A Small Town by the Mountain
(Wishing everyone a happy National Day in advance! September is almost over, An Hei I'm still asking for votes on the last day of September!)
With the support of the government and the 'Wandering Dragon Scripture' he left behind, it would be difficult for the Wandering Dragon Sect not to grow and prosper.
After listening to Li Wei's story, Zheng Yutong and Nina both looked disgusted, but a glint of light flashed in their An Hei eyes as they asked Li Wei if he had any more of those magical insects, as they wanted to ask for one to study.
Even Blood Wolf kept his distance from these two wicked men, and so the group of five headed towards 'Quyin Mountain', where the Hundred Wolf Cave was located, in this atmosphere.
Quyin Mountain is located south of Qingzhou Prefecture. It can be reached in just two days by horse. Because of its remote location, few outsiders visit except for the people who have lived here for generations.
Few people come, but that doesn't mean no one comes. Every few months, some people still come to this place, but their purpose is not to enjoy the scenery, but to hunt demons.
"Wolves and ghosts howl in Quyin Mountain, Corpse Jumper in the deep mountains at midnight." This is an old saying passed down from generation to generation by the elders in the surrounding area. Everyone living nearby knows that there are monsters in Quyin Mountain, so they never dare to enter this deep mountain, except for outsiders.
The sun shone brightly that day. Qu Ling, dressed in a linen jacket, couldn't hide her smooth skin, especially her small feet. She stood barefoot in the stream by the town, the clear water flowing over her soft skin, creating a captivating beauty. She was washing clothes with a wooden stick, occasionally laughing and joking with her childhood playmates. But those who knew her well knew that the usually cheerful Qu Ling wasn't smiling much today; she was clearly preoccupied.
One of the companions, who seemed to know the reason, finally whispered to the other playmates beside her. They then understood: Qu Ling's grandfather, who had been her only family since childhood, had suddenly fallen ill the previous night. He was taken to the town clinic, where he was diagnosed with typhoid fever caused by overwork. The doctor said he needed rest and tonics, but Qu Ling's already impoverished family couldn't afford the medicine. Fortunately, Grandpa Qu was in good health and didn't become bedridden, but he could no longer rely on hunting for a living. Therefore, Qu Ling's distress was understandable.
However, these playmates were all children from poor families. Even if they wanted to lend a helping hand, they were short of money. Not to mention that they were just unmarried girls, even the adults in the Quyin Town were not wealthy.
Qu Ling wiped the sweat from her forehead, put the washed clothes into the wooden basin, said goodbye to her playmates, and hurriedly got up to go home. She was worried about her ailing grandfather, so she walked very quickly.
As she stepped onto the main road, she saw five tall horses approaching, each carrying one of five riders who looked travel-worn and dusty, clearly from out of town.
Seeing that his horse seemed to have frightened the little girl in front of him, Li Wei quickly pulled on the reins, and the horse came to a steady stop. Zheng Yutong, An Hei, and the others behind him also stopped, curiously looking at the little girl holding the wooden basin.
... Quyin Town is not large, with at most two or three hundred households. When Li Wei felt that it was just a small mountain village. Qu Ling, on the other hand, enthusiastically introduced the situation of Quyin Town.
"Since this is your first time in Quyin Town, you must visit the inn run by Uncle Ge. They have the most authentic roasted wild boar in the area. I guarantee you'll never forget it after just one taste. Also, you can stay there. It only costs a dozen or so copper coins a night!" Qu Ling enthusiastically introduced.
She knew that her town was close to Quyin Mountain, so few people came here, but it wasn't uncommon. Generally speaking, those who came here were first-timers, because most people would never come back after their first visit, while a small number of people would go into the mountains and never come out again. So Qu Ling knew without asking that the five people in front of her had never been here before.
The reason she was so enthusiastic was that these five people had agreed to let her be their guide, and the reward was a small grain of silver. Don't underestimate this small amount of silver; with her grandfather currently ill, it was enough to cover her grandfather's medicine for half a month.
Therefore, Qu Ling worked exceptionally hard.
"Thank you, Sister Qu Ling. I'd like to ask if you've ever been to Quyin Mountain?" It was Zheng Yutong who asked the question, because before coming here, An Hei had said that sometimes women are the most suitable for gathering information, especially beautiful women.
