Two figures stood in front of Grandpa Wu's house. One of the figures was lean and athletic, the other was of a big and burly guy who looked like a bear.
"What are you doing here, Ma Hong?" Mu Chen asked.
"Y―Young Master...I―I didn't do anything…" Ma Hong stammered.
"Relax, I am not going to hurt you." Mu Chen said, with his hands folded in front. But it was obvious he wasn't going to let him go without an explanation.
"I―I was outside the city." Ma Hong sweated. "But then the beasts appeared in the sky and― and then I―I lost control of the carriage…I was thrown off. Then...I heard the city bell ringing...so I had to run here. When I arrived here, the guards told me to go to the city hall...B―but I was exhausted. So I―I..." Ma Hong gulped.
"So you decided to climb here and hide, but fell asleep?" Mu Chen said. "Did you think the beasts can't jump?"
"T―that, I forgot." Ma Hong scratched his head in embarrassment.
"So you slept through the whole tide?" Mu Chen raised his brow.
"I―I did?" Ma Hong was bewildered and looked around only to find the area was surrounded by fire."Really?"
Mu Chen face twitched but he didn't question Ma Hong any further. Whatever the reason, Ma Hong was already here and it was impossible to hide the oddity regarding this broken house. Mu Chen was thinking of how best to keep his mouth shut.
"Young Master," Ma Hong said looking curiously at the house, "is this place yours?"
"Do you need to ask?" Mu Chen smiled. Since Ma Hong had already noticed, he just needed to twist the truth a bit.
"I―it's really yours?" Ma Hong was very surprised.
"Of course." Mu Chen said. "Why else do you think there is formation protecting this broken house? I had it set up a long time ago."
"But why…?" Ma Hong asked.
"Why...do you want to know?" Mu Chen asked, his tone cold, and eyes sharp.
"Y―Young Master, I–I didn't mean to pry." Ma Hong was scared and took a step back and almost fell on his butt.
"Actually, it's nothing important." Mu Chen softened his tone and waved his hand. "It's just that," Mu Chen sighed, "I have a drinking problem."
"D―drinking problem?" Ma Hong relaxed a bit, after seeing that Mu Chen wasn't going to attack him.
"Yes." Mu Chen nodded. "I like to drink wine and alcohol, but my parents don't approve of it. So I can only drink in secret. If I go to my friends or some shop for a drink―they will find out and I will get a trashing. So I bought this place. I stash all my wine here, and I come here to secretly drink whenever I have the urge."
"I see." Ma Hong nodded in understanding. Many rich and young scions of big families or sects had one or two vices, it was nothing surprising.
"I was worried about my stash here, so I came here soon after the tide ended. I haven't been able to reinforce the formation here for a while..." Mu Chen sighed looking at the house. "Fortunately, it is still holding on."
"Then I have to thank Young Master for saving my life." Ma Hong said, with a bow.
"You don't need to thank me. It was just your fate that saved you. Since the tide is over, it's safe to go back now." Mu Chen said. "I've to take care of something―you should leave."
Mu Chen moved toward the door but noticed Ma Hong stood still without moving.
"What is it?" Mu Chen asked, impatient. Once other people arrived here, it would become hard to convince them. His story would fall apart under their scrutinizing. He didn't have much time to clean the site.
"I―I just realized." Ma Hong stammered, "I don't have anywhere else to go."
"Don't you have a house?" Mu Chen asked, but then sighed in realization. If Ma Hong's house was in the outer area―it may have been destroyed.
"T―the carriage was my home." Ma Hong became teary-eyed, "Now...it's gone."
"You lived inside the carriage?!" Mu Chen exclaimed. It was the first time he heard someone living inside a carriage. Considering Ma Hong's build, it wouldn't have been a comfortable experience.
Ma Hong nodded, tears falling off his eyes. "All my belongings...my savings...they were inside...they're gone." Ma Hong began to sob.
