Wet viviparity

Chapter 36: Fighting Crickets, Before Retreat
To the south of Lanyinfang and southwest of Hengshan, there is a continuous mountain range that is arc-shaped, with undulating mountains and dense jungles. The whole mountain range looks like folds squeezed out by a giant finger on the ground.

These mountains look majestic and towering from afar, and have strange peaks and jagged edges up close. In places where they are connected, the sky and clouds are one color, and in places where they are steep and impossible to pass. It is impossible for mortals to visit them, and only immortals travel among them.

The gate of Panku Mountain is right here.

In front of the Thirteen Great Villages, on the side of Hengshan Mountain, there is a hidden passage that leads into the mountain, unknown to outsiders.

At the end of the hidden path is a cave on a high ground with a mountain pavilion built in it. It is said that it was built by a great monk from a side sect in the southern part of Lanyin.

Yu Xiao walked in the alley and came to a gate room in the cave with familiarity.

On the door chamber, there are two crooked large characters in ancient seal script "斗蛩" engraved.

The original meaning of Dou Qiu is cricket fighting, but in this area, or in Panku Mountain, it has been given a new meaning of gambling on poisonous insects.

Gathering his strength, Yu Xiao pushed open the heavy stone door.

This door can be seen as a threshold for screening participants in the cricket fight. Unless one has mastered the secret skills and refined the three flowers, it is difficult to push the stone door open easily.

"Yo!

Yushejun."

Someone in the room recognized Yu Xiao at a glance, was surprised for a moment, and then greeted him warmly.

"You must have been bitten by a worm, otherwise you wouldn't have set foot in this place!"

Yu Xiao's cautious and ruthless style of doing things is also well-known in the southern part of Lanyin. He would not easily visit here without a trump card in his hand.

With a "ding" sound, a copper coin with a square inside and a round outside was bounced by Yu Xiao into the man's arms.

"Master Yu!"

The man shouted happily, "Today, two rich men came to the shop. They are regular customers of the shop and have exotic species in their hands.

One is a mantis with a knife arm, and the other is a butterfly with a rain of wings. Although they cannot be compared with your snake, they are also the best fighting insects in the cricket fighting room."

Yu Xiao nodded, and without much thought, he came to the steward in the workshop who was presiding over the cricket fighting and paid six large coins.

The deacon verified the authenticity of the coin, looked at Yu Xiao again, and then shouted to pass on the message.

"Six coins for the talisman, one new guest, enter."

With a notification, Yu Xiao stretched out his hand under the gaze of many people and displayed the centipede fairy in his palm.

When the deacon saw the black centipede, his eyes lit up and he once again shouted, "This is an iron-backed centipede. Who's interested in playing with it?"

The Ironback Centipede is not an unknown centipede species. Everyone is more or less familiar with its characteristics. Its iron back is difficult for ordinary poisonous insects to break through.

Ji Ming huddled in the palm of his hand, half the length of his arm, facing the scrutinizing gazes.

Having enjoyed half of Yu Xiao's wealth, now is the time for him to work hard, otherwise Yu Xiao will really regard him as an enemy.

The way to control people is nothing more than using carrots and sticks.

Let's not talk about the big stick for now, but he has to give enough carrots, whether it is assisting in the practice of secret skills or cooperating in extracting poisons and refining medicine, all to his satisfaction.

Now, if he wins the fight against the insects, Yu Xiao will make a fortune. Even if he cannot be refined, he will have to weigh it carefully when making other considerations.

As for whether he could win, Ji Ming was not too worried.

With a back shell as strong as fine steel and the Little Ruyi Technique, he didn't believe that there were many people in the Fighting Cricket Room who could be better than him.

Moreover, Yu Xiao made him shrink to half the length of his arm and disguise him as a centipede before it became an insect, which was dazzling and added a lot of chances of winning.

Sure enough, one person has taken the bait.

The man had a dark complexion, a belt on his forehead, and was wearing a short coat. He looked like an old farmer, but he didn't look like a local evildoer.

He and Yu Xiao stood in front of a deep square pit. Yu Xiao was afraid that the other party would go back on his word, so he threw the iron-backed centipede in his hand into the pit first.

Most of the local unorthodox practitioners are familiar with his style.

Even if this iron-backed centipede has been shrunk and disguised, I am afraid these people will still have some concerns. I have no choice but to trick some outsiders first.

"It's just a half-grown one." The old farmer-like man chuckled, muttered a few words, and threw down a fire ant as big as a fist.

"Sealing stone!"

The deacon shouted loudly, and the thick stone slabs on both sides of the deep pit gradually closed together, sealing the pit tightly.

Insects are much more sensitive than humans. Ji Ming's breath stimulated it to shrink into the corner.

The antennae on Ji Ming's head danced wildly, sensing the smell and vibration of the ant to determine its location.

This ant is quite alert. Apart from the panic and agitation at the beginning, it has now calmed down in the darkness and tried its best to hide itself.

But its wisdom was not enough to cover up the smell.

Ji Ming's pair of poisonous hooks moved in the darkness, suddenly shook, pierced into an object, and then twisted it fiercely, ending the life.

After returning to its original state, it took only a short while for the ant to eat it whole.

“It tastes good, slightly sour, with a bit of crispy chicken flavor!”

Eating insects is just like drinking bitter tea or coffee. If you drink it more, you can get a taste of it.

The stone slab on the top moved, and Ji Ming shrank again. The old farmer-like man hurriedly took a look inside, and his fiery heart suddenly cooled down.

All around were people who were gloating and laughing at this outsider who was blinded by greed.

"Mr. Yushe really has a good insect!"

A wealthy man stood out from the room, with a water-blue butterfly lying on his shoulder, its wings moving up and down, which was very beautiful.

"I've only heard of the reputation of your black-headed snake, but this is the 'Cricket Fighting Room', and we have to rely on the poisonous insect species in our hands.

I have been training this Rainwing Butterfly for many years and it is also a victorious insect indoors. I would like to meet you today."

"I reject!"

Yu Xiao said.

"you"

The rich master had not expected that Yu Shejun, who had a slight reputation in the local area, would reject him so straightforwardly, and then he realized that the other party had no confidence of winning.

"How about I add six more coins?"

"no!"

Yu Xiao refused again. When the eyes of the gamblers around him changed slightly, he knew that he had achieved his goal.

"It seems that you are only fit to play in a small venue."

Yu Xiao ignored the man's sarcasm. To him, fighting insects had to be done slowly. He would first harvest the middle and lower-level gamblers, and then play with these rich guys.

These middle and lower reaches of the gambler are like small fish and flying insects. They cannot be frightened or spoiled.

By rejecting the rich master, I was telling them that I, an alien species, had not yet grown up and could only play with people like them.

In this way, Yu Xiao played here for several days in a row, losing less and winning more, and soon made a lot of money.

If he continued to play like this, even if he lost a few rounds occasionally, he estimated that someone would soon see through his intentions and would quit while they were ahead and try again next time.

In the market, Yu Xiao took the large sum of money he earned from talismans and started to make purchases.

Such as the paper, pens and ink used in daily life, as well as jars used to store snakes and raise insects, all of which have different specifications and uses.

There are also detoxifying and insect repellent powders, poison bait or incense for catching poisonous creatures in the wild, and kitchen supplies such as stoves and buckets.

Among the purchased supplies, Ji Ming noticed a small bag of refined rice, which was usually a necessary preparation before Yu Xiao went into seclusion to practice the Small Zhoutian Kung Fu.

"The opportunity has come!"

Ji Ming thought.

(End of this chapter)