After packing everything into a small bag, Mo Mo asked Jing Tian and Xu Maoshan, "It's almost dark, why did you come to find me?"
"Hehehe, I just wanted to come over and discuss the poison with you, and maybe grab a bite to eat. You probably haven't eaten either, have you?" Jing Tian grinned, a smile that made Mo Mo want to slap him, because it was just too smug.
"If you want a free meal, just say so. Why beat around the bush? Honestly, let's go. After we finish eating, let's get ready quickly, otherwise the Poison Man will probably come out after dark." After saying that, Mo Mo ignored Jing Tian and Xu Maoshan, picked up his small package and sword, and left the room.
Xu Maoshan and Jing Tian were now completely familiar with Mo Mo, showing him no respect whatsoever. They ordered two roast chickens, one for each of them, along with other dishes, filling the entire table. They also ordered a jar of wine. To the astonishment of the other diners, they devoured the food and wine on the table in a flash, leaving behind a pile of chicken bones. Fortunately, the wine was only initially brewed and filtered, not distilled or purified, so its alcohol content was low. The two were only slightly tipsy, and the evening breeze sobered them up. After their meal, Jing Tian sent Xu Maoshan back, instructing him to buy some red glutinous rice and other similar items. Xu Maoshan ran out and bought some, then dashed back to the inn to follow Mo Mo. He felt that it would be safer to investigate the poisoner with Mo Mo.
When Jing Tian returned, night had already fallen. If he hadn't been somewhat famous in the area, he probably wouldn't have been able to buy these things. He bought very little, only two catties of glutinous rice and a meter of red cloth, but that was enough.
In ancient times, there were no streetlights in cities and streets. Only some wealthy families would light two lanterns in front of their doors. If you wanted to go out at night, you had to carry your own lantern. So, Jing Tian and Mo Mo each carried a lantern and left despite the innkeeper's attempts to dissuade them. As soon as Mo Mo and the others left the inn, the innkeeper immediately had the waiter close the door. The loud bang when the door closed made Jing Tian shudder, and he almost dropped the white lantern he was holding.
"Brother Jing, if you're scared, you can still go back now. Otherwise, you'll regret it later if you go too far away." Seeing Jing Tian's expression, Mo Mo couldn't help but tease him.
"Who, who said I was scared? If I were scared, I wouldn't have come out. Besides, you'll protect me, right?" Jing Tian replied in a trembling voice, his legs shaking slightly as he answered. However, after arguing with Mo Mo for a bit, he regained his composure and took the lead. Mo Mo couldn't help but admire his strong heart. If it were anyone else, let alone coming out at night to investigate the poisoners, they would probably have packed their things and left Yuzhou City the day after being besieged by the poisoners.
Mo Mo smiled slightly as he watched Jing Tian stride forward with great determination. He picked up his red lantern and followed him. Just then, Jing Tian turned into a street corner, and two loud screams rang out. When Mo Mo arrived, he found that Jing Tian had bumped into Xue Jian, who was also out investigating the poisoner. The two people, who were already a little scared, were startled by the sudden accident and screamed.
P.S.: I almost didn't finish writing this at noon, so this chapter is a bit late.
(End of this chapter)
Chapter 336 Poisonous People Appear
"It's you!" Jingtian and Xuejian exclaimed in unison after recognizing the person opposite them.
Tang Xuejian: "What are you doing here?"
Jing Tian: "What are you doing here again?"
Tang Xuejian: "Of course I, the eldest daughter of the prestigious Tang family, am here to investigate the matter of the poisoner."
Jing Tian glanced at the intersection where Xue Jian had just come from and whispered, "Aren't you afraid the poisonous people will bite you? Hurry up and go back!" Jing Tian's words already carried a hint of reprimand, but hidden in that reprimand was a deep concern.
Unfortunately, Xuejian didn't understand. Instead, she put her hands on her hips and stared at Jingtian in a tough tone, saying, "It's better to encounter a poisonous person than to encounter you." As if it were routine, Jingtian and Xuejian started arguing again as soon as they met.
"Tsk, what a delightful pair of bickering lovers." Mo Mo said with a hint of envy as he watched the two of them bickering every day.
