Chapter 217 Aftermath

In the distance, beside the train.

The two men, Tie Kun and the tattooed bald man, who were fighting, both stopped fighting tacitly after the Shadow Puppet Giant Spirit appeared, and looked towards the direction of the earthen mound.

Seeing the three-zhang-tall black mist giant defeat the Meishan Duo in just a few breaths, both men were simultaneously filled with horror.

Others may not know the details of the Meishan Duo, but the bald, burly man does.

Before taking on this job, the middleman showed him a file that recorded the bloody crimes committed by the Meishan Duo over the years.

Seventy-two people from a Miao village in western Hunan died overnight...

In southern Hubei, all 43 employees of a security escort agency, from the manager to the staff, along with the families of the escorts, were hung in the courtyard to dry in the wind...

The village in northern Jiangxi was even worse; forty-seven people died, young and old alike...

These two have been committing evil deeds for over a decade, and they have taken at least five or eight hundred lives.

The inspection bureau raided them three times, but the two men escaped each time.

So when he took on this job, he was quite confident. With these two ruthless men backing him up, even if the other side had guards at the Bronze Skin Realm, they would only have to hold out for a little longer.

Unexpectedly, these two unorthodox masters couldn't even withstand a second move from the black mist giant and were crushed to death in the blink of an eye.

"...What the hell is the point of fighting?"

The bald, burly man's back was instantly soaked with cold sweat. He didn't care about any sense of honor and turned to run away.

Tie Kun: "......."

Behind the overturned carriage, Li Jinrong squatted on the ground, holding his head, his eyes wide open.

"Cao Cao Cao..."

Shen Yunjin stood beside him, her expression also quite complex.

They never expected that the boy who played cards with them during the day would be so strong.

I misjudged this time...

On the earthen slope, the Shadow Puppet Giant God slowly decomposed, turning into black mist and dissipating.

With the deaths of the two villains of Meishan, the vengeful ghosts, now free from restraint, immediately scattered and fled in different directions.

"Trying to run away?"

Chen Mo stood up from the back of the carriage, raised his right hand, and the merit banner flew out of his hand, hovering in mid-air.

The black banners moved automatically and fluttered loudly even without wind.

A powerful suction force surged from the banner, like an invisible vortex, stirring up the air within a radius of dozens of feet.

The eight fleeing ghosts simultaneously let out a mournful scream, and were slowly pulled towards the merit banner by the suction force.

"receive."

Chen Mo gave a low shout, and the silver runes on the banner suddenly lit up.

The eight fierce ghosts transformed into streaks of crimson mist, disappearing into the banner.

The banner surface churned violently a few times, as if something was struggling inside, but it quickly calmed down.

The earthen slope fell silent.

The night wind blew by, carrying a strong, putrid smell.

Chen Mo wrinkled his nose, retrieved the merit banner, and stood still. His divine sense spread out like mercury, enveloping Xie Guiling's corpse.

Under divine sense, nothing can hide.

His headless corpse lay sprawled on the ground, black liquid still seeping from the laceration in his abdomen, emitting a strong stench.

There was a leather pouch at his waist. He probed it with his divine sense and found a few silver dollars and a small packet of cinnabar.

It's worthless, so ignore it.

He had a small black wooden plaque on his chest.

Chen Mo took it out and saw that the wooden plaque was covered with ghost patterns, felt cold to the touch, and had a faint flow of yin energy.

It turns out it was a wild card.

The eight crimson demons that were supposed to be sealed inside are now empty.

However, the brand itself is a good product, so it should sell quite a lot.

Chen Mo wiped the wooden plaque clean, put it into his storage space, and then focused his gaze on the other person's wrist.

There was a string of beads there, eighteen in total, each about the size of a thumb.

Chen Mo probed with his divine sense and found that each bead contained a wisp of remnant soul, the soul of a violently deceased person with heavy resentment, which could be used as backup fuel for unorthodox magic.

"Eighteen stones, eighteen lives."

He expressionlessly took off the beaded string and stuffed it into his pocket.

After touching Xie Guiling, Chen Mo walked over to Liao Yinmu's corpse.

Liao Yinmu's corpse was even more disgusting, with insect eggs and worms crawling all over its body, a white mess.

There was a protective amulet armor on the chest, with dark yellow plates engraved with incantations. The material seemed to be some kind of leather, but it had a gloomy and sinister aura, exuding an indescribable evil.

Chen Mo frowned, took the talisman armor off the corpse, folded it neatly, and put it in his pocket.

Although this thing is strange, its defensive capabilities are not bad, so it should be worth some money.

Finally, they also found a short dagger in the other person's boot.

The dagger was short, only about the length of a palm, and was entirely black with a blade sharp enough to cut through hair.

He flicked the blade with his finger, producing a clear hum, and a faint, ethereal light shimmered on the edge.