"Hey, hey! Don't cry! Aren't you too big to cry?" Mu Chen tried to console Ma Hong―it was disconcerting to watch such a big man cry. "Just how old are you?" Mu Chen asked on a whim.
"E-eighteen." Ma Hong sniffed.
"Eighteen? You are eighteen?" Mu Chen was taken aback. He expected a bigger number. "You are eighteen―you are already a grown-up. How can you cry like this?"
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"B―but, I even sold my old house to get the carriage…" Ma Hong sobbed, wiping away the tears. "It's the only way...I can earn...and now it's gone."
Mu Chen sighed. Who knew just how many households had been destroyed during the tide? Ma Hong was just one of the casualties.
"Ma Hong, listen." Mu Chen said, "Whatever happened was bad. But crying about it, won't change it." He reached into his spatial pouch and grabbed a few spirit stones and tossed them toward Ma Hong. "Keep these, they should help. Now go."
But Ma Hong stood rooted in the same spot. He had stopped crying but kept staring at the spirit stones.
"Young Master is kind and generous." Ma Hong said, looking at Mu Chen with sparkling eyes. "Since Young Master is so generous, how about he hire me?"
"I don't need―"
"Young Master, please hire me!" Ma Hong fell on his knees and began to kowtow. "I will be a loyal and obedient servant. I will do what Young Master says! If Young Master wants me to be a horse or cow, I will be one. If Young Master says this is east―"
"Get up! Don't waste my time here, just leave." Mu Chen shook his head.
"Unless Young Master accepts me as a servant." Ma Hong said, "I won't leave!"
Mu Chen frowned. If Ma Hong insisted on staying, there wasn't much he could do. After all, even if he threatened him, he wouldn't hurt him.
As for a servant, after realizing Mu Yukong's betrayal, Mu Chen hadn't sought any servants. But it would be convenient to have a handyman around. He couldn't have Grandpa Wu and Grandma Jie running around for every little thing.
"Are you serious?" Mu Chen looked at Ma Hong's resolute expression, trying to detect any trace of deceit. But Ma Hong's face was plain and honest.
"Yes, Young Master!" Ma Hong said, "Please let me be your servant."
"You know I am from the Mu Family, right?" Mu Chen asked.
"Y―Yes." Ma Hong nodded.
"You should know, even if you become my servant, you won't be affiliated with the Mu Family. Meaning, you can be loyal only to me. Do you understand?" Mu Chen asked with his eyes narrowed.
"I understand." Ma Hong said. "I will be loyal only to Young Master!"
"Alright, get up." Mu Chen said, after thinking for some time.
"Then Young Master agreed?" Ma Hong asked, a wide and foolish smile plastered on his face.
"Uh-huh." Mu Chen said, "Since you are already here, help me carry my stuff." Mu Chen unlocked the door of Grandpa Wu's house and entered inside. Ma Hong followed.
Mu Chen headed directly towards the basement. Ma Hong followed, looking around.
"Looks like the wine is ready." Mu Chen mused. The sweet and fruity aroma of the wine had spread everywhere and he could smell it even though the basement was locked. Even the little fox peeked its head sniffing in the air with interest, surprising Ma Hong.
Mu Chen entered the basement. But due to his big size, Ma Hong could only stay by the entrance.
Once inside, Mu Chen began to inspect the wine pots. After tasting the wine in every pot, he shortlisted a few of them that tasted better and noted down the formula for each of them. One by one, Mu Chen passed the selected pots to Ma Hong who took them outside. Mu Chen also found a rope at the corner of the basement and handed it to Ma Hong, telling him to bind the pots together.
While Ma Hong was busy with his task, Mu Chen surveyed the basement. But there was nothing noteworthy. Mu Chen approached one of the walls of the basement. The walls served as the foundation for the building and were made of stone.
"Let's hope this works." Mu Chen stood in front of the wall and unsheathed his sword. Mu Chen took a deep breath and concentrated. He slashed vertically his sword at the wall.
