Chapter 159, Rat Extermination Master Baibai and Everything Ready

Translator: Raznick

 

Zhou Chun, having left the Miscellaneous Store, didn’t immediately leave the Jinquan market; instead, driven by a persistent hope, he inquired about the whereabouts of the two herbs in other shops.

 

He gleaned only one piece of information: one alchemy shop offered to exchange equivalent-aged herbs for Gold Leaf Bamboo Shoot.

 

Forced to temporarily leave Jinquan market, he consulted the map and headed toward the locations provided by Luo Qingyi, where the Gold-eating Rat groups were said to reside, intending to first procure the superior Gold-eating Rat gall.

 

Gold-eating Rats were lesser demon beasts, fond of gnawing on various ores and metals.

 

Consequently, areas where these demon beasts congregated invariably contained ore deposits.

 

The several Gold-eating Rat group locations provided by Luo Qingyi were situated near ore deposits within the Vast Province.

 

These demon beasts were objects of deep aversion to the ore owners, who would tunnel into ore deposits to steal spirit gold ore and attack mining cultivators.

 

Therefore, vein owners frequently issued tasks to eradicate these demon beasts.

 

However, Gold-eating Rats possessed exceptional tunneling skills, and their nests were often located deep underground, over three hundred meters below the surface, and were waterproof, fireproof, and smoke-resistant; many Foundation Establishment cultivators were powerless against them.

 

Zhou Chun, however, paid these subterranean rodents no mind.

 

His Silver Thunder Python was their natural enemy, and as long as he found a passage leading to the rat nest, releasing Whitey would undoubtedly clear out the entire colony!

 

Therefore, he didn’t attempt to furtively trap the rats; instead, he openly accepted a rat nest clearing task at a spirit gold ore field.

 

The reward was not insignificant; each ordinary Gold-eating Rat corpse yielded a spirit coin, and submitting the corpses earned two spirit coins, totaling three spirit coins.

 

After Zhou Chun accepted the task, he left the mine amidst the expectant gazes of the Foundation Establishment cultivators, heading towards the few locations he’s been speculating might house Gold-eating Rat nests, ready to start marking potential locations.

 

Upon reaching the vicinity, Zhou Chun left behind specially prepared rat-attracting food in several places, hoping to lure the Gold-eating Rat over to consume it.

 

He himself concealed his aura and remained hidden, monitoring the bait with his Divine Sense.

 

Within half a day, he discovered that two Gold-eating Rat had emerged from underground tunnels and carried away the food.

 

However, those two Gold-eating Rat were only the size of an ordinary house cat, and the tunnels they created were too small for a current Silver Thunder Python, Whitey, to squeeze through.

 

Therefore, Zhou Chun needed to find the main passage leading to the rat nests.

 

Those main passages, to accommodate larger rat kings, would be wider than the other underground rat tunnels; Whitey’s current size should be just able to pass through.

 

So, Zhou Chun continued to scatter bait, using the appearance time and number of Gold-eating Rat to determine the approximate location of their nests.

 

After almost three days, he had surveyed all the locations assigned to him near the mine and finally confirmed one.

 

It was a stone mountain roughly ten miles from the vein; the rat nest was likely located deep underground beneath the Stone Mountain.

 

Because of the Gold-eating Rat’s widespread activity, this Stone Mountain was riddled with rat holes, and even ordinary wild beasts dared not approach the area.

 

Zhou Chun then patiently began searching around the Stone Mountain for the main passage to the rat nest.

 

He knew that, despite being subterranean demon beasts, Gold-eating Rats occasionally came to the surface to enjoy the sunlight and forage for food, and the rat king would have this need as well.

 

Therefore, the large and small rat holes throughout the mountain would certainly connect to the main passage leading to the rat nest.

 

After searching for another two days, he finally found his target.

 

A large stone beneath the mid-slope of Stone Mountain concealed a rodent hole, more than a foot wide, slanting downward into an unknown depth of the rodent nest.

 

Zhou Chun gazed at the hole, his hand instinctively reaching for his spirit beast pouch, releasing the Silver Thunder Python, Whitey.

 

Then, he gently stroked the silver python’s head, murmuring, “Whitey, it’s up to you. Remember to capture the Rat King alive; dead, he’s useless.”

 

The silver python raised its head and hissed several times, signifying understanding, before disappearing into the hole.

 

As Whitey burrowed deeper, the psychic link between it and Zhou Chun began to weaken, fading into a vague sense of its location, beyond which communication was impossible.

 

Deep beneath the surface, Silver Thunder Python Whitey slithered down the rodent hole, quickly approaching the vicinity of the nest.

 

The arrival of a natural predator sent a wave of terror through the Gold-eating Rat guarding the entrance, prompting a frantic squeak of warning before it turned and fled.

 

Within the nest, the Rat King, who had been dozing beside a female rat, instantly awoke upon hearing the warning, a flash of panic in his eyes.

 

Squeak, squeak, squeak!

 

He cried out, summoning the Gold-eating Rat within the nest to his defense.

