Chapter 203: The Fate of the Black-Horned Bull
Chapter 203: Chapter 203: The Fate of the Black-Horned Bull
The hot porridge and flatbread from the villagers were coarse, but to the soldiers who had been marching for days, they were a rare delicacy.
Zhu Ge drank the last mouthful of porridge, returned the bowl to the wrinkled old woman, and stood up.
"Ma’am, thank you for your hospitality. We won’t be a bother for long."
The old woman waved her hands repeatedly. "No bother, no bother at all. You’re going to save people. This old woman can’t do much to help, only cook a hot meal."
Zhu Ge nodded, then turned and walked toward the edge of the camp.
Yu the Scholar followed behind him and said in a low voice, "This village is well-hidden. Logically, it should have escaped the Demon Beast tide. But I took a walk around just now, and there are very few young people in the village, mostly just the elderly and children."
"The able-bodied young men were probably conscripted to defend the city," Zhu Ge sighed. "Mengzi City has been under siege for months. They’re short on troops, so all the able-bodied men from the surrounding villages have been drafted."
The two of them fell silent.
Zhu Ge said nothing more and casually strolled around.
The land was flat and expansive, the houses laid out in neat rows, surrounded by fertile fields, lovely ponds, and groves of mulberry and bamboo.
Paths crisscrossed the fields, and the sounds of chickens and dogs echoed between them. Men and women went about their farm work, their clothes no different from those of outsiders. From the white-haired elderly to the young children, everyone seemed content and at peace.
Shepherd boys, old oxen, yellow dogs, tabby cats... it truly looked like a paradise hidden from the world.
But at that very moment, Zhu Ge’s gaze sharpened.
Not far away, a large, blackish-green water buffalo was eating rice paddies, while someone next to it, on the verge of tears, lashed it with a whip again and again.
For every stalk of rice the buffalo ate, the person delivered one lash of the whip.
But the great water buffalo seemed to feel nothing, continuing to munch on a stalk, chew for a moment, and then grab another.
And as Zhu Ge looked closer, was that a faint hint of pleasure on the buffalo’s face?
"A Black-Horned Bull?"
Zhu Ge raised his eyebrows, instantly recalling the cunning, old Second Realm bull from before.
And when Zhu Ge softly uttered the three words "Black-Horned Bull," the great water buffalo in the distance abruptly lifted its head and looked over.
’No way, they found me even when I’m hiding here?’ The Black-Horned Bull’s eyes widened, dumbfounded.
The next moment, the Black-Horned Bull’s body shuddered, and it quickly fled into the distance.
’It couldn’t even beat Zhu Ge when he was in the Late-First Realm. What chance did it have against a Second Realm expert?’
’It knew the power gap all too well.’
’It had to run!’
"Well now." Zhu Ge chuckled. "You really think you can run? Stay here!"
The next moment, the Incense Lighting Body Technique activated on its own, and with a tap of his toes, Zhu Ge shot forward.
He caught up to the Black-Horned Bull in less than two minutes.
"Long time no see." Zhu Ge came up alongside the Black-Horned Bull, turned sideways, and gave it a wave.
"MOO!!!"
The Black-Horned Bull jumped in fright as if it had seen a Ghost, then let out a long roar toward the sky as its body rapidly expanded. It charged, aiming its black horns at Zhu Ge.
"Suppress!"
Zhu Ge just smiled and reached out with his right hand.
Palm against the tip of the horn!
Waist and Horse Skill!
Power surged from his core. The tip of the horn, caught in his palm, couldn’t even pierce Zhu Ge’s skin. Instead, Zhu Ge’s grip closed around it.
Billowing Demon Qi erupted from the horn’s tip, forming sharp spikes that thrashed wildly in Zhu Ge’s hand, but they still couldn’t break through his defense.
"I’ll give you a chance. Swear loyalty to me."
Zhu Ge chuckled softly.
The Black-Horned Bull roared in anger, "The Demon Race will never be slaves!"
Its demon heart pounded and it dug its hooves in, unleashing a tide of blackish-green Demon Qi, but Zhu Ge, feet planted in a horse stance, didn’t move an inch.
Just then, the troops stationed over there seemed to sense the commotion and all rushed over.
Liu Jianjian was at the head of the group.
"A Black-Horned Bull?"
Seeing Zhu Ge locked in a struggle with the Black-Horned Bull, Liu Jianjian’s eyes instantly lit up. "Everyone, come on out! Don’t let the Black-Horned Bull get away!"
Previously, it had been the Black-Horned Bull, Liu Jianjian, and others who had joined forces to ambush Zhu Ge.
If Zhu Ge hadn’t suddenly awakened his ’martial fanatic’ attribute, he probably would have been defeated.
Back then, it wouldn’t have been so easy for Zhu Ge to beat the Black-Horned Bull.
And it hadn’t even been that long.
Summer was just beginning, and he was already suppressing the Black-Horned Bull with a single hand.
