Chapter 201: Undercurrents (1)

For Li Mu, the most useful function of the internal qi was that it could serve as the lubricant in his practice and help him make more breakthroughs in studying the Zhenwu Boxing. Before, no matter how perfect he did on the first three styles of the Zhenwu Boxing, he was always seized by a pang of agony as if his meridians and bones were broken if he proceeded to the fourth style.

Li Mu assumed it might have something to do with the lack of internal qi in his body.

In essence, the Zhenwu Boxing was a fighting skill, a combat technique.

A martial technique usually required the assistance of the internal qi to come into play.

Today, after successfully producing his internal qi, Li Mu finally saw a silver lining.

At the time, the remote sky started to gain the whitish color of twilight. Gradually, half of the sky was reddened by the rosy clouds of dawn.

The military grave had been shut down for several days. At the moment, it was in dead silence. No figures or even their shadows could be seen in it.

Li Mu looked at the sky and knew it was about time to leave. Thus, with a sharp whistle, the chrysanthemum leopard that was chasing after butterflies in a distance instantly leaped over and halted before him. Then, riding the chrysanthemum leopard, Li Mu went out of the tomb straightaway.

He still did not return to the Pig-Herding Alley but hurried to the Holy House, a branch of the Musical House on the Liufang Street.

Since Hua Xiangrong had just stepped onto the road of martial arts practice, he ought to guide her and pay close attention to her. Although as a Natural Taoist Figure, the girl was progressing at a stunning speed, it was harder for Li Mu to keep her practice under control, for there were more uncertainties about her special body than the little attendant Qing Feng. Hence, he dared not to be careless of Hua Xiangrong’s martial arts study and decided to visit her right off.

When Li Mu’s figure was gone, a fit of energy fluctuations that the others could not discern occurred in the military grave that was still wrapped in the glimmering twilight. Multiple sanguine mist-like figures loomed around the Leaping Dragon Formation. The one taking the lead was precisely that General Flame.

“He… make it!”

“Spiritual Qi of the Earthveins has been…”

“It feels like we’ve made a mistake.”

“He has proven us wrong, hasn’t he?”

“If the Spiritual Qi of the Earthveins is all sucked out by him, then, we will also disperse like mist and smoke, won’t we?”

The Generals composed of sanguine mist all looked a little awkward.

On the other day, they merely made that promise to Li Mu at random, because as far as they knew, no one had succeeded in extracting the Spiritual Qi in the Earthveins and transforming it into his own before. Even His Honor from the Holy Clan back then failed at it. But to everyone’s surprise, Li Mu truly did it. That made the situation rather embarrassing.

“What is this warlock formation? I’ve never seen one like this before.”

General Flame landed his eyes on the Leaping Dragon Formation that had been switched off by Li Mu for the moment with a curious expression. He felt it instinctively that this formation had an unprecedented power that seemed both intriguing and awe-inspiring.

“It will suck up the Spiritual Qi in the Earthveins… if Li Mu wants it to.” Another general commented.

“Then, let’s negotiate with Li Mu and ask him to show some mercy.” Someone… no, some ghost suggested.

“But being inconsistent in our words won’t make us look good, right?”

“Who knows he can really absorb the Spiritual Qi in the Earthveins?!”

“If we do so, he will definitely see through the ins and outs of us.”

“But anyway, that is better than losing all the Spiritual Qi in the Earthvein and vanishing into smoke and mist.”

The cluster of ghost generals started arguing noisily, but in the end, none of them agreed on any point. It was plain that Li Mu’s behavior baffled and puzzled them a lot. And what was killing them more was that they remembered they had boasted about willing to help Li Mu once more whenever he needed them, whether he could absorb the Spiritual Qi in the Earthveins or not… Well, it seemed that even ghosts could not pledge carelessly.

Eventually, this bunch of deeply flustered ghost generals disappeared before the sunrise and returned to their respective tombs to rest in peace.

…

…

These days, the city of Chang’an seemed to be quite uneventful, but in fact, undercurrents of serious revenge were simmering below the surface.

The common folk did not feel the tension in the city, but those who were really well informed already sensed the pressure that heralded a rising storm. From the unusual movements of the garrison troops outside Chang’an, the increased number of galloping horses commuting from one courier station to another, and the strangers gradually gathering out of the Pig-Herding Alley and the Holy House and so on, those perceptive could tell something was going on in the city.

Yes, Lord Zhenxi’s youngest son had been killed.

He was killed by Li Mu.

And Jiang Bing, the guarding General of the government in the western region, was killed, too.

He was murdered by Li Mu as well.

Although the blood that tainted the floor tiles in front of the Monument to Martyrs sat on the memorial arches street of the Chang’an Tomb had been cleansed, the bodies were also removed, the smell of blood in the air was still there. It was said that on that day another officer of the guarding soldiers had also died. But compared to the death of Qin Lin and Jiang Bing, no one really cared about the murder of such a small potato.

The government had blocked that news to some extent, but any of those who enjoyed a certain high status in the city seemed to have heard of it anyway. The moment they learned the news, all of them almost thought their ears had deceived them.

“A prince had died! And he was killed in public!”

“What big waves this will make!”

“Also, a five-grade military official of our empire was killed.”

“Well, the sky over the city of Chang’an will probably collapse.”

But what was more unbelievable was that the culprit who caused the sky to cave in did not make his getaway at all. Instead, he went to the Musical House openly and indulged himself in sexual pleasure. That was practically the biggest