Bai Mo dodged swiftly without striking back. He yelled at Mo Luo’an, “I only came here to eat! I didn’t seek out any of those girls! Calm down, calm down, getting this angry is bad for your health! Aya! You’re still coming?!”
After a few more exchanges, Bai Mo spotted the brothel madam heading their way. Sensing trouble, he lunged forward, scooped up the hiding white fox, and leapt right out of the window.
Mo Luo’an followed hot on his heels, chasing him out.
Fan Jian, also noticing the approaching madam and looking at the absolute wreckage left on the floor, realized he had done nothing wrong and certainly wasn’t going to be the scapegoat to pay for it. He and his men quickly slipped out of the window as well.
Bai Mo burst into Jun Wuye’s room, pulling the man in front of him to act as a shield against the pursuing Mo Luo’an. He thrust a hand out to signal a halt. “Stop, stop, stop! If you don’t stop right now, watch out or I’ll-”
Mo Luo’an strode inside. “Watch out or you’ll what?”
“I-I won’t go there again, alright?” Bai Mo instantly chickened out, blinking his eyes with a pitiful, pleading look.
Jun Wuye cast a look of utter disdain at Bai Mo behind him. “Heh, truly spineless.”
Jun Wuye had no intention of acting as a human shield. He brushed Bai Mo’s hands off, walked over to sit down, and propped up his chin to watch the drama unfold. However, most of his gaze remained fixed on the white fox tucked under Bai Mo’s arm.
The moment they had entered the room and the white fox laid eyes on Jun Wuye, it began to squirm restlessly. It desperately wanted to flee, but Bai Mo held it in a tight lock. The terrifying aura emanating from the man made the little creature tremble all over.
Noticing the fox’s distress, Bai Mo complained, “Look at you! You’ve gone and terrified it with that face of yours.”
Looking at that familiar face, Mo Luo’an found his anger slowly draining away. He took a deep breath and warned solemnly, “If you dare step foot into that kind of place again, I don’t mind making you bedridden once more.”
Oho, a threat! A blatant threat! As if I’d be scared of you–
Actually, looking at Mo Luo’an’s deadpan expression, Bai Mo knew he wasn’t joking. He really didn’t want to go back to being a living corpse. He nodded like a woodpecker. “Yes, yes, yes! I’ll listen to you, completely! Hehehe~”
“Coward,” Jun Wuye muttered in disdain.
Bai Mo didn’t mind in the slightest. “In front of the one who feeds and clothes you, you have to know when to bend. Say, Boss, why don’t you just sponsor me?”
Mo Luo’an didn’t quite understand the modern slang of being “sponsored,” but he understood the concept of providing for someone. He reached into his robes, pulled out his coin purse, took out a banknote, and handed it to Bai Mo. “You’ve run out of money, haven’t you? Take this.”
He had seen the leftover feast on the table earlier; those dishes must have cost a pretty penny.
Bai Mo hadn’t expected that getting chased down would actually yield a financial reward. Since he was indeed broke, he promptly set the white fox down and happily snatched the banknote.
“Luo’an, you are the best!”
Gazing at the five-hundred-tael banknote in his hand—having received such a generous sum all at once, Bai Mo grinned. “If I can get this much money every time, I really wouldn’t mind you roughing me up again.”
Besides, he hadn’t actually been hit.
“You-” Mo Luo’an’s fists clenched as his hands grew itchy again. But looking at Bai Mo’s carefree, shameless face, he wondered why he was even letting himself get worked up. Ultimately, he was the one who owed this man. Letting his fist unravel, he sighed.
“You are not allowed to step out of this inn tomorrow. Stay inside and behave yourself.”
“Sure thing! I promise I won’t walk out of those doors,” Bai Mo chirped. I’ll just leap out of them instead.
Jun Wuye observed the white fox, which seemed exceptionally terrified of him. “Bai Mo, where did you get this white fox?”
Bai Mo tilted his chin up proudly. “It was captivated by my blindingly handsome face.”
Jun Wuye shot him a flat look. “Speak human.”
So, Bai Mo recounted the story of how he met the white fox to Jun Wuye and Mo Luo’an. “I didn’t expect those guys to actually fall for it.”
Jun Wuye knew who Fan Jian was the only son of Elder Fan from his cult. The boy had a rather erratic and playful personality, quite similar to Bai Mo’s. Truly, birds of a feather flocked together.
