Shushan: Extinction

Chapter 119: Strangeness in the Pond
Soon, a strange grumbling sound was heard. The sound was a little unclear, as if there was phlegm stuck in the throat when speaking:

"Very, very good. You are a clever human being. I like clever little guys. Do you know why I asked you to stay?"

Gong Tianwu pondered for a moment, then said calmly:

"I was actually very close to the lake just now. If you wanted to eat me, you wouldn't have waited until now."

“Oh, ha ha ha.” The voice suddenly became a little subtle: “But now I have nothing to eat, and I’m not full yet.”

Gong Tianwu smiled slightly and said:

"If you want to eat, you would have done it long ago. Why wait until now?"

"More importantly, don't you like to eat demon bees? Since I can attract one for you, I can also attract a second one."

“Oh hehehe!!”

The surface of the lake began to ripple violently.

"Dealing with humans is worry-free, unlike those little monsters who are so stupid."

"But I'm still worried about one thing. What if I let you go and you don't come back?"

Gong Tianwu said very straightforwardly:

"Normally there are two methods. The first is to place some kind of vicious restriction on me, which will break out after a period of time and make me suffer a fate worse than death. In this way, I will have to come back."

"However, this method will lead to my resentment. Even if I do something, I won't be proactive and may even cause trouble in secret."

"Besides, I also have a master, and there are many powerful people in my sect. Although I am not afraid of the senior's supernatural powers, it is still a big trouble, right?"

"So the best way is to let me do things for you willingly."

"Hahahaha!"

This time the laughter was even louder, and even the lake water began to ripple outside.

"Interesting, interesting. Then tell me how to make you do things willingly."

Gong Tianwu said:

"I am actually a weirdo in the eyes of others because my views are different from others."

"Personally, I think that race cannot determine the quality of a life. It is the soul that lives inside the body that determines whether it is high or low, good or evil, beautiful or ugly."

"The sun and the moon shine brightly, illuminating all things. They don't give more light just because you are a human, nor do they give less warmth just because you are a demon. All living things are equal."

After hearing Gong Tianwu's words, the monster in the lake suddenly fell silent.

Gong Tianwu continued:
"In fact, I did the same. This time I came to Xiongbian Mountain because of a spider spirit named Xiaoqi."

"She and I have a predestined relationship in our past lives. I heard that she was captured by Yuan Ming, the third disciple of Yuan Hong Zhenjun, and brought to Mujiang City in Xiongbian Mountain, so I came here specifically to look for her."

"Besides that, although I have never met Qing Shi Rongjian and the dog demon Ahua here, we have some friendships."

Having said that, Gong Tianwu suddenly blew the leaf flute in his mouth, and a melodious sound echoed by the lake.

(BGM: pure music, original scenery of hometown)
Of course, the True Feather Heart Technique was also activated.

Then, by the time the monster in the lake woke up, Gong Tianwu had already rushed out about forty or fifty meters.

It was obvious that the monster was unwilling to give in and suddenly let out a strange cry.

The lake water next to him suddenly condensed into a crystal clear tentacle, which aimed at Gong Tianwu and lashed him fiercely.

This tentacle seemed to have reached its limit when it was whipped more than ten meters away, but at this moment it suddenly broke and turned directly into a translucent giant snake that pounced towards Gong Tianwu, twisting and turning ferociously and extremely fiercely.

But Gong Tianwu was not in a hurry at this time, he kicked sideways in the air!
The size of this translucent giant snake was as huge as a subway car, and Gong Tianwu, who was in mid-air, looked so lonely and tiny.

But when his kick was halfway through, a ferocious and extremely heavy axe suddenly appeared in front of him! !
The illusion of this heavy axe was so realistic that even the bloodstains on the blade could be seen clearly, and it fiercely chopped down the translucent giant snake! !

The giant translucent snake immediately curled up in pain.

Then Gong Tianwu kicked him.

Martial Saint Kick!!

The latter let out a shrill cry, and then shattered into a lake of water! !
Gong Tianwu took advantage of the situation to do a backflip, and was already far away from the attack range of the monster in the lake, and then floated away.

The monster in the lake suddenly became furious! It stretched out several tentacles to slap the lake water wildly, and even let out an angry scream.

However, just three hours later, this guy was surprised to find that Gong Tianwu had once again led two demon bees into his sight.

Moreover, the two demon bees looked extremely angry and didn't care about the surrounding environment and dangers at all. There was only Gong Tianwu in their eyes, and they wanted to do their best to tear him into pieces!
Needless to say, the lake monster once again got what it wanted and obtained two delicious meals.

This time, Gong Tianwu was not on guard. He sat down by the lake with a smile on his face, stretched his legs into the water, and waited patiently until the monster in the lake finished eating. Then he said:
"Chatting without equal strength is just a joke. A tiger will not negotiate with an ant."

