Mokai

The next morning.

An Chen was awakened by the noise outside the window.

When he went downstairs, he found quite a few people already seated in the lobby, all discussing what had happened last night.

"Did you hear? The third floor was haunted last night!"

"What happened?"

"There was a woman on the third floor last night. Instead of sleeping in the middle of the night, she started screaming that her room was haunted."

"Ah, what happened after that?"

"She said she saw some kind of tentacles, Sea Rattan ones. She woke up the whole floor. Then she changed rooms and checked out before dawn, even leaving her luggage behind."

"This place really is creepy... Yesterday, I nearly got someone killed just buying a melon."

Holding his bowl, An Chen sat quietly in a corner and listened.

There really was something strange about this town.

After breakfast, An Chen followed the waiter's directions and headed deeper into town.

Starting from the inn and walking along the main street for about ten minutes, he reached the deepest part of town.

At the end of the street stood a two-courtyard residence with gray walls and blue tiles. Two stone lions stood at the entrance, making it look far more respectable than the low stone houses around it.

A wooden plaque hung over the gate, bearing the words "Sanchao Post Master Manor."

An Chen stepped forward and knocked.

"Who is it?"

"My name is Ashton. I have come to visit Director Mo, Mokai, today."

The gate creaked open, and a middle-aged man appeared in the doorway.

The man looked to be in his forties, lean and wiry, dressed in a worn green robe tied with a black cloth belt. He looked like an ordinary bookkeeper.

An Chen's eyes lit up slightly as he activated Spirit Vision to observe him.

Hmm, the color of his aura was normal, even somewhat richer than that of an average Soul Master. His emotional layer was dark blue—wary? That was normal. Anyone would be wary when a stranger suddenly came calling.

His face was somewhat pale, but his eyes gleamed faintly with a businessman's shrewdness.

"You are?" The man regarded him warily from head to toe. "I am Mokai. What can I do for you?"

So this was him? He looked a little weak.

"Director Mo, I have heard much about you." An Chen smiled and cupped his hands. Then he lowered his voice. "I came mainly to visit you today. Also, I heard that the Whale Rubber you have here is quite good, and I would like to buy some."

"Oh, please come in."

At that, Mokai immediately became much more welcoming. He stepped aside and led him through the gate.

The emotional layer turned a warm red, though a ring of wary dark blue still lingered around its edges.

An Chen observed as he walked into the courtyard.

The courtyard was simply furnished. An Old Banyan Tree stood in the center, with a stone table and stools beneath it.

The side rooms on both sides appeared to be storage rooms.

They crossed the front courtyard and entered the main hall.

The furnishings inside were simple: an Eight Immortals Table, several chairs, and a few calligraphy paintings hanging on the walls.

An Chen gave them a glance, though he had no idea whether they were genuine.

He then swept his spiritual sense over the entire residence and found nothing unusual.

At that moment, An Chen felt as if his Spirituality had been pricked by a needle.

What was that? Had he not slept well last night?

An Chen turned off Spirit Vision, shook his head, and stopped thinking about it.

Mokai invited him to sit and personally poured him some tea.

"Where is little brother Ashton from?"

"Heaven Dou City." An Chen took the teacup and looked at him. "Judging by my equipment, it should not be hard for you to guess my identity, right?"

"Hahaha, of course. We often have mercenaries coming through here as well." Mokai nodded. "As for Whale Rubber, the entire Sanchao Post is under my management. How much do you need, little brother? Do you have any requirements for its age?"

"A thousand years or more would be best. The older, the better." An Chen set down his teacup. "As for the quantity... Whale Rubber over a thousand years old is probably not common. You know how young nobles are—I want to see what Thousand-Year Whale Rubber is like first. If I am satisfied, we can establish a long-term partnership."

A sharp glint flashed in Mokai's eyes, and his smile widened.

"Whale Rubber over a thousand years old—that is serious business."

He rose to his feet, walked to a cabinet by the wall, took out a ledger, flipped through it, and thought for a moment.

"I happen to have a piece of Three-Thousand-Year Whale Glue, about the size of a fist. As for the price, if little brother is sincere, we can discuss it further."

As Mokai spoke, he made a gesture with his hand.

Thirty thousand Gold Soul Coins? That was still acceptable. Should he haggle some more?

Watching his gesture, An Chen noticed Mokai's wrist.

When Mokai had poured the tea earlier, he had rolled up his sleeve slightly, exposing part of his wrist.

