In the back courtyard of the tavern.
“First time using the Seventy-Two Transformations, it feels pretty amazing.”
Little Li stretched his fists and kicked his legs, his voice suddenly dropping an octave, more like he was trying to sound like a dramatic bubble-bursting villain.
He pulled out a copper mirror and gave himself a quick peek.
At that moment, he noticed dragon scales sprouting on his cheeks and horns growing out from his head.
He was suddenly in the form of a Ming Jiao adult.
A shadow of a dragon flickered behind him.
As his mind raced, he felt his body stretching, surrounded by a mist, his palm transforming into a dragon claw, and whiskers sprouting at the corners of his lips. The transformation was quick—thankfully, Li Mo was also quick on his feet and hurriedly helped Little Princess Jiang take off her winter coat.
He had become a four-zhang-long Ming Jiao.
“My strength has increased… I think I can control water vapor now…”
“Oh my gosh, it’s a monster!”
Murong Xiao’s fingers trembled, his face a picture of shock.
Li Mo: “…”
Dude, maybe you should check a mirror first?
“I’ve understood! I’ve understood!” Murong Xiao pondered for a moment, his eyes sparkling with wisdom.
“What have you understood?”
“Turns out Brother Li and I are family, which is why you recognized me back at Divine Edge Cave!”
Murong Xiao moved in closer, awe-struck as he scrutinized.
Though he bore the bloodline of a Ming Jiao, he had never seen a genuine family member before.
Look at those scales, those claws, those majestic dragon horns, and those bewildered eyes…
Absolutely no doubt about it!
All of a sudden, Murong Xiao looked at Li Mo with newfound warmth.
“Brother Murong, I know you’re excited, but could you not touch so much?”
Little Li Ming Jiao wanted to pat his forehead, but realized his claws were too short to reach his own brain.
Speaking of which, though the dragon and true dragon have different numbers of claws, their lengths seem similar.
What if they get an itch on their back?
Li Mo wanted to clear his throat, but instead let out a loud snort: “Back to business, Brother Murong, this is just a transformation spell, not a true bloodline power.”
Murong Xiao: “Huh?”
The CPU overcooked itself.
A transformation spell could do something more pure than he could?
Looking at the bewildered Murong, Li Mo sighed with relief.
No wonder the legendary Monkey King’s magical skills were so impressive; this transformation really was on par with the real deal.
No wonder Iron Fan Princess could mistake her own husband…
With this, they had even more confidence for the journey to the South Border.
“It’s time to set off…”
“Boss… What the heck!”
Xu Xiaoqi had just stepped into the courtyard when his eyes rolled back, and he fainted on the spot.
Li Mo sighed and returned to his original form, releasing a gentle moonlight.
As the moonlight shone, Xu Xiaoqi slowly regained consciousness, his face filled with urgency:
“Boss, I just saw a dragon that big!”
“You must be dreaming.”
“Really? I’ve never had a dream like that…”
“Don’t forget—you’re crazy. Having weird dreams is pretty normal, right?”
Li Mo patted his shoulder.
Moonlight radiated.
“Good point…”
Xu Xiaoqi quieted down, choosing to trust his boss.
And he assured his boss repeatedly that during his absence, he would take good care of the tavern.
After all, the boss had been generous with his payouts.
With money to make, and even a full range of benefits, who’s got time to mess around being an assassin?
“Don’t worry, Boss, the tavern will be in my hands.”
“Great! If we need more manpower, go recruit some experienced folks from the outside. That guy who makes sweet soup seems like a good option, he could use some reemployment.”
“Sure! I’ll make the tavern bigger and better, and create new glory!”
“Nice, that’s the spirit.”
After sorting out the tavern affairs, Li Mo turned to Murong Xiao, giving him a little nudge to reboot his brain:
Friendly reminder: If you think this book is good, to avoid not finding it again next time, please remember to add it to your shelf!
“Brother Murong, we’re leaving now.”
“Uh-huh…”
Neither of them had much to pack, not even a bag to carry.
With Xu Xiaoqi waving them off, and the entire street of reemployed assassins seeing them off, the two stepped out of Yulong Street.
On the way.
“Hmm… Brother Li, what kind of martial arts is this? It’s so mystical.”
Murong Xiao finally accepted that Li Mo wasn’t one of his family, but he couldn’t help but feel curious.
Li Mo thought for a moment: “Aren’t there plenty of martial arts that mimic birds and beasts?”
“Right, that type of martial arts is called shape-shifting martial arts.” Murong Xiao nodded.
He had been exposed to some, like the White Crane Descending Cloud Fist taught by the Elder Han He.
“So does imitating it more closely mean it’s more powerful?”
“Hmm, that’s the theory.” Murong Xiao nodded.
“Just look, does this seem similar?”
“0.o”
Murong Xiao felt that Brother Li had a point.
But something seemed off somewhere.
After contemplating, he decided to drop the inquiry.
He looked around the bustling street and realized this wasn’t the road out of town, but rather a glamorously bustling area even more vibrant than Yulong Street.
“Brother Li, aren’t we heading to the South Border?”
“Of course, but the road to the South Border is long, it’s always good to be prepared.”
Li Mo looked towards the center of the street.
There stood a tall building like a crane among chickens, seemingly plastered with golden bricks reflecting dazzling light in the sun. The bright golden plaque read:
【Hengtong Merchant Firm】
The system space had a lot of precious items, but didn’t cover everything, definitely not as comprehensive as what the merchant firm could offer.
Plus, his physique-enhancing elixirs and heavenly materials were running low.
It was important to stock up.
“Brother Li?”
Just as they entered the merchant firm, a clerk at the front desk called out.
Li Mo turned to look, only to see a pale-faced, smooth-chinned man who seemed familiar but whose name escaped him.
“Who are you, my friend?”
“I’m Huang Donglai.”
The man adjusted the mustache that had stuck to his lip and lowered his voice.
“Brother Huang has quite a few identities…”
Li Mo laughed in disbelief, unable to help himself, and asked:
“The last time I met you, you were foraging herbs. How did you end up as a clerk at Hengtong Merchant Firm?”
“Well, mainly because of my limited finances…”
Huang Donglai smiled sheepishly: “The expenses in Yunzhou are too high, and I want to purchase a batch of materials for practicing my skills.”
“Hengtong Merchant Firm not only pays well but offers internal pricing for employees… just that you often get scolded. It’s bearable.”
Li Mo: “…”
No wonder you had to disguise yourself.
Running away from Hengtong Merchant Firm without a trace!
“Brother Li, are you looking to purchase something? I’m quite familiar with these matters.”
“Yeah, I’m preparing to head to the South Border, not sure what I need to prepare.”
Li Mo thought it was reasonable to ask Huang Donglai for advice.
And as expected.
Huang Donglai smiled confidently:
“Brother Li, you’ve come to the right person. My hometown is in the South Border.”
“How much are you planning to spend on various items for this journey? It’s best to be well-prepared for long trips.”
“I have a deposit slip from Hengtong Merchant Firm, let’s just cash it out.”
“Oh?!”
Huang Donglai nodded, and as he took the deposit slip, he nearly had a heart attack.
Hiss…
Clerks at Hengtong Merchant Firm get commissions.
He felt like he could bail early with all that money.
As everyone knows, he’s a very low-key person.
But right now, he sort of wanted to ask the manager to brew him a pot of tea.
