Chapter 172: A Definite Fall to Death
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Mo Wen could not be bothered with Xu Qianqian and simply followed the old man in black down the cave. Upon seeing that, Xu Qianqian was afraid to be left alone outside so he hurriedly followed along as well.
The s.p.a.ce in the cave was not big. It was roughly only about 20 to 30 square meters. All over, there was a mess of stones and wild gra.s.s.
On the walls of the cave, there were vines creeping. There was seemingly a wind tunnel inside which gave out very weird windy sounds. It happened through most of the night and was rather frightening.
“The Blood Lingzhi Mushroom is over there.”
The old man in black did not dare to offend Mo Wen. At once, he pointed to the stalk of herbal medicine on the wall and said.
That medicinal material looked like a Lingzhi, yet it did not really look like one either. It was entirely red and it emitted a sparkling and glistening glow. In the dark, it was rather eye-catching.
Even without the call to attention by the old man in black, Mo Wen had also noticed that stalk of Blood Lingzhi Mushroom growing on the wall immediately.
He narrowed his eyes and took big steps forward in order to examine it in detail.
Indeed, it was a mature stalk of Blood Lingzhi Mushroom. It was considered a medium grade spiritual medicine and to Mo Wen at this point, it had been found so coincidentally without him specially seeking it out.
He observed his surroundings. There was really not a single stalk of wild gra.s.s growing around the Blood Lingzhi Mushroom. In a place where a Blood Lingzhi Mushroom grew, it was impossible for any other plants to grow. This was because all the goodness of the heavens and earth, as well as the life essence, would be completely taken up by the Blood Lingzhi Mushroom.
“Before plucking the Blood Lingzhi Mushroom, you have to use blood from the ventricle of a virgin to irrigate it. If not, once it is plucked, it will wither immediately.”
The old man in black looked at that stalk of Blood Lingzhi and said.
If the Blood Lingzhi had been so easy to pluck, he would have plucked it away long ago. Why would he have to bluff and lure Xu Qianqian to this place? Now, he had even almost lost his life because of Mo Wen’s appearance.
As a person of the Medicine Manor, he naturally had a very good understanding of the habits of some of the herbal medicine. Especially for the Blood Lingzhi Mushroom, he had specially gone to the library of the Medicine Manor to research quite a bit. There, he found out that the Blood Lingzhi Mushroom could not be harvested using the normal methods. Doing so would cause one to end up with nothing.
Hence, he had continuously been afraid of touching that stalk of Blood Lingzhi Mushroom as he did not want his wait of over ten years to go to waste.
As the old man in black was talking, his gaze was actually directed at Xu Qianqian and there was an unusual look flas.h.i.+ng through his eyes.
He had bluffed and lured Xu Qianqian to the mountain peak with the motive of killing her to obtain blood from her ventricle in order to irrigate the Blood Lingzhi Mushroom. Now, if that youth was prepared to bring the Blood Lingzhi Mushroom away, he had to use this girl.
That ghastly look given by the old man in black had caused Xu Qianqian to s.h.i.+ver in fright. She retreated slightly and looked at the old man in black cautiously.
It was only now that she realized that before harvesting the Blood Lingzhi Mushroom, her life had to be taken first.
What kind of horrible herbal medicine was it that needed someone’s life before being able to be harvested?
“The blood from the ventricle of a virgin?”
Hearing that, Mo Wen’s lips curled upwards and he looked at Xu Qianqian thoughtfully. He circled around her as if he was thinking about something.
“What do you want to do?”
Xu Qianqian swallowed a mouthful of saliva as she looked at Mo Wen nervously. Her body started to tremble uncontrollably.
If she had known earlier, she would have rather stayed at the mountain peak previously and taken the chance to escape. However, she had forgotten about the need for her life to be taken in order to pluck the herbal medicine…
“For the sake of a stalk of a sacred medicine, don’t you think you should sacrifice a little?”
Mo Wen’s mouth curled upwards as he smiled and said.
