Chapter 264: Dragon Pool Mountain Range
This novel is translated and hosted only on Bcatranslation
“Master?”
Su Ming called out again as Master Qing Yan remained unresponsive.
Master Qing Yan snapped out of his trance and reached out. The Magma Stone within the scorching lava floated up automatically and vanished into thin air.
Su Ming let out a sigh of relief, his tone excited. “Master, can we go back and find Fifth Brother now?”
“We still need to pick a Snake Gall Herb from North Qi Mountain.”
“Another one!”
Su Ming groaned but quickly regained his composure. Quan Ye was still waiting for him on Green Hill Mountain. He couldn’t afford to give up so easily.
“Master, let’s keep going then,” Su Ming urged.
A glimmer flashed in Master Qing Yan’s eyes. It seemed he had discovered a strength of Su Ming’s.
“Qing Yan, it’s not just Su Ming you’re ignoring. Yu Zhao surpasses your assumptions by thousands, even millions of times,” the voice of the spiritual soul echoed. “She has shown you kindness.”
Master Qing Yan mentally rebuked, “Silence!”
The spiritual soul seemed about to say more, but its sea of consciousness suddenly shook violently. With no choice, it swallowed its words. Qing Yan was stubborn, too proud. One day, he would regret this.
…
At the Dragon Pool Mountain Range…
“Quack quack quack!”
“Squeak squeak squeak!”
“Blub blub blub!”
Yu Zhao stayed silent, curiously observing the trading activities of the Demonic Beasts around her. Although her aura mirrored that of the Nine-Tailed Fox Clan, her accent and mannerisms were telltale giveaways. To avoid suspicion, she played the role of a mute, aloof fox demon.
Little You and its small companions were overjoyed, frequently wandering off. Each time, Yu Zhao grabbed them by their tails and dragged them back, occasionally giving them a light smack on the rear. Gradually, they became more obedient.
“Chirp!”
Suddenly, Little You let out an excited squeal, tugging at Yu Zhao’s collar vigorously.
“Yu Zhao! Fish! I want fish!”
The other little foxes also spotted the large fish lying atop a bed of thick pine needles. They chirped incessantly in excitement.
Yu Zhao approached, her eyes filled with admiration. The fish was unlike anything she had ever seen. Towering at two meters tall and a meter wide, its entire body shimmered in a dazzling golden hue, speckled with crimson patches that sparkled under the sunlight.
Little You had been first drawn by the fish’s colorful gleam before realizing its true form. Gathered around the fish were many Demonic Beasts, mostly carnivores. Two juvenile beasts drooled uncontrollably nearby.
“Chitter-chatter-chirp-chirp…”
The fish’s owner, a graceful Four-Winged White Horse, was enthusiastically explaining its origins. According to the horse, this fish, dubbed the Golden Fish due to its glittering golden scales, had been found lifeless at the edge of a pond where it had gone for a drink. Though the horse didn’t eat fish, it had been captivated by the fish’s exquisite appearance, so it preserved the body and brought it here to trade.
Though the fish had been dried, it still emitted a faintly detectable fishy smell. Yu Zhao found it unpleasant, but the little foxes were entranced, nearly drooling.
Once the white horse finished its introduction, the surrounding Demonic Beasts began offering items for exchange—everything from the first tooth they shed to feathered hats and homemade fruit wine.
Yu Zhao had quickly observed that trades among these beasts were entirely bartered. The focus wasn’t on value but on whether the items piqued the traders’ interests. The white horse, however, hadn’t yet encountered anything to its liking and declined each offer with a shake of its head.
“Chirp!”
Little You suddenly shrieked, drawing everyone’s attention. It fished out a lustrous Shell Pearl from its furry body. “I’ll trade this shiny round pearl!”
Yu Zhao chuckled quietly. She had gifted the Shell Pearl to the foxes as a toy, having gathered a trove of them in the Merfolk Tribe’s Territory. While they were of mediocre quality in Southern Abyss City, they dazzled beasts who had never seen the sea.
The white horse’s eyes lit up instantly.
“Neigh! Neigh!”
It eagerly pushed past the crowd and trotted over to Little You, its gaze fixed firmly on the pearl.
The horse adored shiny, luminous objects. The Golden Fish was cumbersome to carry, and if not for its size, it would never have parted with it. But the Shell Pearl had all the allure of the fish’s glittery appearance and was compact—perfect for treasuring.
Just as the trade was about to be finalized, Little You hesitated. Turning to Yu Zhao, it held the pearl with both paws, pleading softly, “Yu Zhao, please, please~”
The other foxes joined in, clinging to Yu Zhao’s legs and arms, whining pitifully.
The white horse quickly discerned that Yu Zhao held the real authority. It flicked its lips back and forth, desperately trying to persuade her.
“You can have the pearl,” Yu Zhao telepathically conveyed to the foxes, “but from now on, you must behave during the journey. No running off.”
The foxes nodded eagerly, solemnly swearing with their tiny paws to obey Yu Zhao’s every word.
With her approval, Little You solemnly handed the pearl to the white horse. The horse whisked it away with its tongue, then galloped off joyfully.
The foxes turned their gazes back to Yu Zhao, their eyes brimming with anticipation.
But the ever-steely Yu Zhao simply stored the Golden Fish in her storage space. Meeting their wide-eyed disbelief, she explained telepathically, “We’ll eat it later.”
The Dragon Pool Mountain Range was a hub of Demonic Beast transactions. Devouring another beast’s goods in plain sight would disrupt the peaceful, friendly atmosphere. Yu Zhao wasn’t about to turn the Nine-Tailed Fox Clan into public enemies.
As this thought crossed her mind, several Three-Eyed Leopards leapt from the pine forest, aiming for the little foxes around her.
Instinctively, Yu Zhao prepared to use her spiritual energy to repel them. But at the last moment, she suppressed the impulse, instead casting a simple Illusion Technique to mislead the leopards.
The leopards comically crashed into the soft bed of pine needles, shaking the ground.
The little foxes froze, then burst into squeaky laughter.
Even the surrounding Demonic Beasts chuckled.
The plumpest of the leopards shook its head and growled curiously at Yu Zhao.
“Who are you? Why haven’t I seen you before?”