Chapter 116: Arrival at the Capital (Monthly Ticket Bonus (15))

Chen Mo flicked the reins, slowly heading out of the market.

The cat and dog raised at home also boarded the carriage at this moment, accompanying them on their journey to the Capital.

Bringing the dog allowed for keeping watch at night, while bringing the cat was purely because it didn't take up much space.

By the side of the official road outside Zhu Niu Ji, He Luoyun had long since ordered people to set up a grass shed, waiting quietly at this spot.

Seeing Chen Mo driving the carriage over, he hurriedly stepped up to greet him, with several nearby salt merchants behind him.

"Sir, upon learning that you are going on a long journey, I and a few salt merchants pooled some silver together to serve as your travel expenses; I hope you will not find it lacking."

He Luoyun's face was wreathed in smiles; Chen Mo was not leaving to take up a post elsewhere this time, but merely departing temporarily, so they only offered some travel money.

If Chen Mo were leaving his post to go elsewhere, what he brought would likely be more than just travel money; he would also bring a "Ten Thousand People Umbrella."

Since Chen Mo was willing to look after his business, he would naturally reciprocate the favor.

"Very well, then I shall accept this money." Chen Mo did not refuse, smiling as he took the banknotes.

This stack of banknotes was no small sum, amounting to as much as two thousand taels.

Seeing Chen Mo accept the banknotes, He Luoyun led people to see him off for over ten miles before stopping, watching Chen Mo's carriage slowly drive into the distance.

The speed of the carriage was not fast; Chen Mo did not let it run at full speed.

"There is a Shuangshi Village ahead; let us go there to rest at noon." Chen Mo drove the carriage, turning from the official road onto another small path.

Although Shuangshi Village was not on the essential route to the Capital, it could still be considered on the way.

Since that was the case, he would stop by on the way to wake Wei Xia there and let her see her family.

And let her see that the things he had promised her back then had been fulfilled one by one.

The carriage arrived leisurely at the entrance of Shuangshi Village; many farmers who had seen Chen Mo bowed in greeting, and some even trotted off to call Wei Dong.

He quickly rushed over from home, and upon seeing Chen Mo, he hurriedly bowed, his expression still very constrained.

"I have some business to attend to outside and, passing through here, I would like to ask for a bowl of water at your home." Chen Mo jumped off the carriage and smiled.

"Ah! Then please follow me, Sir." Wei Dong's tone was quite enthusiastic, and he took the initiative to walk in front to lead the way.

It was not raining now, so even this rural dirt road allowed the carriage to pass.

Chen Mo led the carriage to the newly built courtyard of Wei Dong's home; building a bluestone courtyard was no light task.

It had been barely a month since the start of spring, and the main structure of this bluestone courtyard had just been completed, with many things still needing to be done slowly.

Wei Mother's complexion was much better; being able to eat her fill, her illness had naturally improved.

"Mother, hurry and prepare to kill a chicken; Master Chen is here." Wei Dong walked into the house and hurriedly shouted.

The house, not yet fully renovated, appeared somewhat cluttered, but he still hurriedly cleared out a room, found a table and chairs, and let Chen Mo and Zhao Yu sit down to rest.

"There is no tea at home, just some wild goji berries I dried myself; please make do with this, Sir." Wei Dong brought over two coarse porcelain teacups containing the wild goji berries.

After pouring the tea, he hurried off again, preparing to kill chickens and buy meat to entertain this honored guest, Chen Mo.

"I will explain these matters to you in detail later." Chen Mo saw the confusion in Zhao Yu's eyes and took the initiative to speak.

He had no intention of hiding the matter of Wei Xia from Zhao Yu.

Wei Xia would be by his side from now on, and he would certainly need to communicate with her frequently.

And Zhao Yu was his closest person, his wedded wife; there was no need to hide this from her.

Otherwise, every time he communicated with Wei Xia, he would not only have to be extremely careful but also specifically avoid her.

Moreover, the matter of Ghost Spirits was not like the Ruins Realm or the Mirage Sea; even if one knew about it, it caused no harm.

More importantly, if he were away in the future, Wei Xia could help protect Zhao Yu.

As a Ghost Spirit, her strength was not bad; ordinary martial artists were no match for her.

Of course, if it were a Qi Refiner, it would be hard to say; compared to Martial Artists, Qi Refiners had more ways to counter Ghost Spirits.

However, even so, with Wei Xia's strength, she could still handle ordinary Qi Refiners.

Since they would likely meet sooner or later, rather than continuing to hide it from Zhao Yu, it was better to tell her about this matter himself.

"Alright." Zhao Yu smiled and nodded, not asking further, and sat obediently at the table.

Chen Mo stood up and walked to another shaded small room, took out the Glazed Treasure Bead from his pouch, and simultaneously lit a stick of incense.

He had not yet truly condensed his Divine Sense, so if he wanted to wake Wei Xia from her slumber, he could only light incense as before.

"Benefactor." She slowly woke from her slumber, not immediately releasing her Ghost Domain, but calling out to Chen Mo softly.

"I am currently at your home; this bluestone courtyard is the new house I had people build for your family. You can take a look; your mother and younger brother are here, and I estimate your younger sister will come in a while too." Chen Mo spoke slowly.

Ghost Spirits were not limited to moving at night; they could do so in the daytime as well. As long as it was within the range covered by their Ghost Domain, they could do many things.

"Ah!" Wei Xia exclaimed, her heart very stirred.

An illusory, flickering figure emerged from the Glazed Treasure Bead.

Chen Mo had to use his Blood Qi Eyes to see clearly, and only by using Inner Qi to stimulate his ears could he hear Wei Xia speak in this situation.

