That's Probably What a Big Shot Is Like

"Can he still be saved?"

"Young Master, please look. He has merely exhausted the vital energy within him. The round stone supplying that energy stopped operating due to a lack of spiritual energy replenishment. Looking closely, there is also a little figure between illusion and reality inside him. It seems to be the Nascent Soul of a Human Domain cultivator?

These external wounds were left by sharp claws. Several came quite close to vital points, but there is a medicinal force within his body..."

"Grand Priestess, just tell me whether he can be saved."

"He can. I will pray to the Star God at once and save this battered child."

"Wait!"

Wu Wang turned and shouted, "Pass the order! Over the next few days, any unmarried women in the Royal Court are forbidden from going out to wander about! The moment this guest sees a young woman, he turns into a yellow-sand fierce beast. He's extraordinarily vicious!"

A crowd of guards outside the tent answered with a thunderous roar. The blood-soaked man lying on the wooden plank suddenly opened his eyes, clutched the hilt in his hand, and hurled it at Wu Wang with his last shred of strength.

Had Wu Wang not stopped him in time, General Xiong San's drawn broadsword might not have been pulled back in time.

The Grand Priestess beside them looked solemn. She spread her hands toward the sky and called out with deep feeling. Starlight like snowy gauze spread over Ji Mo.

A moment later, Ji Mo sharply sucked in a breath and sat bolt upright. He took out a bottle of pills, poured two into his mouth, and immediately crossed his legs to meditate.

It was clear that his injuries were no longer serious.

The Grand Priestess wiped the sweat from her forehead, bowed to Wu Wang, and departed with several girls studying the Star Invocation Technique.

Ji Mo, who was meditating, opened his eyelids to a sliver. He soon gave a soft sigh and spoke his first words after awakening from grievous injuries and unconsciousness:

"Nice waist."

Wu Wang silently released the hand that had been stopping General Xiong San from drawing his blade.

"What happened to Brother Ji?"

Ji Mo turned to Wu Wang. There was a trace of anxiety in his eyes, followed by helplessness. His whole body trembled slightly a few times before he let out a breath and said in a deep voice:

"We ran into some trouble."

"Ah, I could tell."

Wu Wang sat down in a beast-hide chair nearby. Lin Suqing brought over a bowl of blood-replenishing soup and set it aside, then stood behind Wu Wang with a frown.

"Brother Ji, aren't you in a hurry?" Wu Wang asked. "If it's not urgent, take your time. Could it be that you alone survived from your group?"

Ji Mo hesitated slightly, then said in a low voice:

"It would be best if the Northern Wilds tribes did not get involved in this matter. You would be dragged into it for no reason.

When I was gravely injured, I fled here in desperate pursuit of survival. The mastermind behind this likely would not come to demand an explanation from you. But I cannot stay long either. Once I recover some Magic Power, I will leave immediately."

Wu Wang slowly nodded, picked up the teacup beside him, and blew at the tea leaves floating on its surface.

"Suqing, set up a Soundproof Array."

"Okay," Lin Suqing answered, skillfully drawing a talisman to activate the Soundproof Array.

Wu Wang smiled. "Brother Ji, you truly do not know much about the Northern Wilds. Do you think the Northern Wilds are also directly restrained by the Heavenly Palace of Zhongshan?"

Ji Mo froze for a moment and asked in return, "Isn't that so?"

"Not entirely." Wu Wang smiled. "Not many in the Northern Wilds know these matters, but it is no secret.

After the ancient god war, the Innate Gods divided up the Great Wilderness. Half submitted to the Heavenly Emperor in the center, while the other half claimed land and sealed themselves away. The Northern Wilds are under the protection of the great Star God. Wherever starlight shines, others are not permitted to lay a finger.

You need not worry about implicating us. If the other party dared come for you, they would have come while you were unconscious.

I must know exactly what happened on my Northern Wilds territory."

Wu Wang paused, then smiled. "Praise the Star God. The Northern Wilds do not tolerate others stirring up trouble as they please."

Praise...

Ji Mo shook his head with a bitter smile and looked Wu Wang up and down strangely. Bewildered, he asked, "Brother Xiong, are you really only seventeen or eighteen?"

"What, you don't believe it?"

