Tears Shed on Hidden Mist Mountain (V)

Now, Ao Tu, having devised a plan, took out several Immortal Elixir from his robes, rewarded a few lesser Demon, and then left.

The young Demon, unable to resist the temptation, were about to consume the Immortal Elixir.

The Black Dog Spirit stopped them, saying, "Don't rush to eat! Such a good thing will be hard to come by again. Wait until you're about to transform into a human before you eat it. Maybe then you'll even take on a human form!"

The little Demon listened and thought it made sense, so they resisted the urge to eat it, and instead kept the Elixir Pills on their person.

Ao Tu left Hidden Mist Mountain, surveyed the surroundings, and refined his plan. He then used the Supernatural Ability of One Qi Transforms into Three Pure Ones to create an Incarnation, Youde Taoist Youde, and instructed him to go up the Immortal Elixir of Taoist Youde.

The Taoist Youde smiled and agreed.

Ao Tu then headed east.

The ordeal at Hidden Mist Mountain can be left to his Incarnation. He has put in a lot of effort to come up with a plan, which is truly exhausting. He should go back to the Western Liang Women's Kingdom, rest for a few days, and take the Queen back to the Heavenly Realm while he's at it. He should also go and see the Little Fox.

Ao Tu True Body returned, but his Incarnation descended Hidden Mist Mountain and arrived at the Southern Slope of the Mountain where there were a few houses.

Ao Tu, carrying a banner, arrived at the gate of a courtyard and knocked on the door, saying:

"Please open the door! Please open the door!"

A young man was practicing his bow-making in the courtyard. Hearing the sound, he looked out and, through the fence, recognized a Daoist priest. He went up to open the gate and asked, "Old Daoist priest, where are you from?"

Ao Tu bowed and said, "This humble Daoist priest Youde. I have been traveling and have come here, but I am thirsty and have come to ask for a bowl of water."

The young man replied, "The Clear Water was just fetched this morning, please come in, venerable Daoist priest."

Ao Tu went inside.

There was a yellow dog inside, but it didn't dare bark at Ao Tu.

The young man exclaimed in surprise, "Old Daoist priest, you truly possess magical powers! This beast used to bark incessantly at strangers, but today it's been behaving itself!"

Ao Tu laughed and said, "Ordinary tricks are only good for fooling old apes in the mountains and Wild Boar in the forest."

The Human Way, "Old Daoist priest, you are too modest."

The two entered the house, where an elderly woman was mending shoes. Upon seeing them, she asked, "Who has come?"

The Human Way, "Mother, he's a wandering Daoist priest. He's thirsty, please have a bowl of water."

Upon hearing this, the middle-aged woman put down her work and said, "Since you've come from afar, you must be hungry and thirsty. Please stay and have a meal before you leave! It's just simple farm food, please don't find it offensive."

Ao Tu said, "No need for your trouble, I still need to cross the mountain today."

Upon hearing that they had to cross the mountain, the middle-aged woman became anxious and hurriedly said, "We can't cross the mountain!"

Ao Tu asked, "Why can't we cross the mountain?"

The middle-aged woman Human Way, "There is a mountain lord on the mountain. You don't know the way, and you might be carried away, putting your life in danger!"

Ao Tu asked, "Are there tigers on the mountain?"

The Human Way, "It wasn't tigers, but a pack of leopards that had grown into formidable predators, even fiercer than tigers. My father once went up the mountain with several hunters to hunt them, but only two of them escaped, both severely wounded and dying of illness a few years later. Therefore, the Hunter from the foot of the mountain all avoid that area, not daring to venture deep inside, and instead hunt wild boars, deer, and pheasants for a living. If you need to cross the mountain, Daoist priest, stay the night. Tomorrow morning I'll call a few fellow Hunter from my village to escort you across along the path at the foot of the mountain."

Ao Tu said, "Isn't that too much trouble?"

The Human Way, "It's no trouble at all. We're going to collect traps and snares tomorrow morning anyway, it's just along the way. Traveling together makes things easier if anything happens."

