Chapter 27

Xiao Mo cultivated in the sea of ​​consciousness for a whole night, stretched his waist, and changed his clothes into a new set.

The system is loaded with many clothing templates from this world, and by arranging and combining the materials and mixing them, new clothing styles can be generated. Even if Xiao Mo changes three outfits a day, he can wear a different outfit for a long time.

Today he picked out a sky-blue dress, covered with a misty gauze, and tied his waist with a jade belt, outlining a slender and neat curve, like a willow tree on the bank in the mist, slender and strong, soft but strong.

When Xiao Mo came out of his sea of ​​consciousness, he found Chu Jinglan practicing sword again.

Because of his physical injury, he had not practiced swordplay for many days. In the past, his sword energy was very powerful, so he had to practice in the bamboo forest sword field, which had a large space, to avoid being hurt by his sword energy. But now that he has lost his spiritual power, his sword has no spiritual light, and his body has not fully recovered, his every move is very slow.

Although it has no spiritual light, the sword is not dull but sharp and full of spirit. In the slow movements, the sword spirit becomes more and more harmonious, from the snow and frost that covers the sky to the thousand-year-old ice on the mountains. The surrounding peach trees have no flowers but only emerald leaves, which occasionally sway gently in the sword spirit, like the first snow melting, and the spirit is restrained.

Xiao Mo leaned on the corridor and watched quietly. His mind seemed to be moved by the mysterious sword spirit. Although he was not a sword practitioner, he also saw the mystery of the edge and blade. A sword with a blade can open the sky; a sword without an edge is just a masterpiece.

The monk's state of mind was rising.

Xiao Mo's eyes and mind gradually followed the man and sword in the yard, until the tip of the sword slowly passed through the wind and stopped at the end of a fallen leaf.

Xiao Mo finally woke up from his meditation and his mind became clear.

For those like the inner demon who specializes in seducing people, the more they need to hold on to the original and keep their unity, consolidate their original heart, confuse other people's minds, and guard their own spiritual platform. Every sudden enlightenment in their mind is a cleansing.

Chu Jinglan finished practicing sword skills, but he only practiced slow moves. Now sweat was oozing out of his forehead. Without the blessing of spiritual power, his physical strength was not as good as before. Xiao Mo threw a cleansing spell at him, and Chu Jinglan put away the sword and walked towards him.

Xiao Mo: "Have you finished practicing today?"

Chu Jinglan nodded: "The guard brought breakfast, shall we join in?"

Although Xiao Mo cannot be eaten, he enjoys smelling it, and Chu Jinglan knows that.

Xiao Mo was naturally happy: "Okay."

The housekeeper, considering that they were two brothers staying at the house, naturally gave them two portions of breakfast. But fortunately, unlike when they were following the caravan, they did not have to pay for every meal. At home, the leftovers could be saved for the next meal.

Two bowls of chicken soup wontons, a basket of Weicheng pear blossom cake, a basket of roasted wheat, and two or three light and delicious side dishes are perfect for an early morning appetite.

The chicken soup was sprinkled with chopped green onions, which were fresh and crispy, and the soup was mellow and golden. Xiao Mo smelled the aroma and was tempted. He really couldn't help it and picked up the spoon: "I'll just drink a spoonful to taste it."

When he said one spoonful, it was really just one spoonful. I scooped it up with a spoon and savoured every bit of the soup carefully, just like a kitten licking water. It was indeed very tasty and left a lingering fragrance on my teeth and cheeks.

A spoonful of soup was not enough to fill the gaps between teeth, so there were few impurities. Xiao Mo used a spittoon to collect the black powder that was filtered out, and then watched Chu Jinglan eat in shock.

He held a pair of chopsticks and poked the roasted wheat skin. He was not playing with the food, but just adding some touch when smelling it to increase the participation of the dinner table. At the same time, he asked: "We have arrived at Weicheng. How do we get to the middle world?"

"Only disciples from aristocratic families or sects who hold a disciple seal and pay money can enter the middle realm."

Chu Jinglan put down the spoon in his hand and said, "So we have to build a sect first."

“Pah.”

Xiao Mo's chopsticks fell from his hand.

He heard something and decided to build a sect!