General Xiong San's eyes widened. Raising his head proudly, he declared, "The questions our Young Master came up with when he was three could already sweep through our Bear Hug Tribe!"

Ji Mo drew a deep breath. Recalling his earlier ordeal, a trace of fear flashed through his eyes before he quickly suppressed it.

It was also his first time experiencing such a brush with life and death.

"That was..."

"Brother Ji, wait."

Wu Wang made a gesture, and several male musicians immediately began playing soothing string music.

The tent flap opened, and guards carried in a roasting rack, fruit platters, fruit juice, a half-roasted Spirit Beast, and soft cushions for resting one's feet.

Unfortunately, due to the strange illness's restrictions, the full service lacked a few maidservants to massage their legs. It had no soul.

Ji Mo: ...

Wu Wang shifted into a more comfortable reclining pose. "Tell your story."

Ji Mo could not help laughing. More than half his previous tension and fear dissipated as he slowly said, "They should have come for Fairy Ling. Fairy Ling has already been protected by Granny Yin."

Wu Wang asked, "What is Granny Yin's cultivation level?"

"The Ascend to Immortality Realm. She can fight a Primordial Immortal who has only just become immortal, and she carries two Immortal Treasures."

Ji Mo gave a bitter laugh.

"When the fierce beast ambushed us, the situation was quite chaotic.

Granny Yin could protect either me or Fairy Ling. As a man, I naturally took half a step back on my own.

Besides, Fairy Ling's aptitude far surpasses mine, and her heart for the Dao is even more steadfast. Her future accomplishments will certainly stand far above mine."

Wu Wang gave him a thumbs-up and praised, "As expected of Brother Ji."

Instead, Ji Mo blushed slightly from the praise and hurriedly said, "Anyone would have made such a choice. It is not worth mentioning, not worth mentioning."

Wu Wang asked in confusion:

"Still, Brother Ji, I have always been somewhat puzzled.

If Fairy Ling truly possesses peerless beauty, and you love beautiful women, why have you always kept a respectful distance from her and barely even looked at her?"

"Well..."

Ji Mo pondered for a moment. "I have actually known her for many years. In my early days, I was stunned by her flower-like face and moon-like features, but only after becoming familiar with her did I learn that she...

It is not quite proper to speak of someone behind their back, but Brother Xiong, you would do best to keep a respectful distance from Fairy Ling as well.

Uh, weren't we talking about the ambush?"

Wu Wang smiled. "Please continue, Brother Ji, please continue. I was simply a little curious."

"Alas." Ji Mo sighed softly. "This matter must begin with our departure from the Wave Tribe's territory."

"Oh? Let me interrupt for a moment," Wu Wang asked. "You went to the Wave Tribe's territory to discuss mining matters. Was there any result?"

Ji Mo's gaze turned somewhat complicated as he asked in a low voice, "Brother Xiong, isn't that a question you already know the answer to?"

"How is it something I already know?"

Ji Mo said, "The Wave Tribe was also represented by their Young Master when meeting us, but he had no interest in negotiating with us whatsoever. He only cared about putting several women on his arms and lifting them up and down, saying that whatever the Bear Hug Tribe did, they would do as well."

As he spoke, he grew somewhat heartbroken and indignant again:

"Women are like water. How can they be treated as weights for lifting! That Wave Tribe Young Master truly does not know what it means to cherish them!"

"That was Brother Xing Tian giving me face," Wu Wang said with a smile. "It was not my arrangement."

Then he turned and instructed, "General Xiong San, send my troupe of dancing musicians for a touring performance at the Wave Tribe. Bring several seven-colored starlight spheres as well, and give Brother Xing Tian a little amusement."

"Yes!"

General Xiong San cupped his fists to accept the order, then turned and strode away.

Wu Wang gestured for Ji Mo to continue, and this time, Ji Mo's flashback skill skipped its windup and was not interrupted again.

After Granny Yin appeared, this group of young cultivators immediately became much more obedient. Some of them even relaxed, treating their journey through the Northern Wilds as sightseeing and pleasure-seeking.

Ling Xiaolan, however, remained sullen for a long while and did not speak for several days.

After leaving the Wave Tribe, they headed toward Blood Soil Forest, the famous gathering place of fierce beasts at the very center of the Northern Wilds that had yet to be occupied by any tribe. The trial they were meant to undergo still had to be done.

