Chapter 63: Beginning of Winter (Part 1)

As for Yuan's past identity, Wang Wu doesn't care, and he isn't interested at all in the treasures in her tomb, whether it's the so‑called "spacecraft" or anything else.

Moreover, Yuan's tomb has already been looted by others, so the other items were probably gone long ago.

"Looks like you got second‑hand news; the spacecraft in the tomb was taken long ago, and when Yuan woke up she wondered why the ship her father sent her was gone."

These were the words Wang Wu said to Zhao Xingyue while chatting after obtaining first‑hand information about the tomb from Yuan before Zhao Xingyue left.

When Zhao Xingyue heard the news, she breathed a sigh of relief, because then she could return without the sect having any more designs on the tomb of Wang Wu's beloved.

"Your sect is really trash, you can't even get warm food from eating shit. And you've already broken so many real people here."

That remark annoyed Zhao Xingyue, so that day Wang Wu was summoned by Zhao Xingyue while he was still tangled with Wu Er Niang.

Although angry, Wang Wu had no choice; the woman was truly wealthy, and she actually gave him good stuff.

Money may not matter to other monsters, but for Wang Wu, even a single coin can stump a hero. After all, he can actually go into human society to buy things.

Before leaving, Zhao Xingyue basically gave him all her assets. Wang Wu felt a bit reluctant, but Zhao Xingyue was completely indifferent.

Among these items, the most valuable was the jade pendant Zhao Xingyue left on her bed when she departed. The gold ingot and books beside it were also retrieved from her Qiankun Sleeve, found in some nook.

It was her close‑worn jade pendant, and the very thing that allowed her to become the sole survivor of that squad.

The item simultaneously provides defensive attacks, scent concealment, and offensive capability—a trinity with no real drawbacks, just like the cultivation method Wang Wu practices.

Even if its defense is shattered by a True Realm Great Demon, leaving its owner gravely wounded and near death, the item itself remains intact—only its energy is depleted, so it can no longer grant effective protection, yet the concealment effect persists, and it works so well that Wang Wu at that time didn't even notice.

Moreover, the device can recharge automatically without manual charging; that's its greatest virtue.

Although after Zhao Xingyue demonstrated it, Wang Wu also discovered that its concealment isn't perfect; a thorough search can still detect it.

But to hide his inadequacy, he pretended to be greatly shocked.

Later Zhao Xingyue teased Wang Wu with the device, asking if he wanted it, but he ignored her. Unexpectedly, when she left, she actually gave the item to him.

This raised Wang Wu's favor toward Zhao Xingyue considerably; he thought she was quite decent.

After all, the item is clearly a fine treasure; even though she saved his life, giving it to him counts as a proper repayment.

"I, in the tomb, also… some things."

In the hut, Yuan lay in Wang Wu's arms, her head resting on his chest, looking up at him and softly saying, "I, bring, to you?"

"You… keep it yourself." Wang Wu hugged her, "That is, your father left it for you…."

"No, it's fine… I like it, I'll give it to you."

The two monsters thus lay on the hut's bed, communicating in a halting foreign language; neither felt awkward, and they occasionally corrected each other's pronunciation, making the learning efficiency go "ga‑ga".

After some tender moments, Yuan and Wang Wu said goodbye, and she returned to Si Hun Shan.

It seems Yuan cannot stay outside Si Hun Shan for very long; Wang Wu doesn't know why, but it may be the key reason why, as a 'demon', she can still become a ghost‑like existence after death.

Since she began learning foreign languages, Yuan's visits to Wang Wu have become frequent. Consequently, Zhu San Niang and the others spend less time with Wang Wu.

Although still far more than Yuan, the three female monsters are clearly the type that find it hard to go from luxury to frugality, so after Yuan left they intensified their exploitation of Wang Wu.

Of course, they do feel sorry for Wang Wu, so they asked if he was tired; Wang Wu said he wasn't, so there was no need for politeness.

But Wang Wu truly wasn't tired, which wasn't a big deal for him.

It's just that his daily cultivation time decreased.

After Zhao Xingyue left, Wang Wu occasionally still goes out at night, using himself as bait to attract those monsters. Demon pills are very important to him now, as they affect the speed of his cultivation.

As for why he doesn't fish every day, the reason is simple: sometimes there are female monsters at home, sometimes he goes out and happens to run into Yuan. But life requires a balance of work and rest, so it doesn't matter.

Moreover, the cultivation manual doesn't advocate nonstop hard training, claiming it isolates the practitioner from society and makes future social interactions inconvenient.

Time passed quickly; in the blink of an eye autumn ended and winter arrived. Rounded off, Wang Wu has lived in this world for almost a year.

Days grew shorter and nights longer, and the frequency of bizarre creatures appearing around the forest's edge increased.

Winter is dangerous, so much so that even monsters prefer to stay in their lairs, subsisting on food stored in autumn throughout the whole winter, especially during the most perilous Great and Minor Cold periods.

The same applies to humans.

