"You can't just kill it?" Zeng Mu repeated, then asked, "Why?"
Yao Chun answered, "It's a little strange, actually. The power of this curse keeps working continuously. If you kill it outright, the curse won't be lifted."
"Hmm... so we need to make it lift the curse itself, right?"
"Exactly."
"Uh..." Zeng Mu looked thoughtful. If that's the case, this really will be troublesome.
"The curse just makes your head feel swollen and muddled, and leaves you unable to focus? Are there any other symptoms?"
Yao Chun pointed at his earlobe and said, "You don't understand. The Six-Eyed Raccoon's curse doesn't seem like much at first. Your head just feels swollen and muddled. But if it keeps working, the curse will reach its final stage in less than a month. Then the Elemental Power will spread out and blow your head apart like a watermelon bursting with juice. Right now, I've only got ten days or so left."
"That's still good news, I suppose," Zeng Mu joked. "Anyway, why didn't you ask those independent hunters or mercenary groups to help? If I'd come a couple of weeks later, wouldn't you have been stuck waiting to die?"
He answered, "As soon as I realized I'd been cursed, I thought of you. Then I tried divining your whereabouts and learned you'd arrive in Bear City today. The second reason I didn't ask anyone else to help catch the Six-Eyed Raccoon is that they aren't strong enough."
"Fair enough. It is a genuine Elemental Beast, after all. Ordinary people would have a hard time capturing it alive. Numbers alone wouldn't help, either."
"Yes." Yao Chun stroked Xuanzi's soft, springy, furry belly as he spoke. "That's the situation. Hurry up and go catch that damned little raccoon. Make it lift the curse, or I'll