Free Web NovelChapter 70: Chapter 69: Listen
Fu Juemin slipped past two of his family’s Nursing Home guards patrolling the night with truncheons. He made his way to the base of a wall in the outer courtyard, then expertly scaled it and left in one smooth motion.
He had done the same thing countless times over the past few days.
Tonight, however, his body felt exceptionally light and agile, his steps as swift as the wind.
’Body Tempering and Shaping seems to have optimized the very composition of my Attack Attribute.
Speed now constitutes a greater portion of my Attack, making my movements so much more agile...’
Fu Juemin couldn’t help but marvel once more at the reputation of the Pharmacist Buddha’s Glazed Body as a top-tier body hardening technique. Compared to his previous brawny physique, he much preferred his current state.
After leaving the mansion, Fu Juemin avoided the main driveway, instead ducking into a sparse copse of trees to the side.
He hadn’t gone far into the woods when he saw a man waiting for him with a bicycle.
The dim, yellow glow of a kerosene lamp illuminated Cao Tian’s thin, stern face.
"Young Master."
The two seemed to share a long-standing understanding. Cao Tian expertly handed Fu Juemin the kerosene lamp, the bicycle, and a black, flat-brimmed hat.
Casually placing the flat-brimmed hat on his head, Fu Juemin swung a leg over the bicycle.
"Still no need for me to accompany you tonight, Young Master?"
"No need."
Fu Juemin shook his head. As he was preparing to ride off, he noticed Cao Tian looking down, seemingly wanting to say something but forcefully holding himself back.
Fu Juemin curiously followed his gaze downward and had a moment of realization.
"You replaced the chain again?"
Fu Juemin couldn’t help but chuckle. He reached out and patted Cao Tian’s shoulder. "Don’t worry," he said, "I won’t break it again."
Fu Juemin had bought bicycles for all three of his subordinates—Qian Fei, Ma Dakui, and Cao Tian—but he rarely saw Cao Tian ride his.
At first, Fu Juemin had assumed he either didn’t know how or didn’t like to ride. He later found out that Cao Tian treasured the bicycle so much that he would carry it over the slightest patch of mud or standing water.
In the past half-month, Fu Juemin had broken countless pedals and chains on Cao Tian’s bike, and had blown the tires on two separate occasions.
No wonder that even someone as taciturn as Cao Tian couldn’t help but harbor a slight grievance.
Fu Juemin rode his bicycle into the county town. It was past ten o’clock at night, and most of Luan River City was already under curfew.
Every household had turned off its lights and gone to bed. The streets were cold and deserted. Aside from the security patrol making their rounds with lanterns and the odd night watchman, there was hardly a soul in sight.
A few scattered eateries were still open, and at their entrances, one or two drunks were inevitably sprawled out, dead drunk and spouting gibberish.
In this era, there was virtually no public lighting. As Fu Juemin rode through the streets and alleys, his only light came from the moon in the sky and the faint glow of the kerosene lamp in his hand.
However, for him, whose Life Attribute was now as high as 9, the streets were clearly visible, if not quite bright as day. With his superior eyesight, his cycling was completely unaffected.
Fu Juemin pedaled furiously. He occasionally passed houses still aglow with an eerie red light, faint commotions drifting from within. They were either brothels, opium dens, or gambling houses that ran twenty-four hours a day.
Fu Juemin rode until he reached a quiet street corner. Spotting a stall by the roadside, he dismounted, casually leaned his bicycle against the curb, and walked over.
"Boss, what do you have?"
Fu Juemin pulled the brim of his hat low and pointed to a large, steaming pot bubbling on the stall.
The stall owner gave the pot a stir with a long ladle, releasing a meaty aroma. "Just some offal left, sir," he replied.
"I’ll have a bowl."
Fu Juemin ordered casually and sat down at a small table set up in front of the stall.
The owner quickly brought over a bowl of offal soup, generously sprinkled with scallions, cilantro, and chili powder. The aroma was appetizing, but when Fu Juemin took a bite, he found the taste to be merely average.
He didn’t mind. He continued to act as if he were focused on eating, but secretly, he activated [Yao Ling].
In an instant, a torrent of countless sounds flooded into the silence of the night.
By now, Fu Juemin was quite skilled in the use of [Yao Ling]. His will was like an invisible dial he slowly turned, quickly filtering out all the irrelevant noise...
...until all that remained were the sounds coming from a mansion across the street directly in front of him.
The sound of voices.
"County Magistrate Hu, I’ll have to trouble you to look after my daughter, Fang Fei, tonight."
"Rest assured, Boss Sun. I will certainly take good care of your daughter... Why don’t we let her rest first? It will likely be after midnight by the time it’s her turn..."
"Father! Father, I don’t want to go! I don’t want to go..."
"My dear daughter, haven’t I always spoiled you and doted on you? Wasn’t it all so that you could help your father at a time like this?
If you don’t go today, then tomorrow, our family’s shops, our house, and the lives of our entire family will all be gone. freēwēbηovel.c૦m
At that point, who will still recognize you as the young lady of the Sun Family?!"
"Be good. Endure it, bear with it, one night will pass quickly... I’ve already hired the best doctor from the provincial capital for you. If you end up crippled, I promise to take care of you for the rest of your life."
"(THUMP THUMP THUMP) Master, Young Master Song is yelling for a change of person, quickly."
"Quick! Go now!"
...
"KRRKKK—"
Fragments crumbled from the handle of the white porcelain spoon. Fu Juemin’s expression remained placid as he slowly stirred the soup in his bowl, seemingly oblivious to the porcelain dust falling into it, and swallowed it all, mouthful by mouthful.
Soon, the entire bowl of soup was finished.
Fu Juemin walked up to the stall, placed two copper plates on the counter, and asked, "Boss, what kind of offal is this? It’s so fragrant."
The owner smiled and replied, "Pork. With a bit of dog mixed in."
"No wonder."
Fu Juemin smiled, then turned, grabbed his bicycle, and slowly walked it into a nearby alley.
The further he went, the closer he got to the Hu Family Mansion on the main street.
[Yao Ling] was still active.
But this time, all Fu Juemin could hear were heartbeats.
"THUMP—THUMP—THUMP—"
Powerful, deep, and heavy, just like the sound of Li Tong’s heartbeat he had heard before. Both were as mighty as the beating of a war drum.
But the frequency was much more normal than Li Tong’s—about thirty beats per minute.
For the past half-month, Fu Juemin had come here every night.
He didn’t listen for Song Lin, but for the two Tongxuan Guards by his side.
Listening to their heartbeats and their breathing.
Listening to their routines, their habits.
Listening to the blood flowing in their veins, to the contraction and exertion of muscle and bone with every movement...
After half a month, Fu Juemin had practically etched every detail into his mind. The images of the two men grew ever more vivid and real in his thoughts.
This was his way of preparing for a rainy day.
He always remembered what Li Tong had told him: for someone in the Blood Refining Realm to deal with a Tongxuan, they first had to break through the opponent’s Qi Membrane.
The bullets from a Han-made Rifle were slightly lacking in power. You had to hit the exact same spot two or more times to have a chance of piercing a Tongxuan Martial Artist’s Qi Membrane.
Achieving that was incredibly difficult.
But not impossible. The prerequisite was—
—you must understand your opponent completely.
After his Life Attribute reached 9, Fu Juemin was surprised to find that the effects of [Yao Ling] also seemed to have been greatly enhanced.
Previously, he had to get very close to the Hu Family Mansion, to certain specific locations, just for a chance to clearly hear the two men’s heartbeats.
Now, he could hear those sounds clearly before even reaching the walls of the Hu Mansion.
