Dual-wielding! 100x proficiency, I'll grind my way to godhood!

[The ratings just came out today, thank you everyone.]

Chen Mo got up to take his leave.

His teacher's wife saw him to the door, wiped her hands on her apron twice, put them down, and wiped them twice more.

The door to the main room was half-open, and Director Zhou's snoring could be heard coming from inside.

The moonlight was clear and cool in the courtyard, and the shadow of the osmanthus tree spread out on the ground.

The two stood quietly under the porch, neither of them speaking first.

Only the evening breeze gently swept by, carrying the sweet fragrance of osmanthus, sometimes strong, sometimes faint, swirling around the two of them.

She never looked up at Chen Mo; her gaze was softly fixed on the old osmanthus tree in the center of the courtyard, her eyes filled with indescribable emotions.

Chen Mo was the first to break the silence.

"Master's wife, the curator just said I'm not one of our own."

Her fingers twisted around her sleeve.

"He's drunk; don't take his drunken talk seriously."

"When you're drunk, you start to tell the truth from the bottom of your heart."

He leaned against the doorframe, speaking casually.

"But he's right, I'm indeed not one of us."

She turned her head away, the moonlight outlining a silver edge on her earlobe. Instead of continuing Chen Mo's words, she told him to go home as soon as possible.

"It's getting late, young master, you should head back soon."

Chen Mo didn't move, looking at her profile. A wisp of hair fell from behind her ear, swaying gently in the wind.

"Master's wife, do you know the difference between family members and outsiders?"

She lowered her eyes and did not answer.

"I don't need to see them off myself; it's the outsiders who politely see them to the door."

Chen Mo returned to the courtyard, stepped over the fallen flowers, broke off a small branch from the osmanthus tree, and handed it to her.

"Is your wife being so polite in seeing me off, as if she intends to treat me like an outsider?"

She looked at the osmanthus branch, but didn't take it; her breathing gradually quickened.

She reached out after a moment, her fingertips brushing against his fingers, pausing slightly.

He held the flower branch in his palm, lowered his head to smell it, his lips twitched, then he pursed them again.

"Thank you, I... I didn't treat you like an outsider."

Chen Mo watched her lower her head and smell the flowers.

"Master's wife, you are so beautiful."

She looked up, her eyes gleaming with a faint light.

Chen Mo took half a step forward, stepping onto the boundary between moonlight and shadow.

The master's wife did not back down.

Chen Mo reached out and put his arm around her waist, pulling her into his embrace.

She bumped into Chen Mo's chest, froze for a moment, but did not break free.

Even through that plain-colored ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), her heart was pounding so fast it felt like it was burning.

Chen Mo lowered his head and kissed his teacher's wife.

Her lips trembled slightly, carrying the scent of osmanthus.

One hand gripped Chen Mo's shirt collar, knuckles turning white, and then slowly loosened it, one by one.

After a long while, Chen Mo released his master's wife.

Her chest heaved violently, and her body leaned forward slightly.

Her fingers tightened around her sleeve, while her other hand still held a branch of osmanthus, a few petals falling through her fingers.

Chen Mo kissed her again, this time even more domineeringly.

His wife collapsed into his arms.

Fifteen minutes later, the two separated.

Chen Mo turned and walked into the alley, leaving behind only one sentence.

"I hope that when we meet again, we can truly be one of us."

He didn't turn around; behind him, through the door, osmanthus blossoms lay scattered on the ground.

This woman smells better than osmanthus flowers.

Chen Mo returned to his rented courtyard, sat down on a stone bench, and carefully analyzed his current predicament.

The road to the martial arts school is blocked. That old guy, Master Zhou, is very wary. Sending more wine would probably be like throwing good money after bad.

As for the Zhao family, there's no need to even think about it; it's a family heirloom, and outsiders are not allowed to touch it.

He had no contact with the Li family and no connections to them.

The black market... He's only at the ninth level of Body Refinement. If he encounters an expert at the Inner Force Realm or even higher, the weapon he prepared might not be very effective. This path is much riskier, and there are still twenty days to go. Waiting around isn't a solution.

That leaves only one path, which is also the only one that is both safe and in line with his hidden attributes. If he encounters something that interests him, he can handle it with ease.

