Sichuan's Mad Dragon (Novel) - Chapter 174 - Neither Hunter Nor Prey

Chapter 174 – Neither Hunter Nor Prey

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Translated by Heavenly Cat
Edited by Celestial Knight

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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In the deepest part of the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains, the ancient headquarters of the Green Forest. Dark gray smoke rose high, high into the sky.

They were holding a funeral.

It wasn’t a funeral for the Guizhou martial artists who had fought alongside them, of course. Their bodies would naturally be properly prepared and returned to their hometowns.

The problem was the enemy corpses.

This had led to an argument between Ju-seong and Won-gong.

[Why should we dispose of these vermin’s corpses? Monk, you should be selective about who you show mercy to.]

[If the Buddha had told his disciples long ago to be selective in their mercy, this world would be Hell Without Interval by now.]

[So you insist on giving funeral rites to these killers, cannibals, slaughterers, thugs, human refuse, garbage, and perverted bastards? Do you have that much time, Monk?]

[Benefactor…]

[The bodies of the Guizhou martial artists who fought with us are rotting in the hot sun right now! We need to handle things quickly and deliver their bodies to their families!]

[Please handle your work, benefactor. Even if I must do it alone, I will cremate them and appease their spirits.]

[Haah…]

[If we leave them be, what if some evil karma attaches itself to you, benefactor? You have many great deeds to accomplish in jianghu. I’ll handle the troublesome matters, so please see to your business.]

Won-gong possessed a Buddhist’s characteristically stubborn conviction.

Ju-seong eventually gave up.

[Damn it… Fine, whatever. Let’s do it together. Hey, Black Pig! You come help too. Let’s carry these bastards’ corpses together.]

[Black Pig helps!]

And so here they were now. The Green Forest King had disappeared, saying he didn’t understand. He had his own duties. He had to go check on his people who had nearly become food for the demonic practitioners.

They were imprisoned in the innermost dungeons of the stronghold.

[Come see me when the funeral is over, young man.]

Of the Guizhou martial artists, only a few were helping with the funeral.

Over a hundred and fifty corpses had been thrown into the pit, yet fewer than twenty were there to offer something resembling condolences.

When someone dies, normally at least a dozen people should visit the funeral home to mourn.

‘They didn’t live like humans, so there aren’t many to appease their spirits.’

Smoke from the burning flesh rose high to the sky, but how could their souls, weighed down by sin, fly up so high?

Whether Ju-seong thought such thoughts or not, Won-gong tapped his wooden fish and quietly chanted sutras.

“Homage… to the Western… Great… Liberator, the Buddha… of… Boundless… Life.”

May we bow our heads before the Buddha who governs the Western Pure Land.

“Homage… to… Amitabha… Buddha, homage… to… Amitabha… Buddha.”

With utmost sincerity, we take refuge in Amitabha.

He’d heard ‘Namu Amitabha Buddha’ until sick of it, but hearing it intoned earnestly, scratching the throat in nuanced tones, felt different.

“Homage… to… Amitabha… Buddha.”

Ju-seong watched the burning corpses with melancholy eyes. Embers flickered restlessly within the smoke. Rising and falling, dancing about.

Ju-seong parted his lips slightly and quietly recited the Buddhist name.

“Homage… to… Amitabha… Buddha.”

Soon the dozen or so martial artists standing around joined in. Except for the first few phrases, it was just a repetition of ‘Namu Amitabha Buddha.’

Namu Amitabha Buddha, Namu Amitabha Buddha. May the Buddha please receive these sinful spirits.

* * *

“So…”

Ju-seong asked while rubbing his chin.

“You’re saying that snake lives inside what used to be a lake?”

“That’s right… I mean, yes.”

“Just speak casually. You were speaking casually when we first met.”

“Ahem, hem. How can I speak casually to my life’s savior… ”

“Just do it. I can see it’s terribly uncomfortable for you to speak politely to some green kid.”

Someone who was uncomfortable receiving polite speech was a first for Ju-seong.

True to someone whose very existence was dominion, this was exactly the personality befitting Guangxi’s pinnacle.

