"You said you also encountered a pack of iron-toothed rats?"
"Also?" Shen Qingqiu sharply caught the word, her fingers unconsciously clutching the corner of her clothes. "Did you run into them as well?"
"Not only did we run into them, but we also killed the evil cultivator who was controlling the pack," Li Nanzhu said, looking at the dark sky outside the cave. "If they were specifically targeting the disciples of your Shenmu Sect, there would likely be no need to go to such lengths to control a pack of iron-toothed rats."
Liu Qingyang understood. "So, it’s more likely that the evil cultivators were doing something shady, and the Shenmu Sect disciples happened to stumble upon them. When the cultivators saw they were collecting materials for exorcism pills, they simply killed them too."
Lin Xiaowan's teeth were gritting so hard they made a clicking sound, her knuckles turning white from the force. "Evil cultivators... How dare those evil cultivators..."
Li Nanzhu placed her hand gently on Lin Xiaowan's trembling shoulder. The girl's frame felt as tense as a drawn bowstring.
"Because they're filthy enough," Li Nanzhu's voice was soft, yet it caused the sobbing in the cave to cease abruptly. "So filthy they think that as long as they hide in black robes, they can treat the lives of others like grass."
Zhu Yinxi's jade flute suddenly emitted a low hum, and the sound of a branch snapping came from the storm outside.
Everyone’s spine stiffened instantly. Duan Xianxing's sword had cleared its scabbard by three inches, the cold light of the blade casting a grim arc against the stone wall.
"It's not a person," Zhu Yinxi said as he sat back down. "It's just a bird-type demonic beast breaking branches to build a nest."
The tense atmosphere relaxed slightly, and Li Nanzhu spoke again.
"Now is not the time for revenge." Her voice was quiet, but it carried an undeniable firmness. "We don't even know how many of them there are or what their cultivation levels are. Acting recklessly will only result in throwing our lives away for nothing."
Zhu Yinxi's jade flute gleamed coldly in the firelight. "That Golden Core evil cultivator has strange methods. We still don't know what that bone flute he used to control demonic beasts is. Based on what you've said, he likely has more than one way to control them."
"But... haven't you already killed one? Could you..." Lin Xiaowan's eyes brightened slightly.
"No," Duan Xianxing refused bluntly, causing Lin Xiaowan's face to turn pale again.
"It’s not that we don't want to," Li Nanzhu said, sitting down beside Lin Xiaowan. "It’s that we can't. We paid a significant price to kill that evil cultivator. In the end, we only succeeded by using a powerful high-grade magic tool and catching him by surprise."
"That evil cultivator was only at the early Golden Core stage," Liu Qingyang added, poking at the campfire as sparks popped and crackled. "We struggled even against him. His companions' cultivation will only be higher. Going there would just be suicide."
"I'm sorry," Lin Xiaowan apologized in a small voice. As she lowered her head, she suddenly noticed a pile of bones at the spot where Li Nanzhu had been sitting earlier. Those bones looked like...
"Why are there iron-toothed rat bones here!"
Startled by the scream, Suisui's skeletal frame gave a violent shudder. Its skull fell off with a clatter and rolled halfway across the stone floor.
"Don't move! What are you!" Zhou Zichun pointed his sword directly at the pile of white bones, his wrist trembling slightly.
They had just survived a rat attack; anyone would have a reflexive reaction to seeing iron-toothed rat bones at this moment.
'Damn it!'
Li Nanzhu felt a wave of regret. How could she have forgotten to hide Suisui first? But now that it had happened, she couldn't let them hurt it.
She quickly stepped forward to block Suisui, raising her hand to signal everyone to calm down. "Don't be afraid! It’s not an enemy! This is our..." She paused. "Partner."
Suisui's bones clattered and shook. By now, it had completely reverted to its skeletal form. Seeming to realize it had caused trouble, it carefully reattached its skull and curled into a ball, its head drooping like a child who had done something wrong.
Lin Xiaowan's eyes widened, her voice trembling. "It... it's alive?"
"In a way." Li Nanzhu sighed, gently patting Suisui's skull. "Its name is Suisui. It was originally an ordinary iron-toothed rat, but it was controlled by an evil cultivator's bone flute and underwent a massive mutation. After we killed the crazed rats, through a combination of its racial talent and a stroke of luck, it became what it is now."
Shen Qingqiu stared warily at Suisui. "So it's... a ghost creature?"
"Not exactly." Zhu Yinxi's jade flute lightly tapped Suisui's spine, and the flute emitted a faint spiritual glow. "There is no resentment in its body. Instead, it possesses a wisp of pure yin spiritual energy. It gained an opportunity and became this unique existence."
Suisui seemed to understand Zhu Yinxi's words. It tried to please him by rubbing its skull against his flute, but it used too much force—crack—and its neck bones went out of alignment.
It hurriedly used its claws to straighten its head, then ran back to Li Nanzhu to nuzzle her, looking quite aggrieved.
This comical scene eased the tension slightly. Tao Ying even let out a small giggle before quickly covering her mouth. This was an iron-toothed rat, after all; how could she...
Zhou Zichun lowered his sword slightly, though he didn't fully relax. "Can it be trusted? After all, those iron-toothed rats from before..."
"Suisui is different." Li Nanzhu crouched down and took a night-luminescent pearl from her storage bag, handing it to Suisui. "Not only does it harbor no malice toward humans, but it also saved us once."
