240: Chapter 240 Li Tianming, 50-Year-Old Rhinoceros Horn

This had caused Chen Mo to lack sufficient main god points to recruit players at the time, which was why the game's development in the Early Stage had been so slow.

However, the situation now was different.

The Fantasy Jianghu Novice Village already existed, and the fifty or sixty intelligent NPCs in the village were sufficient for now. There was no need to spend main god points on creating more people for the time being. As long as the map was expanded slightly and some content was added, it would be enough for the players to enjoy for a while. Calculating it out, there were quite a few main god points left over, and the use for these surplus main god points was, naturally, to recruit new players.

Chen Mo made an estimation in his mind. The sum of five hundred and twenty-four main god points obtained from the Otherworldly Projection Dungeon this time would be enough to let everyone in the game group log into the game, with points to spare, even after using a portion to fill out the game's content!

This way, he could finally move past the awkward situation of having only three players in the game, which felt like playing a co-op game. Most importantly, with over ten players contributing Soul values together, the Main God Space would be able to absorb at least dozens of Soul points every day. Those dozens of Soul points could then be used to recruit several more players, who would in turn provide more Soul values... It was estimated that before long, the number of players in Fantasy Jianghu would undergo exponential growth!

Chen Mo calculated in his mind, gaining a certain level of confidence in dealing with the unpredictable Otherworldly Projection Dungeons. He asked Xiao Wan more questions about the Otherworldly Projections, such as whether the two bosses Hu Gualing, Tang Yao, and Xiao Niao encountered were projections of creatures from another world. For example, why did the Otherworldly Projection come with a gift bag of main god points? Was that large black stone containing over five hundred main god points a one-time occurrence that happened to project along with the Mutated White Wild Boar, or would every Otherworldly Projection have such a thing in the future? If it was every time, then Chen Mo would be eagerly looking forward to the next Otherworldly Projection Dungeon appearing soon!

Unfortunately, when these questions were asked, Xiao Wan couldn't provide a clear answer, which made Chen Mo quite frustrated.

However, Chen Mo was still influenced by the joy of suddenly gaining over five hundred main god points. Plus, he still had things to do, so he didn't delay. He immediately packed up the unfinished barbecue and beer cans, taking them out of the Main God Space and returning to reality.

Inside the room, Chen Mo checked the time and was surprised to find it was already almost noon, which was beyond his expectations.

Because Hu Gualing and Xiao Niao had logged into the game exactly at midnight, he had also entered the Main God Space around that time with the barbecue he ordered, intending to eat and drink while watching their first adventure outside the village. Normally, the maximum play time for a regular player should be around six hours. Theoretically, Hu Gualing and Xiao Niao should have reached their logout time around six or seven this morning. Even if there were fluctuations, it shouldn't have fluctuated until it was nearly noon!

'Did so much time pass without me noticing because I was too concerned while discussing the Otherworldly Projection Dungeon with Xiao Wan?'

As Chen Mo thought this, his stomach suddenly growled.

Although he had eaten barbecue last night, barbecue isn't very filling. Furthermore, his entire focus afterward had been on that mysterious cave—the entrance to the Otherworldly Projection Dungeon. From that point on, he hadn't been in the mood to eat, so he hadn't actually eaten much. Now that it was noon, it was normal to be hungry.

Chen Mo looked at the foil-wrapped barbecue in his hand and found quite a few skewers untouched. Although they had long since cooled down and felt ice-cold to the touch, they could be eaten after being reheated. As for whether it was healthy or not, he didn't care for now. Anyway, with his current Physique, as long as it wasn't poison, he should be able to digest any food he ate.

Chen Mo put the barbecue into the microwave and went to the bathroom to freshen up while waiting for it to heat.

In truth, his Basic Internal Energy had reached Major Achievement, and his Qi and blood were circulating on their own at all times. Coupled with the fact that his Soul value far exceeded that of an ordinary person, even if he didn't sleep for a day and a night, his physical functions and mental state would be perfectly fine. He was even more energetic than an average person. However, washing up was a habit formed over more than ten years of ordinary life. Plus, he was about to go out to meet someone—an extraordinary figure, at that—so Chen Mo felt it was better to tidy himself up.

