Chapter 58: A Warning
Chapter 58: Chapter 58: A Warning
A cool breeze rustled as Li Zhongguo stood on the city wall.
"How did it go?"
Li Zhongguo’s expression was unreadable.
The old soldier who had initially led Zhu Ge stood behind him, bowing. "The boy didn’t speak ill of the Raincoat Fisherman."
"Oh?" Li Zhongguo turned his head in surprise. "So my dear brother has actually recruited a true Quanya?"
"However, this Quanya did accept that Mercury Fruit," the old soldier said, shaking his head with a smile.
"Greed is good. A greedy person can be controlled." A smile appeared on Li Zhongguo’s face. "That Zhu Ge seems quite sharp. If my brother uses him well, he might be able to secure a high position in Yuan Yang City."
"It’s a shame you’re the only one by my side. The others are useless. Otherwise, things wouldn’t have to be so complicated."
"Congratulations in advance, Defender!" the old soldier praised. "When you are promoted, please don’t forget to bring this subordinate with you!"
"Haha, of course." A savage smile spread across Li Zhongguo’s face. He spat on the city wall beneath his feet.
"This place is utterly disgusting. I don’t want to stay here for another minute!"
"Now I’ll just wait for my brother to become the City Lord. Then killing that man named Pei and transferring my brother here won’t have been in vain."
...
The cold wind howled as the Raincoat Fisherman stood at the prow of the boat.
Suddenly, the Raincoat Fisherman glanced back. River Mouth Pass was no longer in sight.
"Just now, that old soldier seemed to have taken you somewhere..."
The Raincoat Fisherman spoke slowly.
Zhu Ge’s eyes shot open. He immediately prostrated himself at the stern. "Yes! Yes! Reporting to the Fisherman, that man blocked off all Divine Sense and told me he was from Chicken Street Village. He asked me about his family!"
"Oh?" A smile touched the Raincoat Fisherman’s lips. "And what did you say?"
"I said I hadn’t noticed his mother, but I told him I would keep an eye out for her and pass on a message if I happened to be passing through." Zhu Ge’s expression was panicked.
"Bastard!"
The Raincoat Fisherman snorted coldly and slapped Zhu Ge across the face.
Zhu Ge’s body slammed to the left, hitting an invisible membrane before bouncing back.
"Fisherman, Fisherman, I was wrong, Fisherman!" Zhu Ge was in a state of utter panic, kowtowing repeatedly.
"Oh? And what exactly were you wrong about?" The Raincoat Fisherman turned his back to him.
"I... I shouldn’t have agreed to his request without your permission, Fisherman," Zhu Ge stammered.
"Hmph, that’s not the crucial point!" The Raincoat Fisherman shook his head, his tone one of someone scolding an underachiever. "Your mistake was unintentionally revealing the true situation in Chicken Street Village!"
Zhu Ge froze. "The true situation?"
"Yes." The Raincoat Fisherman sighed and helped Zhu Ge up from the stern.
"I told that Li Zhongguo that the road was littered with the bodies of the starved, and that not even one in ten villages survived."
"But you said you hadn’t noticed this old soldier’s family. Doesn’t that imply that Chicken Street Village is still intact? His family is just a single old woman. How could she survive in a village where the people are starving?"
"This proves that Chicken Street Village can support an extra old woman! With a population of over two hundred, a village like that should be turning over at least a thousand dan of grain!"
After this explanation, a hint of agitation entered the Raincoat Fisherman’s voice. "Do you understand now?"
"I... I see..." Zhu Ge replied blankly, then added nervously, "So, so what do we do now?"
"It’s fine." The Raincoat Fisherman turned away and looked at the moon in the sky, the corner of his mouth lifting into a smile that Zhu Ge couldn’t see. "If Li Zhongguo dares to report this, I’ll just have to make up an excuse to brush it off."
"However, your performance in helping the wounded at River Mouth Pass was good. You’ve helped build a good reputation for the both of us, so I shall grant you a reward."
As he spoke, the Raincoat Fisherman waved his hand. A wine cup flew from his palm and landed in Zhu Ge’s.
"This is..." Zhu Ge froze.
The cup contained a milky-white liquid that looked just like milk.
"This is brewed from the pulp of a Milk Fruit. If you take it at the same time as the Mercury Fruit, it can extend your life and benefit your internal organs." The Raincoat Fisherman’s eyes twinkled with amusement.
