Chapter Twenty-One: Know When to Stop

Xiao Wenzi had planned everything carefully, but Qiu Fu was no fool. After his initial fury and repeated failed attempts to swat and catch his tormentor, he gradually calmed down. This relentless harassment, the dozens of itchy welts left by the mosquito, was clearly not the work of an ordinary insect—it was likely some mutated demon mosquito.

Qiu Fu had no way to deal with it himself, but that did not mean other cultivators in Nanshan City would be equally helpless. So, after struggling for a while, exhausted and panting, Qiu Fu decided to open his door and seek help.

Still, he could do nothing to stop Xiao Wenzi’s persistent harassment, especially the repeated bites to his eyelids. By the time he managed to open his door and run out of his courtyard, his eyes were so swollen he could barely see.

“Just one more First Heaven system coin… I’ll risk it,” thought Xiao Wenzi. He knew Qiu Fu was likely going to seek aid from other cultivators, and if an expert were alerted, his escape would be much more difficult. But at this moment, he had already reached the late peak of First Heaven; without a cultivation method for Second Heaven, his progress would stall. Most crucially, if he failed to collect enough cultivator blood tonight, things would only get harder in the future.

Because this little cultivator would surely spread news of the attack far and wide, and soon many interested cultivators would hunt for him. This was his only chance. Ignoring the potential danger, Xiao Wenzi desperately pursued Qiu Fu, biting and sucking blood from his back as he fled.

Nanshan City, though home to a cultivator market, was still mostly populated by ordinary people; only a small number of cultivators lived near the market or within the City Lord’s Mansion.

Qiu Fu had no access to the City Lord’s Mansion, and the market was not far from his home. His destination for help was the cultivator market, just a few hundred meters away.

Leaving aside others, the manager of the Hundred Treasures Pavilion where he worked was a mid-stage Qi Refining cultivator—dealing with what appeared to be a low-ranked mosquito demon would be no problem.

Unfortunately, he realized this too late; both his eyes were swollen and itching from the bites, his vision blurred, and in his panicked rush he kept bumping into walls.

Often, as golden stars danced before his eyes, Xiao Wenzi would seize the chance to latch on and quickly drink a few mouthfuls of fresh blood.

“All right, no need to be greedy. Take what’s needed and leave quickly,” he decided.

Having successfully obtained seven First Heaven system coins—enough to exchange for a cultivation method—Xiao Wenzi decisively abandoned his pursuit of Qiu Fu and flew toward the entrance of the underground tunnel from which he had come.

“Manager, manager, help!”

Barely had Xiao Wenzi entered the city’s drainage channel when Qiu Fu was pounding at the door of the Hundred Treasures Pavilion manager’s residence.

Dawn had not yet broken. Xu, the manager, was resting with his concubine and was initially annoyed by the disturbance. But when he spread out his spiritual sense and saw Qiu Fu’s face—a visage swollen like a pig’s head—he was taken aback.

“What? You were attacked by some mutated demon mosquito? And this mosquito is highly intelligent, though its attack power is mediocre…”

In the parlor, after hearing Qiu Fu’s explanation, the middle-aged man stroked his bare chin and became intrigued.

As the man in charge of the business, Xu knew that spirit pets were extremely valuable, and he had never heard of a mutated demon mosquito possessing intelligence—rarity commands a high price. If he could capture it, he could sell it for a fortune.

Thus, without much hesitation, after Qiu Fu explained, Xu quickly led him to search the area.

“Hmm… nothing. Seems Qiu Fu was telling the truth; the mosquito that attacked him really is quite intelligent.”

A mid-stage Qi Refining cultivator of Seventh Heaven, Xu’s spiritual sense could cover dozens of yards—he could detect even the flutter of leaves or the beating of insect wings. He soon investigated Qiu Fu’s home, but found nothing.

Guessing the mosquito demon had fled after succeeding, Xu was not too surprised and quickly expanded his search.

Meanwhile, Xiao Wenzi was flying through the underground drainage channel, knowing that the unlucky rookie cultivator would not give up. He spared no expense, exchanging for a drop of demon spirit dew to fully restore his cultivation and flee at full speed toward the city’s outskirts.

Since spiritual sense is greatly weakened when passing through earth and stone, and Xu had not anticipated that Xiao Wenzi would immediately escape underground, by the time daylight fully illuminated the city and his search of the area around Qiu Fu’s home yielded no results, Xiao Wenzi had quietly slipped outside the city.

While hiding in the wild grass outside the city was safe enough, it wasn’t suitable for cultivation—it was simply too close to Nanshan City, and he risked being discovered by a high-level cultivator.

So, after a brief rest, Xiao Wenzi continued to flee farther afield.

His plan was simple: find a caravan of ordinary people leaving the city and hitch a ride, temporarily distancing himself from Nanshan City, then exchange for a Second Heaven cultivation method to advance his realm.

As for the cultivation resources he lacked—a single low-grade demon gathering pill required twenty First Heaven system coins to exchange—what he had now was only enough for the Second Heaven cultivation method; even if he wanted more, he had no way for now.

As for obtaining more coins by drinking cultivators’ blood again, that was far too dangerous. Unless he encountered another rookie like Qiu Fu far from Nanshan City, Xiao Wenzi would not risk exposing himself.

If he were targeted by a high-level cultivator, escape would be impossible.

Alternatively, he could gather ordinary system coins by drinking the blood of mortals; as long as he had enough low-grade demon gathering stones and rock spirit liquid, he could still progress his cultivation.

Nanshan City had nearly a million inhabitants. Mortals, unlike cultivators, could not live without eating, drinking, and other necessities, consuming vast resources daily, and the gates saw a constant stream of vehicles and travelers. Hitching a ride would be easy for Xiao Wenzi.

By noon, he comfortably settled onto a wagon and left Nanshan City, traveling dozens of miles away.

Meanwhile, due to the pitiable state of Qiu Fu’s appearance, many of his fellow cultivators learned through hints and whispers about his being attacked by the demon mosquito.

Though Manager Xu wished to keep it secret, after searching for several hours without results, he resorted to offering a reward, mobilizing low-level cultivators everywhere.

Capture it alive and bring it to the Hundred Treasures Pavilion for ten spirit stones.

Hearing that there was a bounty for the demon mosquito, those late-stage Qi Refining cultivators at Ninth Heaven were unimpressed—ten spirit stones was too little for them. But for the entry-level cultivators, it was a fortune.

Many were like Qiu Fu, working as assistants in the market, earning only two or three spirit stones a year—ten was enough to buy an introductory cultivation method or a house.

Thus, in a short time, low-level cultivators throughout Nanshan City were searching everywhere; by afternoon, having found no clues, they expanded their search beyond the city.

Kaoshan Town, bordering the Tiannan Mountains and less than a hundred miles from Nanshan City, was renowned for its fierce and rugged populace. By dusk, Xiao Wenzi’s ride brought him to this bustling town.

The Tiannan Mountains abounded not only with fierce beasts and raptors but also legendary demon beasts.

As a result, adventurers flocked here, making Kaoshan Town exceptionally prosperous, with warrior guilds, inns, taverns, and brothels all thriving.

Occasionally, cultivators—rarely seen elsewhere—would appear, though always in a hurry.