My experience of grinding in another world

Chapter 579 Relocation
One hundred and twenty li west of Chongmei Mountain.

A series of bubbles rose from the bottom of Yunze Lake, accompanied by large patches of black sludge.

One by one, triangular golden pearl mussels the size of millstones were dragged out of the water by underwater pearl harvesters.

Its surface is smooth and bluish-black, while the opening edge has wavy folds that interlock like canine teeth.

Chen Mu stood at the front of the bamboo raft and wielded a pitchfork to hoist the nearest golden pearl clam onto the raft.

Chai Song, a pearl diver, stepped forward and skillfully pried open the clam shells to dissect the clam meat, quickly finding five or six golden pearls the size of soybeans.

"If it could live another six months, this bead would have grown to the size of a longan. It won't fetch a good price now," Chai Song said with regret, looking at the golden bead in his hand.

“There’s nothing we can do about natural disasters and man-made calamities,” another pearl diver nearby lamented.

More than twenty days after the incident, the spiritual energy surrounding Yunze Lake rapidly dissipated. Qi cultivators' magical power recovered more slowly, and a large number of golden pearl clams raised in Yunze Lake died.

Yun Chong's lower academy had no choice but to mobilize all its disciples to harvest various spiritual herbs and golden pearls in a desperate, wasteful manner.

"Brother Li, haven't I seen you somewhere before?" Chai Song carefully put away the bright white golden pearl shell and turned to ask Chen Mu with a puzzled look.

“It’s possible.” Chen Mu, wearing Li Moliang’s face, nodded seriously: “I’ve been a pearl farmer for many years, and perhaps we met in the General Affairs Office back then.”

"That's actually possible." Chai Song suddenly realized.

Chen Mu glanced at the other person with a smile.

He did see Chai Song, but not at the General Affairs Office, but on Sanye Island, when he was capturing the monstrous Yinming Insect.

This person had previously escaped the attack of the demonic monster, and now he had also escaped the crisis of the ghostly spirit. He must have some skill and luck.

Unfortunately, the creatures that filled the lake were not so lucky.

Chen Mu looked at the lake.

The rotting flesh of dead golden pearl clams and the belly-up corpses of fish and shrimp of all sizes were everywhere, and a strong, fishy stench mixed with the fishy smell of the lake water filled the nostrils.

"Yun Chong's Lower Academy is finished." He shook his head and sighed.

The energy flow of Yunze Lake has collapsed and become chaotic. It may only be possible for it to slowly recover after hundreds of years of erosion.

……

One month later, in the evening.

More than 200 miles north of Chongmei Mountain, a black awning boat floats on the water.

After working for more than a month, Chen Mu finally had some free time today.

At the bow of the ship, Li Moliang respectfully clasped his hands in a fist salute to Chen Mu: "Take care, sir."

After saying that, he plunged into the lake, turning into a black shadow and swimming northward, quickly disappearing from sight.

The previous chaos resulted in the deaths and injuries of many disciples, which actually made Chen Mu's hiding more thorough and safer. He no longer needed to keep Li Moliang by his side.

The other party was a Dragon Locker, backed by the Dragon Locking Academy, and had connections with the Underworld. He didn't want to get involved in trouble, so he simply let him return to the Great Qian Dynasty.

With the Heavenly Demon Spirit Seed present, Chen Mu was not afraid of being betrayed.

Hearing Li Moliang's aura leave the range of the Listening Technique, Chen Mu stood at the bow of the awning boat and looked back at Chongmei Mountain.

At this moment, two small black dots are rising from the mountaintop and slowly heading south; those are the Cloud Bat Flying Boats of Goose Sheep Path.

After more than a month of looting, the remaining value of Yunchong Lower Temple has been completely squeezed out.

The disciples of the lower temple have begun to relocate in batches.

……

Half a month later, at Goose and Sheep Mountain.

With a buzzing sound, the Cloud Bat Flying Boat, its broad, fleshy wings spewing out clouds of smoke, slowly descended to the ground.

As Chen Mu stepped out of the dimly lit cabin, gazing at the orange-red sunset and the towering green mountains in the distance, he felt a sense of exhilaration.

"We've finally arrived."

With over a hundred people crammed into a small cabin filled with various smells, it was hardly a pleasant experience.

Yun Chong's lower academy was disbanded, and many disciples were relocated. Chen Mu originally thought he would be assigned to another lower academy, but unexpectedly he was sent directly to Goose Sheep Mountain.