"Huh?" Mu Chen frowned. The moment his sword had dug just a bit into the wall, it had met some invisible obstruction, consuming his sword intent. Mu Chen increased the output of sword intent. More than half of his sword intent was consumed, before he could make the cut and his sword sliced through the wall leaving behind a long and deep incision.
A tremor ran through the entire building. Mu Chen didn't have much time to examine the aesthetics as the building creaked and dirt and bits of stones began to fall from the ceiling. Mu Chen sheathed his sword and escaped from the basement into the living room and out into the open. A few moments after he had come out, the building collapsed.
"Y―Young Master! T―this?" Ma Hong was stunned at seeing the building collapse.
Mu Chen didn't answer. Instead, he took out a few small pots from his pouch. They were filled with hard liquor. Mu Chen threw the pots on the rubble in front of them. The pots cracked open on impact spilling the contents inside. With the destruction of the formation, the heat and fire were no longer isolated. The alcohol soon burst into fire covering the fallen building in flames.
"Let's go!" Mu Chen said and led the way. Ma Hong was puzzled but followed Mu Chen carrying the wine pots on his back.
"Young Master, where are we going?" Ma Hong asked.
"Where else?" Mu Chen smiled. "We are heading back to Mu Family."
"T―that far?" Ma Hong groaned.
"We have only crossed a few blocks, and you are already complaining?" Mu Chen raised a brow. "Are you sure you want to be my attendant?"
"I―I didn't mean that, Young Master." Ma Hong stuttered, "B―but I'm thirsty."
"Here take a sip," Mu Chen passed on his wine pouch to Ma Hong. "but no more than that." Ma Hong eagerly took the wine pouch and took a deep gulp, only to spit it out.
"Hey, where are your manners?" Mu Chen took the pouch back.
"Young Master, your taste is horrible!" Ma Hong gasped.
"I gave you something to drink." Mu Chen shrugged. "If you don't want it―don't complain."
Ma Hong looked depressed but continued to follow quietly. "Young Master. Do we really have to walk to the Mu Family?" Ma Hong asked again.
"Of course! We won't reach there if we don't walk, correct?"
"B―but…"
"For a big guy, you sure complain a lot." Mu Chen said.
"Y―Young Master, you misunderstood." Ma Hong hurried to say, "I am not complaining. I'm just―" Ma Hong's stomach gave a loud growl, causing his face to turn red.
"Too bad," Mu Chen sighed, "I don't have anything to eat. And I doubt there is any place that serves food in the city right now―but you can still drink my wine if you are hungry, it's very nutritious."
"I―I think I will pass…" Ma Hong said after some hesitation.
Mu Chen shrugged and didn't force. After half an hour, they reached the city gate. The wall itself was mostly intact, but the gate had been broken through and twisted. Once they crossed the gate, what greeted them was a pile of dead monster beasts hugging the wall. At some places, the height of dead bodies reached as high as the wall itself. The ground was pooled with the blood and turned into red colored sludge.
Mu Chen expected to see such a scene but he was still shocked.
There were already several cultivators near the wall. Mu Chen recognized some of them as cultivators from affluent families and sects from the Falling Stone City. They had already started dissecting the dead monster beasts for resources. The beast core and essences were most coveted, followed by the claws, teeth, and hide. The meat had become the least sought after, since there was now an excess of it.
"Hold on! Aren't you hungry?" Mu Chen chopped the hind leg of a dead monster beast and threw it at Ma Hong. "You can have it."
Ma Hong caught the thick meaty thigh of the monster beast which dripped blood, with a stunned look. "Young Master!" Ma Hong cried out, "It's raw!"
"Not my problem!" Mu Chen ignored Ma Hong's complaints and continued to walk.
Ma Hong followed him, his head down. The cultivators scavenging the corpses took notice, but didn't stop them, and soon both of them left the city behind.