Chapter 141

Chapter 141

The cave was silent.

No one answered.

Only the calls of birds and insects in the surrounding forest added a touch of seclusion to the woods in broad daylight.

“What’s going on?”

I frowned slightly.

“Could they have encountered some danger? No, that’s impossible!”

“Bai Su’s demonic energy is incredibly powerful. She might be a rabbit, and her strength might have been catalyzed by that mysterious black plant at the bottom of the river, leaving her with relatively weak fighting instincts and technique. But nothing in this forest should dare provoke her.”

Countless possibilities flashed through my mind. I called out loudly several more times.

Still no answer came from the cave.

Left with no choice, I gritted my teeth, pulled aside the vines covering the entrance, and walked in.

Naturally, I held a talisman between my fingers in case of trouble.

If anything happened, I would attack immediately and retreat from the cave.

Fortunately, there was no danger.

The cave was empty. Neither Bai Su nor Huihui was inside, but I saw no trace of a fight anywhere.

While I stood there puzzled, a rustling sound came from the entrance.

“Something’s coming?”

My heart lurched, and I grew alert once more.

I turned around.

The curtain of vines hanging over the entrance swayed. An enormous white rabbit hopped inside with a gray fox riding on her back.

The fox clutched a bundle of medicinal herbs in his front paws like a human.

It was Bai Su and Huihui!

They froze briefly when they saw me.

Then Huihui, still on Bai Su’s back, squeaked excitedly. He leaped to the ground and set down the herbs in his paws.

Standing upright, he waved both little paws at me, making animated gestures.

At the same time, a young boy’s voice sounded in my mind.

“Brother Wu, did you come to visit Susu and me? It’s only been a few days, but I already missed you.”

I rubbed his furry head and replied with a smile.

“Have you been listening to Susu? Don’t run around outside. Stay in the cave and cultivate properly.”

Huihui nodded vigorously, indicating that he had been very obedient.

“Greetings, Mr. Wu.”

Bai Su greeted me as well.

I smiled and nodded, then looked at her abdomen and hind leg.

The long, narrow wound had almost completely healed. Fresh granulation tissue had formed around its edges, and fine new fur had even begun growing over the surface.

I couldn’t help marveling.

“A monster at your level has an astonishing ability to recover. That wound was so severe, and it had already begun to rot and fester. Yet only a few days after we cleaned it, you’ve healed this much.”

Then I put on a dejected expression and shrugged.

“In that case, it looks like the remaining anti-inflammatory medicine I brought especially for you is useless.”

“Please don’t say that, Mr. Wu. Your thoughtfulness truly moves me. I honestly don’t know how I can ever repay your kindness and care.”

The huge white rabbit also rose onto her hind legs. She placed her large furry paws together, one before the other, and actually gave me the formal cupped-hand salute of a human.

I smiled and waved. “I was only joking. Recovering so quickly on your own is wonderful. The fact that you don’t need the medicine is a good thing.”

Inwardly, I was overjoyed.

Having such a powerful monster owe me an enormous favor was an incredible bargain.

Her fighting ability might be weak compared to her actual level, but she was still vastly stronger than an ordinary monster.

“Brother Wu, Susu and I went out to gather herbs. We found more precious medicinal plants. See if you need any–you can take whatever you want!”

Huihui pointed to the pile of herbs on the ground. Standing upright with his tiny paws on his hips, he made his generous offer like a human.

I burst out laughing.

Once again, I cheerfully petted the dog’s head–no, the fox’s head.

“No need, Huihui. I don’t know anything about medicinal plants. I took the precious herbs you and Miss Bai gave me last time home to my parents, and we don’t need any more at the moment.”

But Bai Su picked up several plants in her mouth and placed them in my hand.

“This is Seven-Leaf Chicken-Heart Herb. It can quickly stop bleeding, reduce swelling and pain, and neutralize some corpse and ghost poisons. You should carry a few with you, Mr. Wu.”

That truly sounded useful.

So I accepted them.

“Then thank you for your kindness, Miss Bai. How should I take them?”

