Li Mo and his companions landed on the edge of the Ming Jiao Clan Territory.
In enemy territory, they couldn’t venture deeper, or else they might get knocked out of the sky by the Ming Jiao Clan’s strong warriors.
Watching the Peng Yao fly off, Little Li pondered.
He had just passed by the military camp in Baoping Town, where the border troops, along with an observation realm guardian, could easily capture the Peng Yao. If they couldn’t, they could at least scare it away.
So why did they let it roam around Baoping Mountain, causing such a ruckus among the people?
As they walked through the land known as Black Water Marsh, which was often muddy and rainy, they found human towns, yet somehow there were no guarding troops.
Generations of humans had lived here, all of them worshipping “spirit shamans.”
Each town had its own eclectic spirit shaman. Besides maintaining peace, they had all sorts of bizarre duties.
For instance, now.
After trekking for five days, deep among the mountains, they finally stumbled upon a relatively flat town.
The entire town was built around a lake, and they could faintly hear some exotic fishing songs coming from the waters.
“This here is the last town before entering the Ming Jiao Clan’s territory,” Huang Donglai confirmed with a stern nod at the map.
“The clothing materials around Black Water Marsh are just plain weird.”
Murong Xiao took off his silk hat, shook off the droplets of water, and it was instantly dry, reflecting a splendid sheen.
Huang Donglai remarked, “One’s food and clothes depend on one’s environment. This pearl white lotus silk is quite exquisite, definitely valuable.”
“The feel of it is really nice; it’s the softest thing in the world!” Murong Xiao teased, running his fingers over the silk hat.
“Not even!”
Suddenly, Li Mo interjected with a very serious look.
You could tell from his expression that he truly believed what he said!
“What’s the softest, smoothest thing in the world then?” Murong Xiao asked, utterly baffled.
“Ugh…”
Li Mo sighed, shaking his head, rubbing the silk hat gently, treating it as if he were giving a massage…
“??”
Murong Xiao was utterly confused, struggling to understand what Brother Li’s actions were supposed to convey.
Clearly, Brother Li’s insights were far beyond his reach.
“This material isn’t bad, it’s softer than dark cloud gauze. What do you all think about making some socks out of it?”
For reasons unknown, Li Mo blurted this out without a second thought.
Clearly, it wasn’t just his hands having ideas, but now even his mouth was running wild!
“??”
Now both Murong Xiao and Huang Donglai were left in shock.
“You know, my hammering skills aren’t bad, so I’ve recently taken an interest in forging.”
“Things like forging require high finesse. Maybe I should buy some hundreds or thousands of pounds to get some practice.”
Li Mo lightly cleared his throat and plopped the hat back onto Murong Xiao’s head.
Murong Xiao’s eyes filled with wisdom and surprise.
He had practiced a lot under Elder Han He at Shenbing Peak, who claimed that when Murong Xiao could forge a qualified dark cloud gauze inner armor, he could be considered a skilled craftsman.
And Brother Li actually chose to work with the more complicated pearl white lotus silk?!!
“……”
Huang Donglai wondered what forging had to do with that, isn’t that more about weaving?
“Brother Li, a thousand pounds of lotus, two taels of silk.”
“Don’t even mention hundreds or thousands of pounds; the entire town’s output wouldn’t exceed twenty pounds.”
“…..”
Li Mo glanced around and saw figures at the lakeshore, each one bent over in the muck. Some women even carried swaddled infants, stumbling through the muddy mire, looking as filthy as if they had sprouted straight from the mud.
It was hard to connect the pearl white lotus silk with this group of people.
The three of them entered the town.
After spending a hefty sum to buy a few pounds of silk from a traveling merchant, Li Mo was still full of questions.
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Clearly, they produced such valuable goods.
So why were there women taking babies into the fields to work?
Just then, the silk merchant cheerfully suggested, “Today, there’s a spirit shaman festival here. If you’re not in a hurry, why not take a look? The local spirit shamans are quite effective, and many people worship them.”
“Thanks.”
Ke Mo replied with a lack of enthusiasm.
Murong Xiao also wasn’t very interested in this so-called spirit shaman festival; he was feeling a mix of excitement and anxiety.
“I wonder if my mom and dad are waiting anxiously.”
Since he left, he had never seen his mother.
“Hmm… I respect Uncle Murong very much…”
On the way, Ke Mo couldn’t help but wonder aloud, “Since Uncle and Auntie miss you so much, why don’t they visit Qingyuan Sect to see you? How could they let you come alone to the South Border?”
“Perhaps they have their own reasons. Besides, aren’t we close to arriving safely?”
Murong Xiao grinned, filled with joy at the thought of meeting his family soon.
Ke Mo: “…..”
If it weren’t for Hengyun Sword City and Misty Rain Tower joining forces to enforce the law, you’d still be serving as a child of the Huanmo Sect.
However.
Years had gone by, and it just happened that as the Jade Phoenix Divine was descending to the South Border, Murong Xiao had to return.
It was hard to say there was no connection in this.
For the underlying reason, they would have to venture into Ming Jiao Clan Territory to find out.
As they chatted, they reached the edge of the marsh, where a tall altar stood, marked with signs of wind and frost.
They didn’t even need to get close to see the statue atop it.
The statue was entirely made of stone, with a big head and a tiny body, featuring two pairs of eyes that looked bizarre and creepy.
“Eek… why does that seem so familiar?”
Ke Mo thought of the Sanxingdui ruins from his last life but felt it wasn’t quite the same.
Suddenly, he seemed to remember.
It was at Qunyu Peak!
The statue that was shattered by the beautiful master was somewhat similar to this one.
At that moment,
The priest, wearing a mask just like the statue’s face, danced around on the altar.
Meanwhile, the townsfolk devoutly offered sacrifices, lighting sticks of black incense and praying sincerely, with some unable to hold back their desires.
“I hope for a bountiful harvest this year…”
“I hope to have a son…”
Ke Mo raised an eyebrow.
This spirit shaman…
He realized this spirit shaman statue gave him a vague illusion as if he were looking at an observational diagram, yet it was much more bizarre than ordinary observational statues.
This didn’t look like a proper deity at all.
Thinking back to other villages they passed, it seemed that all the spirit shamans were like this.
“I hope the poor and wicked Ming Jiao won’t invade our village again…”
“I hope to meet my mother safely…”
Hmm?
Ke Mo turned to see Murong Xiao also praying there.
Wait, Brother Murong, the main purpose of this spirit shaman is to fend off the Ming Jiao.
Why are you praying to it?
Even if the spirit shaman agrees, can the Buddha accept it?
Just then.
Gurgle——
The sky suddenly darkened, and a whirlpool appeared in the lake, rapidly expanding, with a huge shadow emerging from within.
“It’s making trouble with the Ming Jiao!”
