“Don’t!”
Wu Daming was utterly shocked, staring at Li Mo with wide, frightened eyes.
This young man looked so gentle and suave, how could he come out with such fierce words?
Seeing his expression, Li Mo couldn’t help but feel puzzled.
Didn’t Elder Qian say this was a friendly expression?
“Ahem, I was just joking.”
Li Mo waved his hand and continued:
“My friend and I have come from the South Border to the Black Water Marsh searching for relatives. We just wanted to ask about the situation in the Ming Jiao Clan Territory.”
“What do you want to ask? We can’t discuss clan secrets.”
Wu Daming became wary: “Besides, you all look human; how could there be your relatives in the Ming Jiao Clan Territory? You must be mistaken.”
“Not a mistake.”
Li Mo pondered for a moment.
Suddenly, he activated his transformation technique, and in a puff of mist, he transformed into a several-meter-long Ming Jiao!
Though he wasn’t as massive as Wu Daming, his aura felt even more ferocious.
“Impossible… impossible…”
Wu Daming was in disbelief, yet he trembled slightly from the instinctive pressure of bloodline.
“Outside the South Border, how could the Ming Jiao Clan possibly still exist?!”
“Because I have an excellent transformation technique. You didn’t notice my true form just now, did you?”
Little Li said proudly.
See? He’s talking about being the best male lead of the first Qingyuan Sect awards—totally deserves it!
“So you are… a Jiao yourself?”
Wu Daming paused for a moment, then looked at Huang Donglai:
“Is he also a Ming Jiao?”
Huang Donglai: “…..”
He didn’t have Li Bro’s transformation skills.
Just as he was at a loss for words, he heard Li Mo quickly come up with a plan:
“This is my steed.”
“Uh?”
Huang Donglai was startled.
Murong Xiao stroked his chin, lost in thought.
Wu Daming hesitated:
“Steed? I’ve heard of genius humans riding Jiao dragons as steeds, but this…”
“Right! Human prodigies can ride monsters, so why can’t monster prodigies ride humans?!”
“Gasp…”
Wu Daming leaned back in tactical surprise, his pupils swirling with a glimmer of wisdom.
Yeah!
Why should monsters just be steeds for humans?
Recalling how Li Mo had ridden Huang Donglai and charged at him, Wu Daming was convinced.
A prodigy.
This was definitely a prodigy from the Ming Jiao Clan!
No wonder he had such impressive strength!
“Then this human… is he also your steed?” Wu Daming glanced at Murong Xiao.
Murong Xiao exchanged glances with Li Mo, then relaxed his grip on his white jade token, no longer suppressing his bloodline.
In the next moment, the characteristics of a Jiao appeared on him.
“He’s a half-human?!” Wu Daming exclaimed.
Li Mo: “…..”
Murong Xiao: “?”
Huang Donglai: “Kuku….”
“Humans are born from humans, and monsters from monsters. If a human and a monster have a child together, that’s a half-human!”
“Half-humans are amazing, they can use the monster’s bloodline and still train in human martial arts!”
Wu Daming didn’t understand why the others suddenly fell silent.
He thought the term half-human was spot on.
“Steed Bro, don’t laugh yet.”
Li Mo signaled Murong Xiao to calm down, then said, “We came here to help my friend find relatives; his parents are in the Ming Jiao Clan Territory.”
“Murong…”
Wu Daming’s enormous eyes darted around, as if he remembered something.
His voice trembled:
“Are you the child of my great-uncle?”
“Great-uncle?”
“Yeah, Great-uncle Murong married my great-aunt. Isn’t that a great-uncle? So that means…”
There was a moment of silence.
So, Wu Daming had to call Murong Xiao… cousin?
This really was like a flood sweeping through the Dragon King’s temple.
Why, you ask?
Li Mo thought to himself: If Old Man Murong had told him to become brothers back then and he had agreed, what would Wu Daming call him?
“What about my parents? Are they still…?” Murong Xiao asked anxiously.
“Uh… things within the clan have been a bit complicated lately.”
“Then what are we waiting for? Let’s go!”
Li Mo transformed back into a human shape, but still retained some Jiao characteristics.
“Before we leave, can you please… untie me?”
Wu Daming’s eyes were filled with unshed tears.
Tied up like a ball, would he ever be a Jiao again?
Once untied, he regained his half-human, half-Jiao form, showing he hadn’t fully mastered his transformation.
Watching Li Mo shift into a humanoid form while retaining his Ming Jiao traits, Wu Daming couldn’t help but feel envious.
They boarded a bronze carriage and headed south.
Li Mo adjusted to his Ming Jiao features and then checked the investment feedback from earlier.
【Nine Jiao Dragon Force Pill】: “Crafted by purifying the souls of nine fierce Jiao. Taking it can permanently enhance strength, but those with weak physiques should exercise caution; the potency is fierce and may injure the body.”
This was a ferocious and terrifying pill.
From the description, even a practitioner of the Observation Realm, focusing on body refinement, would find it hard to withstand.
Presumably, no one in the Observation Realm had perfected a body refining technique to perfection.
“Let’s find a quiet spot to take it,”
Li Mo tucked away his thoughts about the system space.
The burly man opposite him, Wu Daming, suddenly spoke up:
“Hey bro, since we’re all friends, why did you hit me?”
“That’s just how the Ming Jiao Clan greets people in the South Border.”
“No wonder you’ve managed to survive outside the clan with such aggression.”
“By the way,”
As Li Mo looked at the Ming Jiao Clan Territory getting closer, he asked,
“You mentioned earlier that the situation in our South Border clan is complicated. What do you mean by that?”
“Well…”
Wu Daming let out a heavy sigh.
“Our Ming Jiao Clan has lived in this Black Water Marsh for ages, but in recent years, our territory has been shrinking.”
“The Peng Clan is our sworn enemy, and they’ve been encroaching on our land for decades.”
“It all stems from a cosmic treasure they got sixty years ago.”
The Celestial Divine Jade…
Li Mo knew that this was probably what the monster clans referred to as the Jade Phoenix Divine.
“Every sixty years, the Celestial Divine Jade reappears in the South Border, and various clans send their best to compete for it.”
“Recently, the clan has been in chaos over the quota to obtain the Divine Jade. After all, just getting a glimpse of the jade is a huge opportunity.”
“Over the years, Great-uncle and Great-aunt have faced considerable pressure from other Jiao.”
Wu Daming lamented.
Murong Xiao’s breathing became heavier.
Li Mo was confused: “How does competing for the Divine Jade relate to pressuring Murong Bro’s parents?”
“Half-demons would fare better with the Divine Jade.”
“So what are they being pressured to do?”
“To have offspring, of course; you should follow what you said to me before.”
“Huh?”
“Please, Barbie…”
“…..”
…….
P.S.: Asking the audience for some charge tokens. I can’t even afford to add an egg to my instant noodles lately, orz.