The Green Forest King, having set something down, spoke more freely and comfortably.

“Is that so? I’ll speak comfortably then. Well, I am the Green Forest King after all… Anyway. Originally, this lake filled this entire space, and the Yin-Yang Serpent was the local overlord. A few days ago’s incident drained all the water.”

“Mm.”

Proving this had once been a lake, this pit was shaped like a concave dish.

Its surface was covered with dried algae and aquatic plants, dead fish and freshwater shrimp that hadn’t escaped in time.

But even that could only be observed near the lake’s edge.

“Look at this fog.”

Dense fog completely occupied the lake’s center.

“Normally the heavenly balance is so potent here that fog rises year-round, but right now the color looks a bit strange, doesn’t it?”

There were places where fog frequently gathered. Sometimes such places were considered auspicious blessed grounds.

“Indeed, right now it feels more sinister than blessed.”

Ju-seong muttered distastefully.

Light purple mist swirled prettily. It was an ominously low-hanging fog that made him not want to approach at all.

“That’s the poisonous smoke that creature exhales. If it touches your skin, it’s ice cold, but if you breathe it in, your insides burn… Even a master like me would be in trouble staying more than a quarter-hour.”

The Green Forest King added.

“If you want that creature as your reward, I’d gladly give it.”

“Really?”

When Ju-seong asked skeptically, the Green Forest King shrugged nonchalantly.

“Of course, it’s a spirit creature that’s been here since my great-grandfather’s time, and one of our sect’s solid sources of income, but…”

He turned and gestured behind him.

“The headquarters itself is already completely smashed. Just take it all. This place’s fortune has run out. I’ll relocate the capital.”

‘Relocate the capital’ was a term used only when the imperial court moved its capital.

Ju-seong shrugged and nodded.

“Can I catch it alone?”

The Green Forest King replied indifferently.

“Do I have to catch it for you too?”

“That would be appreciated.”

“You want that creature’s inner core, don’t you? Am I wrong?”

“Well… something like that.”

“You must fight fair and square to win, cut open its belly yourself to take the spirit creature’s core. Otherwise, its ghost will cling stubbornly to your dantian and share your heavenly energy. It’s how things work.”

“I don’t believe in such things.”

“Young one, setting that aside, since ancient times, taking prey has been the hunter’s exclusive right. That’s the rule in this land of Guangxi.”

The Green Forest King pointed his index finger at the poisonous smoke.

“That creature is only terrifying when lurking in the water. On land, it’s not quite so threatening.”

“True enough.”

Ju-seong sighed but nodded.

“Fine, I agree. As for future plans, the coming tide of the demonic path… discuss that with the bald one over there.”

Won-gong seemed to be trying to preach the dharma to Black Pig, but it wasn’t going well.

Still, despite appearances, Won-gong would understand the state of jianghu and its future direction better than anyone.

Ju-seong postponed the headache-inducing matters to Won-gong and began preparing to catch the Yin-Yang Serpent himself.

“The reason the poisonous smoke is purple is because the opposing energies from its two heads are mixed.”

The Yin-Yang Serpent was a two-headed snake.

Its size was enormous enough to be called a python, but its triangular head and nature as a creature that grew strong from spiritual energy meant it was classified as a serpent.

One head held yin energy, the other held yang energy.

The yin-energy head exhaled pure cold qi, while the yang-energy head… as Ju-seong well knew… spewed fire poison.

“It’s been a while since I did this.”

Ju-seong filled a large cauldron with clean water and stirred in various herbs.

“Back in Yunnan, I improvised…”

Back then, without a cauldron, he’d dug a rough pit and filled it with water.

Ju-seong muttered while pouring in herbs and lighting a fire. After a good boil, he dripped dark red poison from his fingertip.

The Human-Faced Spider’s poison.

Water poison.

To neutralize the creature’s fire poison, he’d need to soak all the clothes he wore in this medicinal solution before entering.

As he soaked his mask and leather cloak, Yi Pyo-eum came and expressed curiosity.

“What are you doing?”

Ju-seong pointed at the lavender-purple poisonous fog filling the former lake.

