Cultivating in Different Professions

Chapter 157: Chapter 118: Eleventh Under Heaven

Chen Song said with a look of utter admiration.

”The eleventh-ranked in the world?”

Su Mu mused, ”Then where does the Autumn Water Saber rank?”

”The Autumn Water Saber... it’s not on the list,” Chen Song said in a low voice, sneaking a glance at Su Mu.

Su Mu, however, remained calm and simply acknowledged it with a soft ”oh.”

’This makes sense. A Divine Weapon in the eyes of someone in the Body Tempering Realm probably doesn’t even make the cut at a higher level.’

Still, for the Thunder Shocking Saber to be ranked eleventh among all the Divine Weapons in the world was somewhat beyond Su Mu’s expectations.

He flicked the blade with his finger, and it let out a crisp, joyous hum.

’If I’d had this Thunder Shocking Saber instead of my Autumn Water Saber back then, that first Blood Transformation Realm expert wouldn’t have been able to break my blade. Instead, I would have cleaved him in two.’

SHIING.

Sheathing the blade, Su Mu contentedly fastened the Thunder Shocking Saber to his waist and patted the scabbard.

”A fine blade for a hero. Congratulations on obtaining a Divine Weapon, Sir!”

Chen Song said with a cupped-fist salute, a hint of envy creeping onto his face.

”The bandit suppression was a success. Everyone will be credited with one merit. Pack up; we’re returning to the city,” Su Mu said with a smile.

”Thank you, Sir!”

Chen Song and the other constables cheered. Getting rich and earning merits—working for Little Su was just that good.

...

PTHOO!

Hu Gongxiu spat out a mouthful of blood and fell backward.

”Master!”

The butler cried out and lunged forward, frantically trying to revive Hu Gongxiu by pressing the point below his nose and massaging his chest.

After a long moment, Hu Gongxiu slowly came to.

”I am filled with hate!”

Hu Gongxiu let out a long breath, spitting out a few words.

”Master, what’s done is done. You must take care of your health,” the butler urged.

”Don’t worry. I won’t die that easily.”

With the butler’s help, Hu Gongxiu rose to his feet and walked over to a chair.

He leaned back and closed his eyes.

After a long pause, he slowly opened his eyes.

”As long as Su Mu lives, I will never rest in peace!

What was once a minor nuisance has now become a threat to my very core.

Had I known, I would have crushed him with overwhelming force from the very beginning.”

Hu Gongxiu seethed, grinding his teeth. He felt another wave of tightness in his chest.

’Who would have thought a mere constable, a former refugee, could cause me so much trouble?’

’Even Fourteenth Uncle, a master in the Blood Transformation Realm, died because of him!’

’Thinking of everything the Hu Family had sacrificed made Hu Gongxiu’s heart bleed.’

’The Hu Family had already lost several revenue streams recently. To come up with those one hundred thousand taels of silver, I’d had to dip into their foundational reserves.’

’And that Thunder Shocking Saber...’

’I can’t think about it. The mere thought makes my heart ache!’

Hu Gongxiu clutched his chest.

’Su Mu alone wasn’t worth such a steep price. My primary target was actually Luo Anning.’

’I never expected that in the end, not only would I fail to kill Luo Anning, but Su Mu would also survive.’

’Instead, the men I sent were completely wiped out.’

’Fourteenth Uncle was in the Blood Transformation Realm!’

’Even for a great and powerful clan like the Hu Family, losing a Blood Transformation Realm master is an unbearable blow.’

’In all fairness, it wasn’t his fault for making a poor decision.’

’Once I realized the threat Su Mu posed, I took action. I even sent a Blood Transformation Realm master.’

’Who could have possibly imagined that such a force would be completely annihilated!’

Hu Gongxiu didn’t know what had happened at the scene. He only knew that Su Mu and Luo Anning were both unharmed, while the corpse of his fourteenth uncle, Hu Dazhen, had been hung from the gate of the East City District.

Along with him were the remnants of the Fragrance Sect he had paid a fortune to hire!

’The Luo Family’s experts didn’t make a move that day. Who in the world killed Fourteenth Uncle and the others?!’

Hu Gongxiu began to ponder.

’The experts in Wuling City capable of killing Fourteenth Uncle all have well-known whereabouts. It’s impossible they would have appeared in the eastern suburbs that night.’

