Bai Mo returned to his room, kicked off his shoes, and flopped straight onto the bed. Jun Wuye’s sarcastic remarks earlier had genuinely stung; being looked down upon like that was a highly unpleasant feeling.
Sitting up, he began to ponder. Now that this body was fully attuned to his soul, and considering the thin spiritual energy of this world, diligent cultivation was an absolute must. He needed to quickly master the body’s original abilities. Furthermore, during his time in the Taoist temple in his previous life, he had learned quite a few mystical techniques.
Right! I should see if those Taoist spells still work.
Sitting cross-legged, Bai Mo chanted a mantra under his breath and tried drawing a talisman in the air. He watched in delight as a tiny flame materialized before his eyes.
“Hehehe~ Who would have thought there’d come a day I’d use this again! My time at that temple wasn’t wasted after all. Jun Wuye, let’s see if you still dare to look down on this young master.”
Drawing talismans to ignite fires was actually the very first skill he had mastered, after all, how could one roast stolen food without a fire? Lost in his triumph, however, he failed to notice a stray ember drifting down onto his quilt.
“Ahhh, Yikes! Fire! Fire!” Bai Mo shrieked, frantically batting at the flames that had nearly set him ablaze.
Hearing Bai Mo’s screams, the inn waiter knocked and burst into the room. Seeing the quilt alight, he reacted quickly, grabbing a basin of water nearby and tossing it straight over.
Drenched from head to toe like a drowned rat, Bai Mo shivered violently from the cold. He whipped around to glare murderously at the person who had doused him.
Shuddering under Bai Mo’s fierce gaze, the waiter pointed a trembling finger at the charred, hole-ridden bedding and stammered, “The-the fire is out.”
Bai Mo looked over at the extinguished ashes of what had been a rather lively fire, then plonked himself back onto the bed. Thank goodness, thank goodness, the whole building didn’t go up in smoke.
Alerted by the commotion, Mo Luo’an and Jun Wuye rushed to the scene one after the other.
Mo Luo’an took in the sight of the dripping-wet Bai Mo, the empty basin in the waiter’s hand, and the giant charred hole in the bedding. “What kind of stunt are you pulling this time?”
Knowing he looked incredibly pathetic, Bai Mo averted his eyes guiltily. “I didn’t do it on purpose. Besides, I already got a whole basin of water dumped on me, so we’re even.”
Jun Wuye surveyed the disaster zone, a smirk playing on his lips as he turned and walked away.
Bai Mo got up and sidled over to Mo Luo’an, speaking as gently as flowing water, “Oh, come on, don’t be angry! The building didn’t burn down, so it won’t cost much to compensate them.”
Saying this, Bai Mo raised his sleeve to his nose and sniffed. Although his clothes were freshly changed and clean, they now carried an indescribable stench.
He suddenly realized that the basin of water the waiter used had been his own dirty foot-washing water from earlier. Talk about terrible luck! If he had known, he would have prepared a proper bucket of fresh water nearby. Whipping around, he barked at the waiter, “Hurry up and fetch me some hot water! I need a bath!” He rubbed his arms, shivering. “Brr, I’m freezing to death here.”
Seeing Bai Mo’s miserable state, Mo Luo’an spared him further scolding. He summoned staff to clean up the mess. “Go wash up and stop causing trouble. Get some sleep early,” he said before turning to leave.
After a thorough wash, Bai Mo finally warmed up. Perhaps spurred on by his earlier failure, his competitive streak flared up and he began practicing his spells again—though this time, he didn’t dare do it on the bed.
He sat cross-legged on the daybed. He was a persistent soul; having just failed once, he hadn’t quite grasped the trick yet. To ensure he survived as long as possible in this world, he had to take this seriously.
It wasn’t until the early hours of the morning that the candle in Bai Mo’s room was finally snuffed out.
The next morning, Mo Luo’an rose early to brew the medicinal bath for Jun Wuye. He took a wooden box from his robes, opening it to reveal a dark brown pill.
