Fu Changsheng removed the invisibility cloak, and Fairy Lady Cai immediately approached. Seeing no one around, she quickly stuffed the purple-horned deer fawn into Fu Changsheng's arms:
"The kindness of Clan Leader Fu, my husband and I will definitely repay in the future."
Without saying much, she hurriedly left.
Fu Changsheng looked at the purple-horned deer in his arms. This was indeed an unexpected delight. When he helped Chen Dazhu and his wife, he originally just didn't want the Li family's treacherous plan to succeed.
Originally wanting to return to the clan mountain, he turned and headed towards the Changliu River.
When it comes to the person in the clan most gifted at training spirit beasts, it was naturally his younger sister Fu Changli.
Upon reaching Leimeng Mountain.
Fu Changli cradled the purple-horned deer fawn, incredibly fond of it, seemingly genuinely liking these spirit beasts. Fu Changsheng smiled and gave a few instructions.
As he turned to leave the mountain.
That mechanical voice rang once more in his mind:
"Ding"
"You brought a purple-horned deer fawn back to the clan, gaining twenty contribution points."
Fu Changsheng felt a surge of joy. With this, the previously depleted clan contribution points increased back to twenty, allowing him to exchange for ten pieces of intelligence.
So he immediately said:
"Exchange for intelligence"
Buzz!
A strong yellow light surged on the panel.
Then lines of text appeared:
[1: Fu Molan has completely mastered the Tier One Middle-Grade Talisman Technique and can break through to become a Tier One High-Grade Talisman Maker at any time.]
[2: Woodman Liu from Nanyang Town went to chop wood on Upper Cyan Ox Mountain, did not return overnight. The next day, when his family went up the mountain to search, they found he had been poisoned to death, suspected bitten by a poisonous snake.]
"Stop exchange!"
Fu Changsheng's gaze landed on the second piece of intelligence.
If his guess was correct.
The place where Woodman Liu encountered trouble should be near the Snake Cave.
He immediately returned to the clan mountain, handed the purchased Red Marrow Rice to his third brother Fu Changli, and took over a dozen Tier One Middle-Grade Talismans from Molan. Seeing his worried expression, Molan quickly said:
"Patriarch, I am now at the Qi Cultivation Third Layer and proficient in Wind Blade Technique and Entanglement Technique. If there is anything I can help with, please just ask."
Born and raised in a brothel, Molan didn't want to be a delicate flower in a greenhouse. She believed that only by continuously enhancing her strength could she find a foothold, and all of this naturally required actual combat experience.
Fu Changsheng thought about the expedition to the Demon Cave ten years later.
He immediately said:
"Alright, come with me to Nanyang Town."
"Yes, Patriarch."
Molan suddenly brightened up.
After coming down from Luofeng Mountain.
The two of them arrived at Nanyang Town, and the mayor hearing the news came from afar to greet them. However, Fu Changsheng did not engage in small talk, directly saying:
"Where was Woodman Liu's corpse discovered yesterday?"
Upon hearing this.
Mayor Fu immediately became spirited, sighed, and said:
"Clan Leader, regarding Woodman Liu's poisoning death, I was just thinking about finding time to report it to you. Since last month, not only Woodman Liu, but three or four other clanspeople who went up the mountain have met the same fate, dying from severe poison. The wounds clearly indicate snake bites. We sent snake catchers up the mountain to search but found no traces. Hence, half a month ago, I ordered no more trips up Upper Cyan Ox Mountain. However, Woodman Liu secretly went up the mountain himself. Alas, such bad luck."
In this case.
The Snake Cave really exists.
He went to see Woodman Liu's corpse, which had not yet been buried, noting the bite marks on his neck were very similar to the Silver-Spotted Poison Snake's fangs. After inquiring about the exact location, he had the mayor accompany him up Cyan Ox Mountain.
It's said that Cyan Ox Mountain transformed from an ancient divine ox descending to the earth, and the mountain's silhouette bears a resemblance.
They arrived at the Qiuyang Tree halfway up the mountain.
The mayor pointed at an old tree and said:
"Clan Leader, when we found Woodman Liu, he was leaning against this old tree."
Fu Changsheng inspected the tree, finding nothing unusual and no signs of Silver-Spotted Poison Snakes within. He then asked the locations of other clan members who died on Cyan Ox Mountain.
Strangely.
They all died leaning against this old tree:
"Could there be something odd about this old tree?"
Fu Changsheng had the mayor descend the mountain first.
At this moment.
A strong wind picked up in the forest.
The surrounding leaves rustled loudly.
Yet the leaves of the old tree in front of him did not move at all, remaining unchanged from half an hour when he first ascended:
"So that's it!"
This old tree was merely a blinding technique.
Fu Changsheng took a few steps back, then suddenly charged at the old tree. Contrary to his expectations, the pain of hitting a solid object did not come, only a sensation of weightlessness. Looking down, he realized he was falling into a valley.
He quickly waved his sleeve.
Grabbing onto a green vine, he swung downward.
Once on the ground.
He found Molan had followed him in.
Molan was stunned by what she saw in the valley:
"Patriarch, you truly have the eyes of discernment to recognize the entrance to this valley."
In the valley.
The spiritual aura was overwhelming.
It was only slightly less abundant compared to their clan's land at Luofeng Mountain.
However.
The valley was a bleak gray, barren.
In a place where spiritual energy flourished, if not overrun with spirit grass, at least the vegetation should be lush. Fu Changsheng looked at the ground beneath his feet and saw wisps of gray gas emanating from the soil:
"Is this miasma?!"
Fu Changsheng was startled.
They didn't have any antidote on them and couldn't find an exit for the time being:
"This is bad!"
Fu Changsheng glanced around and instructed Molan to search for an exit separately. Suddenly, Little Cyan Snake hidden in his sleeve hissed.
A flash of cyan light.
It leaped from his sleeve, standing upright. Only then did Fu Changsheng notice that Little Cyan Snake's severed tail seemed to have grown much longer, obviously a result of devouring Li Changtai and that Cyan Wolf Demon's corpses.
"Hiss~"
Little Cyan Snake raised its head high.
As it flicked its tongue.
The miasma underground seemed to be summoned, rapidly gathering towards it, merging from all directions into its body.
Fu Changsheng took several steps back.
In an instant.
A strange phenomenon occurred in the entire valley.
Little Cyan Snake became a small gray vortex, sweeping up the miasma emerging from the soil all around, lasting for about an hour.
When no more gray miasma emerged from the soil,
Little Cyan Snake reluctantly retracted its tongue, flashed a cyan light, and retreated back into Fu Changsheng's sleeve.
Molan watched enviously:
"Patriarch, your spirit pet is truly formidable!"
That goes without saying.
Xiaoqing indeed possessed Flood Dragon bloodline.
Fu Changsheng felt a paternal pride.
With the miasma dissipated, the land returned to its black color.
The original appearance of the valley, once obscured by miasma, was fully revealed. Looking towards the southwest side of the valley, there was a small cave. Listening closely, the sound of running water could be heard from the cave.
Fu Changsheng thought for a moment.
He realized.
If his guess was right, the Silver-Spotted Poison Snake must be hiding in this cave. With the arrival of torrential rains, the cave fills and overflows, leading into the dark river and appearing in the town, causing the snake disaster tragedy.