Reunion with Wang Ying

That evening, the members of Jimin Hall gathered in a private room at Fengshan Restaurant to welcome Li Mo.

This was the most upscale restaurant in town, located right next to Jimin Hall, yet Li Mo had never stepped foot inside since its opening.

During the lavish banquet, Li Mo slowly recounted his experiences over the past two years.

He spoke of his travels to Eighteen Mountains for medical practice, then his journey to Anle City where he detected his spiritual root, and finally his apprenticeship at Lingmu Sect, carefully omitting the more challenging details.

Everyone was stunned to learn that Li Mo had actually become a cultivator.

Even the martial arts world of Eighteen Mountains felt incredibly distant to this peaceful little town, let alone cultivators from sacred mountains and holy lands.

Wang Pan's eyes widened, as if listening to a fairy tale.

"Li Mo, can you check if I have a spiritual root? Can I also become a cultivator like you?"

"This…"

Li Mo showed an embarrassed expression.

"It requires a special artifact to test, or cultivation at the Golden Core Stage or above. I'm currently just a disciple in training at the Qi Refining Stage."

Wang Ben, who was already over thirty, looked excited.

"Little Mo, can you use magic? Show us your skills, open our eyes, fellow disciples!"

Li Mo smiled and didn't dampen their spirits. He demonstrated Palm Lightning on the spot.

Upon seeing this, everyone exclaimed in surprise. The way they looked at Li Mo now was completely different, with a hint of reverence. They began asking all sorts of questions about cultivators.

Li Mo shared the basic common knowledge he possessed with everyone.

The crowd listened, captivated and enthralled.

It wasn't until late into the night that they reluctantly departed.

Li Mo followed Wang Pan to his home to rest.

"By the way, Li Mo, do you remember Wang Qi?"

"Your cousin who lives in Sanxigou?"

Wang Pan smiled and said, "Yes, that's her. We went to the riverbank for an outing that year, and my parents originally wanted to introduce her to you. She's still unmarried. Since you're back, the past is the past. Would you like me to arrange for you to meet again?"

Wang Pan had grown considerably taller and looked much more mature.

Li Mo smiled and shook his head upon hearing this.

"Let's forget it. I actually didn't tell my fellow disciples earlier, but I'm back this time to carry out a sect mission. I'm just passing by to take a look and plan to visit Shanbei Village tomorrow before leaving. My mission time is very tight."

"Ah?"

After Wang Pan was stunned, he couldn't help but sigh.

"Leaving again? I really envy you. You've been to so many places and met so many people. I'm going to be stuck here my whole life."

Wang Pan said it casually, but Li Mo took it to heart and kept it in mind.

The next day.

Li Mo left Hua'an Town and arrived near the former River God Temple.

He looked at the surging waters of the Tan River, murmured a few words softly, and then gently placed down the wildflowers he had gathered along the way, before continuing on horseback.

Shanbei Village remained peaceful.

The houses of the Zhao family were still buried by large stones. The villagers attributed it to the punishment of the Earth God, so they had not excavated them to this day.

He returned to his own house and opened the long-sealed door. Looking at the dusty table, chairs, and bedding inside, it felt as if time had reversed. He was back in his childhood, watching his mother mending his clothes under the oil lamp. His eyes welled up with tears.

"Mother."

After cleaning the room, Li Mo closed the door again.

There was no one at Zhang Qin's elder brother's house. Li Mo led his horse across the river towards North Mountain. By noon, he had arrived at his mother's grave. He took out the hoe he had prepared from his Storage Pouch and cleared away the weeds nearby.

About half an hour later.

His mother's grave was finally tidied up. Li Mo took out the offerings and placed them before his mother's grave, murmuring softly.

"Mom, I'm back to see you."

A while later.

A few village women carrying hoes passed by in the distance, sighing as they walked.

"Old Zhang died before he even turned thirty. How will his wife and daughter get by now?"

"Yeah, his daughter is only four. She just said he was gone, and he's gone."