Upon hearing this, Qu Ling's expression changed. Although she knew that most outsiders came to their area to go into the mountains, she still couldn't help but show worry. After a long while, as if she had made up her mind, she said to Zheng Yutong, "No... don't go into the mountains. It's not safe there. Actually, there are many prey animals down in the mountains. If you want to hunt, I can take you, but... please don't go into the mountains!"
Even a fool could see that Qu Ling's fear of the Quyin Mountain was an impression deeply ingrained in her mind since she could remember, and it could not be erased.
Zheng Yutong turned around and glanced at Li Wei and the others. The latter also came over and said, "It's already afternoon, so let's go to the inn she mentioned and stay for the night to gather some information. After all, we can't go into the mountains completely clueless. We'll make a decision tomorrow!"
An Hei and the others nodded. Qu Ling breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that these three men and two women, who didn't seem like bad people, didn't force their way into the mountain. Instead, she led them even more enthusiastically to the only inn in town.
Looking at the dilapidated house before him, Li Wei gave a wry smile, thinking to himself that if Fatty saw this, he would definitely say something like, "My Fortune Comes Inn is much better than this place." Thinking of Fatty, Li Wei perked up. Although Fatty's condition had stabilized, returning to Shadow Street as soon as possible would be safer for Fatty.
After Li Wei and his companions settled into the simple inn, they split up and scattered throughout the town to inquire about the Hundred Wolf Cave in Quyin Mountain.
Stepping out of the inn, Li Wei strolled alone through the small town. From the moment he approached the area, Li Wei sensed a dense demonic aura. Keep in mind, Li Wei was a super expert who had cultivated divine essence; in terms of combat power, he was definitely at the S-rank. This was the result of starting from scratch, and it was only because of the existence of the Spirit Seizing Art and the Yin Seizing Art that he was able to improve so rapidly.
Divine essence can clearly detect the wandering demonic aura; even the slightest trace cannot escape its perception. Although Quyin Mountain is only a dozen miles away, and one can see the outline of its majestic mountains by looking around, it is clear that the demonic aura that Li Wei detected did not originate from Quyin Mountain.
The source of the demonic aura lies in this small town.
Since the goal is to gather information about the Hundred Wolf Cave, the best source of intelligence, besides humans, is monsters.
Li Wei smiled faintly, activated his divine essence, and a vast and powerful sense of perception surged forth like a mighty ocean. With his divine essence, Li Wei could easily perceive everything within a ten-mile radius. Soon, his sense of perception detected a fluctuation of demonic energy.
The latter had clearly also noticed this powerful perception.
In a small house west of Quyin Town, hunter Zhang San suddenly jumped up from the ground. His face was contorted with rage, and there was a hint of fear in his eyes.
"Who is it? To possess such a vast aura, could it be one of those demon kings in the mountains? No... with that Demon-Sealing Formation in place, how could a demon king-level expert possibly come out!"
Swallowing hard, Zhang San thought for a moment, then quickly took a package from under the bed, opened the door, and walked out.
He had to escape. Regardless of the powerful aura's purpose, it had discovered his presence, and based on that alone, Zhang San knew he had to flee.
Just as Zhang San stepped outside, he saw the little girl who lived next door.
"Third Uncle, what is this...?" Qu Ling was overjoyed. She held a small piece of silver in her hand. She wanted to tell her grandfather the good news, but before she even entered the house, she ran into Zhang San, the hunter next door.
Seeing Zhang San, who was usually quiet and reserved, looking terrified like a frightened bird, Qu Ling was naturally very curious.
Upon seeing Qu Ling, a wicked glint flashed in Zhang San's eyes. He was quite familiar with this young Qu Ling next door; in fact, Qu Ling youthful beauty had long caught Zhang San attention. In his words, he didn't know how she had grown up to be so incredibly beautiful. Zhang San had long harbored lustful desires for this girl. He had been hiding in this town for half a year, and now, after this escape, he didn't know when he would be able to return. Why not kidnap this girl and then use her to satisfy his lust in his cave? Wouldn't that be wonderful?
