Da Xuan Martial Saint

He Guangzong's chest heaved with rage.

In fact, He Mingxuan was not one of those utterly worthless descendants of the He Family, after all, he had stepped into the Tendon Changing Level. Otherwise, the He Family would not have let him serve as the Deputy Head Officer of the South City District, harboring the idea that he would eventually take over as the Chief Constable.

If he were truly the type who only knew how to indulge in pleasure, He Guangzong might not have become so infuriated. After all, with the He Family's vast business and wealth, what would be the harm in having a few more prodigals? They would still have their utility in spreading the family's branches.

"Fourth Uncle, I acted impulsively without giving it enough thought..."

He Mingxuan fell silent for a while and gradually calmed down before speaking softly.

Seeing He Mingxuan's reaction, He Guangzong finally managed to suppress some of his anger and said sternly, "Do you know where you went wrong?"

"I shouldn't have made such a fuss over a mere maid."

He Mingxuan said softly.

"It seems you still don't understand."

He Guangzong sighed and said, "If you wanted to kill Ning He, why go through such a big detour? Since you were able to lead people to the west side, just kill her directly. Why borrow Xue Lin's hand to act?"

"Ning He is just a maid of Xu Hongyu, not Xu Hongyu herself, what would it matter if you killed her directly? You fear Xu Hongyu causing you trouble, but don't forget your surname is He!"

He Guangzong sneered as he got to this point and said, "Since when does the He Family need to fear the Yu Family?"

He Mingxuan was slightly startled.

Indeed.

Ever since Xu Hongyu arrived in the South City District, he had been restricted and hesitant, always because he was no match for Xu Hongyu, afraid that she would take drastic action against him.

But if Xu Hongyu did take action against him, would the He Family just sit by and do nothing? It would simply lead to a fight between the two families.

It was precisely because he had been wary of Xu Hongyu that he had continually looked for various means, resorting to underhanded tactics in hopes of driving Xu Hongyu out of the South City District. Even when Xu Hongyu was not in the city for a long time, he felt hamstrung dealing with a mere Ning He.

Just as He Guangzong had said, if he felt that Ning He was too much of an obstacle, then he should have just eliminated her. The He and Yu families had been fiercely contending with each other for ages, so why worry about Xu Hongyu? On the contrary, if Xu Hongyu went mad and took action against him, it would give him a perfect reason to drive her out of the South City District.

He had been cowed by Xu Hongyu's unreasonableness, always apprehensive in his heart.

"I understand."

He Mingxuan nodded.

He Guangzong looked at He Mingxuan and let out a light sigh before turning to look at the corpses all over the ground.

Such martial masters with Body Refinement Perfection were elite, and the He Family had to invest considerable resources to cultivate each one, spending thousands of taels of Silver Coin and many years. Losing dozens of them at once was indeed painful.

"Fourth Uncle, who are these people after all..."

He Mingxuan also approached, his eyes revealing a trace of doubt.

He Guangzong slowly said, "All killed by the hand of one person, who possesses a strong Physique, at least beyond the Tendon Changing Major Achievement, and also masters the Artistic Conception of a Thousand Winds."

"Artistic Conception of a Thousand Winds?"

He Mingxuan was startled, no wonder so many experts had died just like that.

He suddenly thought of something and said, "I have heard that some time ago, Zhang Lang was killed by the hand of a master of Artistic Conception, also the Artistic Conception of a Thousand Winds, could it be the same person?"

"Hmm, it probably is."

He Guangzong nodded slightly, squinting his eyes and saying, "It wasn't clear last time, this time... it's definitely someone from the Yu Family, just that it's unknown when the Yu Family gained such a person, and we do not have any intelligence on them at present."

Masters of Artistic Conception are not common folks you can find just anywhere.

That can be said.

In Yu City, those who have mastered Artistic Conception are even rarer than those in the Bone Tempering Realm, since not all who have reached the Bone Tempering Level possess Artistic Conception.

The ones the Yu Family has openly, who have mastered Artistic Conceptions, are just that few.

Now, suddenly, a completely unknown person has appeared, making He Guangzong have significant concerns, but the Yu Family, after all, is a power with deep roots that stands shoulder to shoulder with the He Family, so it is normal for them to have hidden experts.

"Although we have suffered significant losses this time, being able to confirm that this unknown master of Artistic Conception comes from the Yu Family, or has close ties with them, means their deaths were not entirely meaningless."

He Guangzong spoke slowly, "Anyway, I have already sent people to inform the clan, and we will specifically investigate this person."

"Hmm."

He Mingxuan nodded as well, understanding the seriousness of the matter.

Compared to any minor characters like Ning He, or even Xu Hongyu, a suddenly emerging master of Artistic Conception was far more important.

If such a figure were to hide in the shadows and cause sudden trouble, it would be extremely vexing, but now that they have revealed themselves, even without any additional intelligence, at least it is possible to prepare in advance, to avoid a sudden and severe setback to the He Family.

He Guangzong looked at He Mingxuan and said gravely, "Keep a low profile for a while, and avoid causing any more trouble."

"Yes, Fourth Uncle."

He Mingxuan bowed his head in acknowledgement.

