Chapter 78: Harvest (Seeking Follow-up Reads)

"Fifth Brother, these people's methods are bizarre. I think you shouldn't take this corpse with you; just find a place to burn it and be done with it."

Chen Mo looked at the corpse on the ground; he had also searched the corpse of the Ziyi Daoren just a moment ago.

Aside from three Talismans that hadn't been used yet and whose specific functions were unknown, there was only about five taels of gold and a dozen or so taels of scattered silver.

And apart from a paper book that looked like a cultivation record, there was nothing else.

As for Blood Qi Stone or Gray White Stone, there wasn't a single one.

"Fine, it's better to burn it; burning it is safer." Mo Hu had no objections to this. Of course, he wanted to take the Ziyi Daoren's corpse to offer as a sacrifice before his own elder brother's grave.

But he also knew that the bizarreness of these Dutian Dao Sect members made it better to burn them, lest they become reanimated corpses.

At worst, he could keep a few bones and offer them as a sacrifice whenever he had the chance to return home.

"It's just, Thirteen, how is your strength..." Mo Hu was slightly tongue-tied; there were some things he didn't know if he should ask, nor did he know where to begin asking.

"I was born with Divine Power and have extraordinary strength. My cultivation of the Greedy Wolf Seven Kill Fist has progressed steadily all the way, and in these past few months, I have cultivated the Greedy Wolf Seven Kill Fist to the fourth level of perfection, which is why I have such strength." Chen Mo spoke the draft he had long prepared; he had considered this point before coming.

His strength would be exposed sooner or later; even if it weren't exposed now, it would be exposed when they later surrounded and annihilated the Dutian Dao Sect.

Rather than waiting until then, it was better to find a way to reveal a portion of it now.

"Hiss!" Mo Hu's face was full of astonishment. He knew Chen Mo's talent was better than his own, but he hadn't expected it to be to this extent.

He had also cultivated the Greedy Wolf Seven Kill Fist, but he had only barely managed to cultivate it to the third level; to cultivate further would require risking his life.

As far as he knew, only his foster father had cultivated this technique to the third level of perfection before developing Inner Qi.

And if Chen Mo could cultivate it to the fourth level, wouldn't that mean his talent was even better than his foster father's!

As for whether Chen Mo had already developed Inner Qi? Mo Hu hadn't even thought about that; if Inner Qi were so easy to cultivate, he should have developed it long ago.

Even if Chen Mo was born with Divine Power, it was absolutely not that easy to develop Inner Qi.

"You didn't force yourself to cultivate while your Qi and Blood were obstructed, did you?" Suddenly thinking of the hidden dangers of this technique, Mo Hu hurriedly asked.

"Of course not. If there were problems with the cultivation, I wouldn't practice it." Chen Mo shook his head in denial.

"That's good, that's good!" Mo Hu patted Chen Mo's shoulder hard, feeling quite happy.

"Thirteen, with such talent, you will definitely be able to pass the imperial examination as a Scholar in the future. When that time comes, don't forget to look after me."

Chen Mo having such good talent made Mo Hu quite happy.

The two of them had a friendship forged through life and death; if Chen Mo really made something of himself in the future, he would definitely have to pull him up.

As for whether he could make something of himself, that was a question that didn't need to be considered.

If nothing else, with such talent, even if he were slightly lacking in other areas, obtaining the title of Scholar would absolutely not be a problem.

Once he obtained the title of Scholar, even if it were the lowest grade of Scholar, the rank when appointed to an official position would at minimum be Right Seventh Rank.

If his foster father spent some silver to help maneuver things, a Junior Sixth Rank would not be impossible.

The most critical thing was that Scholars were promoted quickly and would not be restricted by their academic title like those who were merely Licentiates or Provincial Graduates.

His own foster father was a Scholar by background; don't look at the fact that he is only Right Fifth Rank now—that is because the old man himself doesn't want to be promoted further.

A Martial Official of the Right Fourth Rank has no real power and is subject to too many constraints; it is not necessarily more comfortable than being a Right Fifth Rank official.

While official rank is certainly important, whether one can hold real power is equally important.

A Fifth Rank Ministry of Rites Director without real power might not necessarily rake in more silver than a Seventh Grade County Magistrate.

Of course, if the Ministry of Rites Director has real power in his hands, that is another matter entirely.

"Brother, you joke. We are our own family; there is no need to say such things." Chen Mo also revealed a smile.

"However, not many people know about my strength right now. I ask that you, Fifth Brother, help me keep this secret and not tell others for the time being."

