Chapter 190

Chapter 190

“This trip to Mafang Village paid off handsomely! Not only did I earn the enormous sum of twenty thousand yuan, I also obtained a demon core. Once I get home, I’ll ask Master how I should use it.”

Thinking silently, I carefully slipped the bead I had dug from the toad monster’s belly into my pocket.

Then I directed the other villagers to move the two human skeletons onto the ridge and set them down safely. Afterward, they poured the gasoline they had brought over the enormous toad’s corpse.

Then we set it ablaze!

Roaring flames rose as black smoke billowed into the sky.

The villagers cheered from atop the ridge.

The terrifying monster had been eliminated, and peace returned to the village.

But one question remained in my mind.

“Where did this toad monster come from?”

Consider its size, its cultivation, and how long it must have lived!

There was no way it could have been “native” to the area around Mafang Village.

Only some vast mountain wilderness or marsh untouched by humans could produce a toad monster of this level.

So why had it come here?

There had to be some unknown secret behind it!

But under the current circumstances, I certainly could not investigate the matter.

I could only leave it alone for now.

At least with the enormous toad gone, Mafang Village should remain peaceful and safe for a long time.

Seeing the villagers so happy warmed my heart too.

…

More than half an hour later,

at the entrance to Mafang Village,

Sixth Lu said, “Young Mr. Wu, I truly can’t thank you enough for what you did. This is your payment.”

He pulled a pale yellow kraft-paper envelope from his pocket, bowed slightly, and presented it to me with both hands.

“Thank you.”

I accepted it with a smile, secretly weighing it in my hand at the same time.

Why did it feel slightly heavier than expected?

My senses had been keener than most people’s since childhood, and they improved another level after I began cultivating under Master. My martial arts had advanced tremendously during this winter break, making me even more sensitive.

So I asked,

“Uncle Lu, it feels as though you’ve put too much money in here.”

Rubbing his hands together, Sixth Lu chuckled.

“I added another two thousand yuan… You’re a true expert, Young Mr. Wu. I’ve seen it with my own eyes now! Consider the extra payment a token of my admiration.”

I had to admit, anyone with enough business sense to make money just as society began taking off was no ordinary person!

I knew perfectly well that he wanted to curry favor with me, but the gesture still felt wonderful.

I did not refuse.

I nodded and accepted it.

“Then thank you for your generosity, Uncle Lu. If you encounter anything unnatural in the future, you can contact me through our village’s old chief.”

Sixth Lu immediately nodded hard.

“I will! Have a safe journey, Young Mr. Wu.”

“All right. You can stay here, Uncle Lu. There’s no need to see me off.”

After saying goodbye, I strolled toward Wujia Village.

By then, only a thin crescent of the western sun remained above the mountains. Its light had faded into a dim, muted yellow.

Against my skin, it felt almost soft and fuzzy.

The winter wind blew into my face at dusk. It was slightly cold, yet rather pleasant.

The grass all around me swayed gently, rustling in the breeze.

An ordinary person traveling through the mountains at that hour would hurry toward the village!

Once the sun vanished completely and darkness fell, a night journey through the mountains brought far more strange encounters and dangers than travel during the day.

Naturally, I was not worried.

On the contrary, I loved the quiet serenity of dusk…

Even though fighting the toad monster had drained me badly,

ordinary wandering ghosts and wild mountain spirits still would not dare cause trouble for me.

It was after eight at night when I returned to Wujia Village.

From a distance, I could see the lights of the village homes glowing throughout the long, narrow valley.

I hurried home first to let Mom and Dad know I was safe. I gave them seventeen thousand yuan from the fee for subduing the monster and kept five thousand for myself. I occasionally needed money while staying in Lianghe Town, after all.

Then I took the dinner Mom had prepared and headed to Master’s house.

Her mealtimes were not particularly regular, and eating late did not bother her.

Whenever I was home, I simply tried to bring food over and eat with her…

At her level, she could actually go ten days or half a month without food or water and remain perfectly fine.

