Chapter 169: A Pie of Brotherhood
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
Chen Fei didn’t feel uneasy when the rabbit demon exposed him on the spot. Earlier, if the rabbit demon truly believed him, Chen Fei had no qualms about killing it after obtaining the jade token.
If the rabbit demon didn’t trust him, then the worst outcome would still be the current situation. To Chen Fei, there wouldn’t be much loss.
Either way, letting the rabbit demon go was absolutely out of the question. Just as Jiao Xiangyuan had thought, Chen Fei didn’t want to confront a group of martial artists possessed by rabbit demons, standing before him and brandishing their sabers.
The rabbit demon seemed to sense Chen Fei’s intentions and fell silent. Instead, it continued to change its form, attempting to shake off Chen Fei.
However, Chen Fei’s mastery of the Soul Chasing Steps made it effortless for him to adapt to these changes. Shaking him off was out of the question.
Despite the diminishing effect of the Fleetfoot secret technique on Chen Fei, he wanted to try intercepting the rabbit demon directly.
Regrettably, he had only incidentally learned Fleetfoot in Pingyin County, and its proficiency remained limited. As Chen Fei’s cultivation and techniques advanced, the technique’s assistance lessened.
In a brief span, the human and demon covered over 20 miles. The rabbit demon even attempted to lead Chen Fei to the lair of some demon beasts.
However, the demonic beasts’ aura was potent, and Chen Fei sensed it from afar. The rabbit demon refrained from advancing further, knowing that it would be devoured first, not Chen Fei.
“All!”
Despite its efforts, the rabbit demon couldn’t shake off Chen Fei. Roaring in a mix of frustration and despair, the rabbit demon’s bloodline was clearly about to surge in this mystic realm.
After possessing numerous martial artists, why did its power falter today?
This left the rabbit demon perplexed and infuriated. Yet, it had no means of altering the outcome.
Suddenly, the rabbit demon veered ahead and rushed in another direction.
Chen Fei remained composed as he assessed his opportunity to eliminate the rabbit demon. After the prolonged chase, little remained of the rabbit demon’s essence. If it wanted to survive, this might be its last chance.
Being trailed by the rabbit demon indicated either its desperation or absolute trust.
Regardless, Chen Fei exercised caution, prioritizing his own safety.
“Bacca, friend, save me!”
The rabbit demon implored urgently, directing its plea ahead.
Fleetfoot!
Chen Fei’s speed surged due to his movement technique. While Fleetfoot’s augmentation might be modest, every bit counted. Unexpectedly employing it exceeded the rabbit demon’s predictions.
“Tsk!”
Chen Fei’s longsword radiated brilliance as it pierced through the rabbit demon’s bloodline.
The rabbit demon’s tumultuous emotions came to a halt. Its essence distorted, transforming into a puddle of blood that seeped into the ground.
Confirming the rabbit demon’s demise, Chen Fei breathed a sigh of relief. He scrutinized the surroundings warily. Just as he was about to depart, his gaze landed on a hole to the right.
Sounds emanated from the hole, rustling faintly.
Chen Fei evaded instantly, putting a distance of ten meters between himself and the hole. Reminded of the friend Bacca mentioned earlier, vigilance tinged Chen Fei’s expression.
Gradually, a small head emerged from the hole, its gaze fixating on Chen Fei.
Chen Fei’s eyes widened at the surprising sight.
The head was transformed from a medicinal herb, reminiscent of ginseng but differing slightly. Atop the herb was a pair of black eyes peering at Chen Fei.
“Did you slay my comrade?”
Despite its diminutive stature, Ginseng Bacca’s voice carried an aged air. Anger crept into its tone upon glimpsing the bloodstained soil, confirming its friend’s demise.
Chen Fei angled his longsword diagonally and regarded Ginseng Bacca.
Rabbit had turned into demon, and mystical ingredients had evolved to possess intelligence. Now, it held the capability to transform into a human form and even articulate speech.
The rabbit demon spoke due to its possession of a warrior, absorbing the warrior’s memories and acquiring the ability to employ martial techniques.
However, the speaking capacity of this ginseng demon puzzled Chen Fei. Why could it communicate? This anomaly contradicted logic.
“I’m asking you a question. Did you end my companion’s life?”
Witnessing Chen Fei’s silence, Bacca’s anger intensified. In a heartbeat, its form expanded, becoming a three-meter-tall ginseng monster.
Compared to its prior miniature figure, the present Bacca exuded greater ferocity. Its aura radiated majesty, suppressing its surroundings.
Chen Fei found his Thousand Origin Technique’s flow obstructed as if a pervasive mental state enveloped the area.
“Bang!”
Taking a stride, Bacca materialized before Chen Fei, launching a punch.
“You shall atone for slaying my companion!”
Bacca had no formal boxing techniques to speak of; it simply relied on straightforward force. However, even with such a simple approach, its punch carried astonishing power. This was what was meant by the saying, “one force can overcome ten skills.”
When your strength reached a certain level, skills became secondary. Of course, this required a significant disparity in strength for skills to be rendered secondary.
Otherwise, skills could still play a substantial role in various situations.
“Boom!”
The ground quaked, creating a massive crater beneath Bacca’s punch. Bacca withdrew its hand, leaving behind no flesh or blood. Chen Fei had already evaded the attack, reappearing ten meters away.
Facing such overwhelming power, confronting it directly would have been reckless.
“Phew!”
Bacca exhaled audibly, two streams of air wafting forth.
