Mountains and giant beasts, cabins in the woods

Besides this blood-dripping guillotine, two other magical artifacts have been completed.

A blood-drinking sword that can release the lifeblood of the victim, causing a swift death. It was prepared for Liu San Niang.

Sumari also designed a special magical artifact for herself: an assault rifle. It could use fire energy as ammunition to fire small, high-temperature fireballs. It could also fire ordinary bullets or specially crafted rune bullets.

With such equipment, their strength will be greatly enhanced. However, training and team cohesion are still essential.

Preparations for the treasure hunt outside the city were in full swing, and I even asked for leave from the newspaper.

Five or six days had passed since the last observation, the day before departure.

Liu Xingmo got up very early.

Riding the Baohei to the main road of the mine, a truck was parked there, piled with sacks and long, thin steel bars.

After attaching the saddle, we headed to the city center and arrived at the construction site.

The outline of a circular fortress has been laid out on the ground, a solid base made of reddish-brown granite and grayish-white concrete. A tall, straight pine trunk stands beside it, its lower half buried in the soil.

On the foundation, scaffolding was erected using bamboo poles, and construction workers were busy going up and down.

Liu Xingmo first unloaded a wooden bucket from the truck: "Everyone's worked hard! Come and have some water!"

"Young man, you're so generous!" Liu Chunya had already seen the tortoise cart coming along and was now waiting with a water cup in hand.

She poured herself a glass of bubbly, pale yellow liquid, tilted her head back, and drank most of it in one gulp: "Ah! That's so refreshing!"

"How's the progress?" Liu Xingmo looked around his new house.

"It takes time for the cement to harden, otherwise the process could be faster. We're not slacking off; we're proceeding according to safety standards."

"Just ensure the quality. With the current budget, build me three stories first, then add a roof. If I need to expand later, I'll come back to you for more work."

"Okay! Fully furnished villas are also within our service scope, and we can arrange that for you."

"Let's furnish a study first, as my wife likes to read quietly. Note that it doesn't need great natural light; a darker setting is better."

"It's a strange request, but we'll do it."

Liu Xingmo climbed up the scaffolding, inspected the construction site, and confirmed that there were no problems in any corner.

At midday, the spring sunshine is neither too hot nor too harsh.

Liu Xingmo lay on the empty truck, squinting at the blue sky and white clouds above, and stuffed a grass stalk pulled from the roadside into his mouth, tasting the sweetness of its roots like chewing sugarcane.

We returned to Xizhen after a bumpy ride.

When they passed by the market, Baohei ate as much of the fish market's offal as he wanted.

This old turtle ate dried fish all winter, and now that it has fresh fish, it doesn't mind the taste at all, and eats until it can't crawl anymore.

At this time, Liu Xingmo went to the medicinal herb market and bought everything he needed.

I've been consuming only Crimson Maple Seeds lately, without any other elixirs. However, I can consume supplementary elixirs at the same time.

For example, the special medicinal soups used in practicing "Turtle Shell Kung Fu" and "Snake Bone Kung Fu" have unique combinations that allow cheap, inexpensive medicines without spiritual energy to produce amazing effects, almost comparable to spiritual medicines.

This is the method of refining the Dao: purifying, blending, and adjusting to maximize the effects of medicinal materials.

Unfortunately, Black Dragon Village only produces medicine, not refining it. People can only absorb the precious medicinal herbs by eating them raw, which is the least efficient method.

The call to recruit freelance alchemists worldwide was posted a long time ago, but for some reason, there has been no response.

Like Sumari, who initially only accompanied Setia due to their connection with the vampire family. Only after careful investigation did she decide to settle down.

I don't know how outsiders view Heilongzhai, as there is no relevant information in the new books collected by the library every year.

Liu Xingmo guessed that other forces had turned this place into a den of thieves.

According to geography and history books, in this world, the vast plains are the territory of dragons, the rugged mountains and forests are the home of wild beasts, and the drama of dragons and beasts fighting for supremacy is frequently staged in various places.

Humans, as a species, belong to the group of viviparous mammals. In the eyes of other intelligent life forms, they are clever, agile, and adorable "forest spirits," friendly little animals that maintain neutrality.

The act of capturing and enslaving other intelligent life forms, as exemplified by Black Dragon Village, is likely quite evil and cruel.

Not to mention wild animals, even other humans would reject this practice. This is what the Jiang siblings, who were studying in the Yin Kingdom, said.

After all, a soul imprint is essentially a slave mark, and it can even be used on people. Such an ability is universally despised.

Liu Xingmo could only smile wryly at this.

……

It was already evening when we returned to the mine.

Liu Xingmo sorted the acquired medicinal herbs into categories and prepared several pots of medicinal soup.

I ate two portions myself, Bao Hei ate one portion, and I also specially got Fu Hei's portion.

Liu Xingmo, holding the medicine pot, called to the big crow, "Fu Hei, it's time for your medicine!"

The scraggly bird slowly moved its two claws on the ground, and finally reluctantly came over, put its long, pointed beak into the medicine pot, and sipped the medicine.

"Good, that's more like it. You can't spill it again today, or you won't get dinner."

Fuhei flapped its wings, making a ruckus in the living room—its silent protest.

"Can you circulate your Qi and blood through your meridians now? Are you adapting to the flow of Qi and blood?"

"Gah gah!" Fuhei shouted, looking up with great pride.

"Very good, you are a genius! No wonder you are a crow, the most intelligent bird in the world."

Liu Xingmo sensed it carefully.

Fu Hei's innate Qi channels within his body have been further consolidated, and the ethereal Qi within them has become more solidified, breaking through to the second-tier level.

As for the bloodline energy bestowed upon it by its master, it has now stabilized, with a faint flow of blood energy within it.

Innate rare beasts possess such talent that they can cultivate two paths simultaneously. Other ordinary beings can only specialize in one; if they try to cultivate too many, they will only have their two energies obstructed and achieve nothing.

Next, Liu Xingmo practiced the "Xuanwu Hard and Soft Transformation" once, and urged Bao Hei to activate the "Turtle Shell Skill", while Fu Hei activated the secret technique "Golden Rooster Crows at Dawn" from the library.

The tedious practice is a daily routine.

After the training ended, Liu Xingmo, along with his two contracted beasts, began attending cultural classes.

It discusses knowledge about fortune, which comes from scattered materials in the library.

The content is fragmented, including explanations of ancient sayings, distant history, and even folk tales.

This is an abstract generalization of human understanding of the phenomenon of fortune, containing certain fundamental principles.

Although the relevant knowledge cannot be directly used for cultivation, it is of great benefit to auspicious beasts born with extraordinary destiny.

The streets of the mine were dim and hazy, with only the distant stone buildings faintly revealing the warm glow of their lights.

Baohei lay on the ground, craning its neck to look at its master. Fuhei squatted like a rooster roosting, its dark eyes shining brightly.

Liu Xingmo leaned against the stone wall, flipping through ancient books, and conveying his thoughts and ideas through an invisible spiritual connection.

An old turtle and a crow, that's how they absorbed knowledge.

The huge mine pit was damp and warm.

All living beings will drift into a peaceful dream after a long day of work.