CHAPTER 36: CHAPTER 36 MASTER RUNS AWAY_1

"Daoist Fang, allow me to consider for a few days before I give you a reply." Jia Ren was skillfully using delaying tactics to avoid being entangled by Fang Wu.

He had no desire to help others make stone houses look old, as it was laborious and fraught with considerable danger.

The trouble that had come to his door earlier was an act of desperation he couldn’t have avoided.

Continue cooperating in making stone houses look old?

Earning Spirit Stones was important, but safety was paramount.

He naturally wouldn’t risk his life just to earn Spirit Stones.

After sending Fang Wu away, Jia Ren entered the tunnel through the stone house and arrived at the abandoned stone dwelling.

He sealed the tunnel and erased any traces to prevent his whereabouts from being exposed.

If Fang Wu came looking again, he would have a hard time finding the secret chamber underground and would likely assume that Jia Ren had fled.

However, Jia Ren didn’t think this would guarantee his safety.

A crafty rabbit has three burrows; he needed to prepare several other places to shelter himself.

That way, he would have an escape route if he ever needed to flee.

Should I look for another stone house, or continue to dig through the tunnel?

Keep digging down!

Underground was always safer than above ground, reducing the risk of exposure.

"Corner Worm, start working."

Jia Ren directed the Corner Worm to dig toward the south.

Since he was already on the edge of the Northern District, continuing to dig northward might take him out of the Great Wilderness Market.

Ever since he had encountered the Bizarre Mist Maiden at Lake of Smoky Waves, he had lost all interest in leaving the Great Wilderness Market.

As long as he stayed in the Great Wilderness Market, wherever he dug to depended entirely on the performance of the Corner Worm.

He didn’t even know where the endpoint was, let alone the people who might want to catch him.

Jia Ren left the tunnel digging to the Corner Worm and returned to the Insect Breeding Room. There, he took out the Corner Worm Eggs and used the Spirit Contract Mark to incubate them.

After several days of exterminating pests on Grand Wilderness Mountain, he had obtained far more than just one hundred and forty-odd Corner Worm Eggs.

To be precise, the number was in the thousands, most of which were sealed and saved for future use.

Each Corner Worm didn’t consume much Spiritual Liquid. Maintaining more than a hundred of them was still affordable with the Spiritual Liquid and Spirit Rice he had.

If he were to hatch thousands of Corner Worms all at once, aside from the question of whether he could manage them, the daily consumption of resources would be no small sum.

I can’t afford to raise them!

To accelerate the digging progress, he could only increase the size of his Corner Worm operation.

Let’s start with five hundred.

He took out five hundred Corner Worm Eggs and soaked them in specially prepared Spiritual Liquid. Then, one by one, he applied the Spirit Contract Marks.

After all the work was done, Jia Ren was thoroughly tired; his spirit was particularly exhausted.

He lay down in the Cultivation Room and fell into a deep sleep.

Unaware of how many hours he had slept, when he awoke, Jia Ren, as usual, checked on the Corner Worms. Many of the eggs had hatched into tiny larvae, which would be ready for use in a few days.

The speed of the tunnel excavation could then be increased several times over.

How are the Exotic Black Mosquitoes doing?

Jia Ren looked toward the Exotic Black Mosquitoes. Three of them appeared listless, as if on the brink of death.

What’s happening?

They were soaked in Spiritual Liquid daily; logically, they shouldn’t be this weak.

Was there another condition required for breeding Exotic Black Mosquitoes?

The Insect Control Scripture Jia Ren had acquired was an incomplete version. It contained mostly superficial parts and did not include a section on Exotic Black Mosquitoes.

Spiritual Liquid might be suitable for breeding Corner Worms and Poison Thorn Caterpillars, but that didn’t mean it was right for Exotic Black Mosquitoes.

Perhaps they required a special method of cultivation.

Hungry!

Using the Insect Control Technique, Jia Ren felt the emotional state of the Exotic Black Mosquitoes for the first time.

This was an unprecedented event.

Usually, only targets controlled by the Insect Control Technique’s Spirit Contract Mark could convey intense emotions.

Were they delirious from hunger?

No wonder they looked close to death.

What should Exotic Black Mosquitoes eat?

Mosquitoes like to suck blood. Exotic Black Mosquitoes had not strayed from their species’ traits, so it seemed they mainly needed blood.

What kind of blood?

Either human blood or Demon Beast Blood would do.

The former was mainly from cultivators.

Drain blood from a cultivator?

That would likely lead to a life-or-death struggle, too dangerous to consider for now.

