Their dinner was roasted Ice-Patterned Goat meat and mutton soup.
The Shadow Scaled Guards’ roasting skills were excellent, honed during their training in Lin Tai Hunting Valley. During this period of wandering through the mountains, they really did not want to eat those tasteless fasting pills, so they decided to cook demon beast meat instead. After all, there might not be much else in these mountains, but there was plenty of meat. Frying, boiling, roasting, deep-frying—each method took its turn, with a different flavour every day.
They roasted the fifth-rank Ice-Patterned Goat.
Naturally, good things had to be kept for their own people first. This was the shared understanding of all the Shadow Scaled Guards.
The higher the rank of the demon beast, the richer the energy contained in its meat, and the more delicious it was. The meat of a fifth-rank Ice-Patterned Goat was far tastier than that of a fourth-rank one.
A Shadow Scaled Guard cut out the fifth-rank Ice-Patterned Goat’s demon core and delivered it to Wen Qiao.
Since Wen Qiao had hunted it, the demon core belonged to her. This was a rule Ning Yuzhou had set: whoever hunted the demon beast owned its demon core.
The fifth-rank Ice-Patterned Goat’s demon core was the size of a baby’s fist. Its whole body looked like ice jade, with rings of silver patterns across it, giving off a frosty aura. It was extremely cold to the touch.
Wen Qiao looked at it, then put the demon core away.
During this time, they had hunted quite a few demon beasts in the mountains and obtained many demon cores, enough to feed Wen Tutu like sweets. Unfortunately, Wen Tutu was very picky. Apart from wind-attribute demon cores, it would not touch anything else.
The Ice-Patterned Goat meat was indeed extremely delicious. It was simply roasted and brushed with some ordinary Moon Bee Honey, yet the whole valley was filled with the aroma of roasted meat. The Shadow Scaled Guards ate heartily, and even the Shang siblings ate quite a lot, becoming somewhat embarrassed in the end.
“It’s fine. There’s plenty of meat, so please don’t be polite.”
Ning Yuzhou entertained them very hospitably. His dining etiquette was extremely refined. Even when faced with such delicious food, he ate calmly and unhurriedly, elegant and dignified, pleasing to the eye. His excellent upbringing and manners were fully displayed, revealing the bearing of a noble young master from a prestigious family.
Seeing this, the Shang siblings felt even more strongly that Ning Yuzhou’s origins were extraordinary.
But since Ning Yuzhou did not take the initiative to say anything, they could not ask. After all, he was their life-saving benefactor. If he did not wish to reveal his background, how could they have the face to question him?
—
The next day, the Shang siblings took their leave.
Early in the morning, Qian Shou led a group of Shadow Scaled Guards away to continue finding demon beasts for practice. After Ning Yuzhou and Wen Qiao ate breakfast, they took Wen Tutu and slowly left the valley.
The demon beasts around the valley had already been mostly cleared out. The remaining ones were all second- or third-rank demon beasts. Wen Qiao did not wipe them all out, leaving some behind to reproduce. This was a kind of natural balance.
However, because whenever Wen Qiao encountered large demon beast groups, apart from the young, she liked to wipe out the whole nest, the surrounding demon beasts already had psychological trauma toward her and Wen Tutu. Wherever they appeared, the demon beasts fled at the sound of the wind, afraid that one careless moment would lead to their entire family being taken out.
After searching for a long time and failing to find any demon beasts worth fighting, Wen Qiao secretly glanced at the man beside her.
Ning Yuzhou had long since figured out his little wife’s habits. From one frown, he could tell what she was thinking. Seeing her like this, he knew she wanted to cause trouble, but was afraid he would not agree.
Ning Yuzhou pretended not to know and waited for her to decide on her own.
After a while, Wen Qiao said, “Brother Ning, there aren’t any demon beasts nearby worth fighting. Why don’t we cross this forest and go a little farther? What do you think?”
Whenever it was time like this, the little girl’s mouth became very sweet, as if she had been possessed by Wen Tutu.
