"Who is Ku Mu?"

The Scab Chicken had mentioned this name more than once.

Although Mo Qi already had his suspicions and an answer in mind, he still wanted to confirm it.

The Scab Chicken froze, giving him a look as if he were an idiot. "You don’t know who Ku Mu is? Then what are you even here for?"

Mo Qi tightened his grip on the Scab Chicken, then raised his kitchen knife and pressed it against its neck.

"Am I asking the questions, or are you?"

Feeling the cold steel on its neck, the Scab Chicken’s face turned pale with fright.

"Don’t, don’t, don’t! We can talk this out."

"Ku Mu is the master of this mountain range, and he was my former master. He’s a completely shameless old coot. His power is immense, but his skin is even thicker, and he has zero integrity. Do you know why he came to this barren wasteland where not even birds would shit?"

Seeing Mo Qi’s expression darken, the Scab Chicken hurriedly added, "It’s because he’s an old man chasing a young girl, he wanted to..."

SLAP!

Before the Scab Chicken could finish speaking, a wisp of gentle wind drifted by and struck the side of its face. The force was so immense that Mo Qi lost his grip, and the Scab Chicken was sent flying. It slammed heavily against the barrier of the Array, kicking up a storm of Energy before finally stopping.

"Who’s there?!"

Mo Qi and the Pig Emperor went on high alert, spreading their Divine Sense to its maximum range to cover the surroundings, but they found nothing.

Looking back at the Scab Chicken, it was lying limply on the ground. Its body was up, its head was down, and its neck was twisted at an impossible angle, clearly broken.

CRACK!

Suddenly, the Scab Chicken’s body twitched. Its broken neck snapped back to normal, and then the foul-mouthed, featherless chicken wobbled to its feet.

"So painful. My head’s spinning."

The Scab Chicken shook its head, its eyes slowly focusing as its consciousness gradually returned.

Freed from Mo Qi’s grasp, its first reaction wasn’t to flee, but to look around furiously.

"Old man Ku Mu, I know it was you! Get your ass out here!"

Its voice was shrill and hysterical.

However, no one answered the Scab Chicken.

Mo Qi and the Pig Emperor exchanged a look. It seemed this so-called Ku Mu was the same old man who had snatched their Medicinal Cuisine earlier.

And their guess was correct—Elder Ku Mu had been watching them in secret the whole time.

"Old man Ku Mu, you’ve really screwed this Chicken Ancestor over! What, you dare to screw me over, you dare to hit me, but you don’t dare to come out and see me? Believe it or not, I’ll spill all your dirty little secrets!"

The Scab Chicken was miserable.

Over thirty thousand years!

It had been trapped all alone in this Array for over thirty thousand years!

It didn’t have to worry about food, clothing, or Cultivation Resources, but the loneliness was unbearable!

Moreover, as a Blood Crowned Exquisite Chicken, it was supposed to transform once every thousand years. But this Array just had to sever it from the Power of Heaven and Earth, preventing it from ever fully completing its transformation.

This was the fundamental reason it had ended up looking the way it did now.

That was why it utterly hated the irresponsible Elder Ku Mu, who had brought it here only to abandon it.

"If you dare say one more word, I’ll slap you to death!"

The old man’s voice sounded only in the Scab Chicken’s ear.

The voice was laced with a trace of the Power of the Soul, which shattered the Scab Chicken’s rage and forced it to calm down in an instant.

Once calm, the Scab Chicken broke out in a cold sweat, terrified by its own recent actions.

’Holy shit, what did I just do? I actually yelled at Ku Mu!!!’

’Wait! If he heard everything I said, then doesn’t that mean he also knows about me shitting in his rice bowl?’

’Based on that old bastard Ku Mu’s personality, I... I’m going to wish I were dead!’

At this thought, the Scab Chicken’s legs gave way, and it collapsed to the ground. Its long neck drooped, its face a picture of utter despair.

"Mo the kid, we’re being watched!" the Pig Emperor transmitted, his voice filled with worry.

Mo Qi: "I know."

"Then what do we do?"

"We stick to the original plan. First, find clues about my mother, and along the way, we’ll keep scooping up all the treasures we find."

The Pig Emperor was startled. "Aren’t you afraid that Ku Mu will make a move?"

Mo Qi smiled. "What good would being afraid do? This chicken has lived for over thirty thousand years, so Ku Mu has certainly lived even longer. To a powerhouse of his level, the more brilliantly we perform, the more interested he’ll become. In fact, that’s what will keep us alive longer."

As he spoke, Mo Qi’s smile didn’t waver. He walked straight up to the Scab Chicken and picked it up again.

He didn’t continue asking about Elder Ku Mu. The Scab Chicken being sent flying was clearly a warning from him.

"I’ll give you two choices. One: become a charcoal-grilled chicken. Two: trade eggs for your life. One per day. If you can’t provide them, you’ll still become a charcoal-grilled chicken."

The Scab Chicken’s eyes were dull and listless, as if it hadn’t heard Mo Qi’s words at all.

It muttered to itself, "It’s over, it’s over. I’m a dead chicken. That old bastard Ku Mu will never let me go."

Little did it know that at this very moment, Elder Ku Mu was staring at his own hand, lost in thought.

’Something’s not right. Even an Immortal who has reached the Venerable Position might not have been able to withstand that last blow. How did that wretched chicken only get its neck broken? And it even healed instantly... Unbelievable. Could it be that in these thirty-thousand-odd years, it’s gone bald, but it’s also gotten stronger?’

Seeing the Scab Chicken lost in its daze, Mo Qi wordlessly smacked it with the bottom of his pot.

CLANG!

"If Elder Ku Mu really wanted to kill you, do you think you’d still be alive?"

The Scab Chicken’s body shuddered, and it snapped out of its despair, staring blankly at Mo Qi.

That was right. It knew better than anyone how strong Ku Mu was.

If he really wanted to kill it, he wouldn’t have bothered with words.

At this thought, the Scab Chicken perked up again.

But its happiness didn’t last long, because it remembered the two choices Mo Qi had given it.

"One egg a day? Do you think I’m some old laying hen?!" the Scab Chicken shrieked, rolling its eyes with a look that said it was dealing with an idiot.

SHING!

The Obsidian Kitchen Knife flashed. Mo Qi smiled. "I won’t make you work for free. As payment, I’ll take you out of here and free you from the shackles of this Array. Not only that, but I can also help you restore your original appearance and complete the transformations you failed to finish before."

"Hah!" The Scab Chicken sneered, clearly not believing Mo Qi. "Anyone can talk big. Why should I believe you?"

Mo Qi shrugged. "I don’t need you to believe me. In any case, compared to having another burden to drag along, I’d much rather have a meal of charcoal-grilled chicken."

The Scab Chicken’s expression froze. Then...

"Boss, from now on, I’m your man—oh, no, your chicken! Please cherish me, protect me, and keep me warm!"

The Scab Chicken stretched out its two fleshy wings and clung tightly to Mo Qi’s arm, hanging its entire body off of him.

"So many demands? I think I’ll go with the charcoal-grilled chicken after all."

Hearing this, the Scab Chicken panicked. "No! My demands aren’t high at all! Just a full belly, warm clothes, and plenty to drink is enough!"

Before Mo Qi could speak, the Pig Emperor burst out laughing. "A full belly and plenty to drink? You call those demands not high? Even this Emperor doesn’t get that kind of treatment!"