Ao Tu agreed and stayed at the young man's house for one night.

The middle-aged woman steamed some steamed buns with salted pork for Ao Tu that evening, which was considered a generous treat.

The next morning, the young man gathered with several Hunter from his village and discussed the matter of giving Ao Tu a ride across the mountain. The Hunter all agreed.

The group went up Hidden Mist Mountain together, not daring to go deep into it, but only circling around it, collecting the traps and snares set up by each family. The traps were all marked, and the Hunter all remembered where they had buried their snares, so there was no dispute.

This family catches a rabbit, that family gets a pheasant, but wild boars and deer are very rare. Imagine if they could be caught so easily, everyone would become Hunter.

As they walked, halfway there, the group grew tired and sat down to rest, drinking water and eating Rations.

Ao Tu beckoned the yellow dog over and plucked a tuft of fur from its body.

The yellow dog whimpered, looking very aggrieved, and didn't dare to bark, lying on the ground with its ears drooping.

Ao Tu smiled, rubbing the dog's head, and said, "I'll teach you to be a famous constable in your next life."

Upon hearing this, the yellow dog barked happily twice.

After resting, the group continued their journey.

Ao Tu saw a trap ahead, so he threw out his dog hair, which transformed into a goat. He stepped on the trap, got his leg caught, and started bleeding profusely. He leaned against a tree and howled wildly.

The hunters, all of whom had been hunting in the mountains since childhood, knew immediately from the sound that a goat had been caught. They quickly cut through the weeds and rushed forward.

Upon seeing the group, the goat quickly dragged its trap and limped up the mountain.

The hunters fired several arrows, each hitting its mark, striking the goat's legs, belly, and anus, causing profuse bleeding.

Normally, the goat wouldn't have been able to escape.

Unfortunately, this was transformed from dog hair by Ao Tu. The goat lost several kilograms of blood but was unharmed, dragging the trap into the mountains.

The young man exclaimed "Yo-ho!" and quickly gave chase.

All the hunters gave chase.

The goat, covered in blood, couldn't escape and took several more arrows, yet it still managed to run through the mountains.

The hunters exclaimed in surprise, "What kind of sheep is this? It can run so fast! Even a tiger wouldn't be able to move after taking so many arrows!"

The Human Way, "Perhaps it's a pregnant ewe. When I was little, my dad told me that a pregnant ewe, after being shot with an arrow, runs faster than a leopard!"

One hunter exclaimed happily, "If it's true, that's wonderful! I've heard that Wealthy Household in the city eat the fetuses of sheep, saying that the meat from them is incredibly tender! I'll sell these two sheep and make a new cotton-padded coat for my son for the New Year. His old coat doesn't fit anymore; last year, his belly was showing, and he didn't dare go out, afraid people would laugh at him!"

The other Hunter laughed and said, "Don't forget about us!"

The Human Way, "Don't worry, I'll definitely treat you to drinks!"

The group chased after them through the mountains.

Ao Tu, waving a banner behind them, called out, "Slow down! Slow down!"

The Human Way, "Daoist priest, come quickly! Don't let that beast get away!"

The hunters chased after them, and before they knew it, they had ventured deep into the heart of the wilderness.

The goat headed straight for the path the Little Demon patrolled.

The Hunter were in hot pursuit, and the two groups collided head-on, both of them startled.

The Hunter cried out, "Demon! Demon!"

The Little Demons cried out, "Human! Human!"

In their panic, they no longer cared about the goats; the Hunter opened fire with their bows indiscriminately, Little Demons threw their Wolf-Tooth Club and meteor hammers haphazardly.

Although those Little Demon didn't have much cultivation, they were still Demon after all, with thick skin and flesh, so being shot by a few arrows wouldn't hurt them.

The Hunter were all made of flesh and blood. One Hunter was accidentally hit by a meteor hammer and immediately fell to the ground, vomiting blood. His chest was smashed open.

For a moment, the field was filled with cries and screams.

Ao Tu stepped forward and shouted, "What a Demon! How dare you harm people!"