Living steadily in the world of gods and mystery

"Senior..." The beautiful woman was cautious and anxious in her heart.

All kinds of taverns, shops, and brothels in Luoluo City stand with the backing of Foundation Establishment forces, some even directly controlled by the Returning True Sect, but having a powerful backer is one thing, personally facing a Foundation Establishment cultivator, especially a Guest Elder from the Returning True Sect, is quite another.

If they angered the other party.

Even if they were killed.

It would be a death in vain.

In the end, it would probably be unresolved.

Chen Li waved his hand to stop her mid-sentence, "This is not a good place to talk, let’s speak in the courtyard."

"Yes, Senior!"

The two of them walked to the courtyard, one after another.

"I called you here to ask about something you must already know," Chen Li turned around, his expression indifferent, "Tell me everything about what happened from beginning to end!"

The beautiful woman dared not hide anything and hastily recounted everything she knew.

Her story was very similar to what Gu Mengqing said.

The matter was very simple, without any complex grudges or feuds.

Brothels are places of conflict and chaos, filled with all sorts who live on the edge of the blade.

Conflicts over words leading to a deadly altercation was all too common.

"Who is the murderer?" Chen Li asked sternly, "Identify him. I don’t care about the rest, but since it happened in your establishment, you must give me an explanation!"

"Please rest assured, Senior, within ten days, I will surely find the murderer and deliver him to your hands," the beautiful woman quickly bowed and said, her teeth clenched in hidden frustration, despising the despicable killer.

Why kill someone at all?

And why kill someone with connections?

Especially near a brothel.

It truly does extensive harm.

"Ten days is too long. I will give you only five days!" Chen Li said coldly.

"Yes, Senior."

Chen Li waved his hand, dismissing her.

When he entered the door again, Gu Mengqing’s wife was sewing up the corpse, her large sewing needle piercing skin and flesh to stitch the severed head back together, and Zhang Shuniang, comforted by Ms. Zhou, had stopped crying and kept wiping away tears with her handkerchief.

"I won’t say much more, but I’ve already had someone looking into your father’s murder. He will not die with his eyes closed in dissatisfaction; don’t overthink it," Chen Li consoled.

Zhang Shuniang, moved to tears, kneeled to express her gratitude but was promptly held back by Ms. Zhou.

...

"My name is Hu Buwei, Chen, I have long heard of your esteemed name and have always wished to visit, but I feared disturbing you uninvited. Today, thanks to this incident, I have the chance to meet you, and I’m not sure if I should feel lucky or express my regret," Hu Buwei said.

That very evening.

A Foundation Establishment cultivator paid a visit, representing the power behind the brothel.

The man appeared to be middle-aged, and his attitude was very amiable, showing a lot of deference from the outset.

"Fellow Daoist Hu, you are too kind. It is I, a junior at the early stage of Foundation Establishment, who should pay a visit to my seniors," Chen Li responded with a polite bow, "I did not intend to trouble you this time; I truly apologize for the offense."

"Ah, how can you call it a disturbance? Since a friend of Fellow Daoist has encountered trouble in my brothel, it becomes my issue, Hu’s issue. I will certainly help Fellow Daoist find the murderer," Hu Buwei cordially offered.

To him, this was a small effort that could curry favor, a benefit without cost—why not do it?

Chen Li quickly expressed his gratitude.

Hu Buwei then paid his respects in the spirit hall, lighting incense sticks and leaving a mid-grade Spirit Stone as an offering. After fulfilling all the social niceties, he then took his leave.

...

Zhang Yan’s funeral arrangements were almost entirely managed by Gu Mengqing and his wife.

Chen Li merely provided an overseeing presence.

Fortunately, the funerary affairs for lower-tier Qi Cultivation Loose Cultivators are not as complex and are even simpler than those for ordinary mortals in the secular world.

The body was displayed for one day and one night, and the next morning, Zhang Yan was solemnly and simply buried in a favorable location chosen by Chen Li.

At the funeral, wearing mourning clothes, Zhang Shuniang was supported by Ms. Zhou, weeping until her eyes were swollen like peaches.

Chen Li, looking at the newly covered mound of soil, also felt a pang of sadness.

Zhang Yan was only forty-nine years old, just three years older than him.

And yet, he had died so abruptly.

...

With the involvement of a Foundation Establishment power, the efficiency was naturally very high.

Shortly after the funeral procession returned,

a man bound by a magic artifact rope was brought in, badly beaten and bloody, with a face pale with terror and trembling uncontrollably.

"Senior, I have fulfilled your command."

"This is the man who killed Zhang Yan!" Chen Li proclaimed.

"Yes, Senior, he has already confessed," the beautiful woman spoke respectfully, "He was a regular at our brothel, and had an argument with Fellow Daoist Zhang that night. Holding a grudge and in need of money, he followed Fellow Daoist Zhang out and killed him in secrecy.

This is the purse, magic artifact, and robe found on him. Please see if there are any of Fellow Daoist Zhang’s belongings."

"Mercy, please, have mercy!" The man begged, slamming his head on the ground in despair, yet he never offered a word in his own defense from start to finish.

Chen Li turned to Gu Mengqing standing aside and instructed, "Go call Shuniang over."

"Yes!" Gu Mengqing turned around and called for others.

Soon, Zhang Shuniang rushed over upon hearing the news.

"Uncle, these really are my father’s..." Zhang Shuniang’s eyes reddened, and tears streamed down as she spoke.

"Go collect your father’s belongings," Chen Li consoled her. "Your father may be gone, but you still have Uncle Zhou and Ms. Zhou to look after you."

