Ye Mo dragged the two corpses into the woods, examining their belongings. There wasn't much of value—just over a thousand yuan in cash between them. As for any bank cards, Ye Mo didn't bother taking those. However, one of the daggers looked quite sharp and good quality. Ye Mo pulled it out and kept it as his trophy.
He cast several fireballs to burn the two bodies until they were charred black, but the flames couldn't fully consume them. Ye Mo sighed—his fireball skill was still too low-grade. Once he reached Qi Condensation Stage Three, one fireball would be enough to make them disappear completely.
He casually slammed his palm to dig a large pit, kicked the bodies inside, then pushed soil over them with another palm.
Ye Mo never bothered to bury the people he killed, but this time, having earned a few thousand yuan, he treated it like a job well done.
After finishing with the bandits, Ye Mo didn't return to the road but went deeper into the mountains.
The woman waited by the roadside for a while, but seeing Ye Mo didn't come back, she ran off the road and entered the forest. She caught a faint glimpse of Ye Mo's retreating figure. If she had been slower, he might have already disappeared.
Hearing her shout, Ye Mo stopped. The woman was surprised—she thought Ye Mo was fleeing because he feared her, and hearing her call, he should have run even farther. But unexpectedly, he stopped.
She wanted to believe he stopped out of fear, but she quickly realized Ye Mo showed no trace of being afraid.
"You're not afraid of me," the woman said meaningfully as she approached.
Ye Mo pulled at his backpack strap and smiled faintly: "You would kill me."
"No. You haven't offended me, and I don't like killing people," the woman instinctively shook her head.
"Oh, since you wouldn't kill me, why should I be afraid?" Ye Mo looked a bit puzzled.
The woman looked Ye Mo over again—an ordinary young man, not ugly, somewhat pale, wearing tidy clothes like a student. Probably just over twenty. There was no sign of danger about him. Having escaped death countless times, she had a natural sharpness to detect anyone stronger. Ye Mo clearly wasn't.
"You're brave. But if you're not afraid, why did you run into the mountains?"
"This mountain belongs to you? Why can't I walk it?"
The woman was momentarily speechless. Although Ye Mo's words were blunt, she didn't get angry but smiled again.
"Fine, you're right. Let me introduce myself—I'm Wen Dong. 'Wen' as in knowledge, 'Dong' as in winter."
"Ye Mo," he simply said. He had no idea why this stranger wanted to know him.
"Do you know why I called you and want to meet?" Wen Dong asked, then didn't wait for an answer. "Because I admire you. You saw just now, I'm no ordinary person. If you want, I can introduce you to a master."
Ye Mo waved his hand: "No thanks on the master. You admire me already. If there's nothing else, I'm going."
"Don't be in a hurry. Seems like you don't understand how powerful people are in this world. The apprenticeship talk can wait. I have a business to do. Interested in joining? The pay is way better than burying two trash like earlier."
Wen Dong said this slowly, seeing Ye Mo hesitate.
Ye Mo thought to himself: he just earned a few thousand yuan for dealing with those two, and he really needed money. If this woman offered more, why not help her? Also, now that he was at Qi Condensation Stage Two, he wasn't afraid she might trick him. The main thing was—once he focused on cultivation, he wouldn't have time to earn money.
"Alright, tell me what and how much," Ye Mo asked, caring most about the pay. If he had money, he wouldn't worry anymore.
Wen Dong didn't answer directly. "Go north about twenty li (roughly ten kilometers). There's a road to the Xiangshanling tourist spot. At a small inn there, I have two boxes. You just help carry them and come with me for a deal. Don't worry, I'll keep you safe. You only need to hand over the boxes, no extra talking. How about fifty thousand yuan?"
Five ten-thousands just to carry boxes? Ye Mo was tempted. He'd barely made a few tens of thousands selling talismans and helping with healing.
He wasn't afraid of Wen Dong trying to cheat him—he didn't believe anyone could kill him. If someone was stronger, and he wanted to run, no one could stop him.
"Okay, I'm in. But I can't go too far—I have other places to go," Ye Mo nodded and agreed without hesitation.
Wen Dong was pleased with Ye Mo's decisiveness. "Good. You're a straightforward person—someone who can do big things. I like that. Wherever you go, it won't affect you. The deal place is only a few hours away; maybe it'll be done before it even impacts your time."
Neither said more. Wen Dong led the way. Though in the mountains, Wen Dong moved lightly and effortlessly. Worried Ye Mo might lag, she slowed down. Later she realized Ye Mo had great stamina—no sign he couldn't keep up, which surprised her.
If Ye Mo didn't look like a martial artist and with his fair, slender hands, Wen Dong even suspected he was involved in some other mysterious path.
She was right. After about an hour of walking, they came to a winding mountain road.
This road was busier than where Ye Mo had gotten off—cars passed frequently.
Wen Dong and Ye Mo soon stopped a bus heading to Xiangshanling.
Xiangshanling was a famous tourist spot in Huaxia, comparable in fame to the Five Great Mountains. But because many tourists go missing every year, and the mountain road has a high accident rate, fewer people came here compared to famous mountains like Huangshan.
Ye Mo immediately sensed the area's spiritual energy was much stronger than Ninghai's. If it weren't too close to Ninghai, he might have chosen to cultivate here.
The bus stopped at a parking lot halfway up the mountain. Wen Dong told Ye Mo to wait while she fetched the boxes.
Soon Wen Dong arrived in an ordinary Buick.
"The stuff is ready. Get in, let's go," she said casually, parking in front of Ye Mo.
Though Ye Mo's spiritual perception only extended five or six meters, he scanned the car. Nothing suspicious. There were two boxes on the backseat.
Ye Mo opened the door and sat inside, scanning the boxes with his perception.
One box contained a rifle—Ye Mo wasn't familiar with guns and couldn't tell the exact model, but it looked like an AK series.
The other box had a stack of documents and a strange model.
Wen Dong was pleased Ye Mo sat quietly. But inside, she wondered whether Ye Mo was naturally brave or just inexperienced.
If he was inexperienced, she hoped he wouldn't embarrass himself later.
She said, "Ye Mo, when we go in, if someone watches us, don't worry. Just follow my instructions and swap the boxes with them."
"I understand," Ye Mo replied. He guessed the swap involved the box with the model and documents. Wen Dong's calmness reassured him—there was no real danger. Even if danger arose, he wasn't afraid. After this deal, he could cultivate in peace.