Golden Silk Rat

Three days later, at dawn.

Shi Mu, carrying a huge bundle as tall as a man, came alone to the mountain range where he often hunted beasts. After crossing seven or eight peaks, he finally arrived at the edge of an unusually verdant green bamboo forest.

He spent half an hour circling this hundred-acre bamboo grove several times before finding some traces. At a certain direction in the bamboo forest, he gently set down the huge bundle, quickly pulled out a small iron shovel, and began digging a trap in the nearby ground.

Strangely enough, Shi Mu's digging movements were extremely cautious, as if afraid of making too much noise.

But because of this, by the time he finished digging a pit the size of a water vat and over three meters deep, it was already noon.

Shi Mu took out some bottles and jars from the bundle, poured some unknown powders and liquids into the bottom of the pit, then covered the surface of the large pit with thin branches. He brought many bamboo leaves from the forest to lay another layer on top, and sprinkled some dust over everything.

Thus, an ingenious trap was set.

Shi Mu looked at his handiwork and showed a satisfied expression.

This method of setting traps and the materials inside were all learned from the Zhong Craft Secret Manual. Otherwise, even with his Wind-Galloping Blade Technique trained to seven strikes per breath, his chances of success would have dropped a few more points.

Then, he looked at the sun hanging high in the sky, judged the exact time, and without another word, pulled a paper packet from his bosom. Opening it revealed a lump of golden dough.

Shi Mu then poured all the unknown liquid from a small bottle onto the dough.

Instantly, an indescribable aroma of meat wafted from the dough.

"I hope this bait recipe I got from the old hunter in town really works, otherwise the materials alone cost thirty taels of silver."

Shi Mu muttered to himself, flicked his wrist, and the golden dough floated lightly down to the center of the trap.

Then he took a pitch-black wooden knife and an unusually large emerald-green cloak from the bundle. After draping the cloak over himself and tossing the bundle behind a nearby boulder, he returned to the edge of the trap, lay down, and remained completely still.

From a distance, the trap area looked empty, with no trace of anything unusual.

At this moment, Shi Mu held his breath. The hot air from his nostrils was barely visible. His eyes were fixed on the bamboo forest, unblinking, as the relevant information surfaced once again in his mind.

The Golden Silk Rat, also known as the Medicine-Seeking Rat, is a unique exotic beast native to Quanzhou. It is a mutant variant of a common spotted mountain rat. From birth, it bites to death the other young rats in its litter. After three months, golden fur grows on its back, and it can then find some medicinal herbs to swallow on its own.

After one year, when the Golden Silk Rat's entire body turns golden, it fully matures. At this point, its innate talent is completely awakened, allowing it to easily find some rare medicinal herbs. Therefore, if this rat is tamed by someone, it is no different from instantly gaining a natural master of herb gathering. It has always been in high demand but short supply on the market, often impossible to obtain even for tens of thousands of taels of silver, and rarely sold by anyone.

Shi Mu had only discovered this famous Golden Silk Rat of Quanzhou by chance while chasing a wild fox near the bamboo forest, and he was naturally overjoyed.

However, he did not act rashly at the time.

Although the Golden Silk Rat is not a spirit beast, it is naturally timid and cautious. Moreover, it runs as fast as lightning, often using its incredible speed to create phantom afterimages to confuse people. If one fails to capture it in a single strike, unless they are a martial arts master with astonishing lightness skills, the chance of catching it again is extremely slim.

During this period, every time Shi Mu came to this mountain range to train, he would set aside time to study the activity patterns of this Golden Silk Rat.

Now that he had cultivated the Wind-Galloping Blade Technique to seven strikes per breath and obtained the trap and sedative methods from the Zhong Craft Secret Manual, he finally resolved to act today.

While Shi Mu was setting up the trap and preparing to capture the Golden Silk Rat, in a certain hall of the Jingang Martial Hall in Feng City, an old man with graying hair was speaking irritably to Wang Tianhao before him:

"What mischief are you up to again? This time I sent you to the Jin Family to see if there was any girl you fancied. Who told you to go and injure several of the Jin Family's direct descendants?"

"Uncle Xu, how can you blame me? They were the ones who said they wanted me to give them some pointers on martial arts. I just couldn't hold back in time. But to be fair, those people from the Jin Family, except for Shi Yuhuan who is somewhat decent, the rest are completely useless. They couldn't even take one move from me, wasting half my day for nothing." Wang Tianhao yawned, covering his mouth with his hand, looking unconcerned.

"You little brat! The Jin Family is our Wang Family's ally in Quanzhou. This time I sent you to meet a potential match, who told you to fight? Now I have to clean up your mess and personally visit the Jin Family's patriarch to apologize. Starting today, you stay here and don't leave the martial hall even half a step until you've mastered the 'Heaven-Mixing Stance' of the Fang Fire Spear Technique." The old man surnamed Xu glared fiercely at Wang Tianhao, with a hint of helplessness.

"I don't mind. Anyway, in half a month, it's the day of the four martial halls' competition. I need to conserve my energy properly." Wang Tianhao replied with a grin.

"Hmph, with your careless attitude, I'm not too optimistic about the competition in half a month." Uncle Xu snorted.

