Four hundred miles east of Red Leaf Square, two figures were swiftly making their way.
They were none other than Shan Xionghai and Zhou Xun, heading to hunt the Golden Spirit Rat.
That day, after Zhou Xun made up his mind, he found Shan Xionghai the next day to agree to the matter.
The two agreed that all the spoils from this journey would be divided into three parts; each would get one, and Shan Xionghai, as the discoverer of the Golden Spirit Rat, would get another share.
"The Golden Spirit Rat has a wary nature and is extremely sensitive. At any rustle of leaves, it escapes swiftly. We need to procure the Intoxicated Fruit as bait and set traps to achieve twice the result with half the effort!" Shan Xionghai said.
The Intoxicated Fruit is a Low-Tier Spirit Fruit, often used to brew Spirit Wine. It's not expensive; one Spirit Essence can buy one.
"Leave this to me!" Zhou Xun took on the task.
As for other items, like the Spirit Artifacts for storing Demon Blood and Flesh, and the traps to catch the Golden Spirit Rat, they were all entrusted to Shan Xionghai.
As a Demon Hunting Cultivator, his home was already equipped with these implements. By the time Zhou Xun returned with the Intoxicated Fruit, Shan Xionghai had already prepared the equipment and was waiting.
Early the next day, they set off.
Each carried a huge bundle on their back. If they weren't cultivators, they would have been exhausted long ago.
"If only we had a Storage Bag!" Zhou Xun sighed.
But even the lowest grade Storage Bag would cost at least ten Spirit Stones, which, converted to Spirit Essence, would be over a thousand—an amount Zhou Xun had never seen in his life.
"My uncle has one, but he cherishes it dearly and never lets me play with it," Shan Xionghai said, showing a look of longing.
The two chatted leisurely as they journeyed.
It took five full days to reach their destination.
This was an uninhabited valley, surrounded by tall mountains.
They lay on a hillside, looking down at the valley floor.
Lush, towering trees grew straight up, with no trace of human presence, and a mountain stream several feet wide split the entire valley in half.
"How did you find such a remote place?" Zhou Xun asked curiously.
"Without my uncle accompanying me, I avoided the main roads on my return to the square, choosing only uninhabited places. Though it was arduous, it was safe."
"That day, as I rested here, I suddenly heard the roar of a tiger from the western woods, with faint spiritual power fluctuations. I quietly crept over!"
"I saw a tiger and a rat locked in combat."
"The tiger, though just a fierce beast of the mortal world, moved swiftly and was mighty. Its strength shouldn't be underestimated. The rat, however, was a Golden Spirit Rat, a Tier One Low-Grade Demon Beast."
"I saw a Golden Spirit Rat covered in golden fur, a foot long, fighting a fierce tiger eight feet long with interwoven yellow and black stripes, magnificent and colorful!"
"The fierce tiger had an imposing presence, moving like the wind, constantly swiping at the Golden Spirit Rat. The rat evaded skillfully, easily dodging attacks, occasionally swiping its claws to tear the tiger's flesh, even gaining the upper hand!"
"The furious tiger, ashamed and angry, opened its maw wide and snapped, but used too much force, exposing a flaw at its neck. The Golden Spirit Rat slightly opened its mouth, sending out a Golden Blade that slashed through the tiger's neck."
"With a soft splatter, the ferocious tiger fell midair, twitched a few times, and died!"
"Immediately after, the Golden Spirit Rat dragged the several-hundred-pound tiger carcass toward the depths of the forest."
"I followed over hills and streams, traveling over ten miles until I stopped at this valley."
"The Golden Spirit Rat entered the valley, chirped a few times into the air, and then four Golden Spirit Rats—one large, three small—emerged from the valley, feasting on the tiger while I memorized the valley's location and returned to Red Leaf Square."
After hearing Shan Xionghai's account, Zhou Xun couldn't help but click his tongue in wonder.
"Who would have thought a mere Tier One Low-Grade Demon Beast could contend with a fierce tiger and even feast upon it!"
"How should we deal with such a ferocious creature?"
Shan Xionghai smiled without a word, opened the large bundle on his back, and took out a white item. With a light shake, it turned into a large white net.
"This net is called 'Spirit Capturing.' It's woven from the silk of a Tier One Low-Grade Demon Beast, the Human-Faced Spider. Though not classified as a Magical Artifact, it's extremely tough; ordinary Low-Grade Demon Beasts can't break free. It's an essential item for us Demon Hunting Cultivators!"
Next, he took out three javelins, three feet long, entirely black, with spear tips exuding a cold glow.
"These are our most commonly used Half-Enchanted Artifacts, the 'Demon Hunting Spear.' Infused with spiritual power and thrown, ordinary Low-Grade Demon Beasts cannot resist. It's a top-tier weapon!" As he spoke, he handed one to Zhou Xun.
"This one is..."
