Chapter 402: Capability
Two young men, clad in Soft Armor, came to pay their respects.
They were blood brothers, the grandsons of Bai Mo's senior brother, Qian Tong.
Bai Mo received them in his thatched hut.
"Senior Brother sent you to help me?"
"That was very thoughtful of him. I'm truly grateful."
The hut's interior was spartan. An Array Plate and a Pill Furnace were the only things on the floor, and the furnace was still letting off white steam.
He had prepared the Array Plate before leaving the Sect; one couldn't be too careful when traveling.
Qian Qing and Qian Chen stood with their heads bowed, not daring to underestimate this young Sect Disciple in the slightest.
"Immortal Master, you have come because of the Demon Beasts that escaped from Celestial Barrier Mountain. Ultimately, you are doing this for our sake as well."
"It would be wrong of us to show any disrespect."
They had assumed Bai Mo was assigned this task due to his exceptional combat prowess.
They never expected that upon arriving today, they would find him tending to a Pill Furnace.
'An Alchemy Cultivator from a major sect, as long as they aren't a fraud, is bound to have incredible skills.'
Qian Qing spoke respectfully. "My brother and I will await your command here, Immortal Master."
"Whatever you command, please do not hesitate to ask!"
As he spoke, the Pill Furnace to the side trembled slightly, drawing Bai Mo's gaze.
"Very good."
"I'll send for you if I need anything."
Seeing that he was occupied, Qian Qing and his brother dared not disturb him further. They bowed quickly and took their leave.
As they left the hut, the villagers of Xiaoao Village crowded around.
"We have prepared quarters for you two gentlemen in the village. Please, come with us."
Qian Qing nodded.
"Our two horses are quite valuable. They must be tended to carefully. As for the feed..."
He trailed off.
"Never mind. We'll use the feed we brought with us."
With a wave of his hand, two large buckets appeared on the ground.
The horses they rode were no ordinary breed, but descendants of special steeds Qian Tong had purchased from Beast Taming Peak.
The villagers nodded and hastily carried the wooden buckets away.
The Qian brothers were led into a house. Though they saw its humble interior, they said nothing.
Qian Chen removed his Soft Armor and let out a breath of relief.
"Brother, you know... these people from the major sects don't exactly look like they have three heads and six arms."
"So what exactly makes them so strong?"
Qian Qing shot him a look, then picked up a porcelain bowl from the table and took a sip of water.
"Grandfather came from a sect himself. He knows what's what. When has he ever been anything but courteous to a fellow disciple?"
"Is it your place to question what sets them apart? Just do your job and stop talking nonsense..."
Without even removing his Soft Armor, he returned to the room, sat cross-legged on the bed, and began to meditate.
Qian Chen shrugged. He didn't have his brother's kind of perseverance.
He simply pulled over a chair, slumped into it, and stared blankly out the window.
...
When the moon was high in the sky, Bai Mo finally concluded his day's experiments.
The well water in the Pill Furnace had completely evaporated, leaving behind a white, fingernail-sized concretion.
Bai Mo gently rubbed his brow, then swept his finger inside the furnace, pinching the substance to examine it closely.
'The groundwater here is certainly unusual. Perhaps underground streams converge beneath this spot, and combined with the excellent feng shui, it has produced something miraculous.'
With that thought, Bai Mo tossed the concretion into his mouth.
The substance had no real taste, but as it dissolved, a refreshing coolness spread through his mouth, slightly easing his mental fatigue.
Taking out a booklet, Bai Mo picked up a brush and began to write.
"...Xiaoao Village, at the mountain's base. Peculiar geography. Well water nurtures a vital essence. Ingesting it soothes the mind and fortifies the body..."
"A treasured land for Alchemy..."
As he was writing, a sudden breeze wafted through the window, carrying with it the faint scent of blood.
Bai Mo looked up and sensed the demonic aura on the wind. His expression remained unchanged as he lowered his head and resumed writing.
