Chapter 11: Secondary Fish Marrow Blood

“You’ve finally returned.” The village chief’s expression relaxed as he told the others, “Everyone, go home now.”

When Wu Lao Liu rushed back to report the news, the chief immediately summoned every able-bodied man in the village to go aid Dabao and Chu Danqing.

Fortunately, both of them returned safely.

After the crowd dispersed, the three of them headed toward the chief’s house.

On the way, Dabao spoke up: “The Black Hole wants food. It specifically demanded Xiao Chu. Otherwise, it wants ten girls.”

Upon hearing this, the chief’s expression darkened.

“Chief, would you mind explaining?” Chu Danqing added at the right moment.

“It’s laughable, really.” The chief’s face twisted into a bitter smile. “The Mountain God’s wedding custom has long been established—but our mountain deity isn’t taking a bride. It’s eating.”

“It favors girls in their prime.”

“We’ve never seen the deity’s true form—only its minions.”

“I suppose you’ve heard of our village’s Fallen Flower Cave, Xiao Chu.”

“The name sounds refined, but our village is called Xianghua Village.”

At this, the chief’s face grew even more bitter.

“Dabao, can’t you fight it?” Chu Danqing glanced at Dabao. This situation didn’t match his expectations at all.

Dabao’s earlier behavior had clearly shown restraint.

“Only the minions fear Dabao,” the chief said. “Don’t worry, Xiao Chu—this won’t involve you.”

“But you truly are extraordinary. Why would the deity specifically demand you?”

The chief was puzzled: how had an outsider become so desirable that even the deity, who only coveted young girls, took notice?

“Maybe it’s just a whim,” Chu Danqing mused. He was ordinary—nothing special, except for his two skills: Basic Summoning and Summoning Technique.

So he suspected the skills were what drew its attention.

The three soon returned to the chief’s house, where he invited them to have some late-night snacks.

During the meal, Chu Danqing told the chief about the White Dragon Fish.

The chief fell into deep thought before speaking: “They returned too soon.”

“Xiao Chu, you and Dabao worked all night—you rest now.”

“I’ll notify the others to block the upstream tonight. At dawn, we’ll drain the water and kill this monster.”

The chief knew well: time waits for no one.

Chu Danqing glanced at the dark night outside: “It’s pitch black now. What if something happens?”

“No matter. As long as this monster lives, I can’t rest.” The chief rose and left. Then he saw the corpse of the White Dragon Fish’s offspring and added, “Dabao, finish eating and carry these to Jiang Tu’s house.”

“Have him boil all three little monsters into soup first thing tomorrow. Before we strike, everyone must eat at least two big bowls.”

Dabao swallowed his food in three bites, nodded, and said, “Alright.”

“Xiao Chu, eat slowly,” the chief said, then departed.

Dabao finished his meal in a rush, shouldered the White Dragon Fish’s offspring, and followed him out.

Only Chu Danqing remained, so he sped up his eating.

He was eager to return and open his chest.

Back in the chief’s side room, Chu Danqing took out the chest.

“I hope it yields something useful.”

【You opened: Chest (Common), obtained: Secondary Fish Marrow Blood, Paradise Points ×100】

【Secondary Fish Marrow Blood】

【Type: Consumable】

【Quality: Common】

【Effect: Immediately restores 10% HP and increases Constitution by 1 for 1 minute】

“Giant salamanders don’t have fish marrow blood, and the White Dragon Fish isn’t even a real giant salamander.”

“Still, it’s a good item—useful for survival.” Chu Danqing had played the bystander in battle, but he knew he was fragile.

The HP recovery was less than Wolf Blood, but the key was “immediate.” He didn’t know how long “extremely slow” meant for Wolf Blood.

“If only the Constitution boost could increase HP recovery instead.”

One minute was too short—even five minutes would’ve made it worthwhile. Three minutes would’ve been acceptable.

After stowing the consumable, Chu Danqing waited for Dabao’s return.

He understood his situation: the Fallen Flower Cave still coveted him.

He couldn’t help but sneer at himself: “I’ve become Tang Sanzang’s flesh.”

“It’s truly miserable having no summons in the Summoning line.”

“Next, I need to consider my own position,” Chu Danqing thought.

The issue was Xianghua Village’s stance.

The Fallen Flower Cave demanded either ten girls or him as a sacrifice.

The chief, Dabao, and others likely favored him—but Xianghua Village had more people than just them.

The other villagers were the true force.

“So I must strike first!” Chu Danqing’s expression turned grim.

By “strike first,” he didn’t mean attacking Xianghua Village’s people—he meant attacking the Fallen Flower Cave.

Eliminate the source, and the choice vanishes.

Even if Xianghua Village chose to hand him over to appease the deity, Chu Danqing could never stand by while ten children, fifteen or sixteen, were devoured.

If the village was like this before he came, and remains like this after he came, what was the point of his arrival?

If he could kill the White Dragon Fish, he refused to believe the Fallen Flower Cave was beyond his reach.

Soon, Dabao pushed the door open and returned.

“Xiao Chu, sleep. Tomorrow we kill the evil thing.” Dabao spoke plainly, then lay down on the bed.

“Not yet. Let’s talk about the Black Hole,” Chu Danqing said. He wasn’t sleepy—modern youths rarely slept before eleven.

“Alright, Xiao Chu, ask,” Dabao said, sitting up straight.

“What are those minions of the Black Hole like?” Chu Danqing asked his main concern.

Those minions were the rustling sounds he’d heard tonight.

“A bunch of short little things. Fragile. One punch turns them into meat paste.”

“You can kill them with stones, but there are too many—and their bites hurt.” Dabao described with his limited vocabulary, gesturing with his hands.

As Dabao gestured, Chu Danqing noticed the wounds on Dabao’s arm from the White Dragon Fish had already scabbed over.

After one night’s sleep, he’d be fully healed by morning.

Such recovery ability was beyond ordinary humans.

It was simply unbelievable.

“Besides the little ones, there’s a giant white monkey. It’s even stronger than the monster.”

“The chief said it’s the Black Hole’s ‘chicken silk,’” Dabao said, not understanding why chicken silk wasn’t eaten, but repeating exactly what he’d heard.

Chu Danqing understood: it was “priest,” not “chicken silk.” Dabao’s limited intellect simply couldn’t grasp the term.

(End of Chapter)