Dragon Gall Grass

Niujiao Ridge!

In a wooden house on the southern mountain peak.

The six members of Meng Dongge's group had just returned here and were celebrating wildly, with the corpse of a Strange Ghost lying beside them.

"Dongge, your scheme really is brilliant. We successfully hunted another Strange Ghost tonight without lifting a finger."

One disciple was tremendously excited. As he spoke, he stroked the Strange Ghost's corpse, utterly enthralled.

"I told you it couldn't go wrong. Those disciples are all poor wretches—how much money could they have? They're nowhere near as valuable as a Strange Ghost. We might as well put them to good use."

Meng Dongge no longer looked as amiable as before. A trace of sinister mockery hung on his face.

"Exactly, exactly. Thanks to you getting us a batch of Dragon Gall Grass, this plan wouldn't have been so easy to pull off otherwise."

"A monster like a Strange Ghost... Before this, I wouldn't even have dared imagine hunting one without paying any price."

The disciples beside him chimed in one after another, their words brimming with admiration and ingratiation toward Meng Dongge.

"Speaking of which, what's going on with Su Jie's group? I went to the wooden house earlier and found they had already changed houses. Did they notice something?"

"Impossible."

Meng Dongge immediately cut him off, speaking with complete confidence. "I buried the Dragon Gall Grass beneath the soil around the tree roots. Apart from Strange Ghosts, which can smell that peculiar scent, no one else could possibly find it.

"They probably just grew suspicious and don't entirely trust our arrangements.

"So, next time I'll use a visit as an excuse and bury more Dragon Gall Grass around their wooden house. I refuse to believe they can keep changing their residence."

"That will definitely work. Once they lure the Strange Ghost over, all we have to do is wait for them and the Strange Ghost to fight until both sides are battered. Then we can sit back and reap the spoils."

The disciples' eyes lit up, as though they could already see wealth pouring into their pockets.

Meng Dongge's group discussed their scheme without the slightest scruple, plotting how to harm others.

They had no idea that a moth was quietly clinging to the window. It heard every word of their loud conspiracy with perfect clarity.

"Heh, just as I thought. The final link in the chain has been filled in."

At the same time.

On the northern mountain peak of Niujiao Ridge, Su Jie slowly opened his eyes and ended his shared vision with the moth.

Inside the wooden house's main hall, Chen Yun, who had just been rescued, had been temporarily placed there.

Her injuries were extremely severe. The Strange Ghost's claws had torn several wounds deep enough to expose bone, and even her intestines were hanging out in the open air. If her body had not been far stronger than an ordinary person's, she would have died long ago.

"The bleeding has temporarily stopped, but the Strange Ghost's claws carried a little corrosive poison. Whether she can survive will depend on whether her wounds fester."

Gu Weinan examined her. Chen Yun's condition was far from optimistic.

"I understand. Set Chen Yun aside for now. Let's discuss something else."

Su Jie rose from his meditation cushion and called Gu Weinan and Sun Zhihai over. "What do you make of what happened tonight?"

"What do I make of it? Wasn't it just an accident? Chen Yun's group was simply unlucky. Wait, Brother Su, don't tell me you think Chen Yun's group was killed by Fellow Daoist Meng? You saw that Strange Ghost's corpse yourself. Your earlier suspicion was wrong."

Gu Weinan was puzzled. Not long ago, Su Jie had suspected Meng Dongge.

But the facts had proven that Su Jie had judged incorrectly. Meng Dongge had instead heroically rescued people and was, completely and utterly, a good man.

"That's right, Brother Su. Isn't Fellow Daoist Meng good enough? He personally led the rescue team despite the threat of the Strange Ghost. We can't go around falsely accusing him."

Sun Zhihai also defended Meng Dongge.

The two of them clearly had a favorable impression of Meng Dongge. His warmhearted nature and willingness to risk himself in support of others did indeed make him easy to trust.

"Don't you think it was too much of a coincidence?"

Su Jie knew they would question him, so he analyzed the night's events one by one. "Chen Yun and we arrived today, and her group was attacked by a Strange Ghost immediately afterward. That's overly coincidental.

"Likewise, after the attack happened, wasn't Meng Dongge's group a little too quick to provide support? They were clearly farther from Chen Yun's wooden house, yet they arrived before us. They even fought an intense battle with the Strange Ghost, as if... they had been waiting there in advance."

Silence!

Su Jie's words left the entire hall utterly quiet.

Gu Weinan swallowed, his voice tense and uneasy. "B-Brother Su, without solid evidence, this may just be you overthinking it."

That was what he said, but after considering Su Jie's words, Gu Weinan realized there truly were many suspicious points.

"Brother Gu, think carefully. When Meng Dongge's group appeared, what were they carrying? The Nine Bends Net, the Earth-Sinking Thunderfire Mirror, the Tiangang Rope. Did you realize anything? All those items are used to set traps and ambushes. Do you think that if Meng Dongge had really gone to rescue people, he would have brought a pile of those things?"

