Chapter 1354: Child Leopard

Of course, this wouldn't seal it perfectly, so he dug up moss from near the entrance to fill the gaps.

It was too slow for one person to do this alone.

He Lingchuan tilted his head and gave Wang Fubao a look.

Wang Fubao had no choice but to turn back and help Wanqiliang.

Both of them were young, and back on Yangshan Archipelago, they couldn't stand each other, always getting into fights when they met. Zhu Erniang, who monitored the entire island, often said they were instigators, and Qiu Hu's repeated punishments did nothing. When He Lingchuan returned to Shanjin Plain, he brought them along, specifically assigning them to the same group.

In the past ten days or so, they'd had three or four minor conflicts in private.

As long as it didn't affect their operations, He Lingchuan let them be.

Now that Wang Fubao was back helping, Wanqiliang paused, glanced at him, but said nothing, continuing to seal the gaps.

He had clearly seen that when the Jiaowei Huanghu attacked Pu Hua at Lvyi Shanzhuang just now, Wang Fubao had rushed in selflessly to rescue him. Otherwise, how could Pu Hua have lasted this long?

No matter how much they annoyed each other, they were now partners fighting side by side, and in a critical moment, they might even have to take a bullet for each other.

These two young men worked much faster than one person alone. In no time, all the stone gaps were sealed, preventing even the tiny bees from flying in.

Only then did the two turn to catch up with the group.

He Lingchuan had already reached a stone chamber, fortified from a natural cave. It was spacious enough for four or five horses to stand abreast, originally used for storing and transporting ore.

Dong Rui was waiting for them there. "Quick, come give me a hand," he called.

The environment here was not ideal, and to perform a high-difficulty surgery, he needed assistance.

They spread a soft felt on the ground and laid the injured person down.

Yaoyuan Lingguang wasn't here, so Wanqifeng removed the porcupine quills from his subordinate's leg.

The Bat Automaton had returned to its master, so Dong Rui used it to treat Pu Hua's injuries.

Pu Hua's eyes were tightly shut, and his chest showed no rise or fall.

Wanqiliang whispered, "He's still alive, isn't he?"

Even with anesthetics, a person should still be breathing, right?

"He's not dead," Dong Rui said, instructing them to hold two fluorescent spores steadily to create shadow-free illumination. "I used the Wood Transformation Poison to stop his heartbeat, so naturally, there's no pulse or breathing. Otherwise, every extra beat of his heart would worsen his injuries."

He declared triumphantly, "Pu Hua's current state is what you call 'half-dead and half-alive.'"

Everyone's inner thought:

Is this going to work?

In Panlong City, Wen Daolun's son, Wen Heng, had died from the Wood Transformation Poison. And in reality, Fushan Yue's younger brother, Fushan Ji, had attempted to ambush his elder brother but ended up poisoned himself, on the verge of death.

As if he'd heard their thoughts, Dong Rui let out a cold chuckle. "Discussing toxicity without considering the dosage is ignorance! This stuff is poison, but used correctly, it's medicine!"

"You know best, you're right," He Lingchuan appeased him. "What's next?"

"Then it's time for this little gadget to make an appearance," Dong Rui said, taking out tweezers and carefully removing all the embedded fragments from Pu Hua's chest. Then he cut open the chest cavity, revealing the dark red heart within.

"I never thought today I'd be dissecting a human first, not an automaton," he remarked, and with the next cut, he sliced open the heart.

Everyone held their breath, but Dong Rui was completely at ease, working with his hands while telling He Lingchuan, "The scouts' description of the white monster sounds a bit like a rare type of monster, called a 'Tongzhu.'"

He Lingchuan honestly replied, "Never heard of it."

He gently tapped the mirror, which sullenly repeated, "Never heard of it!"

Even the learned Ancient Mirror hadn't heard of it.

"They live in the extreme south, are skilled at shapeshifting, and few have ever witnessed their true form," Dong Rui said, taking out soft cotton to absorb the blood welling from the heart chamber. "The ancient texts I've read are copies themselves; it's said the original was written by an immortal from antiquity."

"Shapeshifting? Not like a chameleon, is it?"

"No. It transforms, then blends into a group of prey, selecting the plumpest one to eat. Its favorite part is brain matter. Victims usually show no external injuries," Dong Rui looked up, signaling Wanqiliang to hold the fluorescent spores higher. "Believe me, there are very few monsters in this world capable of true transformation."

He Lingchuan immediately thought, "The Tormentor!"

"The Tormentor isn't a monster," Dong Rui corrected. "It's a divine child, or more accurately, half a demon spawn—the most powerful offspring born to the Nine-Child Ghost Mother through a human mother. However, a Mirage Demon counts as one."

A Mirage Demon itself doesn't transform; it creates illusions, causing visual deceptions for observers.

Wang Fubao held up two fingers and gestured in front of his lips. "Does a Tongzhu eat like the white monster?"

"That's unknown. The ancient texts didn't describe how it eats, let alone mention it consuming souls," Dong Rui gestured to the Bat Automaton, which then approached Pu Hua's heart and quickly began licking the blood.

The others didn't understand. "What's that for?"

"I've generally located the fragments, but the tweezers can't reach them, so it has to suck them out."

After about seven or eight breaths, the Bat Automaton suddenly stopped, crawled onto Dong Rui's palm, and spat out a small clot of bruised blood.

Dong Rui crushed the blood clot, extracted a tiny fragment from it, and held it to the light for inspection. "Yes, that's it. Keep searching."

He continued, "But the ancient texts also state that the Tongzhu monster has a frail constitution, excels at stealth rather than running, stands only three feet tall, and prefers environments with heavy snow and mist. So—"

Having partnered with him for a long time, He Lingchuan was used to his way of speaking. "So even if that monster really is a Tongzhu, it's been modified?"

"Precisely," Dong Rui replied without looking up from his work. "My colleague here has some skill. If he can create monsters like the Jiaowei Huanghu and the Haozhu Shufu, there's no reason he wouldn't modify a Tongzhu."

"I just wonder where he managed to get a live Tongzhu. Tsk-tsk, truly rare!" He expressed an envy that others couldn't comprehend. "Why can't you get one?"

He Lingchuan chuckled, pretending not to hear his complaint:

"Assuming it is a Tongzhu. What do you think is the relationship between Xiao An, the Tongzhu, and this Automaton Master?"

It's currently known that the automatons are likely targeting Xiao An, meaning the Automaton Master's primary target is Xiao An.

"Those who attacked Xiao An and those around her, like Chen Fu'ang and his five men, and Wuma Xu, always died by the Tongzhu's hand first. Only several hours later did other automatons arrive to slaughter." The Bat Automaton extracted another fragment, and Dong Rui patted its head. "Well done... So, it's very likely that the Tongzhu has always been close to Xiao An."

He Lingchuan's heart stirred. "Do you remember how Xiao An described the monster chasing her?"

"Tall, thin, pale, and no nose."

After tonight, they had a more direct impression; in other words, the monster chasing Xiao An was indeed the Tongzhu.