Chapter 51: New Card, One Worth Thirty!

Whoosh!

The branch, wrapped around the parcel, shot through the open gate of the Zhenwu Division with a whistling sound.

None of the four doormen managed to intercept it in time.

By the time they reacted, Chen Mu had already vanished, while the branch carried the parcel through the front corridor and courtyard, straight into the second gate.

"Pa~"

A man stepped out of the doorway at just the right moment and reached out to grab the branch.

"G-greetings, my lord!"

The four doormen, coming back to their senses, hurriedly dropped to one knee, panic-stricken.

"Why aren't you off chasing him yet?"

Yan Qingyuan untied the parcel from the branch, opened it, checked the stone first, confirmed it was just an attachment, and tossed it aside.

Then he picked up the folded paper, unfolded it for a look, and his pupils instantly contracted.

The next moment, his figure flickered; he skimmed low to the ground and rushed toward the rear at high speed.

The four kneeling doormen scrambled to their feet in shock, called over the others who had come running at the noise, and the group charged out the gate in pursuit of Chen Mu.

But Chen Mu had already run two streets away, removed his human-skin mask, changed clothes, and even messed up his hairstyle, letting it hang loose.

At this moment, he sat at a roadside tea stall, two streets away, "listening to the wind" for sounds from the Zhenwu Division headquarters!

"My lord, news from the Changsheng Cult! Someone shot it in through the main gate—its truth is unknown."

"…It says to act at once, or the person will get away. True or false, won't we know once we go look? We're in the city anyway, no need to leave it."

"Then this subordinate will head there right now!"

"Go."

"…"

That's it?

Just those two lines?

Is the Zhenwu Division's response rate really that efficient?

The man "listening" to the report—his breathing and heartbeat unchanged—yet his position was shifting fast.

That was one person heading straight for the clothing shop!

Innate?

Startled inwardly, Chen Mu kept his expression unchanged on the surface, finished his tea, tossed down two copper coins, and likewise hurried out of the inner city, returning to the South District, heading for the clothing shop.

Along the way, "Listening to the Wind" locked on from afar to the Innate expert who had come out of the Zhenwu Division.

The latter gathered a squad of Zhenwu Division patrolmen halfway there.

Then, sprinting all the way, he arrived at the South District, and only slowed slightly as he neared the clothing shop's location.

Once the Innate expert descended upon the clothing shop from the rooftop first, the others swiftly closed in to surround it.

"How did the Zhenwu Division people get here?"

"Not good—it's Yan Qingyuan!"

"Kill!!"

Clang-clang-clatter~

Bang!

Boom~

Roars, shrieks, anguished howls…

In the rear courtyard of the clothing shop, fierce sounds of combat instantly erupted.

Chen Mu stopped at the street corner, listening from afar.

"Surrender. I can give you a quick end."

"Heh, you think I'm some three-year-old kid? Go to hell!"

Rumble~!

Following a deep, muffled thunderous crash, all sounds of fighting ceased.

Was the battle over?

Chen Mu made no move, continuing to listen from afar.

A moment later, hearing the Innate expert named "Yan Qingyuan" order his men to clean up the battlefield, he finally walked over at a leisurely pace.

At this time, the pedestrians on the street were still fleeing in panic.

Chen Mu blended into the crowd, passing right by the front door of the clothing shop.

【Corpse detected. Pick up?】

"Yes!"

【Corpse detected. Pick up?】

"Yes!"

……

A total of five cards obtained!

Without pausing his steps, Chen Mu followed the flow of people toward the end of the street.

Reaching into his pocket, he checked the cards.

Internal Force card! Internal Force card! Internal Force card!

The three Internal Force cards granted cultivation of one month, two months, and two and a half months respectively.

The remaining one was a Cultivation card—one powerful…

That's not right!

"Body-Strengthening Card?"

Chen Mu kept moving, his heart stirring.

A new card!

Body-Strengthening, body-strengthening.

This new card's effect, like the Power Card, also strengthens the physique and increases strength.

