My experience of grinding in another world

Chapter 52 Life and Death
The prison on the west side of the county government office in Qingshan County.

The cells were packed with prisoners.

Some were street thieves, some were gang thugs, and some were beggars in tattered clothes.

Almost all the idle vagrants in Qingshan County were captured and brought here by Li Wenlin.

At this moment, Li Wenlin was leading a tall, thin old man deeper into the prison.

"Is this the gourd of immortality?" Li Wenlin stared greedily at the yellow gourd in the tall, thin old man's hand.

The yellow-skinned gourd is about the length of a palm, with a smooth surface and fine silver veins.

"Can it really ward off evil and uphold righteousness, and even brew longevity wine?"

"Immortality is of course impossible." The tall, thin old man chuckled. "Longevity is certainly not a problem."

Li Wenlin nodded with relief: "Show it to me."

"Yes, sir." The tall, thin old man bowed slightly, a half-smile on his face.

A series of tongue-twisting incantations came out of his mouth.

The yellow gourd shimmered with silver threads, and a cloud of white mist spewed out from its mouth.

The white mist swirled in the air for a moment before disappearing into the dark cell.

After a short, painful scream, the white mist flew back.

The tall, thin old man shook the gourd, and a faint sound of liquid rippling could be heard.

He took out two jade wine cups from his sleeve and turned them upside down.

A few drops of pale red liquid flowed out, just like fine grape wine.

Even after shaking it vigorously, not a single drop was left, just enough to cover the bottom of the two wine glasses.

The tall, thin old man put away his gourd, drank one of the cups without saying a word, and handed the other cup to Li Wenlin with a look of enjoyment.

Li Wenlin took the drink with some skepticism.

Before this, he had already had several servants test the longevity wine.

After observing for several days without any adverse reactions, he finally dared to drink it.

A chill spread from my stomach throughout my body.

A feeling of comfort instantly assaults the brain.

My thinking is sharper and clearer than ever before.

Details that were previously overlooked are now clearly visible, like lines on the palm of your hand.

More importantly, he felt that his physical training technique, which had been stuck at a bottleneck for many years, was starting to loosen up a little!
"With enough longevity wine, achieving mastery of the Marrow Transformation Technique is not a dream!"

"Great!" Li Wenlin couldn't help but burst into laughter.

Li Wenlin glanced at the cell filled with prisoners: "This is yours now."

The tall, thin old man smiled and nodded: "Don't worry."

"Don't try anything funny with me." Li Wenlin glared fiercely at the old man: "Your grandson is still in my hands."

"Please take care of him, Commander." The tall, thin old man bowed deeply. "My grandson likes to eat beef."

"Hey! Things are done, I'll make sure he eats beef for the rest of his life!" Li Wenlin laughed heartily and turned to leave.

The tall, thin old man straightened up, smiled, and looked at the other person's back, saying loudly, "Thank you, Commander!"

Once Li Wenlin had completely disappeared, the tall, thin old man chuckled and spat out the bright red wine that had been hidden in his stomach.

"An elixir of immortality? Ha..."

He spun around, looking at the terrified prisoners filling the cells, and his smile grew even brighter: "Tell me, how should I repay him?"

"How about sending him to his death? Heh... hahaha!"

The yellow gourd, like a punctured balloon, emitted a burst of white smoke that quickly filled the entire prison.

A short, agonizing scream rang out, followed by a deathly silence.

……

On the banks of the Bailang River, Chen Mu clutched an iron lotus seed in his hand, staring intently at the thick fog ahead.

The sound grew closer, and the ground shook more and more violently.

Chen Mu's back broke out in a sweat, just as he was about to unleash the Iron Lotus Seed.

A black horse broke through the thick fog and came.

A two-meter-tall, bald, middle-aged man dressed in black with a cold expression rode on horseback, staring intently at Chen Mu.

The atmosphere gradually solidified.

"So you're Chen Mu?" the bald, burly man said coldly.

Chen Mu's heart skipped a beat, and he said sincerely, "I'm not."

Bald, muscular man: "..."

