The old man’s lips curled into a cold sneer, confident that a mere hint of his power would send the other party scrambling in terror, begging for mercy on his knees.
He puffed out his chest, letting his hidden aura seep out.
Instantly.
The pleas for mercy indeed came.
“Hero, spare me!”
The old man fell to his knees, his face a mask of terror.
His heart churned like a stormy sea, not out of cowardice, but because Ji Mo’s palm on his shoulder felt like a mountain crashing down, forcing him to his knees involuntarily.
Even more terrifying was that when he tried to unleash his full strength to resist, he found his spiritual energy utterly unusable, his cultivation seemingly sealed.
He immediately knew that the young man before him was far superior in strength.
Of course, if he hadn’t suffered a great misfortune years ago, his cultivation severely damaged, his strength reduced to less than a thousandth of its peak, he wouldn’t have feared Ji Mo.
Adhering to the principle of not fighting a losing battle, the old man wisely chose to beg for mercy. With his great revenge yet to be exacted, he had no desire to die an ignominious death.
Ji Mo had intended to beat the fellow up, but he hadn’t expected the old man to be so cowardly and simply surrender.
“Where’s my money?” he asked.
Given the old man’s age, Ji Mo didn’t want to resort to violence. As long as the man obediently handed over the money, he wouldn’t bother with further trouble.
“Money? I didn’t take any.”
The old man feigned innocence. He had cut Ji Mo’s pocket and found only a few slivers of silver, which he hadn’t bothered to take.
He was after treasures, not mere silver.
Ji Mo didn’t believe that a thief would cut a pocket but not take the silver. He immediately put on a stern face and said, “Old man, don’t refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit.”
With that, he snatched the rusty blade from the old man’s hand and began to spin it with a “swish swish” sound.
Cold light flashed, and scraps of cloth flew everywhere.
The old man’s clothes were quickly reduced to rags.
Ji Mo searched him thoroughly but found no trace of his missing silver.
However, he was surprised to notice a small green snake, as thick as a chopstick, coiled around the old man’s wrist.
The little green snake was jade-green, its eyes like inlaid rubies, and it moved with great spirit.
“Huh, playing with snakes at this age!”
Ji Mo was utterly contemptuous, and then he pressed the old man about his missing money.
Meanwhile, the old man’s heart was greatly shaken, his mind filled with the image of Ji Mo wielding the blade.
He had immersed himself in swordsmanship for centuries, believing his sword skills had reached the pinnacle of perfection. Yet, seeing the effortless mastery and the unity of man and blade in Ji Mo’s movements, he felt utterly inadequate.
“I have silver at home. Come with me to get it.”
The old man’s eyes darted as he spoke.
His gaze towards Ji Mo had changed.
This young man possessed immense strength and astonishing talent in swordsmanship. Perhaps he could be a successor, and maybe even rely on him for revenge in the future.
The old man began to scheme.
Ji Mo, unaware of the old man’s thoughts, escorted him to retrieve the money.
Along the way, they exchanged names.
“Your name is Lu Wukai? What a waste of a good name. Though it reminds me of a great brother I used to know who also liked playing with snakes, but he was a respectable man, incredibly formidable, unlike you, a mere old thief.”
Ji Mo’s face showed a hint of reminiscence.
“Actually, Old Lu, I was once a respectable man. I wielded immense power, possessed wealth beyond compare, and commanded respect across the land! If I hadn’t been blind and trusted a villain, I wouldn’t have fallen to this state.”
Lu Wukai also looked back in memory, a torrent of killing intent surging in the depths of his eyes.
He recalled his glorious past, and now he could only hide in a remote corner, barely clinging to life.
He resorted to thievery simply to acquire more treasures to exchange for cultivation resources, hoping to one day recover his peak strength and exact his revenge.
“You’re quite the blowhard!”
Ji Mo exclaimed in admiration.
This old fellow could spin a yarn like no other.
If such a character could command respect across the land, wouldn’t he himself be able to sweep through the Xuanling Realm with one hand?
The two walked through streets and alleys, arriving at a dilapidated courtyard in the slums.
Seeing the bare walls and impoverished dwelling, Ji Mo chuckled twice.
“As the saying goes, ‘The true hermit dwells in the forest, while the great hermit dwells in the market.’ In reality, I deliberately chose to live among mortals to experience human suffering and temper my Dao heart.”
Lu Wukai stroked his long beard, assuming the air of an otherworldly master.
He had fled to a foreign land and hidden himself here to prevent his enemies from eradicating him completely.
Seeing that Ji Mo clearly didn’t believe him, he pondered for a moment and said with great seriousness, “Ji Mo, I’ll drop the pretense. I was once a powerful figure, but due to being plotted against by a villain, my strength plummeted, leading me to this current predicament. If you become my disciple, I will impart all my skills to you, and I am confident I can train you into a renowned powerhouse.”
“You, a powerhouse?”
Ji Mo rolled his eyes and asked, “What skills do you have? Are you planning to teach me deception, or how to cut pockets and steal money?”
“My swordsmanship is incredibly strong…”
Lu Wukai was about to boast about his formidable swordsmanship and his understanding of the Dao, which he claimed ranked in the top three in the world. But upon seeing Ji Mo casually toying with the blade in his hand, wisps of Dao charm flowing from his fingertips, he was rendered speechless.
Clearly, in terms of swordsmanship, he was not qualified to teach Ji Mo; Ji Mo could teach him more than enough.
Besides swordsmanship, Lu Wukai’s second greatest skill was thievery.
So, he said with a wry smile, “Actually, stealing is not as ignoble as people think; it is a profound art. As the saying goes, small thieves get rich, great thieves govern the nation. Legend has it that Emperor Bai once successfully stole the heart of a female supreme being from the Ghost Realm, bringing nearly a hundred years of peace to the Xuanling Realm.”
“I didn’t expect Emperor Bai, that straight man, to know how to use a honey trap. But this is a stratagem, what does it have to do with stealing?”
Ji Mo was surprised by Lu Wukai’s eloquence in making theft sound so grand.
“You misunderstand. It wasn’t a honey trap. Given Emperor Bai’s personality, would he ever use a honey trap? He truly infiltrated the Ghost Realm and stole the heart of that Ghost Realm female supreme being, thereby coercing her not to invade the Xuanling Realm.”
Lu Wukai revealed a secret from the past related to Emperor Bai.
It was after hearing about this incident that he had ultimately embarked on the irreversible path of thievery.
But it seemed that evil deeds were met with retribution, and too much stealing eventually led to his current predicament.
“No matter how eloquent you are, I, Ji Mo, stand tall and upright, and will never be a thief.”
Ji Mo declared with righteous indignation.
“Alas, if you don’t wish to learn the art of thievery, that’s fine. As long as you are willing to become my disciple, you will not be lacking in benefits. You can pick any treasure in the house.”
Lu Wukai gritted his teeth, deciding to make a significant sacrifice.
He had taken a liking to Ji Mo’s innate talent. This child had immeasurable potential in the future. If he could take him as a disciple, it would be an absolute windfall.
“Who are you trying to fool? Your house is full of junk, what treasures could there be?”
Ji Mo looked around and shook his head.
“You are still too shallow in your understanding. You have eyes but cannot see jade inlaid with gold. Let me introduce them to you properly, and broaden your horizons.”
Lu Wukai smiled faintly, confident that the treasures in his house would surely impress Ji Mo.
He was determined to take this disciple.