Chapter 127

Night fell, outside Great Heishan's outer mountains.

Yu Chengyi expended immense effort to kill the beast before him.

This took more effort than he had originally anticipated.

The beast wasn't strong, but it was cunning and fast—even severely wounded, it still found ways to slip from his grasp.

Originally, he had more men to surround and kill it, preventing escape; but he lent several to Mo Hua, creating gaps in the encirclement.

The beast escaped several times during the day, and only tonight was Yu Chengyi able to chase it down and kill it.

The others all bore some injuries, but thankfully they were all superficial, no serious harm.

After securing the beast's body, they went to rest at a nearby beast-hunting camp.

It was already late, too dark to travel, and after a day's exhaustion, they all wanted to rest.

Several beast-hunters lit lamps; the dim yellow light warmed the cramped camp.

Yu Chengyi pulled out several bottles of strong liquor and poured for everyone.

They raised their cups and drank it all at once; the fiery liquor slid down their throats, instantly easing their fatigue.

Yu Chengyi smacked his lips and said, "Pity—there's liquor but no meat."

One beast-hunter coughed, pulled a paper packet from his storage pouch, and opened it: several catties of sliced ox-beast meat.

Deep reddish-brown, sprinkled with spicy seasonings, the aroma of heat and spice filled the air.

Yu Chengyi cursed, "Why the hell didn't you bring this out sooner? I've already swallowed several sips!"

The man didn't bother with politeness, "Then don't eat it—I didn't even want to take it out!"

They laughed and cursed a few more times, then began eating meat and drinking, feasting heartily.

"This beef—it's from Mo Shan's place, right?" someone asked.

"Of course—where else could you get meat this delicious?"

"Go to Ling Shan Restaurant on Beidajie—the spirit meat there is top-notch!"

"Too expensive. Eating it's not worth it."

"Next time I'll cozy up to Mo Shan, see if I can get him to give us some…"

"You think you're that important?"

"Go to hell!"

……

As they ate, they chatted.

But Yu Chengyi frowned slightly; mentioning Mo Shan made him think of Mo Hua.

I wonder how that kid is doing now—has he run into any danger?

Just then, Yu Chengyi suddenly tensed, looked solemn, and said, "Something's happening!"

The beast-hunters set down their cups, crouched, gripped their blades, and stared warily at the camp entrance. One hunter walked to the entrance, peered sideways, then relaxed and turned back: "It's Old Zhao."

Everyone sighed in relief, sat back down, and lifted their cups again.

Old Zhao walked in, saw them, and cursed, "I've been riding all night—you're sitting here enjoying yourselves, with liquor and meat!"

"We thought you weren't coming back."

"Your wife's pregnant—we all assumed you'd gone home."

"It's your own bad luck…"

They laughed.

Yu Chengyi poured a cup of wine and gestured for Old Zhao to sit.

Old Zhao didn't refuse; after a long ride, tired and thirsty, he downed the wine in one gulp—the burn was sharp, but he felt much better.

Yu Chengyi couldn't help asking, "Is Mo Hua alright?"

Old Zhao's expression turned complicated.

Yu Chengyi's heart skipped a beat. "What? Something happened?"

Old Zhao shook his head. "No—he went home."

"Oh, good," Yu Chengyi exhaled, then cursed, "Can't you just say it straight? You scared the hell out of me!"

Yu Chengyi took a sip of wine and added,

"What did Mo Hua go do?"

"Nothing much—went to kill beasts…"

Yu Chengyi spat out his wine. "What?"

Old Zhao repeated helplessly, "Killed beasts."

"Mid first-grade?"

"Mid first-grade."

Yu Chengyi stared. "How?"

Old Zhao sighed. Yu Chengyi's expression cleared—he slapped Old Zhao's shoulder:

"Old Zhao, you're something else—thanks for the hard work!"

Then he frowned again, puzzled:

"You're not injured either—this doesn't look like you killed it."

"It wasn't me…" Old Zhao said, "At least, not exactly me."

Yu Chengyi frowned. "What do you mean 'not exactly'? Stop beating around the bush—just spit it out!"

Old Zhao gathered his thoughts and said, "Mo Hua set traps, laid out an array. When the beast stepped into the trap, he ignited the array with a fireball spell—the beast exploded into pieces…"

Old Zhao organized his words and said, "Mo Hua set a trap and laid out an array; when the demonic beast stepped into the trap, he ignited the array with a fireball technique, and the demonic beast was exploded into pieces…"

"Then, honestly, we don't need me—those few mid-Qi Condensation kids are enough to kill the severely wounded, near-dead beast…"

Yu Chengyi frowned.

The other hunters said, "Old Zhao, are you drunk? What nonsense are you spouting?"

"Could that beast really be mid first-grade?"

"You didn't even drink that much—can't you hold your liquor?"

"Get lost!" Old Zhao couldn't be bothered with them.

But Yu Chengyi believed him a little, asking, "What kind of array?"

"How would I know?"

"Couldn't you have asked?" Yu Chengyi said.

"I was too stunned—I didn't even think to ask!"

"And then what?"

"Then he drained the beast's blood, we sold the carcass, and I… I got eight spirit stones as my share…"

Yu Chengyi looked at him with disdain. "You're taking advantage of a child."

Old Zhao's face flushed. "I refused, but I couldn't refuse!"

"Can you keep those spirit stones in good conscience?"

"Tomorrow, take them to his family's eatery—buy some meat, and split it among everyone…"

"You're uneasy, so we'll help you share the burden."

"You bastards!"

The group burst into laughter.

But Yu Chengyi kept frowning.

"What's wrong?" Old Zhao asked, noticing.

"Are you certain that array really could blast a mid first-grade beast into severe injury?" Yu Chengyi asked, his expression grave.

Old Zhao's expression turned solemn. "I saw it with my own eyes!"

"What kind of beast?"

"Red-eyed Goat—over ten feet tall, curled horns, Bai Mao, red eyes, loves eating internal organs, its mouth always bloody from just having eaten." Old Zhao finished speaking, opened his storage bag, and pulled out a bloodied hoof. "This is the goat demon's hoof. Not worth much, so I didn't sell it."

"This is the goat demon's hoof. Not worth much, so I didn't sell it."

Everyone saw the hoof—thick as a cultivator's thigh, the hoof tips crimson, even blackened with dried blood—and their joking expressions vanished.

"It's mid first-grade, and in its prime, having fed on plenty of flesh."

One hunter hesitated: "Isn't Mo Shan's son only at Qi Condensation fifth or sixth layer? Could he really draw such a powerful array?"

"I think it's unlikely."

"Can't say for sure—my son's iron-plate armor array was drawn by him. I don't understand it, but the drawing is truly excellent!" said another hunter.

"If you don't understand it, how do you know it's good or bad?"

"You've never eaten pork, but you've seen pigs run, right?"

…

The group chattered on.

Yu Chengyi thought for a moment, then said: "Go ask him tomorrow… No, I'll ask him myself. See what array he used—whether it truly can injure a mid first-grade beast."

Old Zhao nodded. "But aren't we going into the Inner Mountains tomorrow?"

"Postpone it by a day. Go the day after."

Everyone paused. "Is this array really that important? We're all waiting a whole day for it…"

Yu Chengyi nodded. "Not important for us—but crucial for new hunters."

"How so?"

Yu Chengyi paused, looked at them all, and spoke slowly:

"With this array, could just three or four mid-Qi Condensation hunters kill a mid first-grade beast?"

Everyone exchanged glances, their hearts skipping a beat.