met free Chapter 395 Stubborn to Survive
Chapter 395 Stubborn to Survive
The fire in front of the land god temple was still burning, and more than a dozen pots were steaming. The boatmen stood still, holding their iron ladles, none of them daring to put their hands down first.
The fat shopkeeper held his back, his lips trembling slightly.
"Young Master Mo, you just said it would drag you next time."
"Could you rephrase that?"
"I'm a timid person, and I can't stand being so blunt."
Old Zheng rested the iron ladle on the edge of the pot, making a dry sound.
"Master, that thing recognizes your blood, does that mean it won't capture us anymore?"
A young boatman nearby immediately chimed in.
"So, can we leave now?"
The other person also got anxious.
"Yes, let's run while the ship is moving backward."
"My home is on the back street of the ferry crossing. I carried my mother on my back and left."
"I'm leaving too; my wife and kids are at home."
"Who can stand waiting here for the red light before coming back?"
As the crowd became chaotic, the firelight that had just stabilized in front of the earth god temple began to flicker.
As the steam from the pot dissipated, Jiang Wu seized the opportunity to lick half a foot forward.
Mo Chengyue looked down at his palm.
The bleeding has stopped.
But the red markings did not dissipate.
A thin circle, encircling the edge of the wound, is a darker color than before.
It's placed under the skin and flashes every few breaths.
It shines very lightly, yet it always arrives just when others are most breathless.
Mo Chengyue raised his hand.
"Don't move."
Someone shouldered their bag and had already taken half a step forward.
"Immortal Master, I know you are powerful, but I still have family members at home."
Mo Chengyue looked at him.
"If you go out now, Jiang Wu will be the first person looking for you."
The man's face turned pale.
Why?
Mo Chengyue showed everyone his palm.
Look here.
Old Zheng took a half step closer, then immediately retreated.
"This thing looks unlucky."
Mo Chengyue said, "It's definitely unlucky."
The fat shopkeeper swallowed hard.
Is it still alive?
"It's not really a job."
Mo Chengyue took out a blank talisman with his other hand and gently stuck it next to the blood lines on his palm.
The edges of the talisman immediately turned red, and a wet stain appeared on the surface.
"It's eating."
Old Zheng almost threw away the iron spoon.
"What do you want to eat?"
Mo Chengyue looked up and scanned the crowd.
"Eat your fears."
An elderly woman, holding her grandson, hid behind a temple pillar and asked in a trembling voice, "Even if we're afraid, we can still eat it?"
Mo Chengyue said, "Cultivators eat spiritual energy, demons eat resentment, and that one in the river is a bit picky, so it also eats fear."
The young boatman, Xiao Liu, turned pale.
"Then I'm not afraid anymore."
The boatman next to him glared at him.
"Your legs are shaking like a leaf, and you still say you're not afraid?"
Xiao Liu looked down at his knees.
"It's shaking on its own, it has nothing to do with me."
Mo Chengyue nodded.
"Fine, your legs are more honest than you are."
The group, who had been holding their breath, were suddenly interrupted by this remark, and two of them burst out laughing.
The laughter was brief, but it suppressed much of the panic that was running wild.
The red lines on Mo Chengyue's palm darkened slightly.
Old Zheng stared at the red light.
"Does it really work?"
Mo Chengyue said, "It's useful, but not enough."
The portly shopkeeper hurriedly asked, "Then what should we do?"
"Don't run around."
Mo Chengyue put away the talisman.
"The red mark is still there; it can use my energy to find its way back to shore."
"If you scatter and run away, the river mist will have a crack."
"It doesn't actually need to go ashore; it can lure people away one by one by simply lighting a lamp at the crossroads, by the well, and under the window."
The man carrying the bundle said in a low voice, "But staying here is just waiting to die."
Mo Chengyue looked at the threshold of the land temple.
Incense ash littered the ground, leaving a shallow mark on the wooden threshold that had just been knocked on.
"Staying in the formation is to wait for its next move."
The man asked anxiously, "What's the difference?"
Mo Chengyue said, "The difference is that when it arrives, I can still curse it a couple of times."
