Chapter 86: The Deal

Compared to the Deepwood Tribe, the tribe before them was extremely small, with fewer than a hundred houses scattered sparsely among a few hills.

Arriving at Bai Ren’s home, before they could even enter, they heard loud shouting from inside, “You’re back! Did you bring the beast pills? What! No? Then I’m leaving. The two you gave me earlier—I won’t return them.”

Bai Ren grew anxious at the sound and hurried inside. “Immortal Xu, what’s the meaning of this? We agreed—you’d give me the medicine once I brought you the beast pills. How can you leave now?”

“So what if we agreed? I was just playing with you. Useless fool, hurry up and die. Mortals are all idiots. Heh.”

A young man stepped out, his face tainted with contempt and a mocking smile.

Beast pills for spirit beasts were not so easily obtained, certainly not in a day. To have tricked two out was already plenty for him.

Looking at Bai Xin, whose face was full of worry, his own expression brimmed with annoyance. With a casual wave, he snapped, “Get lost!”

That seemingly effortless wave sent the robust Bai Xin sprawling to the ground, unable to get up for quite some time.

Li Mu watched him calmly. This man was only at the mid-stage of Qi Condensation, yet so arrogant—he was courting death. Having grown accustomed to Deyang City’s order, Li Mu found this place rather peculiar. Only in a land so poor in cultivators could someone like this act with such impunity; even in a newly opened world like Yunshan, he’d be beaten to death at once.

“If you want to leave, hand over the two beast pills,” Li Mu said.

Bai Ren rushed out, grabbing Xu the Immortal by the shoulder, his face showing rare determination. Normally, he would never dare anger a cultivator, but those two beast pills meant his son’s life—he would risk everything.

“So you dare lay a hand on me?”

Xu the Immortal flew into a rage. “Useless wretch! You have no idea how powerful your Lord Xu Hua is!”

A dark hammer appeared in Xu Hua’s palm, whistling with the sound of wind as he swung it at Bai Ren’s hand. Though the hammer itself didn’t even seem to reach the grade of a proper artifact, a direct hit would certainly ruin a hand.

“Quick to strike, aren’t you?” Li Mu shook his head slightly. With a flick of his sleeve, Bai Ren was suddenly whisked several meters away, the hammer missing its target and sending up a cloud of dust.

Xu Hua’s expression shifted as he spun around and finally noticed Li Mu.

Li Mu had deliberately concealed his cultivation, appearing no different from an ordinary man. Xu Hua, with his weak spiritual perception, barely glanced at Li Mu before scowling, “Who are you? Stay out of my business!”

“Hand over the beast pills,” Li Mu said quietly. He’d come all this way; he might as well intervene.

“Courting death!”

Fury surged in Xu Hua. “No one has ever dared speak to me like that!”

Before the words had finished leaving his mouth, the dark hammer once again flew through the air, descending heavily toward Li Mu’s head.

“Anyone who dares stand up to me must die!” Xu Hua’s expression was vicious. He’d done this many times—one more meant nothing.

Li Mu did not move, but a wisp of fire slipped from his sleeve, wrapping around the hammer. Not even that metallic liquid could resist—it vanished into nothingness.

“What?” Xu Hua panicked, stumbling back several steps and pointing at Li Mu. “What kind of fire is that? It can destroy my treasured artifact!”

“That was a treasure?” Li Mu strode forward, his steps steady. “Give me the beast pills.”

With every step Li Mu took, Xu Hua’s heart trembled. He suddenly realized that he was utterly powerless against the man before him. Just that one glance made his whole body shake. He stammered, “I’m a disciple of the Patriarch of the Wolf Plains! Who are you to meddle in my affairs?”

“Patriarch of the Wolf Plains?” Li Mu was briefly stunned. This was indeed the Great Wolf Plains, stretching thousands—perhaps tens of thousands—of miles. To call oneself its patriarch was truly outrageous.

But when Bai Ren and Bai Xin heard that title, their eyes flashed with anger and hatred. In a low voice, one muttered, “What patriarch—nonsense! Every year they take so much from us, claiming to protect us, but really, they want us to fend for ourselves!”

The words were quiet, but Li Mu heard them all.

Xu Hua, seeing Li Mu distracted, thought he was frightened and boasted loudly, “So you’re just an outlander cultivator, ignorant of the Patriarch’s power. I won’t blame you, but listen well: from now on, stay out of my way. The Patriarch is at the Vein Refinement stage—no one in the Wolf Plains has greater power. I am ranked eighty-seven among his disciples. In a few years, I will reach the Foundation Establishment stage, and then—”

Li Mu gave a casual wave. Xu Hua tumbled to the ground, his words cut off.

Li Mu mused to himself: this world truly was desolate. With so few cultivators, a single Vein Refinement expert could call himself patriarch of an entire realm. But even so, a Vein Refinement cultivator was no small trouble. Although his strength had recently grown, it would still be difficult to fight one, especially if he had to protect others.

With that thought, Li Mu’s gaze turned cold as he looked at Xu Hua.

Xu Hua was no fool. Seeing the murderous glint in Li Mu’s eyes, he immediately fell to his knees, trembling. “Please, spare me! I know I was wrong! You’re the true patriarch! I’ll never come here again!”

“The beast pills?”

“Here! Here!” Xu Hua stammered, presenting the beast pills to Li Mu with both hands.

Li Mu took the pills and looked over at Bai Ren.

The two men’s eyes were full of desperate longing as they stared at the pills, as if seeing their own child.

“For you,” Li Mu said casually, handing them over. He would get them back soon enough.

“Thank you, Immortal, for saving us!”

Bai Ren and Bai Xin, clutching the beast pills, were weeping as they thanked him.

A purple flame flickered from Li Mu’s sleeve, flashing through the air. In the blink of an eye, Xu Hua, still kneeling, was utterly consumed, leaving not a trace behind.

As his thoughts moved, the fire moved with them, disappearing as quickly as it came. Li Mu’s control over flame had clearly reached new heights.

“Ah!”

Bai Ren cried out, leaping up. “The medicine! To cure my son!”

Li Mu shook his head. “You really are a fool. He likely never had the medicine—still hoping for it?”

While Bai Ren was obsessed with curing his son, Bai Xin was more clear-headed. He immediately knelt before Li Mu. “Please, Immortal, have mercy on my elder brother. Save my nephew’s life.”

He kowtowed, but could not touch the ground before Li Mu.

Li Mu smiled. “I can save him, but you two can no longer stay with this tribe.”

He did not know who this so-called Patriarch of the Wolf Plains was, nor whether he would seek revenge for the loss of his eighty-seventh disciple. Still, it was best to be cautious—one could not go wrong with that. He remembered meeting Wang Lin of Mingyu Valley; if Niu Dianzi had not suddenly arrived, even if they had managed to escape, there would have been casualties.

Bai Ren quickly came to his senses and knelt beside Bai Xin. “Immortal, we beg you—if you can cure my son, we will leave immediately.”

He held the two beast pills reverently in both hands.

Li Mu nodded slightly and traded them three Spirit-Nourishing Pills for the beast pills. “These three pills—one alone is enough to cure your son. Be sure to dissolve it in water and give him several doses. Keep the other two for emergencies.”

“Thank you, Immortal! Thank you!” The two men understood Li Mu did not want elaborate thanks and simply expressed their gratitude repeatedly.

“In the future, if you have nowhere to go, cross Stone Mountain and head southeast. There’s a tribe there—tell them I sent you, and you’ll be welcome.”

After some thought, Li Mu pointed them toward the Deepwood Tribe.