Granny Yin offered a few conciliatory words and decided that they would hunt fierce beasts together as their trial. In front of them, she herself retreated several hundred miles.

In truth, Granny Yin had merely concealed her form and traces, secretly following behind this group of young talents.

As for Granny Yin, her strength truly was not low.

Unlike the relatively broad divisions of Northern Wilds Star Invocation Technique—"Star Sacrifice," "Moon Sacrifice," and "Sun Sacrifice"—the Human Domain's cultivation realms were... very detailed.

They used Spirit Cultivation realms as the standard. Below the immortal realm were the nine great stages: Spirit Absorption, Qi Gathering, Origin Return, Core Condensation, Golden Core, Spirit Silence, Nascent Soul, God Leap, and Ascend to Immortality.

After becoming immortal, there were also the three known realms of Primordial Immortal, True Immortal, and Celestial Immortal.

The Human Domain had not passed down the names of realms beyond that, but it was certain that experts above the Celestial Immortal Realm existed—for instance, every generation of Human Emperor, as well as the many generals by the Human Emperor's side.

Since the Human Domain's founding, those who became immortal had hidden away in the mountains and forests, quietly awaiting a crisis in the Human Domain and rarely appearing within it.

The immortal path was grim and difficult to traverse, filled with countless hardships along the way. In a thousand-year cycle, having two or three people become immortal was already no easy feat. On top of that, the Human Domain was constantly at war with neighboring forces, leaving the number of immortals—the pillars holding up the sky—rather scarce.

Every immortal was an important fighting force of the Human Domain.

Granny Yin, at the Ascend to Immortality Realm and carrying two Immortal Treasures, had already shown considerable regard by protecting these rising talents.

Yet unexpectedly, the person plotting against them regarded these rising talents even more highly and directly dispatched immortal-level fighting power.

"It was a fierce beast three zhang tall, roughly humanoid in shape, but with a toad's head."

Ji Mo said in a deep voice:

"I do not know how it learned our whereabouts. It ambushed us far ahead on our path. Yesterday, when we passed through a gorge, it suddenly erupted into action.

It was incredibly fast. In a single exchange, three or four fellow cultivators died beneath its claws. Even Granny Yin could not withstand more than a few exchanges with it, barely managing to use her Immortal Treasures to protect Fairy Ling.

I had intended to detonate my Nascent Soul and injure it, but it gave me no opportunity at all. The instant I made my Nascent Soul tremble, it had already reached me...

Had I not brought several more heavy treasures when I left, I fear it would have torn me to pieces.

But Fellow Cultivator Wang Lin tried to save me and tragically fell to its poisonous claws."

Wu Wang asked, "Was that Wang Lin who was stopped outside the Royal Court?"

"Yes."

Wu Wang slowly nodded but said nothing more, pondering for a while.

Shortly afterward, Wu Wang looked at Ji Mo with a sharp gaze. "Brother Ji, could you show me those few heavy treasures of yours?"

Ji Mo directly tossed the thumb ring on his hand to Lin Suqing and said seriously, "Brother Xiong, I cannot repay your life-saving grace this time. Consider these treasures my gift of thanks. If I can return safely to the Human Domain, there will certainly be a grand gift to offer!"

Lin Suqing put on a convincing show of undoing its simple restriction and glanced inside.

Suddenly, her pupils shook violently, and her expression became slightly blank.

Wu Wang did not notice Lin Suqing's expression. He merely smiled and said:

"I am only confirming the truth of what you have told me. Though the two of us share similar tastes, we have known each other for too short a time. I must be cautious."

With that, Wu Wang took the jade thumb ring and looked inside. At once, he "saw" treasures floating in "empty space," along with several large wardrobes.

Two of those wardrobes stood open, filled with all sorts of... well, Immortal Dresses, bras, undergarments. The fabric was light and thin, the colors bright and splendid, mostly cyan, white, spring green, and pink, with slightly varying sizes.

It was truly a dazzling array, enough to make one's eyes unable to take it all in.

"My apologies for intruding!"

Wu Wang rose to his feet with a solemn expression, holding the thumb ring in both hands as he offered it back to Ji Mo.

"Big shot, I believe you."

Ji Mo took back the thumb ring and glanced at it. At first he was somewhat confused, but then understanding dawned on his face, and he hurriedly explained.

