Chapter 55: Carrot? Stick

Chapter 55: Chapter 55: Carrot? Stick

The four of them took turns clearing the Spirit Fields.

Liu Yong and Elder Wang merely looked a little tired.

But Wu Yong looked as if he were carrying a giant boulder, his body hunched over so unnaturally that he was nearly bent at a ninety-degree angle. A crazed light was beginning to show in his eyes.

When Li Changsheng and the other two saw this, they subconsciously distanced themselves from him.

After clearing another Spirit Field, Wu Yong glanced at the three of them and chuckled darkly.

The nine Thousand-legged Poison Centipedes at his feet crawled in circles, letting out intermittent hisses.

Steward Ma looked at him and said, "Next one."

The Black Blood Moths in one Spirit Field after another were cleared out.

Soon, it was Noon.

They were at the last Spirit Field in D Zone.

SCREECH...

A Black Blood Moth, half a meter long and as thick as a thumb, was dragged out of the Spirit Field by several Red-winged Blood Bamboos. It shrieked a few times before being devoured completely.

With a slight thought, Li Changsheng recalled his swarm of insects, walked over to Steward Ma, and said respectfully, "Steward, there was only one Guard Insect..."

Steward Ma toyed with the ruyi scepter in his hand, his expression turning a little grim.

This was the very last Spirit Field. Not catching the Insect Mother meant the infestation could recur at any moment.

The atmosphere instantly grew heavy.

Liu Yong and Elder Wang lowered their heads in silence.

Wu Yong’s eyes flickered as he was lost in thought.

A moment later, Steward Ma glanced at the four of them and said unexpectedly, "You’ve all worked hard. Tell me, what do you want as a reward?"

"Spirit Stones, Magic, artifacts, or something else..."

The men exchanged glances, but no one spoke first.

After all, the Insect Mother hadn’t been found. Who knew how much of Steward Ma’s offer was genuine and how much was a trap...

Wu Yong hesitated for a moment before stepping forward and saying respectfully, "Reporting to the Steward, this disciple would like a Concentration Technique or a Spirit-Storage Talisman."

His request was very specific, aimed at mitigating the backlash from using the Damaging and Gathering God Skill.

Steward Ma thought for a moment, then flipped his hand over and tossed a Bright White Jade Token to him. "A Concentration Technique is too precious; even I don’t have one. This is an artifact I used in my early years. It has a minor calming effect. Take it."

"Thank you, Steward."

Wu Yong took the Bright White Jade Token, feeling the power contained within it. With a look of pleasant surprise, he bowed and stepped back.

Steward Ma looked at the other three and said flatly, "What do you want?"

Seeing Wu Yong receive an artifact, Liu Yong immediately said, "Reporting to the Steward, this disciple would like a flying artifact."

Elder Wang also stepped forward and said, "Reporting to the Steward, this disciple would like a protective artifact."

Steward Ma nodded, looked at Li Changsheng, and asked, "And you?"

Li Changsheng hesitated for a second, then cupped his hands and said, "Reporting to the Steward, this disciple would like some gold qi for his cultivation."

"Oh."

Steward Ma gave him a surprised look but said nothing. He flipped his hand over, produced a palm-sized bronze bottle, and tossed it to him.

He then took out two more artifacts and gave them to Liu Yong and Elder Wang.

As Li Changsheng caught the bronze bottle, he felt an immense pressure from it and quickly circulated his Spiritual Power to resist it. Without even looking at it, he put it away in his storage pouch.

After stowing the bronze bottle, Li Changsheng looked up just in time to see a fleeting smirk on Steward Ma’s lips. He froze for a second, and his heart skipped a beat.

’Something’s about to happen...’

Sure enough, Steward Ma spoke.

"Now that you’ve all received something you desire, are you satisfied?"

Liu Yong was excitedly fiddling with a crane-shaped artifact. Hearing the question, he answered without a second thought, "Satisfied, very satisfied! Thank you so much, Lord Steward! Otherwise, this disciple doesn’t know how long he’d have to save up Spirit Stones to afford a flying artifact."