Still, I thought Master ought to eat more!
She was so thin, after all. Wouldn’t putting on a little weight be good for her?

Besides, eating with Master always made me happy… even though she was constantly fierce and struck me on the head at the slightest provocation.

Carrying the lunch box and thinking about those things, I did not even notice the foolish grin spreading across my face.

Master and I quietly finished dinner together. After sitting cross-legged and practicing the Hand-Sealing Method, I began chattering nonstop, giving her a detailed account of my great battle against the toad monster in Mafang Village.

Of course, since I wanted to claim some credit in front of her, I applied the tiniest bit of artistic embellishment. I slightly downplayed how bedraggled I had looked…

I swear, it was only the tiniest bit of boasting.

Yet she still saw through me at a glance. Then she raised her pale, delicate palm…

She nearly knocked me senseless!

I rubbed my head in grievance, pulled the toad monster’s demon core from my pocket, and handed it over with a pout.

“Master, this is that beast’s demon core. See if it might be useful for something? Oh, since it’s a demon core, could it benefit Miss Chang?”

I had thought of Master’s household familiar.

She once told me that Miss Chang had suffered severe injuries and lost her physical body. Now, she survived in soul form within Master’s body.

A household familiar might have the word “immortal” in its Chinese name, but it was still essentially a monster!

It was simply a benevolent monster that had formed a contract with a cultivator.

With that in mind, I wondered whether allowing Miss Chang to absorb the demon core might help ease her injuries.

To my surprise, Master gently shook her head after hearing my suggestion.

“That little toad was far too weak. For Little Chang, it wouldn’t even be a drop in the bucket, so there’s no point. But it would be very beneficial for you right now. You should use it instead.”

“Oh!”

I nodded, only half understanding.

Then I asked,

“The same way I absorbed the corpse core from that vicious corpse, Zhou Min?”

Master shook her head again.

“No. A corpse-fiend still transforms from a human body, so it’s closer to a human cultivator. Monsters differ from us far more greatly, making their power much harder to absorb.”

“And although that earlier corpse core contained dense corpse energy, the vicious corpse had never killed anyone or caused harm, so it carried no evil energy. Once impurities such as corpse energy and corpse venom were removed, you could absorb it.”

“This toad monster, however, was an evil monster that ate people. Its demon core also contains intense baleful and evil energy! Absorbing it isn’t suitable for you right now.”

“Huh?”

I stared at Master’s beautiful face, scratched my head, and asked meekly,

“Then how do I use it?”

She rolled her eyes at me.

“Idiot! You may not be able to use it yourself, but you still have a household familiar bound to you by contract, Ah-Zhong. Feed it to that stupid fat bird, and its strength will increase.”

“That will shorten the time before you can remain together in the physical world. I estimate that within six months, it will be able to manifest and stay by your side continuously.”

Wonderful!

I pumped my fist in delight.

Because of the restrictions inherent in household-familiar arts, Roundy could appear only in my dreams while neither it nor I was strong enough.

At most, it could lend me a portion of its strength across the distance. We could not remain together constantly.

From what Master said, feeding Roundy this demon core could shorten the process to only six months!

I hurriedly asked her what I should do.

Master said it was very simple. I only had to take the toad monster’s demon core home.

When I went to bed, I should place it beside my pillow, then tell Roundy about it when we met in my dream. The household familiar would find its own way to take the core!

And so, I followed her instructions that night.

Sure enough!

When Roundy heard in my dream that there was a demon core for it to eat, it happily wriggled its round, furry body and danced on a tree branch.

It chirped repeatedly and bounced up and down…

But perhaps it was simply too fat and heavy, because it actually snapped the branch beneath itself!

It fell headfirst and buried its head in the soil, leaving its two short little legs kicking wildly in the air. I laughed until my stomach hurt.

Was this really the legendary king of fierce and agile eagles–the Jade-Talon Gyrfalcon?

If I did not trust Master completely, I might have suspected even she had gotten it wrong!

How did this creature resemble the king of eagles in the slightest?

It was obviously a ridiculous fat hen!