"A pleasant surprise."

He had always wanted to infiltrate Goose and Sheep Mountain, and now his wish had come true.

"...Newcomers, don't just stand there, hurry up and follow me." A tall, thin old man with gray hair came up to the group. He shouted impatiently, not caring whether anyone heard him or not, and then turned and left.

The group of people who had just disembarked looked at each other for a moment, and finally had no choice but to carry their bags and packages and follow.

"My surname is Liu, and I come from the General Affairs Department."

"This is Goose Sheep Mountain, with many rules and regulations, unlike the Lower Courtyard which is more relaxed."

"You newcomers should talk less, listen more, observe more, and follow instructions obediently. If you offend the senior students in the upper academy and get beaten or punished, don't blame me for not warning you."

Ignoring the expressions of the crowd, the elderly man surnamed Liu continued to introduce Goose and Sheep Mountain as if reciting from a script, clearly not the first time he had done this job.

Chen Mu mingled in the crowd, listening to the other person's introduction while looking around.

The first thing that catches the eye is the towering Goose and Sheep Mountain, on which three building complexes are built around the mountain.

There's one halfway up the mountain, one at the foot of the mountain, and another not far beyond the foot of the mountain.

At this time, a few lights had been lit on the mountain, and from a distance, it looked peaceful, serene, and tranquil.

Before long, led by the old man, the group arrived at the western edge of the third building complex, where a cluster of low wooden houses appeared before them.

"Find a cabin to stay in yourself, but you can only stay for a maximum of three days," the elderly man surnamed Liu emphasized.

“You’ll have to build your own accommodations over there,” he said, pointing to a patch of wasteland further west.

"Can't we rent or buy a ready-made log cabin?" someone in the crowd asked, frowning.

"It used to be alright, but it's not anymore," the elderly man surnamed Liu said regretfully, shaking his head.

“You’re not the only ones coming to Eyang Mountain; all the houses available for sale have already been sold.”

"You can either live in tents for now and make do while waiting for the General Affairs Department to make a unified plan, or you can find a place to set up your own tents."

After asking a few more questions about getting water and food, the group dispersed in twos and threes.

Chen Mu followed the others and left, finding an empty wooden house and going inside.

The room was small, with only a wooden bed, but he didn't mind.

After confirming that no one was watching him using the method of listening, he went into the Thousand Lantern City and washed up properly.

Then he returned to the cabin, and the five ghosts released black smoke, thoroughly cleaning the interior. He laid a brand new set of bedding on the wooden bed and lay down on it, no longer moving.

He had been crammed into a small cabin with more than a hundred other people for more than ten days. He wasn't physically tired, but he was mentally exhausted. Right now, all he wanted to do was lie down and do nothing.

……

The next day, the sun shone into the room, and Chen Mu opened his eyes.

After a good night's sleep, Chen Mu felt warm and comfortable all over, and didn't want to get out of bed.

"I can't lie down anymore. I need to find a place to stay first. Once I've set up my shelter, I'll have plenty of time to lie down and rest."

After silently encouraging himself for a moment, Chen Mu got up, packed up his bedding, popped a fasting pill into his mouth to fill his stomach, and then pushed open the door and went out.

The temporary wooden cabins are located in the third building ring of Eyang Mountain, with a wide east-west bluestone road running through them.

To the east, you can see some neat wooden houses and pavilions, while to the west is wasteland covered with grass and shrubs.

New disciples arriving at the lower temple could only build their dwellings on these barren lands.

Chen Mu chose a small hillside with a sparse broad-leaved forest, which he liked very much.

"Secluded and hidden, with trees providing cover from prying eyes, few people to disturb us, quiet and safe, this is the place!"

With a thought, the ground turned into steel, and the soil seemed to surge and gather like water, and a square stone platform one meter high rose from the ground.

A pitch-black shadow appeared in the center of the stone platform, like black ink spreading rapidly on white paper, spreading outwards quickly.

A two-story wooden building slowly rose and emerged from the shadows.

With the help of the "Pointing to the Ground to Form Steel" technique, the exquisite little building that he had pulled out of Thousand Lanterns City was quickly fixed on the stone platform.

Then, manipulating the clay, he shaped several steps at the entrance. Chen Mu clapped his hands and smiled.

"All done!"

He doesn't know how to build houses, but there are large areas of buildings in Thousand Lantern City, and he can easily settle down anywhere.

(End of this chapter)