My Apprentice Is Too Diligent

Chapter 13: Harvest

Chen Wuji naturally wanted the money from the Xiong Gang.

However, he was more interested in the treasure hidden by the gang leader, Xiong Zengtong.

Compared to the former, the latter was mostly in the form of cash, with a large quantity but not convenient to carry.

Chen Wuji didn't have much time now.

There were more than just one person hiding in the entire Xiong Gang.

Chen Wuji didn't have the time to search every room.

As long as they didn't make any noise, Chen Wuji would pretend not to know.

But if he was unlucky and caught them during the search, he would naturally kill them without hesitation.

...

On the right side, the second room behind the Moon Gate.

Arriving at Xiong Zengtong's bedroom, Chen Wuji didn't sense anyone hiding.

Chen Wuji quickly reached the side of the bed, grabbed the bed board, and moved it aside.

Then, he squatted down and checked the floor and corners of the wall.

After a few moments, he found a partition in one corner of the wall, and a tile that could be moved.

Removing the partition, he discovered a stack of silver bills from the wall hole. After a rough look, even the lowest denomination bills were worth one hundred taels.

He immediately collected them.

Moving the tile, he found several secret manuals in the hole.

They were "Fierce Bear Palm," "Thundering Blade Technique," "Stormy Sword Technique," "Electric Light Steps," and "Easy Turtle Breathing Technique."

Chen Wuji collected them with satisfaction.

Then, he turned around and left the room. With a light step on his tiptoes, he leaped onto the roof and quickly left the Xiong Gang's headquarters.

...

There were no unexpected incidents along the way, and Chen Wuji easily returned to the Chen Family's courtyard.

He went back to his room first, changed his clothes, and put away his precious sword before starting to count his gains.

He carefully counted each silver bill.

The final total was thirteen thousand five hundred taels!

"Not bad. With this money, Uncle Ge won't have to worry about expenses for a while."

After finishing the count, Chen Wuji put away the money.

The silver bills, totaling over ten thousand taels, probably accounted for eighty percent of the Xiong Gang's savings over the years.

The more people there were, the greater the expenses.

This was true for both gangs and sects, as well as families.

The cash and jewelry left in the Xiong Gang's storeroom were not as significant in comparison.

If he had enough time, Chen Wuji wouldn't let them go to waste.

But just as he jumped onto the roof, he heard some commotion coming from the direction of the main gate.

"Let's take a look at the martial arts."

Putting aside distracting thoughts, Chen Wuji took out five secret manuals.

"Fierce Bear Palm," "Thundering Blade Technique," "Stormy Sword Technique," "Electric Light Steps," and "Easy Turtle Breathing Technique."

"Fierce Bear Palm" and "Thundering Blade Technique" were the signature martial arts of the Xiong Gang. Almost every leader practiced them, but their external effects were too obvious, so he excluded them.

Especially the characteristics of the "Thundering Blade Technique," which were similar to the "Cloud Piercing Saber Technique," made it unnecessary.

Chen Wuji hadn't heard of anyone in the county town practicing the "Stormy Sword Technique."

Xiong Zengtong and Xiong Zengming hadn't practiced it either, so there were no hidden dangers in learning it.

However, after carefully examining the secret manual, he discovered that this sword technique had high requirements for aptitude.

To take the first step in learning the sword technique, one had to first understand the artistic conception of a storm.

Although understanding was not the same as comprehension, the requirements were still high. How could an ordinary person possess such talent?

From the fact that neither Xiong Zengtong nor Xiong Zengming had practiced it, one could see the high threshold of the "Stormy Sword Technique."

Naturally, with a high threshold, the power of the sword technique was also formidable.

The "Stormy Sword Technique" focused on the continuous release of sword energy, like an unending storm, covering the opponent.

It was not only an offensive technique but also a wide-ranging sword technique.

Because of this, the more Chen Wuji looked at the "Stormy Sword Technique," the more satisfied he became.

None of the sword techniques collected by the original owner could compare to the "Stormy Sword Technique."

