Chapter 15: Flaming Palm Breakthrough, Nocturnal Evil Spirits, and the Shadow of the Insect Plague
Chapter 15: Chapter 15: Flaming Palm Breakthrough, Nocturnal Evil Spirits, and the Shadow of the Insect Plague
WHOOSH!
After a flurry of punches and kicks, Chen Mo concluded his routine. The weather had already transitioned into autumn, but the wooden cabin—which should have carried a brisk seasonal chill—was instead filled with a wave of heat.
His hands remained a fiery red, and his once delicate palms were now covered in thick calluses. These were the marks of Cultivation, a true symbol of his growing strength!
Although he hadn’t touched the resources Wang Lixia had temporarily left in his care, their presence completely relieved him of any future worries. For the past half a month, he enjoyed an endless supply of Spirit Porridge and Spiritual Sand, consuming them however he pleased. The freedom of not having to meticulously calculate every bit of his resources was simply wonderful. No wonder those who flaunted their wealth in his past life always said, "You can never understand the joy of being rich."
Chen Mo opened his interface. His Flaming Palm had finally broken through its previous bottleneck and reached the Mastery Realm!
Pushing open the door, he faced the dim night and forcefully threw a palm strike. A blazing arc of fire surged out, striking an empty patch of ground seven or eight meters away. Though this attack couldn’t quite compare to the palm Wang Lixia had used to repel the Tribulation Cultivator, it now held a solid fraction of that power. If he ever had to fight someone, his self-preservation skills had definitely increased!
As the fiery glow gradually dissipated, Chen Mo looked up. The sky was high and clear, illuminated by dazzling starlight. Since transmigrating over a year ago, he had strictly adhered to the warning about never going out at night. This was his first time truly gazing at the starry sky of this world. It was tranquil and breathtakingly beautiful.
A cool autumn breeze drifted past, carrying a refreshing fragrance. In the Spirit Field, the Spirit Yellow Rice had already begun to form ears, RUSTLING softly in the wind. This year was bound to be another bountiful harvest! Chen Mo’s luck had been quite good; for two consecutive years, his crops had grown without drought or disaster.
Just as he was enjoying the soothing caress of the cool breeze, patches of the nearby rice paddy suddenly flattened to the ground. Immediately after, a dark shadow flashed toward him like a ghost. Chen Mo held his breath, hastily retreating into the wooden cabin and shutting the door without hesitation.
THUD!
THUD! THUD!
The sound of heavy pounding against the door echoed from outside. Suddenly, a bright red light flared beneath his feet, sweeping across the entire room with lightning speed. A sharp SMACK rang out, followed closely by a miserable shriek.
A few breaths later, all movement outside ceased.
"What was that?" Chen Mo muttered, his heart fluttering with lingering fear. Setting aside the entity’s attack power or ghostly stealth, its imperceptible speed alone was terrifying. If it managed to get close, it could likely tear through his skin with ease. Just what kind of evil creatures were lurking around the Ancient Dust Marketplace?
He had originally assumed the local tales were merely rumors passed from mouth to mouth. It was only out of his innate vigilance that he had never taken the risk, making it a habit to return to his wooden cabin the moment night fell. Today was an exception. Because his Flaming Palm had just broken through and could now be released externally, he didn’t want to risk damaging the few pieces of furniture in his room. Thus, he stepped outside to test it. But who could have predicted that in just a few short breaths, he would be targeted by an unknown monster! Thankfully, his cautious nature had kept him standing right at the threshold. Otherwise, he never would have had time to escape!
"I can’t go out. Looks like I absolutely can’t go out," Chen Mo told himself, turning back to his bed to rest.
Early the next morning, just as the sky began to brighten, Chen Mo pushed open his door. Right outside, a stark, scorched footprint marred the ground. Looking closer at the door itself, he noticed two similarly charred holes slightly above the center. They were clearly left behind by last night’s uninvited guest! A lingering sense of dread washed over him, and he silently resolved to be infinitely more cautious with everything he did from now on.
