Demon Insects

What the hell was a Demon Insect?

Through the disjointed accounts of the surrounding plants, Dongfang Minghui learned a little about them. Demon Insects were also called Ironclad Beetles. Though only rank-one magical beasts, they were considered highly dangerous. They resembled beetles, with shells so hard that blades and spears could not pierce them. Once they burrowed into someone's skin, they crawled into the tissue and gnawed away at the flesh, bit by bit, until nothing remained but bones.

Most importantly, these Demon Insects moved in swarms. In other words, if you offended them, the entire Ironclad Beetle colony would come after you.

Dongfang Minghui broke out in a cold sweat. What hellhole had she landed in? Even a bug could kill her! She quickly gathered her belongings, but after taking a few steps, she stopped, wavering.

"Seventh Sister is still in there."

Remembering how The Female Lead would later become merciless and utterly intolerant of evil, Dongfang Minghui edged backward, one step at a time.

"Is there anything Ironclad Beetles are particularly afraid of?"

A little plant immediately bounced forward in excitement. "Me, me, me, me!"

Dongfang Minghui widened her eyes and lightly touched the tip of its leaf with her nose. "You?" she asked incredulously.

The little plant was Corpse-Stench Grass, which often grew where bodies were buried. Its sap gave off a foul stench. Ironclad Beetles had an extremely keen sense of smell, but whenever they encountered Corpse-Stench Grass, they took a detour.

"Urgh—"

Dongfang Minghui bent over to one side and threw up almost everything she had eaten that day. So there were bodies buried beneath her! Remembering how affectionately she had just nuzzled the Corpse-Stench Grass, she felt something surge into her throat again. "Urgh, urgh—"

By the time she finished vomiting, her face was pale and her legs were weak. With no other choice, she smeared the Corpse-Stench Grass's sap over herself with the grim resolve of someone facing death. Holding her breath against the stench, she also took some of its leaves.

"Boo-hoo-hoo! I'm bald now!" The Corpse-Stench Grass hid off to the side and cried.

Dongfang Minghui carried the Corpse-Stench Grass on her back. Even holding her breath, she could not withstand the stench. She drew two sharp breaths, and her expression instantly changed.

"Cough, cough. Seventh Sister."

The moment Dongfang Minghui appeared, the stench spread for a hundred miles around. As though they had scented a natural enemy, the Ironclad Beetles scattered in panic, surging wildly in another direction.

The trapped fighters had already become bloodthirsty from the slaughter, but the Ironclad Beetles' encirclement was like an impenetrable wall. No matter how they tried, they could not escape.

Now, however, they watched in astonishment as the fleeing Ironclad Beetles trampled and collided with one another. Their surprise soon gave way to unease. One of them said, "This is bad! Our blood must have attracted a higher-ranking magical beast. Everyone, run!"

Dongfang Minghui finally spotted The Female Lead and immediately ran toward her in delight. "Seventh Sister!"

The faster she ran, the faster the Ironclad Beetles fled. Within a few breaths, not a single one remained within a hundred miles.

Seemingly catching the smell on Dongfang Minghui, everyone took a step back. Dongfang Wanyu looked disgusted. "What's that on you? Why does it stink so badly?"

"Corpse-Stench Grass. Those bugs can't stand it." Pale-faced, Dongfang Minghui tossed the leaves aside and covered her nose. She glanced at the others and mischievously suggested, "Unless you want those bugs coming back, you'd better put some on yourselves too."

Actually, as long as she was there, the Ironclad Beetles probably would not return. She certainly was not going to tell them that.

"And this young brother is...?"

There were six of them, making eight with The Female Lead and herself. Judging by how they supported one another, they must all have known each other.

"I'm her—"

"She's my ninth brother," Dongfang Wanyu cut in before she could finish.

Dongfang Minghui looked down at her clothes and silently breathed a sigh of relief. She had nearly given herself away.

"Thank you for saving our lives, young brother."

"You're welcome."

Dongfang Minghui waved a hand. She could not stand all these formalities. Putting up with them at the estate was one thing, but why did they persist even outside it? "Ah, Seventh Sister, you're hurt!"

There was a cut on Dongfang Wanyu's arm, accidentally sustained during the fight. She had not even noticed it herself. "It's fine. Just a scratch."

Dongfang Minghui wanted to look for a pill to stop the bleeding, but when she saw the bundle on the ground, soaked in Corpse-Stench Grass sap, she cried out, "I left my bundle back where I was!"

Her bundle contained clothes, banknotes, and other valuables. Afraid they would pick up the corpse stench, she had hidden it in a tree. Remembering this, Dongfang Minghui turned and hurried away.

Dongfang Wanyu caught up with her. "I'll go with you."

When they returned, Dongfang Minghui searched around the tree and scratched her head. "That's strange. Where did it go?"

The bundle held almost everything they owned, and now it had simply vanished. Dongfang Minghui hung her head, thinking she was done for this time. If The Female Lead lost her temper, she might send her straight home.

Forget earning favor with her. That would be out of the question.

Dongfang Wanyu leaped into the tree and examined it carefully. There was nothing there, but she caught the aroma of roasted meat. Perhaps because she had endured so much stench earlier, the smell was surprisingly pleasant. She had a fair idea who had been bold enough to take their bundle.

She jumped down. "A thief stole it."

"Huh?" Dongfang Minghui looked utterly bewildered, not quite believing The Female Lead.

There were thieves even here?

"A greedy little thief. If you roast more tasty food, perhaps it'll return our things," Dongfang Wanyu said pointedly.

