Chapter 3

"What's going on here?"

Standing on the hillside, Bai Mo looked at the ground, which was covered in blood and in a state of disarray, and at the particularly eye-catching, porcelain-like, naked little girl lying sprawled out in the middle. He was somewhat taken aback.

Bai Mo cautiously approached, and after confirming that Lan Dai would not wake up for a while, he squatted down beside her, examining her and muttering, "How did this kid end up naked here? Hmm, seems like she's missing something compared to me, she's a little girl!"

Well, better take her back first. Bai Mo made up his mind, picked up the limp and boneless Lan Dai, and thought to himself: Tsk, so smooth, the feel is really nice, and there's a faint fragrance, it smells so good.

As Bai Mo left, a shimmering deep blue crack in the air not far from the hillside slowly closed, returning to normal.

"Oh!"

With a cry, Lan Dai suddenly woke up, her eyes filled with confusion and bewilderment.

Am I not dead? The thought flashed through her mind. She found herself lying on a simple wooden bed, completely naked except for a thin blanket.

"Ahh!" Lan Dai couldn't help but let out a shrill scream, raising her hand to summon her crescent moon wheel, only to remember that it had been destroyed and that she had no spiritual energy left in her body. She felt so weak that she almost fell off the bed.

Hearing the noise, Bai Mo, who was chopping wood in the yard with a large axe, immediately put down the axe and walked in.

"Little girl, you're finally awake?"

"Don't come any closer!" Lan Dai's young face was so red it looked like it could bleed. She never imagined she would be exposed in front of a strange young man, even as a young girl, it was unbearable!

Women are so troublesome!

Bai Mo shook his head and said sternly, "Little girl, stop screaming. I won't eat you. If it weren't for me, you'd be dead by now. You're really too young to know the gravity of the situation. Where are your elders? What happened in that mountain?"

"I... I!" Lan Dai tragically discovered that although she had escaped death, her strength had dropped directly to the Spirit Scholar stage.

Frustration, regret, and humiliation filled her heart. Without answering Bai Mo's questions, Lan Dai curled up like a frightened rabbit and burst into tears.

Bai Mo, who had never seen a woman's ultimate weapon, was at a loss.

"Alright, stop crying, be good, big brother will give you some fruit." Bai Mo took out a bright red fruit and offered it to her.

But Lan Dai ignored it and continued to cry, her heart deeply wounded.

Well, let her cry her heart out. She'll stop when she's tired.

Bai Mo used the same method the old man used on him when he was young and ignored Lan Dai, walking over to the stove and lifting the pot lid. A rich, fragrant aroma immediately filled the air.

Smelling the aroma, Lan Dai couldn't help but swallow. Her eyes, sharp as knives, fell on the young man who showed no mercy, and she couldn't help but sit up.

"Do you want to eat?" Bai Mo turned his head and asked, picking up a piece of fatty red carp.

Lan Dai pouted but didn't say a word. Her stomach, however, betrayed her with a loud growl. She couldn't help but lower her head, feeling utterly humiliated. A piece of meat had made her lose all her dignity.

Bai Mo stuffed the meat, dripping with broth, into his mouth and said, "Listen to big brother, and you'll get to eat. If you don't listen, you won't get any."

"I won't eat, let me go!" Lan Dai, with tears still on her face, said with a weak but fierce tone.

"Alright, the door is over there. If you want to go, I won't stop you. It's dark and windy, and there are many fire leopards in the mountains. Be careful," Bai Mo said, pointing.

Lan Dai, who had been pampered and adored, had never been treated like this. Encountering someone who showed no mercy, she was completely defeated.

"I... I..." Lan Dai didn't know what to say.

Bai Mo filled a bowl with meat broth and placed it beside the bed. "Alright, little girl, you're not that old, why act so stubborn? Eat quickly, and I'll take you home after you're full."

This guy, he probably doesn't have any bad intentions, but treating me like a child is really annoying. Well, I'll just act like a child then!

After some thought, Lan Dai regained her composure and said in a pitiful voice, "Big brother, can you find me some clothes?"

Bai Mo casually threw a leather coat at her. "You can make do with this for now."

Seeing Bai Mo standing straight in front of her with no intention of turning away, Lan Dai nervously said, "Big brother, can you turn around?"

Bai Mo laughed. This little girl is quite shy. I've seen her body, and it doesn't feel like anything special. "By the way, I'm Bai Mo. What's your name?"

"My name is Lan Dai."

"Alright, I'll go outside. Call me when you're done."