"nice one."

Chen Mo tucked the dagger into his waistband, took out some gasoline from his spatial storage, poured it on the two corpses, and set them on fire.

It's one thing if it's an ordinary person's body, but if the corpse of such a heretic turns into an evil spirit, the consequences will be endless, so it must be cleaned up.

Burning is the best solution.

With a loud "boom," flames shot up more than ten feet high, illuminating half of the earthen slope with their orange-red light.

Xie Guiling's headless corpse and Liao Yinmu's shapeless body sizzled in the fire, the oil boiled, the flesh curled up, and a strong stench of burning mixed with the smell of gasoline permeated the air.

The remaining items on the corpse were worthless, so they were burned clean.

Chen Mo stood by the fire for a few seconds, making sure the fire wouldn't spread, before turning and walking towards the train.

The robbers who had been attacking the cargo box had all fled.

With the bald, burly man leading the way and running away, the remaining rabble lost their leader and scattered like birds and beasts.

Uncle Fu led his men in a chase for a while, capturing more than a dozen of the slower runners. They strung them together with rope, and now they were squatting by the railway tracks, trembling with fear.

The remaining gunmen and guards are cleaning up the mess, gathering the overturned crates, assessing the damage, and treating the wounded.

Just as Chen Mo reached the train, Li Jinrong sprang out from behind the overturned carriage and grabbed his arm with his two chubby hands.

"Brother Mo, you're truly my brother!"

The fat man's tone was exaggeratedly obsequious, his eyes practically disappearing as he laughed, "My dear brother, you're amazing!"

The tone of his voice sent a chill down Chen Mo's spine. He shrugged, trying to break free. "How disgusting!"

Li Jinrong not only didn't loosen his grip, but tightened it even more, forcing a smile that looked more like a grimace on his round face. "Could you teach me, you big guy? I don't need one that big, a small one will do, just something for self-defense..."

"cannot."

Why?

"You can't learn it."

Li Jinrong opened his mouth, wanting to refute, but then remembered that he had even mastered the Qi and Blood Technique of the Inspection Bureau terribly, so he shut his mouth again.

"Okay, okay, I won't study then, but you have to promise me one thing."

"explain."

"If anyone dares to rob my goods again, just let that big guy out and scare them to death."

"Traded in lifespan..."

Chen Mo looked at him with a deep gaze, "In just that short time, I've already lost several months of my lifespan..."

Li Jinrong's smile froze on his face.

He originally planned to coax Chen Mo more in the future, and send that big guy out to save face when there was danger. Who knew that this thing would actually shorten his lifespan?

The fat man's face changed from fawning to guilty, and then to remorse, and his grip on Chen Mo's arm loosened a little.

"A few...months?" Li Jinrong swallowed hard. "Really?"

Chen Mo looked at him expressionlessly: "Do you want to give it a try?"

Li Jinrong shook his head like a rattle drum.

Although he was usually unconventional, he was aware that unorthodox techniques required vital essence to operate and had severe side effects.

"Then...then I won't learn it."

Li Jinrong awkwardly released his grip, his expression turning serious. "You should use this kind of trick less often in the future. Lifespan is something you lose even by a day."

Chen Mo glanced at him but didn't say anything.

He was lying, of course.

The Shadow Puppet Giant Spirit consumes Yin energy, not lifespan.

With his late-stage Qi Refining cultivation, maintaining this for ten seconds would be more than enough, and it wouldn't cause any serious damage.

But now we need a reason to shut everyone up, to make them believe that this tactic has a price to pay and cannot be used lightly.

A white lie can save you countless troubles later.

Tie Kun walked over at some point and happened to hear Chen Mo's words about shortening one's lifespan.

He paused slightly, a hint of relief in his eyes. Sure enough, a secret technique of that level couldn't be without a price.

Thinking about it this way, Chen Mo's low-key personality before makes sense.

It's not that he doesn't want to use it, it's that he can't use it casually.

"Mr. Chen," Tie Kun's voice was a few decibels lower than usual, carrying a solemn respect, "I can't thank you enough. This shipment was saved entirely thanks to Mr. Chen's help."

"If Mr. Chen needs anything in the future, Tie Kun will go through fire and water without hesitation."

Chen Mo looked at him and nodded: "You're too kind, Master Tie. We're all working for Master Li, so we're looking out for each other."

Tie Kun knew he didn't want to talk more, so he didn't say anything more. He just clasped his hands in a fist salute and turned to direct the guards to continue cleaning up the mess.

Li Jinrong leaned closer and lowered his voice: "Chen Mo, tell me the truth, it really took you several months?"

"You think I'm lying to you?"

"No, no, no!" He quickly waved his hands. "I just... feel sorry for you. You only have a few months of lifespan left. No amount of good food can make up for it."

