Chapter 72: Chapter 71: This Is Your Choice?

[Deep Red Host] Wu Chen

[Martial Arts Realm] Meridian Passage Realm, Seven Meridians

(Qi Power: Earth-Shaking Wild Bull)

[Martial Arts & Cultivation Techniques] ’Bone-Eroding Wind Blade: Intent’ ’Leaf-Plucking Spirit Swallow Steps: Intent’ ’Thunder Palm: Perfection’ ’Golden Ring Great Saber: Perfection’...

In an inn, on the second floor.

Inside a room, by the window.

Wu Chen seemed to be gazing at the bustling street below, but his attention was actually fixed on the panel.

Not long after returning from Zhenyuan Martial Arts Hall and reviewing the martial arts manuals, his realm had advanced once again.

He had reached the seventh meridian of the Meridian Passage Realm.

In Fenglin County, this level of power was exceptionally rare.

Despite this, Wu Chen showed no signs of happiness.

’I wonder where else I can get my hands on some martial arts manuals.’

He stood by the window, rubbing his temples in frustration.

He didn’t leave the inn until nightfall, when he began to wander the streets of Fenglin County.

Because of the bounty on his head, he remained vigilant, carefully observing his surroundings as he walked.

It wasn’t that he was afraid of being hunted by assassins.

After all, his realm had advanced by three meridians in just two days. He was a far cry from the level described on the bounty notice.

Even if assassins did come, he could deal with them easily.

The main thing was, he couldn’t be bothered with the hassle.

Wu Chen wandered the city for three consecutive days.

During these three days, he would walk through the city in the early morning or at dusk, using the dim light and shrouding mist as cover.

He also took the opportunity to quietly return the two martial arts manuals to the martial arts halls, attracting no attention.

His movements were extremely fast as he darted through the city’s streets and alleys, his eyes constantly scanning the storefronts, searching for any businesses owned by the Blood Slaughter Sect.

He was waiting for the right time to relieve them of some of their assets.

’The Jiang Clan Commerce Association... a general store?’

Wu Chen didn’t find any properties belonging to the Blood Slaughter Sect, but he did spot a storefront with a sign for the ’Jiang Clan Commerce Association’.

If not for the small, dust-covered characters for ’Jiang Clan Commerce Association’ in the corner of the sign, he would have found it hard to believe this was a property of the wealthy and powerful Jiang Clan Commerce Association.

’I wonder if there’s anything good in here.’

Wu Chen touched the Jade Pendant from Jiang Fang in his pocket and glanced inside the shop.

The shop was small. At a glance, he could see a clerk dozing off at the counter. There was no one else, so business was clearly not booming.

’Logically speaking, isn’t an inconspicuous place like this the perfect spot to find a hidden treasure?’

With this thought in mind, Wu Chen stepped into the small general store. He had nothing better to do, so he might as well try his luck.

Hearing footsteps, the clerk lazily lifted his head for a look but didn’t say a word.

Wu Chen walked among the few shelves on his own, his gaze sweeping over the items one by one.

There were decorative coral pieces and blue-and-white porcelain.

There were also a dozen or so opera librettos and biographies, along with some unimpressive, basic martial arts manuals.

The most valuable items were thumb-sized porcelain vials, each containing a single pill called a ’Blood Nourishing Pill’ and priced at three taels of silver.

Wu Chen walked past the shelves, appearing calm on the surface, but inwardly, he was shouting frantically:

’Deep Red, are there any secret manuals here? Any fragments!’

’Please tell me loudly, thank you!’

But no matter how loudly he screamed in his mind, he received no answer.

In the end, Wu Chen wandered around the store once but found nothing of interest. Although he hadn’t stolen anything, he still felt a bit sheepish as he walked out.

He continued to stroll through the city, looking at the grand mansions with their high walls.

’There are still a few wealthy families in the city. It seems my only option is to keep creating martial arts manuals to trade.’

Wu Chen hesitated. After all, producing one martial art manual that had reached the ’Intent’ stage might make people wary and cautious.

But if he brought out two, and these people found out, he was afraid they would become greedy and do something irrational.

Wealth moves the hearts of men; it was a worrying prospect.

Just as he was pondering this, Wu Chen, who was walking down the street, suddenly frowned, a hint of killing intent flashing in his eyes.

’Have I already been targeted by others in the city who know about ’Intent’-level martial arts?’

’Zhenyuan Martial Arts Hall wouldn’t be stupid enough to move against me, would they? Or did someone else get the news from them?’

’Or have assassins who accepted the Blood Slaughter Sect’s bounty arrived?’

Wu Chen sensed several gazes from the shadows, locked firmly onto him.

These gazes were extremely subtle, positioned at various points along the street, surrounding him.

