Trafford's Trading Club

Chapter 1001: How Could There Be a Path to Immortality in This World? (9)

Long Xiruo quickly regained some of her composure—or rather, she temporarily overcame a fear she wasn’t even willing to admit to herself.

Hope's power was clearly the key to this sudden thick fog. Even so, Luo Pianxian couldn’t have just disappeared before her eyes… which could only mean that the leakage of Hope’s power was causing even more unpredictable effects.

Since Hope was born from the Spiritual Vein of this mountain range, the closer one got to the true core of the Spiritual Vein, the stronger its power would become. A partial spatial distortion as a result was not entirely impossible.

At this moment, solving the problem was clearly beyond Long Xiruo’s abilities. But if she let the leakage of Hope’s power continue unchecked, the consequences could be catastrophic.

Moreover, with the Penglai Grand Gathering happening once every ten years, where both the Daoist Association and Demon Association would gather, someone was bound to notice the abnormalities in this area. A Spiritual Vein capable of transforming a dragon, along with Hope, who had already achieved dragon transformation—whether for the Daoist world or the demons, such a thing would be an irresistible temptation.

After weighing the pros and cons in her mind, Long Xiruo had no choice but to admit—perhaps the best way to resolve this situation was to rely on the abilities of the man standing before her.

But… he said he was on vacation. Could she really believe that?

A sudden thought struck Long Xiruo. She recalled how Luo Pianxian had occasionally spoken about Luo Qiu—the little butterfly demon would sometimes say things like, "The Boss is a really good person. He takes care of me."

“I don’t know exactly what’s happening with Hope. Long Xiruo looked at Luo Qiu and suddenly said, “I can’t do anything about it right now. But Pianxian just disappeared right in front of me.”

“That kid is here too?” Luo Qiu was momentarily surprised, realizing he hadn’t seen Luo Pianxian for a while now.Long Xiruo rolled her eyes. “Otherwise, how do you think I ended up in this place like this?”

Luo Qiu smiled faintly, pretending not to hear the hidden frustration and resentment in her words. Instead, he simply said, “I see. Let’s find her first.”

Long Xiruo quickly pulled down her sleeves—ever since the last incident at the Martial Arts Academy, where she lost a significant amount of her dragon blood from her wrist, she had been extra cautious.

“Let’s go.” Luo Qiu smiled slightly, reaching out and naturally taking Long Xiruo’s hand.

“What are you doing?!” Long Xiruo immediately shouted in protest.

Luo Qiu replied matter-of-factly, “It would be troublesome if you got lost too. This way, it’s less likely we’ll be separated. Also, it’s more energy-efficient. Dispersing this fog takes some effort… Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone.”

Tolerate it for now!

Long Xiruo gritted her teeth but reluctantly let him hold her hand—though she pulled her sleeve over her palm to avoid direct contact.

Luo Qiu didn’t seem to mind. He walked ahead but slowed his pace.

Then, he suddenly said, “If you want to return to your original form, just say the word.”

…What?

Long Xiruo was stunned. She subconsciously looked up at Luo Qiu’s back. "Just say the word."

One word—that was all it would take. But at the same time, saying it would mean admitting defeat. It would mean admitting she had been wrong.

She lowered her gaze, following Luo Qiu in silence. That single word felt impossible to say.

“…Let’s find Pianxian first,” Long Xiruo finally said. “That kid is probably panicking right now.”

“Miss Long is actually quite kind to others,” Luo Qiu said with a smile. “About last time—I apologize again. She’s someone I can never replace.”

Long Xiruo hesitated for a moment. "You… someone like you, who has everything?"

“For Miss Long,” Luo Qiu said softly, “as a True Dragon of Divine Land, do you have everything?”

Everything… Once upon a time, maybe.

Suddenly, despite the thick sleeve between them, Long Xiruo realized that this guy’s palm had been warm from the beginning. A long, long time ago, there had been someone who had held her hand like this—leading her forward.

Someone she had to look up to see.

“Oh, right. Miss Long, did you eat the red dates I sent you for Christmas? I heard from Yōu Yè that they’re a local specialty, good for replenishing blood. If you like them, I can bring you more next time.”