"It's alright. When we get back, gather up some rare and precious herbs for me to nourish my body."

Li Jinrong paused for a moment, then nodded vigorously, "Don't worry! Leave this to me!"

"My family owns a medicinal herb shop in Ganzhou, specializing in all sorts of rare and precious herbs. I'll have someone turn the warehouse upside down and bring you everything you can find, from ginseng and lingzhi to deer antler and snow lotus!"

"If that's not enough, I'll send someone to collect more from the mountains!"

Chen Mo's lips twitched slightly, which could be considered a smile.

The sound of a car engine could be heard in the distance.

The car headlights streaked across the darkness, drawing ever closer.

The troops stationed in Texas have arrived.

The leader was a battalion commander in his thirties, a big, burly man wearing a wrinkled military uniform with a Mauser pistol tucked into his waistband.

He jumped off the vehicle, followed by two military trucks covered with canvas, their cargo compartments filled with heavily armed soldiers.

The surviving passengers on the train burst into cheers of relief upon seeing the newcomer.

"The army is here! The army is here!"

"Help! We've been kidnapped!"

"My son is still trapped inside the train car! Please, please help me!"

Several strong young men helped the soldiers carry the wounded out of the carriage, their cries of pain echoing throughout.

The battalion commander frowned, then waved his hand dismissively: "Medical team, treat the wounded immediately! Everyone else, set up a cordon along the railway tracks and keep unauthorized personnel away!"

At that moment, a black Ford sedan circled around from behind the military vehicle, followed by two dark green Dodge trucks.

There were about a dozen men sitting in the carriage, each with bulging waistbands, clearly carrying weapons.

The Ford door opened, and a middle-aged man in his fifties stepped out, wearing a dark gray robe and with his hair slicked back.

He spotted Li Jinrong immediately, walked over quickly, and looked apologetic.

"Master Li! You're late! I'm the manager of Li's Goods Store in Dezhou."

"I just received a call from that young man asking for help, and I immediately dispatched two trucks and a team. The roads are difficult to travel, which caused a delay. Please forgive me, Mr. Li."

Li Jinrong patted Sun Demao on the shoulder, "Manager Sun, you've come at the right time. Some boxes in the cargo hold have been overturned. Take some men and guard the area to make sure nothing is missing."

"Don't worry, Mr. Li, leave it to me."

Sun Demao was very efficient; he turned around and called for the two trucks following behind to come over.

Tie Kun walked over and whispered to Li Jinrong, "Master Li, the railway tracks won't be repaired anytime soon, so the trains probably won't be able to run."

"How about we take a truck first? The goods and people are on the truck, and we can transfer to a boat when we get to Jiangning."

Li Jinrong hesitated for a few seconds, then nodded and said, "Okay, I'll listen to you. Anyway, the train is already overturned like this, and who knows when it will be repaired."

Tie Kun turned around and directed the guards to move the boxes from the cargo hold to the truck.

There were more than thirty wooden crates, each weighing several kilograms. The guards carried each crate in pairs, making more than a dozen trips before they finished moving them.

"Let's go, let's rest in Texas tonight and then talk more."

The fat man waved his hand, and two trucks appeared in front, followed by the black Ford that Li Jinrong and Shen Yunjin were riding in.

Chen Mo sat in the passenger seat of the first truck, too lazy to squeeze into the back of the Ford with them.

The truck turned from the dirt road beside the railway onto the highway and headed towards Texas City.

The road was narrow, barely wide enough for two vehicles to pass each other, and the surface was full of potholes, causing the truck to bounce violently.

Chen Mo glanced in the rearview mirror at the direction of the train.

The flames were still flickering, and the soldiers' figures swayed in the firelight as the cries of the wounded gradually faded into the distance.

Texas is a small city, and the streets were deserted late at night. Only a few opium dens and gambling houses were still lit up, with several heavily made-up women standing at the door, wearing cheongsams with slits that went up to their waists.

A policeman was loitering on the street corner with his baton. When he saw the convoy passing by, he shrank back against the wall and pretended not to see it.

Manager Sun's house was located in a secluded alley in the south of the city.

Tie Kun directed his guards to drive the truck into the yard, with the front of the truck facing the gate, ready to depart at any time.

More than thirty boxes were left on the truck without being unloaded. Uncle Fu and his men took turns guarding them, working in two shifts, changing every four hours.

"Mr. Chen, your room is in the east wing and has been prepared."

Manager Sun personally led Chen Mo to the room door. "The bedding has been newly changed, and hot water has been boiled. If you need anything, just call me anytime."

Chen Mo nodded: "Thank you for your help."

Manager Sun quickly waved his hand, "No trouble at all, it's nothing, it's nothing."

The room was small, with a wooden bed, a table, and a kerosene lamp on the table.