Founding a sect is such a grand and far-reaching goal that it would only be achieved in the later stages even in the novels about Long Aotian. How could they jump to establishing a sect when they had just risen from being penniless and down-and-out families to owning a house in a small corner?

And the original book didn't mention this either.

Xiao Mo was a little confused by this big plot. He was about to pull up the system and ask, but the crisp sound of chopsticks hitting the table and Chu Jinglan's indifferent expression made him pause. His brain, which was overwhelmed by the amount of information, calmed down.

By the way, Chu Jinglan established a sect in order to obtain the qualification to enter the upper middle realm. Wouldn’t it be enough to set up a small sect and then disband it after obtaining the qualification?

Xiao Mo confirmed: "How many people are needed to establish a sect?"

Chu Jinglan: "Five people."

really……

Xiao Mo thought that he had been overthinking just now. In the future, Chu Jinglan would become a law enforcement elder of a large sect in the upper realm. He never mentioned that he had his own sect. This so-called sect should be a disposable consumable. Fortunately, the shock just now was limited in time and he did not appear to be insane.

Xiao Mo regained his composure, picked up the chopsticks and put them in place: "Then we have to go out and find some people."

It is certainly easy to find someone who can make up the numbers.

Chu Jinglan had finished eating. While cleaning the table, he said, "I want to find a few suitable ones and bring them to the middle realm together. It will be convenient for us to do things when the time comes."

Xiao Mo stopped holding the chopsticks again: Aren’t we going to disperse right after we’re done?

He finally pulled out the system to confirm whether Chu Jinglan's Schrödinger's sect still existed.

The system scanned the original novel in just a few tenths of a second and came up with a meticulous answer: "The original novel does not describe Chu Jinglan as having established his own sect, but according to analysis, there are a few people who, unlike his friends or servants, do work hard for him. They are Mr. Yanchun of Lin'an Academy, Chuxia, the Little Medical Fairy, and Mo Zhi, the Golden Swordsman, who appeared in the later part of the original novel."

"Combined with your current experience, it is reasonable to guess that these three people once belonged to the sect founded by Chu Jinglan."

Such a big thing, but the original novel, which has thousands of chapters, doesn't even bother to mention it. Isn't this more interesting than Su Baimo's love story?

The three people named by the system also became famous in the future. Many people thought that they and Chu Jinglan were friends of a gentlemanly nature, but they did not expect that Chu Jinglan might actually be their mentor.

If the three of them were really brought up from the lower realm by Chu Jinglan, then by this calculation, Chu Jinglan not only recovered his own cultivation and reached the peak again, but also pulled up three seedlings from the lower realm. Just thinking about the plot in the middle must be exciting. Even without writing it, Xiao Mo suddenly felt that the 1,000-word book review in his previous life was still too euphemistic.

Xiao Mo couldn't wait to see it, and he nodded immediately: "That makes sense, so when are we going to select the candidates?"

Let him uncover the mystery and see whether the three big figures in the future are Chu Jinglan’s disciples.

"I can go out and look for it later."

Chu Jinglan said this, motioning Xiao Mo to follow him first. When they arrived at the door of the warehouse in the courtyard, Chu Jinglan bit his fingertip and drew a talisman on the door with his blood, and the door opened.

After opening the door, Xiao Mo's eyes lit up.

The warehouse was neatly organized, with boxes and shelves of all sizes displayed in an orderly manner. There were swords hanging on the wall, medicine bottles and books on the shelves, and some things that looked like magic tools, as well as some small boxes.

Chu Jinglan took a storage container and opened a medium-sized box to show Xiao Mo. Half of the box was filled with gold and silver bills, and the other half was filled with shiny stones.

Xiao Mo recognized the stone: "Spiritual Stone!"

Spirit stones are divided into upper and lower grades, and are the main currency of the middle and upper realms. One lower grade spirit stone can be exchanged for ten taels of gold. One middle grade spirit stone can be exchanged for one hundred lower grade spirit stones, and one upper grade spirit stone can be exchanged for one hundred middle grade spirit stones. However, the reverse is not always possible, because high grade spirit stones are rare and the annual production is limited.

There are also spirit stones in Xiao Mo's mall. Fifty cents can be exchanged for one low-quality spirit stone. However, spirit stones are not circulated as currency in the lower realm. Xiao Mo naturally thought that this was their reserve fund for going to the middle realm.