Bai Mo stared at the white fox, licking his lips. “This fox is quite plump. Let’s prep it for a stew later.”
Feeling three pairs of eyes staring intensely at it, the white fox shivered even harder, trembling like a leaf.
Mo Luo’an averted his gaze. “I see this white fox is quite spiritual. Keep it alive.”
“Eh? No fox meat?” Bai Mo pouted.
Mo Luo’an swept a stern gaze over him. “Are you lacking meat to eat?”
Under Mo Luo’an’s oppressive aura, Bai Mo could only shake his head. “No.”
But in his heart, he wailed: I’m lacking fox meat! Why else would I have carried it all the way back?
“In that case, I shall take it with me.” Mo Luo’an knew that if the white fox remained with Bai Mo, it would undoubtedly end up in his stomach. An inn was no place to raise a pet anyway; it was better to have his men take it back to the valley to be cared for.
Watching Mo Luo’an carry the white fox away, Bai Mo sighed. Alas, the meat that was practically in my mouth has flown away.
Seeing his pitiful display, Jun Wuye drawled, “Stop staring. Even its shadow is gone.”
Coming back to his senses, Bai Mo slid over to sit right next to Jun Wuye. He studied the man’s face for a moment. “Let me see your complexion looks a whole lot better over the past two days! You’re officially purging the rest of the poison tomorrow, right? Do you need me to stand guard for you?”
Jun Wuye cast a highly skeptical look at him. “You?”
“Yes, me! What’s wrong with that? Don’t underestimate people,” Bai Mo grumbled, displeased. He had some skills now, didn’t he? At the very least, his escaping skills were top-tier.
“Heh,” Jun Wuye scoffed softly.
“Hey, hey, what’s that supposed to mean? Just because you transmigrated into a Cult Master doesn’t mean you can look down on me!” Bai Mo bristled. During his first month, his soul hadn’t fully bonded with this body, leaving him at a disadvantage. But after his diligent practice over the past few days, his cultivation and techniques had progressed leaps and bounds.
Jun Wuye raised an eyebrow and turned to him. “You know who I am now?”
Bai Mo nodded, lifting his head arrogantly. “Hmph! As long as I want to investigate, there’s nothing I can’t find out.”
“Look at you, getting cocky. Fine, since you know who I am, you may dismiss yourself. This Sovereign wishes to rest.” Jun Wuye stood up to usher his guest out.
“Fine, fine. Rest well then.” Bai Mo figured the man would have a grueling day tomorrow, so he indeed needed his rest.
In the side hall of the Moon-Masking Cult, Elder Fan called two of his trusted confidants to his side.
Yesterday, his subordinates had reported seeing the Sovereign in Xiaoyao Town at the foot of the mountain, looking pale and seemingly injured. Fearing the news might be inaccurate, he had personally made a trip to verify it.
Upon confirming with his own eyes that it was indeed the Sovereign, he knew his chance had come. He immediately returned to summon his men to discuss their next move. The mastermind behind the scenes had not given him much time; if he didn’t act soon, he would be the one facing death.
“Are all the men in position? We strike tomorrow right after noon,” Fan Ke ordered. He had observed that the Sovereign usually rested after noon, making it the perfect window of opportunity.
“Do not worry, Elder. Everything has been arranged,” one of the men assured.
“Good. You may leave.”
“Yes.”
Once his men had departed, Fan Ke sank into his chair.
Three years ago, while out on a mission, he had fallen for a woman who eventually bore him a son. But just as he was about to bring the mother and child back, someone had beaten him to the punch and kidnapped them. Having obtained a son so late in life, how could he possibly accept this?
He had hunted for clues, only to end up captured and controlled by the mastermind’s poison. Now, he required an antidote every three months to keep the lethal toxin from flaring up.
The world called them an evil cult, but those self-righteous orthodox sects were hardly pure; some were far more insidious than any cult member.
A few days ago, the mastermind had sent a letter demanding the Blood-thread Silver. However, the treasure was in the Sovereign’s possession, and Fan Ke could not obtain it so easily. Consequently, the mastermind had withheld his regular antidote and instead sent him a lethal poison, ordering him to administer it to the Sovereign.
With only a few days left before the three-month deadline, if he failed to get the antidote, he would succumb to the poison and die. He had not yet brought his infant son home to safety, nor had he given his family a warm life. He could not die.
Tomorrow, let everything come to an end.