An old tree branch cracked under Xin's weight as he landed, nearly snapping. Anxious, Xin infused his damp fingers with wood qi and slid towards the trunk, his grip sticking to its bark like burdocks.
Curses, the branch held. Means I wasted qi again.
It's been a few minutes since Xin started climbing and leaping, looking to avoid the traps laid below, and he had already passed a few dozen rows of trees. Now that he had a high ground, he could see all the cauliflower traps below, but also lines of suspicious carnivorous vines, stretched out between the bushes, where an intruder was most likely to pass through.
Having taken his armour off to ease the process, Xin was successfully traversing the woods, yet with each qi infusion his reserves dwindled. And with each minute spent, he was losing tempo…
I need to calm down. Whatever it is that she's doing with the bear carcass, it'll keep her in the lair for now. I can't afford to get caught, but I also have to preserve qi — without it, I'm just a glorified mortal, stuck in a hostile forest filled with rank two creatures.
Xin shuddered as he remembered the giant owl.
Exhaling, Xin cast the thought aside and leapt to the next oak. He had planned his route mostly along leafy trees, their thicker branches providing safer holds and easier landings. After securing his grip, he climbed higher, bent his knees, and jumped again.
Grab. Xin's hands wrapped firmly around the wood, the branch bending under his weight again. Just like the last time, his anxiety compelled him to use qi, but he ground his teeth and forced himself to rely on raw strength. Hooking his legs around the trunk for stability, he tensed his muscles and pulled himself up, finally standing.
"Curses, it's tough," Xin muttered, panting heavily while leaning on the tree. He was grateful for the time and resources he had spent on physical cultivation, as he'd never make it with his past physique. To call this jumping endeavour tedious would be an understatement, but Xin was confident it was the right choice, given the circumstances.
Ten minutes later.
Xin was now closer to where he assumed the demoness' lair was, so he took a breather, then consumed a spirit stone to also restore his qi reserves.
Sigh. Only got a few left. Well, can't use the spirit stones in the afterlife, so why hold onto them? Xin scanned the area once again.
Celestial Vigil.
Senses enhanced once again, a chilly autumn wind running through his veins, Xin squinted and looked at the greenery in front. The cauli- and bell flower traps were much rarer here, as this area was more open, yet there were still plenty of carnivore vines in the bushes scattered around.
Hm, this diagonal line seems safe to traverse on foot…
After some consideration, Xin scaled down the tree, then crawled low through the clearing's small meadow, covered in withered flowers. A few minutes later, he reached an old yellow pine and let out a quiet breath of relief.
He wanted to scan the area further, yet his vision was obscured by thick thorny bushes, likely housing more traps, so he climbed the pine instead, using wood qi. He then leapt from one tree to another, expending sizable amounts of qi to lengthen his jumps and make sure he produced no sound. Some time later, he finally reached an entrance into what looked like an open area.
That's it!
In front of him, just fifty steps away, he saw a rather disturbing image — a massive moss-covered stone lay there amid a few scattered trees, as large as some peasant hut. A few steps to its side, a giant ancient tree root protruded, emerging from the ground and reaching around human height, then burying itself deeply below once again. At its foundation lay a half-butchered bear carcass, with alchemical drainage pipes collecting its blood, leading to a metal cauldron storing its organs right aside. There were also at least eight plant monsters here, seemingly dormant, their bodies buried half-way underground, up to their "chests", all surrounding the bear.
I don't get it, are they guarding the carcass while recharging, or is this some sort of exotic blood path formation? Is the hag trying to reanimate this bear as a vine monster of some sort? And more importantly, where the fuck is she? I haven't heard any suspicious sounds, despite my senses being enhanced.
Xin nervously looked around, his pupils wide. Is she toying with me?
As if to answer his question, the giant tree root trembled, then tensed, and a huge hole opened up, which Xin couldn't help but compare to an oversized sphincter. The demoness soon emerged from it, climbing up, then stretched her arms and approached the bear carcass. Her tree bark skin was covered in a slimy liquid, emanating a potent wood qi aura, and it was hard to tell if it looked like snot or resin. Even without his old totem's smell infusion, Xin felt a distinct acidic aroma emanating from it.
"Hello there, me good chumps!" The demoness addressed her vinemen in a raspy voice, yet without its usual strain. It even carried a hint of genuine… care? "Eat well, squirts, I'll go get me sum more bloodflower water. Aight?" She tapped one of the buried creatures on the shoulder, then turned away and left, heading towards the orchard.
Xin felt his heart and mind race in unison. What should I do? Should I trail her while she's alone, without her minions, or should I stay here? Is this just a performance to lower my guard, and she's actually about to attack me from the rear? Curses.
