Chapter 39: Taking the Initiative Again!

He Ningshuang was stunned.

Take care of Chen Mu?

Just because Long Tutu was very warm toward him?

What kind of reasoning is that?

Doting isn't done this way.

Complaining inwardly, on the surface He Ningshuang showed nothing, kept respectful, and replied in a low voice, "Understood!"

"Mm, go attend to your duties." The man raised his hand.

"This subordinate takes her leave."

He Ningshuang bowed respectfully, then backed away.

After the person had gone far away.

Only then did the man pick up his teacup, take a small sip, and the corners of his mouth curl up slightly.

"Interesting, to actually make Tutu warm to him…"

……

……

Outside Wulong Fucheng.

Changping Ward.

"Hoo~"

Chen Mu calmed his surging qi and blood, exhaled a breath of turbid air that transformed into an arrow of breath.

In his dantian, the newly added internal force swirled ceaselessly, battering his meridians, faintly stretching them to the limit.

But it still wasn't enough!

Sixth Stage of Heaven, breaking through to the Seventh Stage of Heaven, was the second threshold of the Postnatal stage.

This threshold blocked a great number of martial artists, unable to step into the final three stages of the Postnatal stage.

Don't look at the fact that only one stage separated them—their actual strength differed by several times.

In a direct confrontation, ten Sixth Stage of Heaven martial artists couldn't beat a single Seventh Stage of Heaven!

Because at the Seventh Stage of Heaven, one could let internal force seep through the pores all over the body and release it outward to attack the enemy!

When one couldn't even touch them, couldn't get close, how could one kill them?

And this gap in strength was precisely a gap in the thickness and fullness of internal force.

If the internal force reserves weren't sufficient, how could one release it outward?

The resulting consequence was that breaking through was difficult.

Of course, this difficulty was for other people. Chen Mu had a cheat—as long as he had enough internal force cards, no matter how great the threshold, he could cross it.

The internal force cards he'd picked up from the execution ground weren't enough to break through.

So he'd pick up a few more.

This time, Chen Mu planned to take the initiative and strike.

He'd also chosen his target—the gang of child kidnappers inside Wulong Fucheng!

Kidnapping and selling children, kidnapping and selling women—death would be too light a punishment for them.

"This time I'll guest-star as a chivalrous young hero of the jianghu!"

A gleam flashed in Chen Mu's eyes, he stopped circulating his art, and restrained his aura.

See injustice on the road, draw a blade to help.

The thing jianghu chivalrous guests loved most was punishing the wicked and eliminating the evil!

……

Target confirmed.

Chen Mu went out to the blacksmith's shop and bought a large pile of scrap iron, to use as flying darts.

Then he went to the weapons shop and bought a fine-steel greatsword.

He stored all the weapons into his palm-space.

Then, racing against the onset of night, he searched the streets for members of the Kidnapper Gang.

But time was too short, and his luck wasn't that good either—even after dark, he hadn't found a single suspicious target.

Chen Mu decisively put on a human-skin mask, seized a member of the Green Snake Gang, and forced a question out of him: did he know anyone from the Kidnapper Gang?

It took asking three in a row before he finally got the whereabouts of one group.

To be precise, it was the Kidnapper Gang active in the East District.

In Wulong Fucheng, all four districts of the outer city had a Kidnapper Gang—these people had privately divided up territory among themselves.

Chen Mu wouldn't have known if he hadn't investigated.

Of course, the Kidnapper Gang's people didn't have that clear a division of territory.

Between one another, occasionally tailing prey and crossing into another's territory was nothing.

The leader of the Kidnapper Gang active in the East District had the nickname "Seventh Master"—no one knew his real name.

Chen Mu first caught a kidnapper and forced out information on "Seventh Master," mainly including "Seventh Master's" residence, his Martial Dao Realm, and the people around him.

As it turned out, the kidnapper he'd caught had limited information.

Chen Mu could only have him spit out everything he knew first, then, based on the information, track them down one by one.

The ones he caught, he naturally killed one by one, and hid the corpses.

By the time he'd killed the fifth, he finally ran into a martial artist.

But it was only a First Stage of Heaven.

