Chapter Twenty-Five: The Bloodline of the Mocking Wind

After Ji Xun managed to barely repair the insect-catching tongs, Da Huang finally achieved demonhood, reaching the ninth rank of the Profound Realm. Moreover, Da Huang was fortunate enough to awaken an innate supernatural ability. This surprised Ji Xun; perhaps Da Huang's aptitude was not so poor after all—rather, it was simply his bloodline that made becoming a demon so difficult.

Whenever Da Huang activated his supernatural power, an extra ear formed from demonic energy would appear beneath his left ear. After poring over various texts, Ji Xun at last discovered the origin of Da Huang’s bloodline: the Nine-Eared Hound. Most of this breed possessed medium-grade Profound aptitude; though weak in combat, their five senses were extraordinarily keen, especially their hearing. Depending on the concentration of their bloodline, they could awaken the Ear of Demonic Energy, with up to nine ears moving in concert. The Kingdom of Hounds often used Nine-Eared Hounds as scouts—they were considered essential among the kingdom’s generals.

Da Huang’s supernatural ability, properly named the Ear of Demonic Energy, could greatly enhance his hearing. It seemed he could even perceive certain special sounds, such as demonic transmissions.

...

The mountain forest was carpeted with fallen, withered leaves, strewn across the soil, with small creatures occasionally scurrying by. The air was filled with the sounds of birds and insects—peaceful and harmonious on the surface, yet beneath it all lurked deadly intent.

A young sika deer bounded through the woods, foraging for food. It was now late autumn, almost winter, and edible resources were scarce. After a long search, the fawn finally found a patch of winter mushrooms—an unusual fungus that only grew in the cold season. Many weak herbivores survived the winter by feeding on it.

Just as the deer lowered its head, a three-foot-long Beast Bug suddenly burst from the earth, clamping its jaws onto the deer’s neck. The fawn tried to flee, but its strength failed it, and it collapsed heavily to the ground. Blood spattered as dozens of Beast Bugs, their jaws gaping, swarmed over the body and devoured the deer until nothing remained but a skeleton. No one would have guessed that this pile of bones had belonged, only moments before, to a lively young deer. When the last of the Beast Bugs burrowed back underground, only a bloodless, fleshless skeleton was left behind.

Not far from this grisly scene, at the mouth of a shadowy cave, a chill wind blew. Ji Xun stood at the entrance, a short fang-bladed knife gripped in his left hand, and a strange iron tool in his right.

“Old Black, you and Da Huang stand guard here. I’ll go in alone. If anything happens and I come running out, you must be ready to back me up immediately.”

The bear demon nodded solemnly, even thumping his chest in assurance.

Who knew where he’d learned such human gestures, Ji Xun wondered. He actually would have liked to bring the bear demon inside, but the cave’s depths were too cramped—a thousand-pound bear would find it hard to move and would only become a burden.

Steadying his breathing, Ji Xun set his demon blood circulating and, once prepared, entered the cave.

He hadn’t gone far before he sensed a threat lurking ahead. Raising his knife from below in a swift motion, he struck a Beast Bug and sent it flying. This one, remarkably, was of the eighth rank and withstood his blow.

“This is a serious problem. First, there was a seventh-rank Beast Bug; now I’ve encountered an eighth-rank one. What on earth is hidden in this cave?”

At that moment, several more Beast Bugs rushed at him, all at or above ninth rank. Ji Xun struck each one down, never once using the insect-catching tongs in his right hand. He was waiting—waiting for the seventh-rank Beast Bug King. The tongs had been only roughly repaired; even if he used them, they would hardly survive a single encounter with the Bug King before breaking for good. He might only have one chance.

But even after several exchanges with the Beast Bugs before him, the Bug King never appeared.

“Enough. I’ll just kill them all,” Ji Xun resolved. He put the tongs back into the Demon Refining Gourd, left hand forming a crane’s beak, and jabbed at another Beast Bug. Instantly, a soft yet deadly force shot through its body, leaving the ninth-rank Beast Bug half dead. With his right fist transformed into a tiger’s claw, he crushed the bug’s innards and stowed it in the gourd.

In this fashion, Ji Xun repeated his technique, eliminating three ninth-rank and one eighth-rank Beast Bug—a total of four. Truly, these Beast Bugs were savage beasts without the slightest cunning.

He tossed them all into the Demon Refining Gourd, but still, the seventh-rank Beast Bug was nowhere to be seen. Nor were there any lower-ranked Beast Bugs left.

“Could they have been frightened off last time and migrated in the night?” Ji Xun wondered, wary as he ventured further into the cave.

He reached the end of the passage without seeing a single other bug. However, a skeleton there caught his attention—it gleamed like jade, yet what beast it belonged to, he could not say. At first glance, it resembled the skeleton of a bird, but on closer inspection, it had a tailbone as well, an odd combination.

“No matter. What can I learn just by looking at bones? Demon Refining Gourd, collect it for me.”

Once the bones were inside the gourd, Ji Xun checked the information.

[Remains of a Dragon-Scaled Bird: High-grade Profound, contains an extremely faint trace of Chao Feng bloodline. Suitable for artifact forging and alchemy.]

With that, Ji Xun finally understood why there were so many Beast Bugs here—they had all thrived on the trace of Chao Feng blood in these bones.

“Those Beast Bugs ate better than I did. Even the descendants of Chao Feng were on their menu.”

Speaking of Chao Feng, one must recall the legend of the dragon with a hundred offspring, each different from the last. As to how the dragon sired so many children, there were two main theories: one claimed dragons were lascivious and mated with all manner of beasts; the other said that when the ancestral dragon perished, its blood stained the bodies of many creatures, and those who received its blessing became dragon-blooded.

The mightiest nine of these bloodlines are known as the Nine Sons of the Dragon, though which nine they truly are remains hotly debated. The books Ji Xun owned only recorded the most common version.

Chao Feng, the legendary third son of the dragon, was said to relish danger and love lofty heights, supposedly possessing avian or phoenix blood. Nobles often used its likeness to adorn the corners of palace roofs.

The True Explanation of Profound Artifacts, a book Ji Xun had, happened to contain a forging method: with the bones of a Chao Feng-blooded creature, one could refine them into a faceplate artifact, preserving the Chao Feng’s sharp vision and granting its wearer enhanced sight. The author, though never successful, swore in the book that the method was sound.

Ji Xun rummaged through the other bones in the cave and discovered a glowing green Beast Bug. This one had no menacing teeth and looked entirely miserable, its body covered with wounds both old and new.

“Could the other Beast Bugs have used it as a food store? But I remember they don’t eat their own kind.”

Just then, the sound of the bear demon’s roar and Da Huang’s barking echoed from the cave entrance. Ji Xun swept the green Beast Bug into the gourd and, using the lightfoot technique of the Crane Form, dashed outside.

No sooner had he emerged than he found the bear demon battling a swarm of Beast Bugs, with Da Huang supporting from the side.

“Several times now, I’ve unwittingly wiped out whole groups of Beast Bugs.”

With that thought, Ji Xun decisively drew out the insect-catching tongs.