Chapter 133: Mystery

Chen Mu understood the reason why the direct disciple of the Heavenly Sword Sect glanced at him the first time he saw the old man. Perhaps it was not his gaze that caught the other party’s attention, but the old Taoist behind him, who looked wretched and unassuming.

The words "ruling the mysterious court, speaking marvelous secrets" already revealed his identity, a member of the Xuanji Pavilion, one of the four sects.

Although he didn’t know what abilities the old Taoist in front of him had, he really didn’t want to get involved with such a mysterious sect. Among the four major sects, the one he least wanted to encounter was the Xuanji Pavilion.

"Sorry, I’m not interested."

Chen Mu replied with a wary look and was about to pull Xu Hongyu away.

"Don’t go, don’t go."

The old Taoist grinned, revealing his yellow teeth with gaps, and said, "I am about to close up shop. Today you are my last divination, so I won’t charge you any divination fee. How’s that?"

"No need."

Chen Mu flatly refused.

This time it was the old Taoist’s turn to puff his beard and glare, saying, "This old Taoist divines according to people. Those with no affinity cannot obtain a divination even with a thousand gold. It’s rare to feel a connection with you, and you won’t even let this old Taoist divine. No, no…"

As he spoke, the old Taoist lay down directly in front of Chen Mu, rolling around in the street, acting like a rogue.

Xiao He and Xu Hongyu were stunned. After all, the old Taoist had directly stated the name of the Xuanji Pavilion, yet he could roll on the ground like a hooligan. Perhaps he was an imposter, but in this world, who would dare impersonate a member of the Xuanji Pavilion?

Chen Mu was troubled.

Although he couldn’t sense any threat from the old Taoist, as if he were really just an ordinary old man, the fact that he could state the name of the Xuanji Pavilion and might have attracted the attention of the Heavenly Sword Sect’s direct disciple, meant that he couldn’t possibly be an ordinary person. This made him even more difficult to assess, completely unsure of his origins.

Seeing the old Taoist’s determination to persist if he didn’t agree, Chen Mu finally sighed and said, "Alright, then I’ll have a divination."

Actually, being in Yu Prefecture, he would eventually have to deal with the Xuanji Pavilion, but he really didn’t want to contact this old Taoist, whose background was completely unknown.

Upon hearing this, the old Taoist’s face immediately lit up, and he jumped up from the ground and ran back to his stall, picked up a stack of tortoise shells and copper coins, and said with anticipation, "Layman, do you want to divine your future or your fate?"

Chen Mu pulled the bewildered Xu Hongyu in front of him and said, "Just divine Hongyu’s fate for me."

"Ah?"

The old Taoist’s face immediately fell.

But in the end, he reluctantly picked up the tortoise shells and copper coins and tossed them. They landed scattered, forming strange patterns.

"Invaluable…"

The old Taoist said weakly.

The old Taoist’s rolling on the ground had attracted some onlookers. Upon hearing the old Taoist’s divination, they immediately pointed and mocked, "What kind of divination is this? I can also see that she is invaluable."

"I told you, these diviners are all swindlers. If you really want to divine your fate, you should go to the Xuanji Pavilion in the west. They are a famous sect, and their divinations are real."

Hearing these discussions, the old Taoist was furious and said, "This old Taoist is from the Xuanji Pavilion!"

"Shh, I think you should run away quickly. If you impersonate the Xuanji Pavilion and they find out, you might be in big trouble." Someone nearby hushed and advised the old Taoist.

If they hadn’t seen the old Taoist rolling around on the ground, perhaps someone would have believed him, but after the scene just now, no one could believe that he was a member of the Xuanji Pavilion. It was simply a fantasy, a swindler at best.

"What impersonating the Xuanji Pavilion! Does this old Taoist need to impersonate…"

The old Taoist was enraged and began to argue with the people.

The nearby area was immediately thrown into chaos, and soon the city guards from the inner city came after hearing the news. But upon hearing that it involved the Xuanji Pavilion, they didn’t dare to act rashly and sent people to report to the Xuanji Pavilion.

