Chapter 285: Finding the Missing Monster

She turned to He Lingchuan again and asked, "Where is that monster?"

"A patrol guard heard the noise and came chasing, saying he wanted to submit it on my behalf," He Lingchuan sighed. "Now that I think about it, that person was very suspicious."

"What was suspicious about him?"

"When he approached, the monster I had caught stopped making noise."

Sun Fuling didn't even look up. "Perhaps it was just a coincidence."

"I hope so." He Lingchuan scratched his head. "But I don't understand why these monsters always gather here."

"Here?"

"Look, we alone encountered three, capturing two of them. Yet, the entire city has only caught six in total. Dragon-Coil City is so vast, why don't the monsters go elsewhere?"

Sun Fuling thought for a moment. "Could their lair be somewhere nearby?"

"Perhaps." He Lingchuan had also considered this. "Sparrowhawk just said that the herbalist Commander Zhong found believes these monsters are in their larval stage. Judging by their bone age, they haven't even been born yet."

"And just now, I smelled a strange, salty, fishy odor on the monster, wet and sticky, somewhat like..." He Lingchuan's expression was peculiar.

"Like what?"

He Lingchuan hesitated; he really didn't want to say the word aloud.

"Amniotic fluid?" Sun Fuling, surprisingly, asked directly.

He Lingchuan could only say, "It's just a guess."

"If even the most experienced herbalist says they are unborn young," Sun Fuling said, carefully feeding Sparrowhawk some meat, "then your guess is quite reasonable."

"So, they have such powerful combat abilities right after being born?"

This went against biological common sense. While some animals, like crocodiles, can hunt and survive on their own shortly after birth, their young are typically weak and often prey for others.

"Strength and weakness are relative," Sun Fuling analyzed. "Perhaps compared to their adult parents, they are already considered weak in this state."

A newborn whale calf is over three meters long and weighs thousands of kilograms; sending a person flying with a nudge wouldn't be uncommon for them.

In other words, their prey—humans—are simply too weak compared to these monster juveniles.

"Then we need to catch them sooner." Otherwise, Dragon-Coil City would face disaster. "No wonder... no wonder they've been so hard to catch, even with thorough searches. Where would you find something that hasn't been born yet?"

No wonder the Three Corpse Worms couldn't find these monsters; they were all hidden inside their mothers!

Three Corpse Worms only enter through the seven orifices, perhaps one more at most. How could they burrow into a mother's belly to examine a fetus?

"Wait a minute!" He Lingchuan paused, suddenly feeling something was amiss.

"What is it?"

"Hmm..." If the Three Corpse Worms could detect their mothers, why didn't they alert the master of the Grand Gourd?

Could the monsters' mothers... not be monsters?

Meanwhile, Sun Fuling had finished feeding the dried meat. "We can look for their mothers."

"..." Her words, indeed, hit the nail on the head.

"It's been so many days, and every corner of Dragon-Coil City has been searched multiple times, yet nothing," Sun Fuling said matter-of-factly. "Then it must have been hidden by someone."

"Exactly," He Lingchuan thought, realizing that Dragon-Coil City's high-ranking officials knew more about the ingenious uses of the Three Corpse Worms than he did. They must have already deduced that the monsters' "mothers" could be human.

He was needlessly worrying.

"The problem is, why would these monsters sneak into the city?" He Lingchuan lit a fire and boiled some water. Sun Fuling poured a bowl of hot water and placed it next to Sparrowhawk. "Dragon-Coil City is extremely unwelcoming to illegal intruders. What kind of monster would willingly risk death to enter?"

He Lingchuan sighed. "Ultimately, we just have too little information."

Insufficient intelligence makes analysis difficult, leaving mostly guesswork.

"So, why should people like us, who live simply, worry for those who live luxuriously?" Sun Fuling said leisurely. "All right, I'm going back to take a bath. Don't come over to borrow anything for a while."

He Lingchuan's face flushed. "Do you need soapberries? I have some."

Sun Fuling chuckled softly and was about to leave when she suddenly remembered something. "Oh, today is Dragon-Coil City's Heavenly Sacrifice Day, with Mr. Wen Daolun presiding as chief sacrificer. Would you like to come along? Perhaps you'll have a chance to get some answers from Wen Daolun."

Wen Daolun? He Lingchuan thought for a moment before remembering that he was reportedly Commander Zhong's advisor, also skilled in divination. "Yes, of course!"

Then he asked, "What is Heavenly Sacrifice Day?"

Sun Fuling gazed steadily at him.

He Lingchuan rubbed his nose. "I'm not originally from Dragon-Coil City." He wasn't familiar with the local customs.

"Three years ago today, Commander Zhong sacrificed his only daughter to the gods, in exchange for the boundless attention of the deities, which is why Dragon-Coil City has endured to this day," Sun Fuling slowly explained. "Dragon-Coil City has only held one human sacrifice, and it was Commander Zhong's own flesh and blood. The citizens are grateful, and every year on this day, they go to pay their respects. Starting this year, Dragon-Coil City has designated this day as Heavenly Sacrifice Day."

"Since we're going to pay respects," He Lingchuan considered, "I'll go buy some flowers and fruit."

"Where would you find flowers in this weather?" Sun Fuling chuckled. "I've already bought fruit cakes."

An hour later, the two set off in a donkey cart.

The journey was silent.