If Director Zhou says he's not one of us, then let's just steal his house!

When his wife stood at the door tonight, she neither retreated nor dodged. After the kiss, she leaned forward, which was much more honest than his action of taking half a step forward.

A woman who has been neglected for twelve years, her body speaks louder than her mouth.

Next time I visit the curator's house, I'll bring her something that the curator wouldn't give me.

Curator, you forced me to do this.

However, this matter cannot be rushed. Although he urgently needs to become stronger, it may be more effective to wait two days before going.

Having made up his mind, the next step was cultivation. Currently, he still needed to break through to the next level in the "Qi Cultivation Technique" and alchemy.

He gathered his thoughts, sat cross-legged on the bed, and began practicing the Qi-cultivation technique.

His proficiency level is increasing step by step, and only the continuous increase in the numerical value can give him a little peace of mind.

The next morning, someone knocked on the courtyard gate.

Xiao Liu stood at the door, the bruises on his face gone.

"Young master, I'm healed!"

Since Xiao Liu was there to run errands, Chen Mo took out a thousand-tael silver note from his pocket and handed it over.

"Go to the shopkeeper and get fifty doses of Qi-Boosting Powder and fifty doses of Bone-Strengthening Pills. Use the rest of the money to buy some meat to nourish yourself. You're as thin as a bamboo pole, how can you do anything for me?"

Xiao Liu took the silver with both hands, looked down at it, and then handed it back.

"Young master, the money I gave you last time hasn't been spent yet."

Chen Mo didn't answer, but leaned against the door frame and looked at him.

"What are you going to give me to buy medicinal herbs with? Just take them as I tell you to."

Xiao Liu raised his head, his lips moved, and he clutched the silver in his hand.

"Young master, you saved my life. From now on, I will do whatever you say."

Chen Mo patted him on the shoulder.

"Go."

Xiao Liu turned around and ran towards the pharmacy. In less than an hour, he returned carrying large and small bags.

At noon, the gate was knocked on again.

This time, the typing was done at a leisurely pace.

Chen Mo opened the door, and the Zhao family's butler stood outside, dressed in a dark long robe with a warm smile on his face.

"Young Master Zhang, I apologize for disturbing you."

The butler cupped his hands in a respectful gesture.

"My young master sent me to invite you. He said he hasn't seen you for many days and has been thinking of you a lot."

"It just so happens that the town has just chosen a new courtesan, who is extremely beautiful, and the news has spread far and wide. The young master went to the brothel in the east of town early this morning to reserve a top-class table; he absolutely must invite you to come and sit with him, to listen to music and relax."

Chen Mo instantly became interested!

But would Zhao Yong really care about him?

He's probably eyeing the last bottle of Viagra he has left.

Last time at Zuixianlou, Zhao Yong mentioned listening to music in brothels after getting drunk. It seems that in today's game, listening to music is just for show, while getting the medicine is the real purpose.

He still has a lot of these things in his bronze ring, and he'll sell them all to Zhao Yong so that Zhao Yong will eventually be drained dry.

"Young Master Zhao, you're too kind. He mentioned taking me to broaden my horizons last time, but I thought he was just saying it casually. I didn't expect him to remember it until now."

The butler took a half step forward and lowered his voice.

"To be honest, Young Master Zhang, my master said that the amount of medicine in that bottle last time was a bit small, and he would like to ask for another bottle today."

Sure enough, after going through all that trouble, it all came down to the medicine.

Perfect timing! He hadn't yet experienced the pleasures of listening to music in a brothel or seeing the most beautiful courtesan in this world.

"Alright. Young Master Zhao is so kind as to invite me. I'll change my clothes and come right away."

The butler's smile deepened, and he cupped his hands in a respectful gesture before retreating to the alley entrance to wait.

Chen Mo changed his clothes and walked out of the alley. The steward was standing next to the carriage, with one hand on the curtain.

Seeing him come out, they quickly went to greet him.

The curtain was lifted at just the right angle, as if it had been prepared in advance, just waiting for him to get in.

The carriage wheels rolled over the bluestone slabs, swaying and wobbling towards the east end of the town.

P.S.: Please give a good review, add it to your bookshelf, and urge me to update!