When winter arrives, they basically never leave their gathering places, unless forced, such as caravans between towns. Even those caravans, or official monks, cease traveling after the winter solstice.

The third day of Beginning of Winter, over Wang Gu Lin.

Wang Wu, now in his Heavenly Demon Body, floated above the edge of Wang Gu Lin, his dark red eyes gazing toward the nearby Guan Dao, and along the road, a human village not far away.

And he was not alone—ah no, a demon.

Not far away, a gigantic paper‑cut figure floated back and forth in the air. Its craftsmanship was crude, barely recognizable as humanoid.

A withered body, a bizarre head drawn with black ink, eyes forever staring downward, and an overly friendly smile.

Clumsy, odd, yet it evokes extreme terror.

Wang Wu glanced there once and stopped paying attention; that thing, though also drifting above the forest, had no intention of seeking him.

Now Wang Wu's Heavenly Demon Body has completed a refinement and entered the next stage. In this stage, his demon body has gained new traits, for example, he has become more akin to a 'demon'.

This is a normal condition, and it will deepen until the ninth‑rank Heavenly Demon Vajra Body is fully cultivated; then the demonic aura will retract, and he will become as he was at the outset, or rather, he will be able to freely expand and contract.

The three female monsters naturally sensed this and expressed concern. Only after Wang Wu gave them a detailed explanation of his demon body did they feel somewhat reassured.

Since this world has similar cultivation approaches, the explanation becomes easy; after all, Yuan is a living example besides Wang Wu.

Although the three female monsters fear Yuan greatly, they can see that she is fully rational and communicative.

In this state, Wang Wu will be seen by other demons as a kindred, and although demons may devour their own kind, they still possess a self‑preservation instinct.

The breakthrough of his demon body also accelerated progress in other cultivation methods; Wang Wu's internal skill is about 70 % complete, and he expects to reach full cultivation within the year.

The same applies to other methods; the massive intake of demon pills dramatically boosts cultivation speed. Even the slowest gold‑type cultivation method Wang Wu practices is now around 40 % complete.

Terms like 'small achievement' or 'great achievement' are too vague; percentages are more intuitive. As someone from modern society, he does it however is most convenient and familiar.

Wang Wu went out today to hunt; now the several female monsters have moved in with him, and they plan to stay together through winter. Thus the four monsters expanded Wang Wu's true cave residence.

Now there's a kitchen, a bathroom, and even a simple toilet. As for where to drain daily wastewater, the god‑like Wang Wu thought of using a spatial ring, but the other three, not as dim‑witted as him, promptly quashed that foolish idea.

The monsters haven't yet found a good solution for toilet waste, but it's not urgent; an earth pit would work.

As for why he hunts here, the reason is simple: Wang Wu plans to see if he can get something for free… ah no, to see if he can run into a human caravan and buy a few items from them.

That idea was actually taught to him by Zhao Xingyue earlier; if he sees a human caravan on the road, he can stop them to trade. In most cases, they are willing.

First, because if you can stop them, it means they can't escape; second, if you truly just want to buy something, being able to pay is naturally better, and if you can't, they often give you some for free in order to save their own lives.

After all, the authorities don't value these itinerant merchants much, unless the other side has strong connections in the county, or the cargo is truly very important.

Wang Wu now has a fair amount of money on him, so he thought about trying his luck on the Guan Dao, hoping to chance upon a caravan and buy some supplies to stock up.

Unfortunately, he has been coming here for three consecutive days, one hour each day, and hasn't seen a single caravan during that time.

One should know that daylight only lasts a little over four hours, around midday. He arrives precisely at twelve noon each day and leaves precisely at one in the afternoon, yet he hasn't seen a single person.

He did encounter a whole bunch of Yao Mo Gui Gui, and even killed a few.

Today was much the same; after waiting an hour, Wang Wu found no one and prepared to leave. But just as he turned around, his peripheral vision caught movement toward He Xi Xian, and in an instant he turned back.

"Quick! Quick!!!"

Several fine steeds galloped on the road as Wang Lan led the Wang Clan's horse troupe along the Guan Dao at full speed. Behind them was a beast‑body, human‑head monster, its twisted human face and blood‑red eyes constantly snapping forward as if to bite.

The caravan Wang Lan was escorting consisted of only six people—not because the rest had been lost, but because there were only six to begin with: three Mortal Realm escort monks, two Guang Qi Fourth Realm warriors, and Wang Lan himself, a Guang Qi Second Realm warrior.

This shipment is extremely important to the Wang Clan, so they naturally spared no expense on the transport.

"Miss Wang!! Ahead!!!!"

The fine horses beneath the six riders were extraordinary, reaching a speed of 120 km/h on this Guan Dao.

At that moment, someone nearby let out a startled shout, and Wang Lan, who had been watching the rear, turned his head, his face instantly showing a look of despair.

A pair of backward‑curved horns, a body encased in a hard shell, and a pair of dark‑red eyes stared in this direction.

A monster ahead, a demon behind.

(End of Chapter)