Chapter 43, Hunting the Purple Flame Marten

Translator: Raznick

 

The red pine was a tall and sturdy type of pine tree, averaging over thirty-three meters in height.

 

Once such trees formed a forest, they would attract and breed several types of special pine caterpillars. In the places where these caterpillars dwell, equally tall trees found it hard to grow again.

 

Zhou Chun and his companions were currently in the heart of the Crimson Pine Forest. The towering red pine trees, each reaching tens of meters in height, dotted the landscape everywhere. Many of these ancient giants had stood for over a thousand years, their gnarled branches stretching towards the heavens.

 

The ground of the pine forest was covered with thick pine needles, and in these areas grew various thorny shrubs, brambles, and weeds, making travel extremely inconvenient.

 

Finger-length pine caterpillars would often fall from the trees.

 

This place was unsettling, and unless you were courageous, it was daunting to even remain here.

 

Meanwhile, Zhou Chun and the others put on bamboo hats to protect themselves from pine caterpillars falling onto their bodies. They also instructed Zhou Zhengyong’s Redtail Monkey to lead the way, clearing a path through the thicket. Thus, they quickly made their way deeper into the pine forest, over ten miles in.

 

“The Purple Flame Marten preys on various rodents. This vast Crimson Pine Forest is sure to teem with squirrels and mountain rats, possibly even the Golden-tooth rat and Fire Rat, rodent demon beasts.

 

“If we can manage to capture one, using it as bait would certainly lure out the Purple Flame Marten.”

 

Under a crimson pine tree, Zhou Chun and Zhou Zhengyong crouched down, examining the dark brown mink droppings on the ground. Zhou Zhengyong whispered his plan in a low voice.

 

The Purple Flame Marten was solitary and independent, with its nest being incredibly hidden. Finding its den within three days among the vast pine forest? It would be nearly impossible unless one had incredibly good luck.

 

So, the suing lure seemed like the most effective method.

 

“Brother Yong, your approach isn’t without merit, but the rodent demon beasts are just as timid and cautious. Attempting to capture them alive poses a significant challenge, especially given that our time isn’t exactly abundant.”

 

Zhou Chun, however, did not doubt the efficacy of Zhou Zhengyong’s methods but also pointed out the challenges involved.

 

“I was prepared for this. Visiting the clan’s seniors for food that these roden demon beasts like, as well as some knockout drug.”

 

Zhou Zhengyong said all that, then turned to Zhou Chun and said, “From now on, we’ll split up. Each of us will take some food and start searching separately for signs of those rodent demons.”

 

“Alright, then let’s proceed with this method.”

 

Zhou Chun nodded in approval.

 

Immediately, Zhou Chun took some dried fruits and knockout drugs from Zhou Zhengyong and began searching the pine forest on their own for signs of those rodent demon beasts.

 

They were both proficient in the art of beast-taming. In tracking demon beasts, their abilities far surpassed even those seasoned rogue cultivators.

 

From droppings, claw marks, to nearby plant species, and variations in humidity and temperature differences, all could help them determine whether certain types of demon beast were active in the vicinity.

 

Take the Golden-tooth Rat for example. This squirrel-like demon beast had two golden front teeth that could bite through steel.

 

Therefore, these rats must constantly grind their teeth against hard stones and frequently settle in areas where there were abundant hard rocks.

 

Zhou Chun traveled through the pine forest, carefully observing the areas he passed through with the help of his Divine Sense and his naked eyes. He looked for signs of the activities of the rodent demon beast in the smallest details.

 

After half a day had passed in this way, he had found three potential locations that might have nests of rodent demon beasts. He then chose what he believed to be the most probable spot and began to stake it out.

 

He proceeded by spreading out some demon beast jerky and dried fruits imbued with weak spiritual energy in a specific area of the pine grove. He then mixed in some knockout drugs that resembled the dried fruit in shape among them. Afterward, he scattered nearby some animal dung and ant-repellent powder he had collected.

 

This way, the common mice and ants, even if they smell the scent, would dare not venture forward to feast on those foods.

 

After doing all that, Zhou Chun then hid himself far away and quietly activated the Cicada Forest Blending Breath, beginning to hide his aura.

 

He had been practicing both secret arts for nearly a year now. Although he hadn’t yet reached the point where he could use them effortlessly, he was still able to employ these secret arts through careful preparation.

 

At that moment, Zhou Chun was lying in concealment among the shrubs, his body blending seamlessly with the color of the surrounding shrubs. His own scent had also been masked by the pleasant fragrance of plants under the influence of a secret art.

 

Even if someone were to pass by now, it would be extremely difficult to spot Zhou Chun hiding within the shrubs using only their eyesight and sense of smell.

 

To avoid startling any potentially present rodent demon beasts, he even went so far as to sprinkle some fresh feces from a powerful wild beast with an extremely strong odor nearby. This ensured that their own scent would not inadvertently betray them and ruin the plan.

 

Of course, there’s a downside: even with his homemade mask, he still had to endure the stench.

 

He gradually realized that time was passing by, and after nearly an hour of watching and waiting, Zhou Chun finally spotted a reddish-brown rodent that had appeared in his sight.

 

The rat was as big as an adult’s calf and was unaffected by the smell of the wild beast droppings that Zhou Chun had scattered nearby.

