Does Extortion Count as Investment?

Divine Weapon Peak.

In the Weapon-Forge Courtyard, scorching heat and icy cold coexisted, and the sounds of hammers striking iron rose and fell from every direction.

He Hongfeng came running in in a frantic mess, and the moment he opened his mouth, he said:

"Deacon Futu, hurry over. Elder Shang Wu said that if she doesn't see you within fifteen minutes, she'll come storming up Divine Weapon Peak."

The words fell.

Inside the forging courtyard, the bare-chested, muscle-hardened men all broke out in a few drops of cold sweat.

It was as if they had recalled certain unpleasant memories.

They all turned their heads at once and looked toward the iron-tower-like giant man not far away.

"Hm?"

Futu's cheek twitched hard twice.

His hand loosened, and the forging hammer fell to the ground.

"What exactly happened?"

Elder Han He slapped the table and stood up, saying angrily:

"To summon and dismiss a deacon of my Divine Weapon Peak at will, and the moment she opens her mouth she says she'll fight her way up here—does she think there's no one left in Divine Weapon Peak!"

The group of fierce men lowered their heads, pretending they were very busy.

"Uh, Futu, you go first."

"Yes, Elder."

Futu's expression shifted, and he walked out of the forging courtyard.

Only then did Han He ask with a dark face:

"Deacon He, what exactly is going on?"

"Deacon Futu's disciple sparred with the newly promoted true disciple..."

He Hongfeng recounted everything that had just happened.

Elder Han He listened until his three corpse spirits nearly leapt out in rage.

An old disciple seeking out a newly promoted disciple for a spar—he could actually do something that shameless.

Fine, do it if he must, but he still failed to beat him.

Great.

That baleful star Shang Wu could stir up three parts of trouble even when she was in the wrong; now that she was in the right, how was this going to end!

"Right, you said just now that Li Mo forced Wang Hao to use Internal Breath?"

"That's right. Actually, Wang Hao had already been secretly using it before, but only a thread of it. He suffered a loss against the perfected Six Harmonies Fist, and that was why he flew into a rage out of humiliation."

"This has nothing to do with you."

Han He twisted a strand of his grizzled beard, his eyes flickering without pause.

Perfected Six Harmonies Fist!

Opening his meridians in a single day!

Just based on these two points alone, that boy Li Mo, even if he was not as good as Ying Bing, was not far off.

The Heaven-Ascending Stone Steps truly never made mistakes.

That boy's physique might have manifested precisely in his martial attainments, which was why his progress was so heaven-defying.

Such a fine seedling had actually entered Shang Wu's tutelage.

If he was only learning her art, that was one thing. But if he learned that madwoman's rotten habits...

Han He's skull hurt just thinking about it.

Martial Arts Hall.

The moment Futu stepped inside, he saw his own disciple embedded in the wall, his life or death unknown, while Shang Wu sat boldly in the seat of honor, drinking tea.

He drew in a deep breath, yet suppressed his anger:

"Elder Shang, may I ask what you mean by injuring my disciple to this state?"

Shang Wu's brows shot upright, and her voice was even louder than his:

"He made the first move!"

As she spoke, she lifted Li Mo's arm and pointed at the bruise on his palm:

"If I hadn't arrived in time, my precious disciple, gifted with extraordinary talent, would have been strangled to death by your disciple."

Li Mo coughed lightly and wanted to pull his hand back.

But he could not.

No, Master, these little bruises on my hand came from hitting someone.

If we waited a little longer, they'd probably fade on their own.

Futu reached out through the air, and Wang Hao was pulled out of the wall.

Only after feeding him a Healing Medicine did he turn back around.

"It was merely a spar between fellow disciples, Elder Shang Wu. You went too far. Wang Hao has the duty of guiding new disciples in fists and feet. Perhaps he was only teaching him fist techniques."

"Sparring? He used Internal Breath, and that is also guidance?"

As Shang Wu spoke, she set down her teacup with a smack and said angrily, "Little Mo, what do our Clear Abyss Sect's rules say?"

"Those who harm fellow disciples may be executed on the spot," Li Mo said at just the right moment.

"Trash! What use are you!"

Futu glared in fury at the unconscious Wang Hao.

Bullying a disciple who had only joined for a day, and he still had to use Internal Breath?

Now this was perfect. With the hat of harming a fellow disciple buckled onto him, even if his teeth were smashed, he could only swallow them into his stomach!

Amid his anger, he cast a trace-free glance at the youth beside Shang Wu.

He knew exactly how much Wang Hao weighed. Without using Internal Breath, he actually still could not take the other party down?

"Then... many thanks to Elder Shang for helping me discipline my disciple. Farewell."

Futu hoisted Wang Hao onto his shoulder and was about to leave.

But before he had taken two steps, he was locked onto by an aura, and the hairs on his neck stood on end.

"Your Divine Weapon Peak still owes me an explanation."

Shang Wu spat the tea leaves into her cup, her face full of disgust.

"Bring me ten thousand jin of cold iron, one thousand jin of crimson gold, and get me ten jin of Iron Essence. If you're short even one tael, don't even think about walking out this door."

