Mo Fan’s words startled the ox demon Da Li, who immediately shook his head, “That won’t do!”
“Lai Bao, the master personally said to look after you. If something happens to you, how could I explain it to him?”
Da Li shook his head again, flatly rejecting Mo Fan’s suggestion.
“Brother Da Li, it’s not as serious as you make it out to be. You’ve been in Black Wind Mountain for decades, have you ever encountered any real danger?” Mo Fan asked.
“Well… aside from that time I went to human territory and got attacked by cultivators, nothing much,” Da Li admitted, shaking his head honestly.
“There you go!”
Mo Fan grinned, pressing on, “Last time, I heard the master say that everything within a hundred miles belongs to Black Wind Mountain. With the great king, such a fearsome demon, holding court, which demon hunter would dare cause trouble here?
“Wouldn’t that be like an old man hanging himself, tired of living?”
“Uh… where’d you learn all this fancy talk?” Da Li said, bewildered, even more surprised by the toad demon’s eloquence.
Mo Fan chuckled, continuing, “Besides, in our patrol team, my spot’s the easiest. My cultivation’s the weakest, and I don’t draw attention from other demons. If I leave Black Wind Mountain, no one will notice.
“You brothers are different, with high cultivation and familiar faces. The one-eyed Ding Mu’s demons are watching closely, so you can’t just leave.
“I’m different. I’ve been here less than a month, barely know any demons. My leaving won’t raise any eyebrows.”
“So, brother, still hesitating?” Mo Fan looked at Da Li’s furrowed brow, deciding to push further, “You can stop me, but Brother Red Eye can’t wait!”
Sure enough, Da Li’s expression shifted. He was close to the rabbit demon and didn’t want to see him served up as a feast. He nodded, “Alright, I’ll go with your plan this time, but you must return before our patrol ends, or you’ll get me in deep trouble!”
“Don’t worry, brother, I know what I’m doing!”
“Wait here a moment, I’ll grab some things from my cave and head out to find Brother Red Eye!”
Seeing Da Li agree, Mo Fan didn’t hesitate, heading back to his cave.
He wasn’t returning to fetch anything but to check on the dragon loaches in the spring pool.
He knew this trip might take days, so he had to ensure the dozen golden loaches were set.
With prior experience, Mo Fan wasn’t worried about them escaping the basket, they were greedy creatures.
As long as there were spirit stones, they wouldn’t leave.
So, he added two hundred more spirit stones to the basket, figuring it’d last until his return, then left.
At the mountainside, he found Da Li pacing anxiously. After a brief chat, Mo Fan followed him down a secluded path to the foot of the mountain.
“This path is rarely used by demons, it’ll avoid that dog demon.”
“This would’ve been perfect for Zha Zha, with his flying ability, finding Red Eye would be easy. But like me, he’s being watched by that rattlesnake, so he can’t just leave.
“The dog demon’s great at tracking, but I don’t trust him. In our Ding, he’s a notorious snitch, running to the master at the slightest thing.
“So, this really depends on you!”
Leading the way, Da Li sighed repeatedly, never expecting to rely on Lai Bao, a new demon, at such a critical moment. It felt a bit embarrassing.
But there was no other way.
“Don’t worry, brother, I’ll make sure it’s done!” Mo Fan assured with a smile.
“This time, we owe you one. We’ll repay the favour later!”
Da Li spoke solemnly, seeing Mo Fan’s actions as loyal and righteous. Sneaking off to find a demon was risky, if exposed, it could mean being skinned alive or, worse, cooked in a pot.
At the mountain’s base, Mo Fan waved a toad leg at Da Li, heading off alone, his small figure soon vanishing into the undergrowth.
Leaving Black Wind Mountain, Mo Fan felt a weight lift, no longer oppressed, tempted to let out a long howl.
Gazing at the natural beauty ahead, his mood soared, a slight smile on his lips.
He wasn’t kind enough to genuinely search for Red Eye.
Nor was he escaping, though this was a rare chance.
His sole purpose in taking this opportunity was to scout human territory!
If lucky, he might even catch a human entering the Demon Spirit Mountain Range. As for Red Eye, that was just a side task.
Finding him would be nice, if not, well, sorry.
He didn’t think Red Eye would flee. Five stones of meat sounded like a lot, but it was only five or six hundred jin. Killing a couple of large beasts would suffice.
If Red Eye hunted enough, he’d return. If not, he’d still go back.
Unless Red Eye was a fool, that was certain.
Mo Fan had deliberately exaggerated the issue to seize this chance to leave Black Wind Mountain and see the outside world.
Having transformed three times and learned the body-shedding technique, wielding venomous demon weapons, his strength was vastly improved.
Mo Fan felt if he faced that old hunter again, he could kill him in a single encounter!
So, leaving Black Wind Mountain didn’t feel dangerous, more like a triumphant return after mastering his cultivation.
After going a bit farther, Mo Fan fully manifested his spirit form, becoming a robust bald man, though still with toad legs.
Even so, he noticed he was much taller now, nearly one meter forty.
Looking at his smooth skin, he exhaled demonic energy to envelop himself, chanting the body-shedding technique. Instantly, a wide black robe appeared, covering his body, hiding the awkward toad legs. Now, a human wouldn’t immediately spot him as a demon.
This was a simple use of the body-shedding technique.
Such transformation tricks were common, most Black Wind Mountain demons knew them, but being wild, they preferred beast hides or cloth over conjured robes and lacked the awareness to do so.
Mo Fan’s use was perfectly timed.
Free from Black Wind Mountain’s oppression, he was like a wild horse, galloping across the land.
Though not tall, his speed rivalled a horse’s, even surpassing it.
With demonic energy, he leaped ten feet, practically gliding over the ground.
Only then did Mo Fan truly realise how powerful he’d become!
The gap between transforming and not was vast, as was the gap between one transformation and three!
Soon, he entered the depths of the Demon Spirit Mountain Range, looking back at the lush scenery, with no trace of Black Wind Mountain left.