By the time the Xuanji Pavilion’s men appeared in the street, the old Taoist finally stopped arguing. His eyes darted around, and he suddenly grabbed his stall and slipped through the city guards, directly into a narrow alley.

"Humph!"

"Daring to impersonate a member of my Xuanji Pavilion, and you still want to escape?"

The men of the Xuanji Pavilion in the rear saw the scene and someone immediately snorted, quickly chasing after him, disappearing into the narrow alley.

…

Several streets away.

Chen Mu and Xu Hongyu, who were continuing to browse the market, were stunned when they heard the words of the Yu family attendant who came to report the situation, and Xu Hongyu was also a little surprised.

"That old Taoist was really impersonating the Xuanji Pavilion?!"

Xiao He was a bit dumbfounded.

Chen Mu couldn’t help but scratch his head for a moment. He also had a preconceived notion. Could it be that the Heavenly Sword Sect’s direct disciple’s reaction had nothing to do with the old Taoist? Was that old Taoist really just a swindler impersonating the Xuanji Pavilion?

But this was also a bit too unbelievable, as this was the inner city after all.

Chen Mu quickly shook his head and said, "Alright, whether he’s real or fake, it has nothing to do with us. It doesn’t matter if he’s real. After all, he divined that Hongyu’s fate was invaluable, a good sign."

Xu Hongyu blinked her eyes and looked at Chen Mu.

She didn’t have any thoughts about being invaluable, as she was born in the Yu family, which far surpassed an ordinary wealthy family. Compared to that, she wanted to stay with Chen Mu longer.

Xiao He giggled from the side and said, "Actually, the divination was quite accurate. Miss is indeed not lacking in wealth. I hope he divined that Miss would live a long life… no, a thousand years."

Xu Hongyu couldn’t help but smile when she heard Xiao He’s words. She reached out and poked Xiao He’s delicate nose and said, "What are you saying? How can anyone live for a thousand years? Do you want me to become a demon?"

The lifespan of martial artists was indeed longer than that of ordinary people. After entering the Five Viscera Realm, they could all live to a hundred years old. If they stepped into the Seventh Realm, Marrow Washing, it was even said that they could live for one hundred and fifty years.

But even in legends, those who entered the Eighth Realm, reaching the Blood Exchange level, revered as "Martial Saints," at most lived to two hundred years, and only demons could live for a thousand years.

Chen Mu just smiled as he looked at Xu Hongyu and Xiao He.

Perhaps no one could truly live for a thousand years. After all, if the Great Ancestor Emperor who founded the Great Xuan and quelled the four seas were still alive, the world wouldn’t be in such chaos now. However, these matters were too far removed.

The sky gradually darkened.

Chen Mu and Xu Hongyu soon returned to the Yu family’s residence and disappeared into the streets of the Yu family’s territory.

At about the same time, under the dim and gloomy sky, a figure was moving quickly along the streets of the inner city’s southeast. He was wearing a black cloak, his appearance not clearly visible. He soon arrived at a five-story pavilion that stood tall.

He looked up at the plaque hanging on the pavilion.

Blood Shadow Tower!

The three blood-colored characters in the twilight were even more permeated with traces of evil and a blood-like texture, causing palpitations.

The person in the black cloak quickly retracted his gaze and stepped into the Blood Shadow Tower. The entire first floor was empty, without any figures. There was only an empty square table and a blood-red curtain standing in the middle of the table.

A dim candle was lit next to the square table, swaying gently.

He walked to the table.

The dim candlelight illuminated the face under the cloak, revealing a trace of coldness. It was He Guangxun of the He family!

He Guangxun slowly sat down in front of the square table.

Almost at the same time that he sat down, the blood-red curtain suddenly trembled slightly. Then, from behind, on the empty seat, a figure wearing blood-red robes appeared and sat down.

"Who to kill?"

The figure in blood-red robes spoke emotionlessly.

