Living steadily in the world of gods and mystery

Nearing the shantytown,

Chen Li asked Zhou Hong to wait in the wilderness until he’d scoped out the situation before they regrouped.

Fortunately, Zhou Hong was accustomed to the ’jianghu’s daughters’ life on the knife-edge and didn’t act with maidenly reserve.

After disguising Chen Li with a simple get-up and reminding him of various codes and signals for reconvening in case they got separated, she urged caution and let him go.

Chen Li didn’t head straight for home but went to the market instead.

Having not visited for nearly half a month, the place had become much livelier, with stalls everywhere. After all, no matter how chaotic the slums were, life had to go on. For the loose cultivators living here, going a few days with expenses but no income was manageable, but indefinitely was not.

Chen Li didn’t browse around. He went straight to a talisman vendor and bought seven amulets.

The price of amulets had already started to drop, no longer as crazed as before.

However, even then, each one still cost eight low-grade Spirit Stones, twice the former price of four.

Of course, street stall goods would be relatively cheaper.

But for this sort of lifesaving item, Chen Li, no longer embarrassed about his limited funds like before, preferred to spend more Spirit Stones rather than risk buying something cheap but inferior.

Next, Chen Li bought a new sword.

The sword was a conventional hard steel blade, weighing over ten pounds.

It couldn’t compare with the magic artifact embryo’s black iron sword.

But, it was sufficient for killing.

After purchasing what he needed, Chen Li began to inquire about the Spirit Tiger Gang in the market.

...

"Spirit Tiger Gang? Never heard of them."

...

"The Spirit Tiger Gang has long gone, their territory split up. Word is, a fellow Daoist named Chen Li went alone to their lair and killed more than a dozen of them, including the gang leader."

...

"Spirit Tiger Gang? I’ve heard too much about them. Their boss offended a senior named Chen Li, who, in a fit of anger, wiped them out!"

...

"Am I really that famous?" Chen Li murmured to himself, his eyebrows slightly furrowed.

He felt no joy in his heart.

Such infamy was a double-edged sword; it inspired fear in others but was also a source of calamity.

In the gang-infested slum area,

to others, he was a hot-headed man who wouldn’t hesitate to attack the Spirit Tiger Gang’s den. Which gang wouldn’t be wary? What if he encountered another Qiao Guanyuan...

"Sigh, I’d even covered my face back then..."

"My signature spell, Spiritual Power Finger Snap, is just too eye-catching, wearing a mask practically announces that I have ’300 taels of silver here’."

"Sigh, I’ll just take it one step at a time. At least the fall of the Spirit Tiger Gang is good news."

He hastened his pace, leaving the market behind and heading home.

When he reached the street where his home stood, passersby would glance at him, seemingly wanting to greet him but unsure, their expressions incredibly odd.

Since there was no chance of keeping a low profile, Chen Li simply stopped trying to disguise himself and spat out the two pebbles he had in his cheeks.

He then took out a Cleaning Talisman and removed the soot smeared on his face.

"Chen Fellow Daoist!?"

"Ah, it’s Chen Fellow Daoist! Chen Fellow Daoist, you’ve returned."

"Greeting Chen Fellow Daoist..."

...

Chen Li continued to bow in greeting all along the way, his face aching from smiling until, before long, he reached his front door.

The door was half-open.

He pushed the door open.

The interior was a complete mess, with tables haphazardly strewn about, smashed wooden wall planks, and firewood scattered all over the floor. Dozens of pounds of pickled demon beast meat had vanished without a trace.

Obviously, they’d been robbed.

Fortunately, when Zhou Hong had left, she’d taken most of the valuable items with her.

Otherwise, the theft of those items could’ve been utterly heartbreaking.

Chen Li tidied up the home a bit and was just about to step out to throw away the trash when someone came to visit.

"I have long admired you, Chen. I am Liu Youwei, a Guest Elder of the Green Clothes Gang. My visit is quite presumptuous, I hope you’ll forgive me," Liu Youwei said with a smile and a courteous handclasp, presenting a pleasant demeanor.

They were quick. How long had it been since he’d arrived home?

"My home has met with disaster, please don’t take it amiss... May I know what brings you here?" Chen Li invited the visitor in without betraying any emotion on his face, smiling as he spoke.

"Chen, you’re too polite. I dare not instruct you in anything. I have actually come regarding this very issue! Although the disaster that befell your home wasn’t caused by the Green Clothes Gang, the recent chaos contributed to it. Since the Green Clothes Gang occupies this street, we cannot shirk all responsibility.

Therefore, for the loss you have suffered, the Green Clothes Gang is willing to offer certain compensation, and of course, to make your acquaintance," said Liu Youwei. He finished speaking and gently placed a money pouch on the table.

"Good, good, I’m set on making this friendship. May I ask who the gang leader is?"

"The leader is Wei Qingyi."

"I will definitely pay a visit next time!"

After Liu Youwei left.

Chen Li picked up the money pouch and poured out the Spirit Stones inside.

Exactly ten Mid-grade Spirit Stones.

"How generous," he thought to himself.

Ten Mid-grade Spirit Stones could buy a first-tier superior Magic Artifact.

He put the Spirit Stones back into the pouch and slipped it into the sleeve of his robe, then went out to meet Zhou Hong.

...

Late at night.

After the fact!

Zhou Hong nestled in Chen Li’s arms, noticing his slightly furrowed brows, she sensed his worry: "Are you still thinking about the matter with the Green Clothes Gang?"

"I cannot help but dwell on it. I’d just returned home, and within less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the Green Clothes Gang sends over such a large sum of money. Their wariness of me is quite evident, which is not good at all!" Chen Li sighed as he spoke.

What Chen Li left unsaid was that today on the street, there were a few people whose well-hidden hatred could nonetheless be faintly discerned in their eyes.

He had killed too many people this time, and quite a few were from this street, it was inevitable that some friends and family would harbor resentment...

He was truly weary of such matters.

"In that case, why not move elsewhere, find a place where no one knows you, settle down, and stay away from conflict. In the Green River District, there are over ten thousand Loose Cultivators; every year sees deaths and departures, and it’s never short on vacant houses," Zhou Hong suggested.

"That’s a great idea!" Chen Li’s eyes lit up and he nodded in agreement.

Since the houses were sparsely arranged with plenty of empty space around, the market district along with the shantytowns on the outskirts covered quite a large area.

For instance, for Chen Li to go to the market, he had to walk more than ten miles; the east and west shantytowns were like two different worlds.

...

Early the next day.

Chen Li and Zhou Hong set out to find a new house.

Chen Li had originally lived in the eastern district, but now they directly headed to the western district in search of a house. There were many empty houses, but most of them were in poor living conditions, many abandoned for years and long since became dilapidated.

Chen Li and Zhou Hong searched for most of the day.

At last, they found one to their liking.

The house was near a river, making water retrieval convenient, and it had a small courtyard, offering better privacy.

Plus, the house hadn’t been deserted for long, and the furniture inside was still usable, sparing them the hassle of moving things in and out, which pleased them both.

They didn’t go anywhere else that afternoon and didn’t even bother with lunch as they started cleaning the house.

Planning to move in the next day.

ps: Sorry, I am busy today.