Chapter 157: Silver Heart Grass Was Robbed

Translator: Tim Editor: Chrissy

The mansion was empty; Yu Erhu and Lu Xiaozhen were gone. Their absence alone wouldn't have bothered him, but the scene in the yard enraged him. His most prized possession—ten budding Silver Heart Grass plants—was gone. Messy digging marks indicated they had been forcibly removed.

Although their growth was incredibly slow here, far slower than in Ning Hai, they had still budded. Now, they were gone.

Cultivation was already slow here. Without the Silver Heart Grass, he might not have reached Chi Gathering Stage Two, much less Stage Three. His progress to Stage Three was largely due to the spirit well in the desert. The Silver Heart Grass was Ye Mo's last hope.

Usable by cultivators up to and including Stage Six, his hope was stolen three days after he left.

Worse, he didn't know what happened to Yu Erhu and Lu Xiaozhen. Both knew how much he valued the Silver Heart Grass and wouldn't have allowed anyone to take it. Its disappearance raised serious concerns about their safety.

Ye Mo was certain that even if the Song Family knew he lived here, they wouldn't dare to steal it, let alone the Nan Qing people. The fact that the grass was removed without damage suggested the thief knew its value.

Ye Mo didn't believe cultivators existed here. His research indicated they were legendary, unbelievable. However, ancient martial arts and special powers did exist. Some special power users could employ cultivation-like attacks, but unlike cultivators, their attacks were limited to a single type.

Ye Mo spent a day at Flying Snow Squad, and Zhang Jue introduced him to the country's special powers squad, whose status was comparable to Flying Snow Squad's. Each had its strengths, but Ye Mo considered the special powers users weaker than ancient martial arts cultivators; their attacks lacked precision.

The Silver Heart Grass was useful not only to Ye Mo but also to special power users and ancient martial artists. However, Ye Mo believed few knew this, as the Silver Heart Grass needed to be processed into pills with other ingredients to be truly effective. Besides himself, he knew of no one capable of creating such pills.

Ye Mo knew this wasn't certain; he only guessed that no one here knew how to make pills. But what if someone did? The fact remained: his Silver Heart Grass was gone.

He had no leads.

He blamed himself for his hasty departure after the Nan Qing people, followed by his trip to Beijing. He hadn't even had time to set up a protective formation. He realized he needed one.

Just as Ye Mo was about to go inside, Lu Xiaozhen arrived. Her presence reassured him; if she was safe, Yu Erhu likely was too.

"Master, you're back…" Lu Xiaozhen looked at Ye Mo with joy. In times of hardship, her master always reappeared. The last time Yu Erhu was taken, this happened as well. Seeing Ye Mo brought her immediate comfort.

"What happened to Erhu?" Seeing Lu Xiaozhen's expression, he knew something had happened.

"The second day you left, someone came demanding the grass, wanting to buy it. Erhu refused, so they robbed them. He fought back and broke his arm. When I returned, they were still beating him, so I called the police. They were gone by the time the police arrived," Lu Xiaozhen explained.

Ye Mo immediately asked, "Where's Erhu?"

"He's in the hospital, but he should be fine. However, they told Erhu they'd be back," Lu Xiaozhen added.

"To ask who planted the seeds, right?" Ye Mo's face darkened. How dare they covet his Silver Heart Grass? Their audacity suggested they weren't ordinary people. Ye Mo wanted to find them.

"Yes." Lu Xiaozhen hung her head. She knew their importance to her master, but she and Erhu couldn't protect them.

"It's not your fault. Go bring Erhu back; he doesn't need to stay in the hospital. We have our own clinic, so I'll handle the hospital arrangements. I'm going out for a while and will be back tonight." He planned to buy materials for a formation flag.

He felt insecure planting the Silver Heart Grass seeds here without protection. He wasn't sure he'd plant more spirit grass here.

At the jade market, Ye Mo found he couldn't buy all the necessary materials, so he substituted with jade and copper. He could refine copper essence from the copper, but it was energy-intensive. However, it was necessary for the formation.

After a long day, Ye Mo nearly filled his storage ring before heading home, having spent over half of his 600,000 dollars.

As he left the jade market, he saw a familiar, anxious figure. Turning, he recognized Yu Miaodan.

Her worried face and fatigued appearance spoke of a long journey. Though she was on the run the last time he saw her, she had maintained her composure. Now, she appeared shabby, though her figure remained striking.

Yu Miaodan didn't notice Ye Mo. She entered a small shop, purchasing bread with some money from her bag.

"Girl, let's go. I'll buy you something spicy." As she left, two youths stopped her.

Such hoodlums were common; most wouldn't dare act if left alone. Yu Miaodan's reaction, however, changed as she ran.

The youths pursued her like dogs. People usually don't run from dogs; running only provokes a chase.

"What happened?" Ye Mo watched Yu Miaodan run towards him, but still asked. Although he’d helped Wu Xueming more than he'd helped him, and Wu Xueming seemed changed, Ye Mo wasn't heartless. He was willing to assist Yu Miaodan if he could.

"Huh…" Yu Miaodan saw Ye Mo, her face registering surprise and relief. She didn't notice she dropped her bread.

"Ye Mo, I finally found you." She seemed to have been searching for him.

"You came looking for me?" Ye Mo sensed it but found it odd. Even if Wu Xueming needed something, he wouldn't send his girlfriend.

Seeing Yu Miaodan knew Ye Mo, the youths tried to leave. Ye Mo said, "You two, come here."

"What? So what? I'm from Metal River! What are you going to do?" one youth retorted cockily.

They were Metal River hoodlums. Ye Mo looked at Yu Miaodan with intrigue. Her man was a Metal River authority figure, yet she was being chased by Metal River hoodlums. Her startled reaction to them seemed wrong.

Yu Miaodan seemed about to speak, but Ye Mo knew it wasn't the time. He kicked both youths to the ground, rendering them unable to crawl. "Nothing, just kicking you both. What are you going to do?"

The youths knew they'd met a formidable opponent and remained silent.

The onlookers laughed.

…

When Ye Mo returned with Yu Miaodan, Lu Xiaozhen had brought Yu Erhu back from the hospital. Neither had seen Ye Mo with a woman before. Yu Miaodan's attractive appearance and shabby attire puzzled them.

"Xiaozhen, this is Yu Miaodan, a friend. Give her something to eat and a place to rest. I need to talk to her." Ye Mo saw her fatigue, realizing she'd likely been living precariously and fleeing for her life.

After questioning Erhu, Ye Mo understood their motives. They'd intended to steal the Silver Heart Grass, but he didn't know how they'd known he'd planted it. Had he been followed from the Sai Na Peninsula? He doubted it.

"Erhu, describe the leader," Ye Mo said.

"He was in his 30s, skinny and bleak-looking," Yu Erhu described. This reminded Ye Mo of a man he met at the Luo Cang artefact social night. Could it be him?