At the same time, he felt slightly relieved inside. It seemed his actions weren't entirely foolish after all, since they inadvertently played a key role in revealing the presence of an unidentified master of Artistic Conception within the Yu Family.

...

Beneath the night sky.

Chen Mu's figure silently leaped between rooftops.

He followed Little He and Ning Yu from a distance, only stopping outside after he saw the two enter the City Guard General's headquarters.

"I wonder if Little He recognized me."

Chen Mu shook his head slightly.

Knowing Little He, even if she recognized him, she would probably pretend not to. After all, she was smart and sensible, and it was also possible that with the dark and windy night, she didn't truly recognize him.

Once inside the City Guard General's headquarters, safety was certain, and he felt mostly relieved.

Little He's condition had been strange before, with her qi-blood churning unstably, as if she had taken an excessive dose of some powerful tonic—she must have encountered something on the pleasure boat, but, thankfully, there were more scares than dangers.

But as for He Mingxuan...

Chen Mu's heart turned cold, and piecing everything together, He Mingxuan was as good as dead in his eyes.

If not for the fact that He Mingxuan was a legitimate descendant of the He Family and the Deputy Head Officer of South City District, with far-reaching implications, he would have become a corpse just like Zhang Lang.

"I have already used the Artistic Conception of Thousand Winds twice."

"This identity must have entered the sights of the other families."

"But the next time I make a move, it won't be with the Artistic Conception of Thousand Winds."

Chen Mu's figure slowly disappeared into the darkness.

...

"Big Brother Mu! You're back."

"Master."

Chen Mu quietly returned to the backyard. The lights were still on there, and as soon as he arrived, Wang Ni, along with Ku'er and Le'er, quickly came out to greet him.

The few maids were all very well-behaved and didn't ask Chen Mu what he had been doing outside. Some helped him remove his clothes while others brought pitchers and basins with water to help him wash.

As Wang Ni helped Chen Mu undress, her delicate nose twitched twice, picking up a slight scent of blood. Following the source, she found a spot of blood on Chen Mu's cloak, but quietly she took it away to wash without a word. Enjoy new stories from m-v l'e|m,p| y- r

Served by Ku'er and Le'er, one on each side, Chen Mu removed his shoes and socks and placed his feet in the basin, inwardly remarking, 'What a decadent life.'

In fact, when he first came to this world, his ambitions were modest. He hoped only to change the fate of a lowly constable, to have enough to feed and clothe his sister Chen Yue and provide a peaceful home. But as he acquired the system panel and worked his way up, gaining strength and status, his goals had imperceptibly shifted, now far exceeding mere sustenance and leisure.

What he wanted was to stand firm in Yu City, to have a place of his own without depending on anyone else's favor to survive.

And now.

He was getting closer to that goal.

After enjoying the care of the little maids, Chen Mu sent them to rest in the side chamber and then he took out the Thunderclap Diagram to sit cross-legged on the bed and continue his meticulous contemplation.

...

Time flew by swiftly.

In the blink of an eye, over a month had passed.

Since the incident with Little He, the South City District once again became peaceful, and even He Mingxuan had not caused any trouble in this past month.

The remaining snow had completely melted, and the season had finally transitioned into spring, bringing with it a gradual rise in warmth, prompting some to shed their winter coats.

Early morning.

After breakfast, Chen Mu did not dress to go to the City Defense Division but returned to his bedroom to continue pondering over the Thunderclap Diagram.

Over a month had passed, and with the aid of the Thunderclap Diagram, his experience points in comprehending Artistic Conception had soared. Now, he was only a little short of 10,000 points. By noon today, he would complete it, so he set aside all other matters.

Mastering an additional Artistic Conception was not as significant as advancing to the second step of a single Artistic Conception, but it was nonetheless much stronger than a singular one.

In fact.

In all of Yu City, there were few who could take Artistic Conception to the second step, and equally few who could comprehend two Artistic Conceptions. Within the domain of Yu City, they were extremely rare beings.

Having pondered over the Thunderclap Diagram for nearly three months, it may seem as though he was just gaining experience points on the system panel, but in reality, Chen Mu's own understanding of the Thunderclap Sect was also deep. For example, he now mastered two types of Momentum derived from the Thunderclap Diagram.

He named these two Momentums 'Shake' and 'Cry.'

Indeed, if he carefully studied and considered them, he could use these two Momenta as a foundation to derive two kinds of Blade Technique or Swordsmanship of the Thunderclap Sect.

However, for him, who had already grasped Artistic Conception, there was no need to derive Blade Technique or Swordsmanship, as he had no intention of taking disciples or opening a martial arts school.

One must admit, understanding Artistic Conception elevated him to a different level.

Although he had not grasped the Thunderclap Artistic Conception, gleaning Momentum from the Thunderclap Diagram was quite simple. Without reaching the exalted level of Artistic Conception, deriving Momentum would not have been an easy task.

Chen Mu sat still in meditation until the sun was three rods high.

"That should be enough," he said.

He glanced at the sun through the window, gradually gathered his thoughts, and then summoned the system interface.

[Martial Arts: Thunderclap Artistic Conception (Unmastered)]

[Experience: 10,002 points]

[Available Derivation Attempts: 0]

As Chen Mu's thoughts moved, the accumulated 10,000 experience points vanished, and the available derivation attempts went from 0 to 1.