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Translator: Tamon
Xu Hei blanked out for a moment. Snapping out of it, he confirmed it to be a snake catcher’s token.
The token had a cultivator’s mark and was made of special material to last longer.
[What’s it doing inside an octopus?]
Despite his slow reaction, Xu Hei knew this was bad.
He scanned the body with his Divine Sense and noticed the fist-sized demon core.
It was twice the size of the demon boar’s!
“It was a damn demon?”
Xu Hei’s eyes widened and jerked back out of reflex, only to realize it was already dead.
Xu Hei hesitated before taking a slow and cautious circle around the octopus.
The body was filled with vitality despite being dead. The tentacles kept twitching and spasming, making Xu Hei stay clear until he was dead sure it was dead.
He lashed with his tail, severing the tentacles and tearing the body apart.
Only now he had the nerve to investigate.
In the octopus’ belly, he found scraps of fish and two human skeletons. While their flesh was gone, their clothes remained. One of them had the distinct attire of the Snake Catchers.
It proved the demon’s strength.
And Xu Hei’s. He killed the tough water demon as if it were a critter.
Xu Hei felt incredulous. [When did I get so strong? Are the scales on my tail that amazing?]
“Brother, it wasn’t on purpose. I took you for a wild beast and ended up killing you. If I knew, I’d never have the nerve to even meet you.”
[May you reincarnate into a human in your next life, Brother!]
Xu Hei gave a silent prayer, having earned his respect for killing a snake catcher, his enemies.
He cut the body up and spent an hour dragging it back to his lair.
Xu Hei discovered that the demon was hurt, making it easier for him to win.
His lair was close to the river, belonging to another animal once. Xu Hei had expanded it and covered it with grass and foliage to blend it in the surroundings.
He gulped down the octopus’ head in one bite, burying the rest for rationing.
The octopus looked soft, but its flesh was hard like leather, filled with energy.
The head alone was enough to fill Xu Hei with vital energy that the Demon God Cauldron absorbed.
The Spiritual Energy haze increased in volume by the second. Even his third scale on his tail was showing rapid changes. His long-stagnant cultivation progressed at long last.
“This is way better than the demon boar. Brother, I’ll always remember your assistance.”
Xu Hei focused on absorbing Spiritual Energy and operating his cultivation method.
It had been too long since he had such smooth sailing in cultivation.
Now that he had demon meat, there was no point in hunting, focusing entirely on meditating in his lair. [It might even get me through winter.]
…
Xu Hei ate the octopus over the past month, boosting his cultivation to the late 2nd layer of the Awareness Stage.
The mist inside the Demon God Cauldron almost filled it. From ten percent when he started, he was now at eighty percent full.
Xu Hei believed he’d reach the 3rd layer when the mist filled it entirely.
Even so, the increase in cultivation improved his strength and speed by at least half. On top of that, he had his third golden scale.
Xu Hei was thrilled to no end, finally seeing hope.
As time passed, winter arrived.
With the drop in temperature and the scarcity of food, serpents would lower their metabolism to conserve energy and find a suitable cave to hibernate through the winter.
Xu Hei couldn’t fight his nature, even if he was a demon.
He gave up on the riverside lair, unsuited for hibernation, in favor of a deeper cave deep in the wilderness.
Humans posed the greatest threat. Winter was a high hunting season for snakes. Xu Hei would rather avoid being dug out.
He returned to the old forest deep in the mountains he was most familiar with.
Wolf packs roamed constantly, and there were even fresh bear tracks around. Xu Hei made sure he was safe with his Divine Sense before digging a cave and burrowing.
His tail’s dark gold scales were even harder than before., with the fourth scale already half-formed.
Xu Hei dug out a rock with his tail, then a twenty-meter-deep tunnel.
No animal could ever reach him at this depth, and even humans had a hard time digging so far.
It was also the limit of his Divine Sense.
After thinking it over, he placed bear droppings at the entrance to hide his scent.
With his paranoia in check, he went down and coiled, ready to hibernate.
Xu Hei was absorbing Spiritual Energy even as he slept.
Even with all that preparation, he still couldn’t let himself sink into hibernation completely, leaving a sliver of Divine Sense on alert.
…
In Chen Town’s vicinity, there were two notable villages, Snake Village and Python Village.
The name said it all. The mountain areas in these parts were filled with serpents of all shapes and sizes.
Each winter brought with it the opportune moment to catch snakes.
With many of the dangerous wild animals hibernating at this time and the lack of foliage for good hiding places, it proved to be the safest period to venture into the mountains.
This year, the Snake Catchers put up a notice at the village entrance.
“Young and strong men wanted for hunting in the mountains. A thousand coins each.”
The notice caused quite a stir in the village. Snake catchers would only work with hunters, but this year anyone could join. And just by entering the mountain, they’d get a thousand coins!
For average people, this would imply great danger, one that might even rob their lives.
“Xiaoniu, stay home and look after your sister while I’m away.” Wang Daniu instructed.
“Dad, you’ve never been in the mountains!” Wang Xiaoniu was concerned.
“It’ll be fine. Uncle Sun will be there as well. He’s a seasoned hunter working with the snake catchers for a decade now.”
Wang Daniu patted his son’s head. “With the money I’ll earn I can send you to a private school in Chen Town. Teacher Chu will help you pass the examinations for sure.”
Wang Xiaoniu held back his tears as he nodded.
Wang Daniu wrapped the money in cloth and hid it under the bed. He glanced at the worn book on the bed, put on his coat, grabbed his belongings, and walked out the door.
…
Twenty meters underground, Xu Hei hibernated soundlessly, yet his Divine Sense stretched just enough to tell him of any activity that happened on the surface.
Deer, snow rabbits, and other prey passed by from time to time, followed by tigers and bears.
There was even an occasional reptile trying to burrow in, but the blocked tunnel made it impossible.
Xu Hei’s breathing was the only sign he was alive. Even his heartbeat was low, his body icy and stiff. He was at his weakest.
A cold-blooded animal returned to normal activity in spring, when it was warmer.
As days passed, the temperature dropped even lower. Xu Hei’s mind grew hazy, only a bit better as Spiritual Energy entered his body to allow him to monitor the surface.
A sudden rustling came from above.
Two dogs were sniffing the entrance.
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