Chapter 215: Even Unorthodox Methods Work

After bidding farewell to the capybara demon and leaving Nine Linked Slopes, it was already dusk.

The escorts, who hadn’t closed their eyes in nearly two days, were completely exhausted.

So, they decided to rest for a while on a spacious patch of grass, regaining their strength before continuing the journey.

Perhaps worried that Gu Ning’an would think they were wasting time, Cao Cheng—dragging his now-limping left leg—went out of his way to catch a wild rabbit and roast it as a special meal for Gu Ning’an.

And how did his leg end up like that?

Well, it all started when Cao Cheng bragged about killing a dog demon, and the capybara demon didn’t believe him. One thing led to another, and Cao Cheng suggested a wrestling match—with the capybara.

He thought the little creature, with its short limbs, looked completely defenseless.

In reality, it was incredibly strong, and its skull was hard as a rock.

One misstep, and Cao Cheng was sent flying by a powerful headbutt.

Gu Ning’an figured that if the capybara demon had gone all out, it could have literally headbutted Cao Cheng to death.

There was a fundamental difference between an awakened spirit creature and an ordinary animal.

And since this capybara demon even possessed special abilities, it was clearly stronger than the average capybara demon.

So, with no weapons and an underestimation of his opponent, Cao Cheng losing was the only logical outcome.

Before parting ways, the capybara demon asked Gu Ning’an to give it a name, saying it had never been able to think of one itself.

Without much thought, Gu Ning’an casually said, “Kapibara.”

To his surprise, the little guy really liked the name. After thanking Gu Ning’an for it, it scampered off in a flash.

Before leaving, however, it left Gu Ning’an with an unexpected gift—a strand of Worldly Qi.

One name… for a strand of Worldly Qi?

No matter how he thought about it, he couldn’t figure out the exact conditions for Worldly Qi to form.

At this point, Gu Ning’an had already collected 25 out of 36 strands of Worldly Qi, and he no longer bothered questioning how they came to him.

The mysteries of the world unfold in their own time. When it’s meant to come, it will come.

“Sir, two rabbit legs—one for each of us,” Cao Cheng said, handing over a golden-brown, crispy, and fragrant roasted rabbit leg.

“Much appreciated.”

Gu Ning’an accepted it without hesitation and started eating.

He had to admit—people who spent most of their lives on the road really knew how to roast meat. With just a pinch of salt, the rabbit leg was already bursting with flavor.

Beside him, Cao Cheng was eating in a very odd manner.

He gnawed at the rabbit leg with a twisted, bitter expression, his teeth grinding as if he were undergoing some kind of transformation.

Gu Ning’an couldn’t help but ask, “Chief Escort Cao, what’s with you?”

“Huh?” Cao Cheng snapped out of it, awkwardly chuckling. “Nothing, just… thinking about how I got sent flying by a giant rat. Kinda humiliating…”

“I mean, I really did kill a dog demon before… Sure, I had help from my brothers, but we still took it down…”

Gu Ning’an chuckled. “Oh? I didn’t get a chance to hear the full story earlier. Mind sharing it now?”

“Sure!”

Cao Cheng chomped down on the rabbit bone, crushed it, and swallowed it whole before launching into his tale.

Years ago, he had been leading a convoy to Great Wu.

Late at night, deep in a Great Wu forest, a massive creature suddenly blocked their path.

According to him, the dog demon stood eight zhang tall when it rose to its full height, its bulging muscles stacked like mountains, and its sheer weight hundreds of catty.

If not for its distinctive dog head and tail, he might have mistaken it for a black bear or a monster of some kind.

Due to their profession, Cao Cheng and his men were well aware that monsters and demons truly existed in this world.

So when they saw such a massive dog demon, they didn’t panic. Instead, they got into formation and cautiously tested its strength.

Despite its large size, the dog demon was just as quick as a smaller dog.

After several probing exchanges, Cao Cheng and his team hadn’t managed to land a single hit on it, whereas several of his men had already suffered varying degrees of injuries.

Fortunately, from experienced escorts and locals in Great Wu, Cao Cheng had learned many “unconventional methods” for dealing with demons and evil spirits.

There was an old saying about fighting demons:
“No matter how big or fierce it is, just treat it like a big beast. Whatever scared it before, it still fears now.”

The idea behind this saying was that demons all originated from animals that had gained intelligence.

Whatever weaknesses or fears an animal had before becoming a demon, they would likely still exist.

So, Cao Cheng racked his brain to figure out what dogs feared and what their weaknesses were.

Dogs had sensitive noses but fragile ones—so they splashed chili oil on the dog demon’s face.

Wild animals feared fire—so they threw torches to disrupt the demon’s movements.

Dogs looked down on crouching humans—so they all hunched over while facing the demon, allowing others to sneak up and attack from the sides!

After a series of such tactics, they actually managed to wear the dog demon down and kill it!

But it came at a cost—six escorts were left permanently disabled from the battle and could no longer work in the escort trade.

Still, in Cao Cheng’s view, this was already the best possible outcome. At least no one had died.

Even the weakest demons were far stronger than humans.

Yet through clever tactics and sheer determination, even ordinary people could be pushed to the point of slaying a demon.

Human potential truly was limitless…

Gu Ning’an gave a thumbs-up and smiled. “Brave and resourceful—I respect that.”

Receiving such praise from Gu Ning’an made Cao Cheng feel like he had regained all the dignity he lost from being knocked away by that “big rodent.” In fact, it felt like his reputation had been polished to a shine!

“Sir, you’re too kind. We escorts live with our heads tied to our belts—this isn’t bravery or wisdom, just a few tricks and some recklessness.”

Gu Ning’an chuckled. “By the way, I don’t know much about Great Wu, but from what you’re saying, are demons and spirits really that common there?”

“If Chief Escort Cao isn’t too tired, could you tell me more?”

“No problem!” Cao Cheng slapped his thigh. “If we’re talking about Great Wu, I could go on for three days and nights without getting sleepy.”

“Hold on a moment.”

Gu Ning’an casually flipped his hand, and as if performing a magic trick, two teacups appeared in his palm. Then, he pulled out a canister of tea leaves and placed a few into the cups.

Seeing this trick, Cao Cheng couldn’t tear his eyes away. He took a sharp breath and muttered, “Sir, this ability of yours is too convenient… I’ll go boil some water.”

“No need.”

Gu Ning’an picked up a nearby water flask and poured it into the cups.

Despite the flask supposedly containing cool water, steaming hot water flowed out instead!

As the heat met the tea leaves, a rich fragrance quickly filled the air.

Gu Ning’an made a welcoming gesture. “Please, enjoy some tea.”

“Ah! Alright, alright!”

Cao Cheng, thrilled, picked up the warm tea and took a careful sip.

“Good! This is great tea!”