Sensing danger, the gecko monster tensed all four limbs and sprang into the air, dodging Zhang Xiaofan's sneak attack.
But it couldn't push off from anything in midair, and flew toward one side of the cave wall on momentum alone.
The sharp eyesight and timing Xiaofan had developed while cooking came in handy.
He flicked two fingers with his right hand, and the Fire Poker traced an arc through the air, striking the gecko monster as it was still flying on momentum.
But compared with the giant gecko, the Fire Poker was far too small to matter—smaller than a toothpick.
Although it struck the gecko monster, the giant gecko still clung securely to the cave wall. Its enormous triangular head swept around, searching for the source of the danger it sensed.
"It didn't work!" Luo Yunji said, staring in disappointment at the uninjured gecko monster as it searched energetically for them.
Zhang Xiaofan sensed the Fire Poker. It really had pierced the gecko monster's body, but it was only as long as a forearm, nowhere near big enough to match the monster's size.
"We should've aimed for its eyes!" Luo Yunji pulled a hairpin from his hair. It had been made from the small piece that had broken off the Fire Poker. He gave it a try and seemed to be able to control it!
He remembered that when he had bitten down on the Fire Poker, it had broken the skin on his lips. It must have absorbed a little of his blood then.
Luo Yunji took aim at the giant gecko's eye and flung the hairpin.
"Uh, aren't you going to control it with spiritual power?" Zhang Xiaofan asked, watching the hairpin begin to fall halfway through its flight.
"Huh! Oh, right!" Luo Yunji waved his right hand.