After finishing his washing, the leftover barbecue from last night was heated. Chen Mo ate hurriedly, wiped his mouth, gulped down two large mouthfuls of plain water, and then headed out with his things.

After leaving the house, Chen Mo thought for a moment, took out his phone, logged onto Qiuqiu, and sent a message to Old Li to give the elderly man a bit of advance notice. Then, he identified the direction and walked toward the Sanatorium without calling a car. With his current foot speed, he could cover this short distance in ten to twenty minutes even without using his full strength.

...

In a courtyard of the Sanatorium, Li Dequan and his granddaughter Li Fengxu were sitting at a small dining table having a meal.

It was currently lunchtime.

Li Dequan was eating a nutritional meal prepared by a specialized nutritionist according to a set menu, and Li Fengxu was also eating a nutritional meal prepared by the specialized nutritionist according to the menu for her grandfather, Li Dequan.

When she first started coming over during her holidays to accompany her grandfather, she had originally ordered takeout. However, getting takeout delivered here was incredibly troublesome. Out of desperation, she tried Li Dequan's nutritional meal. Hey! This old man's food was a hundred times better than takeout!

So from then on, she had the nutritionist make an extra portion.

Li Fengxu scooped a spoonful of Perfect Ten Silky Chicken and Cuttlefish Soup.

This dish was made by simmering silky chicken with ten types of Chinese medicinal herbs, with cuttlefish ink added to enhance the flavor. The broth from the herbs was black, the silky chicken was black, and the cuttlefish ink was even pitch black. Thus, this bowl of Perfect Ten Silky Chicken Soup was as black as ink. When she first saw it, Li Fengxu had no appetite for it based on the color. However, the aroma was so rich that she eventually couldn't resist taking a very small sip. Afterward, she was stunned and began gulping the soup down directly from the bowl. After finishing, she stared at Li Dequan with a strange look for a long time before uttering a sentence that left him between laughter and tears. As Li Fengxu had said at the time, "I thought you were living a hard life in this Sanatorium, so I came to accompany you during my break. I didn't expect you to be eating so well here; it's like you're secretly enjoying a life of luxury."

This showed that Li Dequan's food here was indeed excellent. Even though the primary purpose wasn't for taste but for a diet to recuperate the body, it was made so delicious.

However, Li Fengxu didn't seem to have much of an appetite now. She absentmindedly scooped a spoonful of the soup into her mouth, her eyes fixed on Li Dequan. "Grandpa, didn't you say that Grandmaster... Grandmaster Chen would be coming today? Why is there still no news even though it's already noon? Could it be that he's still sleeping and hasn't gotten out of bed yet?"

After Li Fengxu had looked at the electronic fist manual Chen Mo sent her grandfather on Qiuqiu yesterday, even with her not-so-deep martial arts knowledge, she could truly feel that the martial arts knowledge contained in that manual was quite extraordinary. Consequently, her perception of Chen Mo had changed significantly, and she made sure to call him 'Grandmaster Chen'.

Li Dequan felt his granddaughter Li Fengxu's respect for Chen Mo in her words and stroked his beard with great satisfaction. But hearing the end, he couldn't help but glare at Li Fengxu. "Do you think a figure like Grandmaster Chen is like you, sleeping only at dawn and crawling out of bed when the sun is high in the sky?" Li Dequan said huffily, his beard bristling.

Having her secrets exposed by her grandfather, Li Fengxu felt a bit guilty and didn't argue. However, she was still a bit anxious because she was very envious of the training and fighting methods recorded in that electronic fist manual. After seeing the manual yesterday, she had been thinking about it constantly, and even playing the game felt tasteless. But no matter how she looked at it, if she wanted to practice this Fist Technique, she had to wait for Chen Mo to arrive and get his permission. Otherwise, she might practice it incorrectly and cause problems or even suffer Qi Deviation. There was also the suspicion of being unethical by stealing someone else's martial arts. So, she had to wait until Chen Mo came. But yesterday, Chen Mo told her grandfather he would bring the medicine today. Why was there no news even now at noon?

Li Fengxu was feeling anxious when a message notification sounded from her grandfather. 'Who? Could it be a message from Chen Mo?' Li Fengxu immediately put down her spoon and stared at Li Dequan.

