My experience of grinding in another world

Chapter 171 Discovery
Lijiang City, Lijiang Tower in the east of the city.

Chen Mu sat in a corner of the lobby on the first floor.

While waiting for his food to be served, Chen Mu looked up and surveyed the crowd on the first floor. This was his third day in Lijiang City.

There is a dining table next to the kitchen serving aisle.

A thin, elderly man dressed in black was slicing a duck for his grandson with a small curved knife.

"This grandfather and grandson..."

After a moment's thought, Chen Mu remembered. He had seen the old man at this Lijiang Tower when he last came to Lijiang City to live in seclusion. At that time, the old man was cutting meat for his grandson.

Chen Mu smiled and turned to look at the crowd at the dock not far from the door.

"The proportion of outsiders seems to be a bit higher."

"They're all martial artists in fancy, tight-fitting clothes."

"A prestigious family?" Chen Mu frowned slightly.

Lijiang City is the closest to Shouyang Mountain. Most people who obtain the Thousand Machine Token will come to Lijiang City to live in seclusion and wait until the day they leave.

Anyone who manages to snatch a Thousand Machine Token is no pushover. These powerful figures are used to living a carefree life and wouldn't stoop to hiding in the wilderness.

“This gives the powerful families an opportunity.” Chen Mu frowned slightly. “We mustn’t let them cause any trouble.”

"No, it's definitely going to cause trouble!"

Chen Mu sighed, "There's no peace anywhere."

"After we finish this meal, let's stock up on some more supplies."

He didn't want to get involved in unnecessary trouble.

"The Thousand Machine Token is concealed by the Five Ghost Bag, so it cannot be completely shielded. However, unless you are too close, you generally won't notice it."

Previously, the fixed rings and the soul-fixing stakes could only be perceived at close range.

"I'm safe at home. As long as the powerful families don't search every inch of the place, I'm safe."

……

Five days later, in Yongtongfang, east of the city, at the Chen residence in Jiazi Lane.

Chen Mu sat under the pavilion on the east side of the courtyard.

The house had been vacant for more than half a year. When I first arrived, the gazebo pillars were moldy, the thatch was rotten, and the wooden floor near the gate was waterlogged and bulging. It took me three or four days to gradually renovate and repair it.

I bought brand new pots, pans, mats, and bedding.

With the addition of a soul-stabilizing stake, the courtyard instantly becomes comfortable and livable.

"I'll be living here for three months, so I can't make myself suffer."

Nestled in the rocking chair, Chen Mu held a medicine book and read it with great interest.

The originally difficult and obscure characters, combined with familiarity, brought insights that suddenly made me quite interested.

After glancing at his medicine-making skills, which had increased by five points, Chen Mu put away the medicine book with satisfaction.

"I don't need anything too advanced, just enough to be able to identify the ingredients in the fasting pill."

"We still have to keep up with the knock-off business," Chen Mu thought with a sigh.

There's never enough money.

When setting sail, the journey could take an unknown amount of time, so it was essential to prepare high-energy, long-storage food like Bigu Dan 3.0.

So he bought another bottle of fasting pills, spending 12,000 taels of silver in one go.

Qingfeng San, Lingsha Wan, and Mishen Yan—these emergency medicines for treating injuries and self-defense also need to be prepared. Making Bigu pills also requires medicinal ingredients. Therefore, a large quantity of medicinal herbs were purchased.

If Zhang Ye hadn't given him a gift of four or five thousand taels in return, he almost wouldn't have been able to pay the bill.

He only has a little over two thousand taels of silver on him now.

……

After taking a sip of the cool tea on the low table and resting enough, Chen Mu got up and went to the thatched hut near the courtyard gate.

Along the western edge of this thatched hut stand a row of seven thick wooden stakes, each about the size of a bowl.

Chen Mu stood behind the first wooden stake closest to the courtyard gate.

Whoosh whoosh!
The hidden sword appeared and disappeared silently.

Tiny specks of wood flew up from the top of the stake like snowflakes.

Before long, a smooth spherical profile appeared.

Carefully reflecting on the feeling of striking the sword just now, Chen Mu's expression turned strange.

