Yangdu Ward, Nine Six Lane, Jiwei Courtyard.
Chen Mu sat cross-legged on a low couch beneath the window on the room's south wall.
Three wire cages sat on the square tea table before him. Each held a fist-sized reddish-brown scorpion, Mutant Beasts he had specifically bought from Tian Shi Street.
The scorpions were called Poison Dragon Scorpions, and their tail hooks contained deadly venom. Since their venom was a material used in certain kinds of artifact refining, many people deliberately bred them.
"Let's see what this so-called Demon Poison is all about."
Chen Mu muttered to himself and flipped out three walnut-sized pieces of Hook-beaked White Jade Snake meat, placing them into the three Black Pottery Round Dishes on the table.
The Dark Green Demon-Slaying Qi Blade danced through the air, mincing the meat into paste. He then used the Hundred Mile Qi Seal to lift a fingernail-sized lump and toss it into the first iron cage.
The Poison Dragon Scorpion inside immediately sprang up. Its two thick pincers swiftly clamped onto the meat paste, and it swallowed everything in just a few bites.
Chen Mu sat before the square table and watched the Poison Dragon Scorpion patiently.
Less than a quarter of an hour later, the scorpion, which had been leisurely crawling around its cage, suddenly erupted.
As though it had swallowed a Great Supplement Pill, it brandished its two pincers and repeatedly struck the iron cage, sending sparks flying everywhere.
As time passed, the Poison Dragon Scorpion grew increasingly violent. It did not merely attack with its pincers—it even began hurling itself against every side of the cage.
Before long, both pincers broke apart and became useless. The scorpion itself overturned onto the ground, twitched a few times, and went completely still.
The entire process made Chen Mu