She saw Li Dequan holding chopsticks with one hand to put food into his mouth and pulling out his custom secure Huaniu phone from his pocket with the other. He clicked on the newly received Qiuqiu message, and a smile couldn't help but appear on his stoic old face because it was indeed a message from Chen Mo.

Seeing her grandfather's reaction, Li Fengxu immediately had a guess. "Is it a message from Grandmaster Chen? What did he say?" Li Fengxu leaned forward across the small dining table toward her grandfather, asking with an eager expression.

"Yes, Grandmaster Chen said he has already left. He estimates he will be here in half an hour at most." Li Dequan skillfully operated the Huaniu phone to reply to Chen Mo's message and nodded to his granddaughter with a smile.

"Good, good, good!" Li Fengxu was immediately overjoyed upon hearing this. She happily picked up the soup in front of her and gulped it down in one go. As she set the bowl down, a middle-aged man wearing a floral-collared suit walked in through the door, carrying large and small bags in both hands.

This middle-aged man looked to be in his forties. As he walked in, he habitually hunched his back slightly as if he couldn't stand up straight. His face was beaming with a warm smile, making him look like someone easy to get along with. From a distance, he called out 'Dad' to Li Dequan's back. Hearing the voice, Li Dequan turned around and saw it was indeed his eldest son, Li Tianming. He nodded faintly and said, "Come and sit. Have you eaten?"

"I've eaten, I've eaten!" Li Tianming hurried to answer his old man's question and turned his gaze to Li Fengxu. "Hey, Fengxu, come and help your uncle carry some things." Li Tianming greeted Li Fengxu with a smile.

Li Fengxu clearly didn't want to deal with this uncle of hers, but he was her biological uncle after all. She didn't say anything but went over with a long face to take the things. Just as she took a large bag, she heard Li Tianming smilingly introduce that it contained custom-made dresses from somewhere or other, saying some nonsense about how 'even if a girl doesn't wear them, she should always have a few dresses hanging in her closet.' Li Fengxu naturally didn't want them, but she was too lazy to refuse. She carried the bag and threw it casually into a corner.

Li Tianming, meanwhile, carried the remaining packages to Li Dequan's side. "Dad, inside here are some medicinal herbs, and this pill. It was made from wild Rhino Horn. I heard it’s been passed down for fifty years and no one was willing to use it. I had someone verify it; it's the real deal." Li Tianming bent down, took out a small wooden box from the bag, and opened it. Immediately, a rich medicinal fragrance wafted out.

"Put it away quickly!" Since getting older, Li Dequan had been dealing with various Chinese medicinal herbs year-round. One whiff of the scent and he knew this pill was the real thing. Fearing the medicinal effect would evaporate if exposed to the air, he quickly told Li Tianming to put it away.

Li Tianming chuckled and closed the box. He didn't care how effective the medicine was even if it evaporated; he just wanted his old man to know how precious the item was. He had someone put the herbs away, pulled up a stool, sat down, and asked a few caring questions about Li Dequan's health before getting to the main point. "Dad, Fengxu said you asked me to come over because you're going to meet a martial arts Grandmaster. Is it true?"

"Of course it's true. The Grandmaster has already sent me a message saying he'll be here in half an hour. Just wait here properly," Li Dequan said.

"Whoa! I didn't expect that I, Li Tianming, would have the fortune to meet a legendary martial arts Grandmaster. It's really thanks to you, Dad. I just don't know what title this Grandmaster goes by? Let me know in advance so I won't be disrespectful when he arrives."

Li Dequan thought for a moment and nodded. "That makes sense. However, this Grandmaster is very low-key and likely doesn't have a title. You just need to remember his name is Chen Mo, and you can call him Grandmaster Chen."

"Chen Mo?" Li Tianming pondered this extremely unfamiliar name, searching his mind for a long time. Confirming he had never heard of the name, a look of suspicion couldn't help but appear on his face. Because being a Grandmaster meant one's martial arts attainment was enough to start a sect. If one were a Grandmaster, as long as they wanted to create a mountain gate, they could even apply directly to the authorities for a piece of scenic land to establish it. For such a powerful figure, even if they wanted to be low-key, they wouldn't be able to. How could he have never heard of such a person?