Chapter 351: Interrogation

Beast Cry Mountain Range.

Seeing that the silver fox demon beast it had captured could actually speak, Shi Tian Shu immediately became interested.

It was well known that among their demon race, unless one possessed greatly opened spiritual intelligence, ordinary demon beasts could not speak human language even after breaking through to the third tier.

Only upon reaching the late third tier and achieving partial human form, after refining the throat bone within their bodies, could they speak like humans.

Being able to speak human language at the third tier indicated a talent found in only one out of ten thousand.

The silver fox it had just subdued was clearly only at the early third tier; from this, one could imagine its spiritual intelligence was extremely high.

Shi Tian Shu roughly pinned the silver fox's hands and feet to the ground; the silver fox's petite body struggled fiercely, but its strength was no match for Shi Tian Shu's, and for a moment it could not break free.

"Oh ho! You can actually speak."

"Among the many demon races, your talent for spiritual intelligence is rarely as excellent as this great master's."

Shi Tian Shu rustled about, searching the silver fox's entire body to ensure it wasn't hiding anything to escape while it was off guard.

Humiliated by such behavior, the silver fox felt utterly ashamed and furious, its small face turning red as it opened its mouth to bite Shi Tian Shu.

But Shi Tian Shu took out a black steel fork and heartlessly pressed it against the silver fox's neck, angrily interrogating:

"Hmph! I've long heard that demon women of your fox clan are adept at bewitching minds; this pitiful act of yours, this illusion trick, has no effect on this great master."

"Speak! Who sent you to steal the spiritual herbs?"

"You don't know that if my master returns and finds the spiritual herbs destroyed, he'll exile me to farm the land!"

"And that would be for at least ten years."

"It's all because of you!"

Pressed beneath Shi Tian Shu, its pink little paws firmly bound, the silver fox pleaded in a delicate voice: "Boohoo, I didn't mean to; I had no choice, my mother is injured and urgently needs spiritual herbs to cure her."

"Great King, you are so generous, please spare me this time! Boohoo~"

Hearing this, Shi Tian Shu paused; learning that the theft was to save someone, it couldn't help but hesitate.

So it asked: "I see your cultivation is not low, and your spiritual intelligence is greatly opened; which fox clan from Beast Cry Mountain Range do you belong to?"

"I am of the Silver Moon Heavenly Fox clan."

Upon hearing this, Shi Tian Shu exclaimed inwardly: Silver Moon Heavenly Fox! A demon beast of Wang Zu bloodline! Before being taken in as a spiritual pet by Qin Ming, having wandered Beast Cry Mountain Range for many years, it was naturally clear about the demon forces within the range.

Among them, the Silver Moon Heavenly Fox clan bore Wang Zu bloodline and was one of the four great Wang Zu.

It was said that the cultivation of their clan leader, Lady Silver Moon, had even reached the peak of the third tier, just one step away from breaking through to become a fourth-tier Human-Forming Demon Saint.

Thinking of this, Shi Tian Shu slightly loosened its grip, then asked again: "You are so young yet already possess third-tier Demon King cultivation; could it be that your mother is the clan leader of the Silver Moon Heavenly Fox clan?"

"But with her cultivation and strength, why would she suffer such heavy injuries?"

Pouting her small mouth, the silver fox explained while sobbing:

"There has been turmoil within Beast Cry Mountain Range; after the Green-Faced Poisonous Flood Dragon died, several other major demon clans began fighting over its territory. Our silver fox clan had no intention of getting involved in these disputes."

"But fearing the strength of the fox clan, the other clans were bewitched by the Great Hei Tian Demon King of the Split-Wind Condor clan and joined forces with several other major demon clans to ambush us."

"My mother and I barely escaped with our lives."

Hearing this, Shi Tian Shu was also greatly surprised; it hadn't expected such unrest within the demon race, and that so many changes had occurred after its master eliminated the Green-Faced Poisonous Flood Dragon Demon King.

Looking at the silver fox's pitiful appearance, which did not seem feigned, it tied up its hands and feet, hoisted it onto its shoulder, and said: "Whether to spare you or not is not for me to decide."

