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

[Regarding Xiao Liu's ending, I'd like to gather everyone's opinions, and we'll adjust it based on your feedback. If you think she deserves to die, type 1; if you think she shouldn't, type 2. Please leave a comment if you have other better endings. Thank you for your support.]

Chen Mo reached a cooperation agreement with the garrison commander and obtained the information he wanted, so he did not linger at the garrison commander's office.

After leaving the Zhenfu Division, he did not return to his own courtyard, but went straight to the pharmacy.

Inside the shop, the shopkeeper was busy working on his abacus.

The shopkeeper felt a chill run down his spine when he looked up and saw Chen Mo's face.

The gentler the smile, the more ruthless the attack.

Last time in the cave, he laughed as he smashed the man in black's head to pieces.

"Young Master Zhang! You've finally arrived!"

The shopkeeper scrambled out of the counter, his back bent like a shrimp.

"Please have a seat! I'll make you some tea!"

Chen Mo did not sit down, but simply patted a stack of silver notes lightly on the counter.

"Buy a batch of medicinal herbs for the Qi and Blood Realm, and then give me the pill formula."

The shopkeeper accepted the silver notes with both hands, his fingertips still trembling.

He no longer cared about the Zhao family's rules, turned around to prepare the goods, and ran faster than if someone was chasing him.

Chen Mo asked casually.

"Has Xiao Liu been to the pharmacy in the last few days?"

The shopkeeper paused, his Adam's apple bobbing twice.

"I haven't seen him for the past few days. I heard he's been spending all his time at Zuixiang Pavilion lately, wearing new silk clothes and spending lavishly. He can sit with a girl all day long."

Chen Mo lifted her eyelids and glanced at him.

That glance was so light and fleeting.

The shopkeeper seemed to have been pricked by a needle, immediately shut his mouth, a layer of cold sweat seeped from his forehead, and he buried his head to continue preparing the goods, his hands trembling so much that he almost couldn't hold the medicine bag.

Chen Mo spoke calmly.

"Don't rush home after we close tonight. Stay and wait for me. Help me with something."

The shopkeeper's face drained of color instantly, his lips trembled, and he managed to squeeze out only one word.

"Yes."

Chen Mo walked to the vicinity of Zuixiang Pavilion but did not go inside.

The rich scent of cosmetics mixed with the smell of alcohol wafted over, while the sounds of stringed instruments and women's laughter filled the air.

He sat down at a tea stall across the street, ordered a pot of tea, and quietly watched from across the street.

Several scantily clad girls waved handkerchiefs at the entrance, beckoning customers, while upstairs, several brightly dressed girls leaned against the railing, cracking melon seeds, their eyes and brows alluring.

Xiao Liu was indeed inside.

Wearing a brand-new silk robe and with her hair tied up with a jade hairpin, she was a far cry from her previous impoverished appearance.

He had two pretty girls in his arms, one on each side, calling him "Sixth Master." The girl on the left fed him wine, while the girl on the right peeled grapes and fed them to him.

Xiao Liu, his face flushed from drinking, was shouting and playing drinking games with others. His voice was high-pitched and bright, standing out conspicuously amidst the laughter in the room. He was extremely arrogant and smug.

He's no longer the skinny, down-on-his-luck kid he used to be; he's been completely corrupted by money and women.

Sugar-Coated Bullets Storyline Optimization

It's hard for any man to resist the barrage of sweet talk, let alone someone like Xiao Liu who climbed his way up from the bottom.

He had suffered enough from the hardships of the lower class, endured hunger and bullying, and spent his whole life watching other people's faces and living with his head down. He had never tasted the feeling of being fawned over and respected like this.

Living a life of luxury, surrounded by beautiful women, and with them calling him "Sixth Master" repeatedly, he was completely lost in the decadent and intoxicating world of love and pleasure.

However, adults must pay the price for their actions.

Chen Mo held his teacup, slowly sipping the tea, his expression calm and undisturbed.

Not urgent.

The Drunken Fragrance Pavilion is crowded and noisy; taking action here would only cause more trouble, and he didn't have time to deal with such trivial matters.

It must be done cleanly and efficiently, leaving no room for future problems.

When night had completely fallen, Xiao Liu hummed a lighthearted tune and staggered out of Zuixiang Pavilion, turning unsteadily into a secluded alleyway on his way back to his residence.

The alley was very narrow, and the moonlight was mostly blocked by the high walls on both sides, leaving only a narrow strip of white on the ground.

A hand reached out from the shadows and gripped his shoulder.

