Chapter 124: Entering the Mountain

"Hunting demons is dangerous; I originally didn't want you involved, but since you've learned the movement technique and gained the ability to protect yourself, I'll teach you everything I know about demon hunting."

Mo Shan looked at Mo Hua and said: "These are lessons forged over tens of thousands of years by demon hunters, paid for with their lives and blood—learn them well. Even if you never become a demon hunter, they'll always be useful."

Mo Hua's small face grew serious, and he nodded solemnly.

"The first rule of demon hunting isn't killing demonic beasts—it's understanding the terrain."

"Great Heishan's terrain is complex, its topography tangled. You must first learn the paths—know where the peaks lie, where the cliffs drop, where the caves open, where demonic beasts appear, where the miasma is thick, which spirit herbs are poisonous..."

"If you know these well, even if your cultivation is insufficient, you'll know how to evade danger and avoid losing your life."

"Conversely, if you don't understand the terrain or geography, you'll either inhale miasma, eat poison grass, or wander into a demonic den—no matter how high your cultivation, you'll struggle to walk out of Great Heishan alive."

"I'll take you through the outer mountain. Memorize the terrain, the paths, the small streams, the miasma zones, the poison swamps, the dense forests..."

After speaking, Mo Shan walked forward along the mountain path.

Mo Hua followed closely behind, memorizing the path beneath his feet and the scenery along the way.

When they encountered dangerous spots, Mo Shan would stop deliberately and explain them in detail to Mo Hua.

For instance, where the miasma was thin, where the peak's miasma was thick—where it was dense, never stay longer than half an hour, or the miasma will enter your body and cloud your mind.

Some dense forests generate thick fog; if you accidentally enter, you'll lose your way—unless the sun passes its zenith and the mountain fog clears, you'll never find your way out.

Some poison swamps harbor demonic beasts with deadly toxins, their skin shifting color with the vegetation—be vigilant.

Which peaks harbor great demons, and what signs appear when great demons are near...

Walking from dawn till dusk, they'd covered only a small portion of Great Heishan's outer mountain.

As night fell, Mo Shan brought Mo Hua to a small camp on the mountainside.

The camp was a small cave, its entrance concealed with foliage and sealed with an iron door, on which a simple array had been painted to deter demonic beast attacks.

The camp was small, but held some dried rations, wild grasses, and a few crude stone beds.

"This is a temporary camp for demon hunters to rest or spend the night—crude, but sufficient for shelter."

Mo Shan pointed to the iron door: "The door has an array—it's not powerful, but it works. If you're being hunted by a demonic beast and have nowhere to hide, come here, activate the array—most demonic beasts can't get in."

Mo Hua nodded.

Father and son spent the night in the camp.

At dawn the next day, they rose again and continued down the mountain path.

Mo Shan walked and explained as he went.

Thus, day by day, night by night, they remained in Great Heishan for seven full days before Mo Shan finally led Mo Hua through the entire outer mountain.

After returning home, Mo Hua's entire body ached, his calves swollen, and from inhaling too much miasma, his head throbbed and spun—even after taking Miasma-Repelling Pills, his forehead still pulsed with dull pain.

Liu Ruhua summoned Mr. Feng to brew a Spirit-Clearing Decoction for Mo Hua, applied swelling-reducing herbs to his body, and seeing his pale face, felt deep sorrow, scolding Mo Shan:

"Teach him slowly—it's not necessary to spend seven days in the mountains and make him suffer so much."

Seeing his wife angry, Mo Shan quietly explained: "These hardships must be endured sooner or later. Suffer now, and it'll be easier later."

Liu Ruhua understood the logic, but still resented it—she served Mo Shan only plain porridge and steamed buns that night, not even offering a dish of pickles.

Mo Shan laughed helplessly.

Two days later, Mo Hua recovered fully, his body no longer troubled.

Remembering he hadn't visited Zhuang's Study in nearly ten days, Mo Hua brought wine and meat to pay his respects to Master Zhuang and explained the reason.

Master Zhuang saw Mo Hua's still-pale face and told him to return home and rest, saying he had no such rigid rules, and Mo Hua shouldn't worry.

Mo Hua also brought some crispy pastries and pine nuts to Old Puppet, and some snacks and fruit wine to the Bai siblings.

Bai Zisheng, upon hearing Mo Hua could now enter Great Heishan to hunt demons, was envious beyond measure.

He was tightly controlled by Snow Auntie—never mind hunting demons, even wandering freely was hard.

Mo Hua patted his shoulder sympathetically, powerless to help.

A few days later, Mo Shan took Mo Hua into Great Heishan again.

This time, no need for exhaustive explanations—only to reinforce terrain knowledge—so they completed the outer mountain in just three or four days.

After that, whenever Mo Shan had free time, he took Mo Hua into the mountains for another walk.

Mo Hua grew increasingly familiar with Great Heishan's outer mountain.

Mo Shan felt it was time, and brought Mo Hua to a cliff on the outer mountain.

The cliff was steep, jagged rocks jutting out, offering a clear view of the mountainside below.

After confirming the surroundings were safe, Mo Shan said to Mo Hua: "You know the outer mountain well enough. Now I'll teach you what to watch for when fighting demonic beasts."

Mo Hua sat cross-legged on the rock, listening intently.

"The demon hunter's guiding principles: first, know yourself and know your enemy; second, prepare before acting."

"Know yourself and know your enemy means understanding your own strength—how deep your cultivation, what spells, martial arts, or spirit tools you possess. At the same time, understand the demonic beast—its realm, blood qi, demonic energy, and habits. Where is it strong? Where is it weak? Is it treacherous? Does it feign death?"

"Then assess your relative strength—if you can kill it, strike; if you cannot, don't act rashly."

"If, mid-battle, you realize the situation has changed—that the beast you thought you could kill now cannot be killed—plan ahead and withdraw promptly. Otherwise, when your Qi is exhausted, death will be yours."

"Prepare before acting means planning ahead—anticipate everything. Especially when facing powerful demonic beasts: can you kill it? How will you kill it? How will you execute it? What if something goes wrong? All must be considered beforehand."

"If you don't plan ahead and act recklessly, once a mistake occurs, death or injury is inevitable."

Mo Shan explained at great length.

Mo Hua listened attentively, absorbing every word.

"Just listen now. When you fight more demonic beasts, you'll naturally understand."

Mo Hua nodded.

"There's one more thing you must remember," Mo Shan warned again, "no matter what happens, avoid fighting if you can—but once you strike, be ruthless!"

"Ruthless?" Mo Hua was taken aback.

"Hunters of demonic beasts face beasts as enemies. If you're not ruthless, the beasts will be. If you don't kill them, they'll kill you."

"But how exactly do you be ruthless?"

Mo Shan raised his bushy eyebrows and said:

"When you're not striking, reveal not a trace of killing intent. But when you do strike, hesitate not at all."

"As soon as your opponent shows an opening, strike first and seize the advantage—aim for a single fatal blow, and never give them a chance to act."

"The best opponent is the one who doesn't strike!"

Mo Hua was somewhat startled to hear such words from his thick-browed, big-eyed father.

After a moment's hesitation, Mo Hua couldn't help but confirm: "Doesn't this count as… somewhat dishonorable?"

Mo Shan's expression hardened, and he said solemnly: "Hunters of demonic beasts know no victory or defeat—only life or death. Even the most dishonorable win is still life; even the most glorious loss is still death."

After speaking, Mo Shan reached out and patted Mo Hua's head:

"It's hard for a lone cultivator to survive. If you can live, do everything you can to live."