I Am Immortal in Great Yu

Chapter 188: Chapter 78: Exotic Beast 2

Since Fang Rui was set on digging for information, he managed to pry most of what Steward Chen knew out of him in just a few days.

...

「One day.」

The sun blazed high in the sky and a Cyan Eagle circled overhead. The merchant train had arrived at a gorge.

Viewed from high above, the entire gorge was shaped like an eagle’s beak. Its narrowest point was only ten to twenty feet across, with perilously steep terrain on both sides.

"This would be a good spot for an ambush. Of course, if an army were passing through, they would certainly be on high alert and proceed with extreme caution," Fang Rui murmured, gazing into the distance.

Just then, Steward Chen came over. "Lord Fang, this gorge is called Eagle’s Beak Gorge."

"Actually, a certain kind of Exotic Beast lives in this gorge."

Knowing what Fang Rui was interested in, he brought it up intentionally. "This Exotic Beast is called the Earth Armor Centipede. It has some features of a Pangolin but also looks like a centipede. It can grow to be ten to twenty feet long, and its body is as hard as iron armor. Its strength is on par with an average Middle Grade Martial Artist, and it’s utterly ferocious."

"And this Exotic Beast is extremely vindictive. Kill one, and a whole swarm will come after you. Lord Fang, if you happen to encounter one, you must not kill it. Just drive it off!"

’A native supernatural creature of this world?!’

A look of interest crossed Fang Rui’s face. "Steward Chen, since Eagle’s Beak Gorge is so dangerous, home to a perilous Exotic Beast like the Earth Armor Centipede, why must we travel this way? Why not take a detour?"

"A detour?"

Steward Chen smiled wryly. "If we were to take a detour, it would be a very long one. Besides, we don’t encounter the Earth Armor Centipedes every single time we pass through Eagle’s Beak Gorge—maybe once or twice out of ten. A little fresh meat is usually enough to get them to leave us alone."

"However, the way these Earth Armor Centipedes appear is rather unique—they attack suddenly, without any warning. So whenever we do encounter them, there are almost always one or two casualties."

What he didn’t mention was that, in the past, families traveling with the caravan would be "invited" to the front to scout the way when they reached this place.

—It was only because Fang Rui was quite powerful, on top of the goodwill he had earned with his lavish spending a couple of days ago, that the merchant train had decided not to follow "tradition."

"Do the Earth Armor Centipedes only eat meat?" Fang Rui asked, puzzled.

’There’s obviously very little prey in Eagle’s Beak Gorge. Since they’re as strong as Middle Grade Martial Artists, such powerful lifeforms surely can’t sustain themselves on hunting alone, right?’

"Of course not!"

Steward Chen shook his head. "I’ve heard that although Earth Armor Centipedes eat fresh meat, their main food source is something called Mountain Stone Spirit Milk. That stuff is exceptionally valuable. People in the Prefecture City and State City will buy it on sight, for a price comparable to gold."

"However, Mountain Stone Spirit Milk is incredibly rare. You have to go deep inside the mountain to get it, and without the abilities of an Earth Armor Centipede, it’s very hard to acquire."

’Mountain Stone Spirit Milk? I’ve never heard of it. Another product native to this world!’

Fang Rui was amazed. ’An Exotic Beast comparable to a Middle Grade Martial Artist... such a powerful lifeform, yet it can be sustained by minerals. It’s completely unscientific.’

’Oh, right. This is an Extraordinary World, so why am I trying to apply science? Besides, they call it Mountain Stone *Spirit* Milk for a reason!’

He thought for a moment before asking again, "Steward Chen, have you ever heard of Demons? I mean, Exotic Beasts that have become sentient, are as intelligent as people, and can even assume a human form?"

The moment he said this, the eyes of the two little girls, Fang Ling and Nannan, lit up, and they both turned to look at Steward Chen.

They had both heard Fang Rui’s stories about Lady Bai, so they were naturally very interested in the answer to this question.

"Well... Lord Fang, forgive my ignorance, but I’ve never heard of such a thing," Steward Chen said, shaking his head in embarrassment.

Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family and Third Lady were both smiling from the side.

"Brother Rui, have you been reading too many novels?"

"That’s right, Brother Rui. How could an Exotic Beast have the intelligence of a person, let alone... take human form? I’ve never heard of it!" Third Lady recalled Fang Rui’s telling of *The Legend of the White Snake*, and for some reason, a faint blush appeared on her cheeks.

The group chatted amongst themselves as they followed the caravan, slowly entering Eagle’s Beak Gorge. Steward Chen, apparently with nothing pressing to attend to, didn’t return to the head of the caravan and instead remained at the back, idly chatting with Fang Rui.

Of course, it was also possible that staying in the rear near an expert like Fang Rui was simply safer. Who could say? It wasn’t worth overthinking.

As the saying goes, a mountain in view can run a horse to death, and those words were true.

Eagle’s Beak Gorge didn’t look very long, but traversing it was another matter. The caravan had been walking for the better part of an hour and still hadn’t made it through.

Still, they were close. The exit to the gorge was now visible in the distance, and most of the people in the caravan began to relax.

But at that very moment—

A sudden scream tore through the air up ahead, followed by a wave of commotion.

"Not good! It’s the Earth Armor Centipedes!"

"Everyone, scatter!"

"Where’s the fresh meat we prepared? Hurry, throw it to them!"

...

Fang Rui had remained vigilant the whole time. He hopped down from the carriage and peered toward the front.

Nearby, Steward Chen, who was riding his donkey backward, turned his head to look, and his face paled. "Lord Fang, it really is the Earth Ar—"

He didn’t get to finish his sentence.

But with a sudden tap of his toes, Fang Rui’s body floated up like a feather. He snatched Steward Chen right off the donkey’s back and pulled him to the side.

The very instant after Steward Chen was pulled away—

SPLURCH!

With a sound like ripping silk, a shower of flesh and blood rained down from the sky. The donkey had been split in two, as dead as could be, its entrails and fresh blood spilling out to form a gory pool on the ground.

NEIGH!

The draft horse pulling the carriage shrieked in terror and reared up, its front hooves flailing high in the air. But with a single slap from Fang Rui to one of its pressure points, it was instantly soothed.

"Ah!" A startled cry came from inside the carriage.

"Mother, Third Sister, watch the two little ones. Don’t come out."

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