Eye of the Evening Moon

Li Mo wasn't concerned with the conflict between the Pingshan Society and the Lishan Gang.

He had already learned to ride a horse and gotten the Divine Physician Hall back on track. Next, he needed to find a way to inquire about cultivators from Wang Ying.

Unfortunately, that woman's lips were sealed tighter than a drum.

Li Mo could only focus on improving his standing within the Pingshan Society, waiting for the day she'd come to him for help, or when she'd be forced to tell him the truth.

As for improving his martial arts, aside from relying on the Misty Dream Realm for cultivation, Li Mo began engaging in practical sparring.

How did he spar?

Here, as long as you were willing to spend silver, anything was negotiable.

One day.

Li Mo brought good wine and food and proactively sought out Wu She, the Shadowless Sword.

They had a good relationship normally, so under Li Mo's relentless barrage of food and drink, Wu She no longer held back and began teaching Li Mo the intricacies of swordsmanship.

Li Mo, a swordsman who had picked up the art midway, benefited greatly.

This practical experience was something Li Mo couldn't replicate by himself in the Misty Dream Realm. Many of his previous confusions were resolved under Wu She's explanations.

"How about we have a practice spar? Brother Wu, please don't hold back!"

Wu She, seeing this, became enthusiastic.

"Haha, let's have a 'knowing each other through a fight.' I've long heard of Brother Li's extraordinary swordsmanship. Come on!"

Both were swordsmen, and after a period of swordplay exchange, they were both impressed by each other's exquisite skills.

While Li Mo benefited immensely, Wu She was also greatly surprised!

In his opinion, although Li Mo's various moves lacked flexibility and killing intent, the posture of each move was practically perfect, like something from a martial arts manual—absolutely standard, with smooth and flowing movements that were a sight to behold. His fundamentals were exceptionally solid.

And this type of martial artist was often the most difficult to deal with.

"It seems we need to exchange more in the future!"

Wu She sheathed his sword and said with a smile, "By the way, do you know Tang San Dao? His martial arts moves are somewhat similar to yours; both are flexible, grappling types. You two could also exchange more."

Li Mo's heart leaped at this.

"Okay!"

Although this wasn't true combat, it benefited Li Mo greatly. He vaguely felt he was lacking this kind of practical sparring.

Night.

Li Mo returned to his wooden cabin. Before sleeping, he took out his Mystic Box as usual, intending to read for a while. Just then, a knock came at the door.

"Who is it?"

"Hehe, it's me."

It was the Jade Fox, Wang Ying. Li Mo's face lit up with surprise, and he immediately got up to open the door.

A fragrant breeze wafted in as Wang Ying entered uninvited and sat on Li Mo's bed, looking at him with captivating eyes.

"There's a Water Jumper in the stronghold. The two leaders plan to flay him alive tomorrow. It'll definitely be lively. Are you going?"

"Water Jumper" was slang for an informant.

Li Mo looked at Wang Ying, who was gazing at him tenderly on the bed. Although the beautiful woman was alluring, as a Traveling Doctor, and having learned of her debauched lifestyle, his潔癖 (cleanliness obsession) made him feel uncomfortable and unwilling to get too close.

"I'm a doctor; I'm responsible for saving people. I'm not interested in killing."

Seeing Li Mo say this, Wang Ying chuckled, "Is that so? I didn't think you were soft-hearted back then. Why are you standing there? Come sit down."

"They all got what they deserved."

Li Mo finished, then feigned modesty, "Sister Wang, is there anything else?"

Wang Ying covered her mouth and giggled.

"Sister came to accompany you, but you don't want her when she's delivered to your doorstep. You truly are a brat. Fine, Sister knows what you want. I can tell you about cultivators, but you have to promise me something too."

"What is it?"

Li Mo hadn't expected it to be this simple, and his tone became somewhat excited.

Wang Ying whispered into Li Mo's ear, "After the war with the Lishan Gang in a few days, you need to leave some extra herbs on hand for emergencies, prioritizing treatment for the brothers who follow me. This isn't too difficult for you, is it?"

Li Mo didn't think much of it and nodded, immediately agreeing. He looked at Wang Ying with anticipation.

Seeing this, Wang Ying smiled charmingly.