“You evaded my punch!”
Bacca’s tone brimmed with astonishment. Observing Chen Fei’s demeanor, he already contemplated fleeing. Considering his physical attributes and strength, Chen Fei’s odds of victory seemed slim in direct combat.
“Very well, I’ve done my utmost for my comrade. You’re free to leave now,” Bacca muttered under its breath. Its body shrank, reverting to the miniature ginseng form.
Chen Fei’s eyes widened slightly, startled by Bacca’s statement.
What kind of friendship was this? The loss of a friend could be avenged with a single punch?
Was this truly friendship?
“If you have no business, vacate the vicinity. It’s hazardous here,” Bacca’s muffled voice echoed as it stumbled towards the nearby hole, issuing a warning.
“Why can you converse in human language?” Chen Fei queried, intrigued.
“Oh, the rabbit brought me a human before, wanting me to follow it outside. I accepted that human, but I refused the rabbit’s request. Absorbing that human allowed me to speak the language of humans,” Bacca explained.
Bacca continued forward, its ginseng form returning to the hole’s entrance.
Chen Fei blinked, his waist almost aching from the exchange.
“Collect a human, and in return, you regained the strength of one punch?” Chen Fei exclaimed in disbelief.
“Yeah, isn’t that reasonable?” Bacca turned back to glance at Chen Fei, its eyes carrying a hint of disdain.
Chen Fei blinked, surprised to find himself being looked down upon by a plant spirit.
But upon closer consideration of Bacca’s words, there seemed to be a certain logic to it.
Bacca’s strength was undoubtedly formidable. After all, it could transform into a giant form with astonishing power and speed. Its defense was likely unparalleled as well; otherwise, it couldn’t withstand such tremendous force.
If the rabbit spirit could exchange a human for Bacca’s punch, could Chen Fei also exchange something else with Bacca?
The idea of making a deal with a plant spirit seemed somewhat fantastical. However, if he didn’t try, how would he know if it was possible? At the very least, their communication was barrier-free.
“Do you know where I can obtain this?” Chen Fei hesitated for a moment, then took out his jade token and displayed it to Bacca.
Bacca glanced at the iron token and pondered for a moment before responding, “I’ve seen it before, over by the Strange Locust Tree. If you want it, you can go and get it yourself.”
If I want you to help me retrieve that jade token, can I exchange it for something else?” Chen Fei asked.
Surprisingly, this plant spirit Bacca had indeed seen the jade token. The name “Strange Locust Tree” sounded ominous; it was likely a place where someone had faced unfortunate circumstances.
“You want to trade with me? Sure, if you bring me two living humans, I’ll get you the jade token,” Bacca replied, suddenly intrigued. It had no intention of returning to its hiding spot.
Since absorbing the human earlier, Bacca felt somewhat different. Obtaining the jade token wasn’t difficult, but what if absorbing two more humans led to some peculiar changes again?
“This won’t work. Do you have any other suggestions?” Chen Fei shook his head. While he could take human lives due to his professional role, he wasn’t inclined to capture and feed them to creatures like Bacca.
“You have the scent of Dreamlike Lotus on you. Give me a dozen Dreamlike Lotus seeds, and I’ll give you the jade token,” Bacca suggested, sniffing the air and detecting the fragrance of Dreamlike Lotus leaves and petals on Chen Fei.
The aroma of Dreamlike Lotus was alluring, but Bacca couldn’t overpower Chen Fei. It had managed to acquire some Dreamlike Lotus seeds with difficulty in the past but had almost gotten stuck in the process. Although it yearned for the taste, it didn’t want to take any risks.
“I don’t have those either,” Chen Fei responded, nearly rolling his eyes.
If he had Dreamlike Lotus seeds, he would have used them himself – how could he have left them lying around? Bacca was getting even more demanding, and it even wanted a dozen seeds.
“You don’t have that either? You still want to make a deal with me?” Bacca looked at Chen Fei with disdain. It had only proposed two simple requests, and this human couldn’t fulfill either of them. If it weren’t for humans being slippery, Bacca might have already consumed one.
“Do you want this or not? It’s quite delicious.” Chen Fei asked.
Chen Fei pretended to extract an item from his pocket, revealing a roasted chicken in his left hand, and offering it to Bacca.
Time had frozen within the spatial grid, preserving the roast chicken’s aroma. The fragrance was so tantalizing that one would crave to devour the entire roast chicken in a single bite.
Bacca inhaled deeply. It was indeed a scent it had never encountered. Despite this, Bacca found nothing appetizing about the roast chicken. Its taste seemed peculiar, possibly inferior to that of humans.
Bacca didn’t relish consuming humans, and the taste during its prior attempt proved unsatisfactory. Its interest lay in the novelty humans brought rather than their taste.
“I have no interest in this. Are there alternatives?” Bacca’s retort resonated with disdain. Its modest requests remained unmet by this human, who seemingly proved elusive enough to evade being devoured in one gulp.
“What do you usually eat?” Chen Fei inquired abruptly.
“I usually partake in these, but I’ve gotten sick of them.”
Bacca extended its small hand, producing a medicinal herb aged at least fifty years. He consumed it in a few bites, demonstrating his preference for such fare.
“I propose a dish employing these herbs in exchange. How does that sound?”
“Dish?”
Bacca appeared startled. In the human memories it absorbed, the notion of a dish was somewhat reminiscent of the prior roast chicken. Nevertheless, it pondered how medicinal herbs could be used in cooking..