Everyone present clicked their tongues in shock.

That was equivalent to ten years of Divine Weapon Peak's output.

Even Elder Han He might not be able to take that out.

To the naked eye, the blue veins on Futu's forehead had all bulged.

"A lion opening its maw! Shang Wu, don't push people too far!"

"So what if I push you?!"

A scorching aura spread out, making it almost impossible to breathe.

He did not know whether it was an illusion.

In a daze, Li Mo actually saw a lotus bloom in fire from his beautiful master's body, burning brilliantly, as though it would never be extinguished through all eternity.

Futu's momentum faltered.

If it were someone else, he could be certain the other party would not dare make a move inside the sect.

But when this madwoman Shang Wu flew into a rage, even the sect master had to yield three points.

As fortune came to his soul, Li Mo stepped in to smooth things over.

"Elder Futu is only a steward of Divine Weapon Peak. Asking for that much, he truly can't take it out."

"And your disciple was not injured either. Why don't we... ask for a little less compensation?"

Shang Wu snorted coldly.

"That is reasonable. Disciple, you tell me—what compensation would satisfy you?"

Li Mo gave a light cough and said, "Brush and ink, if you please!"

He took up the brush and wrote with quick strokes.

In no time, he had written out a list.

Futu glanced at it.

Most of what was written on it was the fine wine Shang Wu loved to drink, along with a few miscellaneous precious items.

Though it inevitably meant heavy bleeding, it was not as absurd as before.

"Come to Divine Weapon Peak to take them."

Seeing this master and disciple echo each other in perfect harmony, Futu's expression shifted between dark and light. In the end, he swallowed this loss in silence.

"Eh, that's more like it. Wouldn't it have been better if you'd been this sensible from the start?"

Shang Wu's aura vanished in an instant.

Only after Futu left with a cold snort did her face blossom into a smile. She suddenly gave her precious disciple a huge hug, happily burying his head against her chest.

If Li Mo had to describe Shang Wu's figure right now, he would say it was suffocating.

If anyone asked what Li Mo was thinking at this moment...

He was thinking, no wonder the girlfriends he'd had in his last life would suddenly slap his thigh so hard...

"As expected of my disciple. You've already learned thirty percent of my skills."

"Master, can you share a little with me?"

Li Mo shyly asked for a cut of the spoils.

"Hm?" Shang Wu instantly grew wary. The look she gave her precious disciple no longer resembled one meant for a thoughtful padded jacket.

"One-nine."

The beautiful master held up her fingers.

"Master, you only want that little?"

"One-tenth is yours. Nine-tenths are mine."

Li Mo said helplessly, "Actually, I only wanted some exotic beast meat to roast and eat..."

"Roast meat?"

Shang Wu's almond eyes brightened slightly. "You know how to cook too?"

"Of course. In Purple Sun Prefecture, if I call myself number one, no one dares call themselves number two."

With modern seasonings in hand, he was just that confident!

He had only just finished speaking when he felt himself being picked up by the scruff.

After that, the scenery around him began to blur and rapidly retreat.

Only when Li Mo was almost unable to hold back from throwing up did he finally feel solid ground beneath his feet.

Where was this?

Hearing the sound of iron being struck, Little Li looked around in confusion.

What entered his eyes was an enormous mountain cave, within which cold gleams could be faintly seen.

On the left and right sides of the mountain cave were two rivers, one scorching hot, the other bone-chillingly cold, each diverted into the courtyard by two canals.

And a group of blacksmithing men were working with their heads down in that courtyard.

"This is..."

"That's Divine Blade Cave. It existed before our Clear Abyss Sect was even founded."

Shang Wu was in a good mood, so she was happy to explain a few things to her newbie disciple.

"There's a pile of scrap copper and rotten iron inside. Back then, I beat a killer from Drizzle Pavilion to death, and tossed his sword in there too. I heard Old Man Han He say something about nurturing it with weapon-killing sharpness."

Weapon-killing sharpness?

Li Mo's heart stirred.

In that case, wouldn't this Divine Blade Cave be a perfect place to cultivate the Extreme Weapon Slaughter Body?

"Hmph. Those are not scrap copper and rotten iron. Shang Wu, do not be disrespectful toward the predecessors of my Divine Weapon Peak!"

Elder Han He stood with his hands behind his back, his face full of irritation.

Shang Wu did not waste words with him either. She stretched out her hand.

"Where are the goods?"

"Hmph. Futu!"

The words fell.

Futu came out dragging a horse cart.

Li Mo guessed in his heart that this was probably something some steward named Futu had withdrawn from Divine Weapon Peak, which was why it had been prepared so quickly.

Everything there was what Master had instructed him to ask for.

It seemed this had been planned for a long time. She had picked only things they could actually take out...

Shang Wu narrowed her pretty almond eyes, smiling like a fox that had successfully stolen a mouthful of fish.

"Old Ghost Han He, it's rare for you to be so straightforward. Fine, this matter is over."

[Congratulations, host. You successfully invested, acted as Shang Wu's accomplice, and completed one extortion.]