If he hadn't already seen the portrait Jie Jia had given him, he would have almost believed it!
"Aren't you Chen Mu, the old man's nephew?" The bald, burly man was speechless.

Nephew? Jie Jia took advantage of me!
"Yes, that's me." Chen Mu nodded solemnly.

Bald, burly man: "..."

"He has so many relatives!" She glared at Chen Mu fiercely: "Get out of here!"

The bald man, head held high and chest out, rode his tall horse straight ahead.

Chen Mu obediently hid by the roadside and made way for him.

The rumbling sound gradually grew louder.

One after another, large horse-drawn carriages emerged from the fog.

I thought it was some kind of monster, but it turned out to be a convoy.

Some of the carriages were ornate, while others were simple; all were spacious, covered carriages.

Dozens of flatbed trucks followed behind.

It was loaded to the brim with goods, covered with tarpaulins, and securely bound with ropes. Fierce and burly guards followed closely around it.

"Get in the car." A familiar, indifferent voice came from the thick fog.

At the very end of the caravan, Jie Jia drove a gleaming black carriage out of the thick fog.

Compared to the large vehicles that had passed by, this vehicle could only be described as shabby.

Jie Jia squinted, leaning against the carriage with a blank expression. One leg was crossed on the platform, and the other dangled in mid-air.

Chen Mu jumped onto the car and sat side by side with Jie Jia against the carriage.

"Nephew, huh?" Chen Mu raised an eyebrow.

Jie Jia's eyes darted around, glancing at Chen Mu: "Then, the son?"

"roll!"

You wish!

……

"Which carpool are we hitching a ride with?" Chen Mu nodded forward, looking at the hazy convoy ahead and asked.

"The Zuo family," Jie Jia said calmly.

"The 'Zuo' in 'Zuo Sheng'?" Chen Mu's heart skipped a beat.

Was the eldest son also in the caravan?

The other party knew that he had killed the Taoist of Thousand Mountains.

Will they come looking for trouble?
"Zuo Sheng isn't here; he went to Nanyang Prefecture to scout ahead." Jie Jia glanced at Chen Mu.

What's this guy so nervous about?
Chen Mushu sighed. He really didn't want to run into that young master Zuo.

Leaning against the carriage, he leaned out to look behind him.

The fog was so thick that the entire town of Qingshan was completely obscured.

Looking back, he had been in this other world for a year and a half.

When he first arrived in the city, he was confused and flustered, and encountered many bad people.

Fortunately, he was quick-witted and sent several generous gifts.

And by using his own methods, he tried to communicate with them and eventually achieved harmony, which allowed him to gain a foothold.

Leaving now, I feel a little reluctant, but not strongly.

He was not the original self; he was ultimately just a passerby.

Turning his gaze away, Chen Mu noticed three identical black carriages with canopies following closely behind.

"Who's behind me?" Chen Mu asked curiously.

“Relatives,” Jie Jia said calmly.

Chen Mu looked incredulous. "You lonely old man, what relatives do you have?!"
Suddenly, a thought struck him, and he looked at Jiejia with disbelief: "Could they all be relatives like me who paid money?"

Jie Jia nodded calmly.

"No availability?" Chen Mu glared at the armored man and said sarcastically, "Ha!"

"So this is why you've been delaying your departure until today? So you didn't just take on this one escort job."

Jie Jia remained indifferent, ignoring him completely.

Chen Mu: “…”

"I was wondering before, where do so many assassin missions come from in such a small county as Qingshan!"

"So it was just to get a number of people to join a group purchase?!"

Chen Mu was so angry he laughed.

“They’re all acquaintances,” Jie Jia said calmly.

acquaintance?

Is it hard to push?
You're a top-tier assassin in the underworld, what acquaintances do you have?

"It's not mine, it's yours," Jie Jia said, nodding towards the carriage behind him with an ambiguous expression.

"An acquaintance of mine?" Chen Mu rolled his eyes, turned around with a disbelieving look, and lifted the curtain of the carriage.

A pair of bright, sparkling eyes appeared.

"Brother Chen?!"

Hey! Did you bring rice balls?

Chengming?!
Chen Mu continued looking inside.