He Lingchuan didn't speak, and Sun Fuling remained silent, with only the rattling of the cart breaking the quiet.

Yet, her presence was strong.

Sun Fuling had changed her clothes; her wet hair had long dried, dark and fluffy, emanating a fresh, neutral, and pleasant scent akin to pine. He Lingchuan closed his eyes and felt as if he were back in the mountains.

He had only heard of young ladies who preferred bathing with floral scents; this woman beside him was a bit special.

The donkey cart was small, so they had to sit close together. Sun Fuling rested her chin on her hand, looking out, and when He Lingchuan turned his head, he could easily get close to her slender neck.

Her skin was fair and delicate, with faint bluish veins subtly visible beneath.

By all appearances, she was a young woman in the prime of her youth.

He Lingchuan couldn't help but recall the various puzzling aspects about her, finally breaking the silence:

"By the way, have you been out enjoying yourself these past few days?"

"I left the city a few days ago, and yesterday I went to my brother's house to clean it," Sun Fuling sighed. "Even though it's just an earthen house, it might be reclaimed."

Right, housing in Dragon-Coil City had always been tight. Apart from luxurious mansions, all other houses were assigned by the city authorities, meaning everyone was theoretically a tenant. If a resident like those in Sun Family Garden died, the authorities would reclaim the house and reallocate it to someone in need.

"Did you move his belongings back?"

"He didn't have much," she replied. "When a person dies, it's like a lamp going out, leaving no trace in the world."

Another silence fell; they seemed to have talked the conversation to a halt.

However, his mind was full of questions, and finally, one burst out, regardless of how abrupt it might seem:

"Miss Sun, are you also a martial artist?"

"Yes, I am," Sun Fuling replied, turning to look at him with a hint of surprise. "I've studied divine powers, diligently practiced martial arts, and served as a patrol guard. I almost joined the Great Gale Army."

She paused, then added, "In Dragon-Coil City, many women cultivate and practice martial arts. They are common in both the patrol guards and the Great Gale Army. Many of the girls I've taught aim to join the Great Gale Army when they grow up."

He Lingchuan remembered his teammate, Liutiao, whose ferocity surpassed that of men. Dragon-Coil City had to unite all its forces to resist foreign invaders, and it had persevered for over a decade. As long as it meant defending their home and city, women also had to go to battle.

"But then you went into teaching?"

"I was severely wounded in battle, and my brother persuaded me to give up martial arts for scholarly pursuits. It just so happened that Shuming Academy was recruiting lecturers with excellent benefits, so I..." She tapped her temple. "While fighting on the battlefield is important, nurturing future warriors is also good," she said softly. "Even if the environment in Dragon-Coil Wasteland is harsh, I believe Dragon-Coil City still has a future."

As long as there are people, there is hope, and this place will have a future.

At least, for another seventeen years.

He Lingchuan knew that the average lifespan in Yuanguo was only around thirty years, so these seventeen years represented half a lifetime for most commoners.

Sun Fuling suddenly pointed ahead and asked, "Is that your shop?"

They were already on the busiest main street, with a constant flow of carriages, horses, and people. He Lingchuan followed her gaze and, sure enough, it was the very storefront he had acquired with a significant amount of military merit.

Last time, after tidying up the clutter inside the shop, he had entrusted it to the authorities for rental and management. Now, the shop had been renovated and reopened, with a few green characters written on half a large piece of bark serving as its sign:

Spirit Isle.

Just by looking at the sign, one could tell it didn't sell food or clothing. Moreover, there were many customers inside the shop. He Lingchuan remembered that the first month's rent had already been paid to him, and it was quite substantial.

One shop could easily support someone for twenty years. For a family of four, they wouldn't need to do anything else; the income from this storefront alone would cover their living expenses and even save enough for a son's wedding.

However, Dragon-Coil City disliked those who gained without effort, so business taxes were not low. But if someone in the family joined the army, they could receive tax reductions based on a quota.

Sun Fuling was very interested. "Shall we go down and take a look?"

He Lingchuan, of course, wouldn't refuse.

However, as Sun Fuling stepped out of the cart, she stumbled, slipping on a stone.

He Lingchuan instinctively supported her arm. "Careful."

Her apricot eyes curved, indicating a smile. Only then did He Lingchuan notice the candy-snail shell inlay adorning her left temple. Her plain attire only further highlighted this splash of bright color.

Inside the shop, He Lingchuan realized it was a magical artifact store. It not only bought and sold various artifacts but also provided after-sales service, repairs, and maintenance.

It was evident that the shop catered primarily to cultivators, and commoners who entered mostly did so to browse. He Lingchuan even encountered a few familiar faces here, all of whom were patrol guards.

These people greeted him and then winked, as Sun Fuling was right beside him.

The shop owner was a fair-skinned, chubby man named Bai Guo, with a slightly round belly and a welcoming smile—clearly a reputable merchant.

It turned out this was his third branch in Dragon-Coil City.

The rent on Wanglin Main Street was frighteningly expensive. Only two types of businesses could survive here: those with extremely popular trade, or those selling expensive and highly sought-after goods. Spirit Isle belonged to the latter category.

As soon as he heard He Lingchuan was the landlord, his enthusiasm doubled. He brought tea and water, and offered a ten percent discount on any magical artifacts the landlord might fancy in the future—

—as long as the rent for next year was a little more favorable to him.