Cui Cui might have possessed the outward appearance of an ordinary village girl, but the spirit burning within her chest was far from ordinary.
She carried the misfortune of being born a mortal in a world ruled by the cultivation. Yet, she had a curiosity that often proved fatal to mere mortals.
She possessed a rare beauty, making her the most sought after woman in the village, but the local men bored her. They lacked ambition. Their lives were monotone, content with the dirt beneath their fingernails.
Yet, looking at the young master resting before her, her heart fluttered. This man had lived! His face held the bright allure of the outside world, a stark contrast to the unfair, reality of her village life.
"And down in the Cang Wu eastern range," Cui Cui said, her eyes shining with excitement, "there are beasts that us mortals can barely comprehend. Three horn boars, that can shatter boulders. Iron apes, with skin like steel. Even corpse eater hounds, that has human like faces and feed on dead spirits."
Hua Ke listened, his eyes locked onto hers with intense interest. "Fascinating. How do mortal hunters survive such things?"
"They use clever traps to bring back the meat of mortal boars and rabbits," Cui Cui explained proudly. "Our hunters don’t go too far into the forest, so we make do."
As she spoke, Hua Ke allowed his mind to drift inward. *Food. I need dried meat before I leave this place. As much as I think I can survive with hunting, I don’t have the skills required for it.*
He focused on his soul, observing his peculiar, Rank One Ballsack Spirit. It was a bizarre, fleshy storage spirit resembling a massive sack.
Currently, it held the greatest treasures of his life. One hundred Jade stones, along with several secret refinement recipes he had obtained from the inheritance of Senior Pu Zi.
To store items like food, I will need to empty some space or expand the capacity of this spirit,* Hua Ke calculated. *I am at the middle stage of Rank One. Normally, reaching the upper stage would take months of grueling effort. But with one hundred jade stones? My speed will be much more faster..if I use them as I wish.*
In his former clan, an allowance of five jade stones a month was considered a luxury, a testament to his status as a young master. Having one hundred was an unimaginable fortune for someone his age.
"The terrain here is quite rugged," Cui Cui continued, drawing him back to reality. She began listing the local landmarks, her voice a melodic hum. "There are several deep caves scattered around the mountains. Some say powerful demon cultivators used them as lairs."
*Caves,* Hua Ke pondered. *Senior Pu Zi’s cave. If I can locate it, it would serve as the perfect hideout. I could cultivate in peace and occasionally venture out to hunt.*
The alternative was grim. If he traveled to the nearby Lin Clan without a background, they would investigate him. He would be captured and dragged back to his murderous brothers. It was a dead end. He needed to buy time.
He looked at Cui Cui. Her bright smile was full of genuine admiration. It was time to gamble.
"Cui Cui," Hua Ke interrupted, his voice dropping to a somber whisper.
"Yes, young master?" Get faster updates on g.com.
"I lied to you earlier." He looked down, letting a shadow fall over his eyes. "I was not injured by a wild beast in the forest."
Cui Cui blinked, her smile fading into confusion. "You were not? Then what happened? Was it a demon cultivator?"
"My own brothers tried to kill me," Hua Ke muttered, his voice trembling with grief. "I do not know why, but they turned their anger on me. And... I am not a member of the Lin Clan. I am from a different clan."
Cui Cui gasped, her hands flying to her mouth in shock.
Hua Ke reached out and gently held her hand. He stared deeply into her wide eyes. "You are a good girl, Cui Cui. You fed me, washed my wounds, and cared for me. I cannot bear to deceive you any longer. I do not want to put your life in danger."
"Young master..."
"If you wish, you can tell your father," Hua Ke said, squeezing her hand slightly. "I will not harm any of you. Even if I wanted to, my offensive spirits were damaged when I escaped the ambush. I am defenseless."
Cui Cui looked at the wooden floorboards, her shoulders trembling. "Father... Father already sent a messenger to the Lin Clan on a donkey. In about a month, they will probably send spirit masters to fetch you."
*A month. That gives me some time,* Hua Ke noted inwardly, but outwardly he wore a mask of pure despair.
"Cui Cui, please," Hua Ke pleaded, his eyes wide and vulnerable. "Help me. I do not want to die. I only need some food and provisions, and then I will vanish into the mountains. You will never see me again, and the Lin Clan will find an empty bed."
"But... but the clan would be furious!" Cui Cui stammered. "They would punish the village for lying to them!"
Hua Ke slowly withdrew his hand, his posture slumping in defeat. "Of course they would. You are right to protect your people." He let out a long, heavy sigh. "Very well. I will remain here and wait to become their prisoner. Or worse."
He glanced toward the window. "You should leave now, Cui Cui. You have gathered quite an audience."
Cui Cui snapped her head around. Outside the window, several young men from the village were peering inside, their faces twisted with jealousy.
Cui Cui scowled at the peeping boys. She stood up abruptly, her face flushing with anger and conflict. "Excuse me, young master," she said, her voice strained. She hurried out the door, her expression serious and berated each and every single one.
Hua Ke watched her leave with a sigh. *I must cultivate day and night. I need to break through to Rank Two before leaving this village. I can only hope the Lin Clan is as arrogant and sluggish as my own clan. Mortals are beneath their notice. They will take their time.* This chapter was taken from novelping . com without permission.
***
Meanwhile, on the dusty outskirts of the village, Qing Qing was kicking rocks. He was furious. Every girl in the village, especially his beloved crush, was obsessed with that strange, pale young master.
"He is not even that handsome," Qing Qing grumbled to his friends. "Just because he is a spirit master everyone is so taken by him!"
His friends laughed and agreed, mocking the young master. They were bantering loudly when a familiar sound echoed from the village entrance. The clopping of hooves.
Qing Qing looked up. "Hey, isn’t that the village donkey? The one we sent to the Lin Clan?"
The beast plodded forward slowly, its head hung low. But there was no rider holding the reins. Instead, a large, grotesque bundle was tied to the saddle.
As the donkey drew closer, the metallic smell of blood hit the air. The bundle was a burlap sack, soaked dark crimson. Tied to the top of the sack was a piece of parchment. And resting perfectly atop the parchment was the severed head of the village messenger, his eyes rolled back in terror.
Qing Qing stomach lurched violently. He doubled over and vomited his morning porridge onto the dirt. His friends screamed, scrambling backward in sheer panic.
"Elder Fei Fei!" someone shrieked. "Fetch Elder Fei Fei!"
Moments later, Fei Fei arrived. He was a hardened man who had seen his share of cruelty, but even his face turned pale as a sheet of paper. He approached the donkey with trembling hands, untied the bloodstained parchment, and began to read.
The silence in the village square was deafening. The villagers watched as Elder Fei Fei eyes widened in absolute horror.
The letter was not from the righteous Lin Clan. It had been intercepted by a nightmare of the southern borders. A Rank Two demonic cultivator.
The signature at the bottom read: Ji Ma Ko, The Wolf Master. He was a notorious enslavement path master known for feeding humans to his wolves.
Fei Fei swallowed hard, his voice shaking as he read the demand aloud to the terrified crowd.
"The Wolf Master demands a tribute. In ten days, we must deliver ten beauties of the village to his mountain cave. If we fail, he will unleash his wolf pack and leave no stone standing."
Fei Fei looked up, his eyes meeting the terrified gaze of Cui Cui, who had just arrived at the square.
"And," Fei Fei whispered, "he demands the most beautiful girl in the village, whom he had the pleasure of watching bathe."