Chapter 24: Intelligence Update

【Today's Intelligence Updated (Level 1)】

【1. You saved Doctor Bai today and obtained intelligence: Doctor Bai tested you today with three taels of silver, but you did not accept it. Doctor Bai admires you greatly and will come to recruit you as an apprentice tomorrow.】

【2. You came into contact with Wu Zhong's millstone today and obtained intelligence: Wu Zhong is getting older, and his strength has declined slightly. He has been actively training and nourishing himself lately, preparing to contend for the position of Village Protector of Xiantao Town!】

【3. You encountered Ma Liu today and obtained intelligence: Ma Liu is highly valued by the young master of the Yu Family Bureau. He has been taught a set of external martial arts; ordinary groups of three to five people cannot get close to him.】

【4. You passed by the Yu Family Bureau today and obtained intelligence: The head of the Yu Family Bureau, Yu Biao, comes from the Canal Gang. His strength has already broken through the Skin Stage. He is currently searching for heavenly treasures to attempt a breakthrough to the Flesh Stage to achieve Great Success in the Mingjin Stage, in order to contend for the position of Village Protector of Xiantao Town!】

【5. You passed by the Yu Family Bureau today and obtained intelligence: The young master of the Yu Family Bureau, Yu Sanliu, lusts after Su Yunjin and wishes to humiliate her. This matter has already been entrusted to Ma Liu to handle.】

The intelligence system was only at Level 1, so it could only display five pieces of useful information. Chen Jie felt a slight sense of unfulfillment.

This was because every single piece of information was extremely important to him.

For instance, the first item indicated that the future plan he had outlined was working. Doctor Bai was preparing to take him on as an apprentice, which meant he could establish a connection with Doctor Bai, and then use that connection to reach Wu Zhong, ultimately achieving his plan of joining the Fishing Gang.

His professional prospects were much clearer than before.

It also meant he had found a reliable livelihood for the Su sisters.

The second item provided information based on the fact that he had touched the millstone in the courtyard at Doctor Bai's house today; that millstone belonged to Wu Zhong.

According to the intelligence, Wu Zhong was actively seeking ways to train and nourish himself to prepare for the fight for the position of Village Protector of Xiantao Town.

This Village Protector was roughly equivalent to a town mayor, governing the four villages of Shangtao, Zhongtao, Xiatao, and Xiantao. The power was quite significant.

By combining this with the fourth item, he could see that the head of the Yu Family Bureau, Yu Biao, was also seeking ways to break through the Flesh Stage and increase his strength to contend for the same position.

Furthermore, Yu Biao had a background in the Canal Gang.

From this, a comprehensive piece of intelligence could be synthesized: Wu Zhong represented the Fishing Gang, while Yu Biao represented the Canal Gang. While it appeared to be two individuals competing for the position of Village Protector, in reality, it was likely two gangs competing for grassroots control!

Moreover, the intelligence allowed for some indirect deductions. For example, Yu Biao was collecting heavenly treasures, intending to rely on their power to break through the Flesh Stage and enter the Great Success of the Mingjin Stage.

This implied that Yu Biao believed reaching the Great Success of the Mingjin Stage would allow him to defeat Wu Zhong. This suggested that Wu Zhong likely had not yet broken through the Flesh Stage, or perhaps he had broken through but his strength was declining.

From this, it could be inferred that the strongest individuals in all of Xiantao Town were likely those at the Flesh Stage.

Chen Jie analyzed, summarized, and categorized the intelligence.

Currently, the most relevant pieces to him were the third and fifth items.

These two pieces of intelligence actually pointed to one thing: for unknown reasons, his wife, Su Yunjin, had been targeted by Yu Biao's son, Yu Sanliu. He wanted to force Chen Jie to hand her over to him, and Ma Liu was the one tasked with carrying out this deed.

Furthermore, this Ma Liu was a martial practitioner. Although he had not yet broken through to become a true martial artist, he was not someone an ordinary person could deal with. The fact that three to five people couldn't get close to him meant he was quite formidable—perhaps even slightly stronger than Chen Jie himself.

Of course, this was partly due to the fact that Chen Jie lacked systematic training in combat techniques. If it were purely a matter of physical conditioning, Chen Jie didn't think he would lose by much.

*No, I have to find a way to learn the martial arts of this world. Although this Spring Nourishing Art feels powerful, it lacks combat utility.*

*That won't do.*

*Besides, Ma Liu and Yu Sanliu can't keep eyeing my wife like that!*

A flash of killing intent crossed Chen Jie's eyes.

Chen Jie disliked the feeling of being targeted, and when he encountered such things, he felt the need to nip them in the bud. Unfortunately, his strength was insufficient. For now, he would lay low, and once he found an opportunity, he would... take the initiative and strike decisively.

Having analyzed the intelligence, Chen Jie felt that now was not the time to be complacent. Sitting up, he began to practice the Spring Nourishing Art once more.

The night passed in silence. At dawn the next day, while Chen Jie was sitting cross-legged in meditation, the door to the inner room was quietly pushed open. Su Yunjin emerged, fastening her buttons as she prepared to cook.

However, as soon as she stepped out, she found Chen Jie sitting up, staring at her with wide eyes. Their gazes met.

Su Yunjin had not expected Chen Jie to wake up at this hour; usually, she would have finished cooking and waited a while before he woke.

But today?

Chen Jie looked at Su Yunjin. Her hands were busy with her clothes, but her collar had slipped, revealing a patch of fair skin. Looking further in, he saw a red camisole, and he could even faintly see the mandarin duck pattern on it.

*So white!*

That was the only word in Chen Jie's mind. Su Yunjin, startled, hurriedly covered her chest.

She fled back into the inner room. When she emerged a moment later, her clothes were buttoned up tightly, but her face was as red as a boiling teapot.

Chen Jie said calmly, "We're an old married couple, is there really a need for this?"

Su Yunjin looked at Chen Jie in astonishment before rushing into the kitchen to cook. He froze—what did that look mean just now?

*Was there a story there?*

He was somewhat bewildered.

However, Chen Jie soon stopped thinking about it. The sun was up; there was no point in lingering in bed. He got up, went outside, and performed a set of radio calisthenics to stretch his body. Then, he noticed a large millstone in their courtyard.

He went over to try moving it, but it was too heavy. Thus, Chen Jie began looking for similar-sized stones to start training his strength.

It didn't matter that he didn't have a cultivation technique yet; he could start by tempering his physical body.

So, starting from today, every day he would do one hundred stone lifts, two hundred push-ups, two hundred frog jumps, and two hundred jumping jacks, utilizing various physical training methods from his previous life to build a solid foundation.

And so, Chen Jie began his practice facing the morning sun. He soon broke into a heavy sweat. He took off his shirt and continued training shirtless. Su Yunjin, drawn by his actions, looked out from the kitchen while cooking.

When she saw the beads of sweat on Chen Jie's body glistening like gold under the sunlight, the sight of his robust masculine hormone made her cheeks burn.

This kind of masculine aura was something she had never seen before. For a moment, her heart raced, her face heated up, and she found she couldn't look away.

*Is this what a man looks like?*

Su Yunjin muttered to herself, then quickly lowered her head, cursing herself with a blushing face: "Su Yunjin, how shameless are you? Is this something you should be looking at?"

But another voice inside her whispered: "He is your husband. What's wrong with looking?"

...

(End of Chapter)