"One hundred low-grade spirit stones are the portion I got when the Illusion Sword Sect awarded the Chu family with resources. There are also one hundred taels of gold and one thousand taels of silver notes here."

All Chu Jinglan's money is here.

Xiao Mo looked at the funds in the box and sighed: "I suddenly feel that we are very rich."

Chu Jinglan glanced at Xiao Mo's sparkling eyes, paused, and then continued: "To establish a sect, you need at least five people and pay 100 taels of silver."

Xiao Mokuan said: "It's only one hundred taels, I can afford it."

"When you take people to the Middle Realm, the Middle Realm administrator at the gate only accepts spirit stones. Each person needs to pay ten low-grade spirit stones."

Xiao Mo's expression paused for a moment.

For five people, that would mean fifty, which would directly eliminate half of the inventory.

The frugal Xiao Mo looked at the 100 sparkling spirit stones in the box with a bit of pain, gritted his teeth, and said reluctantly: "It's okay... there are still some left."

Chu Jinglan was surprised to find that Xiao Mo had a preference for money in addition to food, but he had to continue talking to make Xiao Mo mentally prepared: "In the middle realm, a bowl of noodles in a restaurant costs two low-grade spirit stones."

Xiao Mo: “…”

"Ah," he sighed again, looking at the box, "we are so poor."

Being rich is an illusion. If you want to live a decent life, you have to find a way to make money after you reach the middle realm.

However, Xiao Mo also has his own little treasury - points. When Xiao Mo finished playing a piece of music last night, Chu Jinglan's heart was already agitated, and along with the sound of the flute, some emotions also became the influence of the inner demon, which added a lot of points.

This can be considered as their emergency fund. After all, when they encounter difficulties, they can search the mall to see if there is anything that can come in handy and redeem it on the spot.

Xiao Mo had previously exchanged elixirs for Chu Jinglan, and had used up most of his points. He had replenished some of them in recent days, but not much. Xiao Mo counted his points and looked dimly at Chu Jinglan, who had produced the wool.

Chu Jinglan was confused by his gaze.

Xiao Mo: "When you are in a good mood, smile at me more often."

Chu Jinglan:?

He was born not to like to laugh. Ninety percent of the times he laughed were sneers. No one cared about his mood. Chu Jinglan felt an unknown string in his heart twitched slightly. He relaxed his gaze and was about to speak when he saw Xiao Mo showing an embarrassed expression. He thought: "If you really can't laugh, we can just have a quarrel regularly."

Chu Jinglan:……?

The string in my heart had just trembled slightly when it was pressed to death by the inner demon.

"…regular quarrels?" What kind of incomprehensible approach is this?

Xiao Moben had already decided not to argue with him, but now that they were so poor, the importance of points had risen several levels. If they couldn't collect a lot of points through positive emotions, they couldn't just get nothing, right?

In different periods, people have to be flexible in the way they do things.

Xiao Mo gestured: "For example, I'll give you a preview and tell you that I'm going to have a fight with you, and then we'll start arguing."

Chu Jinglan was shocked: "..."

Be polite and say hello before arguing.

He didn't understand what the point was: "Are you sure you can really argue like this? And why do you have to argue?"

"Stirring up your emotions helps me cultivate, so laughing or quarreling are just means, not ends." Xiao Mo analyzed seriously, "and I think it's easy for the two of us to get really angry."

Chu Jinglan: …………

He curled his fingers together. Putting aside other things, even he felt that Xiao Mo's last sentence made a lot of sense. Counting the frictions and clashes between them before, it was really easy for them to provoke each other, and the slightest conflict would lead to a real fire.

Chu Jinglan knew that he himself was not an easily irritable person. From Xiao Mo's usual state, it could be seen that he was emotionally stable. The reason why he was prone to outburst at first was because they were separated by the barrier of their true identity and their inner demon identity.

Moreover, it seems that they can easily touch each other's sensitive points, and then add fuel to the fire, making the situation escalate.

Xiao Mo also said: "Of course, we focus on positive emotions. I will try to find ways to make you happier. If there is enough positive energy, there will be no need to quarrel."

Chu Jinglan hid his unreadable eyes and said, "...I'll try it too."

