For Lin Mo Chen, the way back should have been short. Unfortunately, a certain fat hen seemed determined to turn his head into a nest every five steps.
"General Fatty, why are you on my shoulder if you can walk by yourself?" Lin Mo Chen complained, but the hen just pretended not to understand him.
After being ignored, Lin Mo Chen's brow furrowed slightly. Even so, he kept walking as if nothing had happened. On the outside he looked carefree, but his brain was working at a speed not even he thought possible.
"Alright, let's use this knowledge-filled brain for the first time! First problem: I've got a ghost master living in a weird rock..." Lin Mo Chen's gaze fell on the obsidian pendant he was wearing around his neck. "No, now it's a strange necklace. Second problem: getting the blood of a spiritual beast. Which, basically, would make me the prey."
"Brat, what are you muttering about?" Upon hearing Huo Can's voice, Lin Mo Chen's already frustrated expression darkened even more.
"About how to complete the main quest you gave me without dying in the process." The answer came out loaded with irony, but a barely perceptible smile was already forming at the corners of his lips.
With a hint of surprise, Huo Can's voice echoed again in Lin Mo Chen's mind.
"You use strange words, but... who said you had to kill the beast yourself to get its blood?"
Maybe because he stopped so suddenly, the fat hen almost fell off his shoulder. Ignoring the protest pecks he got on his head, Lin Mo Chen thought about it calmly. Huo Can was right. It was much simpler than he had imagined. First-rank spiritual beast blood was expensive, but it wasn't completely out of his reach.
Muttering to himself, Lin Mo Chen quickened his pace. "Looks like I need to clear my head. I feel like I've gotten dumber since I ran into Lin Xuan."
"You were born that way, I think, brat," Huo Can replied. His voice echoed in Lin Mo Chen's mind with the same mockery as always, though this time it seemed more tired than amused.
At Huo Can's disdainful tone, Lin Mo Chen rolled his eyes. He couldn't believe that his master, someone who was supposed to be a mysterious expert, behaved like a teenager. After hesitating for a moment, he chose his words carefully before asking, "Master, in the white space you mentioned... Lin Xuan. Why?"
"Because the first time I observed you was when you met him. His innate talent was exceptional; even outside this empire, someone like that would be considered valuable."
Lin Mo Chen nodded, completely agreeing. After all, someone who carried the role of protagonist had to have monstrous talent. "Then, with your help, I won't fall behind him, right, Master?" he asked, feeling a strange emotion slowly growing inside him.
"...if you don't die in the process, of course. Brat, I'm going to get some sleep. Talking to you drains energy."
Those words made Lin Mo Chen freeze in place. His face lost color as he understood what they really implied.
"Master, you were joking about the dying part. You wouldn't want to see such a handsome and extraordinary disciple die, would you?" But all he received was silence, accompanied by the sound of crickets in the small woods.
Lin Mo Chen let out a long, heavy sigh. Seeing that he wouldn't get any answer, he simply kept walking until he could make out his house in the distance. "I guess tomorrow will be another day of problems."
When he finally got home, Lin Mo Chen slowly opened the back door and entered carefully. He took his fat hen off his shoulder and set her on the floor, expecting at least some kind of acknowledgment after carrying her the whole way. Of course, General Fatty completely ignored him and went straight to the bowl of seeds his mother had left, pecking calmly as if nothing had happened.
Already in his room, Lin Mo Chen flopped onto the bed and closed his eyes. With all the problems ahead of him, he tried to organize his thoughts before falling asleep.
When he opened them again, morning light filtered through the window and lit up his face. General Fatty was there, pecking at his leg with all the arrogance in the world, as if being carried the whole way had been the most natural thing in the world.
Little by little, Lin Mo Chen woke up with the morning light coming in through the window. After finishing his usual training and changing clothes, he headed to the dining room, where his mother welcomed him with a bowl of soup.
While eating thoughtfully, Lin Mo Chen dragged out his words, "Mother, I'll be out all day today." Surprise appeared on his mother's face.
"Do you have problems, Chen'er? You've been acting strange lately, and you were out all night the other night too. Did you get hurt?" His mother's sincere concern made Lin Mo Chen's chest fill with warmth. That feeling ended up turning into certainty: if he didn't get stronger to keep up with the plot, he would never have the right to protect the people who mattered to him.
