Chapter Seven: The One-Eyed Man

Under the blood moon, the most frenzied were the packs of beast demons, with the wolves leading the charge. Many wolves, already transformed into humanoid forms, even if they could resist the lure of the blood moon, would still indulge in wild hunts, joining the night’s bloody revelry without restraint.

Thus, those suffering most under the blood moon were the newly transformed jackals, wolves, snakes, and rats—their numbers dwindled sharply, making them prime targets for slaughter. Often, a single powerful demon beast could massacre an entire group of core-forming demons, gather the remnants, and form its own tribe anew.

Six Ugly had chosen his target: a solitary, one-eyed old wolf on the outskirts of the Rocky Ridge. This wolf had been transformed for years; a direct confrontation would not guarantee victory. So, though it was the most advantageous choice nearby, Six Ugly planned to investigate carefully before devising a method of attack.

If no prey could be found, Six Ugly would have to risk venturing beyond the Rocky Ridge, into unfamiliar territory. But such risks might be greater than facing a transformed demon beast head-on. What course to take could only be decided upon further observation.

After three quarters of an hour, Six Ugly had traversed the Rocky Ridge and arrived near the Wood Lotus Forest at its base. The dense mass of wood lotus trees formed a natural barricade on the ground, their crowns intermingled, creating a hive-like maze where neither direction nor daylight could be discerned—a place of utter confusion.

The one-eyed old wolf, named Lone Eye, dwelled in a hollow at the heart of the Wood Lotus Forest, much like Six Ugly’s own crevice among the stone ridges—a defensible home, keeping most beasts at bay.

Six Ugly did not rush in. Instead, he chose a tall tree at the edge of the forest, hid himself in the thick crown, and listened quietly for any sounds from the wolf’s hollow. Yet this only lasted a short while; rationally, he abandoned the effort. Even with his acute hearing, he could not distinguish the noises from within the hollow amid the wind and the myriad sounds of the forest. It was a futile task; he would have to move closer.

He climbed onto the branches, agilely threading his way high among the crowns, silently approaching the center. As he moved, a strange sound reached his ears—heavy, suppressed groans of pain.

Six Ugly found a suitable angle, carefully peering through the foliage...

Lone Eye was not there! Instead, the hollow contained several corpses of demon beasts—three or five piled together—and beside them, a pangolin beast lay prone, its hind legs broken, flesh and blood congealed, a gaping wound on its head. It still trembled, its breathing shallow, whimpering in its death throes.

(This pangolin, also called Dragon Carp, was annotated in the Han dynasty: “Some say it is a four-legged fish from the south.”)

Despite such an advantageous situation, Six Ugly remained unmoved, examining the surroundings closely. No trace of Lone Eye could be seen within his field of vision, nor any sound heard. It seemed only these bloody remains were left in the hollow, while Lone Eye had departed elsewhere.

Taking advantage of the blood moon to hunt more prey was the nature of the Meishan wolves; Lone Eye’s actions were logical.

Six Ugly still held back, waiting a long time until he judged it sufficient. Then, he gently slid down a tree root, found a narrow crevice near the hollow's entrance, and cautiously stepped inside. The tree hollow was spacious; though the entrance spanned only a few feet, the cave stretched deep, the wood lotus roots twisting above to form a natural cavern.

Looking deeper, the light grew dimmer. Six Ugly could barely see anything, his eyes filled with darkness. He instinctively paused—any shadow might conceal death. One fatal mistake would send him to the underworld; to avoid that, he must never allow the first mistake.

A faint, foul wind drifted from the depths of the roots, making the fur on Six Ugly’s back stand upright. He felt a needle-sharp sense of danger—intense and unmistakable.

A trap!

Although he could not see it, Six Ugly was certain: he had entered the hunting ground of a ferocious beast, one lurking unseen, ready to strike and crush his skull.

Lone Eye! Only this old wolf possessed such cunning, capable of laying a trap so cleverly.

The corpses in the hollow, the dying pangolin beast—all bait to lure demon beasts into the cave. Only smaller beasts could enter the Wood Lotus Forest, making them ideal prey for Lone Eye.

He had survived dozens of blood moons, knew what they signified, knew how many beasts would covet his territory. Thus, he used his hollow to tempt smaller prey, drawing them in for slaughter.

Those earlier victims had fallen the same way.

Do not flee!

Absolutely not—never turn your back!

Six Ugly crouched low, legs half bent, claws gripping his bone blade tightly, baring his fangs at the darkness within the cave.

At that moment, the blood of his previous life boiled within him. Like a waking lion, he was suddenly filled with a thirst for slaughter.

After so much hiding and enduring, memories flooded back—vivid and familiar, as if scenes from a film, urging him to charge forth and crush his unknown adversary, to tear it apart, to let its blood splatter his face and body, to savor the intoxicating scent of blood and death.

