Chapter 389: Hired Help

"Quite a few monsters and people have been arrested in the city these past few days, haven't they?"

"Many have lost their minds and caused disturbances, and many more have taken advantage of the chaos to loot. Some have even used the opportunity to kill." Wu Jinsong asked the waiter for a cup of tea. "The government office is practically bursting with people reporting crimes, and the constables are exhausted. Can you believe it? A young boy was eaten by his family's pig. By the time the officers arrived, only half of him remained."

"By the way, where did you go to receive the Emperor's Dew?"

"I went northeast, out of the city and far from the suburbs." He Lingchuan cupped his fist at him. "Speaking of which, I must thank Grand Tutor Sha for his guidance. If he hadn't informed me in advance, my harvest this time would not have been nearly as great."

Wu Jinsong chuckled, "I'll pass that on. By the way, did you go to Sanxinyuan? There are three connected lakes at its center."

Sanxinyuan? He Lingchuan's heart skipped a beat. The place where he received the Emperor's Dew was indeed Sanxinyuan!

"I traveled over a hundred *li* northeast, and I wasn't sure exactly where I was, only that it was vast and open, but there certainly was a large lake there." He Lingchuan asked seriously, "Has something happened?"

"The Lord of the Mountains and Marshes of Sanxinyuan is dead," Wu Jinsong said. "The Grand Tutor received news that the turmoil among the monster groups in Sanxinyuan did not cease after the Emperor's Dew, but instead escalated. Not only were foreign delegations injured, but even nearby villages and towns were affected, with over two hundred casualties and farmland trampled."

"After these disturbances occurred, Fufeng City sent people to investigate. The first report just came in, stating that the local Lord of the Mountains and Marshes had died. The monsters and beast hordes, unrestrained and further enraged by the Emperor's Dew, have been wreaking havoc everywhere."

"The Lord of the Mountains and Marshes is dead?" He Lingchuan was slightly startled. It seems the struggle on the night the Emperor's Dew erupted was exceptionally fierce; even the Lord of the Mountains and Marshes fell.

Could one of the monsters that died by Sanxin Lake have been the local Lord of the Mountains and Marshes?

"The strange thing is, it didn't die until the second night after the Emperor's Dew appeared," Wu Jinsong took a sip of tea. "Even the Grand Tutor found it incredible that the Lord of the Mountains and Marshes of Sanxinyuan could be killed by a person or a monster."

"What was special about it?"

"It had many avatars," Wu Jinsong explained. "The Lord of the Mountains and Marshes of Sanxinyuan was very unusual. It wasn't a common tiger, wolf, lion, or tree spirit, but a man-eating fungus!"

He Lingchuan paused, his hand holding his cup. "Fungus? You mean, a mushroom?"

It couldn't be that coincidental, could it?

"Something like that. I haven't seen it myself, but I know it had many avatars scattered throughout the forest, making it very difficult to kill. The authorities only granted it the position of Lord of the Mountains and Marshes because of its extraordinary abilities. It's said that in Sanxinyuan, even the fiercest monsters wouldn't dare provoke it, for fear of future retribution."

"Then how could they confirm it was dead?"

"I heard that on that night, dozens of the man-eating fungus's avatars all exploded," Wu Jinsong said solemnly. "Perhaps that's what you call being utterly annihilated? The fact that a being powerful enough to destroy it in one go is only a hundred *li* from Fufeng City, and we don't know its origin, makes the government office uneasy."

Wu Jinsong sighed, "The Emperor's Dew happening just before my King's birthday is both a blessing and a nuisance. After the Lord of the Mountains and Marshes of Sanxinyuan died, the monster groups in that area... I heard that four of the dozen or so delegations that came to Fufeng City to offer congratulations were injured during those two nights. The Grand Tutor has been swamped dealing with these matters these past few days."

He Lingchuan chuckled, "Indeed, the struggle was fierce; all sorts of demons, monsters, and ghosts emerged. But why were the delegations affected too?"

"What's wrong with delegations? There are monsters within the delegations too," Wu Jinsong shrugged. "Monsters are just less resistant to the Emperor's Dew than we humans are."

He Lingchuan shook his head. "It seems it was truly difficult for me to come back alive."

"Surviving a great calamity brings future blessings," Wu Jinsong stood up. "I just came to see if you had returned. I still have matters to attend to, but I'll come find you for a drink tomorrow night."

"Thank you for your concern."

Wu Jinsong left, and He Lingchuan raised his hand to order a plate of braised venison.

He recalled hearing that the braised venison here was famous, so he decided to try it.

So, the monster that ambushed him in the cave a few days ago was the Lord of the Mountains and Marshes of Sanxinyuan?

A dignified Lord of the Mountains and Marshes, lacking in martial ethics.

However, He Lingchuan knew perfectly well that the Lord of the Mountains and Marshes was a monster itself; it needed to forage and wouldn't adhere to human ethics.

Even though the man-eating fungus had received Fufeng City's official title, it only restrained the mountain demons and wild beasts on ordinary days. On a momentous occasion like the arrival of the Emperor's Dew, it would naturally prioritize its own interests.

This also explained why it was able to find He Lingchuan and ambush him so precisely.

After becoming the Lord of the Mountains and Marshes, it would have known about many things happening in its territory. Perhaps it noticed He Lingchuan's significant gains at Sanxin Lake and couldn't resist the temptation, which led it to attack.

Who said a patch of fungus needed to have morals?

The scouts sent by Fufeng City thought that some mighty being had single-handedly destroyed dozens of the Lord of the Mountains and Marshes' avatars.

In reality, it simply hadn't withstood the power of the Emperor's Dew.

