"Huh?" Chu Mo looked toward the room opposite his in confusion. "What's all that noise?"
Zhao Yang seemed not to have returned since yesterday. Now his door stood wide open, and two men in black robes were rummaging through his belongings without the slightest restraint.
"Senior brothers, may I ask what you're doing?" Chu Mo asked tentatively.
The older of the two glanced up. Seeing only a cultivator at the second level of Qi Refining, he stood with his hands behind his back and said evenly:
"We're from the Upper Mound Commerce Association. The owner of this room is dead. We've come to inventory his belongings and settle the cultivation debt he left behind."
"Zhao Yang's dead?!" Chu Mo asked in astonishment. Had yesterday's words really become a prophecy?
"That's right. He died last night. The cause of death is unknown." The older cultivator nodded, his tone unchanging.
It was only a death, after all. Those were all too common within the sect. As for the cause, they could not even be bothered to investigate, so long as it did not interfere with collecting the debt.
"Senior brother, I've finished the inventory. His belongings are worth around twenty-four Spell Coins," the younger cultivator said, stopping what he was doing and pointing at the items on the table.
The younger cultivator hurriedly opened the ledger he carried. A moment later, he read aloud, "Name: Zhao Yang. Second-level Qi Refining cultivator. Total borrowed: two hundred and twenty-one Spell Coins. Outstanding debt: four hundred and ten."
Chu Mo listened, dumbfounded. Why had the guy borrowed so much? And wasn't that interest outrageously high?
"I see." The older cultivator rubbed his chin. "Then summon Zhao Yang's soul from the Soul Banner. He'll serve our Upper Mound Commerce Association for five hundred years to pay off his debt."
Chu Mo no longer wanted to say anything. Zhao Yang had taken out a loan that reached clear up to heaven! He would not find peace even in death.
The older cultivator swept up the belongings with a wave, then turned to Chu Mo with a genial smile. "We still need to report back to Senior Brother Jiang, so we won't keep chatting with you.
"If you're ever short of Spell Coins, junior brother, remember to come to our Upper Mound Commerce Association. For just a tiny bit of interest, we can ensure your cultivation path stays clear of every obstacle."
"Heh, heh..." Chu Mo gave two dry chuckles and cupped his hands. "Of course, of course."
The older cultivator nodded, and the two mounted a Spirit Cloud and departed.
Chu Mo took a long look at the empty room opposite his. Danger truly lurked on every side within the Duo'e Sect, leaving him not a moment's peace.
That old bastard Liu Xian had also assigned him a task: at least three bottles of spirit ink. Making the stuff required a cultivator's spirit blood, and losing too much would affect his future cultivation.
Of course, the rewards for this task might be quite generous. Chu Mo wanted the reward, but he did not want to damage his own foundation.
"How about... buying it?" He suddenly clapped his hands.
The panel had rewarded him with thirty Spell Coins this time, along with three Heart-Burning Talismans worth around three Spell Coins apiece on the market. Buying two bottles of spirit ink would be easy enough.
With his mind made up, Chu Mo took the familiar turn onto the road to North Cliff.
He had figured it out by now. The so-called talisman master's legacy was nothing but a carrot dangling before his eyes. That old bastard Liu Xian was openly squeezing him for labor without paying him a thing.
Once his cultivation surpassed Liu Xian's, he would definitely show him a thing or two.
The North Cliff market was as lively as ever, with an endless stream of people coming and going. Chu Mo headed straight for the area selling materials.
A faint metallic tang mingled with the scent of medicinal herbs in the air.
The stalls on either side displayed a dazzling array of demonic beast materials, minerals, and spirit plants. There were even quite a few otherworldly items with strange auras that were difficult to identify.
His gaze swept over several stalls selling liquid materials before he finally stopped before a cultivator whose stall offered a full selection and who looked quite shrewd.
The stallholder was holding a soft cloth, leisurely wiping down a jade bottle.
"What can I get you, junior brother?" The stallholder looked up with a merchant's friendly smile.