With quick movements he emptied his bowl; when he finished, he left his chopsticks on top and stood up to say goodbye.
"Don't worry, Mother. I just decided to take cultivation seriously and get things for myself."
One look was enough to notice how surprised his mother was. After a quick goodbye to his fat hen, he left the house, with sunlight burning the top of his head as he started on his way.
"Do you have a plan in mind, brat?"
Puffing his chest slightly, Lin Mo Chen answered with complete confidence.
"Of course I have one. My plan is to search the market until I find the blood."
For the first time in a long time, Lin Mo Chen's gaze showed uncommon confidence.
A few moments of awkward silence passed before Huo Can finally spoke, "...Didn't you say you were going to use your brain, kid? Was that the best plan you could come up with?" His mocking voice echoed in Lin Mo Chen's mind.
A slight change in his posture revealed Lin Mo Chen's tension. His lips twisted as he answered with a sigh.
"I don't have many options, Master. I still can't take clan missions until I go through the coming-of-age ceremony, and I have no way to borrow resources either. Without contribution points, I only have one solution left."
As quickly as it had appeared, the confidence Lin Mo Chen had gathered vanished. His mood turned bitter, especially with a certain laugh echoing in his mind.
Two young men in Lin Family robes passed by him. Their gazes left a strange feeling in Lin Mo Chen; there was something more behind them, something he couldn't understand.
"Hmm, curious. Those two greeted me a month ago, but this time they just walked right past."
Lin Mo Chen had barely finished muttering when Huo Can's sarcastic voice echoed in his mind.
"There was disdain in their eyes, brat. I recognize that look perfectly. To them, you're trash now."
Hearing that conclusion from Huo Can made Lin Mo Chen's face darken even more.
Something was happening. Although Lin Mo Chen couldn't be sure, he could sense it even in the servants' gazes. He had barely gone a month without interacting with anyone, but something had changed.
As he crossed the main plaza toward the exit, voices sounded behind him.
"That's him. Look at him, trash should stay with trash," a young man jeered, not even bothering to lower his voice as he stared directly at Lin Mo Chen.
"He's just a side-branch member. He should have stayed there," another square-faced youth replied.
Could he be suffering that popular, well-known treatment reserved for protagonists? That idea crossed Lin Mo Chen's mind, but he immediately shook his head. It didn't make sense. In novels, that only happened after the protagonist was crippled or got some fortuitous encounter.
Almost instinctively, his gaze dropped to the obsidian pendant hanging from his neck.
...
No... Wait a moment.
Ignoring the jeers that kept coming from behind, he quickened his pace and left the Lin Family grounds for the city.
Minutes later, Lin Mo Chen came out of a shop in the middle of a busy shopping street, with a twisted expression on his face.
"Damn scam. Seventy gold coins for first-rank Horned Rabbit blood?"
That kind of beast was barely considered dangerous within the first rank, and yet its price exceeded everything he had.
After visiting four shops and several market stalls, Lin Mo Chen had to accept a bitter reality: nothing they sold was within his reach. His forty gold coins, which had once seemed like a decent amount, were now nothing more than an insignificant sum.
Lin Mo Chen was starting to lose hope when an old voice spoke beside him.
"I couldn't help but notice that an extraordinary young man like you was looking for something specific. Perhaps I have a solution for that."
One look was enough for Lin Mo Chen to trigger his reader instinct. A haggard old man with a long, unkempt beard and a gaze full of distrust could only mean one thing: there was probably something shady behind it.
Shit, a mysterious old man offering shady goods. Exactly the kind of situation that always ends up starting a major plot.
Lin Mo Chen was about to refuse and run away when Huo Can's curious voice echoed in his mind:
"Haha, how interesting. Brat, follow this dying man. He has things that could be useful to us."
About to reject the offer, his prepared smile froze halfway. Doubt appeared in his eyes as he struggled internally, but in the end he could only sigh with resignation and nod at the old man.
"Really, old man? It seems fate has brought us together. Guide this Young Master Mo and you will be rewarded."
Completely hiding his doubts, he put on the arrogant expression of a young master who clearly had no idea what he was doing.
Screw it, what does it matter anymore. If things are going to spiral out of control, then let's act tough for once in this life. With that decision made, he followed the old man, whose expression couldn't hide the greed lurking deep in his eyes.