Chapter 716: Estrangement

Duan Rong stood in the shadows at the cave entrance, peering out for a moment.

He saw that the monster bird made quick work of swallowing the corpses of the Fire Toad and Fire Weasel whole, as if eating them alive.

The monster bird used the eyes on its head and wings to stare intently at the dark cave on the cliff wall; it knew that inside the cave, two more edible creatures were hiding.

Moreover, those two small creatures had a rather pleasant taste. Thinking this, the monster bird let a drop of blood-streaked saliva fall from its beak.

Hiding in the shadows, Duan Rong observed the greedy look in the monster bird’s eyes and realized that this creature would not leave easily. If the cave was not somewhat narrow for it, and still reeked of Fire Weasel, it might have rushed in already…

Duan Rong kept his eyes on the monster bird, which settled beside the Black Fire Pool, folding its wings and lying down, clearly intending a long vigil.

Though it lay there with its head tucked under its folded wings, the two eyes on its back continued to fixate unblinkingly on the cave in the cliff wall.

Duan Rong sighed softly. If he and Lv Qingzhu didn’t have this cave for protection, they would likely have been pounced on and killed by the monster bird.

He turned his head, and the dim light from the Black Fire Pool cast into the cave illuminated Lv Qingzhu’s face. The medicinal powder’s pain-relieving and cooling effects had clearly improved her complexion somewhat.

Duan Rong said, “Miss Lv, you’re injured. Rest here first. I’ll go deeper into the cave to see if there’s another way out. That monster bird is guarding the Black Fire Pool, and I suspect it won’t leave anytime soon.”

Lv Qingzhu said nothing, only lowered her eyes in response.

Duan Rong understood Lv Qingzhu’s temperament, and taking out a flint, he blew it to light, using its weak flame to guide his way as he ventured deeper into the cave.

This Fire Weasel’s cave was quite deep and slightly sloped downward.

As the saying goes, ‘a crafty rabbit has three burrows.’

Perhaps the depths of this Fire Weasel’s cave also led to another way out.

Carrying the flint, Duan Rong reached the deepest part of the cave, where the stench suddenly became overwhelming. Even with the cooling pill under his nose, Duan Rong almost retched.

Fortunately, he held his breath in time to suppress the urge to vomit.

Holding his breath, Duan Rong peered ahead with the flint’s faint light and saw it was filled with the husks of dried black lotus pods and a nest made of dried grass, scattered with a layer of red beast hair.

Duan Rong couldn’t help but feel disappointed; this was evidently the cave’s end, and it seemed that the Fire Weasel’s lair had no other exit.

He scrutinized the surrounding rock walls, eyes flickering with thought.

Having reached the mountain’s core, Duan Rong had tested the hard rock walls along the way; they were incredibly solid. Even if he exhaustively used his Primordial Qi to dig a new path, he might not break through.

Finding nothing, Duan Rong returned with the flint along the same path.

When he returned, Lv Qingzhu was sitting cross-legged not far from the cave entrance, looking at him questioningly. Duan Rong shook his head at her, then sat cross-legged not far away.

Lv Qingzhu spoke in a soft voice, “I have learned a Divine Soul Illusion Technique that could hold that beast off for some time. We can use that time to escape.”

Duan Rong’s heart skipped; he realized Lv Qingzhu referred to the Divine Soul Illusion Technique Ying Huo.

Lv Qingzhu continued, “But I already used it once when I killed the Fire Toad. I won’t be able to use it again for another six hours.”

Duan Rong replied, “That’s fine. We can use this time to meditate in the cave and recover our states.”

Lv Qingzhu gave a slight nod and began meditating to circulate her Qi.

Duan Rong watched her meditate, surprised Lv Qingzhu would so openly mention the Divine Soul Illusion Technique Ying Huo in front of him.

On one hand, this trust was because her Fetal Concealment Scripture was legitimately taught by the Taiyi Sect’s patriarch. On the other, she never intended to use the Divine Soul Illusion Technique against Duan Rong, hence her transparency.

Even if she wished to kill him, she would do it openly.

When Lv Qingzhu seemed to sense Duan Rong’s gaze on her, she furrowed her brows slightly. Noting this, Duan Rong immediately looked away, sat cross-legged, and began meditating.

Lv Qingzhu opened her eyes to find Duan Rong already deep in meditation nearby, concentrating entirely on his practice.

She glanced at Duan Rong, who was absorbed in his Qi circulation, and closed her eyes again to continue her practice…

A few hours later, Lv Qingzhu was still sitting cross-legged, but suddenly heard Duan Rong’s voice drifting in from the cave entrance.

“Miss Lv, it seems the monster bird has left…”

Lv Qingzhu opened her eyes and saw Duan Rong, half in shadow at the cave entrance, peering outside.

Struggling to her feet, Lv Qingzhu realized that several hours had passed and the medicine’s effects were wearing off. As she moved, her wound pulled slightly. She gritted her teeth in silence, but her brows knitted together in pain.

She joined Duan Rong and focused her gaze outside, noting that, indeed, nothing was by the Black Fire Pool—only some spots of blood and bits of meat remained on the ground, evidence of where the monster bird devoured the Fire Toad and Fire Weasel corpses.

With a thought, Lv Qingzhu sent out her Divine Sense, and Duan Rong beside her clearly felt it as she scanned the surroundings.

Lv Qingzhu nodded, saying, “That monster bird is indeed no longer around.”