Ning Yuzhou looked in the direction she pointed. His gaze flickered slightly, and he said, “If I remember correctly, the other side of the forest seems to be the territory of a White-Bellied Wolf Spider.”
The reason he knew this was because a few days ago, Wen Qiao had chased a group of spiritual monkeys all the way to the White-Bellied Wolf Spider’s territory.
That group of spiritual monkeys had merely stolen one of her fruits, yet they had almost been chased until they ran out of breath and strung together to be dragged away. With the White-Bellied Wolf Spider in front and the terrifying little girl behind, in the end they could only give Wen Qiao several jars of spiritual monkey wine they had brewed before they were able to escape.
Wen Qiao smiled shyly and said softly, “Yes. That White-Bellied Wolf Spider is a fifth-rank demon beast. There’s a Wolf Spider Grass in its territory. It would be best if we could dig it up.”
Wen Qiao had long had her eye on that fifth-rank White-Bellied Wolf Spider.
The White-Bellied Wolf Spider’s silk was extremely poisonous, making it more troublesome than ordinary fifth-rank demon beasts. Very few cultivators or demon beasts were willing to face such a venomous demon beast. Most would detour the moment they saw it. This had allowed that White-Bellied Wolf Spider to dominate that forest as its territory.
Wolf Spider Grass was the companion spiritual herb of the White-Bellied Wolf Spider. It was a sacred antidote herb and could be used to refine antidote pills capable of neutralising most strange poisons.
Wen Qiao both wanted to fight the White-Bellied Wolf Spider and wanted its Wolf Spider Grass. One could say her ambition was quite large.
Mm, after fighting demon beasts so much lately, her heart had grown wild too.
Ning Yuzhou saw that both the little girl and Wen Tutu were staring tightly at him without blinking, as if afraid he would refuse.
He chuckled softly. “Then let’s go. But if you can’t beat it, you must not force yourself.”
Wen Qiao quickly nodded and promised she absolutely would not force herself.
Although Ning Yuzhou’s cultivation was not high, his brain worked extremely well. His intelligence crushed ordinary people, making others sincerely convinced. Not only did the Shadow Scaled Guards obey him and willingly follow his commands and arrangements, even their training was planned by him. Wen Qiao also listened to his arrangements very well now. Whenever she wanted to do something, she would first discuss it with him.
Wen Qiao expressed that this was her respect for her husband, not that she had no opinions of her own.
Then, the two people and one rabbit summoned a Swift Wind Beast from the demon beast pouch and sat on its back, rushing toward the White-Bellied Wolf Spider’s territory.
Swift Wind Beasts were wind-attribute demon beasts. They were extremely fast and had gentle temperaments, so many cultivators on the Shengwu Continent tamed them as mounts. Almost everyone had one, and most people rode them when travelling.
When passing through a forest, Wen Qiao and the others encountered a group of spiritual monkeys.
She had the Swift Wind Beast stop and greeted the monkeys in the trees with a bright smile.
Wen Tutu lay on Wen Qiao’s head and showed the spiritual monkeys its big front teeth. This was Wen Tutu’s way of greeting them, but in the eyes of other demon beasts, it was clearly a threat.
The spiritual monkeys chattered nonstop. The spiritual fruits they held in their hands were thrown at them one after another, but the vines Wen Qiao stimulated caught them all.
Wen Qiao waved at them. “Thanks. Today’s spiritual fruits are pretty good. When I come back later, I hope there’ll be a jar of spiritual monkey wine.”
The spiritual monkeys cried even louder, looking extremely angry.
This human was too bad. Last time, she had taken away the spiritual monkey wine they had brewed for a hundred years, and now she still wanted more wine. They had never seen such an excessive human.
But they could not beat her!
Hidden behind the young monkeys, the Spiritual Monkey King watched Wen Qiao and the others leave, then quickly called for its descendants to move away and hide far away, lest that human return and take away their spiritual monkey wine again.
The Swift Wind Beast ran for half a day before they finally arrived at the White-Bellied Wolf Spider’s territory.
