Chapter 140: The Layout... Begins
Chapter 140: Chapter 140: The Layout... Begins
Liu Jianjian looked exactly the same as Zhu Ge had when he’d fought the Fungus God.
Zhu Ge knew at once that Liu Jianjian had definitely sacrificed some of her lifespan.
"Alright, let’s roast some meat right away!"
Some of the meat was already in small pieces, so Zhu Ge decided to render the pork fat and then stir-fry a huge platter of it.
A platter as big as a millstone!
Besides, Zhu Ge could carry a wok that weighed a ton if he had to. He had also bought some daily necessities like salt in Jianshui City, so stir-frying some meat would be a welcome change of pace for their taste buds.
"Sword Hero..."
Zhu Ge was about to give an order when he saw Liu Jianjian stretch out her hand and recall Sword Hero.
Sword Hero transformed into a strand of hair and returned to Liu Jianjian. A moment later, a bit of color returned to her face.
"Hoo..."
Liu Jianjian let out a long sigh. "I almost starved to death on the spot..."
Then she said to Zhu Ge, "Master, I’ll have Sword Hero help me recover some stamina from within my thorn for a bit. My Demon Qi is running low; refining the Sword and Axe Mantis was just too exhausting."
"It can help you recover? Good."
Zhu Ge nodded and went to prepare the meat himself.
Roasting meat wasn’t as fast as stir-frying, but that was only if the meat was cut thin enough.
Fortunately, Zhu Ge wasn’t too concerned about that. There were bits and pieces of meat scattered everywhere anyway.
There were also the entrails and various other organs.
In truth, all of this could have been sold for a decent price at the Tongfu Restaurant.
But preparing those parts for sale would mean wasting some of the meat.
And this was energy-rich Demon Beast Flesh!
So now, Zhu Ge was stir-frying all of it.
"SIZZLE—"
A massive stone wok, taller than Zhu Ge himself, sat on the ground. For a spatula, Zhu Ge used the thigh bone of a Tiger Demon.
The body of that Second Realm Tiger Demon had been enormous, and the thigh bone from its hind leg was as lustrous as jade—perfect for a shovel. It could be used to dig dirt, or, once washed, as a cooking spatula.
Before long, Zhu Ge had finished stir-frying a massive wok-full of food.
Liu Jianjian, caring for nothing else and unafraid of the heat, began to eat directly from the wok.
But Zhu Ge, worried it wouldn’t be enough for her, also roasted a cow, a pig, and three sheep.
Finally, after he roasted another five or six Second Realm Demon Beasts, Liu Jianjian was at last full.
By this point, Zhu Sisi had already returned to the mulberry tree to continue eating its leaves, and Hua Liusha was quietly resting in Zhu Ge’s mind, digesting the soul she had previously devoured.
Only Zhu Ge remained, having been busy for hours, now sitting on the ground waiting for Liu Jianjian to finish her meal.
"BURP—"
Liu Jianjian tossed aside the pig leg she had just finished gnawing on and let out a burp.
"Full now?" Zhu Ge asked, exasperated. "The amount you just ate could have bought several low-grade Spirit Level Spiritual Artifacts."
"Hehe, I’m full, I’m full," Liu Jianjian said, scratching her head sheepishly. She then formed a hand seal. "I’ll summon the Sword and Axe Mantis now!"
"Good." Zhu Ge’s eyes lit up.
He was curious what abilities this Sword and Axe Mantis possessed.
Moreover, he wanted to know how the Sword and Axe Mantis had known he was in this valley.
Though he had his suspicions, he still wanted to ask and confirm.
This time, he had only managed to capture the Sword and Axe Mantis by using a clever trick with the Fungus God Destruction Array.
Without the array, he would likely be dead.
’As for the information leak...’
Zhu Ge had only revealed his whereabouts during his trip to Jianshui City.
Therefore, he suspected the matter was connected to that Yu Rui fellow from the Fish Scale Martial Arts Hall in the city.
"THUD—"
The Sword and Axe Mantis landed on the ground, and they held their breath.
It was a mantis, emerald green from head to toe. Its twin bladed arms, like a sword and an axe, glinted with a cold light. Its triangular compound eyes were filled with bloodlust.
