Chapter 9 Inventory of Harvest_1

Whoosh!

The sound of the wind whistles by my ears.

With the Light Body Skill activated, Xu Mu unchains his full speed for the first time.

The strong air resistance makes him feel as if he's trudging through mud.

However, in reality,

He moves like a streak of lightning, covering dozens of feet with each step, moving as if being carried by the wind.

Fortunately, he had cloaked himself with an Invisibility Technique, and it was night time. Thus, no one could see this astonishing sight.

The sound of the wind caused by his movements is masked by the noise of the night breeze, going undetected.

While passing the alleyway by his house, Xu Mu doesn't stop; he continues sprinting forward.

He finally slows his pace when he's about to leave the slum.

The moon breaks through the dark clouds, casting its glow that allows him to see the lush trees of Baihe Forest in the distance.

"I can't go any further!"

Taking advantage of the Invisibility Technique not yet faded, Xu Mu swiftly ducks inside an abandoned house nearby.

If Xu Mu's living quarters could be considered the slum of White Stone City, then the area near Baihe Forest could be considered the slum within a slum.

People's clothing barely covers them, food barely fills them, and the homes are riddled with drafts.

The only advantage is that one doesn't need to pay rent here.

Xu Mu hides in a corner of the abandoned house, pricking up his ears to listen to the movements outside, silently counting the time in his mind.

About an hour passes!

Apart from the night breeze and the distant howls of wild animals, there's no other sound.

"It seems there are no pursuers!"

Xu Mu breathes a sigh of relief. He applies the Invisibility Technique again and walks lightly home.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

The night wind continues to blow past him.

The moonlight is once again obscured by the dark clouds, leaving the world in complete darkness.

In the dim light, it seems like ghouls and ghosts are lurking around.

To avoid being detected, Xu Mu can only grope his way forward.

"Maybe next time, I should consider cultivating a vision-related magic skill!"

Xu Mu thinks secretly to himself.

"I remember there's a Long-Range Vision Skill in the Comprehensive Magic Encyclopedia, I wonder if it will work at night?"

The clouds move, and the silver moonlight spills down. The familiar dilapidated alleyway comes into Xu Mu's sight.

"Not only did I get rid of the hidden danger posed by Sun Daocheng this time, but I also got a storage bag. There might be something valuable inside — it's quite a harvest!"

Xu Mu, who is curious about what's inside the storage bag, walks briskly, keen to get home.

However, remembering that Sun Daocheng was a gambler and a slovenly person, he suddenly doesn't have high expectations.

"But the power of the compressed fireball surge far exceeded my expectation!"

At that time, he was aiming for a one-shot kill and didn't dare to hold back; he almost compressed the fireball to its limit.

Sun Daocheng was killed on the spot without any chance to fight back. Even Xu Mu himself was almost injured by the explosion. The power was comparable to a bomb from his previous life.

"The power of the compressed fireball must have exceeded that of tier two magic skills and reached the level of tier three magic skills! Not only Sun Daocheng, a third-level Qi Cultivator but also a fifth or sixth-level Qi Cultivator. If they don't have a powerful defense, they will be blown up on the spot!"

"The only regret is that the attack speed is too slow, and the time consumption is too much!"

As soon as he began to compress the fireball, Sun Daocheng noticed it. If it wasn't for the high level of his Light Body Skill, Sun Daocheng might have escaped.

Sun Daocheng was cunning. As soon as he sensed something strange, he threw a poisoned pill and ran away. He never stopped to investigate or fight.

"Huh?"

While Xu Mu was thinking, he suddenly felt a chill on his back.

He immediately turned around.

There was nobody behind him!

Only the night wind, stirring up fallen leaves!

And somewhere, a thrown-away piece of clothing hung on the wall, fluttering in the wind like a dessicated corpse.

He quickened his pace, the unsettling feeling in his heart growing stronger.

The chilling sensation on his back became heavier, increasingly turning cold like ice.