As he spoke, he flicked his finger, and a beam of light entered the killer’s head, causing the man to shudder, and a bloody hole appeared on his forehead.

...

The snow fell on and off, continuing throughout the entire winter.

His cultivation speed kept accelerating, from once every two months to once every month and a half, to once a month, and most recently, every twenty-five days, which made him feel more and more exhilarated.

He saw the dawn of the Golden Core future.

During this period, he finally mastered the Yuan Magnetism Evasion Skill to max level.

The Yuan Magnetism Evasion Skill was known for its speed; at max level, it was extremely fast, like lightning in flight. Ordinary Foundation Establishment middle-stage Flight with Instrument Control probably couldn’t match Chen Li’s speed.

Inside the cultivation room.

The rock wall was crisscrossed with sword marks dense like a spider’s web.

As Chen Li was practicing his sword skills, he suddenly heard footsteps. He sheathed his sword and grabbed a towel to wipe off his sweat.

Soon, Zhang Shuniang came in with a large basin of meat, placing it on a stone table. Her eyes fleetingly glanced at the shirtless Chen Li; her cheeks couldn’t help but turn slightly red as she softly said, "Uncle, I’ve put the meat here, remember to eat it while it’s still hot, it won’t taste as good once it cools down."

Yesterday, Zhou Hong, who had been stuck at the sixth level of Qi cultivation for a long time, finally felt her realm loosen and began her closed-door breakthrough to the seventh level. Therefore, the responsibility of taking care of Chen Li fell entirely on Zhang Shuniang.

"Mhm! You’ve been working hard these days," Chen Li said with a smile as he walked over, picked up a pair of chopsticks, and stuffed a piece of meat into his mouth.

"It’s not hard at all, Uncle, I just cook. Is it good? Is it not stewed long enough?" Zhang Shuniang looked at Chen Li, full of hope.

"It’s stewed just right," Chen Li said with a smile.

"Uncle, then I’ll be leaving. Just call me if you need anything."

"Mhm, take care."

Zhang Shuniang quickly left, leaving behind a lingering scent in the air.

Chen Li cleaned out the large basin of meat, soup and all.

After Foundation Establishment.

His digestive absorption capacity had greatly increased compared to before. Now, he needed to eat five meals a day, each meal consisting of more than two pounds of Second Order Demon Beast meat.

The two thousand pounds of meat he bought last time were already eaten. Fortunately, Feng Qi who practiced the Mixed Yuan Cultivation Skill was really penniless and occasionally had to take others out hunting to earn Spirit Stones, so there was no worry about not being able to buy Second Order Demon Beast meat.

However, the effectiveness of the Second Order Demon Beast meat was diminishing.

His pure physical strength had now reached three tons, approximately a fifty percent increase from during the Qi Cultivation Stage.

During the Qi Cultivation Stage, he needed to concentrate and exert full power to unleash the Sonic Boom Sword. Now, a casual stab could produce a sonic boom, and at the same time, his body’s strength also saw a significant improvement.

"Among Second Order elixirs, there are indeed those that aid in Body Refinement, but their price also requires three Mid-grade Spirit Stones per bottle. If I buy them, it would be another large expense each month!" Chen Li sighed.

He had thought that his savings were quite abundant before.

But it hadn’t been long since Foundation Establishment, and he was finding that his money was depleting faster and faster.

At this rate, he doubted if he could hold out for six years.

Moreover, the situation in the Returning True realm was stable now, and prices for various items were as solid as rocks; there was no opportunity for arbitrage.

"It seems I must go back to my old trade of talisman drawing!" he thought to himself.

With his current Spiritual Power, he could draw up to six Golden Light Body Protection Talismans in one breath. Considering a fifty percent success rate, he’d have three talismans a day. Even if he consigned them to a shop for twenty Low-grade Spirit Stones each, his annual income would be roughly two hundred Mid-grade Spirit Stones.

This would be enough to cover a significant part of his expenses.

At the very least, he could persist a few more years.

...

Zhou Hong shut herself in and after more than ten days, finally made a difficult breakthrough to the late stage of Qi Cultivation.

She became radiant and appeared to be two or three years younger.

At night.

Afterwards!

"Now that you’ve become stronger, I’m somewhat overwhelmed by myself. Why don’t you take Shuniang as well?" Zhou Hong, nestled in Chen Li’s arms, whispered.

"What nonsense are you talking about? I’m her uncle, how could I do such a thing!" Chen Li replied incredulously.

This was ridiculous.

One shouldn’t be so shameless, or at least... not this shameless.

"There’s no blood relation, and we’re not officially kin, what’s the problem with that? Shuniang is all alone; don’t you find her pitiable? Or do you think she’s not beautiful?" Zhou Hong said with a smile.

Chen Li really couldn’t understand the logic in her words.

"There are many beautiful women in this world, am I supposed to take every one I see? I’ve already told you, one of you is enough," Chen Li said as he embraced Zhou Hong.

Zhou Hong felt sweet in her heart, like she had eaten honey, but she insisted, "Look at those with Foundation Establishment, aside from the bachelors, which one of them doesn’t have three wives and four concubines, even eight or nine in some households? You’ve only ever had me, people who don’t know might think I’m jealous."

"It seems you’ve regained your energy," Chen Li said, turning over and pinning her down.

"Don’t!" Zhou Hong cried out, pinching his waist: "You’re going to break... me... to... death...!"

Her words started strong but turned intermittent, breaking off into incomplete murmurs, losing coherence.

ps: Sorry, I’ve been a bit busy with the new year, but it’ll be better after.