"Everything will be decided when my master returns."

Hearing this, the silver fox cried out in alarm: "Let me go! My mother is severely injured and waiting for me to return and treat her!"

Shi Tian Shu turned a deaf ear to this, frowning as it said:

"If I let you go, what will this great master use to report back?"

"Of all places to steal from, why did you have to target my master's spiritual field?"

"You'd better behave yourself, or I'll spank you!" With that, Shi Tian Shu, without further argument, carried the silver fox back near the spiritual field.

Two days later.

After disposing of the stolen goods in the black market, Qin Ming used the teleportation array in Yunze Xiancheng to return to the Five Elements Mountain Market.

While in the black market, he had also gathered some rare spiritual materials for use in farming and pill refining.

After a brief gathering with Han Yuan and the other two, Qin Ming flew toward the spiritual field.

But when Qin Ming returned to his spiritual field, the scene before him made him furrow his brows.

The dozen or so spiritual plants in the ten mu of spiritual land had been gnawed by demon beasts until only half remained.

'Fortunately, those spiritual plants that had refreshed with attributes are still intact.'

Jia Heyi and Li Lan from Mirror Jing Xue Ge stood trembling before Qin Ming, sweating profusely and daring not to breathe loudly.

"Li Lan, tell me, what is going on here?"

"When I left, didn't I tell you to look after the spiritual field?" Qin Ming asked in an icy tone.

Li Lan's whole body trembled, and he hurriedly tried to explain:

"This, I..."

Just then.

Qin Ming received a voice transmission from Shi Tian Shu in his mind: "Master, I have a situation here; please come over immediately."

Hearing this, Qin Ming immediately furrowed his brows and said to the people before him: "Alright, you all go back to your tasks for now; I have something to attend to, we will discuss this matter later."

Then, Qin Ming turned into a streak of green rainbow light and vanished from the spot.

Left behind, the crowd from Mirror Jing Xue Ge looked at each other in dismay; they had thought that after the Shopkeeper lost so many third-tier spiritual herbs, he would erupt in Lei Ting fury, yet he had let it pass so lightly... truly beyond their expectations.

As for the spiritual plants being stolen and eaten, Qin Ming was not overly concerned, because he possessed the 【Regenerating Spiritual Seed】 attribute; as long as the roots of the spiritual plants remained, they could revive.

"However, refreshing attributes is not easy for me; this traitor Shi Tian Shu keeps slacking off every few days, not even noticing when demon beasts entered the spiritual field; it seems its skin is itching, and this time I must teach it a lesson."

Thinking this silently, Qin Ming had already flown to Shi Tian Shu's location.

This place was the Beast Cry Mountain Range, specifically a cave temporarily dug by the Shi Tian Shu.

Just as Qin Ming stepped toward the cave, he sensed the auras of two third-tier Demon Kings inside, inevitably arousing his suspicion.

"Ehehe! Master, you're back!"

The Shi Tian Shu emerged with a plastered-on smile; perhaps due to the incident in the spirit field and realizing its own fault, it looked extremely awkward.

"Hmph, if I hadn't returned, I'm afraid all the spirit plants in the field would have been eaten clean, wouldn't they?" Qin Ming said, showing neither anger nor joy.

The Shi Tian Shu immediately shuddered and righteously declared, "Yes, yes, yes! That thieving scoundrel is truly detestable!"

"However, I have already captured it and am just waiting for Master to return and pass judgment."

"Oh? Captured?" Qin Ming asked, somewhat surprised.

Subsequently, Qin Ming followed the Shi Tian Shu into the cave.

Upon reaching the depths, they saw a silver fox demon beast bound tightly within; the aura emanating from its body had already reached the early stage of the third tier.

Seeing a human cultivator enter, the silver fox's heart pounded like a startled deer, filled with panic, and deep terror flowed from its eyes.

Although it was inexperienced, it knew well that humans and demon beasts were mortal enemies; anyone falling into the other's hands would inevitably meet a bad end.

(End of Chapter)