 

After moving its eyes to scan the area around it and then twitching its nose, taking deep sniffs, it directly crawled over to those meat jerky and dried fruits and began happily munching on these delicious foods.

 

After finishing every bit of the scattered food Zhou Chun had dropped, the large rat turned around and prepared to return along the same path back to its burrow.

 

It hadn’t gone far when it suddenly felt dizzy, its body swaying left and right beyond its control.

 

Not long after, this little creature could no longer resist the effects of the drug and collapsed unconscious.

 

Knowing that at this time, Zhou Chun finally left his hiding place and picked up the unconscious big rat.

 

He picked up the large rat by its scruff and examined it closely, muttering to himself, “Luckily, it was only an inferior first-grade Fire Rat. If its cultivation had reached average first-grade, these few Beast Distracting Pills probably wouldn’t have fazed it!”

 

Then he carried the Fire Rat and began to search for Zhou Zhengyong.

 

Compared to Zhou Chun, Zhou Zhengyong’s luck was much poorer. He waited for a long time without any success.

 

Seeing Zhou Chun approach, carrying the unconscious Fire Rat, he sighed in relief.

 

“Thirteenth Brother, it’s good that you succeeded. This time, you truly helped me a lot!”

 

He spoke words of gratitude, promptly took the fainted Fire Rat from Zhou Chun, and began handling it.

 

If you wanted an untamed Fire Tat to stay in a fixed area and attract Purple Flame Marten to hunt, it naturally needed some special treatment.

 

This matter was not difficult to accomplish for Zhou Zhengyong and Zhou Chun.

 

For the Zhou Clan, which was a beast-taming clan, they had already developed many methods in the past for capturing various demon beasts.

 

At that time, Zhou Zhengyong subjected the Fire Rat to drugs and needles designed to stimulate and dismantle its mind, driving it into a frenzy. Meanwhile, heaps of Purple Flame Marten droppings collected specifically to prevent the creature from escaping a designated area surrounded it.

 

Afterwards, in order to prevent the Purple Flame Marten from discovering them, Zhou Zhengyong, who was not proficient in the secret art of concealing one’s presence, distanced himself from the scene. He handed Zhou Chun his spirit beast pouch containing his Redtail Monkey spirit pet, instructing him to wait nearby and ambush once the Purple Flame Marten arrived.

 

A series of sharp, high-pitched “squeaks” sounded…

 

As seen, the crazed Fire Rat darted about frantically within an open glade of the forest, its loud, piercing screams echoing continually.

 

Its eyes had lost all traces of intelligence, now only holding a wild, crazy gaze. Its bloodshot eyes looked quite unsettling.

 

Some rodent-eating predators from the pine forest came over upon hearing the sound, but once they saw that the one making the noise was a Fire Rat, they were quickly scared away.

 

Common rats were indeed food for these beasts, but Fire Rats possessed mystical arts.

 

Even an ordinary small fireball was sufficient to kill a tiger.

 

Time was passing slowly, and with each scream, the Fire Rat’s strength waned until its throat grew hoarse, making it impossible for it to yell loudly anymore.

 

The figure of the Purple Flame Marten had not appeared at all.

 

This left Zhou Chun, who had been keeping a secret watch, growing more anxious.

 

Capturing this single Fire Rat was already a stroke of luck; trying to catch another one as bait would be extremely difficult.

 

Though Zhou Chun was eager to return home, he did not dare to move hastily.

 

The Purple Flame Marten was extremely cautious and vigilant; perhaps it was observing from somewhere in the shadows at this moment.

 

If he were to suddenly move and startle it, even if he could capture another Fire Rat as bait, it would be impossible to lure it again in the short term.

 

As time passed, the Fire Rat on the ground could no longer make any sounds, and it seemed they were completely dead.

 

At this late hour, when it was already midnight, the starlight and moonlight from above were partially blocked by the trees，leaving only a few scattered stars peeking through into the forest. Zhou Chun could make out only the rough outline of the Fire Rat in the dim light.

 

He did not dare to use his Divine Sense to monitor, because although the Divine Sense was intangible, many demon beasts could sense its presence and realize they were being watched.

 

Therefore, unless the Purple Flame Marten appeared and required him to pinpoint its location with his Divine Sense, Zhou Chun would never dare to release his Divine Sense.

 

Just as Zhou Chun was feeling his eyes ache and sensing that he could no longer endure, something unusual finally caught his eye.

 

Suddenly, a flash of shadow appeared. A massive shadow the size of a dog came into view beside the Fire Rat. It swiftly grabbed the Fire Rat in its mouth and darted into the depths of the forest at breakneck speed.

 

This sight immediately caused Zhou Chun to snap to attention, prompting him to instantly release his Divine Sense and lock onto the figure.

 

The Purple Flame Marten!

 

The results detected by his Divine Sense relieved him immensely, and he quickly pursued the figure ahead.

 

He let out a long roar, as Zhou Zhengyong rushed to help in response, he had been waiting nearby.

 

Meanwhile, the Purple Flame Marten was incredibly swift within the mountainous terrain; Zhou Chun, even when empowering himself with Soaring Art, could not catch up with it at all.

 

After giving the signal, he released Zhou Zhengyong’s Redtail Monkey to chase the Purple Flame Marten. The monkey, known for its agility in the forest, was sent to pursue the swiftly moving creature, while he simultaneously activated his flying artifact and followed closely behind.