'It's just an unranked Demon Beast. It can't do anything to Ah Er.'
'That little guy has eaten a lot of Pills and works hard every day, forging an excellent physique.'
'Coupled with the occasional brawls with the sect's Spirit Beasts, he's quite a seasoned fighter—not nearly as harmless as he looks.'
Qian Qing and Qian Chen, however, were a different story. The moment they caught the faint scent of blood, they shot to their feet out of pure reflex.
WHOOSH!
Qian Qing flung open the door curtain and rushed out. Qian Chen was already on the move, weapon in hand, hastily pulling his Soft Armor on as he went.
Qian Chen's nostrils flared as he easily pinpointed the source of the scent.
"To the southwest."
"Damned beast! It actually snuck around to the back of the village!"
Qian Qing glanced toward the back mountain where the hut was. Seeing no activity there, he said:
"Let's go!"
He drew his long spear and took off running with Qian Chen, who gripped a greatsword.
The commotion also startled the villagers. Recent events had already put them on edge, making them as skittish as startled birds.
The able-bodied young men shouted, grabbing whatever blades and spears they could find as they ran out after the Qian brothers.
The village elders, old and out of the loop, were woken by the commotion. They rose, threw on some robes, and watched the younger men rush off.
"Sigh... These are troubled times. I just hope nothing terrible happens..."
The moonlight was bright tonight.
It shone on the green bricks scattered across the ground, giving them a cyan-green glow.
They were probably leftovers from someone's house construction, not yet cleared away.
When Qian Qing and his brother arrived with the young men, they finally saw the culprits: a pair of silver-white demon wolves, one large and one small.
The two wolves would have been majestic, but for the large tumors on their backs that bulged beneath their fur, spoiling their appearance.
"Look!!"
"It's the Immortal Master's Spirit Beast!"
One of the young men cried out in surprise.
Not far away, Ah Er had the larger wolf pinned to the ground. Gripping a green brick, he was bringing it down on the wolf's head again and again.
The smaller wolf circled nearby, periodically lunging in to bite.
But Ah Er kept his eyes locked on it. Relying on his slick fur and brute strength, he always managed to evade its attacks, using the momentum to shove it away.
With Ah Er using all his limbs, the large wolf beneath him was utterly unable to break free.
CRACK!
Another green brick shattered, spraying dust all over the large wolf's face.
Before the wolf could even muster its rage, Ah Er gave it two powerful kicks, then grabbed another brick and started smacking it again.
The large wolf was helpless. This bear cub-like badger was freakishly strong. All it could do was struggle and let out frustrated whimpers.
Watching Ah Er swing the bricks with such ferocious vigor, Qian Qing finally understood why the Immortal Master hadn't made an appearance.
"Go!"
With a low shout, he led the men in a charge.
Seeing the large group of people, the smaller wolf lowered its head, snarled, and then turned to flee.
"The beast..."
Seeing it abandon its companion so decisively, Qian Qing put all his strength into throwing his long spear.
Just as you'd expect from someone who lived by the mountains, the spear flew like a dark shadow, precisely pinning the small wolf to the ground.
The shaft of the spear was still trembling.
The small wolf wasn't dead, but it was quickly finished off by the young men who rushed in.
As for the one being beaten down by Ah Er, its fate was sealed.
Everyone let out a collective sigh of relief.
"Thank goodness it wasn't a major incident."
"It's a good thing we found them in time. If we had let these two beasts wander freely, anyone from the village who stepped outside would have been snatched away..."
Qian Qing cleared his throat and announced:
"This victory was thanks to the Immortal Master's Spirit Beast. These two Demon Beasts should be taken to the Immortal Master!"
The young men all nodded in agreement.
"Of course."
Ah Er held his head high, looking very proud.
But when the crowd asked him to return with them, he simply waved a paw in refusal.
He had to continue his patrol. Those two Demon Beasts hadn't taken much effort to deal with, let alone injure him.
'He'd just been incredibly nervous a moment ago, that's all.'