From far away, they could see spider silk wrapped around the tree trunks. White strands crisscrossed the area, forming a protective web that separated this part of the forest from the outside world.
The spider silk was extremely corrosive and sticky. If an ordinary demon beast accidentally crashed into it, it would be firmly stuck there, its flesh slowly corroded away, until it finally became food for the White-Bellied Wolf Spider.
Wen Qiao and the others leapt down from the Swift Wind Beast and put it into the demon beast pouch.
Other than its speed, the Swift Wind Beast had no combat power. They could not leave it outside to be eaten by other demon beasts.
Wen Tutu lay on Wen Qiao’s head and looked at the spider silk hanging all over the trees. Suddenly, it jumped up, leapt over, and swiped a claw at one strand.
As a result, Wen Tutu’s paw stuck to the spider silk.
Wen Tutu looked stunned. It pulled hard, trying to free its paw, but the spider silk stretched long and still clung tightly to it.
“Gugu!”
Wen Tutu cried loudly, calling for its sister to come save it.
After watching Wen Tutu take the lead, Ning Yuzhou quickly understood something. The surrounding spider silk was snow-white and extremely sticky. Clearly, it had only recently been spat out by the White-Bellied Wolf Spider and was still fresh. Even a seventh-rank mutated demon rabbit would be stuck to it without fail.
It seemed that the White-Bellied Wolf Spider was about to advance soon, so the stickiness of its silk had also strengthened.
Ning Yuzhou told Wen Qiao what he had discovered and reminded her to be careful.
“I know. Don’t worry, Husband.” Wen Qiao avoided the spider silk on the ground and came before Wen Tutu, who was stuck to the web.
Wen Tutu looked pitifully at her. Its fur had been stuck, and its snowy white fur was beginning to turn black—a sign of corrosion. If it stayed there any longer, Wen Tutu’s white fur would become black fur.
After examining it, Wen Qiao knew that her flesh-and-blood body could not contend with the spider silk, so she took a section of Stone-Gold Python Vine from her storage bag.
There were many sections of Stone-Gold Python Vine like this in her storage bag. Wen Qiao had stimulated the vine in the space, cut off the matured parts, and divided them into sections to take out whenever needed.
Holding a section of Stone-Gold Python Vine, Wen Qiao used it like a stick and poked at the surrounding spider silk.
The spider silk was indeed very sticky. Once it stuck to the Stone-Gold Python Vine, it could no longer be separated. But Wen Qiao had no intention of separating them. Instead, she used the vine to clear away all the surrounding spider silk.
Standing outside, Ning Yuzhou soon saw his little wife wave the Stone-Gold Python Vine, twisting all the surrounding spider silk onto the vine. The extremely sticky spider silk was easily pushed aside by her, and even Wen Tutu, who had been stuck to the web, was easily rescued.
When Wen Tutu saw the patch of fur missing from its paw, it was instantly furious.
It made a piercing teeth-grinding sound and roared toward the White-Bellied Wolf Spider’s territory, looking ready for a fight.
Perhaps it had been influenced by Ning Yuzhou, but Wen Tutu was also a rabbit that pursued perfection. It cherished its snow-white fur dearly and would feel pain over losing even one strand, let alone now, when a whole tuft had been stuck away, revealing the pink skin beneath.
“Don’t rush. Once we clear these spider silks, we’ll go in,” Wen Qiao comforted Wen Tutu and casually stuffed it a spirit pill.
After receiving the spirit pill, Wen Tutu finally quieted down, its red eyes fixed on the White-Bellied Wolf Spider’s territory.
Soon, Wen Qiao cleared a path and called Ning Yuzhou in from behind.
“Yuzhou, stay close to me. Don’t get separated, okay?” Wen Qiao reminded him.
Ning Yuzhou agreed with a smile and took out an antidote pill to feed her. “This antidote pill was refined using the Moon Bee queen’s honey. It can deal with the wolf spider’s poison.”
