My experience of grinding in another world

Chapter 9 Locusts
Chen Mu never imagined that simply drawing a painting would lead to the massacre of an entire family.

What horrified him even more was that the Wang family had been wiped out.

That was a powerful family that had been entrenched in Qingshan County for decades.

Staring at the headless portrait, Chen Mu's mind raced.

"Come with me." Officer Lu turned around and was about to lead Chen Mu to the back hall.

The county constable said he couldn't let Chen Mu go, so he had no choice but to lock Chen Mu up temporarily.

A pang of pity rose in Officer Lu's heart.

Getting locked up in jail is easy, but getting out is hard.

The Wang family massacre was a heinous crime, putting immense pressure on the county magistrate and county constable.

They might end up finding a scapegoat to take the blame.

This scholar who had become involved with the Wang family... Officer Lu dared not think any further.

"Wait!" Chen Mu called out to Officer Lu.

He had no relatives or friends in his previous life and was all alone.

Once locked up in jail, with no one around, you really have no choice but to leave it to fate.

“I painted a complete portrait. The head is missing, so someone must have deliberately created a mystery by using a special technique to erase the head!” Chen Mu said in a deep voice.

His second-order drawing skills gave him a vast knowledge base.

Staring at the headless portrait, a pigment formula gradually came to mind.

He approached the portrait and subtly sniffed it. Amidst the rich scent of ink, a faint, sweet fragrance wafted from the paper, further solidifying Chen Mu's conviction.

“You have no way to prove it,” said Officer Lu.

"I have a way!" Chen Mu stared intently at Constable Lu.

"This painting is a portrait of the Wang family patriarch. The paper and pigments are of high quality, and combined with my powerful painting technique, it is enough to preserve it for decades without fading," Chen Mu said confidently, trying to deceive the viewer.

In reality, the solution that can remove pigment ink is not completely effective and leaves residue.

Of course, he couldn't tell the other party about the medicine directly.

This would also increase suspicion against him.

"If the mounter were to peel the painting open from the middle, he would surely see the paint residue. That would be enough to prove that I painted a complete portrait!"

"You wait here." Officer Lu walked out of the hall with the portrait in his hand.

The clerks in the six departments of the county government were all scholars, and many of the older clerks were skilled in mounting and framing.

……

Half an hour later, in the back hall of the county government office.

"There's no way to say it's the work of evil spirits," said County Magistrate Du, staring at the lifelike portrait with a worried expression.

Evil spirits don't erase the portrait of a person who commits murder.

It was clearly the work of thieves, who were deliberately creating a fuss.

"It seems that the scholar was indeed fortunate to have come at the right time," said Constable Lu.

"Hmm, he's quite talented." County Magistrate Du had time to examine the portrait now.

The 3D portrait, with its lifelike effect, immediately gave him a refreshing experience.

He had never seen this style of painting before.

“If the portrait on the wanted poster were as lifelike as this painting, there would be no bandits we couldn’t catch.” County Magistrate Du’s heart stirred: “I’m interested in meeting this scholar.”

"The warding-off mirror really isn't working?" County Magistrate Du asked again to confirm.

"No."

“Let’s go and meet this scholar,” said County Magistrate Du calmly.

……

"Young Master Chen is truly talented; your painting skills have broadened my horizons," said County Magistrate Du as he stepped out of the back room, his face full of admiration.

"This is County Commandant Du of our county," Officer Lu introduced from the side.

Chen Mu bowed and greeted County Magistrate Du.

He has already obtained information from his predecessor's memories.

Knowing that the county lieutenant is equivalent to a company's vice president, the Qingshan County government is second only to the county magistrate and is mainly responsible for maintaining order within its territory.

The Wang family massacre case falls within the other party's jurisdiction.

"I have investigated thoroughly. The Wang family massacre has nothing to do with you. You just happened to be there. You can go home in peace later," said County Lieutenant Du with a wave of his hand.

"Thank you very much, County Commandant!" Chen Mu breathed a sigh of relief.

