Sinister horrors

This was the Wilds. This was the brutal Yao Stronghold!

Here, even breaking through to a higher level could bring a life-or-death crisis. Some yao would never tolerate a stronger presence emerging on their territory.

It had nothing to do with anything else. It was simply the territorial instinct rooted deep in yao bloodlines.

As a lesser yao of pure blood, the Black Tiger Yao was probably around level three or four. Although a Second-Level Half-Demon posed no threat to him, how many Second-Level Half-Demons were there in the Half-Demon Grounds now?

No more than ten!

That alone told the tale!

"Go to the Yao Market and trade for a relevant yao technique?"

Su Changsheng shook his head. He could trade his remaining blood food, but that would increase his risk of exposure. It was out of the question. Besides, that little blood food would not be enough.

He could hardly risk bringing out a Concealment Rune.

"Or find another yao to barter with?"

Su Changsheng considered it carefully, but that would not work either. His social circle was pitifully small. Apart from the male fox next door, who was always asking to have some fun with him, he had no idea who possessed a concealment-related yao technique.

Besides, he could hardly go around asking. Too many eyes and ears made that even less advisable. If the Black Tiger Yao found out, the consequences went without saying.

After turning it over and over in his mind, Su Changsheng realized that his best option for obtaining such a skill was still through the Black Tiger Yao. He could not hide this from him. He needed to get the Black Tiger Yao to "voluntarily" provide him with a similar skill, or information about one.

Doing everything right under the Black Tiger Yao's nose was the safest solution.

Su Changsheng pondered for a while and formed a preliminary plan. Now he only needed to wait for the right opportunity.

As the end of the month approached, it was time to collect the dues again. This was also the most chaotic period in the Half-Demon Grounds.

Some Half-Demons could not scrape together their dues. In their despair, they attacked their neighbors like mad things, or charged into the Wilderness, never to return.

Some Half-Demons went from street to alley, cobbling together whatever they could. They borrowed blood food, borrowed Demon Power, and even sold their asses, all to produce enough to pay their dues.

Some Half-Demons, seeing no hope of survival but lacking the courage to fight or charge into the Wilderness, simply decided to splurge one last time and quietly wait for lesser yao like the Black Tiger Yao to come collecting.

Chaos and disorder bred bloodshed and spawned evil. This was also when Wraith Beasts, wild yao, Mutated Demonic Beasts, and other creatures from the Wilderness could most easily slip inside.

Su Changsheng had been waiting for the right opportunity-for a wild yao that was not too dangerous to attack him!

Some yao left the Yao Stronghold for the Wilderness, and naturally, some wild yao saved up enough supplies to enter the Yao Stronghold and become residents.

Many newly arrived wild yao were untamed creatures who refused to submit to discipline. Some knew nothing of the Yao Stronghold's rules and restrictions, and naturally caused all sorts of trouble.

Attacking resident yao, for example, or robbing other yao of their food.

Perhaps the Black Snow worked too well, however. Su Changsheng waited until his eyes nearly wore out from watching, yet no wild yao came to attack.

A Wraith Beast did run amok once, but Su Changsheng did not think his frail body could withstand it. He even felt that the Black Snow was no guarantee, so he quietly used a Concealment Rune to ensure his safety.

With the end of the month drawing near and the Black Tiger Yao about to come demanding his dues, Su Changsheng could only fret helplessly.

He shifted the huge stone aside and swept the accumulated snow in front of his home with his tail. When Su Changsheng looked up, he happened to see the male fox next door limping outside.

The fox was still muttering curses, his face filled with anger and helplessness.

At the sight of Su Changsheng, embarrassment flashed across his face before his expression darkened. "Oh, has Lord Snake finally stopped holing himself up? This humble scholar thought you'd died in your home."

His voice was soft and gentle, yet his words were vicious.

Su Changsheng rolled his eyes. Ever since he had rejected the lewd fox's offer to have some fun last time, the fellow had found fault with everything about him.

