Reborn One Week Before the Apocalypse

Chapter 120: Chapter 112: Complete Fabrication

”Good morning, Sect Leader.”

Tang Mo flashed the Sect Leader her most enthusiastic smile.

This time, her smile wasn’t entirely feigned. The Sect Leader likely held the secret to healing with spiritual power, so how could she not be excited?

It was no exaggeration to say that the more Tang Mo looked at the Sect Leader, the more she liked what she saw. His fat no longer seemed greasy; he was just adorably chubby.

The fervor in Tang Mo’s eyes was so obvious it startled the Sect Leader, but his expression remained just as unpleasant.

”Didn’t I say to come back in two days? What do you want now?”

”Actually, there is something. I’d like to buy a Medicinal Insect from you, Sect Leader. I heard you mention them yesterday. They must be a unique treasure of Wuxi Village, right?”

’She’d thought it over. If she wanted to determine whether it was the insect or the Sect Leader’s spiritual power curing the villagers, she had to witness the process firsthand.’

”I told you yesterday. The Medicinal Insects are the most important thing in Wuxi Village, and a closely guarded secret. It’s impossible to sell one to an outsider.”

A hint of anger crept into the Sect Leader’s voice. ’Does this Tang Mo not understand plain language? I told her yesterday it wasn’t up for discussion, and today she actually tries to buy one. What does she think this place is?’

”If you’re going to keep causing trouble and disrespecting our customs, then I don’t care how many Medicinal Insects you find. I’ll have no choice but to throw you out.”

’The Sect Leader had been looking for an excuse to drive Tang Mo out, and this was the perfect opportunity.’

Seeing the Sect Leader’s flustered and exasperated expression, Tang Mo, as if she had anticipated this all along, calmly sat down and took a small box from her bag.

She opened the box. Inside was a single petal from a Spiritual Flower, which Tang Mo had just plucked from the one she possessed.

The Spiritual Flower had already bloomed completely. Time stood still inside the warehouse of her Space, so even if Tang Mo never used it, it wouldn’t wither.

She estimated it had about twenty-something petals, plucked one off, and placed it in the box.

”Besides the location of that Medicinal Insect nest, I also know the location of an abnormal treasure. The abnormal treasure is a flower, and each petal provides ten spiritual power attribute points. It hadn’t fully bloomed at the time, so I only plucked one petal.”

Tang Mo passed the box containing the single flower petal to the Sect Leader.

”If you’re willing, Sect Leader, I’d like to trade that flower for a single Medicinal Insect.”

After she finished speaking, Tang Mo carefully observed the Sect Leader’s expression.

’If the Sect Leader really was a Spiritual Ability User, then the Spiritual Flower’s appeal to him would be immense.’

Sure enough, Tang Mo was not disappointed. She saw suppressed ecstasy on the Sect Leader’s face.

”What do you want a Medicinal Insect for?”

He wasn’t completely blinded by joy. After all, he had been the Sect Leader for over a year; he wasn’t one to think too simplistically.

’Since Tang Mo knows the value of a Spiritual Flower, why would she offer to trade it for a mere Medicinal Insect?’

’If she was truly just curious about Wuxi Village’s treasures as she claimed, then the price was far too high. Something was definitely fishy.’

”To be honest with you, I came to Wuxi Village specifically for the Medicinal Insect. I’ve had this headache problem since I was a child. It’s incurable, and I’ve been tormented by it for years.”

Tang Mo put on a pained expression.

”I heard that Wuxi Village is skilled at raising insects. If the Medicinal Insect can truly cure my headaches, then never mind an abnormal treasure—I’d be willing to pay any price.”

Tang Mo spoke with such earnest sincerity, she seemed like a tragic young woman who had truly been tormented by headaches for over twenty years.

”A headache?”

Tang Mo’s words swirled in the Sect Leader’s mind. ’If it was really just a headache, then perhaps he truly did have a way to deal with that illness.’

”Since you suffer from such an ailment, and you’ve come all the way to Wuxi Village, we can’t very well just watch you suffer. I can give you the Medicinal Insect in exchange, but only after I have the abnormal treasure in my hands.”

’The Sect Leader was no fool. She couldn’t expect to get what she wanted with just an empty promise. Things in this world weren’t that easy.’

”Sect Leader, my head really hurts terribly. I’m tormented every night and can’t sleep. Please, just let me be cured one day sooner.”

As she spoke, Tang Mo handed over a small bag. Inside were five Intermediate Crystal Cores.

’The Spiritual Flower was just a carrot on a stick. It was far too precious. Even if she had no immediate use for it, there was no way she would actually give it to someone else.’

’But finding out the Sect Leader’s secret was an urgent matter, and that’s where the Crystal Cores came in.’

Staring at the five iridescent Intermediate Crystal Cores, the Sect Leader ultimately couldn’t bring himself to push them away.

’He’d seen the petal of the spiritual abnormal treasure with his own eyes, so the treasure must be real.’

’Besides, Tang Mo herself was here in his village. The abnormal treasure was practically already in the palm of his hand.’

’Fine. Giving her the Medicinal Insect ahead of time was no big deal. It didn’t cost him anything, anyway.’

The Sect Leader put away the Crystal Cores and the petal. He then got up and went into an adjacent room, where he used a key to open a large lock. He remained inside for quite a while.

When he emerged, he was holding a jar.

The Sect Leader handed the task of opening the jar to a nearby servant. ’Looks like he’s too disgusted to touch his own vile creation,’ Tang Mo thought.

With a reverent expression, the servant carefully lifted the lid and extracted the corpse of an Exotic Beast Worm from the jar.

The insect was so decomposed its original form was unrecognizable, and its nauseating, rotten stench could be smelled from a distance.

Having come this far, Tang Mo had no choice but to reach out and pinch the insect’s corpse.

The slimy, mushy, and ice-cold sensation instantly gave her goosebumps.

’It’s exactly the same as the half-finished insect I saw at Xiao Hu’s house last night,’ Tang Mo concluded after observing it.

’So the secret really does lie with the Sect Leader.’

”Go on, eat it,” the Sect Leader said. ”Once you eat it, you’ll feel better soon.”

Watching Tang Mo’s revulsion, the Sect Leader couldn’t help but feel a sense of satisfaction. That, combined with all the gifts he’d received, made his expression soften considerably.

Tang Mo pinched the insect and pretended to bring it to her mouth.

Just as it was about to touch the corner of her lips, she secretly transferred the insect into her Space.

To complete the act and make it more convincing, Tang Mo even pretended to gag, which only made the Sect Leader more delighted.

An instant after she sent the insect into her Space, Tang Mo felt a wave of spiritual power probing toward her.

’Fortunately, she could sense that the Sect Leader’s spiritual power was much weaker than her own.’

Tang Mo had claimed to have a headache, and the head was precisely where one’s spiritual power resided.

She used her own spiritual power to create a barrier, blocking the Sect Leader’s probe and even deflecting it.

’How can this be?’

The moment his spiritual power was deflected back at him, the Sect Leader staggered backward.

’What in the world is going on?’