Design

Yang Kun's face reddened, but he wasn't offended. "The two of us came unannounced, so I can't blame you for having doubts, fellow Daoist. We only wanted to discuss joining forces to hunt that Poison Python."

Yan Chihuo's expression darkened. "Why have you come to me? That Poison Python is no ordinary foe. My strength is limited, so I wouldn't dare agree to this."

Yang Kun hurriedly said, "Please hear me out, fellow Daoist. We discovered you sneaking up on that Poison Python several times over the past few days. Though you didn't manage to finish it off, you came and went freely, which impressed my brother and me. We have Realgar Essence that should be enough to subdue the beast..."

Yan Chihuo replied, "If that's the case, why not capture it yourselves? Why come to me?" He knew snakes feared realgar, of course, but he had no confidence that it could subdue this serpent demon, which had gained supernatural powers.

Yang Kun said, "Though my brother and I have Realgar Essence, the moment we get close, the serpent demon will surely flee. We wouldn't be able to catch up. We'd like to lure it to a dead end, but we're not strong enough, and we're too slow. I'm afraid we'd end up in its belly before we could even draw it there."

Mao Chuan, who had a large bundle on his back, spoke up. "Fellow Daoist, this Realgar Essence has been refined over many years, with only one part kept from every ten. It won't work against a serpent demon at the Qi Gathering Stage, but it should be more than enough to deal with one at the Body Tempering Stage. My brother and I only want the Poison Python's fangs. If you help us lure it here, we'll take care of the rest. After we kill it, we'll take only those two fangs."

Yan Chihuo glanced at the two of them. "Why are you so interested in those fangs?"

Yang Kun rubbed his hands together and said sheepishly, "You may not know this, fellow Daoist, but my brother and I are Rogue Cultivators, and our Talisman Artifacts are poor. Fortunately, we got a promise from a weapon refiner. If we bring him the main materials, he'll add some auxiliary ones and refine Talisman Artifacts for us. That's why we set our sights on these two fangs."

Mao Chuan then pulled a stack of array discs and flags from his robes. "This is a Breath Concealment Array. It has no other use; it can only mask the smell of the Realgar Essence, so the serpent demon won't be alerted."

With that, he took the bundle from his back and opened it. Inside lay five dark-red, translucent crystals, each about the size of an infant's head. A faintly unpleasant odor wafted from them.

Yan Chihuo pondered briefly, then asked, "Where do you plan to hunt this serpent demon?"

Yang Kun said, "There's a valley fifty li east of its lair. We plan to set up the Breath Concealment Array there, crush the Realgar Essence, and scatter half of it around the area. We'll dissolve the other half in medicinal liquor. If you can lure the serpent demon there, the realgar wine and powder alone should be enough to subdue it."

Yan Chihuo asked, "Could I take a look at this Breath Concealment Array?"

Yang Kun and Mao Chuan exchanged glances and each gave a slight nod. Mao Chuan said, "By all means, have a look."

Yan Chihuo took the Breath Concealment Array. Though he didn't understand arrays, he knew a little about Restriction runes. After examining it for a while and confirming that it truly only concealed odors, he returned it to them and said, "It seems I can give this a try."

Yang and Mao were overjoyed. "With your help, we'll surely succeed at the first attempt." Yang Kun paused, then asked, "Fellow Daoist, might you tell us your name this time?"

Yan Chihuo smiled faintly. "I'm also a Rogue Cultivator. My name is Qu Wuxing." He knew there was a ninety percent chance Yang Kun and Mao Chuan wouldn't believe him, but he didn't know what the two men across from him were capable of. How could he tell them everything about himself?

The two seemed none the wiser. Mao Chuan said, "Let's head to the valley first. I'll set up the array."

Yan Chihuo traveled with the two men for over a hundred li before they reached a valley. Peach blossoms grew in abundance there, and in the middle of the Peach Forest lay an open space several li across.

Mao Chuan set up the Breath Concealment Array around the Peach Forest, then divided half of the Realgar Essence into dozens of piles, placing one every ten-odd zhang. Yang Kun took the large gourd from his back and pulled out its stopper. Yan Chihuo immediately caught the strong smell of medicinal liquor. Mao Chuan crushed the rest of the Realgar Essence and poured it into the gourd, then shook it continuously.

A little over an hour later, Mao Chuan said, "That should do it." He then took two small gourds from his bundle and poured the medicinal liquor from the large gourd into them. Handing one to Yang Kun and the other to Yan Chihuo, he said, "Once the serpent demon is trapped here, we'll pour the liquor from our gourds over it together. That should subdue it."

Then he remembered something and added, "Qu Wuxing, when you lure the serpent demon here, don't pull out the stopper. Otherwise, it'll surely flee."

Yan Chihuo took the gourd and studied it for a moment before tucking it into his robes. He told Yang Kun and Mao Chuan, "You two need to stay hidden here as well. Don't let the serpent demon notice anything amiss. It may not be able to speak, but its intelligence is no worse than a human's. If it gets spooked, I won't be able to lure it here again. I can't say when I'll manage to bring it, so you'll need to be patient."

Yang Kun and Mao Chuan replied in unison, "Don't worry, Qu Wuxing."

Yan Chihuo returned to the serpent demon's cave and peered inside from a distance. He saw it coiled up in the cave, apparently resting. He had fought the serpent demon many times and knew it wouldn't come out anytime soon, so he waited nearby.

The serpent demon was truly stronger than him. He didn't dare provoke it carelessly, so he simply practiced cultivation to pass the time. His hearing was excellent; he wouldn't miss the slightest movement from the serpent demon. Otherwise, given that its intelligence was scarcely inferior to a human's, it wouldn't have fallen victim to his ambushes time and again.

More than three hours passed, but the serpent demon still lay inside the cave, showing no sign of coming out. Yan Chihuo was extremely patient and didn't mind in the least.

A little while later, the serpent demon raised its head and slowly slithered out of the cave. The moment it emerged, a shower of boulders came crashing down. But this time, the serpent demon simply pulled its head back and retreated into the cave, ignoring the attack.

Yan Chihuo was slightly taken aback. That wasn't like the serpent demon. After all, the cave entrance was now blocked. He would be even less likely to hurry, while the serpent demon would eventually have to come out again for food and water, making it easier to attack.

He had no idea what the serpent demon was planning and didn't dare approach. He could only watch from afar. Just then, a rustling sound suddenly reached his ears. He immediately realized what was happening, activated Earth Shrinking Step, and dashed toward the valley.

As Yan Chihuo sprang into motion, dust flew beside the cave entrance. The serpent demon burst out and charged after him. It turned out the serpent demon had secretly dug a tunnel nearby and was lying in wait to ambush him. If not for his keen hearing and quick reflexes, the consequences would have been unthinkable.