Vine Snake Flowers weren't rare in this kind of environment.
Xu Bai and First had only been wandering through the forest for a little over ten minutes when they found a patch of Vine Snake Flowers.
From a distance, they really did look like giant snakes coiled around the trees.
But that group of "giant snakes" weren't Datura Snakes. They were another kind of snake, the less poisonous Colorful Spectacled Cobra.
Xu Bai took one look and shook his head, signaling for First to keep searching elsewhere.
First hesitated for a moment, then reluctantly tore its gaze away from the Vine Snake Flowers.
It had only smelled the fragrance of tea earlier, not the fishy sweetness. They weren't what the Beast Tamer had described, but if those snakes were cut into pieces and then braised or fried for the Beast Tamer, they would probably taste delicious.
What a pity the Beast Tamer wouldn't let it...
After wandering around for quite a while, the pair found plenty more Vine Snake Flowers, disguised in all sorts of ways.
They also came across two groups pretending to be Datura Snakes, but they were only two or three meters long. Even if they were real, they would only be two or three hundred years old—clearly not the one from the original story, which was over four hundred years old.
Time trickled by. With nightfall fast approaching, Xu Bai still hadn't found the Datura Snake that had almost achieved the feat of single-handedly killing the Sea God.
"Could it be that the plot followed the novel version..."
Xu Bai felt uneasy. If it really was the novel version, then his plan might not work.
The Soul Hunting Forest might not be large, but that was only in comparison to the medium-sized Soul Beast gathering ground in the Hengduan Mountain Range.
After all, this Soul Hunting Forest was still capable of sustaining Soul Beasts that lived for hundreds or even thousands of years.
Finding a four-hundred-year-old Datura Snake—or two people—in its outer reaches wasn't quite like looking for a needle in a haystack, but it was still incredibly difficult.
More importantly, he had only half a day left. If he managed to find it, the heavens would truly have worked a miracle.
"If I miss this chance, then the only way to safely get Tang San's blood later will be to raise his favorability the honest way."
Xu Bai rubbed his brow, feeling like he was at his wits' end.
At this rate, he might as well take a risk and head to the Sunset Forest or the Star Dou Great Forest. Not for any other reason—he simply didn't have enough time.
In three months, Little Blue would meet the conditions for its third revival. There was no way he could max out Tang San's favorability in three months without making it look suspicious.
"There's no other choice. Let's keep looking. If it really follows the novel, I'll accept it!"
Xu Bai sighed and continued searching with First.
Thankfully, hard work paid off. Just as the sky was growing dark, Xu Bai finally found two Vine Snake Flowers disguised as four-hundred-year-old Datura Snakes.
Xu Bai's lips curled. "First, let your aura out. Let's go take a look."
"Roar!"
First nodded, then let out a mighty roar that shook the forest. The aura of an eight-hundred-year-old Soul Beast surged out without restraint.
The commotion he had expected never came. Instead, after First's roar, the forest—which had still been filled with the occasional chirp of insects and birds—fell instantly silent. Not a sound could be heard.
"Not bad, First. I didn't know you had such a commanding presence." Xu Bai clicked his tongue in amazement. He had expected First's aura to scare away the weaker Soul Beasts nearby, but apparently it had left them too terrified to move.
First raised its head slightly. It didn't reply, but its smugness was plain for anyone to see.
It began walking at an unhurried pace. After only a few steps, a faint glimmer appeared in the distance.
Xu Bai looked over and realized that the light came from a white Soul Ring. Beneath it lay a small rodent-like Soul Beast, curled up.
"Did it... die of fright?"
He raised his brows and thought to himself that he'd underestimated the bloodline suppression between Soul Beasts.
When they reached the spot, Xu Bai could clearly see the two Vine Snake Flowers trembling in the faint light from the horizon.
"Can cold-blooded animals feel fear too?"
He shook his head slightly and placed his hand directly on one of them.
The next moment, the Manual changed in his mind, recording another Soul Beast.
"Looks like the plot is most likely the comic version after all..."
Xu Bai glanced at the Manual. Only after seeing that the newly recorded Soul Beast was indeed a Datura Snake did he let out a sigh of relief and say, "We've found our bait. Now we just wait for the fish to bite. Let's go. We'll come back in two days."
'We're leaving just like that?'
First was confused.
"We found our target. What, were we supposed to stay here?" Xu Bai shot back.
First fell silent for a moment, then said quietly, 'Beast Tamer, I meant... shouldn't we eat some...'
Eat some?
Eat what?
Xu Bai froze. He quickly noticed that First seemed to be staring at the "Vine Snake Flower" before them. It was watching so intently that the flower was practically trembling in afterimages.
"Wait, you're not planning to eat it, are you?"
Xu Bai's eye twitched. He raised his hand and smacked First on the head. "First, this thing is poisonous. You really will eat anything, won't you?"
'Poisonous? Then never mind.'
Disappointment flashed in First's eyes. It quietly backed away two steps, then asked curiously, 'If we've found it, why are we leaving? What if it runs away?'
"Don't worry. A Datura Snake in a weakened state won't wander off unless it's in danger."
Xu Bai pushed up his nonexistent glasses and spoke with absolute confidence.
Two days later, in the afternoon, the sun was shining brightly.
Inside the Soul Hunting Forest, Xu Bai had climbed over the wall and was lying on First's back like a shepherd boy. His eyes were half-closed, and he was nodding off.
First ambled through the forest, thoroughly reluctant. The sun was so lovely; it wanted to lie in the sunshine and sleep too.
At one moment, a tremendous boom suddenly rang out in the distance, startling a flock of birds into flight.
"It's finally here..."
Xu Bai's eyes snapped open. He sat up and said, "Come on, First. Let's go see what's happening!"
First's eyes narrowed. It nodded and raced toward the source of the sound.
Before long, the pair arrived nearby.
Then a foul stench hit them.
Xu Bai had been prepared and held his breath at once.
First wasn't so lucky. It took a deep breath of the stuff and nearly threw up on the spot.
'It stinks! Beast Tamer, something took a massive dump here. How about we just leave...'
First stopped, disgust written all over its tiger face.
"I know..." Xu Bai replied casually, his gaze fixed on the two figures in the distance, one large and one small, along with the shadow of a snake.
The larger one was a middle-aged man with white hair, wearing a knitted cap and plain black-and-white clothes. Most importantly, he was holding a yellow, dog-like creature in his arms.
The smaller one was a pretty little boy, clearly still young. He wore the cloak issued to students at Notting Academy, but through the gaps in the fabric, Xu Bai could still see that his clothes underneath were threadbare.
The snake was naturally a Datura Snake. It was furiously chasing the two of them, and they were about to disappear from sight.
"How interesting. That's the comic version of Grandmaster. Looks like the world I've transmigrated into is the comic version of Douluo Continent through and through."
Xu Bai murmured to himself, patted First, and said, "First, let's follow them."