“It’s very simple. Eat them directly. You just said you don’t know much about medicinal plants, so Seven-Leaf Chicken-Heart Herb is the easiest for you to use and the most useful to you.”
I had to admit, Bai Su was remarkably meticulous and considerate for a rabbit monster.

Since she no longer needed the anti-inflammatory medicine, I took out some snacks instead.

“These are for you, Huihui. They’re snacks human children like to eat.”

“Wow! Thank you, Brother Wu.”

Huihui looked delighted.

He immediately took a small bag of snacks, tore it open with his sharp claws, and began eating.

Bai Su turned our conversation to the mysterious object beneath the river outside Xiaowan Village and the possibility of continuing our investigation. She said she could come with us to examine it.

I sighed.

“After I went home, I told Master everything about it. Judging by her reaction, she probably knows something about the object.”

What?!

Delight flashed through Bai Su’s eyes, and she hurriedly asked, “Does that mean you already know what lies beneath the river, Mr. Wu? Excellent. Having a clear objective may make our investigation twice as effective with half the effort.”

“I don’t know. Master refused to tell me. She only warned me, very seriously, that the thing seems not to belong in the mortal world and is terrifying beyond imagination. It is absolutely not something I can touch at my present level.”

I smiled wryly as I explained.

“More importantly, Master said it hasn’t fully matured yet. It only appears occasionally. The traces of energy it releases are detected by the River God of the Chuan River, the monsters in the water, and the sunken corpses. Then they swarm toward it in a frenzy.”

“Master estimates that the object will take another two or three years to mature. As for what we’ll do then, she said we’ll decide when the time comes. If she’s willing to intervene, it probably won’t be a problem.”

I didn’t know Master’s exact cultivation or level, but I trusted her completely.

Old Cao trusted her even more. In his eyes, Master was practically an immortal.

No matter what, our investigation would probably have to end here for the time being.

“I see…”

Bai Su seemed lost in thought.

After a moment of silence, she spoke again.

“Then the black fragment of leaf I swallowed came from the mysterious object before it had even matured? Yet swallowing it granted me the equivalent of at least forty years of diligent cultivation.”

As she spoke, shock flashed through her bright rabbit eyes.

I realized the same thing.

Suppose the object truly was some strange and miraculous black plant. Merely eating a piece of the immature plant had produced such unimaginable benefits. What terrifying power would it possess after fully maturing?

The thought was chilling.

Another silence followed.

Bai Su was the first to speak.

“Mr. Wu, I have considered this carefully. Although your extraordinarily capable master said the object has not matured, perhaps we should conduct another thorough investigation. It may not have vanished completely yet.”

Her suggestion made sense.

During our previous trip to the river bend, we had depended almost entirely on Li Miao, the corpse retriever, to dive to the riverbed. We had possessed no information at all and were groping blindly in the dark.

Now we knew far more, and an immensely powerful great monster could help us. We could try again.

Master believed the object would soon disappear and wouldn’t mature for another two or three years. But we could still learn more now, couldn’t we? Then we would be better prepared when it matured.

“You’re right, Miss Bai! If you’re interested, we can certainly go together and investigate again. You grew up with Mr. Bai, a feng shui master, so you must be widely experienced. Up close, you might notice something none of us can see.”

This rabbit monster had been raised by a feng shui master. She wasn’t an ordinary wild monster.

Her understanding of feng shui formations and the contours of mountains and rivers might even surpass mine. After all, I had only recently begun studying feng shui.

Even with the two secret feng shui texts The Book of Burial and The Classic of Dwellings, I couldn’t match the insight of a great monster raised from childhood by a feng shui master.

After I agreed to investigate the river bend again, Bai Su said she intended to leave the cave with Huihui and move to the mountains outside Lianghe Town.

That would put them much closer to us. We could meet every day if necessary and watch out for one another whenever anything happened.

I was ecstatic.

“Can I really be this lucky?”

Excitement surged through me.

Having a great monster as an ally was already wonderful. I never expected her to move near Lianghe Town so we could support each other.

Bai Su looked at me, a humanlike smile glimmering in her bright red eyes.
“Would you welcome us as neighbors in Lianghe Town, Mr. Wu?”

I hurriedly replied, “Of course. You’re both more than welcome!”

