CHAPTER 61: CHAPTER 61: THE MOUSE HOLE

Next, Wang Wu continued the same method, dividing the remaining fruit tree branches into four parts and grafting them onto four shrub seedlings.

Then, for whatever reason, he just infused them with Spiritual Qi.

Indeed, great power can create miracles.

After spending an additional 20 points of Spiritual Qi, all five grafted fruit trees survived, though he didn’t know what kind of fruits they might bear.

But isn’t the accumulated experience the most important thing?

If it doesn’t work this year, there’s always next year.

For a moment, Wang Wu couldn’t help but show a simple, honest smile like an old farmer.

This matter can be considered concluded for now, because seeing results won’t be possible within three to five years.

At most, when he’s idle, he would come by to inject a few points of leftover Spiritual Qi, but mostly, he still needs to solve the most urgent survival issues at hand.

Hmm, also, he must guard against that Big Mountain Cat relentlessly pursuing him.

So Wang Wu, seeing the time was about right, lay flat under the cliff, quickly entering a state of Passive Concealment. In general, daytime wasn’t suitable for activity.

As a result, the entire day in the valley was quiet.

The Big Mountain Cat didn’t pursue him here, nor were there any Gray Magpies seen, leaving the outcome unclear.

At nightfall, as the sky darkened, Wang Wu, after being dormant for a whole day, went to the creek for a good drink and wash before returning to that rock crevice.

Removing the stones used for cover, he discovered that no Little Demon had intruded over these days, showing it truly had become a remote borderland.

The remaining Devil Vines were still all there, merely a bit dried out, looking no different from ordinary branches.

After a brief thought, Wang Wu temporarily gave up on honing his Paralysis Poison Resistance, as his satiety wasn’t enough, and he had more important matters to attend to.

Wang Wu resealed the area with stones and turned to leave, heading straight for a small hill 300 meters north, which was where the five White Rats once lived.

Because he always suspected that if the valley had any surviving original inhabitants, these Gray Rats would certainly count as one.

No matter how formidable, the Devil Vine couldn’t dig holes to considerable depths, so there must be rat holes in this area.

Wang Wu had to find them, bond with them, and then eliminate them, otherwise, he feared his painstakingly planted small fruit trees would be eaten sooner or later.

Soon, he arrived at the small hill, which was just an ordinary little mound.

Its total height was only about ten meters, the top was rounded, covering an area of merely two to three hundred square meters, with a few unremarkable rocks partly exposed in the middle, the rest buried in the soil.

The small hill was connected at both sides with other small hills, typical geographical features that formed this valley.

In fact, if outsiders came here, they wouldn’t be able to distinguish between these small hills, at a glance, it’s just a low, undulating ridge!

Climbing atop this small hill, Wang Wu couldn’t help but feel a sense of bygone splendor, reminiscing how grand it must have felt once.

Even after two calamities, he could still see the slight traces left by those White Rats, imagining them standing here in unison, their white brows fluttering, greeting the sunrise, soaking in the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi.

Hmm, if memory serves, they were very low-key, disappearing in the morning after sunbathing, not even appearing by evening, so where did they hide?

Estimating the time, Wang Wu observed the vicinity, keeping a lookout while searching for the inevitable rat holes.

He searched thoroughly, three full rounds up and down, left and right, but found no so-called natural rat hole entrance.

Indeed, impressive.

Wang Wu was amazed, but it only convinced him further that there should really be a rat hole here.

After all, these were the renowned rats, surpassing even a rabbit’s three burrows with countless hideouts.

So, he couldn’t search from a conventional angle.

After a moment’s thought, he turned his attention to the exposed rocks atop the hill.

Perhaps there were mysteries hidden within?

He rushed over, tapping and pushing with force, attempting to put himself in the perspective of a Gray Rat, pondering and examining.

A moment later, he indeed discovered a secret mechanism, located between two rocks, in a recessed position, where he expended some effort with his claws to remove a stone about the size of a palm.

This stone was naturally external, fitting perfectly, but the inside was clearly polished, presenting an inverted cone shape, so once positioned, due to its weight, it was difficult to open or find from the outside, even ants couldn’t squeeze through.

And beneath the stone stopper was a stone hole just big enough to fit a regular human’s fist.

No doubt, this was indeed a rat hole.

The five white-browed mice burrowed back and forth without any pressure.

But for Wang Wu, trying to squeeze through was absolutely impossible.

"Looks like I need to approach it from another angle."

