C2

It was slightly cold.

Fan Mu sat paralyzed beside an elm tree, as if he had regained his life. Everything seemed like a dream, but the pain was so excruciating, yet there was still some blood left on the corner of his mouth. He had suffered a crushing defeat, and he had no strength to fight back.

Fan Mu's memories were still stuck after the first time he had fainted. It was as if the huge black shadow had not been controlled by him. Fan Mu did not know at this moment that Fan Yun had been personally killed by him from this world.

Back to the main topic, when Fan Mu recalled how he passed out. He did not move an inch, the white skin on his legs was still extremely swollen, but the pain on his soul was even more unbearable, it was difficult to breathe as he pounded his chest. Fan Mu tore off the jade he carried with him and bellowed, "Why are you doing this to me? I can clearly do it, it's all because of your damn jade contract. It makes it impossible for my elemental energy to condense.

After complaining, Fan Mu fell into deep thought once more. He had already suffered countless times, but he didn't care one more time. He lowered his head, and slowly let go of the jade in his hand, and looked at the white rock. He mumbled to himself, "Mother, oh, why did you give it to me? You said it to make me stronger, and now I'm nothing but a piece of trash, a piece of trash in everyone's eyes, hehe ?" As his words reached a breaking point, Fan Mu smiled instead of crying.

The laughter contained helplessness and bitterness. In the quiet forest with Xiao Sen, the people who heard it were shocked and could not help but feel sorry for him.

When he was tired from laughing, a tear rolled down the corner of Fan Mu's eye as memories flooded his mind ?

That year, when Fan Mu was very young, his father had left him in a hurry due to his mission. However, the inside story said that he was summoned to the Imperial City by the Emperor. Since then, there had been no news of him.

However, a few years ago, the Long Wu Empire's church bewitched the royal family into waging an aggressive war. Fan Mu's father, Fan Kui, was appointed to defend the city by the Emperor of the Nine Prefectures. Fan Kui was able to defeat 20,000 enemies with a mere twenty thousand elites and strike down the enemies with a heavy blow. He became famous in one battle.

In the war that followed, both Fan Kui and the Dragonhawk Regiment displayed their impressive abilities. In the end, they were awarded the title First Warrior of the Nine Regions by the Emperor of the Nine Prefectures with outstanding military exploits. Their fame spread far and wide, but strangely, after a few months, Fan Kui disappeared into thin air, and no one knew where he had gone to. Furthermore, all the information regarding Fan Kui's battle had been completely sealed off. It was no wonder that Fan Mu didn't know anything about his father.

Before he could say anything about his father, his father had already been recruited. Whenever he mentioned this matter, his mother would smile warmly and say in a quiet voice that his father had gone off to do great things. When Mu Er grew up, his father would naturally come back.

Therefore, Fan Mu had always been full of hope and happiness. He diligently practiced his combat skills and flipped through the various ancient books, his soul force increasing day by day. But before his father could return, his mother had left another letter and left as well.

The letter read: Mu'er, please forgive my mother for leaving without saying goodbye. The days I spent with Mu Er were my mother's happiest days, but for some reasons, my mother could not wait any longer. My father was calling for my help. Mu Er, you must take care of yourself. The letter is beside the contract jade that I left for you, but if possible, mother really hopes that you don't walk this path. However, that was your decision, and I won't interfere with you. Your father and I are fine. Your father is a hero, don't worry. If Mu Er really wants to look for us, we'll meet again when your elemental energy has reached the Black Rank or higher. Mu Er has to listen to Aunt Redbud, so ? Mu Er, take care.

The simplest piece of paper was covered in tears from her mother's reluctance to part with it.

"Bang!" Fragments of memory mercilessly split Fan Mu's heart. He roared again, and the bird flew into the air, "Ah! How do you expect me to become stronger with this kind of jade? Did you all not want to see me from the beginning?

After piercing the sky and roaring, Fan Mu calmed down. The only thing he could do now was hope that everything was settled and that everything would be fine.