To others, the current Wei Xia was truly just a phantom; unless she dragged them into her Ghost Domain, she could not exert any influence on anyone.

"Thank you, Benefactor!" Bean-sized teardrops fell; she did not know how to express the gratitude in her heart.

Previously, she certainly knew that Chen Mo had been helping her family, but knowing was one thing; now she was truly seeing the actual situation.

Moreover, if not for Chen Mo's help this time, she feared she would never have had the chance to see her mother, younger brother, and younger sister again.

"Alright, go take a look. But don't talk to them about anything; I can bring you back again at night."

Chen Mo could not help her up now, so he could only entrust her with this softly.

"Mm." Wei Xia wiped the tears from her face with her sleeve and stepped toward the outside of the house.

Although she was a Ghost Spirit, she had spent longer as a human, so even though she could pass through walls, she was still accustomed to using the door.

Wei Dong's family killed two chickens and bought plenty of pork, preparing a quite simple and rustic farm meal.

Wei Qiu also brought over a large fish and an old goose, killing them to cook for the meal.

The conditions in the village could not compare to those in the market, but these were already the best things they could bring out.

With Chen Mo's care, they might not be rich or noble, but at least they could eat their fill and dress warmly.

Chen Mo didn't give them too much money at once either; that would only invite jealousy and hatred, and might even bring about disaster.

After all, even with his reputation to deter others, this world has never lacked those who would take risks.

The current situation is actually the best: not as good as the best, but better than the worst.

Wei Xia had been staying by her mother's side, and no one knew how many times she had wiped away her tears.

After finishing lunch, Chen Mo boarded the carriage and left once more.

The Wei family even gave them many local farm specialties: cured meat, pickled vegetables, and a large bag of sun-dried wild goji berries.

…………

"You know the Wang Jia Dazhai near our home, right? There was news of it being haunted."

Chen Mo drove the carriage slowly, speaking softly to Zhao Yu, who was at his side.

"I know." Zhao Yu nodded gently; having lived in Zhu Niu Ji for so long, she was naturally well aware of these rumors and stories.

Especially since that place rumored to be haunted was very close to their own home.

When she first heard the story, she had felt sorry for that young woman for quite a while.

"The young woman who died was named Wei Xia; she was also a member of the Wei family, and the older sister of Wei Qiu and Wei Dong."

Chen Mo explained, but Zhao Yu's expression showed even greater confusion.

"The rumor that it is haunted is not fake; it truly exists, and there really is a ghost. Wei Xia helped me a lot, so I am helping her look after her family."

Chen Mo stopped speaking after saying this, giving Zhao Yu enough time to react.

Her expression was one of great surprise and astonishment, and she couldn't help but lean closer to Chen Mo.

She believed that ghosts existed in this world, but she hadn't expected that Chen Mo's connection to the Wei family actually came from Wei Xia.

She was even more surprised that the rumors in town were true, and that there really was a ghost inside the Wang Jia Dazhai not far from their home.

"Then this young woman was a good person who never provoked anyone, but how did she help you?"

Zhao Yu accepted this news relatively quickly.

To her, the talk of ghosts and gods was not something that exceeded the bounds of reason.

"This matter is a bit complicated to explain, but she did indeed help me a great deal. Besides, she is inside this bead right now."

Chen Mo took the Glazed Treasure Bead from his Huai; Wei Xia was still conscious and had not fallen into a deep sleep.

She had heard every word Chen Mo said to Zhao Yu clearly.

"Ah!" Zhao Yu was truly shocked now; although she knew Wei Xia wouldn't harm anyone, she still felt some fear in her heart.

But it was only a little; compared to ordinary people, her courage was truly much greater.

Ghosts, while scary to talk about, were far too gentle compared to everything she had experienced while fleeing from famine.

"In the future, she will accompany us to the Capital, but most of the time, she will stay inside this Glazed Treasure Bead to sleep."

Chen Mo continued, holding the Glazed Treasure Bead out for Zhao Yu to examine closely.

"Hello, Sister Zhao." Wei Xia spoke very obediently.

Hearing her speak, the last bit of worry and fear in Zhao Yu's heart dissipated completely.

She understood that since Chen Mo had told her about this matter, it meant there was no danger.

Moreover, Chen Mo was right beside her now, which gave her a great sense of security.

"If you want to see her, just place your hand on the Glazed Treasure Bead now," Chen Mo said in a deep voice.

A Ghost Domain is very special; besides being able to be fully released to encompass people like the Mirage Sea,

it can also draw a person's Divine Sense inside, allowing one to meet and communicate without needing to release the entire Ghost Domain.

Zhao Yu nodded gently and reached out to touch the Glazed Treasure Bead.

After all, they would be traveling together, so getting to know each other now was a good thing.

Seeing this, Chen Mo carefully supported her, letting her lie back down inside the carriage.

Zhao Yu and Wei Xia talked for a long time; from the way they addressed each other, it was clear they were getting along quite well, as they had already started calling each other sisters.

When night fell, Chen Mo took Wei Xia for a trip to Shuangshi Village; she didn't go to see her younger brother and sister individually.

She only talked a lot with the mother who had raised her, telling her to take good care of her health.

After performing a deep kowtow to her mother, Wei Xia left with Chen Mo.

The time that followed was spent constantly traveling and changing horses, changing horses and traveling.

It wasn't until over a month later that Chen Mo finally arrived near the Capital City.

I said there would be extra updates this month, so there definitely will be!

It's a new month; for the sake of my extra updates, I ask the readers to please vote!!!

(End of chapter)