The sun rose from the east, and the dimness quietly retreated.
Xu Mu slept for a long time today, only reluctantly getting out of bed when the sunlight became too dazzling and annoyed him.
The hands of the self-made clock pointed to "nine".
So his eyes were black.
"Ah... hoo..."
Xu Mu stretched in front of the mirror, then walked into the kitchen.
His head felt a bit groggy. The events of yesterday were too much information to process in one night.
More importantly, both the him in the Heavenly Palace and the him outside had barely slept last night, so they were extremely tired.
Well... since he was already so tired, he couldn't go hungry.
"Yo, you brat, finally decided to get up."
With a hearty laugh, a bald figure pushed open the door.
It was that powerful old man.
Xu Mu's gaze narrowed slightly.
He hadn't called out last night and had overheard the conversation between the two in the Heavenly Palace, so he already knew the old man's identity.
He was a renowned magnate in the current cultivation world, ranked seventh in the Hundred Races Alliance, an elder of the Nangong clan, and an anomaly user of the Domain Lord level.
His purpose for coming here was likely to search for one of the legendary holy relics lost in the Domain of the Ghostly Night, which was why he had explored the West Mountain.
What shocked him was that even Domain Lord level powerhouses had been defeated in the depths of West Mountain. What exactly was in there?
The one in the Heavenly Palace knew, but wouldn't tell him.
"I have to say, your medical skills are excellent," Nangong Mao Guan stretched his limbs, looking well and in much better spirits than his feigned calmness last night.
All of this was thanks to the acupuncture treatment from last night.
Xu Mu was taken aback. He still remembered clearly what had happened last night.
That person had used Chinese medicine techniques from Blue Star to help this senior with blood circulation and stasis. The silver needles had drawn out a lot of toxins from his body, and his acupoints had been unblocked one by one.
Although the internal injuries to his liver would not be healed overnight, his bodily functions had improved by more than half. The prescriptions were all ready, and as long as he took them on time, recovery was just a matter of time.
Thinking of this, Xu Mu couldn't help but feel a little impressed.
The needling technique that person used was called the Scarlet Phoenix Silver Needle. Charles had taught him for a long time, but he had only learned the basics. If he were to treat an anomaly user of this caliber, it would be utterly impossible.
"It's fine, Senior also taught me lightning techniques, so we're even."
Xu Mu smiled. Last night, that person had learned the extremely mysterious Five Thunders True Method in front of him.
— He had watched clearly in the Heavenly Palace.
Nangong Mao Guan chuckled upon hearing this. He had already assumed Xu Mu could no longer cultivate, so he didn't take it seriously.
"These are all external things, not worth mentioning," the old man said with a beaming smile, then seemed to recall something. "Yesterday, I was so busy introducing myself that I forgot to ask about your lineage?"
The old man was a little curious. He wanted to see who Xu Mu's master was to have taught such an excellent disciple.
Xu Mu was speechless. His master was, of course, Charles.
But how to describe a robot?
And even if he could describe it, he couldn't possibly reveal such a thing, could he? It would sound like a lie.
"In the depths of the clouds, where one knows not."
Recalling that classic answer, a smile appeared on Xu Mu's refined face.
This sentence originated from an anecdote on Blue Star that Charles had told him.
"Alas, you just like to play riddles with me."
Elder Nangong was a bit dejected. He was a rough man and had no interest in such convoluted matters, so he simply stopped asking.
"The meal is ready. Senior can go wake your young lady."
Xu Mu brought the warmed flatbread and porridge to the table, carefully washing the clean bowls and chopsticks.
"Ahem, little brother," Elder Nangong looked at the food in front of him, involuntarily swallowed, but then he shook his head slightly, looking at Xu Mu with some embarrassment. "My young lady is a bit shy..."
Xu Mu immediately nodded:
"It's fine. You can just take these in to her."
"Alright!"
Nangong Mao Guan smiled, picked up a flatbread, and scooped some porridge. Amidst the warmth, he had a slight doubt.
Xu Mu seemed much more approachable during the day than he was at night, his gaze less sharp.
Were those gray eyes his anomaly?
Nangong Mao Guan thought about the scene when he was alone with Xu Mu last night.
He was a fifth-stage magnate, yet when facing this junior, he felt like the junior. In their conversations, he had been completely led by the nose by the other party, and even many confidential matters about the family and the cultivation world had been tricked out of him!
It was better during the day, the old man thought.
"This young lady must be very beautiful."
Charles's projection emerged from Xu Mu's body.
"Not necessarily. Perhaps she's ugly?" Xu Mu smacked his lips, looking at the slightly ajar door.
This was common in江湖話本 ( jiānghú huàběn - martial world storybooks).
The young ladies of noble families often had unsatisfactory appearances and required all sorts of rare treasures and acquired means to be seen, hence the need for veils.
Perhaps, besides searching for holy relics, they had come to the Domain of the Ghostly Night to find a remedy for her?
"I don't think so," Charles shook his head. "I saw her as serene as a virgin, with a graceful figure, her voice as melodious as a warbler's, and as sweet and clear as a spring..."
"With such heavenly beauty, and being the daughter of a noble family, how could she be as you described?"
Xu Mu's forehead was covered in black lines.
Charles's observation was too detailed. By the way, that person seemed to have a special fondness for Yin Shuier. What was going on with these two?
"Am I a robot? Are you a robot?" Xu Mu was somewhat speechless. He didn't have much concept of women yet. Occasional aesthetic pleasure was enough, and he had never observed them in detail.
But these two seemed to be enjoying themselves. Was this the origin of "heroes can't pass the beauty's test"?
"Don't misunderstand. I naturally don't need women. Strictly speaking, I don't have a gender. I am third gender."
Charles pointed to his lower body, through which data flowed.
"I am paving the way for your future marriage."
"I originally thought Yin Shuier was your best match. She had connections to the imperial city and was also talented. But I didn't expect you to be so lucky to meet someone even better."
Charles praised endlessly:
"With my eyesight, I think she's at least three points better looking than Yin Shuier, no, ten points."
"Whatever," Xu Mu waved his hand, then took a bite of the flatbread.
Whether she was good-looking or not had nothing to do with him. They were just strangers who met by chance.
Besides, it wasn't him who was close to that old man, but someone else who treated him.
Although this body was his own, he always felt a sense of guilt for benefiting from someone else's good fortune.
"Eat, eat!"
Xu Mu shook his head, then drank the porridge in the bowl.
It was incredibly sweet.
...