themonasnovels Chapter 75 In Xuanling Mountain, a Rat's Devious Hunt
Chapter 75 In Xuanling Mountain, a Rat's Devious Hunt
Chapter 74 In Xuanling Mountain, a Rat's Cunning Hunt (Seeking Monthly Tickets)
After suppressing the two groups of Huangjing monsters by putting them into his sleeves, Jiang Jun looked at the remains scattered on the ground and said to Cai Liang and Zhao Jing, "Search them out and pick out the ones that smell of medicine. Those are the remains of the Huangjing monsters they dropped," which can be used to make medicine.
Cai Liang and Zhao Jing responded and squatted down to rummage through the wreckage.
Jiang Huang peeked out from beside Jiang Jun's feet, glanced at the mess on the ground, then pulled her head back in, determined not to come any closer.
Zhao Jing picked up a piece of root about the size of a finger, brought it to his nose and sniffed it. A strange medicinal fragrance mixed with the smell of soil made him dizzy and mesmerized.
Without smelling it much, he put it into the cloth bag that Cai Liang had opened and continued searching.
Before long, the two of them found about ten pieces of Solomon's Seal residue, which varied in size and some still had dried grayish-white juice on them.
Jiang Jun took the cloth bag, took out a piece of Huangjing (Polygonatum odoratum) remains and held it in his palm, and the information about the strange creature was naturally obtained.
[Polygonatum sibiricum remains]: Boiling the remains yields the medicinal essence, which can enhance one's own spiritual energy.
If consumed in excess, the Huangjing Ghost Child may possess another's body and be reborn.
Jiang Jun said to Cai Liang, "The side effects of this remains are exactly the same as those of the Azure Fish Strange Stone. It must be purified with a divine object before it can be made into a secret medicine, so that it will not be afraid of the Strange Child possessing it."
"Establishing the entire living plant for medicinal purposes would be highly beneficial even for ordinary people. However, once this remains are purified, they can only be used by those who control demons."
Cai Liang nodded, while Zhao Jing looked thoughtfully at the small gourd at his waist.
Jiang Jun looked around, his gaze settling on the terrain of the valley.
The low-lying, shady area, with its thick, eerie fog and natural barrier formed by surrounding rocks and dead trees, is indeed suitable for the growth of Solomon's Seal.
He had a guess in his mind: "Since there are large groups of Huangjing ghost children appearing here, it is most likely that this is Xuanling Mountain, its main production area."
Cai Liang slapped his thigh: "No wonder it looked familiar! I've reported on murder cases here before. It's just that there were no landmarks, so I didn't recognize it at first glance."
"Since the Huangjing Ghost Child is found here, their nest shouldn't be far away." Jiang Jun looked into the depths of the valley. "Let's go check out their lair."
The three walked deeper into the valley.
Turmeric visibly relaxed and followed behind the three, curiously looking around. Ginger juice trotted along beside it.
The first group of Huangjing Ghost Children's nest is located below the stone wall on the left side of the valley.
The cave entrance was hidden by withered branches and pebbles, and it would have been almost impossible to find if it weren't for the strong eerie atmosphere and faint stench in the air.
Jiang Jun pushed aside the dead branches and bent down to go inside. The cave was wider than he had expected, but the stench of decay was even stronger.
Various kinds of debris were scattered on the ground, some strange and some from ordinary animals.
The cave walls were piled with dry roots and rotten leaves, which felt soft and spongy underfoot, like stepping on a decaying sponge.
Cai Liang suddenly stopped and pointed to the corner: "Teacher, look."
It was a human skeleton. The bones were blackened, and a dried, eerie aura lingered on them; the clothes were long since rotten to shreds.
Scattered around the skeleton were rusty hoes and sickles with broken handles, all tools used for gathering herbs.
Zhao Jing's expression changed slightly: "They...have eaten people?"
Jiang Jun nodded, his gaze sweeping across the cave, where he discovered two more human skeletons, also incomplete.
Cai Liang muttered a curse under his breath.
Deep inside the cave, a few Yellow Spirit Ghost Babies, smaller than those outside, were huddled together.
Sensing someone intruding, they bared their teeth and pounced, but Jiang Jun casually tucked them into his sleeve.
Jiang Jun looked around and saw a section of dark yellow root sticking out of the soil in the corner.
It was a long-dead yellow spirit ghost, with several round fruits hanging on it.
Jiang Jun squatted down, picked the fruit, and examined it in his palm. This thing, if cultivated in the Ghost Realm, could grow into a new Yellow Essence Ghost Child.
He wanted to try and see if these could be transformed into spirit seeds after purification. If they could survive, would they grow into ordinary yellow spirit plants, or child-like plants like turmeric?
He tucked the fruit into his sleeve, stood up, and said to Cai Liang and Zhao Jing, "This group of Huangjing monsters has already eaten people; they cannot be allowed to live. That elite one can only be purified directly with divine objects; it will not have the chance to become a Huangjing child."
Cai Liang nodded silently. Zhao Jing glanced at the skeletons and sighed.
Jiang Jun flicked a flame, cremating the remains. He then placed the ashes in a wooden box and stored it in his sleeve.
The group left the cave and continued their search.
The second nest was on the hillside to the right of the valley, with the entrance facing south. It was much drier than the first nest and did not have that putrid smell.
Jiang Jun went inside. The cave was not large, and the ground was covered with a layer of dry grass and moss. Although it was simple, it was not dirty or messy.
Several Huangjing ghost children, who had stayed behind, were huddled in the corner. When they saw someone come in, they pounced on him just as fiercely, but Jiang Jun caught them with a flick of his sleeve.
