“North… mountain forest…”
Lu Zheng arrived at the woodland north of Tushan Market and indeed sensed a faint trace of demonic aura.
“That anomaly-detection talisman is quite sensitive. It can even alert me to such a tiny bit of demonic aura.” Lu Zheng nodded, confirming his judgement. This strange creature was definitely not Leng Li.
Simply because it was too weak.
So Lu Zheng relaxed, activated his Qi Observation Technique, and followed the demonic aura deeper into the forest.
“Huh, strange. Didn’t they attack Tushan Market only yesterday? They just ate a few cattle and sheep, injured a handful of people, caused no fatalities, and weren’t even driven away. How come they’ve retreated so deep into the mountains today?”
Lu Zheng’s figure flickered as he shuttled ceaselessly through the forest, pressing onward.
After travelling a full thirty li, Lu Zheng suddenly froze, then smiled. “An old acquaintance!”
No longer concealing his presence, he leapt several zhang with each step and soon reached a small clearing in the woods.
Scattered across the clearing lay a dozen ordinary wolf corpses. In the centre was one huge wolf demon with grey-black fur, now reverted to its true form. It thrashed wildly, claws scrabbling at the ground in a desperate attempt to flee.
Standing beside it was a petite black-clothed woman, expression cold, arms folded, completely unconcerned.
From beneath her skirt protruded a thick scorpion tail. Its stinger had pierced the wolf demon’s spine, pinning the creature in place. No matter how the wolf twisted and struggled, it could not move an inch.
A scorpion spirit, Mo Lan!
When she saw Lu Zheng appear, the chill on Mo Lan’s face softened slightly. She nodded at him, then her eyes flashed. Scorpion venom surged in.
The wolf demon let out a mournful howl. All strength instantly drained from its body, black vapour flickered through its fur, and it collapsed to the ground, utterly lifeless.
She withdrew her stinger. The massive scorpion tail vanished beneath her skirt in a flash. Mo Lan cupped her hands in greeting. “Young Master Lu, what brings you here?”
Lu Zheng jerked his chin toward the wolf demon’s corpse. “I came for that wolf demon.”
“It?” Mo Lan glanced doubtfully at the body under her foot. “A little demon that only just gained awareness, not even able to fully transform?”
Lu Zheng nodded. “Yesterday this wolf demon led a pack into Tushan Market, ate some livestock, injured a few people. The county sent men to kill the wolves, discovered it was a supernatural creature, and since I happened to be there, I came to take a look.”
“I see.” Mo Lan said, “I’ve seen this wolf pack before. I even knew the wolf king. I’ve bullied him several times, yet I never sensed he had the potential to become a demon.”
“Eh?” Lu Zheng was stunned.
You’re a scorpion spirit with over a hundred years of cultivation. What kind of hobby is bullying ordinary grey wolves?
“Just looking for some fun,” Mo Lan replied indifferently. “I don’t go looking for men, so can’t I amuse myself with animals?”
“Fair enough, fair enough!” Lu Zheng could only nod.
Mo Lan continued, “I don’t know what happened, but it suddenly became a demon and led the pack to wreck my cave dwelling. I was out travelling and sparring with Bi Xin Yu at the time, so I wasn’t home. When I returned yesterday, I discovered what it had done.
So I tracked its scent here and happened to meet it leading the pack back.
I don’t know where it found the courage. It had only just awakened, its mind not yet fully clear, yet it actually dared to attack me.”
Lu Zheng glanced at the wolf corpse. So that’s why it died?
Well, anyway, the problem was solved.
“It’s just a pity about all this wolf meat,” Lu Zheng said regretfully, shaking his head. “Wolf meat boiled three times, even immortals can’t stay standing!”
Last time, the meat from Leng Jian had tasted far better than the finest dog meat. Even now Lu Zheng still savoured the memory.
With his cooking skills now another level higher, if he had a wolf demon to hand, he could definitely feast gloriously.
But everything he could see of the corpse was thoroughly permeated with scorpion venom. It had become a toxic carcass; even a touch would kill an ordinary person.
“Fine, I’ll make do with a few ordinary grey wolves. By the way, Miss Mo, remember to visit Peach Blossom Manor next ten-day break!”
Even Mo Lan could not help nodding. Once transformed into human shape, one naturally developed human appetites. Whether it was the grand Min cuisine banquet two times ago or the lakeside barbecue last time, the food Lu Zheng cooked was genuinely delicious.
“Good!” Mo Lan nodded. She was about to leave when she suddenly paused.
“Hm?” Mo Lan turned back.
“What’s wrong?” Lu Zheng asked.
“This wolf demon feels a bit odd,” Mo Lan said, frowning at the corpse.
“Odd?”
Lu Zheng examined the wolf demon, sent out his senses, then said in puzzlement, “Nothing odd about it. It’s dead, properly dead.”
Lu Zheng was very curious. His cultivation far exceeded Mo Lan’s, yet he sensed nothing. How had she noticed anything?
“Deep in its heart vessels, my venom cannot penetrate,” Mo Lan said.
Lu Zheng blinked, completely confused.
Seeing that Lu Zheng seemed not to understand, Mo Lan explained further. “I injected scorpion venom into its body. The venom flowed through its meridians and blood, spreading everywhere, invading organs, skin, fur, bones, and blood. It killed the creature almost instantly.
Even after death, I did not withdraw control of the venom, so it continued flowing through every part of the body.”
Lu Zheng nodded.
“I can sense the state of my venom inside it,” Mo Lan said. “By now, so much time has passed that every part of its body should be thoroughly saturated with my poison.”
“But not the deepest part of its heart vessels?” Lu Zheng finished for her.
“Exactly.” Mo Lan nodded, crouched down, seized the wolf demon’s chest and abdomen with both hands, and ripped.
Riiip!
The corpse tore open. Black, venom-tainted blood poured out and soaked into the ground.
“Found it!” Mo Lan said.
“Huh?” Lu Zheng sensed it too.
Mo Lan reached in, crushed the wolf demon’s heart, and pulled out a small ball of bright red blood.
From that blood, Lu Zheng felt a thick, powerful demonic aura.
“Wolf demon essence blood!” Mo Lan declared.
“Wolf demon essence blood?” Lu Zheng asked.
“Not from this wolf demon. It belongs to another, far stronger wolf demon. Inside it still carries that demon’s power and mark. This wolf shared the same bloodline, swallowed the essence blood, avoided backlash from the mark, and accidentally transformed into a demon,” Mo Lan explained.
Lu Zheng, “…”
“How could the essence blood of such a powerful wolf demon appear nearby?” Mo Lan was shocked. “A single drop of essence blood capable of turning an ordinary wolf into a demon must come from at least a thousand-year great demon. But why would he leave essence blood here? Did he take a liking to this wolf?”
Essence blood is the foundation of cultivation. Ordinary people cannot casually lose blood; doing so causes injury or even damages the root of one’s cultivation.
Yet using essence blood meant that great demon greatly favoured this grey wolf. Realising this, Mo Lan’s expression turned panicked. She was already preparing to move house.
Seeing Mo Lan growing anxious and hurrying to leave, Lu Zheng could not hold back any longer. “Have you never considered that the wolf demon might have spat out that essence blood because it was injured?”
Mo Lan: ???