"Oh? Are you saying some good fighters have appeared in the other martial halls?" Wang Tianhao perked up at this and pressed for more.

"You really are a martial arts maniac! If I don't tell you, you probably won't be able to sleep at night." Uncle Xu couldn't help but laugh and shake his head.

"Hehe, Uncle Xu knows me best." Wang Tianhao showed a flattering expression.

"From what I know, this time the Feihong Martial Hall, in order to change their perennial last-place standing, seems to have brought in a remarkable genius from elsewhere. I hear that although he is not a bloodline wielder, he possesses a natural Thick Earth Physique." Uncle Xu said seriously.

"Thick Earth Physique? That defensive, endurance-based physique?" Wang Tianhao finally showed a hint of surprise.

"Hehe, you know how fearsome the Thick Earth Physique is. As I see it, with your current level of the Fang Fire Spear Technique, you may not be able to break through his defense." Uncle Xu chuckled in reply.

"Maybe I really can't break through the defense of a Martial Disciple-level Thick Earth Physique, but I know one Martial Disciple in Feng City who definitely can. If he could also participate in this martial hall competition, it would be truly spectacular." Wang Tianhao pondered for a moment, then suddenly laughed.

"Oh? Are you talking about that 'Fierce Fist' you mentioned a few days ago?" Uncle Xu's eyes flashed with sharp light.

"Exactly. I've seen him in action myself. His strength is definitely over a thousand jin, otherwise he couldn't bend iron with his bare hands." Wang Tianhao said without hesitation.

"Hmm, according to you, this Fierce Fist's brute strength could indeed counter the Thick Earth Physique to some extent. But unfortunately, this competition only allows Martial Disciples under eighteen. Since this Fierce Fist is the leader of a small gang, he's probably past that age limit." Uncle Xu said noncommittally.

"Yeah, if it weren't for that reason, I wouldn't have backed off so easily back then. If this Fierce Fist were really my age, I would have had a good fight with him to defend my title as Feng City's number one Martial Disciple." Wang Tianhao nodded and said proudly.

Uncle Xu was speechless.

His worthy nephew was good in every way, except for being a bit too showy.

"Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh!"

Seven black blade shadows swept past, shattering several pale yellow phantom images in one strike, finally cutting into a solid object.

"Squeak!"

A fist-sized golden-furred little beast let out a sharp cry, then fell from midair, landing right into the large pit that had now been revealed.

Shi Mu, who had suddenly struck with his blade from the side, was overjoyed. He quickly threw aside the wooden knife, grabbed something from his sleeve with one hand, and flung it forward. A huge silk net flew out, just covering the top of the large pit again.

"Bang"

The golden beast abruptly burst out from the bottom of the pit, slamming straight into the web just laid above, only to tumble back down again.

After a dozen or so charges, the golden beast's impact force gradually weakened, until finally no further sound came from the pit.

Only then did Shi Mu cautiously step forward, sweeping his gaze into the pit.

There, the golden beast lay motionless amidst the multicolored viscous liquid at the pit's bottom.

Shi Mu finally felt at ease, turned, and walked toward a nearby boulder. From his pack, he quickly fished out a small wire cage, then eagerly prepared to dash back to the pit.

But the moment he turned, his expression shifted drastically.

By the edge of the deep pit, which had been empty moments before, a man in a green robe with a sword on his back now stood. He was casually examining a struggling golden beast in his hand—the very Golden Silk Rat that should have been unconscious in the pit.

"Senior, who might you be? That Golden Silk Rat should belong to this junior, shouldn't it?" Shi Mu's heart pounded wildly as he glanced at the golden beast in the other's hand, then took a deep breath and asked.

"What, little one, do you think this old man has stolen your prey?" The green-robed man turned at Shi Mu's words, speaking coldly.

Shi Mu now saw clearly: the man appeared to be a Daoist priest in his thirties, with brows slanting into his temples and eyes sharp as blades, exuding an overwhelming, murderous aura.

"Senior is clearly a master, but this Golden Silk Rat was indeed caught by this junior after great effort..." Shi Mu forced himself to say a few words, but suddenly felt a bone-chilling cold rush toward him. His body nearly froze solid in an instant, numb and stiff.

This seemingly mysterious green-robed man had, without a word, struck at Shi Mu with lethal intent.

"Hehe, the famed Cold Abyss Sword, actually contemplating murder and robbery against a mere Martial Disciple. If this humble one were to spread this news, I wonder how many would believe it."

Just as Shi Mu could not move an inch, his consciousness growing hazy, a heavenly, melodious voice suddenly rang out.

(Only one chapter today. There's no helping it—this new book is written entirely outside the framework of the Mortal series. Every aspect, from the world system to the descriptions of combat and terminology, requires fresh conception. Under the premise of ensuring quality, Wang Yu simply cannot speed up in the early stages. But I can assure everyone that I will create a brand-new novel world for you all. As for speed, I'll try to write as much as possible without staying up late, but I dare not make any more guarantees of a fixed number of chapters per day. Sweat—this sickly body of mine really can't take it. Still, these past few days of writing the new book have been quite enjoyable for Wang Yu, with a certain familiar feeling reminiscent of when I first started writing the Mortal series!)