Chapter 41: Intelligence Update (Please keep reading)

"Ah, then we really must give Uncle Zhong a proper thank you!"

Chen Jie did not mention the Red-Eyed Golden Pheasant. After all, the origin of this bird was somewhat dangerous; those brazen servants clearly came with ill intentions.

By intercepting this heavenly treasure, Chen Jie had indirectly made an enemy of that group.

Success lies in secrecy, while failure comes from disclosure; those who plan great matters keep them in their hearts and execute them through their actions.

If he told Su Yunjin about this, she would certainly worry. A man is meant to shoulder burdens, not to add psychological weight to a woman.

This woman had already suffered enough at his side. Moving forward, Chen Jie hoped she could live more easily, more happily, and more contentedly.

...

The night passed in silence.

In the early hours of the morning, Chen Jie's biological clock woke him once again.

In this world, especially in the countryside at night, there were no forms of entertainment, so everyone went to bed very early, usually lying down by seven in the evening.

As for Chen Jie, since he practiced the Spring Nourishing Art, five hours of sleep a day were sufficient.

Therefore, whenever the intelligence updated in the early morning, he would always wake up.

【Today's Intelligence has been updated (Level 1)】

【1. You practiced the Taizu Long Fist today. Intelligence obtained: Your body has been replenished and your fist technique has improved. Practicing the fist technique fifty more times will allow you to reach the Proficient stage!】

【2. You captured the Red-Eyed Golden Pheasant today. Intelligence obtained: Yu Biao led fifty men up the mountain to set a trap, heavily injuring the Red-Eyed Golden Pheasant. During the capture attempt, it accidentally escaped and flew into Wolf Valley.】

【3. You encountered the Yu family servants today. Intelligence obtained: The Red-Eyed Golden Pheasant was not caught, and Yu Biao is very angry. He punished several servants and grew suspicious; the pheasant could not have disappeared without reason and must have been taken by someone. Therefore, in the coming days, he will send people to ask the village if anyone went up the mountain toward Wolf Valley yesterday.】

【4. You reclaimed the IOU today. Intelligence obtained: Yu Sanliu remains obsessed with Su Yunjin. Although the IOU is gone, his malicious intent has resurfaced. He intends to kidnap Su Yunjin, take her to a secluded place, and humiliate her to death to vent his resentment! However, he is wary of Wu Zhong, so he has instructed Ma Liu to act privately.】

【5. You mentioned Ma Liu today. Intelligence obtained: Ma Liu received his reward and is very pleased. Tomorrow, he will go to Widow Wang's house in Shangtao Village to drink. After getting drunk, he will pass by Mianshui River and Kangle Bridge!】

Chen Jie lay on the bed, staring at the intelligence on the panel.

His expression was grim.

He gained a lot of information from the intelligence. First, his Taizu Long Fist was close to reaching the Proficient stage; fifty more repetitions would suffice. This was good; he could grind it out to Proficient today.

Once he did, his strength would increase significantly. At the very least, he would be able to fight anyone below the Skin-Grinding Realm.

This would give him the ability to protect himself.

Then there were the second and third pieces of intelligence.

These two had to be viewed together; they described the same thing. The Red-Eyed Golden Pheasant he caught today was the one Yu Biao of the Canal Gang was trying to capture; he had simply stumbled upon a windfall.

Yu Biao was unwilling to let his efforts serve someone else's benefit, so he might send people to various villages and towns to inquire tomorrow.

Chen Jie narrowed his eyes; this was going to be troublesome.

The pheasant had essentially offended Yu Biao, and since the bird had already been eaten, there was no way to make amends.

Thus, only one path lay before him: he had to find a way to prevent Yu Biao from suspecting him.

Su Yunjin did not know about this, so there was no need to worry about her leaking it. As for the Bai family, he had already given them a heads-up, so there was no need to worry about leaks from their side. Additionally, given the relationship between Wu Zhong and Yu Biao, Wu Zhong wouldn't reveal such important information, as it would bring him no benefit.

Furthermore, he needed to find a way to divert Yu Biao's attention so that he wouldn't look in his direction.

Most crucially, Chen Jie was unsure if anyone had seen him descending the mountain yesterday. Although he had been very careful, the mountains were high and the forests dense, and there were many eyes; who knew if someone was squatting in a bush to relieve themselves and had spotted him?

In such a vast mountain range, he couldn't possibly check every single bush. What if someone had slipped through the cracks?

Therefore, he had to be cautious.

He needed to prepare a smokescreen.

Chen Jie calculated in his mind.

Then there were the last two...

"Yu Sanliu, Ma Liu... damn them!"

Chen Jie's eyes were filled with killing intent. To target Su Yunjin time and time again—he could no longer let them live.

However, Yu Sanliu was more troublesome. His father was Yu Biao, he often occupied gambling dens, lived a reclusive life, was always surrounded by lackeys, and his own strength was still unknown.

Chen Jie did not believe Yu Sanliu would be a helpless young master. After all, look at Wu Hong—as a young master of the Canal Gang and one of the two local tyrants of Xiantao Town, how could he be much weaker than Wu Hong?

Even if Wu Hong had heaven-defying luck and Yu Sanliu did not, the latter would at least have some family heritage. Would Yu Biao allow his son to be a martial arts-less waste?

Therefore, tactically, he had to overestimate his opponent.

He couldn't touch Yu Sanliu for the time being; he needed to wait. Once his strength improved, he would surely take the boy's head.

But as for this lackey, Ma Liu...

Chen Jie didn't want to wait.

While Yu Sanliu was the culprit, he had to consider Wu Zhong's attitude, so he didn't dare act openly and instead commanded his underlings to do his dirty work.

Ma Liu was the dog he commanded. Since he couldn't strike his master right now, he would take his anger out on the dog!

Thinking this, Chen Jie narrowed his eyes and looked at the final piece of intelligence.

Going to Widow Wang's to drink, and then passing by Mianshui River while drunk? Heh, he had heard that the roads there are slippery in the dark, making it easy to fall into the water and drown!

Chen Jie's eyes shone unnaturally bright in the darkness, and a raging fire flashed within them.

This was a world that devoured people; if you didn't devour others, the world would devour you. If you didn't kill, the world would kill you!

Chen Jie stood up, gently pushed open the door, and stepped out into the courtyard.

He was already prepared to kill Ma Liu tomorrow. What he needed now was to raise his strength to the Proficient stage of the Taizu Long Fist. According to previous intelligence, Ma Liu was also trained and seemed quite formidable—three to five people couldn't even get close to him. He must be at least at the Entry-level of the Taizu Long Fist.

If he went to find him with the same level of strength, it would be too risky. Therefore, he had to use tonight to practice the Taizu Long Fist to the Proficient stage to increase his chances of success.

With that thought, Chen Jie began to earnestly practice the Taizu Long Fist in the courtyard under the moonlight. Fifty repetitions, and they had to be coordinated with the breathing technique of the Spring Nourishing Art.

With every breath and every punch, Chen Jie was focused. The moon hung like a hook.

As he went through the repetitions, Chen Jie became immersed in the movement. What he failed to notice was that while he was practicing earnestly, a small crack opened in the window of the inner room. A woman, as gentle as water, stared blankly at him as he practiced with such dedication, her face filled with tenderness!

(End of Chapter)