Xu Mu didn't know if it was his illusion or if there was really something. All he could do was hurry forward as fast as he could.

The coldness grew heavier. It felt like he was carrying a block of ice on his back.

There was definitely something wrong!

He held his breath, practically running home!

However, the chilling sensation followed him, sticking to his back as if it was freezing his whole body.

Xu Mu stretched out his hand, ready to summon a flame. Suddenly, a warm breath came from his chest and spread throughout his body. Instantaneously, it offset most of the chill on his back.

By this time, Xu Mu had already entered the alley.

A few more steps and he was at the entrance. He pushed the door and entered.

Ye Yingying had followed his instruction and not locked the door.

He quickly latched the door behind him.

He flexed his fingers, and with a 'whoosh,' a large cluster of orange flames ignited.

Hiss!

The eyes of the fire morphed into a ferocious serpentine flame, encircling his body.

Xu Mu reached back to touch his back.

There was nothing unusual, just a back covered in cold sweat.

He reached into his shirt and pulled out the almost completely burnt Talisman of Repelling Evil.

"There really are malevolent spirits in the slum!"

Xu Mu was slightly shocked.

He had been living in White Stone City for many years and had only heard stories. This was the first time he had encountered something like this.

Although he was slightly shocked, he wasn't too frightened.

At that time, it was simply inconvenient for him to use the Fire-controlling Skill. Otherwise, he could handle ordinary malevolent spirits.

"However, in the future, it would be best to avoid going out at night!"

If there's only one, he could deal with it. But what if there were a group?

After checking himself up and down several times, and after waiting for another half an hour, Xu Mu gently knocked on the bedroom door.

"Ying Ying, I'm back!"

There was no response from the room, just a teary red eye peeking through the door crack.

Only after confirming multiple times that it was Xu Mu did Ye Yingying carefully open the door.

"My beloved!"

Ye Yingying said nothing, she just threw herself into Xu Mu's arms and buried her head deeply against him.

"I'm sorry for worrying you!"

Xu Mu gently stroked her jet-black hair.

"Is Ling'er asleep?"

"Hmm!"

"Then you should go to sleep early too!"

"I want you to hold me!"

"Hehe! OK!"

Xu Mu reluctantly agrees with a bitter smile.

After coaxing the older child to sleep, Xu Mu quietly leaves the bedroom and enters the storage room. With a flick of his finger, a red firebird appears, circling above his head, providing light.

He took out what he got from Sun Daocheng's storage bag, refined it, and then removed the items one by one.

A book!

A pill furnace!

Two bottles of pills!

Five pieces of medicinal herbs!

Twelve lower-grade spirit stones!

And some ordinary clothes and household items!

The book is about alchemy, which contains the three kinds of pills Sun Daocheng can make, and his alchemy insights.

The three pills are Essence and Vitality Pill, Corrosive Bone Pill, and Jade Marrow Pill.

Essence and Vitality Pill is used to replenish vitality, it is a tier one pill, reportedly very popular with frequent customers of hook bars.

Corrosive Bone Pill, on the other hand, is a poison pill. Once created, it can be launched through special methods to produce a corrosive poisonous gas.

It can not only corrode the flesh, but also wear down the protective spiritual power of a cultivator.

It's not especially powerful, but it has a large attack radius and can last for a while.

The green pill that Sun Daocheng had thrown at him was the Corrosive Bone Pill.

It's a pity that Xu Mu, enhanced with the Light Body Skill, easily dodged it, and it didn't show any power at all.

Jade Marrow Pill is the only tier two pill among these three, and it is the first tier two pill recipe Xu Mu has seen.

Jade Marrow Pill can improve cultivation talents and enhance physical constitution. Some large families like to use it to build foundations for their younger generations.

Sun Daocheng even tried to trick him with this pill recipe and formula.

"Based on the notes in the book, it seems like he barely got the basics right! Otherwise, he wouldn't be that poor!"

However, the reason why Sun Daocheng is poor is not only due to his lack of skill but probably more due to his laziness. He was after something for nothing all day long.

