White Jade Ant

Chapter 17: White Jade Ant

Luo Mu wasn't sure, either. He didn't know whether the two ill-intentioned cultivators had really left. But he couldn't stay holed up in the inn forever. And today, he'd felt something tugging at him; with his thoughts constantly on the eggs back home, how could he sit still?

Still uneasy, he made his way to the city gate and stepped onto his flying sword. The two cultivators were nowhere to be seen, and Luo Mu finally let out a breath of relief, inwardly cheering that he'd bet right.

All the way home, Luo Mu was like an arrow loosed from a bow, not stopping for even a moment. A journey that should have taken days lasted only half a day at the speed of his Flying Artifact. That showed just how great the difference was between having a Flying Artifact and not having one.

On a small hill outside Dragon Gate Town, Luo Mu finally stopped and put away his Flying Artifact. Though he was terribly excited, he had no intention of flying straight into town.

So far, no one in the whole town knew that he had successfully entered the Qi Refining Stage—and reached its second layer. Why had Luo Mu done this? Why had he refused to reveal that he was a cultivator? Wasn't that what he had always wanted?

The scene of Xiao Ling'er feeding him that so-called Forget-Love Pill was still fresh in his mind. Bai Lin, the cultivator behind it all, had been determined to take Luo Mu's life.

From that moment on, Luo Mu had understood one thing: until he had enough strength, he had to keep a low profile, or he would die a horrible death. If he'd been a little more tactful that day, Bai Lin might not have decided to kill him.

But none of that mattered anymore. What mattered was that Luo Mu hadn't died; instead, he'd come out of the misfortune better off than before. Now, before he had truly grown strong, he wouldn't reveal his identity as a cultivator in Dragon Gate Town, lest the news reach someone with ulterior motives and bring him trouble.

But Luo Mu wasn't the sort to swallow his anger. Once he felt his strength was sufficient, he would absolutely give everyone who had laughed at him a surprise—especially the Xiao Family, Xiao Ling'er's household!

As he walked toward town, Luo Mu began planning what to do from then on, trying to figure out which path he ought to take. Lost in thought, he soon reached the entrance to Dragon Gate Town.

"Eh? Isn't that Little Luo? Wonderful! Little Luo's finally back!" The moment he stepped into town, an excited voice reached his ears.

He turned and recognized the person at once: Auntie Zhang, a resident of the town. She'd always been in poor health, and luckily, the town had Luo Mu's family clinic, which had saved her life more than once.

After Father Luo's death and Luo Mu's recent departure, the Luo family clinic had been closed for nearly a month. Plagued by illness, Auntie Zhang had been beside herself with worry. Now that she'd suddenly seen Luo Mu return, she was so delighted that she cried out excitedly.

"Heh-heh, Auntie Zhang, are you feeling unwell?" Seeing how excited she was, Luo Mu had already guessed the reason. He asked with a smile.

"Yes, my old trouble's acting up again. But your family's clinic has been closed for ages. You've nearly worried this old woman to death!" Auntie Zhang tamped down her excitement, then put on an aggrieved face and complained.

Luo Mu just chuckled and said nothing.

"Little Luo, your father's gone, but your medical skills aren't much worse than his. Everyone in town knows that. Stop thinking about cultivating. That's not something ordinary mortals like us should be dreaming of. You've got excellent medical skills; you can earn a living anywhere. Your future's bright. Don't keep at something you shouldn't and ruin your whole life."

Seeing Luo Mu merely smile without answering, Auntie Zhang spoke to him earnestly. Over the years, she had watched Father Luo spend the family's savings buying spirit herbs for Luo Mu. In her eyes, Luo Mu was still young and foolish. His father had made all his decisions for him, but now Father Luo was gone. If Luo Mu continued to be so "stubborn," he would only ruin his life.

From Auntie Zhang's point of view, there was no mockery or sarcasm in her words, only heartfelt concern.

"Heh-heh, don't worry, Auntie. I won't ruin my life. I know what I should and shouldn't do." Mentioning his father stirred something in Luo Mu. After managing a strained smile, he spoke with firm resolve.

"That's good. Auntie Zhang watched you grow up, and I've got plenty of years behind me. I've eaten more salt than you've eaten rice. I'd never lead you astray." The determined look on Luo Mu's face convinced Auntie Zhang that he really had given up cultivation. Her expression instantly relaxed. She felt she'd saved the boy's whole life with a few words—something she hadn't expected at all.

What she didn't know was that Luo Mu's resolute expression wasn't because he intended to give up cultivating. Rather, he had silently resolved to make a name for himself in the cultivation world. If Auntie Zhang knew what he was thinking, she might have been so angry she spat blood.