Suisui clutched the night-luminescent pearl, looking overjoyed. It even tried to stuff the pearl inside its ribcage, appearing completely harmless.
But then it seemed to remember something. After a moment of hesitation, it tentatively pushed the night-luminescent pearl toward Lin Xiaowan.
The pearl rolled across the floor to Lin Xiaowan's feet. She stared at it in confusion before picking it up.
"Is this for me?" Lin Xiaowan looked at Li Nanzhu, bewildered.
"Suisui really likes night-luminescent pearls. For it to give this to you means it really likes you," Li Nanzhu said softly.
Seeing Lin Xiaowan accept the gift, Suisui tentatively shuffled over to her feet and looked up at her with its skull, as if trying to offer comfort.
Lin Xiaowan took a deep breath and crouched down, whispering, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you just now."
Suisui shook its head. Its claw lightly touched her finger; it was cold, yet strangely comforting.
Seeing that the matter was resolved, Liu Qingyang cleared his throat to change the subject.
"According to the original plan, following the stream downstream is the safest bet. The terrain downstream is level, and the grades of demonic beasts will decrease. Only then will we have a chance to safely leave the middle region."
Duan Xianxing stood up, his long sword letting out a faint hum within its scabbard. "We set out at dawn. Everyone, use this time to meditate and maintain your peak condition."
The disciples of the Shenmu Sect looked at each other.
Zhou Zichun's fingernails unconsciously scratched the jade pendant at his waist. "But Senior Sister Chu..."
"She has already sacrificed herself." Li Nanzhu's voice was like an ice pick shattering the last of their illusions. "When spirit-siphoning fire ants pass through, even a Foundation Establishment cultivator can't last half a breath. Turning back now serves no purpose other than suicide."
Lin Xiaowan couldn't help but burst into tears again, but she gritted her teeth to keep from making a sound, her breath turning into sharp gasps.
Shen Qingqiu held her once more, her own tears falling into her junior sister's hair.
Liu Qingyang closed his eyes, feeling a pang of pity. "Wait for... wait for your sect elders to arrive, then go back and look. Perhaps..."
Outside the cave, the night wind carried the distant roars of demonic beasts through the treetops. Li Nanzhu looked toward the pitch-black entrance, only relaxing slightly once she confirmed there were no anomalies.
"We'll take turns keeping watch," she arranged in a low voice. "Fellow Daoist Liu and Seventh Senior Brother will take the first half of the night. Second Senior Brother and I will take the second half. Those from the Shenmu Sect should get some rest; we have a long journey tomorrow."
When the first ray of morning light pierced through the canopy, everyone was packed and ready.
Li Nanzhu checked everyone's injuries and gave an extra bottle of recovery pills to the more severely injured Tao Ying and Senior Brother Zhao.
Of course, it wasn't free. Having saved them once, she couldn't continue to provide resources for nothing. Li Nanzhu understood the principle that a small favor breeds gratitude while a large one breeds resentment. In this situation, it was better for both parties to keep the accounts clear.
The stream shimmered under the morning light as the group moved cautiously along the bank.
Liu Qingyang led the way, while Duan Xianxing guarded the rear. Li Nanzhu and Zhu Yinxi flanked the five Shenmu Sect disciples in the middle.
Fortunately, they walked for nearly an hour without encountering any demonic beasts. However, this only highlighted the eeriness of the situation; some unknown change might have occurred in the Forest of Demonic Beasts again.
Realizing this, everyone became even more silent, simply increasing their pace.
Suddenly, Li Nanzhu's footsteps faltered, her pupils shrinking slightly—a golden glow had suddenly appeared on the distant horizon. It was the phenomenon indicating the opening of an ancient cultivator's cave dwelling in the Forest of Demonic Beasts!
She gripped her sleeves tightly. In the life-and-death struggle of the past few days, she had actually forgotten the most important opportunity for the heroine, Cang Dongqing: the Xuanming Cave Dwelling that was set to fully open today!
Everyone looked at one another, feeling troubled by this change.
"What on earth is that over there..."
"A heaven and earth vision," Liu Qingyang said, his expression grave. "I fear some rare treasure is about to be born."
Duan Xianxing was seeing such a sight for the first time. He looked eager to act, but after a glance at Zhu Yinxi, he silently closed the mouth he was about to open.
Li Nanzhu stared at the increasingly brilliant golden light on the horizon, her thoughts racing.
However, a faint trace of blood-red was mixed within that golden glow. Clearly, someone had meddled with it. Could it be related to those evil cultivators?
"It’s likely more than just a treasure." Zhu Yinxi's fingers lightly brushed his jade flute, his brow furrowing slightly. "The spiritual energy fluctuations within that glow are incredibly strong and cover such a wide area. It is likely an ancient cultivator's cave dwelling appearing in the world."
"An ancient cultivator's cave dwelling?!" Zhou Zichun looked up sharply, a flash of astonishment in his eyes, though he quickly regained his composure. "But an opportunity of this level will surely draw every major sect into a struggle for it. It's right on our path out... could it be..."
"Now is not the time to consider opportunities," Shen Qingqiu said, shaking her head with a heavy tone. "The problem is that this vision appeared too suddenly. The fact that the demonic beasts in the middle region of the Forest of Demonic Beasts have nearly vanished is not normal in itself."
"Perhaps... we should actually head toward it," Li Nanzhu suddenly spoke up, drawing everyone's eyes to her.
Rate on N.U.
