"Are you asking me to go with you?" Lu Li asked tentatively.
The White Tiger blinked its hazy, wide eyes, seemingly unable to understand.
Seeing that, Lu Li could only resort to gestures. Only then did the White Tiger react, nodding.
Its face was still frozen in terror, clearly haunted by the beating Lu Li had given it.
Now that the White Tiger had regained its senses, Lu Li studied it carefully.
It breathed like thunder, its back arched high, its limbs bulging with muscle. Every inch of it radiated strength.
Even while under control, its mind had been muddled, yet it had still reached the Flesh-Refining Realm.
Now its back rose high, its tendons taut as bowstrings. It was already on the verge of reaching the Tendon-Refining Realm!
If they fought now, it was hard to say who would win.
Still, Lu Li was confident that even if he couldn't beat it, he could escape by paying a certain price.
The White Tiger's strength after regaining its senses had left Lu Li hesitating again.
"This White Tiger looks harmless, like a big cat, but it's a demon. It's awakened its intelligence. Who knows what it's thinking?"
"Even ordinary wolves know how to lure their prey. How much more so a demon?"
"I definitely can't go with it. If I fall into a trap, who knows whether I'll make it back out?"
"Besides, we can barely communicate. That's another big problem."
At that thought, Lu Li suddenly slapped his forehead.
Right. He'd been so caught up in the wonder of encountering a demon for the first time that he'd almost forgotten: the black-robed man could communicate with this White Tiger demon.
Lu Li turned to look at the black-robed man.
The man's hands were both ruined. He sat beneath a tree, trembling.
His face was full of terror.
He clearly had never imagined that this kid had been hiding his strength, or that even his trump card would be so easily defeated by Lu Li.
Only now did he finally understand: this seemingly weak herb gatherer was a martial artist in the Flesh-Refining Realm!
But he looked far too young. Who could have guessed?
Even a genius couldn't reach this level, could they?
Unless he'd practiced martial arts from childhood.
But how could a mere herb gatherer have practiced martial arts since childhood?
This kid was a monster!
Just as the black-robed man's thoughts were in chaos, he saw Lu Li walking toward him. It felt as though he'd fallen into an icy pit.
He looked at Lu Li as if he were looking at a devil, his heart and mind shaken.
"I want your method for controlling demons." Lu Li stood before him, his tone calm.
But to the black-robed man, his words sounded chilling.
The man went cold all over, and cold sweat burst out of him.
He shook his head like a rattle drum. "No! If I hand it over, I'm as good as dead!"
A cold smile curved across Lu Li's face. He grabbed the black-robed man's ankle and yanked with all his strength, tearing it off.
Blood sprayed across the snow, a gruesome sight.
"Ah...!" The black-robed man's face twisted as he let out a piercing scream of agony.
"I'll give you one more chance. Hand it over, and I'll make your death quick."
The black-robed man clenched his teeth and managed to say, "Kid, there's a Rebel Army behind me!"
"If you kill me and they find out, the day Changfeng County falls will be the day you die!"
"With your talent and abilities, if you work for us, you'll have a limitless future."
"Once you've grown strong, there'll be a place for us in this world!"
"Then you won't have to watch everyone else's expressions. You can enjoy wealth and honor. Wouldn't that be wonderful?"
Lu Li raised an eyebrow.
Rebel armies were springing up everywhere, bandits ran rampant. They weren't yet a threat to the entire Great Yan Dynasty, but they weren't far from it.
He hadn't expected there to be a Rebel Army in Changfeng County!
But the news only surprised him a little.
He was a martial artist who had entered a realm. Wherever he went, he'd never have to worry about food or drink.
If the city really fell, he could simply move somewhere else.
Lu Li didn't take the black-robed man's threat to heart.
There were only two people and one beast here, with no one else around.
According to the black-robed man, so many herb gatherers had come. Who could say Lu Li had done it?
As for joining the Rebel Army, that was an even bigger joke.
The Great Yan Dynasty might be tottering, but a dying camel was still bigger than a horse. A tiny band of rebels couldn't stir up much trouble.
Besides, if he really joined the Rebel Army, what kind of wealth and honor could he enjoy after they won?
Lu Li knew perfectly well: the first person they'd kill would be one of their own!
He'd seen this sort of thing countless times in his previous life.
Lu Li shook his head, grabbed the black-robed man's other leg, and applied a little force.
The man immediately began to convulse, his teeth chattering.
"I'll tell you! I'll tell you!" the black-robed man begged.
This living torture was no different from being slowly sliced to death. He couldn't bear it.
His pupils trembled, bloodshot.
He felt as if the whole world had turned scarlet.
Lu Li looked like a demon crawling up from hell, horns jutting from his head and a sinister grin on his face.
The black-robed man muttered a few words, his voice hoarse. "This is the Demon-Spirit Communion Technique."
Lu Li memorized every word, but it all seemed jumbled. He looked at his panel, which was still blank.
Where was this so-called Demon-Spirit Communion Technique?
Lu Li's face turned icy. He slapped the black-robed man across the face, knocking half his teeth out.
He barked, "Tell me the truth, or I won't hesitate to roast you alive over a fire."
"How did you know it was fake?" the black-robed man mumbled.
Seeing Lu Li raise his hand to slap him again, he hurriedly changed his tune. "A beast-tamer must attune with the beast, hear as it hears, and use the power of his own body to shape his voice. Only then can he form a bond with a demon..."
"Communicating with demons is only the first step."
"You also need a controlling parasite. It clings to the demon's brain and affects its mind. There's one inside this White Tiger's head."
Lu Li looked at the panel and saw the words Demon-Spirit Communion Technique appear at last. Only then did he spare the black-robed man.
[Martial Arts: Tiger-Subduing Fist (Flesh-Refining Realm 30/400), one practice a day, 40 years to master. Demon-Spirit Communion Technique: (Uninitiated 0/100)]
Lu Li immediately began practicing.
Having reached the Flesh-Refining Realm, and being a genius himself, he found the Demon-Spirit Communion Technique easy as pie.
After just one day, he had mastered it.
[Martial Arts: Tiger-Subduing Fist (Flesh-Refining Realm 30/400), one practice a day, 40 years to master. Demon-Spirit Communion Technique: (Cannot be upgraded)]
During that time, cowed by Lu Li's might, the White Tiger could only lie on the ground.
Whenever it tried to leave, Lu Li's gaze would shoot toward it like a sharp sword, making it shudder.
Lu Li controlled his throat to produce a sound, letting out a faint tiger's roar. "Where were you taking me yesterday?"
The White Tiger paused, then let out a faint roar of its own.
To Lu Li's ears, it sounded like a clear, melodious young girl's voice.
So the White Tiger was a girl.
Lu Li understood what the demon meant.
There were many medicinal herbs in her cave. She wanted Lu Li to go there so she could trade them for her life.
She also hadn't wanted to eat people. The black-robed man had been controlling her at the time, and her mind had been muddled.
And human flesh was a great tonic for demons.
So the black-robed man had ordered her to eat people.
According to her, she'd eaten three people, and several others had escaped.
But she'd bitten off one leg from a man with a pointy head.
"Pointy head?" Lu Li was startled. Wasn't that Niu Er?
Lu Li felt no sympathy. If anything, he was a little gleeful.
After hearing her out, Lu Li was still only half convinced.
Then he made another string of strange, unfamiliar sounds with his throat.
The White Tiger's face twisted in pain. It let out a series of muffled snarls, and its eyes gradually turned blood-red.
Lu Li asked again. The answer was still the same, and only then did he relax.
The cave was safe to enter!
Before you continue