"Who's a couple with him!" Upon hearing Mo Mo's words, Jing Tian and Xue Jian shouted at Mo Mo in unison, only then realizing that Mo Mo was still standing next to them.
As if to ease the awkwardness, Xuejian asked Mo Mo, "Young Master Mo, how did you end up with this scoundrel? Was he scared and clinging to you?" Hearing Xuejian's words, Jingtian was displeased and shouted, "What do you mean I was scared and clinging to Brother Mo? Explain yourself!"...Unsurprisingly, the two started arguing again.
Just then, a lot of chaotic footsteps and low growls came from the surroundings. Mo Mo knew that the poisoners nearby must have been attracted by the two people's voices, so he quickly pulled the two of them. However, the two of them were not affected at all and continued to bicker until Mo Mo pulled them again and whispered, "The poisoners are here." Only then did the two of them stop and instantly hide behind Mo Mo in perfect unison.
Mo Mo "..."
"Do you two have to be so in sync? No wonder you're a match made in heaven." Mo Mo couldn't help but silently complain in his heart. But complaining aside, he still had to get on with his business. So Mo Mo handed the lantern to Xue Jian and told her to keep it. Then he took out a red cloak from his small bag and put it on himself. Jing Tian suddenly realized what was going on. He also untied the bag on his back, took out a red cloth and put it on, and shielded Xue Jian between the two of them. Because they were already surrounded by poisoners, he could only hope that Mo Mo was right, otherwise he might die here today.
Mo Mo was certainly not wrong. These things would indeed not harm the people wearing red clothes. However, this was only temporary. When more powerful poison people appeared, this rule would no longer apply. However, poison people could distinguish living people by their scent. Their sense of smell and hearing were very developed. So, if you were surrounded by poison people, as long as you held your breath and didn't move, they wouldn't be able to find you.
As the numerous poisonous figures slowly surrounded them, Jing Tian and Xue Jian were terrified. When the poisonous figures were still four or five meters away from them, Jing Tian suddenly remembered that he had some glutinous rice. So he took out the glutinous rice and scattered it. However, to Jing Tian's disappointment, the glutinous rice had no effect at all. Mo Mo's black dog blood was directly smeared on the face of one of the poisonous figures, but the poisonous figure did not react at all. Instead, it stuck out its tongue and licked the black dog blood on its face, proving that these poisonous figures and zombies were two different things. As for why they did not harm the one wearing red, it was because their mother, the female poison king, was dressed in red.
Under Jing Tian and Xue Jian's horrified gazes, the poisonous people all gathered around, but stopped approaching when they were still more than two meters away from them, instead quickly dispersing. Just then, Xu Changqing and his junior brothers finally arrived. They used their magic to drive the poisonous people to one place and then collected them all. After dealing with this group of poisonous people, Xu Changqing and his junior brothers looked at Mo Mo and his group in surprise, because they did not know that the poisonous people would not harm people wearing red. But looking at Mo Mo and Jing Tian, it was clear that they had come prepared.
Just then, Xu Changqing received a message from his junior brother, who was far away in Shu Mountain. He speculated that the poisonous people would not harm those dressed in red. As a result, the group looked at Mo Mo and his companions with even greater astonishment. Xu Changqing then asked Mo Mo, "Brother Mo, how do you know that the poisonous people will not harm those dressed in red? We only just learned this and haven't confirmed it yet. How did you know?"
Upon hearing Xu Changqing's words, Jing Tian looked at Mo Mo with surprise. The result was obvious: wearing red was Mo Mo's idea. Under the puzzled gazes of the crowd, Mo Mo calmly said, "It's actually very simple. I noticed the existence of the poison people and started investigating long before I met Brother Xu. Unfortunately, I found nothing except witnessing one abandoned mountain village after another. During these past few days of investigation, I accidentally discovered something: the survivors who had encountered the poison people were all wearing red or had something red around them. So I deduced that they were afraid of red things, which is why they prepared these items. Brother Jing bought them after I did."
"I see. No wonder you know so much about poisoners, Brother Mo. It turns out you've already done some research. Do you have any way to cure the poisoners' deadly poison?" Xu Changqing suddenly realized, and then asked about the antidote.