Old Zheng's lips twitched.
"Master, what kind of tactic is this?"
Mo Chengyue said, "Stubbornness is the key to survival."
Xiao Liu said blankly, "It doesn't sound very reliable."
Mo Chengyue looked at him.
"Do you have someone more reliable?"
Xiao Liu lowered his head.
"no."
"Then bang on the pot, start the fire, and shut up."
Mo Chengyue placed his palm close to the edge of the pot to catch the steam.
When heated, tiny water droplets immediately rise to the surface of the red veins.
He felt a sharp, stabbing pain in his palm.
He did not stop.
The thing left behind by the female boat owner had bloodstains on the surface, but inside was a section of a red wick that served as a guide.
As long as the red wick doesn't go out, the next time fog rises over the river, it can follow this line to find him.
This is not considered treating someone to a meal.
This is called forced overtime.
Still working the night shift.
Mo Chengyue made a mental note of this ship owner.
No wages.
There are no subsidies.
Employees are also required to bring their own blood.
If this kind of organization existed in the mortal world, it would have been reported to the county government by the neighbors long ago.
Seeing him staring at his palm without speaking, Old Zheng tentatively asked, "Master, is it in pain?"
Mo Chengyue said, "It's alright."
Xiao Liu whispered, "How much pain is 'okay'?"
Mo Chengyue looked at him.
"Would you like to try?"
Xiao Liu immediately shook his head.
I don't deserve it.
The chubby shopkeeper leaned closer, supporting his back.
"Young Master Mo, can these red markings be removed?"
"Cut off his hand?"
"No, I mean, peel off the skin."
Mo Chengyue tucked his hands into his sleeves.
"Shopkeeper, are you this ruthless when negotiating business?"
The chubby shopkeeper chuckled awkwardly twice.
"I'm just worried about you, aren't I?"
Old Zheng asked, "Master, should we use fire to burn it?"
Mo Chengyue said, "It can't be burned clean."
"Use lightning?"
"Lightning can suppress it, and the wound will also reopen."
Xiao Liu thought about it.
"Then should we scrape it with a knife?"
Mo Chengyue glanced at him.
"You people from Hongfeng Ferry, I suggest you all support Xing."
Xiao Liu shrank back behind Lao Zheng.
"I was just asking."
Mo Chengyue ignored him.
He activated the Yin-Yang Qi Observation Technique, and black and white Qi flowed in his eyes, while the layers of red lines on his palm gradually unfolded.
The outer ring is blood.
The inner circle is a light.
Several thin lines were visible under the light, gently extending outwards in all directions.
The lines didn't touch anyone, but they flickered in and out with everyone's breathing.
Whoever is breathing heavily will be surrounded by a thicker red fog.
Whoever utters the word "escape," the red line veers in that direction.
Mo Chengyue raised two fingers and pressed down on one of the red lines.
My palms are sore and numb.
He chuckled.
"I see."
Old Zheng hurriedly asked, "What did the immortal master see?"
Mo Chengyue said, "It doesn't quite know the way."
The chubby shopkeeper was delighted.
"Where can you hide?"
Mo Chengyue said, "We can stall."
The joy on everyone's faces immediately vanished.
The portly shopkeeper said, "Young Master Mo, can't you start with a sweet word and then turn it into a bitter one?"
Mo Chengyue said, "In the cultivation world, there's little sugar, but plenty of bitterness."
Old Zheng asked anxiously, "How can we drag it out?"
Mo Chengyue pointed to the pot.
"Don't let the fire go out."
It then points to the Earth God Temple.
"Don't let people scatter."
Finally, he tapped his palm.
"It uses this thing to pave its way with fear."
"The more chaotic things get, the faster it will happen."
"You guys stay calm, it'll just have to wait for the next red light."
The man carrying the bag put it back, his voice trembling.
"When is the next time?"
Mo Chengyue looked at the river.
The fog had receded beyond the dock.
But the water was dark and there were no ship lights in the distance.
"It just changed its agreement, so it might not move again tonight."
Xiao Liu breathed a sigh of relief.
"So everything's alright then?"