Chương 17: Don't rush, I'll personally sign for your package.

The night breeze rustled through the woods.

Beside Zhao Wu's warm body, the black iron plaque flickered between light and shadow, like a vengeful ghost's eye.

The cold voice rang out for the third time, its patience exhausted.

"Zhao Wu, answer me."

Chen Mo's gaze shifted from the corpse to the glowing iron plaque.

Running away implies that you are the murderer.

Crushing it is tantamount to revealing one's position and cultivation level.

He bent down and picked up the iron plate.

In the blink of an eye, a wisp of Gengjin sword energy, thinner than a hair, silently pierced the array patterns inside the token.

Sizzle...

With a barely perceptible soft sound, the core of the formation was instantly destroyed.

Only then did he activate his spiritual power, his voice twisting and rubbing in his throat, becoming hoarse and broken.

"Elder... Elder..."

There was deathly silence on the other end of the token.

An invisible pressure seemed to pierce through the iron plate, threatening to crush his soul.

Chen Mo did not say anything more.

He simply stood there quietly, playing the role of a critically injured and dying man; uttering even a single extra word would be a flaw.

After a long pause, the cold voice rang out again, carrying a scrutinizing tone.

Are you injured?

"Cough... cough cough..."

Chen Mo bent over violently, each cough tearing at his heart, as if he were coughing up his internal organs.

"We've met... a tough opponent... cough... mission failed."

"A tough nut to crack?"

The voice on the other end of the token suddenly turned cold and menacing.

"In Toilet Village, is there anyone who could hurt you?"

"Not from the village!"

Chen Mo's voice became urgent, filled with the shock and fear of surviving a disaster.

"It's... it's someone from Master Xuanming's side!"

"He's been secretly protecting Xiu'er all along!"

"I had just found out about that village doctor when he discovered me... He's a master, at least... at least at the Great Perfection of Qi Refining! I... I risked my life to escape..."

The more specific a lie is, the more real it seems.

The water is murky, so the fish are easier to catch.

A longer silence fell on the other end of the token.

The name "Master Xuanming" clearly led the other party to identify with a non-existent "Great Perfection of Qi Refining".

"waste!"

After a while, an angry curse came from the token.

"What about the village doctor?"

"He... he's just a decoy, a mortal... cough cough... the real pawn is the one secretly protecting him!"

Chen Mo gasped for breath, successfully exonerating himself completely.

"Elder, the enemy is on alert. The village... is now a trap!"

"[Image Revealing Charm]... Don't send it yet!"

"I need to find a place to recover... wait for my signal... cough..."

After saying that, Chen Mo decisively stopped the transmission of spiritual energy. In front of the iron plate, he seemed to have fainted from exhaustion.

This was his gamble.

If the other party insists on sending the talisman, he will immediately flee a thousand miles away, leaving no trace here.

If the opponent accepts the suggestion, he can continue playing the game.

Time slips away, breath by breath.

at last.

"understood."

The voice on the other end of the token returned to its cold tone, tinged with annoyance at being fooled.

"Hide well and wait for my command."

As soon as he finished speaking, the light on the iron plate went out completely.

The bet was won.

Chen Mo stared expressionlessly at the corpse on the ground, his five fingers exerting force.

The hard iron plate silently turned into a handful of fine iron powder in his palm, which then drifted away in the wind.

He crouched down, took off Zhao Wu's storage bag, and probed it with his divine sense.

Spirit stones and elixirs.

There was also a white porcelain bottle with three small characters on it: Corpse Dissolving Powder.

"Quite professional."

Chen Mo uncorked the bottle and poured the powder evenly onto Zhao Wu's body and bloodstains.

"Sizzle..."

Amidst a sickeningly corrosive sound, moments later, only a pool of yellow liquid remained on the ground, quickly seeping into the soil without leaving even a trace of blood.

[Ding! Congratulations, host, for completing the hidden event: Deceiving the Heavens!] [Reward: 8000 Experience Points!] A warm current flowed into my limbs and bones.

At the same time, two new insights emerged in his mind.

Firstly, it is the method of changing the muscles of the throat and face through spiritual manipulation.

He subconsciously moved his Adam's apple, and the sound he made was completely different from before.

[Unlock New Skill: Personalized Characters (Beginner)] Another insight was even more profound.

He could clearly feel that he could simulate the surging spiritual power within his body to appear weak, unstable, and even injured.

[The Concealment skill gains an advanced trait: Beauty of Imperfection] Chen Mo clenched his fist, and the power of the tenth level of Qi Refining surged within his body like a dragon.

He disposed of the last traces at the scene, picked up the still-dull wood-chopping knife, and turned to disappear into the night.

Back in the courtyard, I closed the gate.

The noise and the murderous intent were kept at bay.

He sat cross-legged on the kang (a heated brick bed), closed his eyes, and reviewed everything that had happened that night.

Has the crisis been resolved?

No.

That elder was naturally suspicious and would never fully believe the one-sided words of a "good-for-nothing".

The temporary suspension of sending the talismans is merely a stopgap measure.

The other party will definitely send someone to investigate.

Perhaps they came to "rescue" the seriously injured Zhao Wu.

Perhaps they've come to find that fictitious "Great Perfection of Qi Refining".

Regardless, Matongli Village remains the epicenter of the storm.

This time, he won't wait any longer.

Chen Mo opened his eyes, his gaze filled with a chilling intensity.

He took out a simple map from his storage bag and pointed heavily at the only official road leading to Matongli Village.

That road has a place you have to pass through.

A narrow sliver of sky.

A valley nestled between two mountains is devoid of birds and beasts.

An excellent burial site.

Rather than waiting for you to come to us.

How about I choose a good place for you?

Chen Mo stood up and walked to the window.

The sky was already turning a pale white.

A new day begins.

For the villagers, this may well be another peaceful day.

But for some who are about to embark on their journey, this will be the last day of their lives.

Chen Mo faced the morning light, muttering to himself with a hint of cold laughter.

"【Image Reveal Symbol】?"

"Is the package on its way?"

"Don't worry, I'll sign for it myself."