Chen Mu had anticipated some trouble from taking in Wang Ni, but the trouble arrived even faster than he expected.
Just on the third evening after he had taken in Wang Ni, someone came knocking at his door.
"What brings you here?"
Upon opening the door, Chen Mu saw a man with a shifty appearance standing at the entrance.
Seeing Chen Mu, the man rubbed his hands and said with a smile, "You must be Constable Chen. I'm Wang Zhao. I heard that my uncle passed away a few days ago and that it was Constable Chen who helped bury him. I've only just learned about it, and I'm truly neglectful. I need to thank Constable Chen for not letting my uncle's body be exposed in the wilderness."
While speaking, he managed to squeeze out a mournful expression.
Chen Mu responded indifferently, "Just call me Chen Mu. Wang Bo and I were neighbors, so there's no need for formalities."
With Old Man Wang having died so suddenly, Chen Mu had handled it quietly without causing much disturbance in the neighborhood. Yet, within less than three days, Wang's distant relatives had come knocking, likely having heard the news and rushed over.
From what Chen Mu had learned from Wang Ni, none of those so-called distant relatives, including the present Wang Zhao, visited after the old man's house incident. The man had died, and immediately they showed up; Chen Mu didn't need to think too hard to guess their intentions.
As expected.
After feigning grief for a while, Wang Zhao immediately began to peer into the house, "My niece is only ten years old, and now she's lost her parents. I can't let her be left adrift. Thank you for looking after her these past days."
While speaking,
he shouted into the house, "Ni'er, I'm your distant cousin, here to take you back home."
Wang Ni had been staying with Chen Yue and upon hearing Wang Zhao's words, she shivered slightly and looked hesitantly at Chen Yue. Chen Yue appeared contemplative and then whispered something into her ear.
Wang Ni nodded somberly and then walked to the door, softly calling out 'Cousin'.
Watching this scene, Chen Mu's expression didn't change much. He looked at Wang Ni kindly and said, "Sister Ni'er, would you like to go back with your cousin, or would you prefer to stay with Sister Yue'er?"
Although he had taken in Wang Ni, Chen Mu had not gone through many formal procedures, such as changing her household registration. Under normal circumstances, the process would involve either adoption or servitude, but with current corrupt administration, these rules had virtually become obsolete—meaning, in other words... the ultimate interpretation rested with the powerful.
Chen Mu had a good idea of what distant cousin Wang Zhao was plotting. He had hurried over probably to snatch Wang Ni away before Chen Mu had a chance to register her. After all, he was merely a constable, not one of the powerful.
"Grandpa told me to listen to Brother Mu,"
Wang Ni half-hid behind Chen Mu, revealing only a partial view of her small head, and softly spoke without daring to look at Wang Zhao.
At her age, she couldn't discern much, but she knew that Wang Zhao and the other distant relatives had never visited Old Man Wang and she had barely seen them in her life. They were practically strangers compared to Chen Mu who had saved her in her time of need, and given the words Old Man Wang had said to her, her young heart had its clarity.
Chen Mu smiled slightly upon hearing Wang Ni's response.
Wang Zhao's expression, on the other hand, turned sour.
Chen Mu looked at Wang Zhao and said calmly, "Wang Bo entrusted me to look after Sister Ni'er before he passed away, and I agreed. Yue'er is quite fond of the child, and has been treating her like a sister ever since."
Wang Zhao's face turned stern as he responded, "Since Uncle said so, I'll trouble Constable Chen to take care of Ni'er for a while longer. However, I remember Uncle should have left a deed to a house..."
With Old Man Wang's dying request and Wang Ni's attitude, forcibly taking her would indeed be improper. After all, Chen Mu was still a constable. But the two old houses left by Old Man Wang's family—those couldn't possibly be given to outsiders.
Seeing Wang Zhao drop his facade, Chen Mu chuckled coldly, "The deed left by Wang Bo will naturally go to Ni'er. What is it, are you planning to take it by force as her cousin?"
At these words, Wang Zhao's face went from pale to flush, and he cast a sideways glance at the constable's knife at Chen Mu's waist. Ultimately, he dared not raise his voice in a commotion and left in a huff.
Watching Wang Zhao's retreating figure disappearing down the alley, Chen Mu closed the door with an indifferent gaze.
Then he turned to Chen Yue who had come running from inside the house and asked with a smile, "Was it you who told Ni'er to respond like that?"
"Not at all."
Chen Yue chuckled as she pulled Wang Ni into her arms and into the house, saying, "I just told Sister Ni'er not to be afraid and to speak what's on her mind."
"Is that so."
Chen Mu shook his head with a chuckle, looking at the somewhat dazed Wang Ni and the naive-looking yet adorable Chen Yue. He felt reassured. He hadn't realized before that aside from being gentle, Chen Yue also possessed some cleverness.
But that was for the best, as it meant she wouldn't be at a disadvantage.
After having dinner with Chen Yue and Wang Ni, Chen Mu sent the two to the bedroom and stayed alone in the woodshed. He planned to practice the blade technique throughout the night.