‘Don’t… I’m… I’m… Not a virgin… Anymore…”
Xu Qianqian bit on her lip and the further she got in the sentence, the softer her voice became.
“Not a virgin anymore?” Mo Wen’s eyes widened and he said in alarm.
“Yes… Not anymore… Not anymore…” Xu Qianqian desperately nodded her head before furiously shaking her head.
“Then, let me check it out to see if that is true.”
Mo Wen raised his eyebrows. As he said that, he rolled up the sleeves of his s.h.i.+rt and had the look of being prepared to go forward and examine something.
Xu Qianqian let out a loud scream and was panicked as she retreated to the foot of the cliff. She anxiously looked at Mo Wen and picked up a rock to confront him.
“Don’t… Don’t come over…”
“Don’t believe her, she’s still a virgin.”
The old man in black gloated. As a person from the Medicine Manor, he could naturally tell at a glance whether or not Xu Qianqian was a virgin. If not, he would not have lured her all the way to the mountain peak.
Today, if Xu Qianqian had not brought Mo Wen along, he would not end up like that. Now, Xu Qianqian had also fallen into a similar situation as him so he naturally would not pa.s.s up on the chance to take advantage of her.
“He already said that you are…”
Mo Wen hugged his arms and said pensively.
Naturally, harvesting the Blood Lingzhi did not require anything like the blood from the ventricle of a virgin. Those were just twisted logic. It could be said that the methods used by some of the ignorant people to pluck the Blood Lingzhi would make one laugh to no end in the Cultivation world. What was the use of going to such trouble of special procedures just to harvest the Blood Lingzhi?
Hence, he was just purposely trying to scare Xu Qianqian. Who asked her to scold him previously?
“Sob, sob…”
Seeing as both the men had their eyes trained on her, she finally could not stand the pressure anymore. She hugged on to a huge rock and started to cry. Her tears rolled down her face like a pearl necklace whose string had broken.
The corner of Mo Wen’s mouth twitched a little. She had cried just like that? That was too useless. Women were indeed made of water.
He walked slowly to Xu Qianqian and with a hand, he lifted up her chin. Then, he said strangely, “Tsk tsk, I actually do find it a little hard to kill such a beautiful girl.”
“Sir, do you need me to do it for you? I a.s.sure you it will be executed cleanly.”
The old man in black said and immediately lowered his head and bent over in an attempt to suck up to him. He looked as though as he was a lowly servant.
“You, move aside.”
Mo Wen looked askance at the old man in black and did not bother about him. He minded his own business as he walked over to the Blood Lingzhi Mushroom. After examining it for a while, he took out a small dagger from his backpack and moved it left and right. Then, with a pull, he managed to tug the Blood Lingzhi down from the wall.
Seeing as Mo Wen had plucked the Blood Lingzhi Mushroom so careleesly, the old man in black widened his eyes. His entire body froze for a moment and a look of heartache flashed through his eyes. That was the Blood Lingzhi Mushroom! He had actually just plucked it off like that. Initially, the him who still had hope for the Blood Lingzhi Mushroom immediately felt like giving up.
It was the end, that stalk of Blood Lingzhi Mushroom had been destroyed completely in that youth’s hand.
Meanwhile, Xu Qianqian let out a sigh of relief. After plucking the Blood Lingzhi Mushroom, it meant that Mo Wen would not kill her anymore just to irrigate that horrendous herbal medicine.
Mo Wen patted the dust off his hand and threw that stalk of Blood Lingzhi into his backpack.
The eyes of the old man in black widened and his mouth fell open. He could only look at Mo Wen, stunned.
Just now, why had that stalk of Blood Lingzhi not been reduced to ashes immediately, how could it be?
“Could it be that something had gone wrong somewhere? Or that stalk of medicinal material was not the Blood Lingzhi Mushroom in the first place? That was also not possible, he had already kept watch for over 10 years so it could not have been wrong.
“That Blood Lingzhi Mushroom, how did you…”
The old man in black pointed at Mo Wen and could not say anything for a long time.