Su Jie's voice was frighteningly calm. He did not grow angry at Gu Weinan's doubts; he merely recounted and analyzed the facts.

Gu Weinan's face paled, and he was rendered speechless. Everything in Su Jie's analysis was true.

"Brother Su, those are only your speculations, not evidence at all. I know you want that Strange Ghost's corpse, but we don't have the strength to seize it. Don't drag Gu Weinan and me into this, all right?"

Sun Zhihai leaped to his feet in fury. He believed Su Jie coveted the value of the Strange Ghost and had conceived evil intentions, using seemingly ambiguous conjectures to drag him and Gu Weinan into danger.

But had Su Jie even considered their strength? The three of them together might not be Meng Dongge's match, let alone the fact that Meng Dongge had six disciples—twice their number.

"Do you actually want evidence, or are you unwilling to acknowledge the truth because you're afraid?"

Su Jie's deep gaze settled on him. Sun Zhihai grew slightly uneasy, uncertain whether Su Jie truly possessed concrete evidence.

"You—cough, cough—are you really telling the truth?"

Just then, an extremely weak, mosquito-like voice came from the side.

Chen Yun, who had still been unconscious moments earlier, had awakened. She had happened to hear Su Jie's analysis. Her eyes were wide with furious rage, her chest packed with resentment. Ignoring her injuries, she struggled upright and ruptured the wounds whose bleeding had only just been stopped.

Su Jie turned and met her gaze. "Rest for now. Even if this is true, you can do nothing about it. You're a cripple now."

"I'm going to kill them. Kill them."

Chen Yun bit her lips until they bled without noticing, her fury having nowhere to go.

That very night, her husband and younger brother—the two people closest to her—had died. She had originally believed they had perished in the Strange Ghost's attack, simply victims of bad luck.

But after hearing Su Jie's analysis, she learned there was another hidden truth: it seemed Meng Dongge's group had laid a trap.

Su Jie stopped paying attention to Chen Yun. When he had rescued her, he had merely thought she might be treatable.

If she recovered, she could provide another combatant for his side and make it easier to oppose Meng Dongge.

Instead, the person he had brought back was a cripple. It was disappointing.

"Brother Su, what evidence are you talking about?" Gu Weinan could not help asking.

"Have you heard of Dragon Gall Grass? Meng Dongge buried that grass outside Chen Yun's wooden house. That was the greatest cause of the Strange Ghost attack tonight. By the way, the wooden house Meng Dongge originally chose for us was also buried with the same Dragon Gall Grass."

"What? Dragon Gall Grass? Where did he get that?"

Gu Weinan broke into a cold sweat.

To Strange Ghosts, Dragon Gall Grass was like catnip to cats.

It emitted a scent Strange Ghosts adored, making it very easy to attract them.

However, Dragon Gall Grass had always been rare. Few people ever found it. Many had heard of it, but hardly anyone had seen it.

Still shaken, Gu Weinan rubbed his chest and said gratefully, "Fortunately, Brother Su, you took us to change houses. Otherwise, we might have ended up like Chen Yun tonight."

By now, Gu Weinan completely believed Su Jie's judgment. The disaster today really had been Meng Dongge's doing.

That man looked upright and aboveboard on the surface, yet harbored sinister intentions in secret. He had actually set such a trap and directly killed Chen Yun's group of three.

"I have to admit, it was a brilliant scheme. It was like fishing. Chen Yun's group were the bait: not only could they attract the Strange Ghost to take the hook, they could also weaken it in advance by fighting it until both sides were battered. Then Meng Dongge would lead his people out to ambush it and finish the job. Just like that, a Strange Ghost would fall into his hands, worth several hundred Blood Marrow Crystals. How could anyone not go mad for that?"

Su Jie sighed. Thinking of the clean wooden house from the beginning, he suspected Chen Yun was not the first person to be trapped this way.

"Dragon Gall Grass... If I had listened to you and moved houses back then, none of this would have happened... I hate this. I hate this. Kou Dang, Chao Xian, I'm the one who got you killed. I'm the one who got you killed..."

After hearing Su Jie's words, Chen Yun sank completely into remorse.

If she had listened to the advice back then, she would not have lost her younger brother and husband tonight.

Gu Weinan did not know how to comfort her. In the end, he let out a long sigh and looked toward Su Jie.

"Brother Su, what should we do now? Should we submit our analysis to the Command Hall?"

"Do you think that would be useful?"

"Well... I'm afraid it wouldn't."

Gu Weinan gave two bitter laughs. They belonged to a demonic sect, where lower disciples killing one another was commonplace. Even public murder could be overlooked as long as one paid enough compensation.

To the sect's higher-ups, outer sect disciples were merely consumable materials. One batch could be replenished after another, so the sect could not be bothered with such trivial matters.

