Chapter 1353: Harvest

The black-armored knights below unleashed a volley of arrows, but its segmented tail moved as if it had eyes, blocking most of them with agile parries.

Wanqiu Feng simply drew his longbow and fired three consecutive arrows, each shot barely half a breath apart, swift and precise.

The Yellow Tiger swung its segmented tail to deflect the first two arrows, but the third found its mark, piercing its hind leg. Immediately, a loud bang followed as it exploded!

The arrow had an explosive talisman attached.

Unable to stand, the Yellow Tiger tumbled down from the cliff.

The black-armored knights below promptly cast a large net, intending to capture both creatures.

Seeing this, the porcupine let out a long howl and turned, scurrying into the mountain cave.

The creature's instinct for survival ultimately prevailed; since the Yellow Tiger wasn't looking out for it, it stopped looking out for the Yellow Tiger either.

"Success! The porcupine is in the cave," He Lingchuan said, relieved. He pointed at the Yellow Tiger. "Catch this one, and we can call it a night."

Trapped in Second Sister Zhu's net, the Yellow Tiger thrashed about, using its claws and teeth, even attempting to sever the webbing with its segmented tail.

Dong Rui emerged from the cave, holding a long spear. He had intended to use it himself, but seeing the Yellow Tiger thrashing in the net, he handed it to He Lingchuan instead. "Stab its back neck, but don't kill it."

He didn't want to risk himself.

He Lingchuan casually took the spear and gently jabbed its tip into the Yellow Tiger's back, eliciting an astonishing roar of rage.

No one knew what drug Dong Rui had applied to the spear, but the Yellow Tiger struggled for a moment, its strength gradually waning until it finally collapsed, motionless.

"Still the petrification poison?" The works of a demonic puppeteer, it seemed, could only be dealt with by another demonic puppeteer.

"Nonsense! Why would I waste such a thing?" Dong Rui had found it a pity to use the petrification toxin on the scorpion-python before; how could he squander such excellent experimental material now?

Meanwhile, hundreds of yards away, the demonic puppeteer on the flying ant noticed that the two red crystals embedded in his staff dimmed one after another.

Originally, there had been three, all faintly glowing. One had extinguished after the scorpion-python's capture, and now the other two were not spared.

"Damn it, damn it, damn it!" The demonic puppeteer exclaimed in alarm, suddenly clutching his chest and spitting out a mouthful of blood.

These monsters were exceptionally violent, and to control them easily, he had established a blood-link connection with them. With his demonic puppets taken, he felt a profound emptiness—a literal emptiness, as the extraction of his life-blood caused an immediate backlash.

What to do? His first thought was to go and investigate, but the black-armored soldiers were skilled archers, and while his flying ant was fast, its maneuverability was poor. Going there would be suicidal.

Yet, he couldn't just leave them be; otherwise, he wouldn't be able to report back.

Fortunately, he had left a few informants to keep watch.

Meanwhile, the black-armored soldiers unbound the net, securely tied up the unconscious Yellow Tiger, and tossed it into the cave.

Dong Rui suddenly recalled something and pulled another person out of the cave:

Wuma Dan.

"Here," he said, dropping Wuma Dan onto the ground. "His vital energy and blood have all been drained again."

He Lingchuan tried his soul-box again; indeed, the man's soul was also gone.

"That monster eats very thoroughly; there's only an empty husk left."

At that moment, the last group of black-armored soldiers arrived on horseback, with a manor guard tied to one of the horses.

"My lord, we apprehended this sentry from the watchtower. He was hiding upstairs and witnessed the entire process of the monster dealing with Wuma Dan."

"Oh?" He Lingchuan strode over. "What did you see?"

Wearing a dragon-head mask and shrouded in black smoke, He Lingchuan was no less terrifying than the white monster. The sentry swallowed hard. "I... that thing came out of nowhere and killed many people in the north courtyard. I... I hid in the watchtower to escape, and then the manor lord returned, and the monster went after him!"

"And then?"

"Its eyes glowed with a strange green light, and the manor lord froze the moment he saw it." The sentry shivered involuntarily as he recalled the eerie scene. "I saw it approach the manor lord's face, and from its own mouth, two tongues extended and probed into the manor lord's nostrils!"

"Tongues?" The listeners felt a chill. "What kind of tongues?"

"It was too far; I couldn't see clearly, only that they were red, thin, and long." The sentry continued, "The manor lord's body trembled uncontrollably, like sifting grain, but he didn't resist. After about three to five breaths, the monster seemed startled by something, let go of the manor lord, and ran off!"

He timidly looked at He Lingchuan. "After that, this lord here pursued it."

He Lingchuan posed the crucial question: "What did that white monster look like?"

So the white monster absorbed vital energy and souls through the victims' noses. No wonder the unfortunate individuals had almost no external injuries.

"It was a bit... a bit like a person, but very tall, two heads taller than me. It was very thin, with long arms, no fur, but it had a tail," the sentry recalled carefully. "Its hands were as thin as branches, and its eyes... its eyes were red! It ran incredibly fast."

He Lingchuan nodded to Wanqiu Feng, who then untied the sentry. "You may go."

The man was overjoyed, bowed repeatedly, expressing his thanks, and then ran off like the wind.

Dong Rui, holding a chisel, walked back to Wuma Dan's side. He expertly opened the corpse's skull and realized, "So the monster eats brains. The victims had no external injuries; I overlooked this."