“I need thorough protection to go in there.”

“Wouldn’t it be alright if I came with you?”

“Hm, the Green Forest King probably wouldn’t like that.”

He seemed like quite an old-fashioned figure, the type who valued pride and honor.

He’d emphasized the hunter’s pride and all that, so he probably wanted Ju-seong to go alone and hunt the spirit creature.

Ju-seong didn’t want to miss this opportunity just for the sake of bringing one or two more people.

“Don’t worry, lady. When it comes to hunting, who’s better than me?”

“Did you learn to hunt?”

“No. But I was born with something better.”

“What’s that?”

Ju-seong raised both hands, making claws with his fingers.

“It is my feral instinct.”

Yi Pyo-eum chuckled at that and said.

“I wish you luck, Wild Beast Young Hero.”

“Mm-hm. Don’t worry, go about your business. I’ll be quick.”

* * *

“Easy to say, but…”

Ju-seong muttered looking troubled.

He’d now entered the purple poisonous fog. With his vision physically blocked, even using Celestial Eye didn’t help him see.

Visibility was a mere four zhang. If a creature worthy of being called a spirit deliberately ambushed him, he might be taken completely by surprise.

Using Heavenly Nose was also difficult. With poisonous fog everywhere, Ju-seong was wearing a special mask heavily soaked in medicinal solution.

“I’ll have to rely solely on Celestial Hearing.”

What would originally have been submerged at the bottom of the lake was now spread out around him.

What was surprising was that this location had apparently been some kind of temple in ancient times.

“An ancient temple submerged beneath a lake. How atmospheric.”

The architectural style was naturally quite different from Central Plains standards. He guessed it was from the ancient Yue Kingdom that once ruled the Guangxi region, or perhaps even older.

Dried algae and various shells, dead fish, and freshwater shrimp covered the ground.

At least the pungent medicinal smell filling his nostrils was a small mercy.

-CLATTER-CLATTER.

Ju-seong nudged ancient pottery pieces with his foot as he muttered.

“How did an entire temple come to be submerged like this…”

Of course, this wasn’t what Ju-seong needed to know right now.

“This is purely my guess, but if that snake is hiding, it would be right here.”

The ancient temple was a veritable labyrinth. It had decayed and collapsed over the ages, yet the walls still standing in places retained their complexity.

Perhaps the shamans of old had proven their extraordinariness to visitors by memorizing every path here.

Ju-seong quietly sat down cross-legged and closed his eyes.

In the thick poisonous fog, he pushed his Celestial Hearing to its limits.

-SCRABBLE, CRACKLE-CRUNCH.

Even in this toxic fog that an ordinary person couldn’t survive half a quarter-hour, life persisted and thrived.

Centipedes and millipedes crawling underground. Small crabs and snails pulled from the water.

Nature itself was a great wonder, but what Ju-seong sought wasn’t sounds like these.

-HISSSS…

A very faint sound. Yet within that faintness, an undeniable weight lurked.

From head to tail, in complete control of that massive body down to the smallest detail, some unknown creature moved, suppressing its presence…

Ju-seong’s ears twitched like those of a keen hunting hound.

‘Slowly…’

Slowly, very slowly, he wound through the temple’s pillars. A thin silver thread trailed behind him.

Before long, he reached the temple’s center. A statue, its outline barely visible through the fog, stood there alone.

Ju-seong sat cross-legged before it like an eminent monk.

“Phew…”

A tense breath escaped from beneath his mask.

Who was the hunter, and who was the prey?

In jianghu as in the wild, those roles could reverse so easily.

Moreover, what approached now was a cold-blooded assassin. Ju-seong couldn’t sense even a fragment of emotion from it.

It was a born hunter. Even if Ju-seong had been born a predator, could he match that creature?

‘But today, I am neither hunter nor prey.’

Ju-seong sat motionless, repeating only slow, deep breaths, thinking.

‘I am merely a trap.’

Ju-seong emptied his mind and opened his eyes, glowing with an inorganic quality like a pit dug by a hunter, like a snare tied to a branch.