Fan Mu raised his head in desolation. The moonlight was obscured by the dark clouds. There were a few scattered stars. "Father, mother, where are you? What should I do ?" He could not help but shiver, and his vision began to blur as he fell into a deep slumber.

"Big Brother Mu, wake up! How can you lie here? Wake up!" A man in green robes shook Fan Mu's body vigorously as he yelled.

Although they had different personalities, they knew each other very well. In the area of jade cultivation, Fan Qing's affinity for the various jade stones was not excellent, and so his strength was not on par with Fan Mu's, but fortunately, he was not as stubborn as Fan Mu. He was not interested in why Fan Mu was his own type of brother, so his family background would definitely be much better if he wanted to be a merchant.

Fan Mu slowly opened his eyes, but his vision was still blurry. It was understandable that he had spent the entire night lying in the cold forest, and all that was left in front of him was a dark shadow. Fan Mu tried his best to see the person in front of him, but unfortunately, Fan Mu could only ask softly, "Fan Qing, is that you?"

"It's me, it's me. Aunt saw that you didn't come back for the whole night, so she thought you were still at school and had gone to school in the morning. The teacher inside said that you had gone back early and was worried to death, so she told me to come out and find you. Fan Qin replied.

"What's wrong? Is it that annoying fellow again? What did you offend?" Fan Qin looked at Fan Mu with a puzzled expression.

"How should I know? Stop trying to piss me off!" Fan Mu grinned. "On my way back from the academy, I was preparing to find the books about how to improve my strength, so Fan Yun jumped down from the tree and challenged me to a duel. I've already told him that I'm no match for him. The thought of this infuriated Fan Mu, and his eyes shone with a vicious light.

"Fine, fine, fine. Let him have a good look, but let's go back first. Aunt is dying of anxiety so if we don't go back now, she will probably report to the authorities to investigate the missing person." Fan Qin shook his head helplessly. Fan Yun was nothing to be afraid of, but considering Fan Mu's current situation, it was better for them all to understand.

"By the way, bro, do you know where Fan Yun is going?" Fan Qin asked in surprise.

Fan Mu had no idea what was going on, so he asked, "What do you mean?"

"Didn't you say that you were dueling with Fan Yun here? When you went missing, Fan Yun had also disappeared. Now, Fan Yun's family had already gotten into trouble, almost digging their way in?" Fan Qing replied to Fan Mu's question, confused. Fan Mu had thought Fan Qin would know Fan Yun's whereabouts, but Fan Yun had no idea.

"Alright, alright, I didn't know anything after I was knocked unconscious. Let's go back first, in case Aunt Redbud gets anxious again." Fan Mu had no choice but to decline. His heart was filled with doubts as to where Fan Yun had gone to. If his imagination failed, he would just forget about it. Fan Mu smiled inwardly and stopped thinking about things that were not important to him.

"Erm, you, is your leg alright? Hmm, looking at your appearance, I think I should carry you back?" Looking at Fan Mu's terrible appearance, Fan Qin felt waves of pain coming from his body.

"Cough cough, there's no need. I can go back by myself." With that, he stood up with difficulty and limped towards the exit of the woods. Seeing his figure, Fan Qing couldn't help but feel a sense of sadness.

Since he was young, Fan Mu had always taken care of him. No matter what, Fan Mu would let him take care of him. He knew that ever since Fan Mu made the contract with the jade, this guy didn't even know how to use his elemental energy anymore. Ai, seeing his brother like this, Fan Qin's face was filled with grief as he softly said, "Brother, you can definitely do it."

Fan Mu smiled. "Yes, I don't know if you can wait until then."

Fan Qin stared blankly, "Bro, you don't have to speak like that." As soon as he finished speaking, he saw Fan Mu laughing loudly, his clear voice sounding as if nothing had happened. If you listened carefully, however, his laughter contained too much helplessness and bitterness.

Fan Mu followed the small path through the forest, walking on mud balls as he returned to Tong Du City. The city was still bustling with activity, but Fan Mu's heart was not happy at all ?

