Morning sun rose over the horizon, and Li Mo squinted uncomfortably.
From the high ground where the storeroom stood, he looked out over Smelting Town and saw quite a few cultivators battling Sinister Beasts. Smelting Town was in utter chaos.
Li Mo shuddered.
Smelting Town likely would not know peace from here on out. Sinister Beasts were surely lurking in the shadows, peering into the hearts of the living.
Of course, for cultivators, it was also a fine opportunity to earn Spirit Stones. There would certainly be no shortage of tasks related to Sinister Beasts.
Li Mo had no intention of accepting any tasks. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the cultivators on the outskirts discussing him, someone now on equal footing with the stewards and Shopkeepers.
He had already earned enough Spirit Stones to advance to Childhood Stage Layer 2. This was the perfect chance to use the time to let his overly conspicuous reputation fade away.
"Crack, crack, crack, crack..."
Han Cai's movements grew ever swifter. He sorted the Elk Bizarre Beast's flesh, blood, and bones into more than a dozen Storage Bags.
Shopkeeper Tian turned and left the storeroom, while Old Madam Sun went to quell the Pawnshop's chaos. Xu Hu, who had suffered the gravest injuries, sat where he was with his eyes closed, resting.
Watching Han Cai perform Butcher Ding Dissects Ox, Li Mo could not help but marvel.
The truth proved that compared to being a physician, Han Cai was better suited to being a butcher.
As Li Mo carefully examined the Elk Bizarre Beast's bodily structure, an icy voice rang out. "Li Mo, why wasn't it the Mountain Lord?"
He shuddered and turned to see Steward Hu watching him with a smile that was not quite a smile.
Li Mo had thought Steward Hu would blame him for exposing Paint Green Clothes outside. He had already prepared a whole explanation, yet Steward Hu did not seem to care about that at all.
Instead, he was concerned with the choice of Beast Head Tattoo.
Li Mo answered hesitantly, "Steward Hu, there was no Mountain Lord Blood stored in the storeroom at the time. The situation was urgent, so I used Fox Blood instead."
"It's fine..."
As Steward Hu spoke, his gaze turned toward the Inner City. His entire body exuded an aura of venomous resentment and hatred, making the wood wither.
Li Mo finally understood why the cultivators had looked at him with pity.
Steward Hu truly was mercurial.
Han Cai picked up the conversation. As he drained the Elk Bizarre Beast's blood, he said, "A Beast Calamity only comes once every fifteen years. Sinister Beasts that have appeared before rarely show themselves again. Hu Wen, you..."
Steward Hu gave a soft chuckle, and his expression returned to normal.
Li Mo suddenly realized that Steward Hu seemed to be searching for some Sinister Beast in the Inner City. The Mountain Lord Painting he had painted might have some use.
No wonder Steward Hu had emphasized that the beast painting must not be shown to others, yet had said nothing about Paint Green Clothes.
Li Mo tested the waters. "Steward Hu has shown this lowly one great kindness. If there is anything I can help with, I certainly will not decline."
Steward Hu changed back into the alluring Faceless Woman, revealing a bewitching smile as he turned toward Han Cai, who was still dissecting the corpse.
"Han Cai, give me a bottle of the Sinister Beast's Heart Blood. It will be of great use."
"Alright!"
Han Cai gave Li Mo a deep look, then plunged into the corpse. When he emerged again, he held a bottle of milky-white liquid.
"Here."
Steward Hu caught the Bizarre Beast Blood, then tossed the Jade Bottle and a Bone Scroll to Li Mo.
"Many thanks, Steward Hu."
Li Mo happily put away the Jade Bottle. Elk Blood was somewhat lacking for Paint Green Clothes' primary tattoo, but it was more than sufficient for a secondary tattoo.
He then swept his gaze over the contents of the Bone Scroll.
He had not expected the Bone Scroll to contain the later stages of Paint Green Clothes, from the Childhood Stage to the Coming-of-Age Stage, even including the Establishment Stage, the Golden Core Stage.
Li Mo also found a Childhood Stage Dharma Gate for nourishing tattoos, one that could raise the Crimson Fox's potential.
Yet Steward Hu's actions made Li Mo the center of attention, even though the cultivators on the outskirts could not hear their conversation.
