Chapter 417 - 246: Purpose

Chapter 417: Chapter 246: Purpose

For people like Su Mu and Taishi Tianbi, however, cultivation was as easy as eating and drinking.

Their power grew far too quickly.

"Appeared out of nowhere, and then shot to fame just as suddenly?"

A thoughtful look crossed Su Mu’s face.

’There’s one possibility. This Taishi Tianbi was originally just an ordinary person. Then one day, he fell off a cliff, found a secret manual for some Unparalleled Martial Arts, cultivated it, and became a top expert of the current age in a single leap...’

Huo Zhen Court theorized excitedly.

"You’ve been reading too many storybooks!"

Zhang Zhongmei retorted bluntly. "Although I don’t cultivate the Martial Dao, even I know that it takes more than just a secret martial arts manual to succeed."

Zhang Zhongmei glanced at Su Mu. Even Su Mu had only been able to grow so quickly because of the platform the Taiping Bureau provided.

Every step of Su Mu’s growth could be tracked. He first set foot on the path of cultivation because he had earned the appreciation of Lin Qi Huan, a Taiping Captain of the Wuling Taiping Bureau.

Then he served as a constable and a Sima in Wuling City’s Outer City, accumulating a solid foundation.

He also had the full support of his two beautiful confidantes.

What did Taishi Tianbi have?

"Taishi Tianbi is a fierce man,"

Huo Zhen Court said. "He could just rob people."

"The question is, before he became the number one criminal on the most-wanted list, especially when his strength wasn’t that great, how could he have possibly robbed anyone for cultivation resources?"

Zhang Zhongmei countered.

"Lord Zhang, are you suggesting that Taishi Tianbi might not be acting alone? That he might have a faction supporting him from behind the scenes?"

Wu Yiqi mused.

"I’m just saying it’s a possibility,"

Zhang Zhongmei said with a nod.

"Speculation is pointless,"

Su Mu shook his head. "No amount of guessing will lead us to the truth. Let’s split up and investigate.

As long as he’s out there, he’ll remain a threat to Songjiang Prefecture.

In a few more months, the first batch of students will be enrolling at the academy. If Taishi Tianbi shows up then to cause trouble, the consequences would be unthinkable."

Even now, Su Mu felt a chill run down his spine just thinking about the power of that Divine Weapon.

With such a powerful man wielding a Divine Weapon lurking in the shadows, Su Mu couldn’t even sleep peacefully.

It was no exaggeration to say that if Taishi Tianbi launched a sneak attack, probably no one in all of Songjiang Prefecture, including Su Mu himself, would survive.

Su Mu now realized that even among those at the same realm as him, he was not absolutely invincible.

His current strength was still not enough.

Zhang Zhongmei, Huo Zhen Court, and Wu Yiqi split up to investigate.

Su Mu remained where he was and summoned his system panel.

[Name: Su Mu]

[Status: Silver-faced Killer (part-time), Governor (Fourth-Rank)]

[Points: 35,000]

[Realm: True Essence Realm]

[Divine Techniques: Indestructible Golden Body, Blood Body, Giant Body]

[Cultivation Technique: Unlimited True Essence Technique of Heaven and Earth (Beginner)...]

[Martial Arts: Thunder Shock Realm (Major Accomplishment), Kan Water Realm (Major Accomplishment), Gen Mountain Realm (Major Accomplishment/+), Xun Wind Realm (Perfection), Li Fire Realm (Perfection), Archery (Perfection)]

[Vision: None (Deduce)]

[Skill: Heavenly Craft Refining Technique (Beginner)]

’Two thousand points a day from my status as Governor... it’s still not enough.’

’Should I have the Golden Wind Tower’s Silver-faced Killer re-emerge in the Jianghu?’

Su Mu wasn’t opposed to the idea, but it wasn’t easy to get missions in a place like Songjiang Prefecture.

And with his current status, he couldn’t just leave Songjiang Prefecture to carry out assassin missions elsewhere.

For now, the conditions weren’t right for him to use his identity as the Golden Wind Tower’s Silver-faced Killer to earn points.

’What other ways are there to increase the speed at which I earn points?’

Su Mu pondered.

’Perhaps I could become a Weapon Master.’

An idea sparked in Su Mu’s mind.

A Weapon Master makes a living with their craft and doesn’t receive a court salary. That identity shouldn’t conflict with his status as a Taiping Bureau Governor.

However, after reaching the beginner level in the Heavenly Craft Refining Technique, no new status had been added to his system panel.

This meant that just having the skill wasn’t enough; he had to actually take on jobs.

’Places where Weapon Masters work include the Divine Weapon Pavilion and the court’s Refining Bureau.