"Did you hear? Old Zhang's relatives have already come to their door, saying that the mother and daughter are not part of the Zhang family and have no right to deal with Old Zhang's property. They're planning to take it back for the clan."

"Heavens, isn't this preying on the vulnerable? Isn't anyone going to do anything?"

"Why wouldn't anyone do anything? After the mother and daughter reported it to the town officials, the government sent people that very day. They said that a similar incident happened in North Mountain village across the river a few years ago. A mother and daughter were also preyed upon by their relatives, and then celestial retribution struck, and the entire family vanished overnight."

"I heard that too…"

Li Mo quietly listened to the idle chatter of the village women.

Only after they were gone did he look up at the sky. His previously suppressed mood seemed to lighten considerably.

"Mother, did you hear? Things are getting better and better here. When I become an Inspector, I'll definitely work hard to make this place even better."

Another half an hour passed.

Li Mo tidied his emotions, mounted his horse, and took one last look at the grave.

"Mother, I'm leaving."

A gentle breeze swept by as Li Mo rode away.

Two days later, he returned to Xinghua Village in Tongchao Town, traveling day and night along the main road. He knocked on the door of the Xiong family by the fish pond at the east end of the village.

After Li Mo explained his intentions, the old man immediately had Xiong Shao'an fetch his bag and follow Li Mo.

"Young hero, please take these dry rations for the journey."

"Thank you."

Li Mo rode away with Xiong Shao'an.

Xiong Shao'an looked about twelve or thirteen years old. Li Mo was the same age when he became an apprentice at Jimin Hall, studying for three years.

It was clear that Xiong Shao'an was full of excitement and yearned for the outside world.

Along the way, he couldn't help but ask, "Brother Li, can cultivators really fly in the sky?"

"Yes."

Li Mo didn't say much, maintaining his cool and mysterious persona.

After galloping for nearly an hour, Li Mo passed through a bamboo forest and suddenly pulled hard on the reins, stopping the horse.

Before them, more than thirty people were in a standoff.

One group of over ten people, dressed uniformly and escorting three carriages, looked like they were from a security escort agency.

The other group consisted of over twenty people, their faces fierce and radiating a murderous aura. These didn't look like petty thieves. Could they be notorious bandits from the Eighteen Mountains?

Both sides noticed Li Mo. Seeing that he was only with one other person, they paid him no mind.

"Boss, you've worked hard."

"Hmph, shopkeeper, you've worked hard. Want to make a deal?"

"Thunderous reputation!"

"So it's Shopkeeper Lei. Show your hand."

"Lei Shun Escort Agency has always valued peace. These tassels are just for you to have some tea."

"Show your hand" was a way to announce the escort agency's name.

"Shopkeeper Lei, you're a friend, and we're fellow travelers on the road. But this time is unusual. My brothers' eyes are sharp, and we need to identify the goods in the boxes. Is this what we ordered?"

The escort agency members exchanged glances.

Finally, the leader, Shopkeeper Lei, responded, "It's not that I, Lei, am unwilling to be open, but I've already shown my hand. The box contains a bean, and it's really inconvenient. How about this..."

He negotiated in slang, preparing to strike a deal.

At this moment.

Li Mo, ignoring the two parties in negotiation, walked towards them with Xiong Shao'an. Everyone was stunned and stared blankly at Li Mo.

Even the twenty-odd bandits on the other side turned to look at Li Mo.

"Stop!"

One of them shouted, "Did we say you could leave?"

Xiong Shao'an was somewhat fearful and trembled on his horse. Li Mo gestured for him not to be afraid and spoke to the man in the distance using slang, "Mushroom?"

The man heard this and burst into laughter.

According to the rules of the underworld, this was an impolite question, roughly meaning "Who the hell are you?"

Seeing Li Mo's indifferent expression, his face instantly turned cold.

"Seven-patterned dragon bends right, want to make a deal?"

Li Mo raised an eyebrow and ignored him, instead looking at the shopkeeper of the Lei Shun Escort Agency.

"Do these roadside tigers all have wanted posters?"

This meant asking if the bandits were wanted by the authorities and also implied a deeper question: were they unknown petty thieves or notorious bandits?

