword blows!
This is the underworld, and he's even changed his appearance, yet the other party can still recognize his surname in one sentence?!

Chen Mu's heart pounded wildly.

"You are... Le Yang'an?!"

After a long while, Chen Mu took a deep breath and came to his senses, finally remembering the person's identity.

The other party was Le Yang'an, the owner of Yupinxuan, who was first seen on the white boat in the lower courtyard of Tongtian River.

Back then, when he was still weak, he made a lot of Mind-Concentrating Pills by hand to earn Jade Coins. For safety's sake, he deliberately sold them separately, giving some to Shang Huan and the rest to Yu Pin Xuan.

Later, the two branch temples, Tongtian River and Lengyue Mountain, were destroyed one after another, and Chen Mu followed Song Wuji to Tianhe Water Mansion to stay temporarily. There, he met Le Yang'an for the second time.

This is the third time, in this world of spirits.

Despite their lack of close friendship, Chen Mu couldn't help but feel a surge of immense joy.

Seeing a familiar face in this strange, dark world truly put his mind at ease.

"Although the environment isn't quite right, I still want to say that I'm very happy to see you again," Chen Mu said with a smile.

……

Jigu City South Ward Market.

Zhang Wuqing, a round-faced man, stood in the middle of the street, looking around blankly.

"Wasn't he just here? How could he disappear in the blink of an eye?"

He still felt that the guy with the red flower on his head was not right.

Something's wrong because he doesn't remember the other person's face.

He spent many years in the south of the city helping to register newly arrived spirits. He had seen almost everyone's face. That person looked so distinctive that he could hardly forget their face.

"She must have changed her appearance!"

After figuring it out, he followed them from a distance.

But just now, in the blink of an eye, the other person's figure disappeared.

"Going inside the shops?" He immediately pretended to be a pedestrian and went into the nearby shops one by one to check.

He soon returned to the place where Chen Mu had disappeared.

"None of the shops have back doors, so there's no way they could have escaped."

"They are all small shops, there is no place to hide."

"How could he just be gone?"

He stood in front of the Yupinxuan gate looking bewildered, seemingly oblivious to Chen Mu, who was just a door away.

He didn't even glance at the shop next to him, as if the huge shop didn't exist at all!
(End of this chapter)