Li Mo did not want to be so high-profile. He understood the principle of standing out in the forest.
But his past was still dug up bit by bit.
He had come to Smelting Town's Pawnshop at ten years old, shed his apprentice status in two months, entered the Childhood Stage in just over half a year, and mastered two Spells.
Li Mo became even more determined to enter seclusion and wait out these days of being a target for all.
At last, Han Cai removed a Flesh Tumor resembling an embryo and carefully stored it in a special container before climbing down from the Corpse Mountain.
"The remaining Sinister Beast carcass will be handled by all you True Persons."
Han Cai gestured for the cultivators to enter. Li Mo was stunned for several breaths before joining the line carrying away the flesh, blood, and bones.
Taking the opportunity, he inspected the Sinister Beast up close and found that it truly had transformed from a cultivator. Its structure was astonishingly similar to that of a human.
The deeper its internal organs lay, the more severely decayed they were. They were covered in mold, nothing like the corpse of something that had just died.
Only its Middle Dantian, which stored spiritual power, had transformed into an embryo-like Flesh Tumor.
As if it were about to give birth to an infant.
By the time the corpse had completely vanished, the Pawnshop had been busy for three full days.
Only after the Elk Bizarre Beast had completely disappeared did the herd of deer at the foot of the mountain vanish from sight.
Because Li Mo had helped dispose of the Elk Bizarre Beast's corpse, he received five Mid-grade Spirit Stones. Ordinary cultivators would have to work themselves to death just to kill a Sinister Beast.
During that time, disasters broke out throughout Smelting Town. The source had been dealt with, but the Sinister Beasts it spawned hid in corners, growing stronger by devouring human hearts.
Dark clouds blanketed the skies above Smelting Town, while the Furnaces burned day and night.
Several cultivators were even solidified into Living Statues by Nectar Spiritual Energy, to say nothing of mortals. Nearly half of the Pawnshop's apprentices and menial workers were dead or wounded.
Of the children from Niu Family Village, only six remained.
Among the people Li Mo knew, Li Qingfang and her brother had hidden in the schoolhouse and remained unharmed. Li Zhu had merely been frightened at the Miscellaneous Hall.
As for Ma Ergao...
After Li Mo had seen Ma Ergao once on the way to the storeroom, he never saw him again. He had tried to search for him.
Some menial workers said Ma Ergao had shouted crazed words and taken advantage of the chaos to climb over the wall and flee Smelting Town, returning to Niu Family Village deep in the mountains.
Other menial workers said they had seen Ma Ergao's corpse in the Bamboo Forest of the Pawnshop's rear courtyard.
Li Mo did not verify it. Though he later sent letters home to Niu Family Village, he only said that all was well and never once asked about Ma Ergao.
The Pawnshop began rebuilding, and it immediately became a Fish Dragon mix of all kinds.
Smelting Town had sealed itself off from outsiders coming and going, likely to guard against Sinister Beasts as well.
Now that the restrictions had been lifted, the city was indeed more prosperous, but the number of people dying inexplicably each day gradually increased.
Li Mo could not help secretly rejoicing. His arrival in Smelting Town had been neither too early nor too late. The few years before the Outer Sect Grand Competition should have been the safest.
While Smelting Town busied itself quelling the chaos, Li Mo had already returned to his inner room.
Sinister Beasts could not be killed cleanly, at least not over the next ten years. He did not want to place himself in danger for short-term gains.
Moreover, after Jin Li sent over the three Mid-grade Spirit Stones earned from killing the Human-Faced Deer, Li Mo's funds became ample.
Li Mo took out two Mid-grade Spirit Stones and exchanged them for Han Cai's dwindling supply of Misty Spiritual Energy. He used the rest directly for meditation and absorption.
Spirit Stones were formed from dozens of Spiritual Qi mixed together. It was simply unrealistic for cultivators to cultivate by absorbing Spirit Stones, and doing so would only damage their physical foundation.
But Li Mo was different.
With his Multi-layered Dantian, he did not need to worry about contamination of his body.
Li Mo asked Jin Li to keep an eye out for Beast Blood and Beast Fur in the storeroom. Jin Li agreed at once and even volunteered to look after Zhao Zhu and the others.
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