Mo Luo’an handed the pill to Jun Wuye. “Swallow this.” He then pointed to a nearby wooden tub, from which thick steam was rising. “The medicine is ready. Strip off your clothes and get in.”
Jun Wuye took the pill without a hint of hesitation and swallowed it. While he had been guarded over the past couple of days, seeing that Mo Luo’an had no ulterior motives—and knowing that having someone help purge his poison offered a much higher chance of success than trying to figure it out alone, he decided to trust him.
Over the past two days, Mo Luo’an had also sent people to investigate Jun Wuye’s background. The moment he discovered that this man was the Cult Master of the Moon-Masking Cult, he felt an immediate urge to avenge Chu Yan on the spot.
However, once he calmed down, he realized something was amiss. If Jun Wuye had truly targeted Peacock Mountain Villa, he must have met Chu Yan. So why hadn’t he killed Bai Mo? Not only had he spared him, but there seemed to be a strange, unspoken understanding between the two.
After a mental struggle, Mo Luo’an decided to get to the bottom of the mystery first and proceed with curing Jun Wuye’s poison. Once the poison was purged, he would ask to borrow the Blood-thread Silver. After all, gathering Chu Yan’s scattered soul was his absolute priority.
Seeing Jun Wuye begin to unrobe, Mo Luo’an turned around and opened his medical chest, retrieving a small knife and silver acupuncture needles.
Hearing the splash of water behind him indicating that the man was settled in the tub, he turned back with the needles in hand. Jun Wuye’s brow was tightly knit as he endured the rising discomfort in his body.
“Bear with it. Channel your internal energy to your dantian, then slowly direct it toward your right arm.” With that, Mo Luo’an stepped behind him and drove a needle into the nape of Jun Wuye’s neck.
“Ngh-”
Jun Wuye felt as though ten thousand ants were gnawing at his bones. Gritting his teeth, he closed his eyes, forcing himself not to make another sound.
After placing needles along Jun Wuye’s shoulders and head, Mo Luo’an picked up the prepared knife. Lifting Jun Wuye’s right hand, he sliced a small incision across his wrist. Deep red blood immediately spurted out.
Allowing Jun Wuye’s hand to hang over the edge of the tub, Mo Luo’an placed his palms against Jun Wuye’s back, channeling his inner energy to force the remaining toxins toward the right wrist.
Meanwhile, because of his mischief yesterday, Bai Mo had been sentenced to stand guard at the door. Standing was incredibly tedious, and he wasn’t allowed inside. Thus, he waved over the waiter. “Go fetch this young master a chair.”
The waiter trotted downstairs. Before he even reached the bottom, Bai Mo yelled after him, “And bring me a plate of melon seeds too!”
The waiter grumbled under his breath, “What a troublesome character. Truly high-maintenance.”
Once the waiter returned with the chair and melon seeds, Bai Mo set the chair right in front of the door, sat down with his legs crossed, and leisurely began cracking open the melon seeds. Now, this is living.
After sitting for about half an hour, Bai Mo stood up and pressed his ear against the door. Hmm? Why is it so quiet inside? Surely nothing has gone wrong?
Setting the plate of seeds on the chair, he was about to push the door open. But then he remembered that if he interrupted them, Mo Luo’an would surely punish him again. If Mo Luo’an cut off his allowance, who would he cry to?
Forget it, forget it. I’ll wait a bit longer. If there’s still no sound after a while, I’ll go in to collect the corpses.
So, he sat back down and resumed cracking seeds. Only this time, he wasn’t nearly as relaxed, turning back every few seconds to press his ear to the door.
Pfft–
Suddenly, Jun Wuye spat out a mouthful of fresh blood. Simultaneously, a stream of pitch-black blood poured from his wrist. Weakened instantly, he slumped limply against the edge of the wooden tub.
Having exhausted his internal energy, Mo Luo’an swayed and nearly collapsed to the floor. Fortunately, Bai Mo heard the commotion, burst through the door, and caught Mo Luo’an just before he hit the ground.