“Who told you that plucking a Blood Lingzhi required the blood from the ventricle of a virgin? Makes no sense.”
Mo Wen smiled uncaringly. That Medicine Manor was probably also not very established so it had not impressed him.
Now, his outlook on things was not like that of before. In the past, his goal had been to become an ancient martial art pract.i.tioner who surpa.s.sed the peak of the Golden Elixir realm. However, currently, his aim was to become an immortal. Although that step would be very difficult, he would definitely try his very best.
“Mo Wen, you…”
Xu Qianqian pointed at Mo Wen and was speechless for quite a while. Her entire face had turned red and the two little b.u.mps on her chest were rising and falling. She was very angry and unhappy at the moment.
At this point, she had already understood. Mo Wen had been teasing her purposely beforehand.
This b*stard… son of a b*tch… bad egg… how could he be so bad…
Xu Qianqian felt so wronged that her tears started flowing again. Previously, she had been frightened thoroughly. He really knew how to bully people.
“What do you mean by “you”! You don’t know how to be grateful at all. I had taken such a huge risk you know. If whatever that old man said was true, a stalk of sacred medicine would have been destroyed. And this is a priceless treasure at that.”
Mo Wen walked over to Xu Qianqian and patted her head. He said with a look that conveyed how much hard work he had put in as he said, “I’m so good to you. I would rather take the risk of that stalk of sacred medicine being destroyed than kill you. I had treated money like muck and put our friends.h.i.+p first. Can there still be a better person in this world? Shouldn’t you be grateful instead?”
The corner of the mouth of the old man in black twitched a little and he was speechless as he rolled his eyes. Even a three-year-old child would not believe such words. Yet, this lad could say it so shamelessly.
Xu Qianqian let out a light humph and turned her head to one side fiercely. Internally, she scolded him as “shameless”. It would be a joke if she believed Mo Wen’s words.
“Sir, now that the Blood Lingzhi Mushroom is already in your hands, are you going to let me off already?”
The old man in black stepped forward and said as he bowed non-stop.
“Let you off?”
Mo Wen raised his eyebrows and had on a pensive expression.
“Don’t let him off. This old man is cunning and deceitful. He is not a good person. He will definitely take revenge on you in the future.”
Xu Qianqian glared at the old man in black fiercely. This old man had used her father’s illness as a reason to lure her to the Changbai Mountain, with the motive of killing her to obtain her blood and harvest the medicine. Not only were her hopes of curing her father’s illness dashed, she had also been put into a situation that had endangered her life. He was simply a shameless and cunning old man.
“Don’t let him off?”
Mo Wen rotated his head and appeared indecisive.
“I won’t take revenge, please believe me. Sir, you are so powerful. Even if I have 100 guts, I still would not dare to take revenge on you.”
Internally, the old man in black had scolded Xu Qianqian hundreds and thousands of times. A woman’s heart was the cruel. Indeed, women could not be offended as they bore grudges.
Only a ghost would believe you.
Xu Qianqian glared at the old man in black coldly and said.
“What should I do with him then, if I don’t let him off?”
Mo Wen stretched his hands and looked at Xu Qianqian, looking as though he had no idea how to deal with it.
Upon hearing that, Xu Qianqian had also appeared rather vexed. Could they lock the old man in black in the cave such that he would not be able to come out forever?
“Or we could, throw him…”
Xu Qianqian pointed out of the cave then pointed downwards. She was helping Mo Wen come up with a plan. Her gestures naturally meant to throw the old man in black down the cliff. Previously, Mo Wen had demonstrated once and she had remembered.
“What if, he doesn’t die from the fall?” Mo Wen rotated his head, a little vexed at the problem.
“It’s so high, he will definitely fall to his death.”
The mouth of the old man in black twitched a little. He had actually hoped for Mo Wen to throw him down the cliff. At least, he would have some chance of survival. If Mo Wen had directly attacked to kill him, he would have no hope at all.
Hence, he was now hoping that Mo Wen would take up Xu Qianqian’s suggestion and throw him down the cliff.