Xiao Mo: "Hmm? What are you trying?"

Chu Jinglan looked into Xiao Mo's eyes, but didn't say anything and shook his head.

I'm trying to get more accustomed to you, and I'm trying to put aside the barriers between us and your identities, to be nicer to you, and... to smile at you more.

The last bit was difficult, and he tried his best.

Chu Jinglan knew that treating an inner demon in this way would undoubtedly put himself in danger and on the edge of a cliff. In the past, he would never make an unwise choice, but now, he had no choice but to take a gamble.

For him who has become a useless person, the cultivation of inner demons can be a great help.

It is better to say that he had already staked his stakes when he gave up control of his body, becoming a fellow traveler and accomplice of his inner demons, using any means necessary to achieve his goals. He voluntarily chose this most dangerous collaborator.

Chu Jinglan has nothing to lose anyway, so there is nothing he dare not do.

Even if Xiao Mo would betray him one day, it definitely wouldn't be now. Right now, he wasn't even worth being taken away.

No, if that day really comes, it doesn’t seem like it would be a betrayal to the inner demon. It’s just that the web of lies can be tightened.

Chu Jinglan lowered his eyes: If it really happens, it won’t be too late to talk about it then.

There is actually no difference between people and humans, and between people and demons.

At least for now, maintaining a peaceful atmosphere with his collaborators will not do any harm to either of them. Moreover, by including Xiao Mo as one of his own and taking on more responsibilities, Chu Jinglan may feel more at ease.

After all, for those who have nothing, even a few more shadows around them can make the space feel less empty.

*

Chu Jinglan took the banknotes from the box, and Xiao Mo went out with him.

It takes spiritual energy to show up in front of people. Although it is not much, Xiao Mo still hides his body from the outside world. Showing up has its advantages, and being invisible has its advantages. For example, at this moment, they passed by a busy street, and Xiao Mo completely avoided the possibility of bumping into people.

Because people passed directly through his spirit body.

Now he and Chu Jinglan can communicate with each other through voice, and Chu Jinglan doesn't have to speak to the air in front of outsiders.

Chu Jinglan first came to the dental clinic.

Since we have to pick people who can be used in the middle realm, naturally it would be best if they have cultivated their physique. The younger they are, the more loyal they can be cultivated from an early age, and they will be more reliable.

Although Chu Jinglan's cultivation was wasted, his mind and eyesight were still sharp and he could distinguish people's bones. Moreover, with Xiao Mo around, he had the eyesight of a Yuan Infant Period.

There are many pawnshops on the street. Some experienced workers with work experience will come to deliver their own signs. The pawnshop owners will recommend them to their clients when they come to look for someone. The children are basically put on the street with straw on their heads for people to look at and choose.

If the family was not in financial difficulty, who would want to send their children out to be sold as slaves at an early age? Therefore, most of the children were thin, pale and skinny, and wore coarse cloth clothes that barely covered their bodies.

For the sake of efficiency, Chu Jinglan and Xiao Mo went to choose separately.

In the lower world, one cannot enter the ranks of monks just by having a bit of aptitude. After all, cultivation requires resources. Many people are born in poverty, and even if they have some aptitude, they can only be mortals for the rest of their lives. There are more children with aptitude in the dental practice than Xiao Mo imagined, but their qualifications are very poor.

It's not easy to pick a slightly better one.

Xiao Mo looked for a long time, from one end of the street to the other end of the alley, but he couldn't find anyone with a slightly better constitution.

That shouldn't be the case, he thought. If Senior Brother from Lin'an Academy, Little Medical Immortal, and the Golden Swordsman were among these people, their qualifications should be apparent at a glance.

Either Chu Jinglan didn't find them in the pharmacy, or Xiao Mohe's analysis was wrong.

When Xiao Mo turned around and prepared to go back, a boss came out with two new children from the place he had just passed.

Xiao Mo looked away.

Although the two children were dressed poorly, they looked very outstanding. One boy and one girl, about seven or eight years old. Unlike the other children, although they looked unkempt, they still stood straight without hunching, and their small bodies showed their stubborn determination not to bow their heads easily.

Most importantly, they both have good bones.

