Chapter 108: Six Rebirths of the Mortal Body, Completion of the Greedy Wolf

A clear moon hung in the high sky, the cold Wind howling, blowing so hard it chilled one to the bone.

It was now the season of Minor Cold, the middle of the eleventh lunar month; though it had not yet entered the twelfth lunar month, all things had long since hidden away, unwilling to face this cold Wind directly.

Chen Mo borrowed the cold moonlight to keep running forward; his speed was not fast, but it was extremely steady.

Da Mang Mountain was about fifteen hundred li away from Zhu Niu Ji; with his foot speed, a day and a night were enough to make the return trip.

With his current physical cultivation, even if he were to travel at full speed through the winter night, it would be impossible for him to catch a cold or fall ill.

Of course, as the cold Wind brushed past, he could still feel the chill, unless he wrapped his entire body in Inner Qi Gauze, in which case he could indeed ignore it completely.

It was just that he would not do so; that would be too much of a waste of his own Inner Qi.

A powerful physical body only meant he had a stronger resistance to cold and heat, not that he could not feel the changes in cold and heat.

In reality, Chen Mo's current level of perception regarding the changes in heaven and earth was also far superior to that of an ordinary person.

The so-called Autumn Wind Stirs Before the Cicada—when the physical body is nurtured to the extreme, the perception of every change occurring in the outside world will become incomparably sharp.

Chen Mo had already reached this realm.

After running for another night, Chen Mo caught sight of Zhu Niu Ji just as the east turned white.

He did not immediately rush home, but stopped by the military camp on the way.

He had been away for quite some time this trip, so he had to check the military camp first to ensure no problems had arisen during his absence.

The Zhu Niu Ji military camp had added a few new barracks, mainly for the clerks under Chen Mo to reside in.

These clerks were the main reason why Chen Mo, as the Salt Transport Chief, could rest easy and not have to manage too many affairs.

After learning the recent situation of the military camp and confirming that no accidents had occurred, Chen Mo then set off for home.

Covered in the dust of the road, he arrived before his own gate.

He knocked lightly on the courtyard gate, and a question came from inside, "Who is it!"

"It's me!" Chen Mo replied in a deep voice.

"Hurry and open the gate." Hearing the familiar voice, Zhao Yu's tone was joyful, and she hurriedly urged someone to open the courtyard gate.

"It's good that you're back!" The gate opened, and she trotted all the way to Chen Mo's side, grabbing his hand tightly, her face full of smiles, her heart finally letting out a sigh of relief.

Seeing the dust on Chen Mo's body, Zhao Yu knew he had rushed back through the wind and dust, and she could not help but feel a pang of heartache.

"Come inside quickly and warm yourself up." She held Chen Mo's hand tightly and pulled him into the main hall.

A heater was lit in the hall, and even in the winter season, it was as warm as spring here.

"Drink a cup of hot tea first to rest; you must be hungry after rushing back, I'll have someone go buy you some food right now."

She picked up the teapot on the heater, poured a cup of hot tea first, added some extra sugar, and then handed it to Chen Mo, letting him warm his hands while he drank slowly.

"Help me find a set of clean clothes; I need to take a bath later and get some good rest," Chen Mo said, taking a light sip of the tea.

Returning home meant he was safe, and it was time to prepare for the next rebirth of his body.

But before that, he still needed to adjust his state; this rebirth would surely bring some improvement to his own Inner Qi, in addition to the growth in physical strength.

Even if he could not break through in one go, he feared it would not be far off.

"Alright, I'll go prepare it now," Zhao Yu agreed with a smile.

Immediately, she took out silver and ordered someone to buy more food; although it was morning, if they could buy some cooked meat, they should buy it.

She also had someone light the stove and boil water at home for Chen Mo to wash up.

As for herself, she brought out a set of new clothes from the room.

From the inner garments worn against the skin to the outer robes, and even the cotton-padded jacket on the very outside, they were all hand-sewn by her after measuring Chen Mo's size.

"Feel this inner garment; it uses Chang He Silk. This material is the softest and warmest."

She sat beside Chen Mo, a gentle smile on her face, carefully telling him about the set of clothes she had sewn herself.

"Good, I'll change into them once I've washed up," Chen Mo touched the material of the clothes; it was indeed very comfortable.

He wore coarse cloth while traveling outside because it was durable and not easily damaged.

Upon returning home, it was naturally time to wear cotton and silk clothes.

The maid soon bought back plenty of food from outside: a large basin of mixed beef and a basin of beef soup noodles.

A braised goose, two roasted chickens, two soy-sauce ducks, two braised pig trotters, plus twenty horse-meat sesame cakes and fifteen lamb buns.

This breakfast was quite sumptuous.

Zhao Yu had already eaten, so she just accompanied Chen Mo while he ate.

Chen Mo had barely eaten anything during his journey, so seeing this food, his appetite was naturally whetted.

He immediately loosened his belt, bared his belly, and began to feast wantonly.

The food on the table was soon wiped clean by Chen Mo, leaving only a pile of bones like a small hill.

"Here." Zhao Yu handed him a cup of clear tea; this tea had no sugar added, mainly to neutralize the greasiness after the meal.

"I'm going to wash up first," Chen Mo drank the tea in one gulp and then laughed.

The hot water was already prepared in the bathhouse, and the heater was lit, so even if he stripped off all his clothes here, he would not feel the slightest bit of cold.

Chen Mo had been traveling day and night, so it was inevitable that he was covered in dust.

After enjoying a nice hot bath and cleaning his body, Chen Mo felt his steps were three parts lighter.

Changing into the new clothes Zhao Yu had made for him, Chen Mo picked up the Storage Bag placed to the side.

With a thought, he took out a rather exquisite Purple Sandalwood Box from it.