Thinking of this, Zhang San felt a surge of lust rising in his lower abdomen. The thought of soon being able to taste the fragrance of a human virgin made him let out a strange cry and pounce on the other party.
When Li Wei arrived at the location using his Ghost Step technique, he found it deserted. Besides the intense demonic aura, Li Wei also smelled a girl's fragrance. This scent was very familiar to Li Wei; it was the same scent from the girl who had led the way for him earlier.
"Not good!"
Thinking of a possibility, Li Wei disappeared from his spot and continued to chase after the direction in which the demonic energy had fled.
In just a moment, Li Wei left Quyin Town. The direction the demonic energy fled was clearly Quyin Mountain. How could Li Wei let it escape? With the activation of his divine energy, the distance that Ghost Step could cover in one go increased to fifty meters. In just two breaths, he saw a dark figure running wildly ahead.
Zhang San had now revealed his true form: a wolf over three meters long and more than half the height of an adult. He was carrying a girl in one arm and running at full speed using his remaining forelimbs and two hind legs, at a speed no less than that of a car traveling at full speed.
"You can't escape!" Li Wei sneered, increased his speed, and overtook the wolf demon. Then he reached out and used the strange technique recorded in the Nine Yin Transformation Scripture, 'Yin Wind Fiend'.
This Yin Wind Fiend was the most powerful killing move Li Wei had mastered so far. A stream of black energy seeped from Li Wei's palm and headed directly towards the wolf demon. The latter could feel the terrifying aura emanating from the Yin Wind Fiend even from a distance, and was already terrified. It quickly stopped and fled in another direction.
No matter how fast it was, it couldn't outrun Li Wei, who possessed the Ghost Step, and was intercepted again in just a moment. In fact, if it weren't for the girl, Li Wei would have already taken drastic measures.
Perhaps understanding the other party's concerns, Zhang San, the wolf demon, also realized that escape was impossible and that he had to find another way to survive. So, he stopped, picked up the already unconscious Qu Ling, and directly extended his sharp claws to tear off the girl's clothes.
The cheap linen clothes, which were originally cheap, couldn't withstand such tearing. Of course, they ripped into countless strips with a sharp sound. Then, the girl's slightly bluish body, which was enough to attract any man, was revealed.
"Don't come any closer! If you don't want me to tear her throat, then don't come any closer!" The wolf demon panicked. It didn't know if the woman in its arms could hold off the opponent. Judging from the supernatural powers displayed by this demon king-level expert, he was clearly a member of the evil sect. This evil sect was different from the hypocritical righteous path; they acted only according to their whims. But what made them better than the righteous path was that the evil sect members did not hate the demon race. On the contrary, many famous experts on both sides had some connections. If this matter was handled properly, they might still be able to save their lives.
Looking at the tall and burly wolf demon, Li Wei understood that they looked just like the transformed versions of people from the Werewolf Star Domain, except one was a 'city dweller' and the other a 'country bumpkin'. Judging from the wolf demon's tattered clothes and the stench emanating from its body, it was far inferior to the reincarnators from the Werewolf Star Domain.
"Release her, and I'll spare your life!" Li Wei said coldly. The naked body of Qu Ling opposite him did not stir any ripples in his heart. Sometimes, Li Wei was easily seduced, but sometimes, certain principles could not be shaken.
Just like that girl, who was only fourteen or fifteen years old, in Li Wei's eyes, she was a minor. Therefore, no matter how thirsty he was, he would not have any evil thoughts about such a girl.
On the contrary, the girl's current appearance only aroused Li Wei's pity.
Upon hearing Li Wei's words, the wolf demon hesitated for a moment, but showed no intention of letting go of Qu Ling. Instead, it reached out its paw and kneaded Qu Ling's still-soft, not-so-full breasts, chuckling, "This girl is a true virgin, and possesses spiritual energy. If you take a fancy to her, I'd be happy to offer her up. But as I said before, our Hundred Wolf Cave has no enmity with you. Perhaps you even have a connection with our Wolf King..."
As the wolf demon spoke, it observed Li Wei's expression with its bright green eyes. It knew that if a fight broke out, it would be no match for a demon king-level expert, so it could only invoke its backer. It believed that the Wolf King, who was also a demon king, should be able to intimidate him.