"WAHAHAHA! A Black-Horned Bull?"
"Nice, nice! Quick, make the Black-Horned Bull come join us brothers!"
"That perverted old bull is perfect for plowing fields!"
"My heavens, what is the Black-Horned Bull doing? Is it trying to match its physical strength against the Great Master’s?"
Liu Jianjian’s hair danced in the air, its tips glowing, and then all the Second Realm Demon Beasts, except for the Sword and Axe Mantis, emerged.
As a Second Realm Demon Beast itself, the Black-Horned Bull was recognized by many of the other Demon Beasts.
Seeing so many Demon Beasts, the Black-Horned Bull’s limbs went weak, and it immediately dropped to its knees.
It recognized Liu Jianjian, and it also recognized the Second Realm Demon Beasts that had emerged from her hair.
During the battle to ambush Zhu Ge, it had personally witnessed this madman of a Human, while only in the First Realm, defy his level to fight Second Realm opponents and beat them senseless.
Back then, they could still rely on their superior numbers. Now?
The Black-Horned Bull glanced at the hand Zhu Ge had wrapped around its horn. That hand was as steady as a rock, not moving in the slightest.
The spikes formed from its Demon Qi stabbed wildly at Zhu Ge’s palm, yet they couldn’t even break the skin.
"You... what kind of physical body is this?" The Black-Horned Bull’s voice trembled as it knelt on the ground.
"I’m just an ordinary Body Refining Martial Artist." Zhu Ge smiled. "Just a little tougher-skinned than you."
’A little? More like a billion times tougher!’ the Black-Horned Bull raged internally.
Liu Jianjian led the pack of Demon Beasts as they surrounded the bull, their eyes gleaming as they stared at the Black-Horned Bull like it was a rare treasure.
"Black-Horned Bull, you should just stop struggling," a Second Realm Deer Demon said, shaking its head. "The Great Master can even fight Third Realm opponents now. You’re just Second Realm. What do you have to fight with?"
"Exactly, exactly," a Second Realm Pig Demon added, smacking its lips. "He who understands the times is a wise man. There’s no shame in surrendering when you should."
The Black-Horned Bull trembled with rage. Its demon heart pounded furiously, and Demon Qi surged out like a tidal wave, trying to blast Zhu Ge away.
Zhu Ge didn’t budge.
"The Demon Race will never be slaves!" the Black-Horned Bull roared, craning its neck defiantly. "I’d rather die than be a beast of burden for the Human Race!"
"What if I let you plow the fields?" Zhu Ge suddenly asked. "And whip you while you do it."
The Black-Horned Bull froze.
"My Six Paths Palace has vast fertile fields, but it’s missing a plowing bull," Zhu Ge said. "If you go, I’ll set aside a plot of land just for you. You can plow it however you want."
The Black-Horned Bull blinked. "Ahem, well, one must yield to circumstances. It’s not that I can’t accept... but you have to respect me! I have a lot of pride."
The Black-Horned Bull’s face turned visibly red.
Zhu Ge released his hand and took a step back. "Think it over. You can follow me and have endless fields to plow and endless lashes from the whip, or you can be killed by me right here, your corpse dragged back to fertilize those same fields."
The Black-Horned Bull was silent for a long time.
The surrounding Demon Beasts chimed in one after another to persuade it:
"Black-Horned Bull, you’re so lucky! This is a blessing you must have cultivated in a past life!"
"From now on, we’ll be colleagues! I’ll have your back, brother!"
"You have no idea, the Great Master’s Spirit Meals are delicious!"
"Spirit Meals are nothing! The Great Master’s Six Paths Palace is guarded by a Third Realm Demon Beast. It’s super safe!"
The Black-Horned Bull’s face alternated between red and dark. Finally, with a long sigh, its massive body shrank down to the size of a normal water buffalo.
"I submit." It lowered its head, its voice muffled. "But you have to keep your word. You have to respect me, you can’t degrade me."
"I keep my word." Zhu Ge patted the bull on its back.
Seeing this, Liu Jianjian immediately rushed forward. A single strand of her hair drifted down, transformed into a thin needle, and sank into the Black-Horned Bull’s forehead.
"This is a restriction from the Demon Hunting Divine Technique," Liu Jianjian said with a grin. "As long as you’re loyal, it’s just for show. But if you’re not..."
She didn’t finish her sentence, but the Black-Horned Bull could already feel the faint, phantom restraint in its mind.
"I give up." The Black-Horned Bull resigned itself to its fate completely.
The surrounding Demon Beasts swarmed over, all talking at once to greet the Black-Horned Bull.
Some congratulated it, some teased it, and a few who held old grudges against it took the opportunity to make some sarcastic remarks, but they immediately shrank back when Liu Jianjian shot them a glare.
Zhu Ge turned and walked back toward the camp.
"Let’s go. It seems this place was safe because of the Black-Horned Bull’s presence and its good location."
"We press on. We need to defeat the Demon Beasts outside Mengzi City as soon as possible!"