Upon arriving at the Spirit Field, Chen Mo noticed that a few patches of rice ears had withered and turned a sickly yellow. It was undoubtedly the handiwork of that ghostly creature. What a reckless waste of heavenly treasures! Just those ruined stalks alone would have been enough to feed him for two or three days.
Frustrated as he was, he quickly set about his tasks. Since autumn had arrived, the field was largely free of weeds. Aside from watering the crops every three days, there wasn’t much heavy labor left to do.
After depleting all the Spiritual Qi in his body, he checked his interface—his Rainfall Technique was only ten experience points away from leveling up. Chen Mo returned to his small wooden cabin and cooked himself a hefty bowl of rice. Using at least half a catty of Spirit Rice, he savored the fragrant meal, comforting the emotional wounds he had suffered the night before.
If Wang Lixia were here to witness this scene, she would have definitely smacked him over the head with her walking stick while scolding, "You prodigal boy! So prodigal!"
"Sigh, it’s been almost half a month. Is there really no news at all?"
After polishing off the bowl of rice, Chen Mo felt instantly revitalized. Stepping back out into the field, he grasped a tael of Spiritual Sand in his left hand and another in his right, then commenced his Cultivation.
He had made up his mind five days ago. The Spirit Rice and Fasting Pills could be stockpiled for now; if Wang Lisha returned in three months, he would give them all back to her. But the Spiritual Sand was a different story! With no guarantee of her return—and considering it was highly probable she wouldn’t—his top priority was to enhance his own strength as quickly as possible.
Currently, Chen Mo only had two taels left of the Spiritual Sand he had exchanged for last year, and his Qi Cultivation Technique had reached 78 points. With 22 points remaining—and calculating at a rate of one experience point every five days and one tael of Spiritual Sand every ten days—he still needed at least 110 days and 11 taels of Spiritual Sand!
It would be less than two months before the Spirit Rice fully matured, yet he needed nearly four months to break through to the Qi Refining Second Layer. Therefore, confident that he would harvest enough resources to repay his debts this year, Chen Mo decided to dip into the Spiritual Sand Wang Lixia had left behind. Everything else could wait until he finally reached the Qi Refining Second Layer!
He focused on his breathing, letting the time slip away.
Just as he was fully absorbed in his Cultivation, a faint rustling sound caught his attention. He opened his eyes, sensing that something was wrong. Standing up, he walked toward the source of the noise. Soon enough, resting atop the waist-high stalks of Spirit Rice, he spotted a massive bug roughly the size of his two palms put together!
"A Drunken Aphid?"
Chen Mo had never actually seen one before, but he knew the name. Rumor had it that when this pest started devouring Spirit Rice, its eating speed was off the charts. It was virtually unstoppable!
Without another word, he channeled his Flaming Palm and launched a fierce strike at the Drunken Aphid. The power of a Mastery Realm Magic was certainly not to be underestimated; in a single blow, the pest was instantly pulverized into a smoldering, fiery mush.
But a second later, Chen Mo stared in dismay. The bug was dead, yes, but the two stalks of Spirit Rice it had been resting on were completely scorched.
At that moment, he finally understood why Wang Lisha had urged him to learn the Geng Metal Finger if he ever got the chance! Because he hadn’t encountered any pests last year, he hadn’t paid her advice much mind. Now, it was glaringly obvious—he absolutely had to learn that Cultivation Technique designed specifically for exterminating bugs!
After dealing with that first Drunken Aphid, Chen Mo scoured his ten acres of Spirit Field. By the time he had exhausted forty percent of his Spiritual Qi, he had successfully smashed seven more bugs—and utterly obliterated twelve stalks of Spirit Rice in the process!
The Flaming Palm was truly ill-suited for exterminating pests.
If Wang Lixia were still around, Chen Mo would have immediately informed her about the pest problem in the field to seek her advice and insight. Then again, if she were actually here, her expression would have instantly darkened the moment she laid eyes on a Drunken Aphid!
While a handful of bugs couldn’t cause any major devastation right now, their presence was an ominous sign. It meant that next year, a plague of insects would likely descend upon them!