“I have no way to cure the poison, but the one who tied the knot must untie it. Since the poison came from the Tang Clan, the Tang Clan must have a way to cure it. And if I’m not mistaken, these are just low-level poisoners. The higher-level poisoners are probably not something that a mere red cloth can stop.” Mo Mo’s answer disappointed everyone, but what Mo Mo said was indeed a possible solution.
"So you're saying you can't be completely sure if the red cloth can stop these poisonous people?" Jing Tian's expression was quite agitated.
Seeing Jing Tian so excited, Mo Mo pressed his hand down and said with a smile, "Brother Jing, don't get excited. Although I can't be completely sure, I'm about 80% confident. Besides, don't we still have a trump card? If it really comes down to life and death, Master Xu will definitely come to our rescue. Don't you have the Shu Mountain's communication tools? What are you afraid of?"
As soon as Mo Mo finished speaking, Jing Tian shouted, "I'm scared! I still have so many unfulfilled wishes. Also, next time something like this happens, can you at least let me know in advance so I can prepare myself? I don't want to die like this without knowing why. At least let me write a will. Also, I don't want to die with this dignified young lady of the Tang family."
Seeing Jing Tian's serious expression, Mo Mo thought he was going to say something touching, but the result was the same. Sure enough, old habits die hard. And unsurprisingly, the two started arguing again, while Mo Mo quietly watched the show from the side.
Seeing that everything was alright, Xu Changqing and his fellow disciples quickly left. There were more poisoners in the city than just these few; they needed to go elsewhere to subdue others. Xuejian and Jingtian, after arguing for a while, stopped and caught up with Xu Changqing, who was using a net to capture poisoners. They gave him the nickname "White Tofu," and the two started bickering again. In the end, they realized that staying would not be of any help and might even be a burden to Xu Changqing and his group, so they left with Mo Mo.
(End of this chapter)
Chapter 334 Familiar Scream
The next day at noon, Mo Mo and the others gathered again at the inn where Mo Mo was staying. After Mo Mo ordered a table of food and wine, Jing Tian took out the list of missing persons he had collected over the past two days. Xu Changqing had already discovered a clue about the poisoner, so he was paying special attention to a man named Wen Xuan. Without even looking at the list, Jing Tian hurriedly asked if anyone named "Wen Xuan" was on the list of missing persons. However, Jing Tian didn't answer, only saying that everyone was on the list, and then quickly picked up his chopsticks and started eating. He had been running around all morning and was starving.
Seeing this, Mo Mo called out, "Everyone has been busy all morning, you must be hungry. Let's eat first, only when we're full can we have the energy to investigate." Xu Changqing and Xue Jian thought this made sense, so they put away the list and picked up their chopsticks. Perhaps because they were concerned about the poisoner, everyone ate exceptionally quickly, and they were all full in just over ten minutes.
After lunch, Mo Mo and the others discussed it and decided to visit Wen Xuan's family. However, when they arrived at the village where Wen Xuan's family lived, they found that the village had long been abandoned, with collapsed houses and weeds everywhere. According to Jing Tian, the village used to be quite wealthy, but because of the poisoning incident, the women here were often taken away. As a result, the village gradually fell into disrepair amidst the fear and panic, and no one lived there anymore.
Wenxuan's house was somewhat remote, so they walked a little further after entering the village. When Mo Mo and the others arrived at Wenxuan's house, they found it covered in dust and cobwebs, and the tables and chairs inside were overturned. Seeing this, Mo Mo speculated, "Judging from the direction and distribution of these tables and chairs, it's obviously from their struggle when they were captured. And judging from the thickness of the dust and the density of the cobwebs, it's probably been there for several months." Later, Xu Changqing used magic to investigate the situation and confirmed that Mo Mo's "speculation" was correct.
"Hey, how did you do that? Teach me, is it like this?" Jing Tian was very excited after seeing Xu Changqing use the detection spell. He tried to imitate Xu Changqing and asked him to teach him. However, Xue Jian hit him with a wooden spoon, interrupting him. Just then, he suddenly noticed two coins on the ground, so he quickly changed his target and went over to pick them up.
