Chapter 387: Chapter 384: It’s Not About What I Want, but About What You Have

"Master Mo, please, just give the word." The joyful expression on Feng Zhang’s face didn’t fade; in fact, he looked a little excited.

In his eyes, Mo Qi’s mastery of the Alchemy Dao was simply miraculous.

If he could just follow him and learn even a fraction of his knowledge, he was certain to benefit immensely.

"Hold on! First rule: from now on, don’t call me Master Mo. Just use my name." Mo Qi still couldn’t get used to an old man calling him ’Master.’

"But..." Feng Zhang faltered, his expression turning grave. "To address you directly by name... wouldn’t that be a sign of disrespect? A violation of the honor due to a master and the Dao?"

Mo Qi rolled his eyes. ’Talking to someone with a one-track mind is exhausting.’

"Alright then, are you going to listen to me or not?" Mo Qi asked.

"Of course I will. If Master Mo gives an order, I, Feng Zhang, would not dare to disobey."

"In that case, be a good student and call me by my name from now on." Mo Qi paused before adding, "That’s an order!"

Feng Zhang froze. He felt like something was wrong with this logic, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it.

After a long, dazed pause, Feng Zhang finally managed to force the name out. "Mo... Mo Qi."

"There, that’s more like it!" Mo Qi sighed in relief. He felt that talking to Feng Zhang was more exhausting than fighting him.

"Second, anything you see, hear, or learn while you’re with me is not to be shared with anyone without my permission."

Feng Zhang nodded emphatically. "Of course."

"Third, I need you to do a few things for me."

"Just give the order!"

...

No one knew the details of the third and final rule in the agreement between Mo Qi and Feng Zhang.

All anyone knew was that from that day forward, Feng Zhang came to Taohua Village every single day.

He would arrive with a face full of anticipation and leave reluctantly, always seeming to want more.

...

Back in the house, once the three rules were laid out, Mo Qi found an excuse to send Feng Zhang on his way.

"Mo the kid, why didn’t you use an Ancient Ice Ant to control him? Wouldn’t that be safer?" the Pig Emperor asked quizzically, emerging from Mo Qi’s robes.

Mo Qi shook his head. "The Ancient Ice Ant would certainly be a foolproof method, but it has too many limitations. Besides, I’ve only managed to breed eight eggs so far, and I don’t want to waste one. Feng Zhang is a stubborn old coot. That’s a flaw, but it’s also a strength. A man like him would sooner die than go back on his word."

"So I trust him."

The Pig Emperor didn’t dwell on the matter, instead asking, "What do you plan to do with that Feng Liang fellow outside?"

At this, Mo Qi shot the Pig Emperor a strange look. "What? You’ve taken an interest in him?"

The Pig Emperor gave Mo Qi a look. "I wouldn’t call it ’interest.’ This emperor is merely suggesting you could cultivate him."

"Oh? And why is that?" This was the first time Mo Qi had ever seen the Pig Emperor take such an interest in an outsider.

"If this emperor is not mistaken, when he underwent his deep bloodline awakening, he obtained a trace of primordial Essence Blood from that detestable Taotie. The amount is minuscule, but if he’s cultivated properly, his potential will be limitless."

The primordial Essence Blood of the Taotie, one of the Ancient Four Great Fierce Beasts!

Mo Qi was stunned. ’What kind of insane luck is that?’

’Wait a minute!’

Mo Qi eyed the Pig Emperor suspiciously. ’I feel like there’s something more to this.’

’Could this little guy be up to something?’

The Pig Emperor seemed a little flustered by Mo Qi’s stare, but it puffed out its chest and said, feigning concern, "In any case, this emperor has given you the warning. Whether you believe it or not is up to you."

With that, the Pig Emperor turned, flopped onto Mo Qi’s shoulder, and pretended to doze off.

’Whew... has Mo the kid’s sixth sense gotten that sharp? He actually guessed I have another motive. No matter. It’s just a guess. As long as this emperor denies it to the death, he’ll still have to listen to me.’

’Hehehe... little Taotie whelp. This emperor can’t wait to see the day you and Feng Liang finally meet. I’d love to see the look on your face then!’

Seeing the Pig Emperor drop a cryptic remark and then ignore him, Mo Qi scratched his head.

Trusting the Pig Emperor, he didn’t dwell on it.

Little did he know what a monumental impact this moment of carelessness would have on the future of their world.

But that is a story for another time.

Mo Qi sent a mental message to Liu Hui, telling him to bring Feng Liang in.

When Feng Liang appeared before Mo Qi, he was tossed into the room by Liu Hui like a sack of salted fish.

His face was bruised and swollen, his body was covered in blood, and there wasn’t a single spot on him that wasn’t injured.

He was practically a wreck.

Upon seeing Mo Qi, Feng Liang looked as if he’d been reunited with a long-lost relative, his eyes welling up with tears.

"M-Master Mo... save me!"

Heaven knows what he had been through since stepping foot in Taohua Village.

In any case, Feng Liang secretly swore to himself that he would never run his mouth or act high-and-mighty again, especially not on Mo Qi’s turf.

"Enough. Get up on your own. With the Taotie Bloodline protecting you, you can’t be that fragile."

Feng Liang’s body trembled at his words, his face a mask of astonishment.

"You... You know about the Taotie?!"

The name "Taotie" was the Feng Family’s greatest secret. Other than the successive family heads and the Immortals, not even disciples of the most Direct Lineage were privy to it.

Feng Liang himself had only been selectively told a few secrets about the Taotie by Feng Lun after his own deep bloodline awakening.

He never imagined that Mo Qi would reveal the Feng Family’s greatest secret in such an utterly nonchalant tone.

His casual demeanor made it sound as if he were talking about a carrot or a cucumber from a vegetable patch, not the legendary Taotie.

"What? Is it so strange that I know about the Taotie?" Mo Qi retorted.

"Not strange at all, not at all! Whatever you say, sir." Feng Liang shook his head vigorously.

’You’re the big shot. Whatever you say is right.’

"So, what do you want?" Mo Qi asked, pulling a new lounge chair from the space within the Chaos Scripture and settling into it comfortably.

Feng Liang circulated his Bloodline Power to suppress his injuries, then stood up and bowed deeply to Mo Qi.

"I came here today, on one hand, to thank Master Mo for the gift of this second chance, and on the other—"

Before Feng Liang could finish his sentence, Mo Qi cut him off.

"Spare me the pleasantries. Are you just going to thank me with words? Where’s the ’actual’ gratitude?"

Feng Liang: "..."

’He’s not wrong,’ Feng Liang thought, ’but does he have to be so blunt about it?’

"Is there anything Master Mo desires?" Feng Liang asked meekly.

Mo Qi scoffed. "You shouldn’t be asking what I want; that’s far beyond your reach. You should be telling me what you have to offer."

Feng Liang froze. ’That... actually makes perfect sense,’ he thought, completely at a loss for words.

’What do I have?’

’When I really think about it, besides my Taotie Bloodline and my status in the Feng Family, I have nothing.’

’I obviously can’t give away my Taotie Bloodline.’

’Even if I wanted to, I wouldn’t know how.’

’As for my Feng Family status, that’s probably a joke to someone like Mo Qi.’

’After thinking it over, it seems all I have left is this worthless body and some brute strength.’

’Work for Mo Qi?’

’But with his level of power, what could I possibly do for him?’

’Help him eat?’