I’m a Taiping Bureau Governor, so going to the Refining Bureau would definitely be inappropriate.

And joining the Divine Weapon Pavilion is out of the question, too.’

Su Mu sank into serious thought. ’However, some weapon shops do cooperate with independent Weapon Masters.’

Da Xuan was a nation founded on the Martial Dao. Weapons and Elixirs were practically the two largest industries in the dynasty.

The Da Xuan Court had always controlled the lion’s share of these two industries, while major sects like the Divine Weapon Pavilion and the Shennong Hundred Herbs Sect took up most of the rest.

However, there were still some scraps left over, which were divided among various families and smaller sects.

Many Loose Cultivator Martial Artists couldn’t afford the high-quality weapons from the Divine Weapon Pavilion, so they could only buy weapons forged in ordinary weapon shops.

Some Weapon Masters who were unwilling or unqualified to join the Divine Weapon Pavilion, and who also couldn’t enter the court’s Refining Bureau, would cooperate with these families and small sects to forge weapons for them.

’I’m a Taiping Bureau Governor, for crying out loud. Why would I go and let myself be exploited by some capitalist?’

Su Mu muttered to himself. ’In that case, why don’t I just open my own weapon shop?

The Taiping Bureau doesn’t seem to have any rules against running a business.’

At this thought, Su Mu got up and went to Luo Anning’s room.

"Open a weapon shop?"

Luo Anning blinked her big, bright eyes and said in confusion, "If you need silver, I still have some. I can also have my father send some over. There’s no need to open a weapon shop."

The Luo Family was a great family with several hundred years of history. They had a deep foundation and did not lack for silver.

"It’s not about the silver."

Su Mu shook his head. He wasn’t short on silver.

The saying goes, "Three years as an honest prefect, one hundred thousand Snowflake Silvers."

Back when Su Mu was a Sima in Wuling City, he had seized assets from several households. He still hadn’t spent all the silver he had saved up from that time.

Besides, he had gained quite a few benefits during his previous mission to the Wildlands.

"I’ve been learning some Weapon Casting Techniques from Huo Zhen Court and Zhang Zhongmei recently. I was thinking of practicing my skills, but what should I do with the weapons I create? I figured I might as well open a weapon shop. It would be a convenient way to practice, and it would also count as having my own business,"

Su Mu said. "After we get married, we can’t just keep relying on my father-in-law, can we?"

Luo Anning blushed and whispered, "It’s not like we couldn’t."

Su Mu: "..."

’Living off a rich wife certainly sounds nice,’ he thought, ’but the weapon shop is still a must.’

He needed this identity.

"The Da Xuan Court really doesn’t have any restrictions on the Taiping Bureau, mainly because no Governor would be bored enough to go into business,"

Luo Anning said thoughtfully, having composed herself.

The Taiping Bureau’s salary was very high. A Taiping Bureau Governor guarded a region and would never be short of silver. Even if they were, the silver they could get from killing a single demonic beast would come far faster than anything earned from a business.

The court didn’t forbid the Taiping Bureau from engaging in commerce because it was an unnecessary measure.

"But I think we can have Xiaoyuan handle it."

Luo Anning thought for a moment before suggesting, "Xiaoyuan doesn’t have an official position, so it would be more convenient for her. She can open the weapon shop, and you can just focus on forging the weapons. That way, no one can find any fault with it."

"Great idea. Let’s do that."

Su Mu clapped his hands and immediately went to find Xiang Xiaoyuan.

After some discussion, Xiang Xiaoyuan happily agreed. Her special status prevented her from joining the Taiping Bureau, and she had been worrying that she was useless.

She naturally wouldn’t hesitate to help Su Mu.

Coincidentally, a commercial district was planned for the area around Songjiang Prefecture’s Bailu Academy, so they could just buy a shop there.

...

Before the matter of the weapon shop was even settled, Wu Yiqi came to find Su Mu.

"I’ve investigated through the Inspection Bureau’s channels and the Shennong Hundred Herbs Sect’s channels."

Wu Yiqi said with a serious expression, "I suspect that the reason Taishi Tianbi came to Songjiang Prefecture is very likely because of a legend."

"What legend?"

Su Mu asked, puzzled.

"Legend has it that at the very beginning of the Da Xuan Dynasty, an unparalleled expert and a great demon fought a battle in Songjiang Prefecture, and both of them perished.

There has always been a legend that before the unparalleled expert died, he left his martial arts inheritance behind in Songjiang Prefecture."

Wu Yiqi said, "Taishi Tianbi came from a humble background. Although he managed to steal a Divine Weapon, he probably doesn’t have a martial arts inheritance of his own.

I suspect he came to Songjiang Prefecture to find that unparalleled expert’s martial arts inheritance."