“GET LOST!!!” Long Xiruo roared furiously.

---

Wudang Mountain – A Bamboo Forest on One of the Peaks

‘Mo Xiaofei’ was fiddling with his phone while watching Windchaser throw punches at a massive boulder.

By now, using a smartphone was no longer a challenge for ‘Mo Xiaofei’—in fact, he was quite adept at it. Except for never once attempting to make a phone call, he had already mastered most of its functions.

Mobile games didn’t interest him. He couldn’t understand why people got obsessed over virtual characters on a screen. "Aren’t gacha mechanics just money-grabbing schemes? Pathetic fools."

What he did enjoy, however, was "Dubaike"—the all-knowing online encyclopedia that Windchaser had introduced him to. It covered the history of Divine Land over the past 5,000 years, from ancient times to the modern era.

Once again, he found himself marveling at the rise and fall of civilizations.

Suddenly, the sound of Windchaser striking the boulder stopped. ‘Mo Xiaofei’ frowned and looked over, only to see Windchaser standing still, eyes closed, with his hands relaxed at his sides.

Then, in a slow and deliberate motion, Windchaser threw another punch—this time, it wasn’t fast or powerful. When his fist touched the boulder, there was no immediate reaction.

Windchaser simply held his fist against the stone.

A moment later, he exhaled slowly. At the same time, the massive boulder before him suddenly crumbled into fine dust, cascading into a pile of sand on the ground.

The entire rock had disintegrated.

‘Mo Xiaofei’ was stunned—this kid… No, this little demon—could he actually be a martial arts prodigy?

“Big brother!!” Windchaser turned to him excitedly.

‘Mo Xiaofei’ nodded approvingly. “Not bad… Windchaser, take a break and focus on the sensation of throwing that punch. When you can perform it instinctively, you’ll have truly mastered the first form of Imperial Heaven Shattering Fist.”

Windchaser immediately sat cross-legged—copying what ‘Mo Xiaofei’ had done before.

Seeing that the boy was obedient, ‘Mo Xiaofei’ resumed browsing his phone, reading up on Republican-era history.

“…Hmm, this Mao guy… Definitely a rare genius.”

At this moment, Windchaser suddenly opened his eyes and asked, "By the way, big brother, are we still going to find the people of Plain-Clothed Dao?"

"Plain-Clothed Dao?" ‘Mo Xiaofei’ instinctively frowned.

Windchaser felt he needed to remind Mo Xiaofei about this… or maybe help him return to his original state?

"Yeah, didn't you say before that we were going to find the Plain-Clothed Dao people?" Windchaser shared his limited information. "You mentioned something about the Penglai Grand Gathering on Mt. Tai?"

"Mt. Tai…" ‘Mo Xiaofei’ suddenly fell silent. He gazed into the distance and muttered, "Fengshan (the ancient ritual of emperors offering sacrifices to heaven and earth on Mount Tai)."

He gradually sank into deep thought.

"Big brother? Big brother?"

"Windchaser." Suddenly, ‘Mo Xiaofei’ called out in a deep voice.

Windchaser instinctively sat up straight. Over the past two days, he had increasingly felt that when Mo Xiaofei got serious, his presence was overwhelming, making Windchaser tense up by reflex.

"Follow me to Mt. Tai."

"Oh… okay!" Windchaser nodded. "So, should I carry you and fly there? Don't worry, this time I won't take the wrong path!"

"Insolence!! You dare suggest riding on my back?!"

"R-right, s-sorry!!"

"Hmph! If not for your loyalty, those words alone would have warranted the death penalty!" ‘Mo Xiaofei’ stood up, flicked his sleeves, and strode away.

Big brother doesn’t seem easy to talk to these days… Windchaser sighed and quickly chased after him.

But then, a thought struck Windchaser. He sped up, took a few quick steps forward, and suddenly leaned forward—his body underwent a dramatic transformation. In the blink of an eye, the boy's figure morphed into a massive gray-furred wolf.

"Big brother, you can ride me instead!"

‘Mo Xiaofei’ frowned but, seeing the imposing form of the gray-furred giant wolf, he slowly relaxed his brows and said indifferently, "No need. This modern era has something called a high-speed train. I want to experience it."

