Seeking an Inner Core, the Black Dragon Society Made Its Move; Seeking Spirit Herbs, Wang She Entered the Vast Cang Mountains

Green Ram Market, southwestern district, the Black Dragon Society's Green Ram Market branch.

A sprawling complex of black buildings almost entirely covered the southwestern district, leaving not even roads for people to walk along. That black complex alone made it clear how overbearing the Black Dragon Society was in Green Ram Market.

The outer perimeter wall stood roughly twenty feet high, built entirely of thick black stone. At its center was a massive black iron gate. From a distance, it resembled a small city wall. Within, upturned eaves were faintly visible, and terraces and towers loomed half concealed. Of course, that was only what could be seen from outside.

In Green Ram Market, apart from the Black Dragon Society's own members, no one had ever stepped through that black iron gate-not even anyone from the government office, except the magistrate, his adviser, and the head constable.

In the northern corner of the Black Dragon Society's branch compound lay a small garden containing a three-story building. It was not large, but it was exquisitely built. A golden bell hung from each of its four upturned eaves, ringing with a clear, pleasing chime whenever the wind blew.

In the darkness, a window on the third floor glowed with hazy lamplight. It was the only light in the entire building.

The room beyond the window was spacious and sparsely furnished. A red carpet edged in gold covered the floor, its golden border glittering under the lamplight. On the northern wall hung an enormous painting of a great black dragon soaring through the clouds, baring its fangs and brandishing its claws with imposing majesty.

Beneath that enormous painting stood a golden folding chair. A man of around sixty sat in it, dressed in golden silk robes. Nine intertwined black dragons were embroidered on each cuff.

Four silver folding chairs stood in a row on either side of the golden chair, all occupied. Their occupants included men and women, young and old. The youngest was a woman in red in her thirties, whose charming, rosy face carried a killing intent utterly at odds with her looks.

The room was silent. Apart from the faint, long breaths of those present, there was no sound at all. Even a needle falling to the floor would have produced a clearly audible ring.

"Everyone, that is how matters stand. The information has been confirmed. More than half a year ago, Old One-Eye of West Mountain appeared in a mountain village under Green Ram Market's jurisdiction. It injured no one, however, and was driven back by a soldier named Wang Tianlei. What do you all think?"

After pondering for a long while, the old man in the golden chair broke the silence. His gaze wandered over the faces of the eight people on either side, as though trying to see through their expressions into their thoughts.

"We have already investigated Wang Tianlei. He comes from that village. Several years ago, he was conscripted into the army and served on the frontier in Divine Martial City, Yue Prefecture, as a squad leader. Apparently, he has a good grasp of martial arts. With just Bear Demon Fist and Great Strength Vajra Qigong, he reached the realm of a first-rank martial artist, only one step away from touching the threshold of bone tempering. Unfortunately, he had no powerful backing and was illiterate, so someone else stole the credit for his military achievements. Once his term of service ended, he returned here!"

The speaker was the woman in red, whose rosy face brimmed with killing intent. In just a few sentences, she smoothly recounted the main events of Wang Tianlei's life.

"A first-rank martial artist?!" A middle-aged man seated opposite her frowned slightly. "If the legends about Old One-Eye are true, it should already qualify as a Demon Beast. No matter how strong a first-rank martial artist might be, he could not possibly drive it back!"

"Branch Master Tong, are you questioning my intelligence?!" The killing intent on the red-robed woman's face abruptly intensified.

"Not at all. Hall Master Wei's intelligence has always been accurate. I simply think we may have overlooked something concerning Old One-Eye. After all, even the lowest-ranked Demon Beast can rival a fourth- or fifth-rank martial artist. For a second-rank martial artist to drive it back, under any circumstances, seems rather far-fetched!"

"Yes, it is indeed rather far-fetched.

"At first, even I did not believe it!" The old man in the golden chair waved his hand gently, extinguishing the sparks already flying between the two. "But after checking with numerous sources, we confirmed that the information was accurate. I do not know why Old One-Eye suddenly left, but I can be certain of two facts. First, the reports about Old One-Eye are true: it really exists. Second, it was indeed Wang Tianlei who drove it back on his wedding day. Judging by the corroborating accounts, Old One-Eye had an overwhelming advantage at the time. One could even say it could have killed Wang Tianlei whenever it pleased. Yet in the end, it suddenly left. Naturally, in the eyes of those rustic villagers, Wang Tianlei had driven Old One-Eye away!"

"In other words, Wang Tianlei did not drive Old One-Eye back. It left of its own accord. That sounds more plausible!" Branch Master Tong said.

"Hmph!" The woman in red gave a cold snort and turned her head aside.

"We do not know why Old One-Eye chose to withdraw, but all we need to know is that it truly exists!"

"Not merely that it exists, but that it is definitely a Demon Beast!" As a middle-aged man seated diagonally opposite the woman in red spoke the words "Demon Beast," a wild gleam flashed uncontrollably in his eyes.

"Little Jin is right. Old One-Eye is a Demon Beast. That is what matters most!" The old man nodded firmly, the same light flashing in his eyes.

