I lead my disciples to seek immortality in the sect's cultivation.

Chapter 18 The Cave

Inside the woodshed, Zhao Laowu gripped the rattan whip magic weapon tightly, cold sweat pouring down his forehead.

He peeked through the crack in the door and saw those eerie green eyes outside the courtyard wall. His whole body trembled uncontrollably, and he pleaded in a trembling voice, "Fellow Daoist Shen! Hurry and do it! That beast is right outside! Kill it with your sword!"

Shen Gui sneered but didn't move.

"Fellow Daoist Zhao, this is a matter for your Jiming Village. I'm just here to lend a hand." Shen Gui's right hand rested on the hilt of his sword, his tone indifferent. "Since we're going to fight, why don't we go out together? It's not right for me to risk my life for you alone."

Zhao Laowu's face stiffened, his lips trembled a few times, but he couldn't utter a rebuttal.

Shen Gui is right. This is his family's business. It's already more than enough that the other party is willing to help. He can't expect them to stand in front of him for him.

But he was genuinely afraid.

"Let's go." Shen Gui pushed open the door and strode out.

Zhao Laowu gritted his teeth and had no choice but to follow them out, his rattan whip trembling like a leaf.

The moonlight in the courtyard was cold and clear.

A giant, snow-white wolf stood in front of the iron cage. It was more than twice the size of an ordinary wolf, with long, powerful limbs and protruding fangs.

Most strikingly, it was wrapped in a dirty, tattered cloth, tied to its back with rough rattan, bulging as if it were carrying something.

The white wolf opened its mouth, biting the bars of the iron cage. It easily broke through the bars, which were made of fine iron, and then poked its head into the cage, picking up the large breeding hen.

Its movements were very light, and the force with which it bit the chicken's neck was just right—not enough to kill it, but enough to stop the chicken from struggling.

Seeing Shen Gui and Zhao Laowu come out, the white wolf raised its head, glanced at the two of them, and still had the spirit chicken in its mouth, not letting go.

Its body arched slightly, and it made a low whimpering sound in its throat, but instead of attacking, it took half a step back.

Shen Gui keenly sensed that the white wolf's aura was chaotic, its gait unsteady, and its snow-white fur lacked luster, appearing withered and dull.

It was injured, and quite badly.

"Quick! Fellow Daoist Shen, kill it quickly!" Zhao Laowu raised his rattan whip.

Shen Gui ignored him, his right hand still resting on the hilt of his sword, without drawing it, while his left hand secretly gripped a water shield talisman.

He had no intention of launching a close-quarters attack.

Demons are naturally much stronger than human cultivators. If a human cultivator is approached by a demon at the same cultivation level, he will most likely suffer a great loss.

Although he was skilled in swordsmanship and possessed a sharp sword, it was still a poor strategy for him to fight this white wolf head-on.

Moreover, he wasn't sure if the white wolf had any other tricks up its sleeve.

Let's see how things go first.

Seeing that Shen Gui didn't move, Zhao Laowu was so anxious that he was covered in sweat. Finally, he mustered up his courage and swung his rattan whip at the white wolf!

"Snapped!"

The vine whip pierced the air with a crisp sound, its shadow tracing an arc in the moonlight.

But this whip strike was wildly inaccurate.

The white wolf didn't even flinch before the vine whip swept past its head, striking the iron cage and making it rattle loudly.

Zhao Laowu's face flushed red, and he lashed out with his whip again. This time, the whip was aimed at the white wolf, but his technique was ridiculously clumsy. The whip spun in the air, and the tip of the whip suddenly flicked, but it didn't hit the white wolf. Instead, with a "bang," it shattered a stone table in the courtyard into pieces, sending fragments flying everywhere.

Shen Gui's eye twitched slightly.

Whip-type magical weapons are inherently difficult to control, but Zhao Laowu's whip skills were simply appalling.

The evil cultivators I had encountered before, though ruthless and with mixed cultivation methods, were at least experienced in combat and ruthless in their methods.

I never expected there to be such cultivators in the Northern Frontier.

It seems that encountering ruthless evil cultivators twice in a row is a low-probability event.

Startled by the sound of the stone table shattering, the white wolf took several steps back, but did not let go of the spirit chicken in its mouth.

Its gaze swept quickly between Shen Gui and Zhao Laowu, seemingly assessing the situation.

Shen Gui noticed that when the white wolf retreated, the tattered cloth on its back swayed slightly, and the things inside made a faint sound.

