My experience of grinding in another world

Chapter 440 Conspiracy
More than ten days passed in a blink of an eye.

At the foot of a small hill, a fleet of Flame-Powered vehicles gradually disappeared into the distance.

Chen Mu smiled as he looked at the large group of red-eyed water apes not far away.

Ripples spread across the ground like waves, and Shi Dechun and the others slowly emerged from the surface.

He cheerfully directed the crowd forward, but inwardly he couldn't help but sigh, "That Niu Chengzong is such a good person."

The information provided by the other party has brought him a string of gains recently, and the military merits recorded in his bronze medal with the ghost face have been increasing rapidly. Just another two or three hundred more, and he'll break the three thousand mark!

As he pondered this, he began stuffing water monkeys into the Five Ghosts Bag.

It was discovered unintentionally that many of the aquatic monkeys obtained today were giant aquatic monkeys, some of which were four or five meters tall.

“Previously, they were mostly two or three meters tall, but now there are more and more of these big ones.”

"Are we about to break into the core lair of the Water Ape?" The joy in his heart slowly dissipated.

"Forget it, there's no point in thinking about it too much. Let's just stick to robbing the rich to help the poor."

"In three more days at most, I will have earned enough military merits to exchange for the secret technique."

"If we hide in the camp, we won't have to worry about how dangerous the battlefield is."

……

On a small hilltop somewhere.

Hong Xiufei, Yong Niu, and Cheng Zong stood together, watching the crowd below obediently hand over their commissions, and they all smiled.

"Brother Hong, you've become quite famous lately," Fei Yong joked with a smile.

Hong Xiu's face darkened.

In the end, I became a substitute.

That person got wind of my information and started double-crossing people, using my name to their advantage. I was clearly humble and polite, but the rumors made me sound increasingly fierce.

Lately, many people have started looking at him strangely, making him constantly nervous, afraid that some tough guy will come looking for revenge.

"If I had to say, Brother Hong is truly brilliant," Niu Chengzong, short, stout, and robust, exclaimed in a deep voice.

"With that man's help, those small groups of looters were easily scattered."

"Either you think it's not worth it and quit, or you'll be recruited by us."

"That's why more and more caravans are willingly offering tolls, tsk tsk..."

"What a trick!"

"Alright, enough chit-chat, we need to figure out how to deal with that guy." Hong Xiu smiled and waved his hand, quite pleased with his quick wit back then.

Then, his smile faded, and he said solemnly, "We can't let him continue looting. Those small groups of plunderers are dwindling in number. If that man is still greedy, he might turn on us."

"Brother Hong, just give me your orders." Fei Yong grinned maliciously.

He still clearly remembered the grudge he suffered from being pinned to the ground and humiliated by that person.

"This person must have terracotta warriors and ghost weapons, and also knows a secret technique similar to the Black Wind Curse."

"It has the ability to capture and imprison people over a wide area, and it can also infiltrate underground. Its strength is extraordinary."

Fei Yong's face darkened as he listened.

Niu Chengzong couldn't help but grin and scratch his head: "Can the three of us really deal with him if we work together?"

“Of course we can’t handle them,” Hong Xiu sneered coldly. “But what if it’s the Yin soldiers of the General Banner?”

"We've spent so much military merit and given so many gifts, all for this day?"

“That Commander Hu can’t just shirk his responsibilities!” Hong Xiu said coldly.

……

Inside the barracks of Yisanqi.

Shi Dechun moved closer to Chen Mu and said, "How about we pay some toll too?"

"I recently heard that Hong Xiu, Fei Yong and others have joined forces and have scattered and incorporated 80 or 90% of the strongmen."

"We promised that as long as 30% of the water monkeys are handed over, everyone's safety will be guaranteed."

"More and more people are coming to our door to pay money. If we continue to stand out from the crowd, we may attract trouble."

Upon hearing this, Chen Mu raised an eyebrow.

These days, they've been busy with their own thievery, but I never expected that these scattered groups of robbers would actually start to band together.

Moreover, they changed from violent robbery to setting up roadblocks and taking a cut, a gentler, more subtle approach.

There's a real expert among them!
“If everyone starts paying tolls, then we will indeed stand out.” Chen Mu nodded slightly.

Continuing to remain on the sidelines risks making me a target for the enemy. I've accumulated enough military merits, so it's better to seize the opportunity to return to Yisan Banner and quit.

“That’s exactly right.” Shi Dechun nodded repeatedly.

"That Lord Hong Xiu is powerful and domineering."

"I heard that he went to the door of any gang of strongmen who dared to resist and seized half of their spoils."

"Many raiding groups work hard for half a day, only to have most of their loot taken away in one go. In the end, it's better to honestly carry water apes."

"Many small groups disbanded as a result, and many of them were incorporated into Hong Xiu's group."

"As their power grew, everyone had no choice but to submit."

As Chen Mu listened to Shi Dechun's rambling, he pondered which secret technique to exchange for cultivation, but the more he listened, the stranger his expression became.

Go to their doorstep? Forcibly seize 50% of the water apes? Aren't you talking about me?

"So domineering? Slander! That's pure slander!"
When have I ever not given you kind advice?

They would have gladly given me 50% of the profits!