Windchaser lowered his head. "But we don’t have enough money, big brother…"

"Do not worry." ‘Mo Xiaofei’ said calmly, "I found some modern currency in that bamboo house. It was probably left behind by the villain who tried to harm me. We’ll use it."

Big brother, when did you go through someone’s drawers…?

---

After leaving the senior’s shop, Mo Mo quickly found a modest-looking inn to let Zhan'er rest temporarily.

The senior had said that Zhan'er would wake up eventually, so Mo Mo decided to wait instead of carrying an unconscious person around—it would be too inconvenient.

The Boss lady of the inn seemed decent enough. After paying, Mo Mo settled in, though he noticed the Boss lady looking at him strangely, leaving him confused.

At first, he wondered if she was a spy for the Daoist Association, so he secretly investigated. But he soon discovered that she was just an ordinary person—one who happened to enjoy reading indecent stories about handsome men together. Then, it dawned on him…

That strange gaze—so that's what it meant.

—Life is full of unpleasant moments. A calm and peaceful heart will get you through them.

Mo Mo recalled this teaching from his childhood, something his master Daoist Changhe often said.

Years had passed. Mo Mo wasn’t sure how much he had truly learned or understood.

For now, all he felt was a deep sense of disillusionment… Immortality wasn't as glamorous as he had imagined.

At noon, Mo Mo declined the Boss lady’s lunch invitation and decided to go out for food, while also gathering news about the Mt. Tai Penglai Grand Gathering. He doubted he'd find useful intel in such a small place, but doing something was better than waiting idly.

After borrowing a change of clothes from the Boss lady, he stepped outside.

Mo Mo wandered the small town, grabbed a quick bite, and scouted around but found nothing of value. So, he decided to visit a paper shop to restock his supplies.

As a Heavenly Dao Master, Mo Mo knew that proper talismans required special materials and strict rituals, but in his current situation, even low-quality or defective ones were better than nothing.

His belongings were still at Croaching Dragon Estate, and after depleting his supplies during his escape, all he had left was a mysterious black wooden sword—essentially running around with starter gear.

Just as he reached the paper shop, he suddenly stopped in a nearby alley.

He sensed a faint trace of demonic energy lingering in the area…

A demon had been here.

Mo Mo tensed. He was wanted by both the Daoist and Demon worlds—if they were searching for him, they might have anticipated that he’d stop to resupply.

If he stepped inside that shop, he could be walking straight into a trap…

Were Daoists also lying in wait nearby?

Mo Mo sighed and abandoned the idea of gathering supplies. But just as he turned to leave, he caught a whiff of blood in the air.

A fight had taken place.

Mo Mo frowned. Could it be a skirmish between Daoists and Demons?

During his escape, he had frequently seen them clash—if not for their existing hostility, he wouldn't have had so many chances to slip away.

If that were the case, perhaps he could pick up useful information.

After weighing his options, Mo Mo decided he needed to understand the movements of Croaching Dragon Estate, Kunpeng Manor, and the Special National Land Management Bureau in order to plan his next steps.

He cautiously followed the scent of blood.

Then—

Schlick!

In a dark alley, Mo Mo saw a figure collapse to the ground. Blood splattered across the walls.

A girl, carrying a painting scroll case, stood over the fallen body, holding an unusual long blade. Slowly, she plunged it into the motionless figure on the ground.

A demon.

As it died, its original form was revealed—a White Tiger-clan demon!

A dim grayish-white light drifted from the corpse, floating into a box held by the girl.

As a Heavenly Dao Master, Mo Mo was no stranger to spirits and ghosts. He immediately recognized that the floating light was likely the White Tiger Demon’s soul!

And the girl holding the blade…

She slowly turned to face him, her delicate face splattered with a few drops of blood.

Then, from her lips, she blew a bubblegum pink bubble, about the size of a fist.

Pop!

The bubble suddenly popped, and Mo Mo got a clear look at the girl's face—it was none other than the mysterious white-haired girl who had stolen from him back at Croaching Dragon Estate!

“Oh, looks like my pocket money has arrived again.”

The white-haired girl smiled slightly, resting her long blade on the ground as she slowly dragged it toward Mo Mo…