 

Previously, cultivators who had tamed snakes as demon beasts had accepted extermination tasks, coming to clear out the Gold-eating Rat.

 

Even superior first-grade demonic snakes, when venturing alone into a nest, would be bitten and wounded by a horde of Gold-eating Rat, unable to truly eliminate these pests.

 

Therefore, though startled, the Rat King did not immediately abandon his nest.

 

After all, within the nest, in addition to the adult Gold-eating Rat, were numerous young rats yet to emerge from the den.

 

If they abandoned the nest and fled, these rat pups would be in a life-or-death situation.

 

However, it never occurred to it that the demon beast that had just broken into the rat nest wasn’t a first-grade demon beast but a second-grade demon beast!

 

When the Silver Thunder Python’s figure appeared inside the rat nest, the Rat King’s body trembled, and his eyes instantly revealed an extremely terrified expression as he turned to flee.

 

But he saw Whitey, and Whitey naturally also saw it.

 

Regarding the Rat King, whom Zhou Chun specifically instructed to be captured alive, Whitey wouldn’t let it run away.

 

Immediately, a lightning bolt spewed from its mouth, landing on the Rat King.

 

To prevent the lightning bolt from instantly killing the Rat King, it deliberately weakened its power to about ten percent.

 

Even so, the Rat King, who was struck by lightning, had its fur stand on end and fell to the ground, emitting wisps of blue smoke.

 

This instantly sent the other Gold-eating Rats into a frenzy.

 

Unable to withstand a single blow from the Rat King, what courage did they have to attack the Silver Thunder Python radiating a second-grade aura, and they scattered to flee.

 

But how could Silver Thunder Python Whitey let this delicious food escape? Immediately, it unleashed another barrage of lightning bolts, instantly electrocuting a large number of Gold-eating Rats.

 

A little while later, the rat nest was filled with the aroma of roasted meat.

 

And Silver Thunder Python Whitey, looking at the pile of roasted meat on the ground, didn’t rush to eat but first went to check on the Rat King’s condition.

 

After confirming that the Rat King had only fainted, it relaxed and swam towards the rat pups’ nests inside the rat nest and started eating them.

 

After devouring dozens of rat pups in one gulp, it looked at its slightly swollen belly and then continued to eat the dead rats.

 

It didn’t stop eating until it was six-tenths full, then it snatched the Rat King in its mouth and retraced its steps.

 

Not long after, Zhou Chun, waiting on the mountain, saw it emerge from the rat hole carrying the Rat King.

 

“Well done!”

 

Looking at the Rat King that Whitey had spat out on the ground, Zhou Chun’s face immediately lit up with a smile.

 

Then he didn’t rush to kill the Rat King but instead took it directly to the mine.

 

“Fellow Daoist Hu, look, this Rat King has been captured by me. Shouldn’t I be considered to have completed the task of destroying the rat nest?”

 

Outside the mine, Zhou Chun placed the unconscious Rat King in front of the guarding cultivator and began to speak about the task of destroying the rat nest.

 

He learned from Whitey that there were dozens of Gold-eating Rat corpses alone inside the rat nest.

 

It could be said that apart from those Gold-eating Rat that went out to forage, he had destroyed most of the rat nest.

 

And without the Rat King’s leadership, these Gold-eating Rat would only wait for a new Rat King to be born again before they could regain their strength.

 

At this moment, looking at the Rat King thrown out by Zhou Chun, the Foundation Establishment cultivator guarding the mine was also startled.

 

After carefully inspecting it, he exclaimed in surprise, “It really is the Rat King!”

 

Then his eyes shone as he looked at Zhou Chun and said, “Fellow Daoist Jiang truly has remarkable skill!

 

“Can you tell me how you did it?”

 

Hearing his words, Zhou Chun immediately smiled faintly, “I’m sorry, this matter involves my own secret, and I cannot reveal it to Fellow Daoist Hu.”

 

He finished speaking and said with a confident tone, “I am certain that more than half of the Gold-eating Rat within the rat nest have been eliminated, and their corpses remain within the nest. Fellow Daoist Hu can arrange people to excavate the mountain for verification at any time!”

 

Fellow Daoist Hu, seeing him say this, couldn’t press him for further details. He responded solemnly: “Verifying doesn’t require excavating the mountain. Our mine also has people who tame demon beasts that can enter the rat nest for validation. Since Fellow Daoist Jiang is so confident, I will bring people and Fellow Daoist there.”

 

“That would be even better.”

 

Zhou Chun responded and hurried with Fellow Daoist Hu and a Qi Refining cultivator toward Stone Mountain.

 

Immediately afterward, outside the rat hole where the Silver Thunder Python had entered, the Qi Refining cultivator brought by Fellow Daoist Hu released a Fire Rat demon beast inside.

 

At first, because the hole still retained the aura of the Silver Thunder Python, the Fire Rat demon beast was unwilling to enter.

 

Later, its owner had to force it, and it tremulously crawled inside.

