Chapter 9 Old Friends at Peony Pavilion

The Foundation was initially set, and the spiritual altar was clear.

Chen Mu closed his eyes to regulate his breathing and introspect, not using his eyes, but rather a perception sharpened dozens of times over.

Everything became visible in minute detail; blood flowed like a babbling brook, the heart thundered like rolling drums, and muscles expanded and contracted with every breath.

Suddenly, Chen Mu frowned, catching a faint, strange aura, quietly lurking like a maggot on a bone.

It was a mark!

A mark planted by another Cultivator of the Dao Entry Realm!

Chen Mu's eyes snapped open, a cold light flashing within them; his thoughts raced, and he locked onto the culprit almost instantly.

Jiang Huoyu!

This woman was actually a Cultivator of the Dao Entry Realm!?

No wonder she remained so calm after witnessing him kill to eliminate future trouble; it turned out she had already prepared a contingency.

This woman's schemes must be guarded against!

Since Jiang Huoyu could leave such a mark without a sound, slaying the White Tiger Demon Beast must not have been difficult for her; yet, she had remained patient throughout, feigning weakness, and even when she wanted the tiger teeth, she only proposed a trade rather than resorting to force.

Regardless of her reasons, this woman was definitely not someone to be trifled with!

Chen Mu immediately mobilized the cultivation within his body, reaching toward the mark with the strange aura, wrapping around it, scouring it, stripping it away, and finally crushing it into nothingness.

Half an hour later, Chen Mu exhaled a breath of turbid Qi, his eyes weary.

The mark was gone, but he still could not let his guard down; tracking methods in the Jianghu were devious and varied, and there might still be some hidden contingencies he had not detected.

Seeing that dawn was approaching, Chen Mu moved, heading straight for the rapidly flowing river outside the city, and leapt in.

The spring cold was biting, and the river water was icy, but he seemed not to notice, allowing the current to wash over him.

He scrubbed his hair, wrists, and fingernails, washing away the grime that had seeped out after his marrow-cleansing, and even rinsed his undergarments a dozen times over.

Only when there was not a trace of strange aura left on his body did he climb onto the bank, build a fire to dry his clothes, and put them back on.

After all this, the day had fully broken, and a woman carrying a wooden tub came to the riverside to wash clothes; she couldn't help but glance over at him several times, covering her mouth while whispering to the young girl beside her, laughing until she shook with mirth.

The young girl blushed, pushed the woman, and looked shy and coy.

Chen Mu ignored them, focused only on tidying his clothes, and without further delay, headed in the direction of Yunmeng.

It was noon, and under the blazing sun, two city guards were yawning incessantly, perfunctorily checking the few civilians entering the city.

Chen Mu walked straight toward the city gate, but a guard eyed him up and down and blocked his path with an outstretched arm.

"What is your business?"

"Demon Suppression Division, Chen Mu."

Chen Mu's reply was concise and to the point, neither humble nor pushy, but it only elicited a sneer from the other party.

"You? Demon Suppression Division? Don't mess with me."

"Go into the streets and ask around; every single master from the Demon Suppression Division is a man who licks blood from the tip of a blade and fights against demons!"

"With that delicate, tender look, you dare to impersonate someone from the Demon Suppression Division? I think you're just a pretty boy who escaped from some opera troupe, right?"

After saying this, the other guard also came over and began to laugh along.

Chen Mu frowned, secretly thinking this was troublesome.

Since his marrow-cleansing, his skin had become much smoother and more delicate, and combined with his youth, he indeed lacked the ruggedness that a warrior should have.

Chen Mu couldn't be bothered to waste words; he ripped the dark, heavy token of the Demon Suppression Division from his waist and tossed it over.

The guard instinctively caught it; the token was neither iron nor wood, heavy, and unusually cold. The three large characters for "Demon Suppression Division" were written with iron strokes and silver hooks, possessing an aura that transcended generations, and the brushwork faintly revealed a terrifying Evil Qi, causing the guard's expression to change, yet he still stubbornly held his tongue.

"This... Demon Suppression Division? You pretty boy are actually from there? Heh... maybe it's a fake, right? You need to explain yourself properly. Who exactly are you? How long have you been in the Demon Suppression Division?"

A barrage of questions was thrown at him. Chen Mu, impatient, reached out to take back the token and enter the city directly.

"Hey!"

The guard quickly stepped back and hid the token behind his back, "Don't think about leaving until you explain clearly! I suspect this token of yours was obtained illegitimately!"

Seeing him act like this, as if he had made up his mind to make things difficult for him, Chen Mu was about to flare up, but then heard a sharp shout.

"What are you doing! Why are you blocking the gate and making such a racket!"

Looking up, he saw a burly man clad in armor walking over. Sweeping his gaze across the scene, his eyes stopped on Chen Mu's face, and he was slightly stunned; then, seeing the token, his body stiffened, and he began to berate the guards severely.

"You blind dog! Is a master from the Demon Suppression Division someone you can interrogate? Get lost!"

The guard immediately fell silent, offered the token back with both hands, and slunk away to the side.

"Brother! Don't take offense, don't take offense; the men below don't know the rules, don't lower yourself to their level. Come! Let's enter the city!"

The burly man put on a smiling face, his tone overly familiar.

Chen Mu nodded and thanked him, but just as he was about to step into the city, the man stepped forward, affectionately draping an arm over Chen Mu's shoulder, a knowing, ambiguous smirk curling his lips.

"Brother, you truly have a noble's forgetfulness; the night before last at the Peony Pavilion, we even had a drink together, have you forgotten?"

Peony Pavilion?

Chen Mu had no recollection of this; he had never set foot in such a place of pleasure. Just as he was about to explain, the burly man spoke first.

"Brother, your big brother here is named Zhao Xiong; you must remember it this time. When you have free time, I'll host, and we'll have a good time again!"

Without giving him a chance to speak, he pushed him inside, continuing on his own.

"Hurry in, brother! Let's keep in touch! In this Yunmeng, if you have any trouble, just use your big brother's name!"

Chen Mu shook his head helplessly. Just as he stepped out of the city gate passage, the clamor of the marketplace hit his face, mixed with several uncomfortable, sticky gazes and whispers.

"Did you see that? That young brother, from the Demon Suppression Division, I heard he often goes to the Peony Pavilion..."

"He looks gentle and handsome, like a scholar, but who would have thought he's actually a Xianggu."

"What do you know! They say that masters with a penchant for the Dragon love this type; this is the style they adore."

"Peony Pavilion... I heard they play wild games in there. It's truly a pity for such a good appearance..."

The voices were not loud, but with Chen Mu's current hearing, he could hear them clearly.

His footsteps paused slightly, and he turned his head, his cold gaze passing over the crowd and landing on Zhao Xiong, who was still laughing heartily at the city gate.

Although he didn't know why this man had taken the initiative to help him, he had caused him to be baselessly slandered and embroiled in these rumors...

He had likely already chosen his own path to death!

Chen Mu shook his head, immediately withdrew his gaze, and headed straight for the county office.

As for those rumors and gossip, they were nothing more than the cawing of crows.

If they truly became annoying, he would just cut them down.