Five days later.
In the same dense forest, in the same underground secret chamber, Chen Mu watched Shang Huan and Mo Wuzhou complete the trade with Five Ghosts Moving Mountain.
He then commanded the Five Ghosts Yin Spirit to drill out of the wooden box and fly into the sky.
“Finally got it done,” Chen Mu let out a long sigh of relief.
Once Shang Huan had isolated the risks, he could go get the huge payment.
“Making artifacts is really profitable,” Chen Mu felt the joy of having a unique skill.
“Alchemy probably isn’t bad either,” Chen Mu pondered.
He still had an alchemy furnace in his hands.
“I should find some alchemy methods when I get a chance.”
…
Five or six miles away from the trading location.
Mo Wuzhou wordlessly watched the black smokescreen fly away.
“Why is he still hiding in the box?” Mo Wuzhou glared at Shang Huan. “I’ve seen this trick last time already!”
I want to know too.
Shang Huan just smiled and said nothing.
“I get it,” Mo Wuzhou rolled his eyes.
“If the trade didn’t go well, you planned to destroy this batch of Wood Spirit Boys, right?”
So that’s it!
Shang Huan still smiled without speaking.
“The final payment, take a look.”
Bang!
A wooden box the size of a computer tower case smashed onto the square cargo box.
Shang Huan skillfully picked it up to weigh it, chanted a curse, and put it into his left wrist’s Mustard Seed Talisman.
Then, under Mo Wuzhou’s puzzled gaze, he chanted the Mustard Seed Talisman’s curse command again.
Bang!
A half-human-tall wooden frame appeared between the two men.
The wood frame was divided into five layers, stuffed full with bamboo tubes as long as a forearm and as thick as a fist.
“One hundred portions of Spiritual Pulp as a gift,” Shang Huan smiled beamingly.
He also pointed to a pile of papers covered in small characters on the top of the wood frame. “Instructions for use, please make sure to distribute them to every user of the Wood Spirit Boy.”
Mo Wuzhou, out of curiosity, picked up a paper to inspect.
The beginning explained the Wood Spirit Boy curse command.
Followed by the method and precautions for using Spiritual Pulp.
The end listed the names of several dozen people.
“These people?” Mo Wuzhou looked puzzled at Shang Huan.
“Merchants. They’re merchants selling Spiritual Pulp,” Shang Huan smiled beamingly.
They were also the merchants selling Insect Repellent Incense.
Any disciple from the Lower Courtyard, as soon as they see this list, would know where to find these people.
“Earning money through commerce really is a matter of knowledge,” Mo Wuzhou sighed.
Just thinking about connecting with those dozens of people made his head ache.
I better stick to refining my White Jade Coins.
“You need to be careful. Lately, many people have been inquiring.”
“I’ve checked, and they mainly come from the Inspection Courtyard.”
“It’s just not clear which Prefect it is,” Mo Wuzhou cautioned solemnly.
“Selling Spiritual Pulp, with so many mouths, can easily cause trouble.”
“You can use my name as you like, but if something happens, I can only help so much.”
“You know, my master isn’t here. Brother Liang is also in seclusion.”
“Be cautious,” Mo Wuzhou reminded.
“Thank you, Brother Mo, for the advice!” Shang Huan bowed respectfully.
…
The next day.
Chen Mu crawled out of his tent.
He stretched lazily.
“That was a good sleep!”
He didn’t practice his mana last night; he just went straight to bed.
A good night’s sleep washed away all the irritability and fatigue accumulated from constantly crafting Wood Spirit Boys.
He carried a bucket to the mountain stream to fetch fresh water for washing up.
Chen Mu took out the grilled meat slices he’d reserved last night, reheating them with the black smoke of the Spiritual Armor.
He wrapped them in a flexible and thin pancake made from Yellow Bud Rice and wild vegetables.
Chen Mu ate ten in a row before he started to feel a bit full.
Tying the yellow gourd to his waist and carrying the chopping knife that was as big as a door plank, Chen Mu left the camp with the others.
“You look energetic, recovered well?” Old Hao walked beside him, tilting his head to size Chen Mu up. “Was my remedy effective?”
“Uh… effective, very effective.”
“I’ll make you a nice meal tonight.”
“Well then, I will be waiting.” Old Hao nodded in satisfaction.
…
About a hundred meters south of the camp.