Such clarity felt like enlightenment, an awakening that made his body tremble, demon blood burning hot.

His mismatched eyes gleamed with excitement and madness.

Huff—huff—

A sound emerged; Lone Eye had shed his stealth, heart pounding, sending blood and power surging through his limbs. He revealed his massive form from the darkness, standing before Six Ugly.

He seemed puzzled: why would this small, scrawny beast, barely awakened, act so frenzied—neither fleeing nor showing fear, but instead taking a stance to fight?

Lone Eye grew angry, abandoning his plan to strike from the shadows. He charged out, running at Six Ugly, wanting to witness the little monkey’s struggle and agony, to see its choking spasms and helpless death.

Six Ugly watched Lone Eye approach but did not attack. Wolves were fast, their reflexes sharper than monkeys’. Even at full speed, they could dodge and change direction. As a core-forming demon, Lone Eye was tough—if they clashed head-on, it would not be Six Ugly who fell first.

Despite his agitation, Six Ugly waited calmly for the perfect moment—the vital chance for a killing blow.

With a howl, Lone Eye accelerated, leaping at him.

Now!

Six Ugly had waited for the wolf’s fiercest attack—when it was airborne, unable to brace itself.

He suddenly leaned back, both hands gripping the bone blade, thrusting upward and pulling fiercely. The angle, timing, and force were all precise—as if rehearsed countless times.

If so, it was in his previous life. He had fought many such battles; now those instincts returned, guiding his actions and seizing the moment.

The bone blade carved a scorching arc through the darkness, unleashing a torrent of blood.

A huge wound appeared on Lone Eye’s abdomen, slashed open so that his innards spilled forth in a fountain of blood, filling the cave with the intoxicating scent of death.

Lone Eye crashed to the ground, claws swiping desperately, still trying to seize Six Ugly. But Six Ugly had already kicked off as the wolf’s head struck the earth, sliding swiftly away, his back scraped raw by stones.

Lone Eye roared in rage and despair, lunging again, but only managed to fling himself into the air before collapsing with a mournful wail. His organs had spilled out; the wound was catastrophic. No matter how tough a demon beast, it could not survive such devastation.

Six Ugly exhaled heavily, half rising, feeling the fiery pain on his back.

He felt strange; though his past memories had always lingered in his mind, only now did they truly merge with his body, giving him a sensation of unprecedented reality...

Everything that once belonged to him had returned.

In modern terms, it was an awakening.

After inspecting the corpses in the hollow, Six Ugly felt a surge of excitement, grateful for his prudent choices.

He had gained seven demon corpses in the cave, including Lone Eye. Five contained demon cores, and among them, one belonged to a transformed beast. Six Ugly immediately placed that core into his demon refining vessel, continuing to brew a body-tempering elixir.

Of the other four, he planned to use them to attempt unsealing the Jiachen vessel.

After collecting the corpses and issuing commands, he applied herbs to his wounds to mask the scent of blood, then set out again—headed for the next possible haunt of demon beasts...

※

As the first rays of dawn brushed the mountaintops, dispelling darkness with a pale glow, several dozen armored warriors of the Celestial Steed Trading Company, led by Baili Shuyi, had already reached a hillside eight miles from camp, settling quietly in ambush.

Not far from here lay a den of canine beasts, identified by scouts as the trading company’s first target. Now, all crouched or sat cross-legged, drinking water and eating quickly, replenishing their strength. Occasionally, someone was called by Kan Gan and assigned to a new position.

The lure-hunting party had already been dispatched. According to plan, they would act in two hours, drawing the beasts into the ambush as swiftly as possible—the whole operation would last no more than three quarters of an hour.

The demon hunt strategy was ruthless, ferocious, simple, and brutal—no unnecessary embellishments, just the direct clash of blood and flesh. The Qi cultivators would only attack the most valuable or dangerous beasts; most would be handled by the warriors, who would capture and kill them.

This time the orders were simple: capture as many alive as possible. Thus, nearly half the warriors had switched to bows, their arrowheads dipped in alkali arsenic—a blend of arsenic and frog venom crafted by cultivators, potent enough to paralyze beasts. The rest carried heavy shields, axes, and lassos for support. Only the rangers and elite swordsmen wielded blades in readiness for emergencies.

Generally, the casualty rate under a live-capture order was about one to one—at most, half could be captured, the other half would die. This was the hallmark of the Celestial Steed Trading Company; other companies suffered higher death rates, and often caught only cubs. Adult beasts, even if captured, were usually crippled. Thus, Baili Shuyi had gained such renown.

His reputation was built on boldness and caution—half the archers using paralyzing arrows in tandem with heavy shields and lassos. No one else dared risk such tactics.