A chubby middle-aged man in his forties awkwardly cupped his hands and said, "Young Master Chen, what a coincidence."

Du Huai, the county magistrate of Qingshan County?

He was made into a free laborer by the county government to draw up wanted posters; that was the work of this man.

Even the second-in-command of the county government is running away?!

Chen Mu looked at the last burly man with an absurd expression.

He had a thick beard, large, round eyes, wore a black outfit, and was tall and strong.

With a large, ghost-headed sword slung across his back, he met Chen Mu's gaze and said with a hearty expression, "Brother, it's fate that we've traveled together."

"My name is Zhang Ye, what's yours, brother?"

That sucker-up leader of the Bailang Gang?

Chen Mu: “…”

Damn, it really is someone I know...

He pulled down the curtain and leaned against the carriage, closing his eyes.

He didn't want to say a word at that moment.

……

Xiaodongshan, Qingfeng Temple Ancestral Hall.

"Master, the Human Cauldron has been placed on the altar." Cheng Yi walked into the Ancestral Hall and said to Feng Ren, who was sitting in front of the carved scriptures.

"A blood sacrifice to the Heartless Bell, absorbing the essence of the entire city. Yi'er, do you think I was wrong?" Feng Ren murmured, his voice ethereal and filled with bewilderment.

With sincere reverence, I bow my head: "I will live for the Way, and I will die for the Way."

"The Way? Heh..." Feng Ren's voice was tinged with sorrow: "Is this why you poisoned me?"

“This is all because my master forced me to do it.” A hint of resentment flashed in Cheng Yi’s eyes: “If it weren’t for this, how could I have obtained the Longevity Elixir?”

"Without the Longevity Formula, I cannot cultivate the Armor Soul, open the Heavenly Gate, or witness longevity." Cheng Yi's emotions grew increasingly agitated.

"To live for the Way! To die for the Way! Master, is that what you taught me!"

“With Chengming here, you don’t need it, you really don’t need it…” Feng Ren sighed, blood starting to drip from the corner of his mouth.

"Chengming, Chengming, it's Chengming again! This Longevity Elixir was also prepared for Chengming, wasn't it!" Chengyi's eyes revealed hatred.

"Heh... Longevity Elixir? It's Longevity Poison..." As soon as Feng Ren opened his mouth, blood calmly overflowed. It dripped down his chin, onto his clothes, and slowly soaked the ground.

The dark red bloodstains spread from Feng Ren's seat, growing larger and larger until they covered half of the Ancestral Hall.

"Don't blame me, Master. I just want to see that wonderful world." Cheng Yi's eyes were bloodshot, and a tear rolled down his cheek.

"Born for the Way, die for the Way..." Only this murmur, full of obsession, remained in the Ancestral Hall.

……

"Brother Chen, please give me some rice balls, I'm really hungry." Chengming peeked out from behind the curtain with a grin, tugging at Chen Mu's shoulder and pleading.

"Here, here, here, here! Don't touch me, I'm annoyed!" Chen Mu pretended to pull a fist-sized cloth bag from the cloth bag he was holding and threw it to Cheng Ming.

Inside was a packet of five fasting pills.

"Thank you, Brother Chen!"

"When my master and senior brother come to pick me up, I'll have them treat you to a lavish meal at the biggest restaurant in Nanyang Prefecture!" Chengming said with a beaming smile.

"Go away, that cook might not even be as good as me."

"If you want to repay me, just have your master give you the money directly!"

"No problem!" Chengming said generously, "Go ahead and scam me, my senior brother has plenty of money. Hehe!"

Cough!

Jiejia coughed twice and suddenly turned to look at Chengming.

"Grandpa, what's wrong?"

"I have rice balls too," Jie Jia said with a smile. "Would you like to buy some?"

“You can keep accounts.”

Chen Mu looked at Jie Jia with a sigh.

He used to think that the bottom line for making money in the Jiejia industry was not high.

But in fact, he didn't have any at all.

You have no rice balls at all! You're going to sell the rice you got from me?!
“No problem! My senior brother is so good to me! He'll give me whatever money I ask for.” Chengming said happily.

"Keep it in the books! Keep it in the books!"

(End of this chapter)