"Finally, there's something I can teach Little San."

Chen Wuji hadn't forgotten Nan Jinyu's Sword Dao's Favor.

The previous sword techniques were of too low a grade, so he didn't teach them.

This "Stormy Sword Technique" met the conditions.

"Electric Light Steps" was a lightness technique.

Different from the "Winding Snake Steps," it emphasized agility and nimbleness.

"The Electric Light Steps" emphasizes speed and short-term explosive power. In one word, it's fast!

"Suitable for Wu." Chen Wuji looked through the manual and decided to teach it to Duan Zhen.

Of course, if others have achieved a certain level of proficiency in "Winding Snake Steps," they can also practice "The Electric Light Steps."

Finally, there's "The Easy Embryonic Turtle Breathing Technique."

"Interesting!" Chen Wuji looked through the manual, his eyes brightening.

This "Easy Embryonic Turtle Breathing Technique" actually has two functions.

Disguise and concealment!

The former mainly involves shrinking the body, changing one's appearance and features.

The latter can hide fluctuations in qi and blood, as well as one's aura.

"Not bad, not bad, very good." The more Chen Wuji looked, the brighter his eyes became.

This technique is suitable for infiltration and assassination, and it can also conceal one's cultivation level.

Correspondingly, the threshold for cultivation is not low.

One must reach the fifth layer of Body Refining before being able to practice it.

None of the seven disciples currently meet this requirement.

"Fortunately, I can practice while AFK!" Chen Wuji grinned. Following the instructions in the manual, he tried to operate the technique and successfully mastered the basics.

Once he masters the basics, he can practice while AFK.

...

Xiong Gang.

"They're all dead! Everyone is dead!"

"Who did this? It's terrifying. Xiong Gang had so many people, yet they all died! There was hardly any movement!"

"I did hear a few angry roars, but crying and cursing, isn't that common in the county? Who would have thought that Xiong Gang was being invaded and wiped out!"

"That's right. Xiong Gang has been entrenched in the western part of the city for many years. The number of gang members in the Body Refining Realm alone exceeds two hundred. But now, they're all gone."

"Not completely. There are still quite a few Xiong Gang members outside, but they're just small fries without much strength. However, I'm very curious. What was Xiong Gang planning tonight, gathering so many people? And all of them are Martial Masters in the Body Refining Realm!"

"Heh, do you even need to ask? They were probably planning to kill people. Who would have thought that someone would strike first and wipe them out in one go!"

"So, how did more than two hundred people disappear without a trace?"

"They were poisoned!"

...

Outside the entrance of Xiong Gang, the crowd gathered and discussed.

Inside.

Yang Qin, the head catcher, was also filled with doubts as he led a team of catchers.

"They all died from poisoning!"

"The poison gas was so powerful that once someone was affected, they had no resistance. They died peacefully, as if they were asleep."

"Yes, have you ever seen or heard of such a domineering poison gas?"

"No."

The group of catchers searched and spoke one after another.

Yang Qin, the leader, however, had a serious expression as he squatted beside Xiong Zengtong's corpse, repeatedly searching it.

"Head, is there something wrong? Do you need help?" one of the catchers asked curiously.

"No need."

Without lifting his head, Yang Qin finished searching Xiong Zengtong's body and then moved on to the other corpses nearby.

He didn't even bother to collect the silver coins he found, simply throwing them aside.

This strange scene left the group of catchers at a loss, but no one spoke up.

...

Chen Family courtyard.

"I've mastered it!" Chen Wuji's body trembled as he put away "The Easy Embryonic Turtle Breathing Technique."

Now that he had mastered the technique, he could practice while AFK.

Chen Wuji immediately opened the panel and equipped "The Easy Embryonic Turtle Breathing Technique" in all five slots.

After finishing that, he picked up the last item he obtained.

The peculiar jade plaque he obtained from Xiong Zengtong's corpse.

"Hmm, it seems to have characters on it?"

Examining the jade plaque, based on the patterns on it, Chen Wuji recognized two characters.

"Born... here?"

(End of this chapter)