Chapter 14: Curse? Or Favor?

The sun set behind the western hills at dusk.

As Big Daughter recounted her encounter with the Deceit Hare with great excitement, news of the "spirit migration" spread throughout the entire village.

At first, the adults did not believe the children's words.

However, upon hearing the name "Deceit Beast," some of the village elders became somewhat skeptical.

It was not until evening that Li Yu returned from the hunting lodge in the mountains.

After confirming that the mountains had indeed been unsettled for some time, a silent panic began to spread through the village.

If it were only Big Daughter's one-sided account, the village could choose to believe it or not.

But after receiving Li Yu's corroboration,

even a one-in-ten-thousand chance was enough to cause worry.

After all, few in the village had savings, let alone the means to seek a livelihood elsewhere.

If this year's spring plowing were disrupted, even if everyone did not ultimately die at the hands of those migrating wild beasts or spirits, they were destined not to survive the winter.

"I must enter the mountains again tomorrow, and this time I will go deeper."

Sitting at the dinner table, Li Yu explained softly to Chen Yun while eating.

"Do not go!"

"Did you not hear what Big Daughter said?"

"That Deceit Hare specifically warned you not to enter the mountains again."

Looking at her husband across the table with a worried expression, Chen Yun unusually showed opposition.

"You are the head of the household; if anything happens to you, it will be very difficult for us mother and son to survive."

Chen Yun knew this reason, but Li Yu understood it even better.

Yet precisely because he understood this reason, Li Yu became even more determined to enter the mountains tomorrow.

"I know, but our savings are already exhausted, are they not?"

"If this year's harvest is poor again, we simply cannot survive the winter."

To ensure Li Li Boyang's safe birth, Li Yu and Chen Yun, the couple, had spent almost all their savings.

Even without the matter of the spirit migration, Li Yu would have had to find a way to save more money, let alone now that this situation had arisen.

"But..."

Opening her mouth as if to speak but stopping, Chen Yun ultimately could not bring herself to urge Li Yu further.

"Yun'er, rest assured, I will be careful."

"Do not forget, I am the most outstanding hunter within a hundred li!"

"They are just some resentful spirits!"

"If they truly dare to trouble me, the bow and arrow in my hand are not for show!"

Watching Chen Yun silently serve him food, Li Yu grinned foolishly as usual, seemingly trying to comfort his wife in this way.

"..."

In the room, Li Li Boyang listened quietly to the conversation coming from outside, yet a trace of guilt involuntarily rose in his heart.

If it were not for the excessive money spent on his birth,

with Li Yu and Chen Yun's savings, one or two years of poor harvests would not at all affect their normal life.

Furthermore, the reason Li Yu had been targeted by those mountain spirits was also because of him.

Li Li Boyang was unclear how long Xi Luo's deterrent power could last against those spirits.

But given Li Li Boyang's character, simply sitting back and letting events unfold was clearly not his style.

【That mountain cat... seems not to have come for some time.】

Thinking thus, the Heavenly Eye between Li Li Boyang's eyebrows quietly opened, gazing toward the Mountain God Temple on Flying Peak.

However, just like every previous sweep, Li Li Boyang did not see Xi Luo's shadow in that Mountain God Temple.

Yet this time, Li Li Boyang did not stop there.

Instead, continuing to use the ability of the Heavenly Eye between his eyebrows, he began a meticulous and serious search within a hundred li.

All places where spirits frequently appeared were marked by Li Li Boyang with special attention.

Relying on this carpet-search method,

Li Li Boyang quickly captured Xi Luo's residual flaming footprints in a place shrouded in black mist.

After Xi Luo transformed into the form of the Crimson Leopard, fire clouds would arise beneath her feet.

Those fire clouds not only granted Xi Luo the ability to fly.

When she walked on the ground, they would also leave unique footprints of fire scorching the earth.

Of course, whenever Xi Luo transformed into the Crimson Leopard form, it also meant she had entered combat mode.

This could be seen from those chaotic flaming footprints.

Xi Luo had obviously fought in this place, and it was a fierce battle.

【An opponent capable of making that mountain cat feel troubled?】

Recalling the image of the Crimson Leopard confronting the Ruo Fu in his mind, a sense of crisis vaguely arose in Li Li Boyang's heart.

Continuing to track along the traces of those flaming footprints, Li Li Boyang discovered that Xi Luo had seemingly entered a patch of black mist at the end.

Unfortunately, Li Li Boyang could only track this far.

When Li Li Boyang attempted to see through that black mist, he was shocked to discover that his Heavenly Eye could not penetrate it.

That black mist enveloped everything; within the mist, there was only darkness.

【Interesting, do these black mists come from the Black Cloud Marsh?】

As he pondered thus, Li Li Boyang failed to notice that his body was quietly undergoing some kind of change.

Sizzle... sizzle... sizzle...

Ever since Li Li Boyang killed the Ruifu, the evil qi from the depths of the earth had been flowing into his body ceaselessly, twenty-four hours a day without pause.

To prevent that evil qi from destroying his young body,

Li Li Boyang chose to let the evil qi circulate one full cycle within him before guiding it separately into his dantian, the space between his eyebrows, and the crown of his head.

Theoretically, vital energy is what suits living beings best.

The ominous evil qi from outside naturally and inevitably brought Li Li Boyang various mutations and effects.

The sword pill in the lower dantian, not being a biological organ, was affected the least.

Moreover, Li Li Boyang even vaguely felt that the sword pill had a high compatibility with the evil qi.

The sword pill's affinity for the evil qi was even greater than for his own vital energy.

The third eye between his eyebrows was affected next.

It merely showed a vague trend of secondary development; for now, no clear signs could be seen.

As for the evil qi that truly could not be digested, Li Li Boyang would eventually expel it from his body through the crown of his head.

Yet, this did not mean Li Li Boyang had completely eliminated the evil qi's influence upon himself.

On the contrary, it was the meridians and the body itself, which carried and circulated the evil qi, that underwent the greatest changes and influence.

The most obvious point was that Li Li Boyang's flesh and blood, constantly destroyed and regenerated under the influence of the evil qi, was gradually breaking free from the category of mortal flesh.

His bones became harder, his meridians more resilient, and even his flesh and blood tissues possessed superhuman regenerative abilities...

By comparison, the fact that his outer skin was merely a bit redder than that of a normal infant counted as the most insignificant part of these changes.

Especially when Li Li Boyang strained to pierce through that black mist.

His vital energy and the earth's evil qi inevitably accelerated their circulation within him.

Thus, a brand-new transformation, never before seen in this world, was quietly occurring upon Li Li Boyang.

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(End of this chapter)