Su Jie spread his hands, his tone solemn. "We have no choice now. Either we kill Meng Dongge's group, or we die. Those are the only two outcomes."

As for fleeing, without the Command Hall's permission, who would dare leave the station? They would only be waiting to have their corpses collected.

"How could we possibly be Meng Dongge's group's match?"

Sun Zhihai immediately jumped in alarm, his face filled with timidity.

The difference in combat strength between the two sides was too great. Setting quality aside, they were already outnumbered two to one. A battle like that would be nothing but suicide.

"Do you have a better choice?"

Su Jie looked at him.

"I—I—I..."

Sun Zhihai's lips moved, but he could not produce a single answer.

"Although they have more people than we do, we aren't without a chance."

Su Jie withdrew his gaze and glanced at Chen Yun on the floor. "As the saying goes, repay others in their own way. Meng Dongge used Dragon Gall Grass to set a trap against us. We can use Dragon Gall Grass against them as well."

"You mean we take the Dragon Gall Grass from our original wooden house and put it near Meng Dongge's residence, attracting a Strange Ghost to deal with them?"

Gu Weinan quickly understood Su Jie's plan, and his eyes suddenly brightened.

The plan had a very real chance of succeeding.

"Strange Ghosts are very useful. If one can't finish them off completely, we'll go up and deliver the final blow."

Su Jie set the tone for the plan, then said to Gu Weinan, "Go over there tonight. The Dragon Gall Grass is buried beneath the tree roots around our wooden house, and they probably haven't had time to remove it yet. Dig it up and bury it near Meng Dongge's wooden house. Be careful and don't let yourself be discovered."

"All right. I'll go over immediately."

Gu Weinan agreed repeatedly. He was now prepared to follow Su Jie down this road to the end.

Other than eliminating the threat of Meng Dongge, they had no choice left.

Su Jie watched Gu Weinan leave, with a moth secretly following him.

He would not easily trust anyone. If Gu Weinan had any ulterior motive, Su Jie would know at once.

The outer sect disciples had never learned any insect-control techniques, so they had no defenses against ordinary insects. Su Jie possessed an enormous advantage in reconnaissance.

"Fellow Daoist Su, let me join the battle as well. I can still help."

Gu Weinan had left, but Chen Yun forced herself to hold up her body. Her gaze was exceptionally resolute, and her determination for revenge had not wavered in the slightest despite her injuries.

Su Jie examined Chen Yun and suddenly thought of something. "It's not impossible, but you may die."

"Do you think that in my current state, I'm still afraid of dying?"

Chen Yun gave a bitter smile. Having lost her younger brother and husband, she would rather die than let Meng Dongge off easily.

"All right. I'll help you."

Su Jie said no more. Chen Yun's injuries could actually be treated; she simply could not afford the healing pills.

He carried Chen Yun back to the bedroom and prepared to perform surgery on her.

Without making many preparations, Su Jie released the Thousand-Hand Centipede. Borrowing its nimble, pallid hands one after another, he cut off several strands of Chen Yun's long hair and used them to stitch her wounds.

Su Jie had never stitched wounds before, and his technique was terrible. The sutures were ugly and awkward, with some flesh not even properly aligned.

Without anesthesia, Chen Yun gritted her teeth and endured the entire process. Sweat and blood soaked the bed.

Once the stitching was complete, Chen Yun was utterly exhausted. Her body was covered in centipede-like sutures, including her face.

Su Jie poured some medicine over Chen Yun's wounds and gave her a hemostatic pill. It was not even a low-grade pill, but it still had some effect. It was cheap, after all, and was publicly known among the outer sect disciples as a sacred healing medicine.

"Can you move?"

Su Jie asked.

"I'll try."

Chen Yun gritted her teeth and forced herself out of bed. One had to admit that cultivators' bodies were much stronger than ordinary people's. If an ordinary person suffered such injuries, they would not be able to leave bed for a year or more. Yet Chen Yun could force herself upright and move slowly.

Seeing this, Su Jie shook his head. "You're pushing yourself too hard."

"No, this is enough. I can still control my Gu worm. Even if I have to throw away my natal Gu worm and my own life, I can still launch several attacks. Let me join the battle."

Chen Yun looked at Su Jie with steely determination and summoned the Nether Sound Bat.

However, the natal Gu worm was also severely wounded. It could not even fly, and could only lie in Chen Yun's hand, weakly chirping twice.

"Not bad."

Su Jie looked at Chen Yun in a new light. This woman truly had a strong character. At the very least, she was ruthless enough toward herself.

"When do we leave?"

Chen Yun stroked the Nether Sound Bat. Her bone-deep hatred had nearly burned her body to ashes. She wanted revenge for her younger brother and husband.

"We still need to wait for good news from Brother Gu, and besides..."

Su Jie pushed open the window and looked toward the east, where a spread of dawn's red glow had appeared. He chuckled. "There's still one hidden danger that needs to be cleared away. Once all that is done, it should be about enough."