A tiger’s roar jolted the old hunter, deafening him instantly, his head spinning.
A white-fronted tiger with piercing eyes leapt from the darkness, pouncing on the hunter, its jaws snapping towards his neck.
Caught off guard, even the seasoned hunter panicked, his spear slipping from his grasp. He seized the tiger’s neck with both hands, pushing with all his might to keep the gaping maw at bay.
“Beast, I’ve hunted your kind before, you think I’ll die in your jaws?”
“Get off!”
The hunter roared, his voice booming like a bell, no less fierce than the tiger’s cry.
With a surge of unknown strength, he flipped Erha off, rolled over, and straddled the tiger, hammering it with his fists.
“I’ll kill you, then go after that little pest!”
Panting, eyes bloodshot, the hunter poured his rage into his fists, each blow heavier than the last, making Erha wail in pain.
“Sorry, you won’t live long enough!”
A cold voice sounded behind the hunter, followed by a “thud”.
The hunter froze, his raised fist dropping. He looked down at his chest, where a spear tip protruded.
The tip looked familiar, one of his own tools for hunting beasts.
He never imagined, after a lifetime of hunting, he’d die by his own spear.
“Calling us beasts and livestock, what does that make you humans?”
“I’ve had enough of you!”
Mo Fan, behind the hunter, spoke with fury, opening his gaping maw to reveal razor-sharp fangs, biting off the hunter’s head in one snap.
“You’re just food in Grandpa Mo’s stomach, how noble can you be?”
Mo Fan’s face darkened, chewing as flesh and blood dripped from his teeth.
At that moment, he truly looked like a demon, a real man-eating demon!
Though it was his first time killing a human, Mo Fan felt no guilt. This man deserved to die!
Those who try to kill me, I can kill in return!
That was Mo Fan’s creed. In this life, no longer human, he was free from human ethics. Though it seemed savage, wasn’t it also a kind of freedom?
Mo Fan didn’t leave the hunter’s corpse, sharing a feast with Erha.
But after eating, he retched for a long time.
Despite his demon body, his soul was still human.
“Damn, first time eating human, not quite used to it. Maybe I’ll get the hang of it after a few more?”
Mo Fan muttered, then turned to the bruised Erha, kicking and cursing, “Useless thing, king of the forest, nearly killed by that old man, what good are you?”
“Roar—”
Erha growled in discontent, then eyed the big white rabbit, licking its lips.
“Don’t even think about it, that’s a demon, higher rank than you, you dare eat it?”
“Besides, it’s useful to me. Try eating it, and I’ll stew you in a pot!”
Facing Mo Fan’s fierce glare, Erha, though tempted, didn’t dare act, slinking back to nap boredly.
As the king of these twenty miles, Erha’s life was simple, mostly spent sleeping, only hunting when hungry.
Since Mo Fan arrived, his lazy days had dwindled, so he seized this chance to rest.
Mo Fan ignored him, starting to sort his spoils.
A near ten-foot fine iron spear, a horn bow, several feathered arrows.
He also found copper coins, a few silver fragments, a familiar small porcelain bottle, and half a gourd of wine in the hunter’s pouch.
“Wine, really?”
Sniffing the gourd’s aroma, Mo Fan perked up, pouring it into his mouth.
He hadn’t tasted wine in ages and craved it.
The wine was smooth and fragrant, not harsh, warming his stomach as it spread through his limbs.
This wasn’t ordinary wine!
“Could this be the bone-forging wine he mentioned?”
Mo Fan’s heart stirred. Knowing it was valuable, he downed the rest in one go.
After finishing the half-gourd, he felt his body brimming with power, heat converging into a current rampaging through him.
It resembled the energy from eating spirit fruit, though less intense, fading after a while.
Mo Fan found it a pity.
Nourished by the bone-forging wine, he clearly felt stronger, his frame noticeably improved.
But the wine was too little to truly transform him.
He figured three more gourds might push him to a second demon transformation.
Mo Fan could only dream, giving a wry smile before turning to the rabbit demon, asking, “You alright?”
“I’m… fine, just my legs are weak, no strength to stand.”
The rabbit demon spoke, then said gratefully, “Lord Toad, you’re amazing! Not only did you kill that human hunter, but you tamed such a huge tiger. Thank you so much!”
“Thank my arse, if you weren’t useful, I’d eat you right now!”
Mo Fan scoffed, genuinely annoyed.
He was about to enjoy a nice barbecue on that hill, but this rabbit demon ruined it, forcing him into a life-or-death fight.
If she didn’t seem naive and not deliberately luring trouble, rabbit meat might’ve been on today’s menu.
“Lord Toad, rest assured, since you saved me, I’ll definitely repay you.”
The rabbit demon’s voice was soft, her tone sincere.
“Repay? With what, your body?”
Mo Fan rolled his eyes, glancing at his crotch, noting the absence of something, and sighed helplessly.
The toad body’s biggest flaw wasn’t its ugly face but the missing bit below…
He understood toads differed from most creatures, so it was normal, but even if he had it, could he really go wild among a bunch of bumpy toads?
Imagining mating with warty toads made him shudder, too horrifying…
He only hoped full demon transformation would regrow that bit, making his demon life worthwhile. As for finding a demon wife later, that was a future problem, why worry now?
“What’s ‘with your body’?” the rabbit demon asked, confused.
Hearing this, Mo Fan glanced at her furry lower half, sighed, and shook his head, “Nothing. You said you know of other demons nearby? Tell me about them.”
“I don’t know about stray demons, but fifty miles south, there’s Black Wind Mountain, said to house many demons,” the rabbit demon said weakly.
Black Wind Mountain?
Mo Fan’s interest piqued, and he asked eagerly, “Do you know if there are any powerful demons on Black Wind Mountain?”
“No idea, but if you want to go, I can lead you there.”
“That’s what I was waiting for!”
Mo Fan clapped his hands, then kicked the snoring Erha, “Erha, get up, time to work!”