A body born for slaughter!
"Sigh..."
The first thing the Sword and Axe Mantis did upon appearing was sigh.
It then lowered its head toward Zhu Ge. "Greetings, Great Master."
It seemed Liu Jianjian had already communicated with the Sword and Axe Mantis after refining it, informing it that Zhu Ge was her master and, by extension, its Great Master.
"Sword and Axe Mantis, what are your abilities?"
Zhu Ge asked.
"My innate talents are ’Swift Body’ and ’Killing Intent Sense.’ My speed is enhanced, and I have a heightened sensitivity to killing intent," the Sword and Axe Mantis answered truthfully.
"Mm," Zhu Ge nodded, showing little reaction.
’To be honest, the Sword and Axe Mantis’s abilities are pretty average.’
’They’re just common abilities, the same as most Demon Beasts.’
’It’s nothing like Sword Hero, which possesses the ability to refine metal and is an ancient, unique species.’
"Oh, right, Jianjian." Zhu Ge was suddenly reminded of the group of Demon Beasts outside the valley, immobilized and entranced by Hua Liusha. "Go out and subdue all of them. There’s no time to waste."
The Sword and Axe Mantis might not be an ancient, unique species, but it was a Third Realm Demon Beast at the very least.
And while the ones outside were only Second Realm Demon Beasts, they had extraordinary innate talents and were ancient, unique species. It would be a waste not to claim them.
"Huh? Alright..." Liu Jianjian flinched, then trudged out dejectedly, clearly reluctant to go.
"Get a move on, you lazy thing," Zhu Ge urged, exasperated. "It’ll be much harder to subdue them if they wake up!"
Liu Jianjian immediately picked up her pace.
Zhu Ge shook his head and turned back to the Sword and Axe Mantis. "Who told you the location of my valley?"
The Sword and Axe Mantis tilted its triangular head, its sharp mandibles twitching. "A merchant sent a servant out of the city. The news was said to have come from a Martial Arts Hall."
"A merchant? A Martial Arts Hall?"
Zhu Ge narrowed his eyes. The image of Yu Rui, whom he had encountered earlier at the Tongfu Restaurant, surfaced in his mind.
Though he’d already suspected as much, he hadn’t thought the kid would actually resort to such underhanded tactics behind his back.
It was a shame. The kid’s move had been a vicious one—he had, after all, dispatched a Third Realm Sword and Axe Mantis.
However, Yu Rui had clearly never considered that if Zhu Ge dared to reveal his movements, he obviously wasn’t afraid of his valley being discovered.
’So it really was Yu Rui?’
A flicker of thought crossed Zhu Ge’s mind as he considered other possibilities.
Still, now that he had the Sword and Axe Mantis, Zhu Ge could afford to be bolder.
"Sword and Axe Mantis, you will now go back."
Zhu Ge gazed at the distant horizon as an idea suddenly took shape in his mind.
"Go back?" the Sword and Axe Mantis asked, confused. "Go back where?"
"Go back and continue to lead the demon hordes." A smile touched Zhu Ge’s lips as he focused his thoughts inward.
[Name: Zhu Ge]
[Lifespan: 300 years]
[Trait: Unequipped]
[Inventory: Kunpeng, Spider, Secret]
Three hundred years of abundant life. It forced Zhu Ge to consider an opportunity that was right within his grasp.
’Equip [Spider]!’
The next moment, Zhu Ge’s demon heart began to pound—thumping with its full power.
An invisible, formless ripple spread out, vast yet imperceptible.
[Name: Zhu Ge]
[Lifespan: 296 years]
[Trait: Spider]
[Inventory: Kunpeng, Secret]
’Four years!’
’Equipping the [Spider] trait only cost four years of life?’
Zhu Ge knew that everything had changed after his advancement to the Second Realm.
His Martial Arts Heart had begun to beat, and over eighty percent of his Blood Qi—which should have been as boundless as a great river—had simply vanished.
And yet, equipping the trait had only cost him four years of his life.
’Cultivation doesn’t just increase my lifespan; it also reduces the cost of equipping traits!’
"Excellent. Sooner or later, I’ll be able to have a trait equipped at all times."
"And now... it’s time to set the board!"