Xiao Liu turned around and saw the moonlight shining on Chen Mo's face.

The effects of the alcohol wore off instantly.

He felt as if all his bones had been removed; his knees buckled, and he collapsed to his knees with a thud, his voice trembling and incoherent.

"Young master... I... I..."

Chen Mo looked down at him without saying a word.

The silence pressed down in the alley, like a stone weighing on Xiao Liu's chest.

He didn't dare to look up, only to see Chen Mo's boot toes stopped right in front of him, motionless.

"Young master, I... I was just about to come find you!"

Xiao Liu slowly raised his head, forcing a smile that looked more like a grimace, "Really! I was just planning to go first thing tomorrow morning..."

"Why are you looking for me?"

"Go, go and inform the young master! Yes, inform him! There's been some movement from the Li family."

"What's that noise?"

"They...they..."

Xiao Liu's eyes darted around, and beads of sweat rolled down his forehead.

"They want to harm the young master!"

Chen Mo looked at him calmly.

Xiao Liu felt like something was blocking his throat, and the rest of his words were stuck in his throat.

He knew he couldn't keep up the lie.

The young master's gaze was not one of anger or disappointment, but rather a very indifferent one, as if he were looking at a dead person.

Silence fell again.

Xiao Liu's shoulders started to tremble, and the trembling got worse and worse.

The smiling face slowly turned into a crying face.

He kowtowed three times hard on the ground, his forehead hitting the bluestone slab with three muffled thuds.

After he finished kowtowing, he lay motionless on the ground.

"Young master."

He spoke, his voice sounding as if all his strength had been drained.

"I... accepted money from the Li family."

Chen Mo remained silent.

"At first, they questioned me, asking if the young master had anything unusual on him, but I didn't answer."

He paused, as if something was stuck in his throat, and swallowed hard.

"Young master has saved my life twice. I will never forget it."

"And then what?"

Chen Mo's voice was very soft, and his emotions were unreadable.

Xiao Liu's shoulders suddenly twitched.

"Later...later they invited me to drink, took me to Zuixiang Pavilion, and gave me money."

"They said they would give me ten thousand taels of silver if I told the truth, and they gave me one thousand taels that very day."

He remained silent for a long time, staring at his hands covered in mud.

"They came again the next day."

He paused for a moment.

"He still treated me to a day of drinking and carousing at the Drunken Fragrance Pavilion and gave me two thousand taels of silver."

"The girls sat beside me, poured me wine, served me food, and called me Sixth Master. I've never been called Master before in my life."

I think I've finally lived a decent life.

Chen Mo looked at him.

Xiao Liu did not dodge.

He lifted his face, which was smeared with tears and snot, and looked at Chen Mo, his lips trembling:

"I only mentioned the iron object, it was dark and could kill people. I saw it with my own eyes outside the cave that day. That's all I said, nothing else."

"Then they gave me another three thousand taels. I gave five thousand taels to my mother and kept one thousand taels for myself. These past two days, I've been going to Zuixiang Pavilion every morning when I wake up, drinking the best wine and embracing the most beautiful girls. I've never been so comfortable in my life."

He paused, then his voice suddenly softened, as if he were talking about something that had nothing to do with him.

"But every night when I go back to bed, I'm terrified. It's like there's a knife hanging over my head, and I don't know when it will fall."

After saying that, he collapsed to his knees.

"Young master."

He looked at Chen Mo, a pleading glint in his eyes.

"My mother...she knows nothing..."

Chen Mo remained silent for two breaths.

"Don't worry, I'm someone who clearly distinguishes between gratitude and resentment."

……

There was a knock on the back door of the pharmacy.

The shopkeeper opened the door and, by the candlelight shining from inside, saw Chen Mo and a corpse on the ground.

It's sixth grade!

He stumbled backward and crashed into the shelf, sending several medicine packets crashing down and scattering herbs all over the floor.

He collapsed to the ground, trembling violently, his jaw chattering.

Chen Mo told him to clean it up before dawn.

The shopkeeper agreed repeatedly, his voice trembling. He got up from the ground, fell back down, and got up again.

Why did Chen Mo ask the shopkeeper to handle the corpse?

The plan was to exploit his weaknesses—greed, gambling, cowardice, and fear of death—and use Xiao Liu as an opportunity to make an example of him, thus completely intimidating him and preventing him from turning against them.

After Chen Mo turned and left, the shopkeeper realized that his pants were soaked and he couldn't stand up for a long time while holding onto the door frame.

Last time it was a man in black, this time it's Xiao Liu.

Will it be his turn next time?

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