"Auntie, you don't look well. Your illness must have gotten worse. Come to my clinic in a bit, and I'll write you a prescription. It won't cure you completely, but it should ease your symptoms." Luo Mu had no intention of chatting with her any longer. He got straight to the point, then prepared to leave.

"That'd be wonderful! I'll go get Auntie Wang, and we'll come together. She hasn't been feeling well lately, either. Since you're back, sorry for the trouble, but please take a look at her, too," Auntie Zhang said delightedly.

"Sure. I'll wait for you both at the clinic." With that, Luo Mu smiled and headed for his clinic.

On the way, Luo Mu met quite a few residents who greeted him. They hadn't seen much of him for nearly a month, so naturally, many were surprised to see him suddenly appear.

Among the surprised crowd stood Father Xiao, who had witnessed Luo Mu take the Forget-Love Pill that day. Seeing him now, Father Xiao furrowed his brow, his feelings in turmoil. He didn't know whether to believe that Luo Mu had truly forgotten Xiao Ling'er because of the pill, or to wonder why Luo Mu looked as if nothing had happened.

Only Father Xiao knew whether it was the former or the latter.

Luo Mu, however, showed nothing. When he saw Father Xiao, his expression didn't change in the slightest. He greeted him respectfully as he always had, leaving Father Xiao terribly awkward. Luo Mu, for his part, obligingly put on a puzzled expression.

Father Xiao gave an awkward smile and left. Luo Mu smiled, too, but his smile was cold to the bone!

After brushing past Father Xiao, Luo Mu finally returned to his clinic. Once inside, he locked the door tight and hurried toward the Blood Pact Formation.

As for the residents who'd come for treatment, they could wait for now. He'd decide what to do after he finished with the matter at hand. Suppressing his excitement, Luo Mu slowly approached the Blood Pact Formation.

As its name implied, the Blood Pact Formation was an array that used blood as its medium and a pact as its core. Any insect or beast hatched inside it would regard Luo Mu as its master and obey his every command, even if it meant death. It would be an enormous help to him.

The Blood Pact Formation was still glowing red, but the insect eggs inside it had disappeared. They had successfully hatched!

Three ordinary caterpillars crawled around inside the formation. Clearly, they had hatched from the three relatively larger eggs. Compared with ordinary caterpillars, there was nothing unusual about them.

On the other side were five demonic insects about the size of a thumb, shaped just like ants. They were simply much larger than ordinary ants. Their entire bodies were milky white, like jade, and they looked incredibly adorable. But their savage, terrifying mandibles and gleaming, razor-sharp legs made them seem anything but cute.

The eight demonic insects sensed Luo Mu's arrival and suddenly grew excited, casting off their earlier sluggishness as they hurried toward him.

But as soon as the eight demonic insects sprang up, the Blood Pact Formation flashed. A blood-red barrier appeared in front of them. Caught off guard, all eight slammed into it and couldn't move any farther. Their bodies were comically plastered flat against the crimson barrier.

Standing beside the Blood Pact Formation, Luo Mu couldn't help laughing at the sight. He was connected to the eight demonic insects by blood, so how could he not know what they'd just been trying to do?

It seemed his days ahead wouldn't be dull after all. At least these little fellows would keep him company, he thought.

As he looked at the two kinds of demonic insects before him, information about both appeared in his mind.

White Jade Ants were beautiful creatures, their bodies white as snow and gleaming like jade. Their terrifying mandibles, however, could easily bite through steel. They loved eating meat, especially the flesh of demonic beasts, which was rich in spiritual energy. Eating demonic beast meat helped them advance more quickly. And the more powerful the beast, the more the White Jade Ants loved to eat it!

The true energy and flesh of human cultivators were just as much a favorite. Like demonic beasts, human cultivators' flesh contained spiritual energy, making it a delicacy to the White Jade Ants. What they loved most of all was a cultivator's dantian, where spiritual energy was most concentrated—the very root of a human cultivator's power!

A White Jade Ant by itself was only a Level 1 Mid-Tier demonic beast as a larva. Once fully grown, it could reach the level of a Level 3 Top-Tier demonic beast. A lone White Jade Ant might not amount to much in the eyes of high-level cultivators, but a swarm of fully grown White Jade Ants could make even the most powerful cultivators flee in terror!

Few "high-level" cultivators would dare face a swarm of White Jade Ants alone!

Information about the White Jade Ants continued to surface in Luo Mu's mind. The corners of his mouth slowly began to curl up, stretching wider and wider until his grin reached his ears!