"Fisherman?!" Zhu Ge instinctively clutched his right hip, the spot where he kept the Mercury Fruit.
THUD!!
"Fisherman, I..." Zhu Ge knelt again and was about to kowtow when he felt a force lift him back to his feet.
"Say no more. No need to explain." The Raincoat Fisherman shook his head with a smile. "In the future, if someone gives you something, just accept it. Remember, as long as you are loyal while working for me, there will be no shortage of benefits."
"Un-understood!" A drop of sweat trickled down Zhu Ge’s forehead.
"Good. Take it now. I will stand guard for you." The Raincoat Fisherman smiled. "Oh, and when we pass Chicken Street Village, remember to go down and tell them he’s safe. Since you’ve accepted a favor, you should do your part."
"Yes, Fisherman!" Zhu Ge wiped the sweat from his brow, sat down cross-legged, took several deep breaths, and exhaled slowly.
It seemed he was trying to calm his inner tension and panic.
But in reality?
’What a scheme! As expected, Li Zhongguo and the Raincoat Fisherman are not as simple as they appear...’ Zhu Ge sneered inwardly.
Outwardly, however, he took out the Mercury Fruit with a slightly trembling hand and consumed it, then tilted his head back and drank the milk-like liquid from the cup.
The next moment, a scorching heat spread through his body.
This sensation was better than what he’d felt from the Deep Blue Fruit and its leaves before.
"Hurry and circulate your Blood Qi! Don’t waste the medicinal power!" The Raincoat Fisherman’s sharp voice sounded by his ear.
"Although the Mercury Fruit is low-grade and not a Spiritual Object, that milk-pulp is the essence of ten Milk Fruits, enough to be considered a low-grade Spirit Level item. When combined, their medicinal power is almost equivalent to a mid-grade Spirit Level item!"
Hearing this, Zhu Ge immediately began to guide his body’s Blood Qi, circulating it through his meridians. As it flowed, new streams of Blood Qi were drawn in, merging like a hundred rivers flowing into the sea.
After about an hour, he was completely drained, but his Blood Qi had grown a full size larger.
But the most crucial part was...
[Name: Zhu Ge]
[Lifespan: 9 years]
[Traits: None equipped]
[Inventory: Spider, Kunpeng]
’I can’t believe it added a whole year to my lifespan...’ Zhu Ge was overjoyed, and a smile spread across his face.
’The effect of extending life and benefiting the organs is really amazing!’
"How was it? Was the effect satisfactory?" the Raincoat Fisherman’s voice asked.
Zhu Ge opened his eyes, his joy plain to see. "I feel much better!"
"Mm." The Raincoat Fisherman nodded slightly. "I can see your Blood Qi is quite strong, which must be due to a decent Cultivation Technique. However, you are only in the early stage of the Martial Arts Resentment Realm..."
"How about this. We’ll be passing Chicken Street Village soon, so go hunt an Over Mountain Peak," the Raincoat Fisherman said after a moment of thought. "The gall of an Over Mountain Peak can help you break through to the middle stage and generate a second stream of Blood Qi. I will watch your back."
’Over Mountain Peak?’
’A King Cobra!’
Zhu Ge recalled a certain aura he had sensed back in Chicken Street Village.
It was a Late-First Realm Demon Snake. Yueyue demanded that Chicken Street Village offer live chickens as sacrifices to avoid disaster.
The people of Chicken Street Village naturally wouldn’t say much about it; they didn’t want to cause trouble.
Just like Jianshan Village.
Having communicative demons like the Tiger God and Mr. Chong nearby was always better than having an uncommunicative one like the Fungus God.
’Looks like I have no choice but to kill that Over Mountain Peak...’ Zhu Ge sighed inwardly.
’Killing the Over Mountain Peak will obviously make Chicken Street Village tense for a while.’
’Moreover, this Over Mountain Peak was originally a "spider thread" he had saved for later. Now it seems he won’t be able to keep it.’
This realization put Zhu Ge on high alert.
’A spider thread isn’t a guarantee. Plans can change...’ A new understanding dawned on Zhu Ge.
"Well, well! Zhu Ge, there’s a young bear cub up ahead!"
"It must be the child of that Second Realm bear couple from before. Haha, while they’re not here, hurry up and slaughter that cub and devour its heart!"
"As the saying goes, ’the heart of a bear and the gall of a leopard.’ Its effect will be far stronger than the snake gall from an Over Mountain Peak! Haha! Heaven itself is helping you!"