There was a faint purplish-red mark on it, resembling the scar left behind after a wound had healed.

But that definitely was not a mark left by an ordinary healed wound.

An Chen studied it carefully and made his judgment.

The mark was wriggling faintly, as if it were alive.

"Little brother?"

Mokai's voice pulled him back.

Mokai seemed to have noticed An Chen's gaze and followed it.

Then realization dawned on him, and he smiled. "Little brother, are you looking at this scar of mine?"

Outwardly, An Chen remained composed and smiled with a nod, though inwardly he became more wary.

"Ah, this scar is rather embarrassing to explain. Some time ago, I was injured by a piece of Cambing Poison Coral while at sea. Its poison even caused my Wuhun to mutate." Mokai sighed as he spoke and pulled down his sleeve. "Fortunately, my body suffered no serious harm, and the mutation to my Wuhun was a positive one. It is just that this scar has never faded."

An Chen nodded calmly. "So that is what happened. It is nothing serious, really. You could say it was a blessing in disguise."

He paused, then continued, "The price Director Mo mentioned earlier is fair. Let us go with that."

"Straightforward!" Mokai's smile paused for a moment, then he burst into laughter and returned to the table to sit down. "Little brother is a forthright man, but this Whale Rubber is the oldest one I have. It is a matter of importance, so I will need a few days to prepare it."

"Then I will trouble you, Director Mo."

After leaving the Mo family courtyard, An Chen did not hurry back to the inn.

He idly played with a palm-sized little jar in his hand as he wandered aimlessly along the town's streets, deep in thought.

Mokai certainly knew how to do business. He had even given him a jar of Whale Rubber as a gift.

But the mark on his wrist was probably not as simple as he had made it sound.

Before he knew it, An Chen had reached the edge of town.

A beach lay ahead, and the sound of waves could be faintly heard in the distance.

An Chen simply continued forward, intending to go to the shore and enjoy the breeze.

The beach was littered with rocks of all sizes, and the morning sunlight cast a faint golden sheen over them.

The sea breeze, heavy with moisture, rushed toward him and cleared his head somewhat.

As he walked, he suddenly stopped.

Among the rocks ahead stood a vague figure.

It looked like a woman.

Do not do anything foolish, An Chen thought. He had no intention of meddling, but in the end, he still could not help walking over.

She moved behind a large rock, wrapped in a blanket, her messy hair hanging loose as she muttered toward the sea.

An Chen softened his footsteps and slowly approached.

"Do not come over... Do not come over..."

The woman's voice was hoarse and trembling with fear.

"They keep moving... So disgusting... So disgusting..."

An Chen's heart stirred.

That voice sounded somewhat familiar.

He carefully examined the woman's back.

She was thin, wearing a wrinkled plain-colored dress, with mud and sand all over her feet.

Judging by her voice, she should have been the woman from last night.

"Miss?"

An Chen called out tentatively.

The woman abruptly turned around. Her eyes were bloodshot, and her face was filled with terror.

An Chen examined her closely and found that, if not for her disheveled hair, dust-covered face, and filthy dress, she was actually quite pretty.

Seeing that it was An Chen, her expression relaxed slightly, though her body was still trembling.

"Who are you..."

"I stayed at that inn last night too. I heard your voice." An Chen stopped a few steps away from her. "Why are you here?"

The woman froze for a moment, then lowered her head again. Hugging her knees, she muttered, "I do not dare go back... I do not dare go back... There were so many tentacles... They wrapped around me... They wanted to... wanted to have a child with me..."

What kind of nonsense was that? Have a child? Had she really gone mad?

Though he thought that, An Chen still crouched down and tried to make his voice sound gentle. "Miss, can you tell me what exactly you saw? Who wanted to have a child with you?"

The woman trembled, as if recalling something.

"That man smiled at me, and I felt so comfortable... I clearly felt disgusted, but I felt so comfortable... Then vines grew from his hands—no! Or were they tentacles? They wrapped me inside them... He asked if I was willing to become his tree... I agreed... Why did I agree? No... I cannot tell anymore... I am rotten!"

She suddenly clutched her head and screamed, "Do not ask anymore! I do not know! I do not know anything! No, no, it is real! No, it is all fake! I cannot tell anymore!"

An Chen sighed and did not continue questioning her.

Her mental state was extremely unstable. Even if he kept asking, he probably would not learn anything.