As he spoke, he swallowed one himself and fed one to Wen Tutu.
The antidote pills refined from queen honey carried the unique sweet fragrance of the honey. Wen Qiao and Wen Tutu ate them like sweets, both looking delighted.
While Wen Qiao was busily clearing away the White-Bellied Wolf Spider’s silk, Ning Yuzhou was not idle either. He searched the surroundings for poisonous herbs growing beneath the webs, which could be used to refine certain unusual pills.
Spirit pills could save lives, but they could also harm people.
Most alchemists pursued orthodox alchemy inheritances and rarely touched poisonous pills, strange pills, or sinister pills. They believed that pills capable of taking lives were crooked and unorthodox, not acceptable to the righteous path. If an alchemist was discovered refining such things, they would be attacked and their reputation damaged.
To Ning Yuzhou, however, all spirit pills in this world had their uses. In his eyes, there was no real difference between pills that saved lives and pills that harmed people. In fact, compared with life-saving pills, he was more interested in those strange and sinister pills, because they were more challenging and often gave him many different inspirations, allowing him to refine many interesting spirit pills.
Moreover, at critical moments, they could win by surprise.
Ning Yuzhou would not easily use these strange and sinister pills. But if someone blindly came knocking, that was another matter.
Wen Qiao had no idea that her husband behind her, looking like a refined noble young master, was actually full of dark schemes. She occasionally turned back to glance at him. Seeing that he was fine, she continued clearing the spider silk.
Soon, one end of the Stone-Gold Python Vine was wrapped in a cocoon of spider silk.
Ning Yuzhou looked at it and said, “Ah Rao, this spider silk is quite good. When we have time, I’ll temper it out and refine it into a weapon.”
Wen Qiao agreed.
They walked and cleared the way, and before they knew it, they had reached the White-Bellied Wolf Spider’s nest.
The White-Bellied Wolf Spider was not there.
All around were web after web, densely packed. The air was filled with a cold, corrosive, poisonous aura. If they had not taken antidote pills, they would likely have been poisoned by now.
Seeing that the White-Bellied Wolf Spider was absent, Wen Tutu could not help looking a little disappointed.
Wen Qiao looked around and soon found the Wolf Spider Grass.
She said happily, “Husband, while that White-Bellied Wolf Spider hasn’t come back, let’s quickly dig it up.”
They would first dig it up and plant it in the space. She could stimulate it several times until it blossomed and bore fruit. After obtaining seeds, she could continue stimulating it. In the future, they would have countless Wolf Spider Grass plants to refine antidote pills.
Wen Qiao’s calculations were very precise. Many of the spiritual herbs in the space were planted this way, allowing them to be reused in cycles so they would not be gone after using one plant.
Ning Yuzhou went to dig up the Wolf Spider Grass, while Wen Qiao held the Stone-Gold Python Vine and stood guard beside him.
No one knew where the White-Bellied Wolf Spider had gone. Even after Ning Yuzhou finished digging, it did not appear. It was truly strange. Wen Qiao’s face showed regret; she had thought she would be able to fight it today.
Ning Yuzhou found it a little amusing.
The White-Bellied Wolf Spider dared to leave because its nest was full of spider silk. Each strand here was as thick as a finger, with toxicity and stickiness even stronger than outside. Ordinary cultivators could not possibly get deep into this place. Nor would anyone be like Wen Qiao, violently twisting the spider silk onto a vine. And the Stone-Gold Python Vine was a sixth-rank demon vine, incomparably hard; the spider silk could not corrode it in such a short time.
After digging up the Wolf Spider Grass, they turned back.
The surroundings were gloomy, with webs everywhere overhead. It was especially quiet.
Just as they were about to leave the White-Bellied Wolf Spider’s territory, Wen Tutu suddenly let out a sharp cry. Wen Qiao grabbed her weakling husband, hoisted him up, and ran wildly.
Behind them, an enormous white-bellied spider clung to the web, approaching silently. Its eight eyes stared coldly at the two humans who had dared to trespass into its territory.
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