’That means either the Luo Family has hidden masters, or... Luo Anning and Su Mu killed them.’

’The latter seemed unlikely, but that wretched pair are both exceptionally talented...’

’If those two have really broken through to the Blood Transformation Realm, then they’ll be qualified to become Taiping Captains.’

’I can’t let them put on the uniform of a Taiping Captain. Killing them then would be much more trouble.’

’The death of a Taiping Captain is a completely different matter from the death of a Taiping Bureau White Clothes.’

’A Taiping Bureau White Clothes can die and no one will care much, but if a Taiping Captain dies under mysterious circumstances, the Taiping Bureau will investigate it to the bitter end.’

”Since they’ve become such a major threat, I can’t allow them to grow any stronger. I’ll have them killed, no matter the cost!”

Hu Gongxiu muttered to himself.

Just then, someone rushed into the room.

”Master, our men outside the city sent word! They say the Luo Family’s young miss has broken through to the Blood Transformation Realm and is now on her way back to the city!”

The man handed over a small slip of paper.

”So it’s true.”

Hu Gongxiu took the note, glanced at its contents, and sneered, ”Left the supply point for two days, only to return covered in wounds. Are those injuries from her life-or-death battle with Fourteenth Uncle and his men?

And she’s trying to pass them off as injuries sustained while fighting demons? Does she take me for a fool?

To cover her tracks, she even went all the way back to the supply point. How thoughtful of her!”

A thick killing intent flashed across Hu Gongxiu’s face. ”So what if you’ve reached the Blood Transformation Realm? It won’t matter if you never make it back to Wuling City—”

”Butler, contact the Golden Wind Tower for me!”

Hu Gongxiu hesitated. A look of pained reluctance crossed his face, but he finally spoke in a low voice.

...

”Who sent this?”

Su Mu asked, looking at the object before him with some surprise.

”We don’t know.”

Chen Song, Zheng Wang, and the others all shook their heads.

”The men on night patrol saw it at the bureau entrance when they returned. I’ve asked around; no one knows who put it there or when,”

Chen Song said cautiously, a bit sheepishly.

’Someone left a large chest right at our front door, and not a single person noticed. We’re lucky it was just a chest. If someone had set a fire, the East City Bureau would have been utterly disgraced.’

Su Mu remained expressionless and flicked a finger.

SNAP!

A burst of energy struck the chest, and the lid flew open, revealing its contents.

”Sir, it’s a weapon!”

Chen Song exclaimed, pleasantly surprised.

Su Mu nodded. Seeing that the chest didn’t contain anything gruesome like human remains, he stepped forward, reached in, and lifted out a long, silk-wrapped object.

He unwrapped the silk to reveal a saber.

It was a long saber, somewhat similar to his own shattered Autumn Water Saber, exquisitely decorated and clearly very expensive.

After drawing it for a look, Su Mu confirmed it was a fine blade, in no way inferior to his old Autumn Water Saber.

’Of course, it still couldn’t compare to the Thunder Shocking Saber.’

”Who would randomly send a saber to the East City Bureau? It doesn’t look like a murder weapon,”

Zheng Wang muttered under his breath.

Chen Song stole a glance at Su Mu, seemingly having realized something.

’That night, when we were ambushed by the Fragrance Sect remnants, a figure in black appeared and saved us. The Sir’s Autumn Water Saber was destroyed that night... could this saber be a gift from that person?’

Chen Song didn’t know the identity of the person in black who had appeared that night, and he was smart enough not to ask.

If Chen Song could figure it out, Su Mu naturally had as well.

He grew even more curious about the identity of the woman in black from that night.

’She blocked a Blood Transformation Realm expert for me, saw my Autumn Water Saber get destroyed, and has now sent me a replacement. What is she after?’

’Could it be that this body I’m in has some extraordinary background?’

’When I took over this body, I also received its original memories. The previous owner had a clean background, from an ordinary family. There’s no possibility of some long-lost relative suddenly appearing.’

’He couldn’t fathom who was helping him.’

”Sir, there’s something else.”

Zheng Wang said, pointing to the chest. He eagerly took out the remaining item and presented it to Su Mu with both hands.

”A martial arts manual?”

Su Mu took it, and as he looked, his thoughts were completely captivated.