Wang Wu replaced the stone plug and descended the small mountain, preparing to start his excavation at the base. Suddenly, he felt a warning and immediately rolled on the ground, using the muddy terrain to conceal himself.

This was one of the few perks left by the Devil Vine. The soil throughout the valley had been stirred up, leaving it pocked with holes and covered in dark earth. For Wang Wu, with his Level 8 Passive Concealment, it was a natural hiding place.

Of course, it had to be paired with Level 6 Danger Perception; otherwise, it would be disastrous if the enemy arrived without his knowledge.

About two to three minutes later, five unexpected visitors came north from the valley’s south end. They didn’t conceal themselves, following the ridge openly, and paired with the southwestern wind direction, it allowed Wang Wu to notice them from six or seven hundred meters away.

"A bit foolish, aren’t they?"

Wang Wu thought disdainfully. The scent of these five unexpected visitors was overwhelming, unlike him. If his scent could be detected within three meters, he’d consider it a loss.

Soon enough, as the five visitors approached, Wang Wu recognized two of them.

One was the Little Wild Boar, and the other a Little Fawn. Both had spent some time cultivating in this valley, coming home again, so to speak.

The other three were new faces.

There was a Little Black Bear standing at least two meters tall, a slightly underweight but spirited Cyan Wolf Cub,

and lastly, a Night Owl with a face as large as a basin.

Such a group was already quite strange, especially since they appeared to know each other well enough to travel together.

Wang Wu understood that they had to be newly recruited Mountain Patrol Demon Soldiers of the Great Demon to the south.

The five demon soldiers walked neither swiftly nor slowly. The Night Owl even perched on the black bear’s back, tucked its head under its wing, and slept soundly at night.

Passing by the cliff, they seemed to have not noticed the new shrub seedlings Wang Wu planted, paused momentarily at the cliff’s top, and continued northward.

As they drew nearer, Wang Wu could vaguely hear them conversing, especially the bear, whose voice boomed like thunder, though the syllables were stiff and strange, so he didn’t catch much of it.

When they were about a hundred meters from where Wang Wu lay concealed, he could finally discern some of their conversation, though still far from comprehending it fully.

He only understood words like ’patrol,’ ’Human Race Cultivators,’ ’Yun Ding City,’ and ’Great Snow Mountain.’

Linking these together, it wasn’t hard to see that with the Human Race Cultivators expanding into the West Wilderness, it was a big enough news story in the Demon World that even the newly recruited Mountain Patrol Demon Soldiers were keenly interested, discussing it frequently.

Soon, these five demon soldiers began their ascent along the valley, heading farther away, suggesting this area might now be a regular patrol route for them?

That wouldn’t be good.

While Wang Wu was pondering, he suddenly saw them returning in a panic, rolling and tumbling, fleeing awkwardly. Behind them, a Big Mountain Cat gracefully leapt onto a low hill. No wonder they were fleeing; they’d come across this fearsome creature.

However, to Wang Wu’s surprise, the Big Mountain Cat did not continue its attack. Instead, it licked its paw out of boredom and shouted with a rough voice, "You ignorant little minions, listen up! Sneak across the border again, and watch your brains!"

"And you, stupid bear, keep your younglings under control. If they step onto my territory again, I’ll make bear meat buns out of them!"

The five demon soldiers trembled in fear, not daring to make a sound, with puzzled expressions, wondering what they did wrong.

After the Big Mountain Cat had finished its tirade and turned away satisfied, the five demon soldiers started chatting noisily amongst themselves.

Yet they couldn’t make heads or tails of the situation and concluded not to cross the border again.

Once they were out of sight, Wang Wu chuckled to himself. Pretty good.

The Big Mountain Cat had reasserted its dominance and likely wouldn’t pursue the matter further.

And with the warning given to the five demon soldiers, they probably wouldn’t patrol this area diligently in the future. This no-man’s-land was indeed more suitable for him.

Still, life’s going to be tough from here on out.

After all, it was clear; his last trip to the North Mountain Root was just to gather some shrub branches, and he barely made it back.

If he were to head south into the forest, would it be smooth sailing?

Didn’t you see the five demon soldiers patrolling up to here?

Once he approached the forest edge, wouldn’t untold numbers of Little Demons have their eyes on him?

But then again, this area will only be barren for the next couple of years. In two or three years, the wind will scatter seeds of wild grass brought by birds, rooting, and sprouting quickly. It’ll return to normal, bringing insects, small beasts, and little demons for survival.

So, it’s all about perspective.

At least for now, he can enjoy the Golden Three Minutes every day.