From a slave to the Great Qian Martial Saint

Just as they were about to leave the mountain, the three separated. Zhe Liu and Chen Bi avoided the soldiers guarding the mountain and left through the cliffs. Chen Shi, on the other hand, continued down the mountain path as usual, intending to visit Zhang Henian along the way.

Zhang Henian was of great help during this trip into the mountains, and he always made sure to say goodbye before leaving.

It's not just a matter of politeness; Zhang Henian is a sixth-rank officer, and building a good relationship with him would also benefit Chen Shi.

Upon arriving at the military camp, Zhang Henian greeted everyone with great enthusiasm and immediately ordered a grand banquet to be prepared.

Unable to refuse such hospitality, Chen Shi stayed another night.

The next morning, Zhang Henian tried to persuade Chen Shi to stay, but Chen Shi declined repeatedly before finally leaving.

One man and one horse, traveling by day and resting by night, only taking the main roads and official paths, encountered no trouble along the way.

Four days later, Chen Shi returned to Yongqiu City safely.

Seeing that it was getting late, I decided to head straight back to Sweetwater Lane.

"...You're finally back!"

Cui Nong was hanging clothes out to dry in the yard when she saw Chen Shi suddenly jump over the wall and enter. She was startled at first, then cried out and rushed into Chen Shi's arms.

This departure lasted for more than two months, and he was away fighting monsters in the mountains. Cui Nong was on tenterhooks every day. Especially in the last two days, as she counted the days until Chen Shi should return, she became increasingly anxious and unable to eat or sleep, fearing that Chen Shi would never come back.

Fortunately, Chen Shi didn't make her worry for too long.

Why did you jump over the wall again?

After nestled in Chen Shi's arms for a while, feeling somewhat at ease, Cui Nong suddenly raised her head and stared at Chen Shi with a mixture of reproach and resentment.

"Hey, wasn't I trying to surprise you?"

Chen Shi blushed and gave an awkward laugh.

"Pah~ Is that a surprise for me? You're just trying to play a trick on me again."

Cui Nong spat lightly, and as she spoke, her cheeks flushed as if on fire.

Seeing Cui Nong's beautiful and alluring appearance, Chen Shi, a 19-year-old full of vigor and who had endured two months of hardship in the mountains, could no longer resist. He grabbed Cui Nong and carried her into the house.

"Celebrate! Celebrate!"

"Oh dear, I haven't prepared any food or drinks yet."

Cui Nong exclaimed in surprise and playfully punched Chen Shi's chest with her small fists.

"You are the delicious dish tonight."

Unable to wait until they went to the inner room, Chen Shi placed Cui Nong directly on the table in the outer room while they were talking.

This table is really well made; it's not only sturdy, but also the perfect height.

……

From dusk to sunset, from moonrise to midnight.

Two months of longing have seeped into my body and soul in every little detail.

Cui Nong, who was exhausted from the wind and rain, had fallen into a deep sleep. Chen Shi sat up and began to meditate to nourish his spirit.

An hour of meditation is more effective than two or three hours of sleep, and Chen Shi gradually got used to replacing sleep with meditation.

As for whether his soul had become stronger, he didn't care much.

Before dawn, Chen Shi woke up from his meditation, first practicing the Elephant King Stance twice in the courtyard, and then went out to buy some breakfast.

After having eaten with Cui Nong, they headed to the Marquis's residence.

First, go to the duty room.

During his two months away, nothing major happened; everything proceeded smoothly.

After all, the procurement of various medicinal herbs is all done according to established rules, and the actual handling is usually done by the herbal servants.

Chen Shi, the manager, was essentially a hands-off manager.

True wisdom lies in managing affairs, not in having anything to manage.

After Dongqing reported on the situation over the past two months, Chen Shi nodded and instructed that this should continue before going to the mansion.

Instead of going to the medicine shop or looking for Yun'er, he went to see Jin Bingren first.

As one of the four stewards of the Marquis's mansion and a confidant of the master, Jin Bingren should report back to him first upon his return from Yongqiu Mountain.

"It's good that you're back."

In a side room, Kim Byung-in sat there, nodding as he looked at Chen Shi.

He gestured for Chen Shi to sit down as well, then, with a serious expression, he spoke again.

"This improvement in your cultivation will make you stand out in the Fufeng Society! You should try your best to demonstrate your abilities and gain the trust of that altar master as soon as possible."

"Yes."

"Only by gaining the leader's trust can you ascertain his true identity or obtain his accurate whereabouts. Then, we can capture him!"

Kim Byung-in's eyes turned cold, and then he said with a sneer.

"It will be difficult to wipe out all the members of the Fufeng Society in Yongqiu City, but it will be much easier to capture just this leader. And once we capture this leader, how can we not wipe out the Fufeng Society in Yongqiu City?"

"The steward is absolutely right."

Chen Shi nodded and echoed, though it wasn't flattery.

To catch the thief, first catch the king, especially for an extremely secretive organization like the Fufeng Society.

Members of the Fufeng Society typically maintain single-line communication, so arresting one or two ordinary members is meaningless and could easily alert the enemy. However, the leader is different; he acts as a source.

By working down from him, you can capture his subordinates one by one.

This is indeed much easier than gathering all members of the Fufeng Society together and then capturing them all at once.

"Don't just talk the talk, walk the walk. The Fufeng Society has a lot of tasks, like earning points. Do more of those, so you can attract the attention and appreciation of the sect leader and get a chance to get close to him."

"I understand."

Chen Shi nodded, but secretly frowned in his heart.

The Fufeng Society does have many missions, but as a member of the Yabu, his missions are all assassinations!

Chen Shi didn't consider himself a virtuous person; after all, it's difficult for a purely good person to survive in this world. But he wasn't bloodthirsty either, and he still felt somewhat repulsed by killing innocent bystanders.

"As long as you eliminate the Fufeng Society in Yongqiu City, the Master will naturally remember your contribution. At that time, you can have whatever reward you want—silver, women, or power."

Kim Byung-in smiled, his voice carrying a hint of seduction.

Even the King of Hell doesn't shortchange hungry ghosts; when he asks someone to do something, he always offers some benefits or incentives.

"Thank you for your guidance, Steward. I will certainly do my best to handle it!"

Chen Shi pretended to be excited and hurriedly made a promise.

In fact, Chen Shi was already quite satisfied with his successful breakthrough to the seventh rank during his cultivation trip to Yongqiu Mountain.

But if he doesn't show any eagerness at this time, Kim Byung-in will definitely suspect that he won't do his job well.

"Yes, it's good that you have a plan. Report to me immediately if Fufeng makes any moves."

Seeing Chen Shi's expression, Jin Bingren nodded in satisfaction.

"Yes."

Chen Shi acknowledged that he had finished speaking, and then rose to take his leave.

As Chen Shi emerged from Kim Byung-in's side, his brows furrowed slightly.

Are we really going to carry out the Fufeng Society's mission?

Apart from tasks temporarily assigned by superiors, you can check and accept tasks by going to the divination hall you visited before; it's essentially a base.

"We'll see."

Still somewhat reluctant, Chen Shi decided to put the thought aside for the time being and prepared to go to the medicine shop.

Now that he's back, he should at least say hello to Mu Yunsheng. Also, he wanted to see if there was any news about Gu Hanying's recent situation.

Whether he admits it or not, Chen Shi still cares about this fourth young lady.

"Manager Chen."

They had only taken two steps when a servant suddenly ran over.

Chen Shi recognized him as a servant boy from Gu Chengze's courtyard.

"Second Madam wants to see you."