"A humble scholar? Where did you learn that strange way of referring to yourself?"

He had not intended to bother with the fellow, but "humble scholar" piqued Su Changsheng's curiosity. This lewd fox had never used such refined language before. His usual opening phrases were "damn your ass," "motherfucker," "fuck your uncle," and the like.

"Motherfucker, don't even mention it. Just thinking about it pisses me off. Some wild yao from who knows where-we'd already agreed on the price, but he actually refused to pay!"

"I've never seen such a shameless yao! He taught me those words! I thought he was a cultured yao, but he turned out to be a beast in a gentleman's clothing!"

The more the male fox spoke, the more aggrieved he became. Tears pattered down, and his rank musk wafted everywhere.

"Well now, someone actually dared to stiff you!" Amused, Su Changsheng asked curiously, "And you just let him go?"

That made the male fox feel even more wronged. Weeping and sniffling, he said, "Fuck his uncle! He said I was a male fox and wasn't worth that price!"

"Boohoo!"

"Fuck his uncle! How could anyone insult a fox like that? So what if I'm a male fox? Does that mean I'm not a fox? Brother Snake, tell me, how is a male fox any worse than a female fox?"

As he spoke, the male fox pulled out two crumpled sheets of something that might have been hide or paper. He flung them angrily onto the ground, then stamped hard on them with his thick fox feet.

Only after quite a while did the male fox finish venting. He wiped away his tears, looked at Su Changsheng, and suddenly spoke in a coy voice. "You've been holed up for so long, too. Want to have some fun?"

As he spoke, he lifted his enormous fox tail and wiggled his rump. His rank musk shot straight into the crown of Su Changsheng's head.

Urgh!

"Fuck off!"

Su Changsheng waved him away with a look of utter disgust, but out of the corner of his eye, he kept staring fixedly at the two sheets on the ground.

He could clearly see strange designs appearing on both sheets. They seemed to be some kind of spell patterns.

Not only that, but after the designs appeared, eerie red threads gradually spread across the sheets. Those threads slowly gathered and intertwined, finally forming a blood-red handprint resembling that of a human child!

Su Changsheng's heart shuddered.

He quietly stepped back and saw the bloody handprints extending little by little through the white snow to the male fox's feet, where they finally vanished without a trace.

"You..."

Su Changsheng looked at the male fox, who seemed to have seen nothing at all. Deciding that one less problem was better than one more, he turned and headed straight home. Just before entering, he said without looking back, "The Half-Demon Grounds have been rather dangerous lately. You'd better take fewer shady jobs."

"Hah! If I don't take jobs, are you going to support me?"

The male fox's voice drifted over faintly, full of disdain.

That night.

Su Changsheng tossed and turned, unable to sleep for the first time in ages.

For some reason, the two designs on those sheets and that bloody handprint kept surfacing in his mind of their own accord.

Since he could not sleep, he simply got up and pondered the day's encounter with bloodshot eyes.

The male fox next door had almost certainly picked up something foul. It might have been a curse, a Wraith Beast, or even some uncanny means originating in the human world.

He leaned toward the last possibility.

The few characters inscribed on those designs were clearly different from Demon Script. They looked more like the Oracle Bone Script of China in his previous life. Whether they were actually human writing, however, was beyond the knowledge of a lowly Half-Demon like him.

But those designs seemed to be diagrams of some kind of spell?

And there was also...

Bang, bang, bang!

A sudden, violent pounding at the door cut off Su Changsheng's thoughts.

At the same time, he keenly sensed an eerie, evil presence lingering outside the stone door. Some of it had already turned into thin wisps and seeped through the cracks.

With no time to think, Su Changsheng immediately activated a Concealment Rune, held his breath, reined in his Demon Power, and became as still as a rock.

"Brother Snake, open the door!"

"Help a fellow out in a pinch..."

"I know you're home, aren't you?"

Outside the door, the male fox's voice rose eerily. Against the pitch-black night, it sounded particularly chilling.