Xuejian, the "greedy ghost," saw Jingtian's actions and scorned him, but Jingtian didn't care. Just then, Xu Changqing suddenly sensed something, said "a place," and hurriedly went outside. He then took out the compass for finding things and finally returned to the entrance of a casino in Yuzhou City under the guidance of the compass.
To Jing Tian and Xue Jian's surprise, Xu Changqing had no idea what a casino was. After Xu Changqing's explanation, Jing Tian and Xue Jian learned that the disciples of Shu Mountain cultivate on the mountain all year round and are not allowed to go down the mountain at will without permission. Even if they go down the mountain, they can only carry out specific tasks according to the corresponding instructions. Moreover, even if they complete the task, they cannot move around freely. Therefore, they actually know very little about the world.
However, Xu Changqing was interrupted by Jing Tian before he could finish speaking, "You've never even been to a casino, are you even a man? You're making a fool of yourself, hahaha."
Upon hearing this, Xu Changqing smiled awkwardly and said, "That's not entirely true."
"That's because you haven't experienced that kind of thrill. You're not a casino, you're a paradise where you'll forget everything and your dreams will come true!" Jing Tian interrupted Xu Changqing again, but Xu Changqing wasn't angry. Then, Xue Jian pulled him away.
"You absolutely must not believe him. That place is the nineteenth level of hell. You absolutely, absolutely must not go in." Xu Changqing was a little confused by the two people's words, so he looked at Mo Mo, who had been watching the show with a smile the whole time. Jing Tian and Xue Jian also looked at Mo Mo at the same time, wanting to see what unique insights Mo Mo had.
Seeing this, Mo Mo knew he couldn't avoid it, so he smiled and said, "Actually, what they said is both right and wrong. As the saying goes, a little gambling is fun, but excessive gambling is harmful. If you can control yourself, this place is indeed paradise, but if you can't control yourself, then this place is the nineteenth level of hell, which will make people lose their fortunes and their families. Moreover, Brother Xu, the world has its own fun, and you should follow your own heart in everything you do."
Xu Changqing nodded thoughtfully, then smiled and said, "Thank you for clearing up my doubts. I am willing to go in and try to broaden my horizons."
When Jing Tian saw that Xu Changqing was willing to go in and take a look, he said loudly, "Good, you have guts and ambition, do you have money?"
"Money?" Xu Changqing asked, somewhat puzzled.
"Never mind, I'm lucky today. I just found two coins, and there's a rich man here too. I wonder if you, Brother Mo, are interested?" Jing Tian smiled and looked at Mo Mo.
“Let’s go, but I won’t lend you any money.” With that, Mo Mo walked towards the casino first, and Jing Tian’s face immediately fell. He said weakly, “I knew it.” But when he saw Xu Changqing’s puzzled look, he smiled again, pulled Xu Changqing towards the casino, and said as they walked, “He’s a good person in every way, and very generous, but he’s a bit stubborn. He never lends me money to come to the casino.”
"I think Brother Mo is doing this for your own good," Xu Changqing said thoughtfully, watching Mo Mo's retreating figure disappear through the doorway.
"Alright, alright, of course I know he means well, but now is not the time to talk about this. Let's go inside quickly." With that, Jing Tian pulled Xu Changqing into the casino.
The casino was dimly lit and very lively, but due to poor air circulation, it was filled with a strange smell and was very hot. So after entering the casino, Mo Mo followed behind Jing Tian. In fact, Mo Mo had never been to a casino before. Although he knew the general rules of various games, he had never tried them. Finally, he followed Jing Tian and the others to the place where Jing Tian liked the most, which was the game of fish, shrimp and crab.
Just like in the original story, Xu Changqing knew what the winning hand was just by glancing at the dice cup. At first, Jing Tian didn't believe it, but after two or three rounds, he did. With Xu Changqing's help, Jing Tian quickly won a large sum of money with just two coins. Mo Mo, on the other hand, had both wins and losses, but overall he lost more than he won. This was because Mo Mo placed his bets randomly and didn't cheat like Xu Changqing did with his extraordinary senses. Otherwise, Mo Mo could have easily identified what was in the dice cup.