A Demon Beast—that was what mattered most.

Any Demon Beast would have an inner core, and to people like them, who practiced martial arts and cultivated qi, a Demon Beast's inner core was a supreme treasure.

In this world, the inner cores of Demon Beasts were not quite the same as those Goudanzi had read about in martial arts novels in his previous life, though there were certainly many similarities.

A Demon Beast formed its inner core by gathering all its soul essence and vital energy into one place just before death. These cores varied in size, but generally speaking, no matter how enormous the beast was, its inner core would be no larger than a fist. Some smaller ones were only the size of a soybean.

Inner cores had tremendous uses. Their essence contained powerful vitality, providing immense benefits to martial artists. If a Demon Beast's inner core could be added to medicinal baths and washes specifically intended to cleanse the sinews and marrow, their effects would inevitably improve dramatically.

However, Demon Beast inner cores were not easy to find. Though the continent was vast beyond measure, and countless Demon Beasts inhabited its deep mountains and wild forests, there was no need to look farther than the Vast Cang Mountains: their depths were full of Demon Beasts.

The problem was, you could not catch them!

Demon Beasts—not counting those born as such—even the lowest kind, newly evolved from ordinary wild animals, possessed strength at least equivalent to a fourth- or fifth-rank martial artist. That was not even the main difficulty. There were plenty of fourth- and fifth-rank martial artists in the world. The problem was that these beasts inhabited deep mountains and great marshes, barren peaks and treacherous waters. To find them, one had to venture into such places—the depths of the Vast Cang Mountains, for example. Even an innate martial artist could barely protect himself there. With bad luck, he would lose his life. How could anyone speak of hunting Demon Beasts?

Moreover, Demon Beasts in such places did not live alone, but in packs and herds. Attack one and alert the others, and the outcome would be just as miserable.

Finding a Demon Beast in a human settlement, or anywhere heavily populated, was almost as fanciful as a tale from the Arabian Nights.

Today, however, the Black Dragon Society seemed to have glimpsed an opportunity.

Old One-Eye of West Mountain.

The legend of this lone wolf had circulated for a long time, almost a hundred years or more. Yet it had not spread far, remaining confined to a few mountain villages around Green Ram Market. In earlier years, the Black Dragon Society had taken no interest in such legends, treating it at most as a strange rustic tale.

This time was different!

Old One-Eye had truly appeared. Moreover, judging against the legends told by the nearby mountain villagers, there was a ninety percent chance that it was a Demon Beast—and the lowest, easiest kind to deal with at that: an ordinary wild beast that had evolved after encountering some stroke of fortune.

Such Demon Beasts were generally not very intelligent. Most importantly, its tracks had been found on West Mountain.

To those villagers, West Mountain was already deep within the Vast Cang Mountains. To martial artists, however, it was merely on their fringes. Apart from an anomaly like Old One-Eye, no other Demon Beasts could possibly live there. This also suggested that Old One-Eye had only recently cultivated into a Demon Beast. Otherwise, it would not have exposed itself so easily, nor would it have lived somewhere like West Mountain. Before long, though, once its intelligence fully matured, it would surely leave West Mountain and enter the depths of the Vast Cang Mountains. By then, even if they wanted to catch it, they would no longer be able to.

"Then it is settled. Judging by the weather, snow will fall soon. We must hurry into the mountains before it does. As long as we obtain Old One-Eye's inner core, all of you will have rendered a great service!"

"We await your orders, Grand Elder!" they answered in unison.

"Hmm, it looks as though it is going to snow. This damned Cloud Province-it snows as soon as winter comes. What a nuisance!"

An extraordinarily handsome young man stood outside a small inn in Green Ram Market, frowning at the gloomy sky. Feeling the gusts of cold wind blowing down from the north, he seemed to remember something unpleasant, and his seemingly delicate body trembled several times. "Honestly, even my blood is almost frozen stiff. How am I supposed to find the strength to go into the mountains and gather herbs?"

The young man looked only seventeen or eighteen. His face was exceptionally handsome, his skin pale with a rosy flush, as tender as silken tofu, seemingly ready to yield a pool of water at a pinch. A film of moisture even veiled his large eyes. He wore a long blue-green robe with a white silk sash around his waist, from which hung a piece of green jade. His long black hair fell behind his head, casually tied into a ponytail. A faint, elusive smile lingered at the corners of his mouth, as though everything between heaven and earth was a joke in his eyes.

"Ah, it looks like I really cannot slack off. I had better get into the mountains quickly. Ideally, I will find the herbs before the winter snow arrives. Otherwise, I will have to freeze up there. Why do those two get to enjoy an easy life on the mountain while I have to come to this blasted place in the dead of winter? What a miserable lot!"

The muscles of his face twitched twice, and he turned to walk back into the inn.

I happened to discover that I had actually made it onto the homepage's new-book rankings. Little Whale is incredibly excited and grateful!

Here is one chapter first, with another coming tonight. Fellow readers, please be generous with your clicks and recommendations!!!