Chu Mo's gaze roamed over the assorted beast bones and pelts. "I'm looking for spirit blood."
"Spirit blood? You've come to the right person!" The stallholder enthusiastically pointed at a row of dark-colored bottles whose spiritual energy was tightly contained.
"This is Ink Lizard blood. Very stable. And over here, Fire Crow blood, with a hint of fire affinity. The price is fair, too..."
Chu Mo listened to the introduction with a slight frown. He interrupted the stallholder and lowered his voice. "Do you have anything... more special? Something from a humanoid demonic beast, for instance?"
The stallholder's eyes lit up. A knowing smile appeared on his face, and he lowered his voice as well. "Yes, yes. Of course I do."
He bent down and took three small jars from a somewhat concealed compartment beneath the stall.
"This spirit blood comes from certain... well, intelligent beings 'equivalent to' early-stage Qi Refining cultivators. It's every bit as good as what the sect's Merit Hall sells. Twelve Spell Coins a jar."
After saying that, the stallholder gave him a look that said, "You know what I mean."
Though the sect's rules expressly forbade harming fellow disciples, as long as someone was not caught, it was as good as never having broken the rules.
As for whether their yin spirits would lodge a complaint after death? Who in the sect did not know a Mind-Cleansing Mantra or two? Almost everyone knew it, and every last one had honed it to perfection.
After carefully inspecting the blood, Chu Mo confirmed that nothing was amiss. Judging by the jar's size, one jar should make one bottle of spirit ink. He said, "I'll take one."
"Coming right up." The stallholder accepted the Spell Coins, warmly packaged the jar, and handed it over.
"Are you... Chu Mo?" A soft exclamation came from behind him. Chu Mo turned, and a flash of vivid red immediately filled his vision.
The speaker was a woman in a bright red dress. Her bodice dipped extremely low, revealing a broad expanse of snowy skin.
Her skin outshone snow, smooth as congealed cream and lustrous as jade. Her eyes were pools of spring water, their shifting glances seeming to hold a thousand tender feelings.
[Level 3 · Duo'e Sect reserve foot soldier (yellow name)]
Something stirred in Chu Mo's mind. He had seen this woman at the market a month ago. Back then, she had only been at the second level of Qi Refining and had been walking with Zhao Yang.
Seeing Chu Mo, the woman covered her mouth with a soft laugh. "You must be Junior Brother Chu Mo? I heard Junior Brother Zhao mention your name."
A trace of allure graced her features, and her glistening eyes seemed to hook the soul.
"That's right." Chu Mo nodded and asked, "May I ask your name, senior sister?"
"Qing Xi. Just call me Senior Sister Qing Xi."
"So it's Senior Sister Qing Xi." Chu Mo cupped his hands, unsure why she had taken the initiative to speak to him.
Qing Xi's eyes shimmered as she approached with a bright smile, her gaze passing lightly over him. "Do you often come to the North Cliff market, Junior Brother Chu? I feel as though I've seen you several times."
"I come by occasionally for cultivation supplies." Chu Mo's tone was even as he unobtrusively put the jade jar into his Storage Bag.
"You certainly are diligent." Qing Xi covered her lips and chuckled, her voice soft and beguiling. "Junior Brother Zhao often mentioned you before. He said you were unusually resolute, Junior Brother Chu. Now that I've met you, I can see he was right."
"You flatter me, senior sister."
Qing Xi smiled and exchanged a few more pleasantries about minor sect affairs and amusing happenings at the North Cliff market, subtly closing the distance between them as she spoke.
Only after a while did she seem to remember something and say gently, "Look at me, so caught up in talking to you that I nearly lost track of time. You still have things to get back to, don't you, junior brother? I won't keep you any longer."
She gave a graceful bow. Before turning to leave, she glanced back with another smile and a shimmering look, then swayed away into the passing crowd.
Chu Mo stood where he was, watching her lovely figure disappear, lost in thought. A moment later, he too turned and joined the crowd, quickly leaving the market.