The latter could be obtained by buying Monster Beast Meat from butchers, who would often give extra Demon Beast Blood with large purchases.

Demon Beast Blood was mostly inexpensive. Except for a few precious types used for making Talisman Ink and Artifact Refining, most of it was not particularly valuable.

With the Five Elements Sect at war with Thousand Beasts Mountain, the Outer City Market had closed. He wanted to buy blood but couldn’t.

Jia Ren had no Demon Beast Blood on hand. After much deliberation, only one living creature was available—himself.

Slash my wrist and offer blood?

He avoided needles whenever he could; when had he ever summoned the courage to slash his wrist?

I almost forgot, Corner Worms contain Demonic Blood as well.

For the sake of the Exotic Black Mosquitoes, I can only sacrifice you all.

Having just hatched five hundred Corner Worms, he could afford the extravagance.

Jia Ren controlled several Corner Worms to queue up in front of the Exotic Black Mosquitoes and issued the feeding command.

The feeding mouthparts of the Exotic Black Mosquitoes pierced the Corner Worms, sucking the limited green blood within.

An intense feeling of distaste was conveyed.

Blood, too, has its hierarchies.

Take Cultivators, for instance. Their blood contains pure Spiritual Power; the stronger the individual, the more potent their Spiritual Power.

The same applies to Magical Beasts and Demonic Insects.

Corner Worms are unranked Spirit Insects; the quality of their blood was imaginable.

Still picky eaters? Then let them wait for death!

The Exotic Black Mosquitoes were starved; something was better than nothing.

After consuming all the blood of twelve Corner Worms, the Exotic Black Mosquitoes barely recovered their spirits.

After a bit of soothing, they continued to hang on to life, soaking in the Spiritual Liquid.

Hopefully, a solution could be found in the future; relying on Corner Worms was not a sustainable answer.

I’ll take it one step at a time. I can’t risk everything for just three mosquitoes.

Jia Ren finished his work and was about to rest when a sense of premonition struck; the mosquitoes he had left at his old dwelling sent him a warning.

Someone had come to his previous abode!

Who could it be?

Jia Ren left the tunnel, concealed his aura with the Turtle Breath Technique, and peered through the crevices of the stone house toward the outside.

Cultivators possess remarkable eyesight and could vaguely discern two blurry figures dozens of yards away.

As expected, trouble had come knocking again.

Good thing I had left...

The two figures entered the stone house. After searching for the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, they couldn’t find Jia Ren.

"Where did Jia Ren go?"

"My business of making stone houses look old!"

Fang Wu had never expected Jia Ren... to flee.

Just helping make stone houses look old, was it worth all this?

"Shen Daoyou, I’m truly sorry for making you come all this way for nothing."

Fang Wu apologized nonstop to the Loose Cultivator he had brought with him.

When he came, he was full of confidence, yet the result differed greatly from his speculations.

Fang Wu had long known that Jia Ren was a cautious Cultivator, always prioritizing stability in his actions.

He never imagined Jia Ren wouldn’t dare to take even the slightest risk.

Spirit Stones that could be earned so easily were right in front of him, yet he ignored them?

He must not lack Spirit Stones... But I do! The profitable opportunity I had found has flown away on wings...

"Daoist Fang, this place is quite good. Since the original owner has left, I’ll take the liberty of staying here. The Spirit Stone arrangement will be as before."

"Also, I have another proposal."

"The master of aging houses has left. You’re lacking a cooperating Daoist for this work. How about me?"

Fang Wu furrowed his brows, scrutinizing the Loose Cultivator who sought to collaborate.

"Artificially aging stone houses might look easy, but it’s actually difficult. Any slight mistake, and we could fall into the hands of the Five Elements Sect."

"If we ruin our reputation, not only can we forget about continuing our business, but we’d also be in danger."

The cultivator surnamed Shen laughed heartily, his face full of confidence. "I haven’t yet told you, Daoist Fang, about my main line of work for earning money."

"I specialize in forgery—be it Magic Artifacts or rare materials—making them indistinguishable from the genuine articles."

"Artificially aging stone houses might be somewhat unfamiliar to me, but Daoist Fang, if you don’t mind, give me some time to prove my ability."

"I am confident I can do it."

Fang Wu’s extinguished hopes were rekindled.

Even after losing Jia Ren, he could still find a new partner.

If the business of artificially aging stone houses continued, he could gather the Loose Cultivators from the Outer City in the Northern District.

His plans for an underground trading meet could also proceed.

Artificially aging stone houses was a money-making business, but the real goose laying golden eggs was the underground trading meet.