“I am a little concerned, however. Will the ritual practitioners in Lianghe Town and the surrounding area accept us? If they mistake Huihui and me for monsters who have come to cause trouble, a conflict would be unfortunate.”

Ritual masters, folk Taoist masters, and people who made a living dealing with yin affairs–these were common terms ordinary people used for folk arcane lineages, meaning cultivators like us.

Bai Su’s strength meant she had nothing to fear.

But as a benevolent monster raised as the companion of a feng shui master, she had no desire to create misunderstandings or conflicts with other cultivators.

I immediately thumped my chest.

“That’s no problem at all! Old Cao, the coffin-shop owner I live with, is a famous coffin bearer throughout several nearby towns. He’s also a highly experienced old ritual master. He can spread the word around the area. Yuan Fei and Li Miao are well respected too. Don’t worry, Miss Bai.”

My assurance put Bai Su completely at ease.

She told me to return to Lianghe Town first.

She and Huihui would clean and pack the cave, then come to the coffin shop after dark, late that night.

Her body was simply too large. If she traveled before the dead of night and ordinary people saw her, it would cause unnecessary trouble.

I described the coffin shop’s general location to Bai Su, played with Huihui for a while longer, and then left ahead of them.

My National Day trip home had certainly been rewarding.

Not only had I learned something about the mysterious object beneath the river outside Xiaowan Village, but I had also gained the friendship of a great monster with whom I now shared close ties.

Oh, and I had fought a malignant corpse spirit in Xia Family Hamlet.

The battle had been extraordinarily dangerous, but I had grown tremendously from the experience.

…

After leaving Bai Su’s cave, I headed toward Lianghe Town.

The country path was equally quiet during the day.

Occasionally, I encountered villagers from elsewhere heading into town. Farmers also worked the fields on either side of the road.

The scene possessed a rustic charm.

Sometimes, when I thought about it, the contrast felt almost magical.

The place and scenery remained exactly the same.

Ordinary people found it beautiful during the day, yet terrifying at night.

How interesting!

Around dinnertime, I reached the coffin shop east of Lianghe Town.

The moment I crossed its high threshold and stepped inside, a powerful aroma filled my nose.

Clearly, Wang Hu was cooking dinner. Ever since Old Cao tasted the noodles he made last time, he had handed all cooking duties to Wang Hu.

In return, Old Cao burned soul-fortifying incense for Wang Hu to consume, strengthening the power and stability of his spirit body.

“Wow, that smells wonderful! Is Uncle Hu making dinner? Looks like I came back at exactly the right time.”

I called loudly.

Then three men emerged from the back room.

Old Cao, Li Miao, and Yuan Fei.

Old Cao looked at me and pretended to curse with a smile.

“You little rascal, did you deliberately come back at this hour to mooch another dinner? Wang Hu cooked enough for only three people. You’re a growing boy with a huge appetite. The rest of us will go hungry!”

I pouted. “You’re far too stingy, Old Cao! I’ll pay for two pounds of meat from the market next door, and we can add another dish.”

Hahaha!

All four of us laughed.

Once our laughter faded, I curiously asked Yuan Fei why he was there too.

Li Miao’s presence was perfectly natural.

We had arranged it in advance.

Today, we were gathering again in Old Cao’s coffin shop to examine the photocopy of the Fubei County Gazetteer that Boss Duan had delivered.

Yuan Fei shrugged helplessly.

“I was performing a ritual in Xinyan Town next door. Since I happened to be passing by, I stopped in for a visit. Who would have thought I’d find Brother Li Miao here? He’s a famous corpse retriever in the area, and I’ve heard of him before. But his presence in Boss Cao’s coffin shop seemed strange.”

“After asking a few questions, I learned that you recently encountered another bizarre and fascinating incident. Naturally, I was extremely curious.”

“And from what you’ve been discussing, it may be connected to the mysterious rogue occultist behind the Killer Demon Tree. Since I was already involved in that affair, one more won’t make a difference. When debts pile high enough, you stop worrying about another; when you’re covered in lice, one more bite doesn’t matter.”

From the sound of it, he wanted to join us.