As Shan Xionghai introduced the items, Zhou Xun felt a pang of envy.
It's often said that Demon Hunting Cultivators are wealthy, and now he realized just how affluent they were.
The gear Shan Xionghai brought alone was worth more than seven Spirit Stones.
"In this operation, taking a third of the share is indeed advantageous for me!" Zhou Xun thought to himself.
After introducing all the equipment, Shan Xionghai led Zhou Xun to start setting up.
...
With everything set, the two hid in the trees.
They applied a powder to mask their scent, activated the Breath Concealment Technique, held onto the tree trunk with their left hand, grasped the javelin in their right hand, and tightly watched the valley's direction.
Under the tree lay a fist-sized, blue-green fruit, exuding an intoxicating aroma—it was indeed the Intoxicated Fruit.
"When that Spirit Rat comes out to taste the spirit fruit, you and I will strike at the same time!" Shan Xionghai lowered his voice and whispered.
Zhou Xun nodded and then remained silent.
The entire forest was silent, except for the rustling sound of the wind blowing through the leaves, there was no other sound.
After less than half an hour, Zhou Xun's gaze suddenly sharpened.
A rustling came from the bushes thirty-some yards away, followed by a one-foot-long squirrel emerging. This squirrel was entirely golden in color and was undoubtedly the Golden Spirit Rat.
It poked its head out, its nose twitching, and its round eyes darting around.
Soon it discovered the Intoxicated Fruit under the tree.
However, it did not go over directly but cautiously circled the area several times.
After several trials and detecting no danger, it then walked slowly to the Intoxicated Fruit and began to sniff it in a stupor.
Zhou Xun and Shan Xionghai exchanged a glance, a cold gleam flashing in their eyes, and then slowly raised the javelins in their hands, infusing them with spiritual power, ready to strike.
Suddenly, the Golden Spirit Rat froze, jumped back a few steps, and called out behind it.
"Squeak squeak——"
Zhou Xun's heart tightened, fearing they had been discovered.
Immediately, the valley echoed with "Squeak squeak——"
It turned out that the Golden Spirit Rat, after discovering the Intoxicated Fruit, did not intend to keep it for itself but instead called out to its family.
Soon, the bushes rustled again, and four more Golden Spirit Rats, all the same golden hue, ran out, one large and three small.
The four Golden Spirit Rats appeared, attracted by the Intoxicated Fruit, and swiftly surrounded it, greedily inhaling its fragrance before feasting on it.
Seeing the five Golden Spirit Rats appear, Shan Xionghai's scalp tingled a little.
"Damn it!"
The three little ones were manageable enough, but the two adult Golden Spirit Rats were truly troublesome.
He had personally witnessed the scene of a Golden Spirit Rat hunting a tiger.
Originally, he planned to use the Intoxicated Fruit to bait out one to hunt before dealing with the other; now he could only have Zhou Xun hold off the other adult Golden Spirit Rat.
After killing this one, he would then join forces with Zhou Xun to kill the other.
As for the three small ones, he could not be bothered with them now.
Thus, Shan Xionghai turned his gaze to the other adult Golden Spirit Rat and signaled Zhou Xun with his eyes.
Zhou Xun saw this and instantly understood, giving a slight nod.
No sooner said than done.
The two of them, with their javelins infused with spiritual power, fiercely hurled them downwards.
The Golden Spirit Rat, true to its sensitive spirit, immediately sensed the strike the moment they acted and kicked off to escape.
Seeing the action of the Golden Spirit Rat, Shan Xionghai was shocked, secretly thinking it was bad.
Indeed, he missed!
The tip of the spear grazed the Golden Spirit Rat's hind leg, taking a bit of flesh, but did not hit a vital spot.
Fortunately, when he struck, he simultaneously shook his waist "Spirit Capturing," wrapping it around that Golden Spirit Rat below just in time.
"Whew, thank goodness!"
Then he drew out another javelin from his back and leapt down from the tree, stabbing the captured Golden Spirit Rat to death.
Only then did he have the time to glance over at Zhou Xun's side.
This glance left him dumbfounded.
Another large rat lay pierced through the chest by a javelin, firmly nailed to the ground, while Zhou Xun was pulling out the javelin.
"I've been trained as a Demon Hunting Cultivator in the Hundred Savage Mountain, yet I can't match a greenhorn!"
Shan Xionghai shook his head vigorously, about to speak, but was interrupted by Zhou Xun.
"The three little ones ran off; we need to catch up quickly!"
Shan Xionghai then came to his senses, feeling a wave of embarrassment in his heart; he, a respected Demon Hunting Cultivator, had made such a mistake and needed a novice like Zhou Xun to remind him.
He then made amends by saying:
"I'll go after those two on the left, and the one on the right is yours!"
Zhou Xun had no objections, so the two of them did not even bother to collect the prey and chased after them with their spears.