Fan Mu dragged his heavy body ahead of him. Fan Qin knew what Fan Mu was thinking, so he silently followed him.

"Buzz ?" Lightly pushing open the wooden door, a pair of furious eyes appeared before Fan Mu's eyes. The face that had been magnified many times was now pressed against his eyes, filled with anger and worry ?

"You brat, where did you go exactly? I'm dying of anxiety." Redbud's tone was extremely quick, as if she was slightly crying. "I've been looking for an entire night!"

"This ? Aunt, I'm sorry," Fan Mu forced a smile as he endured the pain, "I went to train in the woods last night, but you see, I have improved quite a bit." I won't next time. " It was obvious that he had purposely concealed something. If it was the truth, the Redbud wasn't willing to let him cultivate. Most likely, she would make Fan Mu withdraw from the academy this time.

"Hey, child, teacher already said that you aren't a material for a jade elementalist, so why force yourself?" Redbud rubbed his head; she really couldn't hit him. After so many years, she had long treated Fan Mu as her own son.

Your mother left you to me just to ensure your safety, you just need to learn some basic stuff and go find a job as an administrative officer, that's enough, you don't need to walk the path of a jade elementalist, just like my useless one, I think it's pretty good." While pointing at Fan Qin at the side, Fan Qing was speechless.

"Yes, I know, I won't force myself," replied Fan Mu. After a moment of silence, he asked, as if to clear his mind, "Aunt, do you know where my father is?"

"Ah?" I... "How would I know? I don't know what your father is doing, but he never comes back." The sudden question was like a bolt of thunder that struck the Redbud's head as it stammered in reply.

From Redbud's tone, Fan Mu had already come to a conclusion. It was obvious that there was a huge secret hidden in his house, but he would never be told about it, so it seemed that he could only rely on himself. In order to prevent the Redbud from becoming suspicious, Fan Mu had to add, "It's okay, it's okay. I know that father is a hero, I will try my best."

Clearly, the short conversation between the Redbud had revealed some of its intentions. However, since the Redbud was unwilling to speak of it, it naturally had its own reasons. Naturally, Fan Mu would not force it.

At this moment, the Redbud was panicking, trying its best to avoid Fan Mu's gaze. She waved her left hand, pretending to be calm, and patted Fan Mu's shoulder, purposely changing the topic, "It's been so long, so hungry. I'll go heat up the food and then we'll talk inside." Looking at his aunt's every move, Fan Mu helplessly shook his head, muttering to himself, "He really is a person who can't lie."

She didn't think that this child would actually start asking for information now. She was very surprised, and looked at herself, then said softly, "Uh, what have I done? It's too obvious. No, I have to think of a way."

After pondering for a moment, he turned around and gave a small smile. Squinting his eyes, he said to the empty street, "Why are you still not coming in?"

As soon as she finished speaking, she realized that there was not even a shadow at the door. With a "pa" sound, Redbud was startled into a jump. She subconsciously cried out and quickly turned her head back.

It can't be, what have I done? Could it be that my elemental energy has finally appeared, and it's still so powerful? While complaining, I tried to soothe the injured Redbud, "Aunt, you're okay, right? You're ?"

Fan Qin wasn't stupid, he could already tell that his mother was preoccupied, so he took the opportunity to ask, "Bro, this is not good enough. Aunt is so tired from you that she's in a daze, you still have the nerve to ask."

Fan Mu slapped his head, pretending that he had been seen through. After saying a few more things about my mistakes, he quickly sent his hands over to help the Redbud enter the house to rest.

The Redbud, who had been "supported", gave Fan Qin a wink to shut him up on the surface, but was actually relieved and happy inside. It mumbled to itself as it smiled, "This is great, this is the best."

As the sun set, the ancient town was filled with cars and horses. After the meal was over, Fan Mu walked back to his room by himself, the current him was extremely calm, and Fan Mu could be considered someone who could see through everything. Even if he had the time, he would only complain and not act.