Wu Chen couldn’t guess the identity of his pursuers, but he fearlessly turned and walked into a dark alley to his side.

After about a hundred paces, the alley grew darker, and a dead end appeared ahead.

Only then did Wu Chen stop, turn around, and speak to the dark, empty alley:

"Everyone, if you have business with me, why don’t you come out and say it?"

His hand rested on the hilt of his blade. Even though his realm had greatly improved, when it came to life-and-death matters, he was on full alert.

TAP, TAP, TAP!

The sound of footsteps echoed as three figures emerged from the interconnected alleyways.

But when he saw who they were, Wu Chen froze for a moment.

"What are you all..."

"Young Master, I’ve simmered some Qi and Blood soup for you. You should drink it while it’s hot!"

The first to speak, her voice as soft and gentle as she could make it, was Chen Xiaoqing from Chen’s Boxing Hall.

She was holding a food box, which she offered to Wu Chen with eyes full of expectation.

Qiu Tong from the White Horse Martial Arts Hall did the same, also holding a food box and extending a delicate wrist toward Wu Chen:

"The three hundred taels of silver included guidance on martial arts and the cost of the medicinal soup ingredients. You never came, and I couldn’t wait for you, so I started looking for you in the city,"

she explained, her face blushing.

"..."

Wu Chen grimaced, unsure how to respond.

’This kind of after-sales service is nice, I guess, but I don’t need it at all!’

Wu Chen then turned his gaze to Wang Lin, wondering what she was doing here.

’Could it be that the martial art I gave to Zhenyuan Martial Arts Hall was too profound, and she didn’t understand it?’

’Does she want me to explain it in more depth?’

Seeing people from two other martial arts halls suddenly appear, both of whom seemed to have a connection with the young man before her, Wang Lin, who was a few years older, gave an awkward laugh, not knowing how to explain herself.

So, she simply grabbed Wang Erhu, who she had forced to come along and was currently hiding in the alley, and yanked him out.

"My little brother wanted to see you!"

Wang Erhu: "???"

Wang Erhu was dumbfounded. ’Am I a masochist or something?!’

’I wanted him to beat me up?!’

But seeing the glare from his older sister, he stood obediently in place, not daring to move.

Seeing it was them, Wu Chen didn’t accept the offered food boxes. His gaze went past them, looking at the space behind them.

"There’s one more. You can come out too!"

Seeing Wu Chen’s serious expression, Chen Xiaoqing, Qiu Tong, and Wang Lin were startled.

’There’s another rival?!’

The three of them turned in unison to look into the dark alley, their eyes filled with vigilance.

It was only when the figure slowly emerged and they saw the person’s face that the three young women relaxed their guard, a trace of anger appearing in their eyes.

"Lin Gaoyuan! What are you doing following us!"

"What, since when did Young Master Lin develop a penchant for stalking!"

"Don’t tell me Xiang went off with someone else tonight?"

"..."

Lin Gaoyuan’s face was a mixture of embarrassment and a wry smile.

He hadn’t expected his meeting with Wu Chen to be such a lively scene.

He ignored the three young women’s questions, instead holding out a booklet with both hands toward Wu Chen:

"I’m also here to see this Young Master Wu."

"Get out of the way! This Young Master doesn’t have time for you!"

"Yeah, what makes you think you can butt in?!"

The three young women retorted in unison, their tones a bit frantic.

The three of them were, without a doubt, among the most beautiful women in Fenglin County.

After all, they came from martial arts halls. It went without saying they were pampered, and their martial arts training had given them impeccable figures.

They were also innocent, unmarried young maidens. When the three of them stood together, while it might not be a dazzling contest of beauties, if they were to announce they were seeking a husband, countless men in the city would surely be breaking their heads fighting for the chance.

They were confident that no matter what, Wu Chen would end up in the hands of one of them tonight.

Well, they wouldn’t mind if it was two of them, either.

After all, who didn’t understand men?

Now, here was Lin Gaoyuan, holding a shabby little booklet, thinking he could ruin everyone’s fun. He was really overestimating himself.

They angrily rebuked Lin Gaoyuan for his lack of tact and told him to get lost.

He shouldn’t make them lose their tempers, or things would get awkward for everyone.

However, just as they were getting worked up, a figure slowly walked past them.

This made the three young women freeze, swallowing the words they were about to say.

They stared, dumbfounded, as Wu Chen walked up to Lin Gaoyuan and slung an arm around his shoulder.

The two of them acted like old acquaintances, their gestures familiar as they walked shoulder-to-shoulder out of the alley.

This was a choice the three young women had never, ever expected from Wu Chen.

Watching the two of them gradually disappear, their eyes were wide with astonishment:

"So... that’s this Young Master’s choice?"

"What exactly are we lacking?"

"Are we really worth less than a shabby little booklet?"

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.