Dozens of the Lord of the Mountains and Marshes' avatars hadn't been able to endure it. Thinking of this, He Lingchuan felt a wave of fear wash over him.

He was beginning to realize now that the piece of Emperor's Dew he had taken to refine was probably too large and too pure, almost costing him his life.

Given how rare the Emperor's Dew was nowadays, Helian Chen certainly hadn't anticipated that He Lingchuan would obtain such a prime specimen when he gave him the prescription.

If the Lord of the Mountains and Marshes hadn't inadvertently taken the brunt of the excess power, his initial joy would have quickly turned to tragedy.

However, even though most of the Emperor's Dew's power had been absorbed by the man-eating fungus, it possessed slow-release properties. Over the next few months, the gentle spiritual energy of the world would gradually permeate and release, aiding He Lingchuan's cultivation.

After this lesson, he no longer dared to be greedy.

Also, what did those people want with him?

He only half-believed Fushan's words. Four or five days had passed since the Emperor's Dew appeared. Anyone who obtained such a celestial treasure would refine and consume it as quickly as possible, so there was no point in others trying to reclaim it.

Formulas like the Hundred Goodness Pill, which could refine the Emperor's Dew into a long-term auxiliary medicine, were rare in the world. Helian Chen had already confirmed this.

Therefore, if this group was relentlessly pursuing him, it wasn't for the Emperor's Dew.

What did they want?

He Lingchuan left the inn and, turning his head, saw a crow perched on the opposite roof.

That thing still hadn't given up.

A surge of irritation welled up within him:

If a tiger doesn't assert itself, it'll be mistaken for a sick cat.

He Lingchuan thought for a moment, then headed towards the market again.

The crow continued to fly above, following him the whole way.

However, the market had many low buildings and winding corridors, blocking its view. It only knew He Lingchuan had entered a low house, but it didn't know what he was doing inside.

It didn't dare approach for a closer look.

This wasn't the only human active in Sanxinyuan that night, and the bandit who stole the Emperor's Dew paste wore a mask. But the more the crow looked at his back, the more familiar it seemed, and it felt certain it hadn't followed the wrong person.

Must keep a close eye on this fellow!

Before long, He Lingchuan emerged carrying a basket. The basket was covered with cloth, so the crow couldn't see what was inside.

He Lingchuan then returned to his inn, closed the doors and windows securely, and did not reappear.

Fearing he might slip away, the crow landed on the inn's roof to simultaneously observe if any suspicious figures were leaving through the front door or the back courtyard.

The crow kept watch for two hours, until nightfall.

He Lingchuan's room door remained tightly shut, as if he were asleep inside.

The crow silently counted the hours to itself, knowing that once it got a bit darker, those people should arrive to make their move.

Suddenly, a grating "creak" came from the edge of the courtyard, startling the crow.

It turned out two guests had opened their door and were walking out arm-in-arm, laughing loudly.

The crow ruffled its feathers in annoyance.

Its attention was drawn by this minor distraction, and the sound of the door opening masked a faint, unusual noise behind it.

A dark shadow, which had been lying in ambush for some time, suddenly darted out while the crow was distracted and pinned its wing.

The crow squawked in alarm, as the dark shadow lunged forward, biting precisely into its nape!

Flapping frantically, the crow desperately beat its wings, trying to break free.

Then two more shadows rushed out from behind the roof, ganging up on it. One bit its leg, the other its wing; in short, they held it firmly against the tiles.

Only then did the crow clearly see that its attackers were three cats!

One large and two small, with black bodies and white paws, as if carved from the same mold.

The large cat was a monster, nearly the size of a stray dog, and possessed overwhelming strength against the crow.

The crow squawked frantically, "Let go! Let go! Whatever that person paid you, I'll pay double!"

However, the cat demon had strong principles and completely ignored it, tearing out the crow's windpipe in a couple of swift motions.

Bird hunting: they were professionals.

The two small cats eyed the crow greedily, but the large cat wouldn't let them eat it. It picked up the prey in its mouth, jumped onto He Lingchuan's windowsill, and scratched twice with its paw.

Hearing the signal, the window immediately opened.

He Lingchuan saw the crow's corpse and couldn't help but give the cat demon a thumbs-up. "Awesome!"

It had so easily dealt with the "eyes" on the roof for him. Truly, every creature has its natural weakness.

The cat placed the prey on the windowsill and let out a soft meow.

Mission accomplished, where's the reward?

The other two small cats immediately followed, indicating they had contributed and deserved equal pay.

He Lingchuan immediately retrieved a large, bulging bag of dried fish from inside the room. He showed it to the cat demon first, saying, "These are all dried stream fish, about a finger long, from the small river east of the city. No salt added."

Next to the dried fish was also a gold ingot.

"Not bad, this employer is quite generous." The cat demon nodded in satisfaction. He Lingchuan hung the bag around its neck and then gave them the crow's corpse.

The three black cats leaped onto the roof and vanished into the night.

But He Lingchuan knew they hadn't left; the employment agreement included more than just this. He closed the doors and windows again, walked around the corridor to the opposite room, and pushed the door open.

He had also rented this room, but under the name of a caravan assistant. From here, he could perfectly monitor his old room.

He poked a small hole in the window paper, pulled up a chair, sat by the window, and held his saber.

His Eye-Spider had already scouted that he might have another wave of visitors tonight.

The night deepened, the moon hung low, and all was quiet.

Only the crickets in the grass pile downstairs were chirping.

Dawn would break in another half an hour.

This was precisely when everyone's sleep was deepest.

He Lingchuan's ears twitched. Suddenly, he heard two brief crow calls from outside the inn.