Moreover, the white wolf was extremely careful in protecting the tattered cloth on its back. Even when retreating, it tried its best to keep its body stable so that the bundle on its back would not shake too much.

Shen Gui was puzzled.

Just then, the white wolf suddenly turned around, used all four limbs to propel itself away from the courtyard wall!

Its movements were swift; even though it was weak, it was still incredibly fast, leaping over the courtyard wall in a few bounds and disappearing into the night.

It still had the breeding chicken in its mouth.

"Chase!" Zhao Laowu jumped up and down in a panic, and took off after them.

Shen Gui's eyes narrowed slightly, and with a swift step, he followed after them.

He was much faster than Zhao Laowu, but he didn't rush to the front. Instead, he deliberately lagged behind by half a step, keeping his position alongside Zhao Laowu.

Although the white wolf escaped quickly, its breathing became increasingly erratic, clearly indicating that its old wounds had not healed and that the strenuous exercise had left it exhausted.

It followed a secluded mountain path, heading towards the border between Liaozhou and the boundless forest.

As Shen Gui chased after them, he secretly observed his surroundings.

The mountain path grew narrower and narrower, with dense forests and thorny thickets on both sides, making it extremely difficult to defend against if someone were to set up an ambush here.

He couldn't be at the forefront; he had to stay behind Zhao Laowu.

Zhao Laowu clearly saw through Shen Gui's intentions, but there was nothing he could do about it.

This is his family matter. Shen Gui's willingness to pursue him is already a favor. He can't expect Shen Gui to take the fall for him.

The two chased each other for about fifteen minutes before the white wolf disappeared into a hidden cave.

The entrance to the cave was small, about the height of a person, and was hidden by vines and bushes. If you didn't see the white wolf go inside, you would never have noticed that there was a cave there.

Shen Gui and Zhao Laowu stopped at the cave entrance.

The cave was pitch black, and its depth could not be seen.

"Fellow Daoist Shen, it... it's gone inside..." Old Zhao Wu gasped for breath, his hand holding the rattan whip trembling even more violently.

Shen Gui listened intently, but the cave was completely silent. There were no footsteps, no panting, as if the white wolf had disappeared after it went in.

He waited for a while, but there was still no movement.

Shen Gui turned to Zhao Laowu and said calmly, "Fellow Daoist Zhao, why don't you go in and take a look?"

Zhao Laowu's face turned pale, and he shook his head repeatedly, "I...I..."

"This is your family's business," Shen Gui said calmly. "I've already done more than enough by helping you track them down here."

Zhao Laowu gritted his teeth, knowing that Shen Gui was right, but he really didn't have the courage to go into that dark cave.

The two remained locked in a stalemate for a moment.

"Go take a look at the cave entrance, just one look," Shen Gui urged. "If everything's alright, then we'll go in."

Zhao Laowu swallowed hard, steeled himself, and crept closer to the cave entrance, peeking half his head out to peer inside.

Then, he froze.

He was completely still, even his breathing had stopped.

Shen Gui waited for a moment and saw that Zhao Laowu was still in the peek-out position, as if he had been frozen in place.

"Fellow Daoist Zhao?" Shen Gui frowned and called out softly.

Zhao Laowu did not react.

Shen Gui's heart tightened, and he quickly stepped forward, stopped at the cave entrance, and looked inside.

The cave was not large, about two or three zhang in diameter, with a layer of dry weeds and branches on the ground, which could barely be considered a nest.

Moonlight slanted in through the cave entrance, illuminating a corner of the cave.

The white wolf was lying on the grass nest, holding the breeding chicken in its mouth, but instead of eating it, it placed the chicken in front of a boy.

The boy was about seven or eight years old. He was naked and sitting cross-legged on a pile of straw, covered with the tattered cloth that had originally been tied to the white wolf's back.

His face was covered in blood as he hugged the breeding hen and devoured the raw chicken meat.

Upon seeing this, Shen Gui's pupils suddenly contracted.

The white wolf simply lay beside the boy, sticking out its tongue to gently lick the boy's hair, its deep green eyes filled with tenderness.

That look in his eyes wasn't like that of a wild beast, but more like that of a mother looking at her child.

Just then, Zhao Laowu suddenly turned around and ran away!

"Fellow Daoist Zhao?" Shen Gui frowned.

Zhao Laowu ignored him and staggered down the mountain, muttering to himself in a trembling voice:

"Yes...yes...Luo'er...yes...it's Luo'er..."