Design

Yang Kun's face flushed, but he did not take offense. He said, "This Humble One and my companion have come here rashly, so we do not blame you for your misgivings. We only wish to discuss a plan with you, fellow Daoist, to hunt down that Poison Python together."

Yan Chihuo's expression darkened as he replied, "Why seek me out? That Poison Python is no trivial matter. This Humble One's strength is meager, and I dare not commit to such a task."

Yang Kun hurriedly said, "Fellow Daoist, please hear me out. Several days ago, we noticed you repeatedly ambushing that Poison Python. Although you did not achieve a complete victory, your ability to come and go as you pleased earned our brother's admiration. We possess Realgar Essence, which is sufficient to subdue this demon..."

Upon hearing this, Yan Chihuo asked, "If that is the case, why not capture it yourselves? Why come to me?" He naturally knew that snakes feared realgar, but he was not confident that realgar could subdue a snake demon that had attained such cultivation.

Yang Kun explained, "Although we have the Realgar Essence, the moment we approach, the snake demon will surely flee. We cannot catch up to it. We have considered luring it into a dead end, but our strength is insufficient and our movement techniques are poor. We fear that before we could lure it there, we would end up in the snake's belly."

Beside him, Mao Chuan, who carried a large pack on his back, spoke up: "Fellow Daoist, this piece of Realgar Essence was refined over many years, with only one part kept out of ten. While it is ineffective against a snake demon in the Qi Gathering Stage, it is certain to work against this one in the Body Tempering Stage. Our brother only desires the fangs of this Poison Python. As long as you help us lure the snake here, we will handle the rest. After we slay the demon, we only want those two fangs."

Yan Chihuo glanced at the two and asked, "Why are you two so interested in these two fangs?"

Yang Kun rubbed his hands together and said sheepishly, "Fellow Daoist, you may not know this, but we are merely rogue cultivators with poor Talisman Artifacts. Fortunately, we obtained a promise from an artificer that if we provide the main materials, he will add other auxiliary materials to forge a Talisman Artifact for us. That is why we have our eyes on these fangs."

Mao Chuan then pulled a pile of formation disks and flags from his robes, saying, "This is a Breath Concealment Array. It has no other function but to mask the scent of the Realgar Essence so as not to alert the snake demon."

After speaking, he untied his pack and opened it, revealing five deep-red, translucent crystals the size of an infant's head, which emitted a faint, foul odor.

Yan Chihuo pondered for a moment and asked, "Where do you two intend to trap and kill this snake demon?"

Yang Kun replied, "Fifty miles east of the snake's lair, there is a valley. We intend to set up the Breath Concealment Array there, crush the Realgar Essence, spread half of it around the perimeter, and dissolve the other half into medicinal wine. If you can lure the snake demon there, the combination of this realgar wine and realgar powder will be enough to subdue it."

Yan Chihuo said, "May I examine this Breath Concealment Array?"

Yang Kun and Mao Chuan exchanged glances and nodded slightly. Mao Chuan said, "Please, fellow Daoist."

Yan Chihuo took the array. Although he was not well-versed in formations, he knew a thing or two about restriction patterns. After fiddling with it for a moment and confirming that it indeed only possessed the function of concealing breath, he returned it to them and said, "It seems I can give this a try."

Yang and Mao were overjoyed. "With your help, fellow Daoist, we shall surely succeed." Yang Kun paused, then added, "Fellow Daoist, may we know your name?"

Yan Chihuo smiled slightly and said, "This Humble One is also a rogue cultivator, named Qu Wuxing." He knew that Yang Kun and Mao Chuan likely did not believe him, but he did not know the depth of their abilities and was unwilling to reveal his true background.

The two seemed oblivious. Mao Chuan said, "Let us head to the valley first so I can set up the formation."

Yan Chihuo followed the two for over a hundred miles until they reached a valley filled with peach blossoms, with a clearing several miles wide in the center of the peach forest.

Mao Chuan set up the Breath Concealment Array along the edge of the forest and divided half of the Realgar Essence into dozens of piles, placing one every ten yards or so. Yang Kun took the large gourd from his back and pulled the stopper; Yan Chihuo immediately smelled a pungent odor of medicinal wine. He watched as Mao Chuan crushed the remaining Realgar Essence into powder, poured it into the gourd, and shook it repeatedly.

After more than an hour, Mao Chuan said, "This should be ready." He then took two small gourds from his pack, poured the medicinal wine from the large gourd into them, and gave one each to Yang Kun and Yan Chihuo. "Once the snake demon is trapped here, we will all pour the medicinal wine from our gourds onto its body to subdue it."

He then remembered something and added, "Fellow Daoist Qu, when you are luring the snake, do not pull the stopper from this gourd, or the snake demon will surely flee."

Yan Chihuo took the gourd, inspected it for a moment, tucked it into his robes, and said to Yang Kun and Mao Chuan, "You two must also hide well here; do not let the snake demon discover anything amiss. Although this snake demon cannot speak, its intelligence is quite high. If it is startled, it will be impossible for me to lure it here again. I cannot say when I will be able to lure it, so you must be patient."

Yang Kun and Mao Chuan replied in unison, "Rest assured, Fellow Daoist Qu."

Yan Chihuo returned to the entrance of the snake demon's cave and looked inside from a distance, finding the snake demon coiled up as if resting. Having fought the snake demon many times, he knew it would not emerge for a while, so he waited nearby.

The snake demon's true strength exceeded his own, so he dared not provoke it recklessly. Bored, he spent the time cultivating. His hearing was excellent; the slightest movement from the snake demon could not escape him—otherwise, given that the snake demon's intelligence was not much lower than a human's, it would not have been ambushed by him so many times.

More than three hours passed, and the snake demon still lay in the cave with no intention of coming out. Yan Chihuo had great patience and did not mind at all.

A moment later, the snake demon raised its head and slowly slithered out of the cave. Just as it emerged, a large pile of boulders collapsed onto the entrance. This time, however, the snake demon simply retracted its head and retreated back into the cave, ignoring the situation entirely.

Yan Chihuo was slightly startled; this was not the snake demon's usual behavior. Since the entrance was now blocked, he was in no hurry, as the snake demon would eventually have to come out due to hunger or thirst, making it even easier to attack.

Unsure of the snake demon's intentions, he dared not approach and merely watched from afar. Suddenly, a rustling sound reached his ears. He realized what was happening and immediately activated his Earth Shrinking Step, sprinting toward the valley.

Just as Yan Chihuo began to move, dust erupted from beside the cave entrance. The snake demon lunged out and gave chase. It turned out the snake demon had secretly dug a tunnel to ambush him. Had it not been for his superior hearing and quick reflexes, the consequences would have been unthinkable.