A few moments of deliberation later, Xin had decided to let the demoness go — it was too dangerous to chase her through the trap-filled orchard, and he was certain her retreat wasn't a ploy. Instead, he decided to stay in her lair and try to study it, hopefully laying an ambush.
Xin scanned the area once again. The massive tree root the demoness emerged from was likely at least partially hollowed inside, serving as shelter, but also as some sort of convoluted rejuvenation pod. It was the tip of one such root that Wu Lei "milked" for its juice to enhance his breakthrough back in the caves. With no giant trees around, it seemed that the tree's body was situated at least several li away, in the heart of the forest, its most qi dense and dangerous area.
Strange, I just scanned the area from a high ground, with the root of such size and length, the tree it belongs to would be a famous landmark, yet I've seen no mentions of any trees that gargantuan. Could it be that the tree it belonged to is long gone, but its root system somehow remains?
Doesn't matter, I need to focus on my ambush!
Xin looked at the bear carcass, surrounded by the buried vine men. Looks like the hag is letting her plant monsters replenish their wood and earth qi off this fertile ground, and it seems they're soaked in that blood qi infused water. Is the bear's blood also involved in the process somehow? I can't tell.
He then shifted his gaze towards the massive moss-covered stone. What's its deal? Is it any relevant, or am I just getting worked up over nothing? It emanates no special aura, yet it's situated right near the tree root. Whatever its purpose is, it can be used as a natural cover…
Is it possible to climb it and jump the hag from its top? Not having a clear line of sight will be problematic, and there's also a risk of being spotted by the vinemen... Xin recalled the Carnivore Grove inheritance.
In one of the chapters, there was a mention of a monster called tuber shambler, and it said "Like many other plant monsters, the tuber shambler is capable of feeling the earth's tremors when its roots are planted, even if its perception in a shambling form is limited, as the creature is blind…".
Like many other creatures? There's a sizable risk the vinemen will be able to detect me. Even my wood qi infusion might work against me, as they're naturally attuned to wood qi. I need to avoid touching the ground at all costs. Still, if I could somehow jump the demoness as she enters or leaves the root "sphincter"...
Xin's gaze fell towards one of the rare trees of this glade, a young oak situated around eight steps from the stone. Originally, he glanced over it and only noted it as one of the potential covers for sneaking, but now he realised its potential — if only he could climb it, he'd have a perfect position to leap on top of the stone, from where he could swiftly descend on the demoness and finally finish her off!
There was a complication, though. The tree wasn't that far from the vinemen, so sneaking up to it risked triggering their tremorsense — if they had it, that is.
Better safe than sorry.
Xin looked at another tree fifteen steps away from the oak, towards the eastern thickets. It was a yellow pine, and its position was a mixed bag — the line of sight from the vinemen towards it was broken up by the mossy rock, which was invaluable, yet it was too far from the young oak for Xin to make a leap from one tree to another.
Perhaps I could use a rope? I don't have a rope that long, and even if I had a grappling hook, it would still be loud and hard to land properly. No guarantees it would hold its grip, either.
Wait a minute! Xin's heart jumped up, and a pleasant sensation spread through his chest, invigorating his spirit. That's it!
After a few more minutes of considering, he put his will together, casting all doubt aside, then sprung into action.
He made an arc and emerged at the eastern entrance of the clearing, skulking carefully, then sat down at the trunk of the yellow pine and pressed his palm on the ground. A thin green strand soon emerged from his palm, crawling through the grass towards the young oak.
To think that out of all the techniques I know, this one would come in handy! In the past, I couldn't even use it for crafting, as the vines quickly dissolve without feeding. Well, my climb shouldn't last that long. When I was still a mortal, this was just a neat cantrip, useful enough to catch a rabbit or to annoy an opponent when grappling, yet at Foundation stage and with my wood qi no longer repressed, I'm confident I can weave quite an impressive vine!
I doubt the creatures could sense something so subtle, even if they have this damned tremorsense.
Once the strand reached the oak, Xin made it crawl up the trunk and wrap itself around its thickest branch, tying itself into a knot. He then solidified the strand, shaping it like the snakevine that he used so many times. This took a dozen breaths of quite straining qi control, but it was nothing compared to what he endured in the past few weeks.
It worked! Even the knot is holding well!
Delighted, Xin wrapped the snakevine around one of the yellow pine's junctions, tying it into another knot. He then firmly grabbed it and started injecting wood qi into it through his healthy wrist meridian, solidifying and thickening the "rope". A few moments later, it formed into an even thicker snakevine, which could now be called a proper cable.
That's it. Now I just need to make the climb before it dissolves.
Xin sat on top of the vine to test it out. It was firm and taut — could handle even an armoured man without trouble. Need to hurry! Xin took up a sloth-like climbing position, his face and chest pointed towards the sky, then started traversing the rope. He quickly reached the middle of the vine, his silhouette hidden by the rock, when suddenly he heard the vine crack, as if it started tearing.