"Recruiting and expanding? What the hell is that? I haven't recruited a single person!"
After listening carefully for a while, Chen Mu gradually understood.

So, it's that Hong Xiu who's using my name to expand his gang and set up roadblocks to make money?
I put in the effort to break up the gang, but you followed behind, recruiting them and making money.

This is outrageous! Chen Mu's face immediately darkened.

Someone took advantage of me!

……

The next day.

At the foot of a small hill somewhere.

Hong Xiufei, Yong Niu, and Cheng Zong reunited.

"The message has been sent."

"That General Hu was also hiding in a small team."

“As long as that person acts according to the list I gave him, his fate is already sealed,” Hong Xiu said calmly.

"To have a ghost soldier captain send him on his way is quite a respectable honor."

Niu Chengzong and Fei Yong exchanged a glance, their eyes turning cold as they looked at Hong Xiu.

If we're talking about cunning, this guy in front of me is the most cunning. He uses people as a weapon and then kills them; cunning, truly cunning!
"If I weren't afraid of alerting them, I would definitely have gone along," Fei Yong said with regret and resentment. "I really want to see how that guy ends up."

"In just over half a month, almost all the troublemakers and strongmen in the Flame Walker Division were dealt with by that person. Otherwise, we wouldn't have been able to recruit and expand so smoothly."

"Such ruthless people are rare. It's a pity we never met." Niu Chengzong shook his head and sighed.

Then, in the next moment, five black gusts of wind suddenly rose from the ground, and the group of fifty or sixty people were instantly thrown into the sky.

A surge of powerful force descended from the sky, and Hong Xiu and the other two were slammed to the ground with a thud.

Fei Yong's face flushed crimson, the humiliation of the past flooding back. He couldn't help but roar repeatedly, but he was still pinned to the ground, unable to move.

Hong Xiu also glared at Niu Chengzong with a livid face.

You're such a jinx!

Still no chance to meet? Noodles my ass!

"Which one is Hong Xiu? Step forward and let me see." Chen Mu emerged from the ground with an unfriendly expression.

I was unhappy when I heard some gossip about Shi Dechun yesterday.

I do the work and you make the money?

Why haven't you given me my share of the profits yet?

Why!

The more he thought about it, the more resentful he became. He stopped trying to rob those small fry and set off early in the morning to confront Hong Xiu, who had set up a roadblock.

You dare use me as a weapon? I'd like to see which bastard is it!

The Qi Restriction was activated over a hundred miles, and the three men who were clearly the leaders were lifted up.

Upon seeing one of the familiar, disheveled figures, Chen Mu chuckled: "Oh, Niu Chengzong? Isn't this Old Niu?"

He stepped forward and patted the other person's shoulder loudly: "I knew you were involved."

"Come on, tell me, which bastard dares to swindle and deceive people using my name, Hong Xiu's, name?!"

As he spoke, he glared fiercely at the short, fat, and burly man next to Fei Yong.

There were three leaders, with Lao Niu by his side, Fei Yong with a thick beard next to him, and only a short, stout guy left. Isn't that Hong Xiu?

Fei Yong and Niu Chengzong stared intently at Hong Xiu, especially the short and stout Niu Chengzong, whose big, round eyes were wide open!
Hong Xiu's face twitched, and he forced himself to speak: "Well...maybe, perhaps, I am that bastard who impersonated Hong Xiu."

What kind of world is this? People have to impersonate others to reveal their own identities?

Now it was Chen Mu's turn to stare wide-eyed.

He immediately understood that the guy in front of him was not Niu Chengzong at all; he was Hong Xiu himself!

So when I impersonated Hong Xiu last time, people saw through me on the spot?

Ugh! This is so awkward!

"Well, Old Niu," Chen Mu said calmly.

"Yes, I'm here!" the short, stout man replied quickly.

Chen Mu immediately glared at the other person: "I didn't call you!"

He turned to stare at Hong Xiu and continued calmly, "Old Niu."

Hong Xiu: "..."

"Sigh!" Hong Xiu's lips twitched, and he nodded with a forced smile.

Chen Mu immediately smiled with satisfaction.

That's right!

I am Hong Xiu, so of course you are Lao Niu, or you are!
"I'm already here, so look..."

"Take whatever you need here!" Hong Xiu's face twitched, but he still pretended to be generous and cupped his hands in greeting.

Chen Mu nodded in satisfaction.

With a wave of his hand, a group of figures shrouded in black robes and wearing clay masks appeared, loaded themselves onto the red-eyed water apes by the roadside, and drove away.

Chen Mu followed suit, and with a wave of his hand, half of the water ape was swallowed by the Five Ghost Bag. He then noticed the Qi-eating bags on the waists of the three people, and immediately stepped forward and snatched them away without any hesitation.

He planned to quit after this job, and of course, he would try to squeeze as much money as he could.

Since these guys dare to use him as a weapon, then what he takes is his share of the profits!
After ransacking everyone, Chen Mu and his men vanished without a trace with a wave of his hand.

Hong Xiu and his two companions stood at the foot of the hill, watching the rapidly departing group with blank expressions. It took them a long time to sort out their thoughts and regain their composure.

Niu Chengzong immediately glanced sideways at Hong Xiu: "Old Niu, huh?"

Hong Xiu: "..."

(End of this chapter)