It wasn't entirely due to the sudden visit from the troublesome Wang Zhao. He was now less than thirty experience points away from reaching full experience, and one night's time was more than enough. He had been waiting for this day for over half a year.
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Under the pitch-black night sky, there was no light in the firewood room, and one could not see their own hands before them, but Chen Mu, even without sight, was intimately familiar with the room's stove, water vat, and more. His knife danced up and down in his hand, stirring up gusts of Chaotic Wind, yet it was steady as a rock, never once touching the stove or the walls.
There was no sight of the blade's gleam, only the continuous whooshing of the wind.
"Momentum..."
Chen Mu murmured in his heart.
Having achieved Major Achievement in Blade Technique, he wanted to advance further, to fully master the Raging Wind Blade Technique to Perfection. To do this, he needed to comprehend a touch of 'Momentum,' a concept so mysterious it wasn't clearly explained in the Secret Manuals.
In reality, since reaching Major Achievement, Chen Mu had practiced intensely for nearly six months, hoping to leverage his effort and perception to grasp this elusive 'Momentum' and thereby breakthrough, but the truth was that his daily practice over these six months had only resulted in increased strength in his arms and more abundant stamina, with no other changes.
The Blade Technique's proficiency had reached its peak at Major Achievement.
"Momentum is the momentum of wind, the momentum of raging wind, but exactly how to grasp it is no longer just a matter of changing moves."
Chen Mu knew that even those of average perception who practiced the Blade Technique diligently for ten years could achieve Major Achievement, but reaching Perfection was a step that could confound countless blade practitioners—it was indeed an extraordinary step.
Perhaps what he needed was not only practice and understanding but also real combat with countless opponents, honing his skill in all kinds of situations, experiencing the brink of life and death and the unpredictable, to finally catch that glint of inspiration, then to transform and stand out.
Time slipped away, minute by minute.
Until the next day, when the first ray of dawn shone through the crack of the door into the firewood room, Chen Mu had already put away his knife and stood quietly in the center of the room, basking in the sliver of sunlight that filtered in.
"It seems that, after all, I cannot enlighten myself."
This night of intensive practice had not enabled him to touch the subtlety of 'Blade Momentum,' but considering that many spend their entire lives practicing the blade and remain stuck at this point, he was able to let go and thus summoned the system panel.
[Martial Skill: Raging Wind Blade Technique (Major Achievement)]
[Experience Points: 3000]
In fact, upon reflection, these three thousand Experience Points, the fruits of his six months of labor, could be used to break through to Perfection in Blade Technique, which wasn't much different from his own understanding; both relied solely on himself and did not involve the help of others.
Chen Mu closed his eyes slightly, his mind moved, and he chose to upgrade.
Hum!
Three thousand Experience Points were consumed in an instant.
In their place were countless vivid images that flooded his mind, scenes of bloody battles, grappling with death, encounters with bladesmen of the martial world, soldiers on the battlefield, escapes from traps, fights on mountain peaks... a myriad of experiences.
Each scene felt as if he were right there, as if he had truly lived through them, yet they were condensed into an instant, propelling him to the finish line.
In fact.
The combined experiences of these scenes did not add up to as many as those he gained when his Blade Technique jumped from Minor Achievement to Major Achievement, years' worth of memories practicing the blade unfazed by the harshness of the seasons, but each was filled with alarm!
Nearly every engagement was a brush with death, every memory skimmed past mortality, and on the edge of countless life-and-death moments, his Blade Technique finally burst forth with a flash of brilliance. All the meticulously crafted moves that had formed a coherent pattern in his eyes now seemed to break down into countless 'threads of essence,' chaotic yet immense, weaving together yet highlighting a consistent path through them all.
That was... Momentum!
Chen Mu suddenly opened his eyes.
He grasped the Servant's Knife in his hand once more and casually spun it in the air.
This was not any move from the Raging Wind Blade Technique, just a casual flick of his wrist, but it still raised a swirl of blade wind, lifting a few pieces of straw from the ground.
The Blade Technique was no longer bound to any fixed form. Each movement embodied the momentum of the raging wind. He had finally managed to break free from the cocoon and soar, achieving Perfection.
Perfection in the Raging Wind Blade Technique!
Dozens of people practicing the blade for over a decade achieve Major Achievement, but very few step into Perfection and comprehend the Blade Momentum. Now, Chen Mu, having spent just under nine months, had also reached this level.
With Blade Technique at Perfection and Blade Momentum achieved, it wasn't to say he was invincible, but at least in the Outer City, in the Ninth District, there weren't many who could defeat him. Even ten armed martial men would find it hard to get close; with a knife in hand, he was an enemy to dozens!
In the past, this mastery would have easily earned him the title of a scholar in martial arts.
In the present, it would just as easily secure him the position of Head Constable and a rank among the top ranks in an aggressive Gang like the Red Gold Gang, boasting hundreds of members and dominating a whole district.
If Blade Technique at Major Achievement meant having some strength, then Blade Technique at Perfection truly represented a power that could change one's status, even providing a certain degree of freedom. How to change and what choices to make were all up to him.
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