 

Not long after, the Fire Rat demon beast crawled out of the rat hole, squeaking and chattering to its master about what it had seen inside.

 

Upon learning that the rat nest truly was filled with Gold-eating Rat corpses, Fellow Daoist Hu instantly believed Zhou Chun’s words.

 

Then, after a flickering gaze and a moment of contemplation, he looked at Zhou Chun and said, “I can determine Fellow Daoist has completed his task. But Fellow Daoist must leave the rat king’s corpse to me to report to the clan, and because the Gold-eating Rat corpses are difficult to bring out, I can only give Fellow Daoist a basic reward of three hundred spirit coins.”

 

“That is acceptable. Then please wait a moment, Fellow Daoist Hu.”

 

Zhou Chun nodded and immediately led the unconscious Rat King to the side and publicly dissected it to extract its gall bladder, obtaining a gall bladder roughly the size of a thumb.

 

Then he processed the fresh rat gall bladder and put it into a jade box and handed over the rat king’s corpse to Fellow Daoist Hu.

 

Seeing this, Fellow Daoist Hu was straightforward and immediately took out spirit coins from his storage bag and handed them to Zhou Chun, saying, “These are three hundred spirit coins. Jiang Fellow Daoist, please keep them.”

 

“Fellow Daoist, Hu is decisive. Then I will take his leave.”

 

Zhou Chun stowed the spirit coin, cupped his hands toward Hu, and prepared to leave.

 

He hadn’t expected Hu to suddenly say, “Fellow Daoist, could you leave a means of contact? Perhaps there will be times when I require assistance from Fellow Daoist.”

 

Hearing his words, Zhou Chun immediately understood his meaning.

 

After a moment’s thought, he smiled and said, “Then Fellow Daoist Hu can send a messenger to Mist Province Red Cliff Market’s Spirit Beast Pavilion; the manager there will naturally forward the letter to me.”

 

“Red Cliff Market Spirit Beast Pavilion?”

 

Hu looked at Zhou Chun’s spirit beast pouch with a thoughtful expression, then nodded, “Very well, I’ll remember.”

 

“Then let’s meet again by fate.”

 

“Let’s meet again by fate.”

 

The two exchanged courtesies, and then Zhou Chun soared into the sky, leaving Stone Mountain under the gaze of the Hu-surname cultivator.

 

It wasn’t until he watched Zhou Chun disappear into the distance that the Hu-surname cultivator waved his hand and said, “Let’s go. Upon returning, have people come to dig a tunnel into the mountain; the Gold-eating Rat corpses and the spirit gold ore they stole cannot be wasted.”

 

Excavating a channel leading underground three hundred meters deep, without worrying about startling the Gold-eating Rats and causing them to relocate, wasn’t considered a particularly difficult task for a cultivator.

 

On the other side, after Zhou Chun left Stone Mountain, he directly returned to his clan.

 

He couldn’t exchange for Gold Leaf Bamboo Root alone; otherwise, he might not be able to leave Vast Province alive.

 

So he intended to ask Third Elder Zhou Daoquan to take Grand Elder’s Fire Spirit Jackal with him so that if someone dared to attack them for a five-hundred-year-old Gold Leaf Bamboo Shoot, they wouldn’t be merciful.

 

Half a month later, Zhou Chun, accompanied by Third Elder Zhou Daoquan, once again arrived in Vast Province and successfully exchanged a five-hundred-year-old spirit ginseng and a Vast Province Violet Palace clan for a Gold Leaf Bamboo Shoot.

 

Compared to the sparingly useful Gold Leaf Bamboo Root, the broadly applicable five-hundred-year-old Spirit Ginseng was undoubtedly more valuable.

 

And the five-hundred-year-old Spirit Ginseng that Zhou Chun used for this exchange came from Red Herb Valley’s Wang Clan, the exchange being for the remaining four vials of Musk Spirit Stag spiritual musk he held.

 

The Wang Clan made quite a profit from this transaction as well.

 

So, to calculate it, both clans involved in the trade with Zhou Chun didn’t lose out; only he spent money on this necessity.

 

And it was unknown whether it was Zhou Daoquan’s late Foundation Establishment cultivation that had a deterrent effect; after this transaction, Zhou Chun and his group proceeded quite smoothly, without encountering any attacks.

 

With the two primary herbs for refining Metal Qi Dispersing Powder now in hand, Zhou Chun quickly bid farewell to Clan Leader Zhou Daoyi, taking the pill formula for Metal Qi Dispersing Powder to the Alchemy Li Clan, requesting the Li Clan’s alchemy master personally craft this medicine.

 

Because the Zhou Clan provided the pill formula, the Li Clan’s alchemy master readily accepted the task and asked for no payment.

 

Less than half a month later, the completed Metal Qi Dispersing Powder arrived in Zhou Chun’s hands.

 

With this, all preparations needed to shift to the Golden Cauldron Mystic Art were complete, awaiting Clan Leader Zhou Daoyi’s spirit pet, the Sky Cloud Python, to successfully transform into a dragon before he could seclusion shift to this top cultivation method.