The box was carved very delicately; even if it was not the work of a master craftsman, it must have been made by a highly skilled artisan.

Inside the box was a very magnificent gold hairpin, inlaid with a crystal-clear red agate, making it obvious to anyone at a glance that the hairpin was by no means cheap.

This gold hairpin was not bought by Chen Mo at the Hong Family Market; it was purchased at the largest jewelry shop in a county town he passed through while escorting prisoners.

Chen Mo had once promised Zhao Yu that he would give her Phoenix Coronet and Rosy Dawn Robes, but this matter was not so easy.

To make a complete set of real Phoenix Coronet and Rosy Dawn Robes required not only a highly skilled artisan but also a very long time.

Not to mention that no one in Zhu Niu Ji can do it, even ordinary small county towns don't have such profound craftsmen; at the very least, one would need to be in a prefecture capital.

Chen Mo can only buy her another piece of jewelry for now; as for a full set of Phoenix Coronet and Rosy Dawn Robes, that can be done slowly, as they still have a long life ahead of them.

Changing into a new set of undergarments and throwing on a long robe, Chen Mo stepped out of the bathhouse wearing a pair of new cloth shoes.

With heaters lit all around the house, there was no need to dress too warmly.

"I was running about outside this time and bought a gift for you," Chen Mo said softly as he took out a wooden box.

Hearing this, Zhao Yu walked to his side and took the wooden box into her hands.

Just looking at the box, her eyes lit up.

If the box was this beautiful, the jewelry inside must be even better.

As she gently opened the wooden box, her gaze was instantly drawn to the hairpin.

This hairpin was very beautiful, like a soaring phoenix, and that red agate was the phoenix's tail feather.

"Do you like it?" Chen Mo asked softly, leaning in close to her ear.

"Mm." Zhao Yu was filled with joy and gently held the Golden Phoenix Hairpin.

She didn't just like the hairpin; she liked the person who gave it to her even more.

"Let's go to the bedroom, I'll help you put it on," Chen Mo said, taking her hand.

"Mm," Zhao Yu responded softly, leaning into his Huai like a little bird.

…………

Chen Mo slowly opened his eyes and looked at Zhao Yu, who was snuggled in his Huai; the Golden Phoenix Hairpin was still pinned in her hair.

She was sleeping soundly, so Chen Mo did not disturb her; he tiptoed to change into a loose robe and walked into the practice room.

Although he hadn't entered in a long time, Zhao Yu had still kept it very clean.

This room had always been cleaned by her own hands, and she had never handed it over to anyone else.

This was mainly out of consideration that Chen Mo was always cultivating inside, and it would be bad if some secret matters were seen by outsiders.

Furthermore, she was most familiar with the layout and furnishings in the practice room; after she cleaned it, the items Chen Mo had placed casually remained in their original spots, making them convenient for him to use at any time.

When Chen Mo first started his cultivation in the practice room, there was only one Putan in the entire room.

However, as time slowly passed, the things in this room gradually increased, and there was even an extra desk.

Chen Mo pulled over a Putan, sat down cross-legged, and took a deep breath to regulate his state.

His Qi and Blood surged and circulated, and his Inner Qi wandered through his meridians until his mind was calm and both his Qi and Blood and Inner Qi were in a state of perfection.

Only then did Chen Mo activate the Transformation Pearl in his dantian to initiate his next Mortal Transformation.

Rolling Qi and Blood surged, constantly pouring out from his dantian to first heal the almost negligible hidden injuries in his physical body, allowing it to be in an absolutely perfect state.

With each improvement in Chen Mo's physical body, even though his progress in the Greedy Wolf Seven Kill Fist was constantly increasing, it was very difficult for it to leave behind any obvious hidden injuries or ailments.

Nowadays, it could almost be said that there were no flaws in his physical body.

Even the most top-tier inner-style Martial Artist would likely have such hidden injuries in their body.

However, the Transformation Pearl did not overlook them and still separated a strand of negligible Qi and Blood to heal these injuries.

Only by making Chen Mo's physical body perfect and flawless could he step into a higher level.

Chen Mo felt as if he had inexhaustible strength throughout his entire body, and wave after wave of new power constantly emerged and burst forth within him.

It started from his internal organs, followed by his bones and fascia, and finally reached his flesh and blood.

Immediately after, an extremely pure and vigorous power appeared within his body; this power was active, bursting with infinite vitality.

This was not the power of Qi and Blood brought by the transformation, but a characteristic that naturally appeared when his physical body progressed to a certain degree.

This power did not manifest for long; in just the time of one or two breaths, it once again lay dormant within his body.

The physical Mortal Transformation continued, and boundless power of Qi and Blood merged into Chen Mo's body, increasing his strength and laying a deeper foundation for his physical body.

Not knowing how much time had passed, the transformation finally ended slowly.

Chen Mo let out a long breath of stale air and felt his own state.

The Greedy Wolf Seven Kill Fist, this Military Martial Arts technique, had finally been cultivated by him to the seventh-layer perfection realm.

Next, if he wanted to continue practicing Martial Dao, he would either have to change his cultivation method or find a way to deduce the eighth layer of the Greedy Wolf Seven Kill Fist himself.

However, this was not very difficult; it was just that the eighth layer of the Greedy Wolf Seven Kill Fist required a deeper physical foundation.

Even if he deduced it, he was afraid that only he would be able to practice it, and other Martial Artists could at most just look at it.

In addition, he could also take some time to study and practice the hammer technique, the Eighteen Shocks of Rushing Thunder.

Aside from the improvement in his Martial Dao techniques, Chen Mo's own strength had also increased significantly, and now it was at least five thousand jin or more.

With the two combined, his strength was now at least fifteen thousand jin, yet this was still far from the total improvement brought about by this rebirth.

(End of this chapter)