"Every year on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, the Lingmu Sect dispatches a group of cultivators to the prefectural capital. At the gates of the Heaven's Mandate Bureau in the four commanderies and relatively remote counties, they test for spiritual roots. However, to test if you have spiritual roots, it costs five hundred copper coins. Those with spiritual roots are one in a thousand."

Li Mo's face showed surprise. He hadn't expected this matter to be so simple!

"The fifth day of the fifth month, isn't that the Dragon Boat Festival?"

Li Mo was already getting impatient.

"Hehe, but don't say Sister didn't warn you. As far as I know, there might be a huge conspiracy or a trap involved. So, I advise you to complete Sister's task before you leave. Otherwise, when you find out later... you might regret it for the rest of your life."

Only after Wang Ying left did Li Mo's solemn expression gradually return to normal. He looked deeply at her retreating figure.

He couldn't tell if she was making things up or if there was truth to it.

Could there be a conspiracy or trap involved?

The next day.

Li Mo practiced his martial arts in the open space in front of the Divine Physician Hall. As he repeatedly leaped and jumped, he pondered Wang Ying's words from the previous night.

Was the conspiracy and trap she mentioned real, or was it just a way to keep him here?

After a long while.

"Sigh."

Li Mo let out a long sigh.

He decided to stay for now and fulfill his promise.

Firstly, he was a man of his word and didn't want to break his vow. Secondly, Han Kui had also said that mastering basic martial arts would be immensely beneficial, even for cultivators.

Since it would take him at least another year to master his martial arts, staying here wouldn't be a waste of time. After all, there were quite a few experts here, and he had plenty of Silver, which he could use for frequent sparring and exchanges to hasten his martial arts mastery.

"Kill me! Just kill me!"

The Water Jumper from the Lishan Gang shouted hysterically. However, Gao Zhen showed no intention of killing him quickly. He wanted to slice him into a thousand pieces, a process known as Lingchi.

Li Mo glanced at the scene from afar and then coldly departed.

Following that, under Li Mo's relentless pursuit of sparring, he began to exchange martial arts blows with the various leaders of the Pingshan Association. As his practical combat experience rapidly improved, and after asking Han Kui about how to sense the Sha Qi on others, he was shocked to discover a fatal flaw in his martial arts!

He lacked the so-called "danger intuition."

The Three-Way Swordplay mentioned that second-rate martial artists in the jianghu combined Sha Qi with intuition.

Due to his lack of practical experience, he had always practiced in isolation and had never cultivated this "danger intuition." Naturally, he couldn't combine it with Sha Qi.

If he hadn't engaged in frequent sparring here and continued to practice in isolation, this fatal flaw would have plagued him for life, and he might never have achieved martial arts mastery.

This realization filled Li Mo with a mix of pleasant surprise and lingering fear.

The sixth sense, a special intuition for danger, was a common trait among all martial artists, often providing a sliver of hope in life-or-death situations.

"Interact and spar more with others to find your danger intuition!"

Li Mo set this goal for himself in his heart.

Unknowingly, it was almost Evening Moon again.

The leaders who escorted the merchants back to Songjiang Town brought good news.

The three escort agencies in Songjiang Town agreed to cooperate again, provided that the Pingshan Association eradicated the Lishan Gang. The three major agencies would then continue to use the waterways controlled by the Pingshan Association and pay tribute monthly.

Everyone cheered and their spirits soared.

There were also two large carts of herbs bought from the mountains, which were delivered to the Divine Physician Hall.

The Pingshan Association was clearly preparing for a protracted war!

It was known that both major gangs had many experts, along with hundreds of petty criminals. A direct assault, even if the Pingshan Association won, would inevitably result in significant casualties. Furthermore, the Eighteen Mountains were no charity; there were plenty of opportunistic individuals waiting to strike. Therefore, gang conflicts in the Eighteen Mountains had always followed their own rules.

If the martial arts of the gang leaders or leaders were not overwhelmingly superior, they would often opt for a siege and attrition strategy until one side was exhausted.

Otherwise, a direct confrontation would only lead to a situation where the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind, benefiting a third party.

"After Evening Moon, let's fuck 'em up!"

"Fuck 'em up..."

Late at night.

Li Mo lay in bed, tossing and turning, unable to sleep.