Dongfang Minghui tilted her head in confusion. Only after a moment did she realize whom The Female Lead meant.

"Never mind. Let's go back first."

The two returned to the group of six. An injured man lay unconscious on the ground. They had already cleaned away the blood, and with the Corpse-Stench Grass masking it, there truly was no bloody smell left. A woman kept an anxious vigil beside him, her brow furrowed and her eyes fixed on his unconscious form. They seemed very close.

A rugged-looking man was cutting up the Ironclad Beetle carcasses, while the other three lit a fire, heated water, and prepared food. They seemed entirely unafraid despite being in the Purple Demon Mountains.

Seeing them cook, Dongfang Minghui's stomach let out a humiliating rumble. Dongfang Wanyu noticed and reached for some dry rations to give her. Finding nothing, her expression shifted slightly before returning to normal.

"Ironclad Beetles can be roasted too. Want to try some?"

Compared with Dongfang Minghui, the seventh young lady, Dongfang Wanyu, seemed much better suited to life in the wilderness.

However reluctant she was to eat them, hunger had left her dizzy and weak-limbed. If they encountered another magical beast, she would not even have the strength to run.

Gritting her teeth and suppressing her nausea, Dongfang Minghui approached the man cutting up the Ironclad Beetles. "Sir, could I have a few Ironclad Beetles?"

Though the man looked rough and fierce, he was quite friendly. Pointing at the Ironclad Beetles on the ground, he said, "Don't stand on ceremony, young master. If you hadn't driven the Ironclad Beetles away, we might all have died here. It's all thanks to you. Take as many as you like."

Dongfang Minghui immediately picked out ten large ones. When she tried to remove their shells, however, she discovered that they were as hard as iron. Her dagger could not even budge them.

She turned an Ironclad Beetle carcass over and examined it thoroughly before finally finding a soft spot on its underside.

"This could work."

Dongfang Minghui immediately pried open a little of the armor on its underside with her dagger. Without bothering with anything else, she skewered it on a twig and prepared to roast it over the fire.

"Sizzle—"

After it had roasted for a while, she saw grease dripping down the armored shell. The flesh on the Ironclad Beetle's underside began to shrink, leaving half of it exposed.

The aroma successfully caught everyone's attention.

Dongfang Minghui prodded it with her dagger. Seeing that the flesh was tender, she tasted a tiny bite. It did not have the rank flavor she had expected; instead, it was rather fragrant.

"That's not how you roast an Ironclad Beetle." One of the women in the group of six took out some seasonings and sprinkled them over it. "Try it again. It should taste better now."

Dongfang Minghui took another small bite. It really did taste much better. The seasoning was probably salt or something similar.

"Seventh Sister, try some too."

Dongfang Minghui divided off a small portion and handed it to The Female Lead.

When she looked back, the woman who had joined her uninvited had somehow stripped off an Ironclad Beetle's shell in moments, removing the entire piece of flesh along with its skin. Her deft, efficient technique was hard to look away from.

She skewered the flesh and roasted it over the fire, turning it repeatedly. Before long, the tender white flesh turned golden. She sprinkled on some of her seasonings, and the aroma immediately spread.

Dongfang Minghui watched her remove the shells three times and gradually grasped the technique. After two or three attempts of her own, she finally managed to extract an intact piece of flesh.

The woman roasted five in succession, put down the seasonings, then returned to her companions and handed the food out to them one by one.

"Ninth Brother, how come I never knew you were so good with your hands?" Dongfang Wanyu sat beside her and abruptly asked.

Dongfang Minghui's hands froze. Then she explained with a bright smile, "You're joking, Seventh Sister. I learned it all from that woman just now."

Dongfang Wanyu gave her a meaningful look and accepted the food she offered without saying anything more.

Dongfang Minghui ate as she roasted, deliberately saving two extra portions. She wrapped them in green leaves and set them beside her.

"Get some rest early tonight. I'll keep watch."

Dongfang Minghui was almost at the end of her strength. Hearing that The Female Lead would keep watch, she settled against a large tree and fell asleep without a worry.

Of the six people nearby, apart from the badly wounded man, four others closed their eyes to rest and recover their strength.

"Miss, thank you both for saving our lives today." Zhao Sanqi, the mercenary group's leader, came over to thank Dongfang Wanyu.

"No need to thank me. Besides, I wasn't much help." Dongfang Wanyu was telling the truth. If Dongfang Minghui had not recklessly rushed over, dealing with such a large swarm of Ironclad Beetles would have taken some effort.

At that thought, she glanced back at Dongfang Minghui, who was smiling even in her sleep.

"You're too modest, miss. Without you and your younger brother, we probably would have died here today."

Dongfang Wanyu nodded, accepting their gratitude. "Ironclad Beetles don't usually attack people unprovoked. Why were they pursuing you so relentlessly?"

Zhao Sanqi sighed. "We took a client's commission to retrieve the Ironclad Beetle King's eggs. We hadn't even started stealing them when the beetles discovered us."

"No wonder." That was all Dongfang Wanyu said, with no intention of probing further. After all, the Ironclad Beetle King's eggs were extremely valuable treasures. If someone raised one from an egg and formed a contract with it, they could summon Ironclad Beetles to fight for them—a powerful ally indeed.

"Aah—!"

The badly wounded man lying on the ground suddenly opened his eyes wide. The veins in his neck throbbed, his eyes turned blood-red, and his face twisted into a vicious expression.

"Fifth Brother, what's wrong?" The woman lying beside him to keep watch anxiously grabbed his arm. Caught completely off guard, she was hurled away by a burst of his force.

"This is bad! Stop him!"