"So I left without saying goodbye just now because I wanted to prove to you that I am not an ant. I have the ability to protect myself in your hands. Of course, I also have the ability to bring you more value."

After Gong Tianwu finished speaking, fog began to form on the lake surface, and then a tall man in a crown and robes appeared:

"I am Zeshen Xiangtao. Before, you actually said that you had a relationship with the monster Qingshi Rongjian. I didn't believe it, but now, I think it's really possible."

Gong Tianwu said:

"Xu Tianwu, a disciple of the Great Snow Mountain, greets His Excellency Zeshen."

Zeshen Xiangtao nodded slightly and said:
"Go on, tell me, how can I make you willingly do things for me?"

Gong Tianwu said confidently:
"This method is actually very simple. It's called a win-win situation, or a situation where everyone gets what they need."

"We humans have a saying that there is no eternal friendship, only eternal interests. I wonder if you, Zeshen, have anything you don't need."

***
Gong Tianwu stayed by the lake for two days.
During these two days, apart from eating and sleeping, he was working for Zeshen Xiangtao, constantly attracting the golden-ringed demon bees.

As for the method of lure, it is actually very simple. That is to come near the nest of the demon bees, then attract the attention of its worker bees and lure them to hunt you.

Then, when they become suspicious, use the True Feather Heart Technique and the sound of the music to control them, and then lure them over.

It is worth mentioning that these demon bees are not demons. To be more precise, they are half-demons and are at the top of the food chain in the entire Bear Change Mountain.

Why is Zeshen Xiangtao so determined to get this group of demon bees? Thinking that they suit his taste is only a secondary reason.

The main reason is that this guy has serious hidden injuries, but the venom of these golden-ringed demon bees is very special and can fight poison with poison, thus improving his injuries.

Of course, Gong Tianwu also easily guessed Zeshen Xiangtao's identity:

This guy should be a member of the Xiangliu clan, the strongest monster in Xiongbian Mountain.

As for why Zeshen Xiangtao would stay away from his people and lurk alone in this pond,
It didn't say it, and Gong Tianwu didn't ask, but he should be able to find out in the future anyway.

When Gong Tianwu left, his hard work over the past few days was rewarded and he took away some extra things.

Willow scales = 29, 7 intact, 22 cracked, broken.

Keel grass = 8 plants.

Among them, the Xiangliu scales were shed by the Zeshen Xiangtao himself.

Dragon bone grass grows in the nests where dragons and snakes live for a long time. It survives on the body fluids that are accidentally rubbed onto the rocks. Of course, the nutrients provided by corpses are also fine.

After getting back on the road, Gong Tianwu did not encounter any accidents along the way. After trekking another two thousand miles, he finally arrived at Mujiang City.

***
This demon city, which is famous throughout the Great Wilderness, is very unique.

The two major rivers, Lishui and Kuangshui, converge here to form the Mujiang River, flowing majestically towards the distance.

The width of the Mujiang River exceeded 100 meters, and the water was turbulent, with many monsters growing in it. How ferocious were these water monsters? Two hundred years ago, the Dragon King of Mujiang was even attacked and driven away by them.

That was a thunder dragon that was officially canonized by the Chen Kingdom court and blessed by the national fortune!
His Taoist name is Xu Jing Chong Hong Wu Dao Lei Ling Hu Guo Zhen Jun. Moreover, it is not fighting alone, there are more than twenty members of the tribe with it.

At the confluence of the three rivers, there are more than twenty towering trees. These giant trees are Xuantong trees. The smallest one has grown for three thousand years. They are as huge as mountains and tower into the clouds.

The ancients said: The phoenix roosts on the paulownia tree. The paulownia they referred to is of course not the most common greening tree, the French plane tree, but this kind of black plane tree.

The Xuantong tree is as famous as the Fusang tree and the Jianmu tree. It is one of the three largest trees in the wilderness.

The entire Mujiang City was built in this Xuantong forest!

The people who built Mujiang City were a human and two monsters.

It is said to be two thousand seven hundred years ago.

This human is called Dongxuzi.
One of the monsters is called Bai Ze, and he is his fellow Taoist.

A monster named Kong Xing is his disciple.

So although the war between humans and demons has never stopped, there has always been a statue of a Taoist priest standing in the central square of Mujiang City.

There have always been humans living in the city, sometimes numbering as many as a thousand.

Of course, the core principle is: the premise is that these humans cannot do anything that harms Mujiang City, otherwise they will be killed without mercy.

The entire city is built with the main branches of the black paulownia wood as the main roads, the thin branches as the alleys, and tree holes dug out on the branches as living quarters.

Of course, the sacred tree has spirits, and in return, the demons living in Mujiang City need to eliminate two types of natural enemies for the Xuantong Tree.

The first is the dark aphid which has strong flying ability. They are good at drilling into the heart of the black paulownia tree to suck juice.

