Eternal Life Begins with Learning

Chu Mu glanced around his house and, without hesitation, strode forward to open the courtyard gate.

Inspectors rushed through the streets, and there were plenty of onlookers craning their necks to see the commotion. Chu Mu looked toward the source of the noise. Just as he’d thought, it was happening near his house.

It was very close, in fact—just two doors down. If Chu Mu remembered correctly, the owner of that house was an Old Child Scholar.

Though the Old Child Scholar was advanced in years, his ambition for scholarly honor hadn’t faded in the slightest. He could often be seen studying diligently at the Chang Mansion’s private school.

Of course, what left the deepest impression on Chu Mu wasn’t the Old Child Scholar himself, but his three daughters.

Strictly speaking, it was only after seeing the Old Child Scholar’s three daughters that Chu Mu even learned who the old man was.

Though he had only caught a few glimpses of them, in Chu Mu’s opinion, few women in all of Nanshan Town—even counting those at the Fengyue Tower—could compare to the Old Child Scholar’s three daughters.

’I hope they didn’t die...’

Chu Mu clicked his tongue, then realized how inappropriate that was and quickly suppressed the errant thoughts.

Despite his curiosity, Chu Mu had no intention of going to watch the commotion. In a situation like this, with Inspectors and Guardians all over the streets, for someone to still turn up dead... Chu Mu would never believe it had nothing to do with the Rebels from Qili Village.

This was clearly not good news. After all, the Rebels’ previous attacks had all been targeted at Inspectors—a planned, premeditated revenge.

But now, they had started going after ordinary civilians...

Chu Mu’s brow furrowed. Then, as if he’d realized something, his pupils contracted, and he whipped his head around to look at the Old Child Scholar’s house.

This time, Chu Mu didn’t hesitate. He grabbed his saber, left his house, and ran toward the Old Child Scholar’s home.

By now, a crowd of onlookers had surrounded the Old Child Scholar’s house, packed several layers deep. Inspectors stood at the gate, maintaining order.

Dressed in his Inspector Armor and with the two words "team leader" shining brightly on his Inspector Waist Token, no one dared to stop him. Chu Mu quickly pushed through the crowd and stepped into the Old Child Scholar’s house.

The Old Child Scholar had studied his entire life only to remain a mere Child Scholar, relying on a small imperial grain stipend to support his family. He was by no means wealthy, and his house was no different from that of an ordinary family.

A courtyard, a main hall, a guest room, a bedroom, and a kitchen.

One could take it all in at a glance.

The most eye-catching sight, however, was the delicate figure in the courtyard, weeping beautifully.

But the sight that followed—several dessicated corpses—completely banished any other thoughts from Chu Mu’s mind. His heart instantly sank to the depths.

’What do desiccated corpses imply?’

’That a Resentful Soul has appeared.’

’And what does the appearance of a Resentful Soul imply?’

’It means... the Resentful Soul has trouble harming Inspectors who cultivate Qi Blood, so it has started targeting ordinary people instead.’

Chu Mu hadn’t forgotten what he’d seen at the Fengyue Tower: after those black tendrils had devoured an Inspector, they had seemed to grow stronger.

It was highly likely that the Resentful Soul could grow stronger by devouring people.

And the scene before him now undoubtedly confirmed it.

’But the problem is... right now, the Resentful Soul struggles to harm Qi Blood masters. But what happens after it grows stronger?’

’If devouring one person isn’t enough, what about ten? Or a hundred?’

’How many ordinary people in Nanshan Town don’t practice Martial Arts?’

’In all of Qinghe County, how many more are there?’

’Not to mention, the mines alone held several thousand able-bodied men conscripted for Forced Labor, none of whom practiced Martial Arts!’

As these thoughts raced through his mind, Chu Mu felt a headache coming on. The Resentful Soul at the Fengyue Tower had already been incredibly difficult to handle, and he could barely fend off a single one of its tendrils.

’If it really gets any stronger...’

Chu Mu didn’t dare to imagine what would happen.

His mind heavy with grim thoughts, Chu Mu didn’t linger. He turned and walked out of the courtyard.

More and more people were gathering on the street to see the commotion, but the Inspectors had already arrived and cordoned off the scene. It seemed all the crowd could do was watch from a distance.

But that clearly didn’t dampen their enthusiasm. They chattered excitedly amongst themselves, and some of the bolder ones were even knocking on nearby doors, apparently hoping to claim a reward and strike it rich.

Other Inspectors were running off, clearly intending to report the news up the chain of command, while large squads of reinforcements arrived to the sound of barking orders.

Chu Mu took it all in with an expressionless face as he continued walking home. But when he pushed open his courtyard gate, he stopped dead. In that instant, his entire body tensed.

Right before his eyes, in the courtyard that should have been empty, stood a middle-aged man in a long white robe.

A stranger was in his yard, yet the big black dog that was supposed to be guarding the house was cowering on the ground, not even daring to snarl.

When it saw Chu Mu, the big black dog seemed to find its courage. Tucking its tail, it whimpered and scurried behind him, only then baring its teeth at the white-robed stranger in the yard.

"I am rather curious. Who gave you the audacity to cause trouble on the Nanshan Li Family’s territory?"

The white-robed man spoke in a slow, deliberate voice, as if he hadn’t even noticed Chu Mu’s presence.

Chu Mu froze. The next moment, a scene unfolded that made his pupils constrict as he instantly drew his Long Saber.

The roof of his bedroom suddenly burst open. Amidst a spray of flying tiles, a figure in black leaped out, landed on the roof ridge, and, without a moment’s hesitation, fled.

Chu Mu got a clear look: the figure escaping from his bedroom was none other than the youth who controlled the Resentful Soul!

’In other words... if I hadn’t gone to see the commotion just now, I would have come face-to-face with that black-robed youth!’

In that instant, a cold sweat soaked Chu Mu’s back. He could barely withstand a single tendril of the Resentful Soul’s shadow, let alone the entire entity, not to mention this youth who had clearly mastered mysterious, Extraordinary abilities...

Then, a greater question arose in Chu Mu’s mind. ’Just who is this middle-aged man in white?’

’The Nanshan Li Family?’

The question had barely formed when the scene that followed answered it...

The white-robed man snorted coldly. He raised a hand, forming a seal with his fingers, and seemed to murmur something under his breath. A wisp of flame appeared at his fingertips.

Then, as if poured on oil, the tiny flame grew at a visible rate.

Soon, it had become a furiously burning Fireball the size of a human head.

Even from over ten meters away, Chu Mu could feel the scorching heat radiating from the Fireball.

"Go!"

The white-robed man barked the command and, with a wave of his hand, sent the blazing Fireball hurtling toward the fleeing black-robed youth.

The youth weaved left and right, trying to dodge, but the Fireball acted like a guided missile, locking onto him and mirroring his every move.

BOOM!

Chu Mu had expected the youth to be blown to smithereens by such a terrifying Fireball. But in the end, the youth stood on the roof ridge, completely unharmed.

Densely packed, tiny Runes swirled around his body, glowing with a brilliant golden light. Under the glare of the midday sun, they lent him a sacred aura, as if a god had descended upon the earth...

...