Sure, Xiao Mo looked at them carefully for a few times and confirmed that the two children were really qualified. He immediately sent a message to Chu Jinglan: "Chu Jinglan, come to the end of the east alley, there are two good kids here."

Chu Jinglan came over quickly, with a little tail following behind him. Xiao Mo thought that Chu Jinglan had bought someone, but when he looked closely, it didn't seem like that.

The children sold from the toothbrush shop have to be cleaned up to some extent, at least to look clean, but the little tail is ragged, with rags scattered here and there, the hair is messy, and there are grass leaves and debris scattered around, and with a few feathers it looks like a natural bird's nest.

There was also a smell coming from his body, which was so intoxicating that Xiao Mo leaned back.

He doesn't look like a servant of a pimping business, but more like a little beggar.

The dentist saw Chu Jinglan stop and was about to greet him with a smile, rubbing his hands. However, when he saw the child behind Chu Jinglan, his expression suddenly changed and he rushed over to greet him, "You filthy beggar, why are you still here? Go away and don't disturb the distinguished guest!"

The little beggar bared his teeth at him, his teeth were quite white, and shook his head proudly, saying: "I belong to this young master. If you don't believe me, ask him!"

The dentist was stunned for a moment and looked at Chu Jinglan. Chu Jinglan just nodded faintly to indicate that it was true.

The businessman was good at dancing with his sleeves, and changing his expression was just a blink of an eye for them. He immediately flattered Chu Jinglan: "Young Master took him in, you can tell at a glance that he is a kind man!"

The little beggar had a good physique, but the smell on his body was indeed too strong. Xiao Mo was sharp-eyed and saw the little bug. This inner demon who had to change clothes every day even in spirit form was a bit of a germaphobe. He had limited space to dodge, so he simply "poofed" and turned back into a little inner demon, lying on Chu Jinglan's shoulder.

Chu Jinglan tilted his head and looked at the dark-eyed little man he hadn't seen for a long time.

Xiao Mo breathed in the fresh air and said, "Go back and give this kid eight or ten cleansing spells!"

[Ding, mental attack successful, points +3]

?

Xiao Mo raised the little man's head and looked at Chu Jinglan in confusion. Did something just now hit his emotional point?

He didn't know that the inner demon quickly flashed towards Chu Jinglan with a rich expression, and then suddenly turned into a listless little man. It was really interesting.

Chu Jinglan was originally planning to just turn his head to take a quick look and then continue talking to the dentist, but he saw the little man suddenly raise his head, stand up from his shoulders and look at him. Chu Jinglan suddenly remembered what Xiao Mo had just said to him.

...So should he just smile at this time?

Laughter is most natural when it is expressed unintentionally. After that point, the emotions will dissipate. Chu Jinglan pressed his knuckles and tilted his head to face the eyes of the inner demon, trying to pull the corners of his mouth and force a smile.

But Chu Jinglan had never had the experience of smiling sincerely on purpose for someone, so he didn't know how to do it. In addition, he had just reached a certain point in his emotions, and the only thing left in his mind was the compulsive thought of "must smile", so that not only his facial muscles, but also his entire body were tense.

So the effect that appeared in Xiao Mo's eyes was that Chu Jinglan's shoulders suddenly stiffened and the corners of his lips twitched.

The inner demon immediately raised his head and asked concernedly, "What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell again?"

Chu Jinglan was shocked: "..."

Chu Jinglan was shocked: "No..."

"Where does your body hurt? It hurts so much that the corners of your mouth are twitching. Don't bear it. You can't avoid seeing a doctor when you are sick."

Chu Jinglan's lips, which had been raised with great difficulty, were straightened out, and his shoulders slumped silently. He slowly looked away and whispered in his heart: "...Really not."

While transmitting the message, he turned around and said to the dealer, "Please explain the situation of the two people and the price."

This is a direct change of subject.

Xiao Mo knew how patient and able Chu Jinglan was, so he immediately asked the system to scan Chu Jinglan's physical condition. Only after confirming that his hidden injuries had not worsened did he feel relieved.

So what was Chu Jinglan doing just now?

Forget it, Xiao Xinmo thought magnanimously, people do behave in a confusing way sometimes, I understand that.

He nestled himself on Chu Jinglan's shoulder, waiting for the dentist to introduce the two children.