Stronger with Crimson Modifier

Chapter 177 - 175: Bounty and Hosting

It wasn’t long before a group of servants came upstairs. Upon seeing the skinny man’s headless corpse on the floor and the utter chaos in the room, they showed no signs of surprise.

Apparently, they were already quite used to such situations.

What was stranger, by comparison, was the large amount of food left uneaten on the table.

After all, Lord Black Stone was known to cherish his food.

He would normally eat every last scrap of meat in the bowls until they were spotless.

But no one dared to voice this confusion. What if they angered Lord Black Stone?

It wasn’t out of the question that he might just eat them. Such things had happened before.

...

Back inside his residence.

Hu Qi found paper and a brush. His hand moved with fluid grace.

One by one, sketches of bizarre-looking herbs appeared on the paper.

Long before coming to the Earth Core, he had consulted Zhu Xi’s internal records on the appearance and efficacy of various Spiritual Materials and Treasure Medicine, committing everything to memory.

Though most of these Spiritual Materials and Treasure Medicine were of little use to someone of his Realm, there were a few Treasure Medicines that could benefit even a Qi Dao Grandmaster.

With his photographic memory and the perfect bodily control of a Secret Martial Artist, even without any training in art, Hu Qi could flawlessly reproduce the images of the Spiritual Materials and Treasure Medicine from his mind.

However, drawing all of them would be an enormous task, and besides, ordinary Spiritual Materials and Earthly Treasures were of little use to him.

Therefore, he only drew items that were, at the very least, useful to a Qi Dao Grandmaster.

"Someone!"

Once he was finished drawing,

he called out in a deep voice.

The next moment.

A black mist swept in from outside and settled on the floor.

The black mist dissipated.

A tall woman adorned in Black Profound feathers appeared in its place.

The woman’s black hair cascaded over her shoulders. Her face was as bewitching as a flower, with jet-black eyeshadow at the corners of her eyes. Great swathes of her snow-white skin were exposed, with only crucial areas covered by black fabric.

She dropped to one knee, her head bowed slightly, her gaze fixed respectfully on Hu Qi.

"Feathered Crow greets Lord Black Stone. What are your orders?"

"Post these drawings on the notice board at the city gate. Have everyone search for the items depicted.

Also, I want Exotic Beasts captured—and they must be alive."

Hu Qi ordered.

The next moment, a stack of papers fluttered down to the floor in front of Feathered Crow.

Feathered Crow reached out and took them. Seeing the drawing of something resembling a root on the top sheet, she felt a flicker of confusion. She didn’t understand why he wanted to capture Exotic Beasts and gather these items.

’The former, she could understand. They tasted decent enough.’

’Good for a special treat now and then.’

’But as for the latter, those things were of virtually no use to the Black Blood Species.’

However, she was wise enough not to ask.

She prepared to rise and depart with her orders.

Just then, Hu Qi’s voice sounded again.

"Oh, and one more thing. Send word to the City Lords of the Dense Forest Realm. In fourteen days, I will be hosting a blood feast. Tell them I would be honored by their presence."

...

「Dense Forest Realm, Blood Lizard City.」

Inside a palace.

A slender man with effeminate features sat upon a throne. He wore a red robe, and his fingernails were the color of fresh blood.

His complexion was deathly pale, giving him the appearance of a Vampire.

Below him, a figure was currently kneeling.

"A blood feast?"

The effeminate man lightly tapped his blood-red nails on the armrest, which was cast from Gold in the shape of a dragon’s head.

"Yes, Lord Blood Lizard. Lord Black Stone has found a remarkable chef. The sanguine meals he prepares have a unique flavor.

Therefore, he wishes to invite you to sample them in fourteen days’ time!"

the figure replied in a low voice.

Hearing this, the expression of the bewitching man known as Blood Lizard shifted.

’That fellow Black Stone... Of course he knew him.’

’He was always organizing gatherings to discuss new ways to prepare sanguine meals.’

’He’d attended them before.’

’And it had to be said, while Black Stone looked like a hulking brute, his taste in sanguine meals was truly discerning.’

’He always managed to provide a few surprises.’

So, hearing this, he didn’t give it a second thought.

He casually agreed.

"Tell your master I will be there."

He was not the only one to respond this way.

Aside from a few who were too busy to attend, all the others accepted the invitation.

After all, these blood feasts were one of the few forms of social entertainment beloved by the Black Blood Species.

...

"Dad, will we really find the Exotic Medicine Lord Celestial God requires here?"

Night fell.

A fine drizzle fell from the sky, the rain like a sticky, silver-gray spiderweb enshrouding the world.

In the mountain forest, rainwater trickled through the gaps in the leaves, splashing up a white, hazy mist.

Within the dark green mountain forest, shrouded in a thin white mist,

two figures in straw raincoats moved one after the other.

Leading the way was a tall, middle-aged man dressed as a Hunter, a Bow and Arrow slung across his back.

Following him was a boy of about fourteen or fifteen.

The boy was rather frail compared to the man. When the rain-laced night wind blew against him, he couldn’t help but shiver and let out a sneeze.

"You think I’d lie to you? I saw it with my own two eyes!"

Hearing his son’s question,

the middle-aged man in the lead snorted.

He held a machete as thick as a man’s arm. Its blade, glinting coldly, was clearly honed to a razor’s edge and faintly stained with the blood of some unknown creature.

"Then why didn’t we come during the day? It’s not safe in the mountains this late. It’d be easy for us to get attacked by wild animals."

the boy said, tightly gripping a Dagger. He stayed close behind the man, his eyes darting toward the surrounding thickets, terrified a beast might leap out.

At his words,

the man in the lead glanced back at him.

"Ah Gou, sometimes I wonder if you’re really my son. How did I end up with such a fool? If your mother were still alive, I’d have to ask her."

"Daytime would be better, but if someone saw us, there’s no telling they wouldn’t try to rob us."

Rebuked by his father,

the boy fell silent.

Just then, the middle-aged man seemed to realize he’d said the wrong thing.

He said no more and just focused on leading the way.

Soon, the pair followed the trail to a spot near a valley.

After pushing aside a clump of tall grass,

they revealed the entrance to a downward-sloping cave.

The opening wasn’t large; a single adult could just barely squeeze through.

The cavern within was not completely dark; a faint glow emanated from its depths.

"This is the place?"

Ah Gou asked, standing to one side.

He peered down into the opening.

But while there was a faint luminescence, the light was too dim to see anything clearly.

"That’s right. The other day, I was hunting an Exotic Beast and passed by here.

I happened to spot an Exotic Medicine growing inside.

Once we get this thing and turn it in, not only will we get enough money to trade for a big mansion to live in, like Old Li, Old Li, and those guys...

...we can also get a permanent exemption from the ’Ascension.’"

The middle-aged man smiled.

As he spoke that last part, a look of intense longing flashed in his eyes.

’The "Ascension" quota sounds nice, but to put it bluntly, anyone who receives that honor becomes food for the Celestial God.’

’Even if you’re supposedly blessed by the Celestial God and promised a good reincarnation...’

’...if you can live a decent life now, who would be willing to die?’