Shopkeeper Lei frowned and hesitantly replied, "Sprouts, many legs, eat and remember the bright green."

This literally meant "boys, you walk a lot, don't be ignorant. Entering the jianghu means death." In this context, it was like an elder scolding a junior, urging Li Mo to flee for his life. It also indirectly answered Li Mo, indicating that the opponents were indeed wanted bandits.

Hearing this, Li Mo grinned, dismounted, and walked towards the bandits.

"Hmm?"

Seeing Li Mo drawing his sword and quickening his pace, the notorious bandits were somewhat shocked.

To Li Mo, these so-called notorious bandits were nothing more than mere mortals. He was beginning to feel the condescending aura of that Inspector from the Heavenly Talisman Sect.

"Show your weapons!"

The bandits seemed to sense something unusual and drew their weapons.

An impudent one charged at Li Mo. Their figures blurred, and Li Mo moved with fluid grace. The foolish bandit fell straight down. The other bandits were shocked. The escorts from afar gasped, realizing they had encountered a tough opponent.

"All of you, attack!"

Numerous bandits surrounded Li Mo.

But to Li Mo, it was as ridiculous as a flock of sheep surrounding a wolf.

After he killed four of them consecutively, he found a scarred bandit whose martial arts were quite formidable. Li Mo struggled to defeat him quickly with martial arts alone. Taking advantage of the engagement, the other bandits attacked. As Li Mo dodged and weaved, he killed two more, but sustained some external injuries himself.

"Hmph."

Li Mo snorted coldly.

Fighting them with just martial arts and movement techniques was indeed difficult. Suddenly, a flash of lightning appeared, accompanied by a deafening roar. A Thunder Slave, like a hunting hound, materialized out of thin air.

This sight immediately sent the surrounding bandits into panicked screams.

Upon realizing that the person before them was a cultivator, they no longer cared about surrounding Li Mo and scattered in all directions.

The Thunder Slave was incredibly fast, lunging at the nearby bandits.

Anyone it touched would be instantly paralyzed by electricity. Li Mo then unleashed Palm Lightning, pursuing the scarred bandit from before. Their sword techniques were evenly matched, but with Palm Lightning's follow-up strike, the scarred bandit was sent flying backward, his body blackened, dead.

In the blink of an eye, the bandits had scattered.

Li Mo unleashed Lightning Ball Technique, a fleeting flash. A fleeing horse bandit fell on the spot.

Moments later.

Because he had a mission to protect Xiong Shao'an, Li Mo did not pursue further. He began to collect the spoils of war from the area, surprisingly finding a considerable amount of Silver.

As for the remaining rough work, he left it to the escorts.

"I am Li Mo, a disciple of the Lingmu Sect. Since these bandits are wanted by the authorities, please take their bodies and report them to the nearest official with me."

The members of the Lei Shun Escort Agency were truly terrified.

The fight hadn't lasted long, at most a quarter of an incense stick. This young man had unleashed Lightning Techniques, killing so many great bandits in the blink of an eye. It was truly terrifying.

As for the people Li Mo had killed with martial arts, they were automatically ignored by them.

The deterrence of magic on mortals was like a bloodline suppression from a natural enemy. Unless it was a well-trained army, ordinary people would instinctively flee upon seeing it.

"Ah, yes, quickly!"

Shopkeeper Lei snapped back to reality and quickly ordered his subordinates to collect the bodies and report them to the nearest official for the reward.

I wonder how much reward money we'll get. I can exchange it all for Spirit Stone then.

Li Mo thought to himself.

He couldn't help but feel secretly pleased with such an unexpected gain on his first mission out.

However, just then.

A woman's laughter echoed from the carriage.

"Hehe, Doctor Li, long time no see."

Li Mo froze. When he saw a stunningly beautiful woman pulling open the carriage curtain and smiling at him, he was utterly astonished.

"Wang Ying?"

This person was Jade Fox Wang Ying from the Pingshan Society.

Li Mo had obtained the Spirit Reflection Sword Manual> from her. He never expected to meet her again.