One reason was the lingering excitement from the martial arts exchanges that had just concluded. Another was that he recalled the Evening Moon of last year, when his mother had left him, and his heart was filled with longing.

"Mother, once I've mastered my martial arts and found out about the conspiracy to test the spiritual roots of cultivators, I'll leave here immediately. I won't make you sad."

He muttered to himself, then turned over in bed. His gaze inadvertently swept towards the window.

Today was the first day of Evening Moon.

It was just past midnight, and as Li Mo looked at the scenery outside the window, he jolted upright in bed.

Disbelief flickered in his eyes.

Under the moonlight, the cold mountains and plains seemed to be covered by a layer of mucus, or slime, that was difficult to describe in words.

This layer of slime emitted an eerie, faint glow, as if it were alive, constantly wriggling. Occasionally, it would gather together, like a giant egg, seemingly about to hatch something. However, as countless mysterious silver runes emerged from the mountains and plains in all directions, converging on these bulging areas, the bulging areas gradually dissipated.

"What is this?"

Li Mo's shocked gaze fell upon the moonlight near the windowsill.

There was also slime flowing here, gradually forming an egg-sized bulge.

He observed this bulging area closely, faintly seeing black smoke, tentacles, and scales churning within. A grotesque little thing that made his scalp tingle was rapidly being gestured.

"This is... a Malevolent Spirit?"

Li Mo held his breath, incredulous.

A large number of silver runes then surged from nearby. They were like a school of silver tadpoles, resembling natural musical notes between heaven and earth, writing down principles and laws, converging towards the raised area in front of Li Mo's windowsill.

The little Malevolent Spirit inside struggled in pain, and was then decomposed by the countless silver tadpoles.

Li Mo felt a tingling sensation on his scalp. He remembered the words of the mad hunter.

So he looked out the window at the sky again.

But this time, he didn't see those horrifying, oppressive, distorted, desperate, and absurd indescribable scenes. The entire night sky was quiet, appearing normal. It seemed he was being overly cautious.

His previous mental preparation was suddenly rendered useless.

But Li Mo didn't relax because of this. He remembered the mad hunter's strange left hand. So, after swallowing, he slowly extended a finger on his right hand.

"Ah!"

Li Mo cried out in pain.

As if electrocuted, he quickly withdrew his right index finger.

The skin on his finger had rapidly become red and swollen, as if it were about to rot. It seemed that if Li Mo had been even a little slower, that finger would have completely withered and died like the mad hunter's.

This made Li Mo gasp, his eyes filled with uncontrollable terror.

"How could this happen!"

He carefully hid himself, making sure not to expose his body outside the window.

However, when he looked at the sky again, he was shocked to see a giant red eye, several times larger than the moon, constantly rotating in the sky, as if searching for something. He immediately gasped, feeling a chill rush from the base of his spine to the crown of his head, his thoughts almost freezing.

At this moment, he finally understood what the mad hunter had said.

While he could see them, they could also see him. As long as he was seen by them, he would surely die!

After a long time.

The giant eye gradually disappeared.

Li Mo found herbs inside and bandaged his injured finger. He lay back on the bed. Although worried, he was not terrified or bewildered. He merely analyzed the strange change with a solemn expression.

"Sunset, Evening Moon, Monster are called forbidden times. Such secrets are hidden behind them."

Then he thought of the mad hunter, whose curse only affected one hand, yet he hadn't died. According to him, as long as he wasn't directly exposed to the sky, they couldn't see him.

The next day.

Li Mo stood at the doorway, hesitating for a long time.

One had to know that the so-called Evening Moon referred to the fourteen days in late February. He couldn't possibly stay indoors forever. Finally, he mustered his courage and extended a finger again, this time with the finger tucked inside his sleeve.

But even so, in just an instant, he quickly withdrew his finger.

"As expected, it's fine."

This time, Li Mo didn't feel any pain, and his finger was unharmed.

Even though it was only protected by a layer of clothing, it could effectively resist the damage from the sky. After repeated attempts, he gradually relaxed.

"Xi Time is forbidden for going out; an umbrella is needed for protection when outside. Evening Moon is not suitable for labor. There is actually such a deep reason behind this."

So, Li Mo put on his bamboo hat, donned his straw cape, and for good measure, opened his oiled paper umbrella before stepping out of the room.