Even though most of the clips in Fan Mu's memory were filled with sad fragments, he was clear on the fact that he had to change his mind. There was no other way but to keep to his original intentions.

These simple thoughts could not really make him happy, but at least they could make him recover from all kinds of setbacks. Fan Mu thought to himself, I still have a long time to live, haven't I been here for fourteen years?

After a moment of thought, Fan Mu felt much better. He wiped his wounds with a cloth, applied the Searing Ointment from the Redbud Rice, put on a clean set of gray and white clothes, and went straight to bed to rest. Perhaps he was too tired, but he had already fallen asleep.

It was late in the night, the sky outside the window was overcast, and even the moonlight was obscured. However, the lights in Fan Mu's room were like beans, and one should not think that they were the work of a ghost. This was only one of Fan Mu's habits, as he liked the peace and quiet during the night, so Fan Mu usually rested early, but still woke up in the middle of the night.

He liked to read books, all kinds of books, such as < The Holy Spirit Beast >, books that introduced spirit beasts, such as < The Combat Method >, < Unparalleled Combat Technique >, and other books that introduced combat experience, had long since been corrupted by Fan Mu. Now, Fan Mu was obsessed with a book called < Hundred Herbs Solution >, which was written by a top expert of wood elemental energy from ancient times. It introduced 305 kinds of rare herbs, all of which were used to replenish Yin and Yang.

Fan Mu meticulously read the introduction and usage of each type of spirit grass, with a hungry look on his face, but what he didn't know was that this "Herbs of Hundred Herbs" was actually left to him by his father, and was only discovered by Fan Qing a few days ago, when Fan Qing was in a pile of herbs used for cooking, he thought he had found a treasure, but he couldn't read the text, so he went to Fan Mu to consult him. Fan Mu said that it was an introduction of herbs, but Fan Qing immediately lost interest, threw the book away, and after lighting a fire, Fan Mu didn't take this as a matter, and threw the book onto the bed to do his own work.

Three days ago, when Fan Mu was preparing to rest, Fan Xian had casually flipped through some books on the bedside; he did not expect to fall into such a trap.

"To think that there's such a magical thing, a Hundred Spirit Flower. It can break through the restrictions of the elemental energy attribute, greatly alleviating the repulsive force between the elements and turning the wood element into one of its own attaching elements."

"Dragon Seal, fortified foundation, can greatly enhance one's vision, also known as' Thousand Li Eye Flower '." "Dragon Seal ?" "Dragon Seal, fortified foundation, can greatly enhance one's eyesight, also known as' Thousand Li Eye Flower '."

Page after page of miracles flashed in front of his eyes, as all sorts of herbs began to brew in his mind. The more he read, the more magical Fan Mu felt. He wanted to personally try out these magical herbs, but it was easier said than done. It was not until the appearance of the herb that Fan Mu could no longer suppress the excitement in his heart.

"Frigid Worry Grass, which grows in the snow at an altitude of 5000 meters, has very harsh conditions. It prefers cold weather and avoids light. It is rarely found in deep caves, so it has the effect of strengthening one's body and nurturing one's spirit." While reading, Fan Mu couldn't help but giggle, thinking to himself, "Is it an extremely deep cave?" "Boil the water for an incense of time, then take out the Frigid Worry Grass from the filtered water. Add in the ginger juice and wait for half an incense stick of time. If you consume it, you can fortify your foundation and unlock the shackles to use your elemental energy in advance ?"

"What?" It was only then that Fan Mu realised that such a magical herb was truly rare. Fan Mu muttered to himself, "Unlocking the shackles of elemental energy ahead of time might be fine for me. It's a strengthening herb anyway, so there's no harm in eating it. But how can I get it?"

Fan Mu felt that this was extremely good news. Even though he didn't know if he could obtain any medicinal herbs, he still wanted to try his best.