Otherwise, even if he can't become rich and wealthy, at least he could solve his food and clothing problem.

Originally, Xu Mu's alchemy skill was not much better than him. He also lived in the Market, and he has even married a wife.

If it wasn't for the impact of the battles between the two major sects, he wouldn't have ended up in the slums.

He didn't see the method of refining Infant Blood Pill which is a bit strange.

But Xu Mu didn't think too much about it, he would burn that disgusting thing even if he had it.

He put away the alchemy book without further studying it.

Then he picked up the pill furnace for examination.

As an alchemist, his affection for pill furnaces is ingrained.

Looking at the pill furnace in his hand, Xu Mu's eyes became brighter and brighter.

"This is actually a middle-grade tier one pill furnace! This old guy seemed to be deeper than I thought!"

Just now he was mocking the other party for his lack of skill, but now it seems like it's not what he thought.

His pill furnace is a lower-grade tier one, and it cost him 110 lower-grade spirit stones when he bought it.

And the cheapest middle-grade tier one pill furnace would cost at least 300 lower-grade spirit stones.

Being able to afford such an expensive pill furnace, he must have something up his sleeve.

"I guess I could say I've struck it rich!"

Xu Mu held the pill furnace, reluctant to let go.

No wonder people always say "murder and arson bring a golden belt", making money this way is, indeed, too quick.

"I can't believe that this old guy was so poor, he was reluctant to sell his pill furnace!"

"But it makes sense, if he truly sold his pill furnace, he probably wouldn't have survived until now!"

An alchemist without a pill furnace is barely different from a beggar on the side of the road.

With difficulty, Xu Mu put the pill furnace away, and then picked up the two bottles of pills for examination.

One bottle is Corrosive Bone Pill, and the other one is Fasting Pill.

Xu Mu gave them a brief look before putting them away.

The spirit stones, naturally, go into the pocket.

The remaining clothes had absolutely no value and were burned by his fire.

He put the three items back into Sun Daocheng's storage bag.

Xu Mu then found a place to bury the bag.

Although he doesn't think there would be much trouble, for safety's sake, he decides to hide it for a few days before dealing with it.

The next day

The autumn sun is warm and comfortable.

The residents of the alley, one after another, come out from their homes, either going to work in the Marketplace or going to Baihe Forest for hunting and gathering, each busy with their own tasks.

Xu Mu observes through the door edge for a moment, confirms that there are no problems, then goes back to the storage room to refine the Qi Gathering Pill.

Three or four days pass in a row!

Calm and peaceful!

Sun Daocheng's death seems to have absolutely no impact on the world.

At least in the small alley where Xu Mu lives, no one showed any unusual behaviour.

Including the Brothers of Li Family that Xu Mu was always wary of.

In fact, Xu Mu had considered taking care of the Brothers of Li Family together.

However, these two were different from Sun Daocheng. Their strength and methods were unknown, and if he acted rashly, he might capsize the boat.

So, he decided to watch the situation, improve his strength in the meantime, and find an opportunity to sort them out.

...

"Damn! Did this old fart die in that stinky ditch?"

The Tooth People responsible for collecting the rent, gave Sun Daocheng's door a hefty kick. Seeing that there was no response inside, they grumbled and moved on to the next house.

They have a fixed payment schedule here, unless someone has paid for several months ahead, everyone would be at home waiting for them when it's time for payment.

Soon, they reached Xu Mu's house.

"Starting from next month, the rent will increase to two lower-grade spirit stones!"

"Why?"

"How would I know why, it's a directive from above, if you want to live here, you live here, if you don't, move to Baihe Forest!"

After saying that, Tooth People turned around and left.

Xu Mu watches their retreating back, deep in thought.

Originally, he planned to move back to the Marketplace once he had enough money.

Now that the slums' rent has increased, the Marketplace's rent will most likely increase even more.

"It's strange, there are only so many people in the Marketplace. If they raise the rent this high and drive people away, who are they going to rent to?"