With that, Bai Mo turned and walked out, continuing to chop wood with the crude axe, a daily routine.

The wood was not ordinary hardwood but a special iron elm from the mountains, extremely hard. Ordinary knives and axes couldn't cut it, and even a Spirit Scholar's full-strength attack might not be effective. But the axe could cut it easily.

The axe was given to Bai Mo by the old man when he was young. At first, without cultivating spiritual energy, it felt like a few pounds.

Later, after cultivating spiritual energy, the old man instructed him to infuse it with spiritual energy before using it, making it as heavy as a water-filled sandbag. Now, after breaking through to the Spirit Scholar stage, the axe weighed hundreds of pounds.

Swinging the axe, cutting down, and splitting the wood, the actions were simple and efficient. Bai Mo split hundreds of logs of equal size without even breaking a sweat.

Bai Mo weighed the axe, a smile appearing on his face. "Hmm, it's heavier, but it feels more comfortable to use."

"Ahh!" Another shrill scream came from inside the house!

Bai Mo's face turned cold, and he quickly rushed inside to see Lan Dai sitting on the edge of the bed, looking extremely upset.

Damn, this little girl really likes to scream, not at all reserved. Bai Mo shook his head and asked, "What's wrong now?"

Tears welled up in Lan Dai's eyes as she said painfully, "I can't go back!"

Bai Mo was taken aback. "Why can't you go back? How did you get here, and where are your family?"

Lan Dai hesitated and said, "I ran away secretly, using a directional star gate to cross dimensions. When I arrived, I encountered a huge monster, fought it, and lost everything. The star gate was destroyed, so I can't go back..."

Damn, this little girl isn't even from this world. She's really bold, sneaking out alone and almost losing her life. Luckily, she met me, or else...

Bai Mo frowned, thinking for a moment. "There are boundary gates in large cities that can transport you across dimensions, but they're very expensive. You have no money, and I'm not well-off either. This is a problem!"

Lan Dai looked at Bai Mo with pleading eyes. "Big brother, you won't abandon me, right?"

Bai Mo scratched his head, feeling a bit awkward. "I can take care of your food and drink, but I can't send you back."

A cunning look flashed in Lan Dai's eyes. She had secretly run away to escape her family, and not being able to return was actually a good thing. She was just upset about losing the good things she had brought. Although her cultivation had dropped and her body had changed, with enough time, she could recover to the Mystic Pearl stage and return to normal.

This bad guy, though a bit rude and temperamental, and had seen her body, wasn't a bad person. Staying with him for a while wasn't a bad idea, at least to improve her living conditions. She couldn't stay in this cold stone house forever.

"Big brother, don't worry about that. I have a way to earn money," Lan Dai said confidently, puffing out her chest, which was no longer as proud.

Bai Mo looked her up and down. "What can you do?"

Lan Dai smiled. "It's a secret, I won't tell you yet!"

Time passed quickly in the mountains, and three months flew by.

The fluffy snow turned into a gentle spring rain, and the Wu Long River resumed its usual flow. The mountains were covered in lush green, dotted with colorful wildflowers, making the scenery particularly pleasing to the eye.

Lan Dai's body had almost recovered, and she spent her days wandering in the forest, bringing back various flowers and plants, supposedly to prepare for her wealth plan. She showed no signs of distress about not being able to return, seeming carefree.

With the help of the blood pearls, Bai Mo's cultivation far surpassed his years of hard practice. After consuming thirty blood pearls, he had firmly entered the late-stage Gathering Stream stage. This cultivation speed was something he had never dared to imagine before.

However, every advantage has its downside. Bai Mo was now troubled.

The reason was simple: the blood pool in the small tower had dried up, and he had no more blood pearls left except for a few in his possession.

According to the inherited memories, the method to make the blood pool produce more blood pearls was simple: the small tower needed to absorb enough blood to extract the blood marrow essence. The higher the grade, the better the effect. Finding some special materials could also enhance the blood pool's power and improve the extraction efficiency.

However, in recent days, Bai Mo had killed many spirit beasts in the forest, but the effect was minimal. The root cause was simple: the grade was too low, not even worth mentioning.

Bai Mo sat quietly outside, gazing at the distant mountains, his expression conflicted. He muttered, "The old man hasn't returned yet. I can't keep waiting. There should be high-grade spirit beasts in the canyon on the other side of the mountain, which can replenish the blood pool in the small tower. Maybe I can find something that meets the requirements."

Thinking of this, Bai Mo made up his mind, clapping his hands. "No matter what, I'll go to the canyon first and leave a note for the old man."