"Cooking skills have this function?"

He had no formal training in carving, but there was a branch of knife skills in cooking. Now, he applied this skill to his work, and the wooden ball he shaved was surprisingly round and smooth. "An unexpected delight," Chen Mu smiled.

Glancing at the rapidly improving proficiency of his hidden sword technique, Chen Mu buried himself in practice: "Advancing is in sight."

……

half a month later.

In the western part of Lijiang City, there is a five-courtyard house.

With a smooth, rosy face and snow-white hair and beard, Sikou Yang sat leisurely at the head of the main hall.

"Elder, the message has been sent out." Jin Wuduan bowed slightly, his face full of smiles.

"One Thousand Machine Token can be exchanged for ten thousand acres of fertile land, three manors, plus one hundred thousand taels of gold. If there are other conditions, we can discuss them in person."

"Hmm." Sikou Yang nodded noncommittally.

"Elder, the person has arrived. Should we really change them?" Jin Wuduan glanced cautiously at the old man. "Why not..."

Si Kou Yang glanced at Jin Wuduan and said, "These are external things, there's no need to care about them."

"My biggest fear is that no one will come to replace him," Si Kouyang sighed.

"Is there any news about that sincerity?" Sikou Yang turned and asked.

Zuo Sheng, who had been standing bowing to the side, immediately stepped forward: "Elder, I have arranged for five brothers from different branches to go north to conduct a thorough investigation."

"But after that fellow kidnapped Miss Sikou Qing, he disappeared without a trace."

"This man has committed many evil deeds, and both Young Master Yu and Miss Qing have fallen victim to his wickedness."

"Please allow me, Elder, to personally lead a group of skilled men to investigate."

Si Kou Yang sighed, "What a pity about that Thousand Machine Token."

"Nanyang Prefecture is so big, finding him is like looking for a needle in a haystack."

"It's just that Qing'er was unlucky."

"Forget it, let those people investigate. Don't bother with the people here."

"Searching for the holders of the Thousand Machine Token within Lijiang City is more important."

Zuo Sheng's heart skipped a beat. This Elder Sikou valued the Thousand Machine Token more than his own disciples?

Then we absolutely cannot let this old man know that we have the Thousand Machine Token!
Just then, a man dressed in black suddenly burst in.

"Boss, we have some serious news!"

Zuo Sheng's eyelids twitched instantly!
Si Kouqing was captured by him in an ambush.

If you really can detect his sincerity, then his lies will be exposed!
"Where is it?" Si Kouyang, who had been calm and collected just moments before, suddenly became excited.

"East of the city, Yongtongfang Jiazi Lane!"

"Is the information accurate?" Si Kouyang stared at the man in black.

The man felt a chill run down his spine from being stared at, and hurriedly handed over a slip of paper.

"Someone threw a dart to deliver a message, and the note was pinned to the door."

Sikou Yang frowned immediately, and asked suspiciously, "No bounty? Who would be so kind as to do that?"

Zuo Sheng's heart skipped a beat, and he frowned, pretending to be serious, and said, "Could it be that the other companies are trying to confuse the issue?"

"That's possible," Sikou Yang thought for a moment and then sighed.

Who isn't greedy for money?
Not accepting the reward must mean they have another purpose. Yes, just as Zuo Sheng said, it's very likely that the other powerful families are deliberately creating a diversion.

"Is this a test of my manpower?" Sikou Yang suddenly realized.

"Looks like they're trying to scheme against my Thousand Machine Token. Heh..." Si Kou Yang sneered.

Zuo Sheng nodded with an equally grim expression, but a sense of relief washed over him.

Fortunately, the old man was fooled.

Just then, he suddenly saw his master, Jin Wuduan, step forward: "Last time when we captured Chengyi, someone also sent a message by throwing a dart."

“I’ve seen the handwriting; it’s exactly the same.”

"Perhaps this sincerity really is in Yongtongfang!" Jin Wuduan said excitedly.

Zuo Sheng: "..."

Seeing Sikou Yang's surprised expression and renewed interest, Zuo Sheng gritted his teeth in hatred.

If this fat man weren't his master, he would have strangled him to death!

(End of this chapter)