However, just as Fan Mu was fully focused on the book, a Golden Dragon Flying Knife flew past his face and stabbed deeply into the wooden beam in the room. Fan Mu frowned and quickly opened the door to check, but he didn't see a single shadow. When he returned to the room, he found that the knife had a paper tip, so he pulled it off, and it turned out to be a slip of paper.

Fan Mu didn't know what to do, so he finally opened the note and read the contents word by word, "Don't spread the news of Fan Yun's death, or else it will bring about a fatal disaster."

It could not be that this had something to do with him, but that was not right. At that time, even though I was already unconscious, someone was definitely trying to blame me for this. Fan Mu thought to himself as he secretly formed a united front with the contents of the slip of paper.

"..."

"Oh, oh, oh ~" After the crowing of the chicken, Redbud got up from her bed after preparing for the day, "Aunt, I'm going out," The originally sleepy Redbud was suddenly awakened, although she knew that Fan Mu was up early, but he rarely left the room early in the morning, not to mention Fan Qing. The sudden voice startled Redbud, "Where are you going, Aunt?" She asked in a soft voice, "Are you not going to the academy today?"

"I'll be back in a moment. I'm just going to take a look at the pharmacy." Before Redbud could say anything, Fan Mu walked out and closed the door behind him.

After passing through two streets, Fan Mu entered an ancient building. This was the place where the herbs were the most complete, the Capital's Pharmacy. He had always been obsessed with the Frigid Grass.

The one in charge was an old man with a white beard. Fan Mu first sized him up, then asked the old man about the matter of the Frigid Grass, and the old man was stunned. In this remote villa, very few people would ask about these rare immortal herbs.

"Frigid Grass, I do have one here, so its price is very cheap." The old man slightly smiled and replied amiably.

Hearing this, Fan Mu couldn't help but be moved. So these immortal herbs were actually quite cheap. It seemed that this trade was worth the price. He then asked, "Then how much does a single immortal herb cost?"

"I only have two left. If you have two, I'll give you a discount of 998. How about it?" Then, the old man flipped through the accounts on the stage, looking for the shadow of the Frigid Worry Grass as he continued, "How can a person not be cut while floating in the wild? This Frigid Worry Grass of mine is able to stabilize the foundation and treat injuries, what bowl sized wound, pot like scar, and a set of cultivation tools. I guarantee that after you finish eating it, your smooth skin will become as smooth as silk and your white snow ?"

998 copper coins, Fan Mu thought. This was not a small amount, it seemed that he would have to pay a huge sum of money this time. Shaking his head, he said to the old man, "Old sir, I didn't bring that much. I'll go back and get it. 998..."

Fan Mu turned around and prepared to leave, but the old man got up, feeling that something was wrong, and said, "Ai, wait a moment, 998 is not 98 copper coins, it's 998 taels of gold taels. Alright, I used to sell them for 1000 taels of gold taels."

988 gold taels, Fan Mu almost fell to the ground after hearing this. You are really up to no good, no no no, this kind of situation could only be achieved by the great cunning merchant Chen Zihao, the idea of buying immortal herbs passed through Fan Mu's mind. His entire fortune added up to less than 20 silver taels, this 998 was not even worth a year's worth of contracts.

The old man saw the worry on his face and thought, since I can't sell it anyway, I might as well just let it go, "Forget it, this old man will not earn money from little brother anymore. A fixed price, 288 gold taels, it can't be any lower. As long as 288 spirit herbs are brought home, how about it? "

Fan Mu looked serious on the surface, but his heart was full of bitterness. He looked out the door and was hit by a flash of inspiration. He cried out, "No, my house is on fire ?" There's a fire, and I'm going to fight it out. It's a crisis, there's no time. I'll come back next time. "

Where did the fire come from, it immediately became impossible for the monk to touch his head. Before he could even open his mouth, he said, "Child, you're hallucinating. Do you want a party of Immortal Roaming Grass to cure you?" Then he disappeared from the pharmacy.

Walking home alone, helplessness was written all over his face as he softly said, "Sigh, begging others is better than begging yourself at the back of the academy. I must go and give it a try."