PID Chapter 33.2

Golden Flame Flowing Fire Phoenixes were exceedingly rare. It was clear that the gray-robed demonic cultivator had received prior information about its location—someone must have hidden the phoenix here, prompting him to bring his treasure-seeking mouse.

 

Unfortunately for him, with the demonic cultivator’s death, his contracted beast—the treasure-seeking mouse—would also perish. Otherwise, Xiao Mo would have loved to get his hands on one.

 

Xiao Mo cradled the egg in his hands, thoroughly satisfied. The round and plump egg was incredibly cute. Stroking its shell, Xiao Mo remarked: “So pretty. From now on, your name will be Golden Ball. Your nickname will be Qiuqiu (Little Ball). It’s meaningful too—symbolizing wealth and prosperity.”

 

Chu Jinglan: “…”

 

It seemed Xiao Mo was truly bothered by their current poverty.

 

As Xiao Mo spoke, he prepared to prick Chu Jinglan’s finger to draw blood and form a contract with the phoenix egg. But Chu Jinglan suddenly spoke up: “Wait.”

 

Xiao Mo paused mid-motion: “What’s wrong?”

 

Chu Jinglan looked at the round egg and asked: “Are you sure you want me to form a contract with it?”

 

“What else?” Xiao Mo tilted his head in thought. “You don’t like it? That demonic cultivator said it’s a Golden Flame Flowing Fire Phoenix—it’s very powerful. Forming a contract with it is definitely worth it. Besides, even if you encounter other beasts in the future that you want to raise, you can still contract them too.”

 

While a demonic beast could only have one master in its lifetime, humans could contract multiple demonic beasts.

 

Xiao Mo had even checked with the system to confirm—it was indeed a genuine Golden Flame Flowing Fire Phoenix.

 

Chu Jinglan fell silent for a moment before speaking slowly: “I mean… are you really willing to give it to me?”

 

The Golden Flame Flowing Fire Phoenix was undoubtedly a precious treasure. Unlike spirit stones, storage devices, or other artifacts they currently possessed, this phoenix was unique—it only recognized one master and couldn’t be divided or shared.

 

Xiao Mo finally understood what Chu Jinglan meant.

 

He replied calmly: “Forming a contract requires blood—it has to be you. I can’t do it anyway. Just take it.”

 

Xiao Mo showed no signs of reluctance or regret as he added: “Since you don’t dislike it, shall I proceed with forming the contract?”

 

Chu Jinglan didn’t respond further. Xiao Mo took this as tacit approval.

 

Xiao Mo used black mist to cut Chu Jinglan’s finger, forcing out a drop of vital blood. Following the contract formation method provided by the system, he drew runes and pressed them onto the egg’s shell.

 

The contract runes smoothly merged into the shell, which glowed faintly with golden-orange light. The egg seemed to sense something and gently nudged Xiao Mo’s palm.

 

Or rather, Chu Jinglan’s palm.

 

The sensation of being nudged by an egg was quite novel. Through its thin shell, there was a mysterious feeling of life waiting to emerge—a sense of anticipation and opportunity. Xiao Mo stroked the egg and said: “It seems to like the name Golden Ball.”

 

Chu Jinglan: Even if it doesn’t like it, it doesn’t have the ability to object.

 

According to the system’s observation, the Flowing Fire Phoenix would hatch within a month. Xiao Mo tidied up Chu Jinglan’s storage ring, cleared a small space, and placed the egg inside a box.

 

The box was lined with medicinal herbs, serving as a temporary nest for the phoenix egg.

 

After securing the treasure they had obtained, Xiao Mo turned his gaze toward another still-breathing figure in the cave.

 

Su Baimo.

 

In the original novel, the Black Forest expedition was glossed over. However, judging by Huanjian Sect’s argument outside the second layer’s entrance, if Xiao Mo hadn’t intervened, Dai Zisheng would likely have softened and brought Su Baimo into the second layer.

 

As for how Su Baimo would have encountered the Flowing Fire Phoenix while with Huanjian Sect—whether he got separated or if some of their disciples were killed—that remained unknown.

 

That said, it wasn’t even confirmed whether this Flowing Fire Phoenix was the same one Su Baimo contracted in the original novel.

 

Speculating about skipped-over events in the original story didn’t seem particularly helpful now, so—

 

Xiao Mo asked the system: “If I leave him here unattended, will he die?”

 

In such extreme heat, dehydration alone could kill him.

 

The system’s tone was utterly indifferent to Su Baimo’s fate: “No. Even if you were to draw your sword and try to kill him now, cornerstone characters won’t die at this point.”

 

System: “If you leave him here directly, he might encounter some other fortuitous opportunities. Furthermore, based on analysis, if he gets injured in the process, Dai Zisheng will likely feel immense guilt afterward. With your earlier interference disrupting their relationship progression from the original story, Dai Zisheng currently doesn’t have feelings for him as strong as in the original plot. However, if moral guilt is added to Su Baimo’s deliberate seduction efforts later on… well, things might change.”

 

In the original novel, Su Baimo quickly became close with Dai Zisheng after joining Huanjian Sect. Although their engagement had already been annulled here and Su Baimo’s lifesaving favor had been split with Chu Jinglan, Dai Zisheng still remembered that Su Baimo liked Chu Jinglan.

 

Thinking about how leaving Su Baimo here could ultimately benefit him so much made Xiao Mo’s expression darken slightly.

 

No way—I can’t let him profit from this.

 

So Xiao Mo pinched his nose and wrapped Su Baimo in black mist to carry him out of the cave.

 

Chu Jinglan asked: “You’re going to save him?”