It seemed that He Guangxun was also visiting for the first time. His pupils contracted slightly at the sudden appearance of the blood-robed man, a trace of fear flashing deep within his eyes. However, the fear in his eyes was quickly replaced by coldness.

Not long ago, the people sent to investigate the disappearance of He Guangzong and He Mingzhen returned to report. After nearly a month of forcing their way through the collapsed part of the mountain, they found the bodies of He family members within. The bodies were already rotten and had been buried by the mountain, making it difficult to discern any traces. But regardless, this matter was undoubtedly related to the Yu family.

Now.

All of the Yu family’s men were in hiding, and their direct descendants had all returned to their residences, making it difficult for the He family to find an opportunity to retaliate. Destroying a few of the Yu family’s businesses outside was just a minor matter, meaningless.

He Mingzhen was the most outstanding member of the fourth generation of the He family, the one most likely to enter the Five Viscera Realm among the younger generation. Yet, he had died halfway. If this had happened in the past, the entire Yu Prefecture would have been turned upside down. But now, the situation in Yu Prefecture had changed, and they could no longer act as recklessly as before.

"Yu family, Chen Mu."

He Guangxun said coldly.

Among the fourth generation of the Yu family, there were no disciples more outstanding than He Mingzhen. But Chen Mu had a marriage arrangement with Xu Hongyu, was now also a member of the Yu family, and had even comprehended artistic conception at the Tendon Transformation level, making him the most threatening person in the future.

Since He Mingzhen was dead, the Yu family could not have an easy time either. This wedding… it was better to turn it into a funeral.

As his voice fell, the blood-robed man disappeared silently.

When he reappeared, it was fifteen minutes later.

"Chen Mu, White Uniform Guard of the Demon Slaying Division, son-in-law of the inner city’s Yu family, betrothed to Xu Hongyu, direct descendant of the Yu family, practices Xun Wind artistic conception, has a toughened body, and is at the Tendon Transformation Realm… nine hundred thousand taels of silver."

He Guangxun frowned slightly.

Expensive!

Too expensive!

Nine hundred thousand taels of silver was not a small amount for the He family either, enough to train nearly a thousand elite swordsmen, and even produce ten or twenty swordsmen who could enter the Tendon Transformation Realm.

"Too expensive."

He Guangxun said in a deep voice.

The blood-robed man said indifferently, "No bargaining."

The Blood Shadow Tower’s business seemed simple, but in reality, the process was very complex. It involved investigating information, going through layers of evaluation, and then giving a corresponding price based on the situation.

Chen Mu himself had a toughened body and was at the Tendon Transformation Realm, which was nothing special. The Xun Wind artistic conception was also only so-so. However, his position as a White Uniform Guard of the Demon Slaying Division meant he belonged to the territory of the Seven Profound Sect. The Blood Shadow Tower was taking some risks and paying a price to assassinate a White Uniform Guard. After all, the Inspector was stationed in the inner city.

Moreover, Chen Mu had a marriage engagement with a direct descendant of the Yu family and now resided in the Yu family residence. And the Yu family had someone who was once a deacon of the Seven Profound Sect. Although old, that also added to the risk of the assassination.

Assassination was ultimately a hidden act, so the Blood Shadow Tower had the saying "Blood Shadow Without Trace." Killing was not merely simple killing. After the killing, all traces had to be removed to make it seem as if the person had vanished into thin air, leaving no source, and no one knowing whether they had disappeared or died.

In fact, the Blood Shadow Tower was currently unwilling to take on business involving sensitive agencies like the Demon Slaying Division and the Supervisory Division. After all, they had just entered Yu Prefecture and were barely maintaining a certain understanding with the Seven Profound Sect. If they acted too recklessly, they would surely be targeted and suppressed by the Seven Profound Sect. The Heavenly Sword and Joyous Union sects would not side with the Blood Shadow Tower, and would even be happy to see the Seven Profound Sect and the Blood Shadow Tower fight each other.