"See that? I told you to bet with me, but you wouldn't listen. Now you've lost badly, haven't you? But I won't share any of this with you, hahaha." Seeing Mo Mo lose another round, Jing Tian held up a tray of gold and silver and flaunted it in front of Mo Mo. However, Mo Mo wasn't angry. Instead, he revealed a strange smile and said, "Be careful not to let your joy turn to sorrow."
Jing Tian scoffed and went to Xu Changqing to divide the loot, but Xu Changqing refused to accept it. So the two of them pushed the tray containing the silver back and forth. But at this moment, Xu Changqing suddenly sensed something again and suddenly dodged away. Caught off guard, Jing Tian pounced on the gambling table and put all the silver on it. Then, at that moment, the gambling table opened, and he lost all his silver.
"Tsk tsk tsk, what did I just say? Oh, too much joy leads to sorrow." After saying that, Mo Mo laughed and walked out of the casino.
(End of this chapter)
Chapter 335 Returning to Tangjiabao
"Ahhh! My money!" Looking at the silver that had been taken away, Jing Tian looked utterly dejected, and then quickly chased after Mo Mo and the others. After catching up, Jing Tian wanted Xu Changqing to go back inside and gamble with him for a while to win back the money he had lost, but Xu Changqing refused and decided to return to Shu Mountain in advance to report the matter to his master and ask the sect to send other Shu Mountain disciples to help. According to their investigation results over the past two days, the number of missing persons in Yuzhou City had reached over a thousand, and with the addition of several thousand missing persons in the villages near Yuzhou City, he couldn't handle it all by himself.
"Let's go too. We've been busy all day. Let's grab something to eat first, and then continue our investigation." Mo Mo's suggestion was agreed upon by the other two. After eating, the three of them continued to discuss the current situation for a while, but found that there was no breakthrough. Afterward, the three of them went home to their respective mothers.
Back at the inn, Wu Qian, Huiye, and Chuchen appeared in Mo Mo's room. They weren't completely unaware of the outside world; on the contrary, they often ventured out into the world of Xianjian, so they were quite familiar with Mo Mo's affairs. However, they couldn't understand why Mo Mo was associating with Jing Tian and the others. Although they were the chosen ones of this world, possessing great fortune, Mo Mo's strength was more than enough to easily sweep across the entire world. In particular, Mo Mo's actions in the past few days had left them puzzled. So, Wu Qian, unable to keep anything to herself, directly asked him.
Faced with the five people's questions, Mo Mo smiled and explained, "It's normal that you don't understand. You're just thinking about how to get benefits from them, so naturally you can't understand what I'm doing. Because I never intended to get any benefits from them, or rather, being with them is a benefit in itself."
Faced with Mo Mo's explanation, Wu Qian and her sister, Chu Chen, and Chu Chu looked completely bewildered. Only Hui Ye seemed to understand something but was deep in thought. Mo Mo didn't explain further, but simply said, "You can't understand it yet. When you reach that level, you will naturally understand. There's no need to force it." Although the five women still didn't understand, they nodded nonetheless.
Soon, the afternoon passed. In the evening, Mo Mo's door was suddenly pushed open from the outside, and Jing Tian barged in, followed by Xu Maoshan, Jing Tian's follower. When the two barged in, Mo Mo was tidying up some things, such as glutinous rice, red cloth, and garlic. These were things Mo Mo had prepared as if they were from a shopkeeper. He wanted to test whether poisonous people were afraid of these things. Unfortunately, black dog blood was hard to find, and he only found a small bottle.
"Brother Mo, what are you doing? What are all these things? Are you packing your bags and getting ready to leave?" As soon as Jing Tian came in, he saw Mo Mo fiddling with these bottles and jars, and then he threw out a series of questions.
Upon hearing Jing Tian's question, Mo Mo looked at Jing Tian with a puzzled expression and asked, "Didn't you make any preparations at all?"
"Prepare? Prepare for what?" Jing Tian asked, equally puzzled.
"Of course, I'm preparing some self-defense items. Haven't you noticed that even poisonous people have things they're afraid of, and they seem to be somewhat similar to zombies or something? So I've prepared quite a few things, hoping they'll come in handy." Mo Mo looked at Jing Tian with an expression as if he were an idiot.