[Investment feedback: three jars of Ice-Fire Wine.]

[Investment feedback: two bottles of Six-Pattern Heart-Clearing Pill.]

[Investment Feedback: Ten jin of Iron Essence.]

[Clear Heart Pill: Has the effect of focusing the mind and calming the heart. It can suppress distracting thoughts to a certain degree. Each pill lasts for four hours. At most one may be taken per day. Taking too many will cause the seven emotions and six desires to grow faint, resulting in a loss of humanity.]

[Iron Essence: From ten thousand jin of iron comes one tael of essence. If even a trace is added to an ordinary weapon, it can cut hair blown onto its edge. It is an essential material for forging divine weapons and sharp blades.]

Little Li was very happy too.

He had not expected that helping his master fleece someone could actually be counted as an investment.

It had exploded big.

This might not have been the best reward he had ever received, but it was absolutely the most generous.

The value of the reward had already far surpassed the total sum his master had painstakingly robbed from them.

"Heh, how could this old man lose both the match and the momentum?"

"I hope when the time comes and you lose, Shang Wu, you won't play tricks with this old man either."

Elder Han He gave a cold snort.

He was talking about the matter of the two of them making a bet to compare their disciples.

As for that wager, it was worth far more than this mere cart of wealth. No, it could not even be measured in gold and silver.

"Then this old lady will give you a chance... to lose."

Shang Wu smiled and gave him a thumbs-up, then turned it downward.

Li Mo: "..."

Master, where did you get that confidence from?

If he remembered correctly, Murong Xiao possessed the Cry-Dragon Body and was known as a genius rarely seen in ten years in Purple Sun Prefecture.

If not for Ying Bing, Murong Xiao would undoubtedly be the leader among this year's disciples.

Elder Han He's confidence was probably inseparable from that half-demon bloodline.

The defining trait of half-demons was that their starting point was extremely high.

"Heh. That disciple of mine is unworthy, only at the five-meridian stage of the Blood-Qi Realm, yet he can already descend to the second level of Divine Blade Cave."

"Ashamed, ashamed. He's merely the blue born from indigo yet surpassing indigo, just a little more than this old man back then."

Han He calmly took a sip of tea.

Shang Wu was rarely surprised. "He is only at the five-meridian stage of the Blood-Qi Realm, yet you're letting him train in Divine Blade Cave?"

A mysterious smile appeared at the corner of Han He's mouth. "This old man has his own plans. There is no need for you to trouble yourself."

His disciple possessed a half-demon body, and his bloodline leaned toward the flood dragon, famed for the strength of its fleshly body. Under Han He's guidance, he had also cultivated external hardening arts, fully bringing out his own strengths.

Now, relying on his fleshly body alone, he could lift a ten-thousand-jin boulder.

Perhaps Li Mo would go very far in the future. So what?

The Nine Peaks Martial Tournament was right before their eyes.

In the short term, no matter what, he could not possibly surpass Murong Xiao.

"Hmph, isn't it just going down some Divine Blade Cave..."

Shang Wu curled her lip, but in the end, she did not blurt out, "My disciple can do that too."

The weapons in the cave were all instruments of slaughter.

Taken out one by one, perhaps they were nothing much, but if they were gathered together according to a pattern, they could injure people from afar.

Moreover, some weapons had once killed countless people and still carried astonishing murderous aura, enough to seize the soul and shake the spirit.

After entering, it was a double trial of body and mind.

Even she could not reach the lowest level of Divine Blade Cave.

"Elder Han He, may I ask whether outsiders can enter this Divine Blade Cave?"

"Mm?"

Han He's motion of drinking tea paused.

Shang Wu also quietly gave her disciple a look.

Silly disciple, it's not like we have to fight for every breath of pride...

Han He's gaze swept over.

"Enter? Naturally, you can enter, but I advise you to think twice."

Aside from Murong Xiao, everyone in the cave was a disciple of the Inner Breath Realm or above.

The former was because his innate fleshly body was tyrannically strong, while the latter could use inner breath to protect themselves.

"I'll try first around the outer perimeter. If it doesn't work, I absolutely won't force myself."

Li Mo's eyes burned brightly. These words were spoken to both of them.

Han He shook his head inwardly.

No wonder the boy had gotten into conflict with others the moment he entered the Martial Arts Hall.

He had only made a little progress in martial arts, yet he already no longer knew how high the sky was or how deep the earth ran, wanting to compete with others at every turn.

With that temperament, it would be good for him to suffer a little hardship.

"You may go in, but your safety is your own responsibility. If something happens, you master and disciple had better not put it on me."

"Many thanks."

Li Mo cupped his hands, then looked toward his own master.

Shang Wu narrowed her almond eyes and pondered for a moment, then took a small bell from her robes.

"If you can't hold on, shake it hard twice."

This was the Concentric Bell.

When one bell was shaken hard, the other bell would ring.

As long as they were not separated by a thousand li, it would have an effect.

Elder Shang might look careless and rough around the edges, but she still did not want her precious disciple to truly be injured.

"Thank you, Master."

After putting away the bell, Li Mo walked up to Divine Blade Cave.