Accompanied by a series of rustling sounds that made one’s skin itch.
Old Man Yang, leading two men in grey, was slowly advancing with a wave-like swarm of grey insects.
Weeds, shrubs, vines, venomous insects, snakes, ants, all were devoured by the grey swarm.
Chen Mu followed along with the others, standing lazily nearby to watch.
Two grey inspectors from the Inspection Courtyard suddenly emerged from the dense forest on the side.
After scanning the crowd, they walked straight up to Old Man Yang.
They conversed briefly, then hurried away.
“What’s going on?” a few curious people gathered around Old Man Yang.
“The Lower Courtyard has decreed that we must advance at least two miles every day.”
“The Administrative Affairs Institute will come inspect in the evening; if we don’t meet the quota, we’ll have our pay docked,” Old Man Yang said with a wry smile.
The others couldn’t help but grumble in complaint.
Chen Mu also sighed. Increasing the workload meant it would no longer be easy to slack off.
“Do you know why?” someone asked.
“The two Patrolling Inspectors just now said that the Lower Courtyard equipped the hunting team with Exploration Magical Instruments, which can speed up the advance,” Old Man Yang explained, equally puzzled.
“They said we mustn’t fall behind, and we should swiftly transform the original forest environment to prevent exotic beasts and venomous creatures from hiding.”
A look of strangeness crossed Chen Mu’s face.
Wood Spirit Boy?! Good grief, so in the end, it’s my fault?
“Who knows which son of a turtle came up with this damn Magic Artifact,” muttered an old man with a white beard and a red nose, unable to refrain himself.
“For just that little bit of money, what’s the rush!”
Chen Mu’s eyes narrowed to slits, his gaze subtly shifting toward the man.
“If I find out who that son of a turtle… ay, ouch!” the red-nosed old man exclaimed, leaping three meters high with his hand on his backside!
“Old Yang! You didn’t clear them out properly! The venomous bugs are crawling up my crotch!”
But Old Yang just laughed heartily, “Then you better strip and let us have a look, eh!”
The others joined in with loud laughter.
It wasn’t the first time something like this had happened.
The forest was so vast, it was inevitable that one or two venomous ants would be missed. Those creatures bit painfully.
Hidden in the crowd, Chen Mu felt that he couldn’t waste everyone’s enthusiasm.
So he gathered Qi Forbidden Hundred Miles into a needle and pricked! Ouch! Ouch! Oi ow ow ow…
…
In one corner of the Bingchen District’s third development team camp.
“Are you saying that Wood Spirit Boy is a creation of Mr. Gongsun?” Lu Ku glanced at Ai Ji, understanding the situation.
“Yes,” Shang Huan replied, feeling that the atmosphere was a bit odd.
“You want us to help you sell the Spiritual Pulp; is this Mr. Gongsun’s idea?” Lu Ku asked with a smile.
“This is my idea,” Shang Huan said, with a big smile plastered on his face.
“But this is Mr. Gongsun’s business.”
“I need trustworthy people to help me.”
“And naturally, I thought of you all, brothers, and sisters,” Shang Huan said cheerfully.
He was looking for a reliable group to scout the area when he made deliveries, to keep watch for him, to prevent falling into traps or being followed.
The Wu Mountain seven brothers came to his mind first.
Like him, each of them had a United Heart Gu in their bodies.
Their lives and deaths were in Mr. Gongsun’s hands; what better helpers could there be?!
Ai Ji, already frustrated with recent events, couldn’t help but start ranting when he heard this plump fellow daring to take liberties with their patron: “Your idea? You…”
“What you said, we agree!” Lu Ku interjected, cutting off Ai Ji.
“We can help!”
Shang Huan was overjoyed.
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“Don’t worry, Mr. Gongsun is very generous and will not let everyone work for nothing.”
“Just look at me. If the payment were too low, would I care so much, right?”
He could sense their dissatisfaction.
But with their lives in Mr. Gongsun’s hands, what difference did their discontent make?
Add to that a high reward. They might be dissatisfied now, but later on, they might even be more eager than he was.
Lu Ku smiled genially, “Please notify us in advance when you need us.”
“We also have our own work to handle.”
“So…”
“Lu Brother is straightforward!” Shang Huan clasped his hands in salute, his face beaming with happiness: “Advance notice is no problem!”
“Thank you, all my brothers and sisters!”