NOVEL NEXT Chapter 17.2 - Is Extortion Also Considered an Investment? (2/2)
Chapter 17: Is Extortion Also Considered an Investment? (2/2)
“Hm?” Shang Wu instantly became alert, her gaze toward her precious disciple no longer quite as affectionate.
“One-nine,” she said, raising a finger.
“Master, you want that much?” Li Mo asked.
“One part for you, nine for me,” Shang Wu clarified.
Li Mo sighed helplessly, “Actually, I was hoping to get some exotic beast meat… to roast and eat.”
“Roast meat?” Shang Wu’s eyes sparkled. “You know how to cook?”
“Of course! In Ziyang prefecture, I’m the best; no one dares to claim otherwise.”
With modern seasonings in hand, his confidence soared!
No sooner had he spoken than he felt himself lifted up. Suddenly, his surroundings blurred and began to retreat rapidly.
By the time Li Mo could barely hold back his nausea, his feet finally touched solid ground.
Where am I?
Hearing the sound of metal striking metal, he looked around in confusion.
Before him was an enormous cave, faintly shimmering with cold light. Two rivers flanked the left and right sides – one blazing hot, one bone-chillingly cold – each channeled into a courtyard by separate canals. A group of blacksmiths were hard at work in this courtyard.
“This is…”
“This is the Divine Blade Cave. It existed even before our Qingyuan Sect was founded,” Shang Wu explained, in a good mood and happy to enlighten her curious disciple:
“Inside is a pile of scrap metal. I once killed an assassin from the Xiyu Tower and threw his sword in there. Old ghost said something about nurturing the sharp qi through killing weapons.”
Sharp qi from killing weapons?
Li Mo’s mind stirred.
Wasn’t this Divine Blade Cave the perfect place to practice the Extreme Slaughtering Martial Body Technique?
“Hmph, those are not just scrap metals. Shang Wu, don’t be disrespectful to the ancestors of my Divine Weapon Peak!” Elder Han he approached with his hands behind his back, looking very displeased.
Shang Wu didn’t bother arguing and simply held out her hand: “Where are the goods?”
“Hmph. Fu Su!” Han He called out.
As soon as he spoke, Fu Su came out dragging a horse cart.
Li Mo guessed that this Fu Su must be some Deacon who had quickly prepared what Elder Han He had instructed to be withdrawn from Divine Weapon Peak.
All the items were what his master had asked for. It seemed she had planned this for a long time, choosing only the best things they could offer…
Shang Wu narrowed her beautiful almond eyes, smiling like a fox who had just succeeded in stealing some chicken.
“Old ghost, it’s rare for you to be so forthcoming. Fine then, let’s consider this matter settled.”
[Congratulations to the host. Successful investment. You have acted as an accomplice to Shang Wu in completing an extortion.]
[Investment reward: Three jars of Ice Fire Wine.]
[Investment reward: Two bottles of Six-Pattern Mind-Calming Pills.]
[Investment reward: Ten pounds of Iron Essence.]
…
[Mind-Calming Pill: Has the effect of calming and focusing the mind. Can suppress distracting thoughts to a certain extent. Each pill lasts for two hours. Maximum one pill per day. Excessive consumption will lead to dulling of emotions and loss of humanity.]
[Iron Essence: One tael of essence for every ten thousand pounds of iron. Adding even a trace to ordinary weapons will make them sharp enough to split hairs. An essential material for forging divine weapons.]
Young Li was quite pleased.
He never expected that helping his master extort someone would be considered an investment.
A big windfall.
This might not be the best reward he had ever received, but it was definitely the most bountiful. The value of the rewards far exceeded the total of what his master had worked so hard to plunder.
“Hehe, how could this old man lose face and be outdone?” Elder Han He snorted coldly.
“When the time comes for you, Shang Wu, to lose, don’t try to weasel out of it,” he said, referring to their bet on whose disciple would prove superior.
That wager was worth far more than this mere cart of goods. No, it couldn’t even be measured in gold and silver.
“Then I’ll give you old man a chance… to lose,” Shang Wu said with a smile, giving a thumbs up before turning it upside down.
Li Mo: “…”
Master, where does your confidence come from?
If he remembered correctly, Murong Xiao possessed the Roaring Flood Dragon Physique and was hailed as a once-in-a-decade genius in Ziyang prefecture.
If not for Ying Bing, Murong Xiao would undoubtedly be the top disciple of this generation.
Elder Han He’s confidence likely had something to do with that half-demon bloodline.
The characteristic of half-demons was their extremely high starting point.
“Heh, my unworthy disciple has already reached the fifth meridian of the Blood Qi Realm and can enter the second level of the Divine Blade Cave,” Elder Han He said calmly.
“It’s embarrassing, really embarrassing. He’s only slightly surpassing this old man’s achievements at his age.”
He took a sip of tea.
Shang Wu rarely looked concerned: “He’s only at the fifth meridian of the Blood Qi Realm, yet you let him train in the Divine Blade Cave?”
A mysterious smile played on Han He’s lips: “This old man has his own plans. No need for you to worry about it.”
His disciple possessed a half-demon physique, and his bloodline leaned towards the physically robust Flood Dragon. Under his guidance, the boy had cultivated body-tempering techniques, fully leveraging his innate strengths.
Now, relying solely on his physical body, he could lift boulders weighing ten thousand pounds.
Li Mo might go far in the future, but so what?
The Nine Peaks Competition was just around the corner.
In the short term, he had no way of surpassing Murong Xiao.
“Hmph, it’s not like going down to the Divine Blade Cave is anything special…” Shang Wu pouted, but ultimately refrained from saying ‘my disciple can do it too’.
The weapons in that cave were all instruments of killing.
Individually, they might not amount to much, but when gathered together in an orderly fashion, they could harm people from a distance.
Moreover, some weapons had killed countless people and still carried a terrifying killing intent, enough to shock one’s soul.
Entering was a test of both body and mind.
Even she couldn’t reach the lowest level of the Divine Blade Cave.
“Elder Han He, may I ask if others are allowed to enter the Divine Blade Cave?” Li Mo inquired.
“Hmm?” Han He paused mid-sip.
Shang Wu discreetly signaled to her disciple with her eyes.
Silly disciple, we don’t need to compete over everything…
Han He’s gaze swept over: “Of course you can enter, but I advise you to think thrice.”
Everyone in the cave besides Murong Xiao was at the Internal Energy Realm or above.
The former was due to his innate physical robustness, while the latter could use their internal energy to protect themselves.
“I’ll try around the entrance first. If it doesn’t work out, I won’t push myself,” Li Mo said, his eyes blazing. This was addressed to both of them.
Han He shook his head inwardly.
No wonder this boy had conflicts with others as soon as he entered the Martial Arts Hall.
Having made a bit of progress in martial arts, he already didn’t know his own limitations, always trying to compete with others.
With this mentality, it would do him good to suffer a bit.
“You can go in, but you’re responsible for your own safety. If anything happens, don’t put it on my head,” Han He said.
“Thank you,” Li Mo cupped his hands and then looked at his master.
Shang Wu narrowed her almond eyes, pondering for a moment before taking out a small bell from her bosom:
“If you can’t hold on, shake it hard twice.”
This was a Soul-Linked Bell.
When one bell was shaken forcefully, the other would ring.
As long as they weren’t thousands of miles apart, it would be effective.
Though Elder Shang seemed carefree, she didn’t want her precious disciple to get truly hurt.
“Thank you, Master.”
After receiving the bell, Li Mo walked towards the entrance of the Divine Blade Cave.
…