Chapter 993: Demon Foxes Run Rampant

They had only understood one layer of his meaning. Qin Guan asked, "Elder means that since we can't win no matter how hard we try, there's no need to waste the effort?"

Niu Youdao smiled. "More or less. That means there's no need for us to offend the local snakes here. We should avoid creating unpredictable dangers wherever possible. You saw what happened at the beginning. A Demon Fox deliberately laid a trap to kill Xu Huo and the others, which shows the Demon Foxes here possess considerable intelligence. Without desire, one stands firm. There's nothing wrong with doing our best to avoid being lured into traps."

"Another thing: I don't care whether the two of you want to join Misty Pavilion or not. Even if you do, you'd still be better off showing some restraint. If you desperately hunt Demon Foxes and achieve outstanding results, what does that mean to Misty Pavilion? It means you're opposing them. If you join Misty Pavilion that way, do you think you'll have good days afterward? Misty Pavilion has entrenched itself in the cultivation world for many years. Its roots run deep, and who knows how many people's fatal secrets it holds? Even the Nine Saints don't dare simply overturn it on a whim. Even they have to proceed step by step. Are you planning to rush to the very front and court death?"

Realization dawned on the two men. They truly had not thought so deeply or seen matters so thoroughly. Convinced from the heart, they cupped their hands together and said in unison, "Thank you for the guidance, Elder."

Niu Youdao said, "It's enough that the two of you understand some things. Let everyone else work as hard as they like. Don't tell them. If no one puts in any effort, Sacred Realm will probably fly into a rage from humiliation, and then all of us will suffer for it. I don't need to teach you that much, do I?"

"Understood!" The two hurriedly acknowledged him.

"You're Fu Junrang's disciple?" Niu Youdao asked Qin Guan, then turned to Ke Dingjie. "And you're Mo Lingxue's disciple?"

"Yes!" both answered.

Niu Youdao said, "Monkey... meaning Yuan Gang, the one who trained you. Yuan Gang told me the two of you were decent. I've also spent some time with you personally lately and observed you for myself. You probably aren't people planted by Misty Pavilion. And since the sect regarded you as outstanding disciples and sent you here, your reputations aren't undeserved. You're not bad."

"A hero needs three helpers. I came here alone, without reliable manpower at my side. There are many things that are inconvenient for one man to handle. I need help."

The two exchanged a glance. Qin Guan said, "We came under the sect's orders. Naturally, we'll do everything we can to cooperate with Elder."

"Mm..." Niu Youdao shook his head, apparently dissatisfied with the answer. "Some things can only be done by my own people. My people, understand? If I didn't want you following me, I have plenty of ways to send you elsewhere. Since I've chosen to keep you by my side, I'll put the ugly words first. Once you follow me, you're my people. There are some things you won't get to refuse. That's why I've told you so much, whether it was something I should say or something I shouldn't."

The two did not quite understand what he meant.

Niu Youdao continued, "There's nothing wrong with being Fu Junrang's and Mo Lingxue's disciples. I'm not asking you to betray your masters. But... what they can give you, I can give you too. What they can't give you, I can also give you. That isn't a bad thing for either of you. From now on, stick with me!"

Stick with you from now on?

The two looked awkward, unsure how they were supposed to answer that.

Niu Youdao chuckled. "Like I said, now that you've become involved with me, and I'm fairly satisfied with the two of you, there are some things you won't have a choice about. It doesn't matter if you don't understand now. You will later. How's your recovery? If you're mostly recovered, let's go." With that, he rose.

The two men truly did not understand. Doubt and uncertainty filled their hearts. They had no idea what Elder Niu was really trying to tell them...

Near dusk, the teams that had been advancing separately gathered in the woods at the agreed rendezvous. They had made some gains, but not many.

Almost every small team had taken one or two Demon Foxes. Myriad Beasts Sect was Myriad Beasts Sect after all; they were more sensitive to the instinctive reactions of animals and had taken five.

Chao Jing had even personally captured a Demon Fox alive. Apparently hoping to improve everyone's hunting ability, he deliberately kept one living specimen to explain and demonstrate its characteristics.

After showing everyone the relevant traits, Chao Jing drew his sword and cleanly drove it into the Demon Fox's forehead. With a flick of the blade, he pried out a bloody eyeball and tossed it to a disciple below, who put it into a storage pouch.

The Demon Fox let out a shrill, miserable howl. Fangs showed in its mouth, while sharp claws hidden within the fur of its paws extended and retracted. Its whole body twisted in extreme agony.

Qin Guan and Ke Dingjie quietly glanced at Niu Youdao's reaction. They found Elder Niu watching coldly, showing no particular interest but making no move to stop it either.

Chao Jing tossed aside the still-twitching corpse and sheathed his sword. In a grave voice, he said, "We took twenty-one in total today. Far too few." His expression was somewhat solemn.

The Demon Fox on the ground soon stopped moving. Blood flowed from the hole in its forehead.

Niu Youdao sighed. "My apologies, everyone. All of you brought something back, yet my group came away empty-handed. I feel as though I've dragged everyone down."

Qin Guan and Ke Dingjie smiled bitterly to themselves. For some reason, they had begun to sense an unfathomable depth to this Elder Niu, as though his schemes ran very deep. It was something they had never felt from him back in Zijin Cave.

And it was not only Elder Niu. The big fellow beside him had also struck the two as anything but ordinary.