Zhao Jing's gaze fell on a pile of miscellaneous items beside the cave wall, and suddenly his eyes widened: "Teacher, there's someone there!"
Two people were huddled in a corner, wrapped in tattered clothes and covered in wounds. They were corrupted by eerie energy, their faces ashen, with only their chests rising and falling slightly.
Jiang Huang ran over with a "da da da" sound, stretched out her little hand, and the sweat on her palm dripped onto the wounds of the two people.
The eerie black aura slowly dissipated, and the wounds began to scab over.
The older man opened his eyes and saw a tiny, yellow face, no bigger than a palm, right in front of him. He shuddered in fright: "A...a creepy doll!"
He tried desperately to pull back, which aggravated his wound, causing him to gasp for breath in pain. The other young man also woke up and saw that Jiang Huang was equally pale.
Cai Liang quickly stepped forward, squatted down, and tried to soften his tone as much as possible: "Don't be afraid, folks. This isn't a monster, it's a spirit. It's what saved you."
Turmeric tilted its head and made an "ah-beep" sound, its little face full of confusion. It didn't understand why the person it had kindly saved was afraid of it.
The older man calmed down, took a few deep breaths, and said haltingly, "I—we went into the mountains to gather herbs, encountered a gray fog, and then we arrived here, where we were captured by those strange things—"
"They were preparing to eat us when another group of strange creatures somehow got wind of it and came to steal our food. The two groups started fighting. And then—we don't know what happened next."
He looked at his wound, then at the turmeric, and tremblingly reached out his hand, wanting to touch it but not daring to.
Jiang Huang generously let out an "Ah-bee," and proactively leaned her head in to rub against his palm. The man's eyes instantly reddened.
Zhao Jing helped the two up and had them sit against the wall.
Jiang Jun took out some dry rations and water from his sleeve and handed them over. The two of them took them and wolfed down most of the food.
Jiang Jun searched the cave but found no human remains and smelled no blood. Several young Solomon's Seal seedlings grew on the cave walls, not yet fully transformed.
He pulled out the few yellow-skinned monsters he had just collected, sensed each one for a moment, and said to Cai Liang and Zhao Jing, "This group has never eaten a human."
The two of them breathed a sigh of relief simultaneously.
After the older man had eaten and drunk his fill and recovered, he spoke up, "You lot, did you come into the mountains specifically to catch these strange creatures?"
"Let me tell you, I've been collecting medicinal herbs in Xuanling Mountain for twenty years, I know it very well. If what you say is true, that these are transformations of Polygonatum odoratum, I'm actually quite confident I can find them!"
As he said this, his eyes were filled with eagerness, clearly wanting to repay the life-saving grace.
Jiang Jun glanced at him, then at the young man, and said, "We are indeed looking for the Yellow Essence Ghost Child. If you're willing to lead the way, you can come with us. Once we've finished our business, I'll take you out."
The older man slapped his thigh and said, "Alright! Don't worry, I, Old Li, have been collecting herbs in Xuanling Mountain for twenty years. I can walk there with my eyes closed. Little Zhang is coming with me; he's an old hand in the mountains too."
He glanced at the young man, who nodded quickly.
Led by Lao Li, they searched the mountains for less than half an hour before finding the third group of Huangjing ghost children.
The nest was located at the bottom of a ravine, surrounded by withered yellow shrubs, and the ground was damp and soft, which was indeed suitable for the growth of Solomon's seal.
But at that moment, a fierce battle was raging outside the nest.
Fifteen Yellow Spirit Ghost Children, one elite-level and fourteen rogue-level, were surrounded by nine gray-black monsters.
Those monsters were about the size of a big cat, covered in coarse, stiff fur, with short, thick limbs, sharp claws, and long, wide incisors that looked like two shovels.
Old Li mustered his courage and took a look, then lowered his voice: "This—this is probably a mountain rat in disguise, isn't it? There are plenty of wild rats on the mountain, but I've never seen one this big. It looks like it's become a spirit!"
Jiang Jun observed for a while and nodded in agreement: "It should be."
Old Li swallowed hard and said, "We herb gatherers all know that mountain rats are one of the natural enemies of Solomon's Seal. If this mountain rat has become a spirit, the Solomon's Seal Ghost will probably be difficult to deal with."
Jiang Jun stared intently. Those rat-like creatures had thick skin and flesh; the bites of ordinary Huangjing monsters couldn't break through their defenses at all.
The elite-level one, however, would occasionally shoot out distorted rays with its eye technique, forcing the rat-like creature to dodge repeatedly.
But the rat was too agile, darting between rocks and bushes. The beam missed several times, and after five or six rounds, it only managed to hit one, twisting it into a ball of flesh.
The remaining eight rats also learned their lesson, spreading out and occasionally pouncing to bite and then running away.
Two of the Yellow Spirit Monsters have already had their lower limbs bitten off by them, and they are lying on the ground convulsing, about to be dragged away.
Cai Liang frowned and said, "Teacher, this thing is quite troublesome."
Jiang Jun noticed that although the Huangjing Ghost Babies were numerous and powerful, they were noticeably hesitant and timid when facing the Rat Ghosts. Their biting power was insufficient, and their pupil techniques were also inaccurate.
Old Li added, trembling, "Natural enemy, it's a fear etched into one's bones. I guess even if one becomes a monster, it's something that can't be changed."
Jiang Jun stopped observing and threw out "Ghostly Sorrow," which shot out a burst of purple light needles, instantly eliminating all the rat ghosts and causing them to drop two complete ghost items.
The Huangjing Ghost Children, now without an opponent, stood frozen in place, not yet realizing what was happening, before Jiang Jun used his "Sleeve Universe" technique to capture them.