“I find Young Master Chen’s painting skills to be incredibly lifelike. If he could come to the county office to help paint portraits of wanted persons, it would greatly improve the security of our county. I wonder if Young Master Chen…” County Magistrate Du said calmly.

“No problem.” Chen Mu readily agreed.

He couldn't refuse. County Magistrate Du nodded in satisfaction, then casually asked, "Young Master Chen was able to tell that someone deliberately erased the portrait. Do you have any knowledge of this special technique?"

Understand? Not only do I understand it, I can even prepare that kind of potion!

But I can't say.

Chen Mu pretended to think, and after a while shook his head with a bitter smile: "My father mentioned this method of removing paint before he passed away, but I had only heard about it and did not know the specifics."

County Magistrate Du nodded. He hadn't expected a poor scholar to know such a secret technique.

Just as he was about to tell the guest to leave, Chen Mu suddenly said, "It is said that the Miaohua Painting Workshop in the east of the city gathers the top painters in Qingshan County. The people there might know something."

The corner of Constable Lu's mouth twitched violently as he stood beside him.

"Miaohua Studio?!" County Magistrate Du's eyes lit up immediately: "Officer Lu, take men and bring back the painters from Miaohua Studio right now."

Officer Lu turned his head and glanced at Chen Mu, who was smiling and seemed indifferent to the matter, and his eyes twitched involuntarily.

This scholar really holds a grudge.

……

Ping An Fang, Chen Family Residence.

Chen Mu sat silently at the square table in the living room, his expression shifting between anger and uncertainty.

First, the painter Yan sent people to block the door.

If it weren't for Officer Lu's timely arrival, he would have received a severe beating.

Then he was arrested and taken to the county government office, where he became involved in the massacre of his entire family.

Although he has been released now, there is no guarantee that he will not be arrested again in the future.

If a family annihilation case cannot be solved, the county government, for the sake of its political achievements, will definitely find a scapegoat to take the blame.

I, a poor scholar who is involved in the case, am the best candidate!
"I have no choice in the matter!" Chen Mu sighed.

Today's experience gave him a clear understanding.

This is no longer the stable and prosperous country of the past, but a chaotic ancient world.

He needs to learn to protect himself!

"It's unlikely that I can learn martial arts in a short time, but I need to find something to defend myself."

Chen Mu immediately thought of lime powder.

This stuff is cheap and plentiful; it can achieve remarkable results by taking people by surprise.

He made up his mind to prepare it for himself later.

"We also need to control some power."

He had no knowledge of the martial arts of this world and dared not practice them on his own, so he could only learn by reviewing his memories from his past life.

In my previous life, I was exposed to a flood of information and knew a little about various fighting techniques, but none of them were systematic.

After thinking for a long time, a vague memory surfaced in my mind.

He seemed to have seen a training method for the Natural Gate Locust Stone.

Locust stones are small stones that can be found everywhere.

The materials are easy to obtain, and the training is simple. By gradually improving accuracy and striking power, the effectiveness will naturally increase.

Chen Mu immediately went to the yard to collect the broken stones.

Then place the wooden basin for washing your face against the wall.

Five steps away, he threw pebbles into the wooden basin.

Chen Mu threw all twenty-odd pebbles into the wooden basin, picked them up, and retreated to a spot six steps away from the basin before continuing to throw them.

When he started throwing from eight meters away, a stone finally landed outside the wooden basin.

Chen Mu stopped increasing the distance and focused on practicing hard in his current position.

As I continued throwing until my arm ached and my strength diminished, a sudden realization dawned on me.

The throwing technique was subconsciously adjusted, and the movement immediately became less strenuous and lighter.

Chen Mu's mind stirred.

A gray wall came into view.

Writing: 1043/10000/Second order;

Drawing: 157/10000/Second order;

Throw: 26/10000/Tier 1;
Chen Mu took a deep breath.

Next came the part he was familiar with.

Keep practicing.

(End of this chapter)