When Yuan Gang first requisitioned the two of them for training, they had looked down on the idea and been deeply unwilling. But the Maolu Annex had made the request, and the sect ordered them to cooperate with Niu Youdao's side, so they had no choice.

Only after truly undergoing Yuan Gang's training did they discover how extraordinary he was. Some of his ideas and methods had broadened their horizons immensely. Gradually, they settled down and began learning with genuine humility.

They knew the training had been rushed and the time limited, but if they asked their own consciences, both had gained enormously from it.

Shen Yidu chuckled. "It doesn't matter if you drag us down. What's important is that you know what's going on with this tempering. As long as you have a grasp of things, none of us care whether you drag us down or not. Drag us however you like. Right, everyone?"

Some laughed aloud, others merely smiled, all with expressions suggesting they understood perfectly.

Niu Youdao smiled faintly as well and asked, "What about the thing I asked everyone to keep an eye out for?"

Fuhua shook her head. "My side found no trace of Misty Pavilion's people."

"Nothing!"

The others shook their heads one after another, all indicating the same.

Niu Youdao said, "Don't neglect this. Keep watching tomorrow. The moment anyone discovers their traces, pay close attention to where they're going."

"Mm." Some answered aloud, others nodded silently, all indicating they would remember.

Quan Taifeng could not help asking, "Old Brother, what exactly do you mean by looking for Misty Pavilion's people? Don't tell me you're planning to rob them?"

Niu Youdao replied, "I'm not as bold as you. Since you've had the thought, we'll grant your wish. Everyone, once you discover Misty Pavilion's trail, inform Elder Quan and let Elder Quan go rob them. Of course, that will be Elder Quan's personal behavior and have nothing to do with the rest of us!"

Everyone burst into laughter, and someone even shouted approval.

Naturally, they all knew it was a joke. Robbery had already been expressly forbidden. Openly breaking the rules would be courting death, especially if the target was Misty Pavilion itself. Who would dare?

"Go, go, go!" Quan Taifeng waved away the people egging him on, then asked curiously, "Old Brother, then why exactly are you looking for them?"

Niu Youdao did not explain. He merely reminded them again, "In any case, it's for everyone's good. Remember to take it seriously."

Those who believed he knew inside information nodded one after another. Since he had said that much, naturally they would pay close attention. Otherwise, why had they chosen to follow him?

"It'll be dark soon, and we don't have Moon Butterflies. We're unfamiliar with the environment, so hunting at night would be inconvenient. Everyone should rest early." Niu Youdao gave the instruction, then went aside first and sat cross-legged in meditation.

Qin Guan and Ke Dingjie stayed beside him, taking turns resting and keeping watch to protect Niu Youdao's safety.

Any abnormality, however slight, immediately drew their vigilance.

The others noticed as well. In truth, they had noticed long ago that Qin Guan and Ke Dingjie were unusually alert. Sometimes the others could see nothing suspicious at all, yet the two would crouch in the grass, inspect the ground, and promptly warn that something had passed through there.

And they always treated Niu Youdao's safety as the center of everything. No matter the time, they seized advantageous positions first, plainly unwilling to show the slightest carelessness. They guarded rigorously against every danger that might conceivably be aimed at Niu Youdao.

Then the others looked at the people beside themselves and discovered the difference in quality was not small at all. The gap was glaring, not something that could be reversed with a sentence or two. Qin Guan and Ke Dingjie's conduct showed an unmistakable professionalism.

Having two disciples like that at one's side truly did offer considerable peace of mind.

Quite a few people found it puzzling. They had asked around. Though Qin Guan and Ke Dingjie were Zijin Cave disciples, they were not Niu Youdao's people at all. They had only been temporarily assigned to accompany him.

Was there truly such a large gap between the disciples of their own factions and Zijin Cave's disciples?

It was not as though they had never dealt with Zijin Cave disciples before. Why had they never noticed anything like this? Had they simply failed to pay attention in the past?

"See that? Even when mist drifts over, they immediately move in front and smell it first. Learn something!" Quan Taifeng irritably scolded the two Lingxiao Pavilion disciples following him. Compared with the other pair, these two suddenly looked like lumps of wood.

At first light the next morning, everyone once again spread out according to plan and advanced while searching.

Niu Youdao's group of three continued wandering through the marsh, stopping and starting, leisurely as though they had come to admire the scenery. They looked nothing like people undergoing a tempering exercise to hunt Demon Foxes.

Now that Qin Guan and Ke Dingjie understood Niu Youdao's intention, they had abandoned their own desire to hunt as well.

But gradually, not only the two of them but even Niu Youdao began to notice something was wrong.

Today's situation was clearly different from yesterday's. Demon Foxes were appearing around them with increasing frequency.

Perhaps the foxes had realized the three men would not attack them. By mid-afternoon, things became even more exaggerated. One wave appeared, then another. Several dozen Demon Foxes actually ran past not far from them in a group.

The three still gave no reaction.

After that, packs of Demon Foxes gradually began frolicking and playing near them. Qin Guan and Ke Dingjie's hands practically itched. If Niu Youdao had not warned them in advance, they might have been unable to resist attacking.

Qin Guan clicked his tongue. "Have the Demon Foxes in the Desolate Marsh Deadlands really multiplied to this extent?"

Ke Dingjie said, "Maybe yesterday we hadn't gone deep enough. Today we've reached farther in, so naturally we're seeing more."

Qin Guan sighed. "Looks like everyone else will have quite a harvest when we meet tonight. If we still have absolutely nothing, Elder, won't it be a little hard to explain?"

[End of Chapter 993]