"Brother Xiong, do not misunderstand. These are all clothes I prepared for lovely ladies. I absolutely do not have that sort of strange fetish. I... this poor Daoist merely loves flowers and lusts after beauty, but I am still a very proper person!"

"Ah..."

Wu Wang smiled with narrowed eyes, nodding repeatedly as he raised a hand and patted Ji Mo's shoulder several times.

"Private matters are not shameful. So long as they do not offend others' eyes, no one can say anything about you, Brother Ji."

Ji Mo's face flushed bright red with urgency. "I truly do not wear them myself!"

"Would you like a few Northern Wilds-style leather skirts?"

"If there are any, that would be wonderful."

"Get Brother Ji several sets!"

Lin Suqing turned aside and covered her mouth, her shoulders shaking. Had she not undergone professional training, she would likely have burst into laughter long ago.

Wu Wang and Ji Mo appeared to be joking around, leaving the matter of the Human Domain cultivators unmentioned for so long, but this too was a kind of tacit understanding.

If Ji Mo continued, should they go save Ling Xiaolan and any others who might have survived, or not?

If they went, they might drag the Bear Hug Tribe into unnecessary trouble.

If they did not, they were all human after all. It would be easy for the Human Domain to brand them as standing by and watching death—or even aiding the fierce beast in its cruelty—which would also harm the Bear Hug Tribe's reputation.

Therefore, Ji Mo had merely described what he had experienced, using the heavy treasures he carried and the marks of damage on them to prove that his words were true. He did not continue any further.

Ji Mo deeply understood the Bear Hug Tribe's precarious position in the Northern Wilds. From beginning to end, he never asked for aid. Once he recovered some Magic Power, he began considering how to return to the Human Domain.

His Nascent Soul Realm cultivation was dazzling among the younger generation, but in the Human Domain, when the Human Domain's hostile forces clashed, no one cared about his age. They would only look at his strength.

Late at night, all was quiet.

Ji Mo rose from meditation, softly sighed, and took a jade talisman for recording notes from his thumb ring. After writing a few words of thanks and swallowing several more pills, he prepared to leave without farewell and depart the Bear Hug Tribe under cover of night.

His Spiritual Consciousness swept through the surroundings. Under the moonlight, several bonfires still burned within the Royal Court, with groups of people cheering and jumping about.

Ah, I still have not seen any Bear Hug Tribe girls.

Ji Mo sighed regretfully, lowered his head as he left the tent, glanced at the guards surrounding it in the distance, and was about to turn into a wisp of green smoke...

"Brother Ji, if you cannot sleep in the dead of night, why not go out for a stroll and admire the moonlight?"

A familiar voice came from nearby. Ji Mo turned his head and saw a familiar figure wearing an open-front beast-hide coat, surrounded by faint glimmers of light and possessing a rather muscular build.

Ji Mo froze, then said softly, "Brother Xiong, you... Oh, no, Brother Hou Di, what is this?"

Wu Wang curled his lips and made a silencing gesture. The surrounding guards quickly withdrew.

"Where is Brother Ji going?"

"In the end, I still cannot simply leave them behind," Ji Mo sighed. "I will go take another look. If I can save one or two people, so much the better."

Wu Wang said, "Come. I will lend you a hand."

"Brother Xiong, you must not. This matter has nothing to do with the Northern Wilds tribes."

Wu Wang revealed a graceful smile.

Did Ji Mo truly think he had nothing better to do than go out and invite trouble?

If the necklace on his chest had not grown warm a few times half an hour ago, and his mother had not inexplicably given an order for him personally to rescue some female cultivator from the Human Domain, he would not have bothered with the lives and deaths of those Human Domain cultivators.

Wu Wang smiled. "The one helping you is Hou Di. What does it have to do with the Bear Hug Tribe?"

Ji Mo could barely string his words together, stammering somewhat. "But... this, I absolutely do not mean to look down on Brother Xiong... I mean, Brother Xiong, your strength... that fierce beast is no trivial matter. Better forget it."

"Rest assured." Wu Wang pointed upward. "Where the Star God watches over, no one can harm the Star God's most sincere children."

Ji Mo's face was full of difficulty. For a moment, he even abandoned the thought of going back to save anyone.