Moreover, the reason the other party didn't kill her earlier was clearly because they were wary of the girl in their hands. Perhaps this evil master also had his eye on her, which is why it tore Qu Ling's clothes.
Without a doubt, the wolf demon had misunderstood; it was terribly wrong. The wolf demon only thought that Li Wei also had evil intentions towards the girl, but in fact, Li Wei's real target was itself.
Hearing the wolf demon's words, which were respectful yet subtly threatening, Li Wei chuckled. What does it mean to search high and low only to find something unexpectedly right under your nose? This kind of creature is impossible to find even with a lantern, yet he'd stumbled upon it at this crucial moment. The Xiao Zuanfeng he'd captured in Qingzhou Prefecture, though also from the Hundred Wolf Cave, undoubtedly knew far too little. Even among demons, there's a strict hierarchy. This wolf demon before him, in its true form, was much larger than the Xiao Zuanfeng, and its demonic Xiao Zuanfeng was far more concentrated, clearly indicating a higher level. Such a creature must know a great deal.
Li Wei smiled, but what he said sent chills down the wolf demon's spine.
"Compared to this girl, I want you more. Even if it's about stealing the spirit, the yin energy in your body is more than this girl's, right? As for the Wolf King you mentioned, I'd like to ask him about it!" As he spoke, Li Wei suddenly roared, and the wolf demon opposite him trembled, its ears ringing and its vision blurred. By the time it recovered, Qu Ling was already in his hands.
This is the 'Demon Sound Soul-Seizure Art', a strange technique that relies on sound to intimidate the opponent's mind and soul. Although its actual lethality is not strong, its advantage lies in its unpredictability and suddenness. If used properly, it can definitely be a great winning move.
Without hostages, the wolf demon knew he was in deep trouble. After all, he had already revealed the identity of the Wolf King, yet this wicked expert remained unmoved. Either he was the Wolf King's mortal enemy, or he simply didn't take the Hundred Wolf Cave seriously.
Since death was inevitable anyway, the wolf demon revealed its ferocity and suddenly pounced on Li Wei, its claws, capable of easily tearing through iron armor, reaching for Li Wei's throat.
Of course, if he succeeded, Li Wei wouldn't have needed to go to such lengths to cultivate divine essence.
Li Wei didn't even glance at the wolf's claws attacking him. He gently placed the unconscious Qu Ling on the ground, then raised his hand, and a surge of immense power coursed through his palm. Under this force, the wolf demon had no power to resist and was lifted up by Li Wei before being slammed heavily to the ground.
In an instant, the wolf demon tragically fainted.
When he woke up again, he was horrified to find himself tightly bound with thick hemp rope, his hands and feet shackled with iron chains. He could hardly run away, let alone stand up.
Beside him, An Hei and Blood Wolf exchanged a glance and walked up to him expressionlessly.
The interrogation process initially encountered some difficulties, but when An Hei and Blood Wolf skillfully severed one of the wolf demon's arms and one of its legs, the wolf demon finally broke down. It had never seen these two humans before, and even the most perverse demons in its race were not as terrifying as these two humans. Thus, it revealed everything it knew.
"It confessed everything!" An Hei, who had just left the room, handed a piece of paper to Li Wei, who was waiting outside. The latter chuckled and said, "As expected of the former head of the national secret department, you really have a hand. How's that wolf demon doing?"
An Hei, expressionless, wiped a speck of blood from his fingers with a burlap sack and said, "I treated it, using at least four bottles of Golden Trauma Medicine. It won't die. After all, we can't guarantee how many demons we can kill once we enter the Hundred Wolf Cave. Besides, Blood Wolf and I won't be participating in this operation. You'll need to find us four more demonic beasts. After I cut off their limbs, I can wait for you in this Yin Formation. If you don't return in seven days, I'll assume you're in danger, and the mission to kill the Wolf King will be immediately terminated. I will kill these five demonic beasts, and then we'll all return to Shadow Street because we've completed the main quest. Of course, that's not the best outcome. The best outcome is that you kill the Wolf King and complete that hidden quest..."