Shit! If I drop on the ground here, my cover is blown! I'll probably be able to run away without issue, but so much effort would be wasted! Xin quickly made a decision. He infused the remnants of his qi into the vine, strengthening it. It was likely an overkill, but he couldn't afford failure. Panting heavily, he finally reached the young oak's trunk.
Grab. He quickly climbed it. This branch is facing the opposite side of the hag's lair, she shouldn't notice me here.
Xin had long deduced that even if the demoness had a perception ability of some sort, it was quite weak and she seldom used it, mostly relying on her natural perception. And, given that she was an old woman who wore a bark suit, it was doubtful that her hearing would be any impressive, not even speaking of the old woman's eyesight. This might be one of the reasons she relied on the minions so much — they covered one of her many weaknesses.
Cultivation rank isn't everything. Xin sighed and took a breather on top of the branch, then tapped the vine, and it soon turned back into a green strand, then dissolved.
I'm so close. Once she's back, I'm just two jumps away from killing her!
Two hours later.
The Moss Bush demoness took an alarmingly long time to return, given how close the maiden blood lily lake was from here. Xin was greatly relieved to hear her coming from afar, carelessly shambling, the bark on her joints shuffling as she walked. She approached the plant monsters, sprinkled them with some more crimson water, then turned towards the bear carcass. Xin carefully observed the hag, peeking from behind the tree, her lair lit dimly by the moonlight's caress.
"And what should I do with ya, eh? Got your organs already, but ya meat can wait till tomorrow… I'm off, boys." She waved her hand and turned towards the tree root.
Xin loosened the grasp on the spirit stone clutched in his hand. Glad I didn't have to use it today, my meridians would be quite strained. My wrist meridian is still a bit injured, it leaked so much qi when I climbed…
The demoness approached the "sphincter" and dove in, and it quickly closed behind her. I hope she doesn't have an underground tunnel to burrow behind and ambush me…
No, no. She won't. I'm right to be paranoid, and I must consider all options, but that's not it. She's genuinely tired, and acts relaxed. All that's on her mind is sleep. Relatable, but I have no such luxury.
I've got a demon to slay.
***
Ten hours later.
Xin squatted on top of a tree branch, drained. His whole body was stiff and he was freezing, his nose snotty and throat sore. He spent the night in a manic trance, his strained eyes staring at the demoness' root pod, ignoring all of the forest's creepy sounds coming from afar.
It was long past dawn, yet Xin wasn't worried. It was his perfect ambush, and he was resolute to endure. Somehow, he was sure that the demoness was just sleeping, dead tired. All the doubts were cast aside — he now felt like he knew the demoness better than he knew himself.
Her cultivation, her motivation, her character and life history. Her strengths and weaknesses, where and how she lived, how she behaved when she was alone and no one was looking, how she acted at her highest and her lowest and what drove her.
What he felt towards her was a strange feeling, a sort of understanding that was one step removed from compassion, mixed with a gnawing sense of sadness of a man about to put a rabid dog down. But the hunter within held his focus on the task.
Another half hour passed in what seemed like a dozen breaths, when Xin suddenly heard a scratching sound coming from the root's direction.
That's it, it's about to open up! He swiftly consumed his spirit stone. His meridians weren't as stressed now that the time has passed, and his natural reserves have also replenished somewhat. Xin climbed upwards, then peeked from behind the trunk.
Crack. The bark of the "sphincter" opened up, and the hag emerged from it, stretching her body. Xin was still obscured, his burdock fingers allowing him to hang onto a tree like a squirrel.
It's eight steps towards the stone, then ten towards her. I need a perfect jump, that's not it. And there is a chance she notices me with her peripheral vision…
The demoness walked up to the bear carcass, its stench long drilled into Xin's brain throughout this long night. She kneeled over it, and Xin felt compelled to jump.
He restrained the urge. A moment later, the demoness stood up! Xin's heart jumped, if he had jumped right now, who knows what could happen!
A moment later, the demoness walked towards the plant men. That's it, stick to the plan. Once she reaches the one closer to the stone…
A few breaths later, the Moss Bush demoness came up to one of the dormant vinemen. She tapped its head and said:
"Alright, wake up ya geezer…"
A loud sound banged behind her back. She froze up in her tracks, startled, yet recomposed just a moment later.
What was that?
Autumn Herald Roar! The demoness was deafened, but still showed a miracle of composure and started turning her head, her fists clenched!
Justice Claws! Xin's arm emanated a strong metallic aura, soaked in Ying qi emanations.
Woodcutter's Downswing! His knees smashed into the hag's shoulder blades and tripped her, yet the body that touched the earth was already headless — her head was blown into chunks, and only her toothless lower jaw remained.