"Uh... how could that be? Weren't we prepared, Mao Mao?" Jing Tian was stunned for a moment, then patted Xu Maoshan hard and winked at him. Xu Maoshan had been with his boss for so long, so he naturally knew what his boss meant, and he agreed. Mo Mo could tell from their expressions that they were definitely not prepared, but he didn't say anything.
After packing everything into a small bag, Mo Mo asked Jing Tian and Xu Maoshan, "It's almost dark, why did you come to find me?"
"Hehehe, I just wanted to come over and discuss the poison with you, and maybe grab a bite to eat. You probably haven't eaten either, have you?" Jing Tian grinned, a smile that made Mo Mo want to slap him, because it was just too smug.
"If you want a free meal, just say so. Why beat around the bush? Honestly, let's go. After we finish eating, let's get ready quickly, otherwise the Poison Man will probably come out after dark." After saying that, Mo Mo ignored Jing Tian and Xu Maoshan, picked up his small package and sword, and left the room.
Xu Maoshan and Jing Tian were now completely familiar with Mo Mo, showing him no respect whatsoever. They ordered two roast chickens, one for each of them, along with other dishes, filling the entire table. They also ordered a jar of wine. To the astonishment of the other diners, they devoured the food and wine on the table in a flash, leaving behind a pile of chicken bones. Fortunately, the wine was only initially brewed and filtered, not distilled or purified, so its alcohol content was low. The two were only slightly tipsy, and the evening breeze sobered them up. After their meal, Jing Tian sent Xu Maoshan back, instructing him to buy some red glutinous rice and other similar items. Xu Maoshan ran out and bought some, then dashed back to the inn to follow Mo Mo. He felt that it would be safer to investigate the poisoner with Mo Mo.
When Jing Tian returned, night had already fallen. If he hadn't been somewhat famous in the area, he probably wouldn't have been able to buy these things. He bought very little, only two catties of glutinous rice and a meter of red cloth, but that was enough.
In ancient times, there were no streetlights in cities and streets. Only some wealthy families would light two lanterns in front of their doors. If you wanted to go out at night, you had to carry your own lantern. So, Jing Tian and Mo Mo each carried a lantern and left despite the innkeeper's attempts to dissuade them. As soon as Mo Mo and the others left the inn, the innkeeper immediately had the waiter close the door. The loud bang when the door closed made Jing Tian shudder, and he almost dropped the white lantern he was holding.
"Brother Jing, if you're scared, you can still go back now. Otherwise, you'll regret it later if you go too far away." Seeing Jing Tian's expression, Mo Mo couldn't help but tease him.
"Who, who said I was scared? If I were scared, I wouldn't have come out. Besides, you'll protect me, right?" Jing Tian replied in a trembling voice, his legs shaking slightly as he answered. However, after arguing with Mo Mo for a bit, he regained his composure and took the lead. Mo Mo couldn't help but admire his strong heart. If it were anyone else, let alone coming out at night to investigate the poisoners, they would probably have packed their things and left Yuzhou City the day after being besieged by the poisoners.
Mo Mo smiled slightly as he watched Jing Tian stride forward with great determination. He picked up his red lantern and followed him. Just then, Jing Tian turned into a street corner, and two loud screams rang out. When Mo Mo arrived, he found that Jing Tian had bumped into Xue Jian, who was also out investigating the poisoner. The two people, who were already a little scared, were startled by the sudden accident and screamed.
P.S.: I almost didn't finish writing this at noon, so this chapter is a bit late.
(End of this chapter)
Chapter 336 Secret Passage
"It's you!" Jingtian and Xuejian exclaimed in unison after recognizing the person opposite them.
Tang Xuejian: "What are you doing here?"
Jing Tian: "What are you doing here again?"
Tang Xuejian: "Of course I, the eldest daughter of the prestigious Tang family, am here to investigate the matter of the poisoner."
Jing Tian glanced at the intersection where Xue Jian had just come from and whispered, "Aren't you afraid the poisonous people will bite you? Hurry up and go back!" Jing Tian's words already carried a hint of reprimand, but hidden in that reprimand was a deep concern.