 

Although Xiao Mo had shown some interest in Su Baimo before, it was certainly not out of affection. As an Inner Demon, Xiao Mo wasn’t a benevolent person—he could be kind to three children he had picked up but could also kill without hesitation. His actions always followed his whims. By that logic, Xiao Mo should be ignoring Su Baimo right now.

 

Yet here he was—thinking about taking him out of harm’s way.

 

Xiao Mo replied flatly: “Ah yes—saving one life is better than building a seven-story pagoda.”

 

Chu Jinglan: “…”

 

Do you even believe that yourself? Does Zi Jiao—who was thrown out for a blood sacrifice right in front of you—believe it?

 

Chu Jinglan couldn’t understand what about Su Baimo made Xiao Mo pay so much attention to him. Based on Xiao Mo’s half-hearted reply earlier, Chu Jinglan knew that if he asked now, he wouldn’t get a proper answer.

 

Xiao Mo, realizing his previous explanation was a bit dry, added: “He is your former fiancé, after all.”

 

This reasoning was even less convincing, as both of them knew how much of a sham the arranged marriage imposed by the Chu family had been.

 

As they passed the cave entrance, Xiao Mo’s gaze lingered on Zi Jiao’s shriveled corpse. An idea struck him, and he stopped in his tracks.

 

Chu Jinglan watched as Xiao Mo used black mist to search from a distance, retrieving Zi Jiao’s storage device and disciple plaque.

 

Although Xiao Mo found Zi Jiao’s death unsightly, he wasn’t about to let his belongings go to waste. He hadn’t had time to loot earlier while chasing the demonic cultivator, but now he had the leisure for it.

 

Zi Jiao’s storage device bore his divine sense imprint. With Xiao Mo’s cultivation far surpassing Zi Jiao’s and with Zi Jiao now deceased, Xiao Mo easily wiped away the imprint and accessed its contents.

 

What he found shocked him. Xiao Mo murmured: “Chu Jinglan, we don’t need to work anymore—he’s loaded.”

 

It was the first time Chu Jinglan heard the term “work,” but judging from the context, it wasn’t hard to deduce its meaning—it likely referred to labor or tasks.

 

Chu Jinglan’s storage device only had a few square meters of space. But Zi Jiao’s? It was like a hundred-square-meter seaside villa. Inside were piles of spirit stones, artifacts, pills, and numerous manuals—even unused communication jade tokens. It was practically a small treasure trove. Compared to this, their thirty beast cores suddenly seemed insignificant!

 

Xiao Mo happily sorted through his spoils, carefully picking out items. He removed anything bearing Xiao Qing Sect’s special markings and tossed them aside reluctantly. As much as it pained him to discard them, such marked items were too conspicuous and inconvenient for use.

 

After selecting what he wanted, Xiao Mo cast a cleaning spell on the storage device and placed it in his backpack. Feeling quite pleased with himself, he thought: This trip wasn’t wasted—we’ve struck gold!

 

As for the disciple plaque, Xiao Mo continued holding it with black mist. Chu Jinglan couldn’t guess what he intended to do with it.

 

It became clear when Xiao Mo chose a path leading out of Black Forest and discreetly placed Su Baimo in an unobserved spot outside. Without drawing attention, Xiao Mo set Su Baimo down and tucked Zi Jiao’s disciple plaque into Su Baimo’s arms.

 

Xiao Mo looked satisfied: “Let’s give him some trouble.”

 

Chu Jinglan: “…”

 

Although they didn’t know how Zi Jiao had been captured, major sect disciples typically had soul lamps or soul imprints within their sects. By now, Xiao Qing Sect would surely know that Zi Jiao was dead. When nearby members of Xiao Qing Sect tracked the disciple plaque’s imprint and found Su Baimo…

 

Even if Su Baimo woke up and tried to explain that he’d been captured, how would he explain why Zi Jiao was killed while he was spared?

 

There would be no way to talk his way out of it.

 

And if the gray-robed demonic cultivator had carelessly revealed his identity during their journey together—if Su Baimo knew and mentioned it—that would make things even more interesting. A demonic cultivator spared you? What kind of relationship do you have with him? Could you be colluding with demonic cultivators?

 

Xiao Mo’s move was undeniably ruthless.

 

Chu Jinglan returned someone’s earlier words back to him: “I recall someone just said, ‘He is, after all, my former fiancé?’”

 

Xiao Mo: “Exactly—former.”

 

Xiao Mo defended himself confidently: “Look, it’s not like you two parted on good terms. You took care of him a lot before, and when you were in trouble, the only time he came to see you was to break off the engagement. Giving him a little trouble isn’t over the line.”

 

Chu Jinglan thought to himself: Well then, this person always seems to find a reason to justify his actions.

 

He couldn’t understand why Xiao Mo, if he didn’t like Su Baimo, didn’t just leave him alone. Saving him only to create trouble for him afterward—was this the erratic nature of an Inner Demon?

 

After finishing his setup, Xiao Mo pondered for a moment and said: “Let’s head back and hunt a few more demonic beasts. We’ll make it look like we’ve been busy. By the time we come out, we might get to enjoy the show.”

 

Chu Jinglan had no interest in such things, but since Xiao Mo wanted to watch, he didn’t mind: “As you wish.”

 

If watching this spectacle made Xiao Mo lower his guard and reveal some clues, perhaps Chu Jinglan could further uncover why Xiao Mo seemed so fixated on Su Baimo—or unravel more of the mysteries surrounding Xiao Mo.

 

In that case, he’d accompany him and watch.

 

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1 Kofi = 1 Extra Chapter