Chen Mo did indeed intend to gradually reveal his strength, but who to reveal it to and how to reveal it still needed to be carefully considered.

It was impossible to broadcast it widely and let too many people know this news.

It was enough for just a few key, important people to know.

It wouldn't be long before they had to engage with the Dutian Dao Sect; hiding a portion of his strength now so that they couldn't see through him clearly would definitely have no downsides.

"Rest assured, I know." Mo Hu revealed a smile. With his great revenge avenged, his whole person seemed much more cheerful.

He immediately called over the other two Personal Soldiers to help collect firewood and burn the corpses.

Chen Mo, meanwhile, would occasionally activate his Ear Consciousness to listen to the movements around them, to ensure no one else was rushing toward this location.

The firewood was collected quickly, and Mo Hu also took the opportunity to cut out a firebreak to prevent the fire from spreading elsewhere.

However, there was no need to worry about a large-scale forest fire starting here, because just over ten miles away was a vast stretch of saline-alkali land; once you reached that point, let alone Dwarf Trees, not even a few blades of grass grew.

Even if it accidentally caught fire, it would burn at most ten miles of land.

The few corpses were quickly burned, and Mo Hu only took the skull of the Ziyi Daoren, intending to use it later to offer sacrifices to his elder brother.

As for the other things, he had no intention of taking them at all; this was something they had already discussed beforehand.

The other two Personal Soldiers didn't intend to take anything either; they hadn't exerted much effort this time, just running back and forth and shooting a few arrows.

Furthermore, long before they came, Mo Hu had already stated the price for asking them to help.

Although they also intended to avenge their Fourth Brother, Mo Dao, by coming this time.

But even close brothers must settle accounts clearly; Mo Hu would not let them make the trip for nothing.

After burning the corpses clean and thoroughly crushing the skeletons of these few bodies to ensure there was absolutely no possibility of them becoming reanimated, the few of them prepared to leave separately.

"We both have things to do at our posts; you don't need to see me off, and I won't see you off either. Let us part ways here."

Mo Hu spoke. This was a desolate wilderness, and he and Chen Mo couldn't have a proper drink, so they could only make a mental note to drink when they met again another day.

"However, those things are not light. Is it convenient for you to take them away?" Mo Hu reached out and pointed to the two wooden boxes to the side. He hadn't looked at what was inside the boxes, but seeing how much effort those few strongmen had exerted earlier, he knew these things were definitely not easy to carry.

"Rest assured, there are people meeting me not far from here." Chen Mo didn't intend to reveal the contents of the boxes to Mo Hu.

For one thing, even if he gave them to him, he couldn't use them; without Inner Qi, he had no way to stimulate the Blood Qi Stone to absorb the power within.

As for whether one could absorb the power by swallowing them directly or through other means.

Chen Mo hadn't tested this yet, and he didn't want to test it easily, because the risk was too great.

The second reason is that Human Infant Fruit is indeed quite tempting to people, and there is no guarantee what problems might arise after eating it.

Rather than telling him and having to expend effort explaining it to him, it is better not to tell him at all.

"As long as there is someone to meet us, that's fine." Mo Hu nodded slightly; he did not care at all what was inside those two chests.

In the letter he gave to Chen Mo earlier, he had already said that regardless of what it was, it would belong to Chen Mo, so he did not even take a look at those two chests.

The two bade farewell once more, and Mo Hu left rapidly with two Personal Soldiers.

As a Tax Division Inspection Envoy, he was not as idle as Chen Mo and still had quite a few things to busy himself with usually.

Watching Mo Hu and the others leave, Chen Mo looked at the wooden chests on the ground and could not help but feel a headache; the other items were easy enough to deal with, but those two Human Infant Fruits were truly difficult to handle.

After some brief consideration, Chen Mo first placed the other items obtained this time, such as the book found on Ziyi Daoren and some loose silver and coins, into the two wooden chests.

He then used the wooden poles from those few Scholars earlier to string the two chests together and walked off into the distance carrying them on his back.

Whether absorbing Qi and Blood stones or undergoing Mortal Transformation, a relatively stable environment is required; doing this in the wilderness is clearly not stable, so it is better to wait until returning home.

With nearly two thousand catties of items in total, it was not easy even for him to carry, but fortunately, he did not have to walk the entire hundred-mile journey alone.

After walking alone for about thirty or forty miles, he found a roadside inn to rest, paid extra to temporarily hire two horse-drawn carriages, and headed straight for Zhu Niu Ji with the chests.

Only after moving the two wooden chests into his own home did he finally heave a sigh of relief.

(End of this chapter)