The second is the strange vines that can entwine around the black paulownia wood. They will parasitize on the branches of the black paulownia wood like ivy and absorb their nutrients.

When Mujiang City could be seen from afar, Gong Tianwu followed his third sister's instructions and put on a striking red cloak, then walked over to the cleared stone road with a swagger.

According to her, the red cloak is to identify herself as a visitor, and the stone path is to ensure that no one accidentally enters the restricted area.

In this case, the patrolling monsters will not attack you immediately, but will come over to verify and interrogate you.

After all, almost all the monsters in Mujiang City now understand one thing:
The prosperity and fame of this city come from its openness and inclusiveness.

Soon, Gong Tianwu was stopped by several wolf-headed monsters. The wolf monster in the lead had a copper waist badge with three words on it:
Small drill wind.

It looked at Gong Tianwu and said in a muffled voice:
"Human, what are you doing in Mujiang City?"

Gong Tianwu took out the token given by his third sister:
"Visiting friends and doing some business."

After taking the token and looking at it, Xiao Zuanfeng's expression immediately became better:
"So it's someone from Xiyuan's side."

Just like fox demons are accustomed to referring to themselves as the Qingqiu clan, spider demons are from the Xiyuan clan, because the most famous spider demon, Yuanling Shengmu, claimed to be from Xiyuan in Haidong.

Then Xiao Zuanfeng said:
"Do you know anyone in Mujiang City?"

Gong Tianwu said:

"I do have an acquaintance, but I don't know how he is doing now, or whether he is still in the city."

Small drill air duct:

"Is this your first time in Mujiang City?"

Gong Tianwu nodded:

"of course."

Small drill air duct:

"Got it. Come with me."

Soon, the wolf demon brought Gong Tianwu to a black tung tree.

Only when I got closer did I realize that this giant tree could only be described as a giant tower.

Looking up, the treetops appear like umbrellas, which can only be described as "blocking out the sky and the sun".

It can be clearly seen that the branches and leaves that make up the tree crown have obviously been artificially modified, forming very special streets and alleys in the sky, and wooden houses have been built on the leaves, etc., which is like a city in the sky.

At the same time, the area covered by the tree canopy is at least two to three hundred acres, which is equivalent to the size of thirty football fields if you don’t have a visual impression.

There are also densely packed wooden buildings on these two to three hundred acres of land, which are also divided into streets and alleys and other areas. Because there are black paulownia wood on top to protect against wind and rain, the tops of most of the wooden buildings are designed to be open-air.

The wolf demon brought Gong Tianwu to a busy downtown area and said:

"This is where you live. There are inns run by monsters, and there are inns run by you humans."

"I recommend you stay in an inn run by humans, because some of the habits of inns run by monsters are not suitable for you humans."

Then he pointed to a store next door called "Yellow Wood Inn".

"If there's a beast's head hanging in front of a store, it means it's run by a monster."

"At the same time, if you see a feather next to the shop sign, it means it is an old shop that has been open for at least ten years."

After saying this, Xiao Zuanfeng pointed to the flag on top of the building.

"See this flag? The place with the red flag is where you can stay, eat and play."

"The place with the white flag is where transactions, commissions, and business are done."

"Those without flags are private residences and cannot be entered without permission."

After it finished speaking, it came over and said:
"I treat you well. If you have a chance in the future and you see a spider demon named Xiaowen, remember to say a few good words for me."

To be honest, up to this point, Xiao Zuanfeng had left a very good impression on Gong Tianwu, completely overturning his impression of the patrolling little demon.

It even gave Gong Tianwu the illusion that Mujiang City was a hospitable, civilized and warm city.

However, it was only then that Gong Tianwu realized that all this originated from the token given by his third sister.

Of course, Gong Tianwu was not the kind of person who would burn his bridges after crossing them, so he immediately agreed:

"Okay, no problem, brother Drillwind."

The wolf demon suddenly became embarrassed:
"Ahem, Xiao Zuanfeng is my position, which is equivalent to the sergeant in your human army. My name is actually Broken Bone."

Gong Tianwu immediately changed his words:

"No problem, Bonebreaker, I'll remember the name."

To show his seriousness, Gong Tianwu took out a pen and paper and wrote down his name. The wolf demon then nodded in satisfaction, then quickly ran away to go back to stand guard.

After thinking about it, Gong Tianwu randomly went to a few inns to take a look, and found that the inns run by monsters were indeed not very suitable for human habitation.

Because food is sold in the lobby of the Monster Inn, many monsters sit there and start eating their bloody meals.

And most of the guest rooms in the Yokai Inn are also prepared for Yokai:
Wild boar monsters prefer to sleep in grass nests, while bird monsters can just hold on to a branch.

The bear monster needs a big tree hole, not too big or too small.

For centipede monsters, you need to prepare a grounded burrow for them.

Therefore, staying in the hotel with these other guests will not be a very good living experience.

(End of this chapter)