The moment these words left his mouth, the expressions on Elder Wang and Wu Yong’s faces froze.

Neither of them was a fool. They had just been too excited about receiving what they wanted to think clearly.

Thinking about it now, they felt confused and even a little uneasy.

Steward Ma was being a little too generous.

Putting aside the other items, the low-grade flying artifact in Liu Yong’s hands alone, despite being many years old, would sell for at least three hundred Spirit Stones.

The same was true for Elder Wang’s artifact, and the Peaceful God Talisman in Wu Yong’s hands was even more valuable.

Steward Ma nodded. "Good that you’re satisfied." He paused, then his voice deepened. "Since you are all satisfied, shouldn’t you do something to satisfy me?"

’Here it comes!’

Li Changsheng, Elder Wang, and Wu Yong exchanged a look, cursing their luck internally. No one dared to respond.

Liu Yong, thinking Steward Ma had another task for them and having tasted the benefits, quickly said, "Just say the word, Steward! Whatever you need, this disciple will definitely get it done for you."

Steward Ma’s gaze fell on him, and a stiff smile appeared on his face. "Good. You are very good." He then turned his head to Li Changsheng and the other two. "And what about you?"

As his voice fell, a faint but distinct aura—one unique to the Vein Condensation Realm—spread out, pressing down on everyone’s hearts.

Li Changsheng felt as if he were carrying a giant boulder, and his breathing became somewhat ragged.

The other three were in the same condition.

The pressure only lasted for a few breaths before vanishing like a spring breeze.

Steward Ma said flatly, "Since you’ve accepted my rewards, you must find the Black Blood Moth Mother for me!"

"I don’t care how you do it. I’m giving you three days. Three days from now, if I don’t see it..."

He paused, then said softly, "...I will cripple your cultivation and kick you out of the Service Peaks!"

With that, he erupted in a flash of green light and vanished over the horizon.

Leaving the four of them to just stare at each other, at a loss for words.

The Cultivators who had been watching the spectacle from the roadside muttered a few things among themselves before heading back to their own residences.

Liu Yong swallowed hard, looking at the artifact in his hand with an expression of utter despair.

"We’ve searched every Spirit Field, where could the Insect Mother be? I think he just set us up..."

Elder Wang shot him a glare and snapped, "Shut up! Weren’t you quick to agree just now?!"

"Now you realize something’s wrong? Where was your brain earlier?!"

Liu Yong: "I..."

Wu Yong gave him a sinister glance, and the sight of his eager Thousand-legged Poison Centipedes instantly made him shut his mouth.

Li Changsheng’s expression was dark and uncertain, and he was filled with regret.

’If I’d known this would happen, I never would have come out to earn these Spirit Stones!’

After a few breaths of silence, Li Changsheng composed himself, looked at the other three, and said in a low voice, "If we don’t want to die, our only option is to find that Insect Mother. Any ideas?"

The three of them turned to look at him.

Elder Wang frowned in thought, then said hesitantly, "Should we clear the Spirit Fields again? Maybe..."

Wu Yong let out a cold sneer. "I can guarantee there was no Insect Mother in the Spirit Fields I cleared."

"Besides, clearing them all again would take at least a full day. If we don’t find the Insect Mother, we will have wasted a day."

Elder Wang shook his head and said nothing.

Wu Yong had a point, but that was the only crude method he could think of.

Li Changsheng frowned in thought for a moment, his face full of confusion, and mused softly:

"Why is Steward Ma in such a hurry to find the Insect Mother?"

"Is it to prevent the infestation from recurring? Or for the sake of the Cultivators who rent the Spirit Fields?"

"Is he really that benevolent?"

The more he thought about it, the more he felt something was wrong, but he couldn’t put his finger on what it was.

Hearing this, the dejected Liu Yong, who had been hanging his head, frowned. A moment later, his expression suddenly turned to one of excitement. "I remember now! I know why he’s in such a hurry to find the Insect Mother!"