Chen Mu restrained the man, extracted the information he wanted, twisted off his neck, and picked up an internal force card worth half a month's cultivation.

Then, he headed straight for "Seventh Master"'s residence!

In a narrow alley.

In a modest courtyard, a single oil lamp inside the room bloomed with light, illuminating the entire space.

"Seventh Master, here is this month's earnings."

Inside the room, a burly, broad-shouldered man kept his head lowered and respectfully presented a stack of silver drafts.

Seated in a Taishi chair, smoking a long-stemmed pipe, "Seventh Master" did not take them, merely lifted his eyelids and rasped, "Why is it less than last month?"

"Re… reply to Seventh Master."

The burly man kept his head down, his voice trembling slightly. "This month, people from the Town Martial Office, for some reason, suddenly stuck their noses into patrol affairs. Word on the street says the wind's been tight lately, so we should keep our hands still."

"Keep our hands still, and the silver shrinks too." "Seventh Master" spoke unhurriedly, his tone indifferent. "The wind's tight in the city—can't you go outside the city to find prey?"

"……" The burly man lowered his head, not daring to make a sound.

"Hmph~"

"Seventh Master" gave a cold snort. "You've all had it too easy in the past, too lazy to run outside. Listen up—next month I want… who's there!"

"Seventh Master" suddenly rose, his once-cloudy eyes instantly sharpening, a fierce glint bursting forth.

Swish swish~

From the corner of the room, two figures darted over swiftly, taking their places on either side of "Seventh Master," standing ready for battle.

The burly man was startled as well and asked tensely, "Seventh Master, someone outside?"

"Not only someone, but their strength isn't low either."

"Seventh Master" called out lightly, his voice carrying through the closed door. "I wonder which friend has graced us with a visit in the dead of night? If you…"

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

A dozen or so scrap-iron flying darts suddenly shot through the paper-covered window and door, streaking rapidly into the room.

Once inside, the darts seemed to grow eyes of their own, spinning back and forth.

"Puchi~ puchi!"

With several strange thuds, the man and woman flanking "Seventh Master" were the first to take the hits, pierced through by the scrap iron, several bloody holes blasted through their bodies.

The burly man followed right after—a piece of scrap iron drove into his forehead, killing him on the spot.

Swish swish~

As "Seventh Master"'s face changed drastically, his figure flickered repeatedly, darting swiftly to dodge the circling, entangling scrap iron.

Whoosh~ whoosh~ whoosh!

Another dozen or so scrap-iron flying darts shot in at top speed through the paper-covered window and door.

These pieces of scrap iron seemed to have grown eyes, spiraling and dancing through the room in pursuit of "Seventh Master."

Wheee wheee wheee~!

"Seventh Master" raised his hand and fired three short arrows to intercept.

Then, he lifted every table and chair in the room, using them as cover.

Puchi! Puchi!

"Boom~!"

The strange thuds and muffled crashes rang out one after another without pause.

As his figure flickered, "Seventh Master" charged toward the window and smashed through it.

The instant he landed, he raised his hand and fired three more short arrows from his sleeve, then his body darted forward, hugging the wall corner, leapt into the air, and vaulted over the wall to escape.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

The shrill sound of cutting through the wind instantly rang out.

A dozen or so scrap-iron flying darts pursued "Seventh Master," spiraling and dancing around him.

The turning scrap iron, as if it had grown eyes, locked onto "Seventh Master" and would not let go.

"Seventh Master," mid-air, drew a soft sword, clanging and clattering as he parried.

Swish!

A streak of snow-white blade light suddenly bloomed, descending from below upon "Seventh Master," engulfing his figure.

"Wait……"

"Seventh Master"'s pupils dilated, his mouth opening as if to say something.

But it was already too late……

Puchi!

A great spray of scalding hot blood flew up into the air.

"Seventh Master"'s head left his neck, soaring high.

The headless body fell to the ground along its momentum, producing a muffled thud.

【Corpse discovered. Pick up?】

"Yes!"

The card was in hand.

Chen Mu quickly inspected it.

Another internal force card—and this one was three months' worth of cultivation!

"Enough to break through?"