During the questioning, Wanqiu Liang also examined the wounds of his comrades.

In the recent chaotic battle, five black-armored knights were injured. Two of them had more severe wounds: one had his hamstring punctured by a porcupine quill and could now only stand on one leg when dismounted; the other had his breastplate pierced by the Yellow Tiger's segmented tail.

He had blocked the tiger's sharp claws and fangs but had overlooked the opponent's other deadly weapon, almost paying with his life.

Fortunately, the special battle armor from Songyang Prefecture was of excellent quality; otherwise, his heart would have been crushed.

Even so, several broken armor fragments had pierced his chest. After fighting for so long, and only after both demonic puppets were captured, his body swayed a few times, and he nearly fell from his horse.

Dong Rui immediately laid him down and examined the wound.

He Lingchuan ordered the other warriors to spread out and stand guard, ensuring no outsiders witnessed their treatment process.

After a while, Dong Rui stated grimly, "It seems tiny fragments of the battle armor have entered his bloodstream and flowed into his heart."

Wanqiu Liang, anxious, blurted out, "Can't we just use a magnet to draw them out?"

The injured warrior was named Puhua; although not from Bailong, he was a close friend Wanqiu Liang had made in the army.

Wanqiu Feng waved him off, thinking the young man was too impulsive.

Dong Rui rolled his eyes. "You think a magnet can just suck them out? Do you know if the fragments are in the atrium or ventricle? Aren't you afraid they'll cut the heart muscle again? Do you really think you're so smart?"

This barrage of questions left Wanqiu Liang speechless.

It was He Lingchuan who spoke up: "How do we save him?"

He didn't ask if he *could* be saved, only *how* to save him.

"Try not to move him," Dong Rui added. "First, we need to stabilize his condition. Only when my bat demonic puppet returns can we proceed with the next step of treatment."

He Lingchuan immediately said, "Neither of the injured can ride. You take them."

Dong Rui nodded and led the two severely injured warriors back into the cave. The enormous cave entrance suddenly vanished as something on the cliff face flickered and sank into the ground.

There had been no cave on the cliff originally.

The sudden appearance of the white stone cave was merely the gaping maw of the Snail-Toad.

When Dong Rui created the Snail-Toad, he incorporated chameleon characteristics. Cen Boqing's subordinates often used this trick when they drove Snail-Toads to capture monsters and refine pulp pearls.

Following this, He Lingchuan led the remaining warriors onto their horses and departed from Greenery Manor amidst the chaos.

With the manor lord dead and black-armored soldiers and several monsters wantonly killing, Wuma Dan's subordinates had long since fled in disarray. The bolder ones had slipped into the lord's residence to steal some valuables before leaving.

After this chaotic night passed and daylight broke, the other members of the Wuma clan finally dared to emerge from their hiding places.

Stepping out of the manor, everyone was startled once more:

On the tall, impressive manor gate tower, the heads of Wuma Dan and Wuma Xu, father and son, swayed in the gentle breeze, facing the rising sun.

Also displayed was a cloth banner—made from fabric torn from Wuma Xu's clothing—on which several bloody characters read:

"Deserved punishment for evil deeds."

A dragon-head emblem was also drawn on the banner, likewise facing the rising sun.

Meanwhile, as He Lingchuan led his knights several miles away, the Soul-Catching Mirror alerted him: "You're being watched."

"By whom?"

"About a dozen yards behind you, there's a swarm of bees. They've been following you since you left Greenery Manor," the Soul-Catching Mirror added. "They're entirely black, not honeybees."

It was springtime, and bees and butterflies were common in the mountains and forests, so ordinary people wouldn't notice these "eyes" following them.

It seemed that not only could they spy on others, but the masked man also wanted to know the black-armored cavalry's movements.

He Lingchuan asked Dong Rui via the Eyeball Spider: "Where is that masked man? Are your bats still pursuing him?"

Dong Rui was dejected. "He jumped into the river just as I was examining Puhua's wound."

Greenery Manor was built right by the river. Since the bat demonic puppet couldn't enter the water, they had lost track of him.

The opponent was also cautious. Was this a common trait among demonic puppeteers?

He Lingchuan immediately said, "Let's meet at Location Number Three. We need to shake off these informants and treat the injuries at the same time."

He was always cautious, requiring his black-armored cavalry to thoroughly scout the surrounding terrain before each operation. They had to plan escape routes and mark suitable locations for use.

In the future, as their reputation grew, more and more people would try to track them down and discover their identities.

He had marked four locations near Greenery Manor; "Location Number Three" was an abandoned mining tunnel less than ten *li* from the manor.

It was a labyrinth of passages; the former miners had almost hollowed out the entire mountain.

It also had three exits, making it an ideal hiding spot.

Upon reaching Location Number Three, the warriors dismounted and led their steeds in single file.

This section of the tunnel was formerly used for mining carts, so the path was relatively smooth, allowing the horses to walk with their heads lowered.

A circular X mark was drawn at the tunnel entrance, left by Dong Rui, indicating he had arrived earlier than the others.

The Snail-Toad, traveling underground, offered an unparalleled advantage for traversing such mountainous terrain.

Wanqiu Liang was the last to enter, and he conveniently moved a large stone to securely block the tunnel entrance.