But the Body-Strengthening Card contains several times more energy than the Power Card!

Exactly how much more needs to be verified.

Thinking of this.

Chen Mu turned into a small alley, avoiding the eyes of others, took out a Power Card, silently willed it to be used, and strengthened his physique.

After a while, he took out the Body-Strengthening Card and silently willed it to be used.

Whoosh~

The Body-Strengthening Card turned into a stream of light and drilled into his body.

A current of electricity instantly exploded within his body, spreading throughout his entire frame in a flash.

Chen Mu trembled, feeling the taste of soreness and numbness mixed with a stabbing pain.

Fortunately, it quickly faded, and immediately after, the sensation brought by the strengthening of his body surged up in his heart.

He had grown stronger.

His physique had clearly grown stronger!

Compared to his original body, it was more than twice as strong.

"Postnatal Eighth Layer… no, a physique of Postnatal Ninth Layer?"

Chen Mu slightly closed his eyes, clenched his fists, and carefully felt the changes in his body.

Compared to the Power Card, the Body-Strengthening Card's strengthening of the body was incomparably clear.

Broken down, one Body-Strengthening Card was roughly equivalent to thirty Power Cards!

One to thirty!

"Horizontal-Training martial artist?"

Chen Mu pondered secretly.

This kind of high-effect functional card could only be picked up if the martial artist was a horizontal-trainer in life.

Just at this moment, within the garment shop locked onto by the "Wind-Listening" skill, Yan Qingyuan's voice rang out.

"What a 'Hundred Longevity Demonic Body'."

Hundred Beasts Demonic Body?

Or Hundred Longevity Demonic Body?

Whichever it was, the corpse from which the Body-Strengthening Card was picked up had undoubtedly cultivated a body-refining art in life.

A horizontal-training martial artist's body not only had formidable defense, but also tremendous strength.

Listening to Yan Qingyuan's voice, he was slightly panting, as if injured?

"Worthy of the Longevity Cult followers…"

Chen Mu exhaled, suppressed his aura, returned to the street, and hurried toward the East District.

The subsequent handling of the Longevity Cult followers was the responsibility of the Town Martial Bureau; Chen Mu need not worry about it.

One Body-Strengthening Card saved thirty Power Cards.

Right now, Chen Mu's physique was roughly able to withstand the execution of the tenth sword of "Cloud-Sweeping Sword."

For this.

Returning home, Chen Mu took out the cultivation cards he had accumulated and began cultivating "Cloud-Sweeping Sword."

As a result, after all the cultivation cards were used up, "Cloud-Sweeping Sword" was still a little short of reaching Perfection.

By Chen Mu's estimate, he still needed at least ten years' worth of cultivation cards.

Fortunately, Chen Mu's mindset was very steady.

Ten years' worth of cultivation cards in total — picking up about five more would be enough.

The personnel of the External Affairs Hall, after simple training, were already running about the streets.

Two teams in the city, two teams outside the city.

Every day, a large amount of information gathered at the hall and was recorded on file.

Although most of this information was on the surface, there was also quite a bit of hidden information.

For example, the rumors about Chen Mu were jointly dismantled by Tang Tianhao and Zheng Qianrou, while Guo Jinquan's side remained completely silent.

One could only say that among the sons of noble clans, people differed!

……

With subordinates running errands, Chen Mu had free time and browsed through the materials bought from the Hero Tower.

He only went out when someone died somewhere.

Over half a month, he obtained three more Internal Force Cards, five Power Cards, and two Cultivation Cards, with time limits of one year and one and a half years respectively.

Other Energy-Doing Cards and Stamina Cards in some quantity.

Overall, it was not bad.

This morning, a carrier pigeon flew into the External Affairs Hall's office.

A clerk stepped forward, took a small slip of paper from the little bamboo tube tied to the carrier pigeon's leg, and delivered it to Chen Mu.

Chen Mu opened it and looked…

"Red Willow Villa was wiped out last night — all one hundred and thirty-seven people inside the estate are dead!"