Chapter 362: Chapter 355: The Master’s Gamble, Determination is Most Important_1

“`

But when facing such an extremely dangerous expert, the more careful, the better.

It’s well said that caution brings a long life for a ship!

Whenever he acted, especially in risky situations, he was always careful and cautious.

Fourth had safely evacuated and returned to Qin Niu’s side.

The other Poisonous Ants scattered and fled, and he had not called them back to his side for the time being.

Because this old man was also a top-notch Insect Master, there was no guarantee that he wouldn’t use some means to track the Poisonous Ants that had stung him. And then by following the clues, he could find Qin Niu’s hiding place.

Time slipped by moment by moment.

The old man lay there motionless on the ground, his face slowly turning blue, and discoloration started to appear on the side of his face, resembling the beginning stages of livor mortis.

“Damn it, he looks like he’s been dead for a while! After all this fuss, I might have just scared myself?”

Even though Qin Niu thought this way, he still didn’t dare to make any noise.

He remained quietly lying in the dark, not moving an inch.

An hour passed in the blink of an eye, and the corpse of the old man lay on the ground without moving again.

It seemed the man was truly dead.

The body even appeared to have stiffened.

Qin Niu waited patiently. The toxicity of Fourth’s bites was very special, like strong liquor, with a lingering and potent aftereffect.

Initially, one might not feel much at the moment of the sting.

Only after some time would one begin to feel its power.

Qin Niu decided to wait patiently until dawn before leaving. He still needed to be wary in case the old man was playing possum.

As time passed little by little, the mountains were shrouded in silence.

The Demon Bird that had been pursuing the old man had long since vanished without a trace.

It was indeed somewhat disappointing that no ferocious beasts were near this mountain peak. Even a wild dog would have been good; dragging away the old man’s corpse or eating it on the spot could have been a fine method to force the old man to reveal his ruse.

Up to now, Qin Niu was unable to discern whether the old man was truly dead or feigning death.

Logically speaking, having been severely wounded by the Demon Bird, even if he had taken a Healing Elixir, he should have hurriedly fled the area.

Finding a safe place to heal would have been the correct decision.

Lying on the ground, playing dead to deceive Qin Niu into showing himself, had already taken over three hours. Dawn was approaching, and continuing the act wouldn’t have much meaning.

In a contest between masters, sometimes what is compared is that thread of patience.

Whoever shows their hand first, loses.

Another half an hour passed.

A sliver of dawn light appeared on the horizon, and a new day began.

Qin Niu, like a stubborn stone on the ground, lay there without moving.

His body was covered with fallen leaves and weeds.

“Li!”

From the highest peak not far away, a clear cry of the Demon Bird rang out.

The skirmish with a human of the Spirit Qi Realm the previous night seemed to it like an inconsequential minor affair.

How powerful it truly was, Qin Niu did not know.

He only knew that the terribly strong Elder of the Spirit Qi Realm could not even withstand a single move against it. Barely engaging in combat, the Elder was defeated and forced to flee, not only losing an arm but also sustaining severe injuries to his back and shoulder.

Such was the strength of the Demon Bird.

Now, Qin Niu had many beast companions, and with Green Ox for terrestrial travel, he was quite satisfied.

But he still lacked a flying mount.

If he could tame this Demon Bird and ride it to roam the world, how marvelous that would be!

With a Demon Bird as his mount, traveling from Shuangfeng Village to Black Tiger City would probably take no more time than a meal.

Just like when General Guan warmed the wine to behead Hua Xiong.

He returned with Hua Xiong’s head, and the wine was still warm.

Gradually, the sun showered its light upon the vast mountains.

But due to the abundance of tall trees in the mountains, the sunlight struggled to penetrate completely.

“`

Only a few rays of sunlight filtered through the gaps to shine on the low-lying vegetation in the mountain.

The ferns were tenacious, capable of photosynthesis with just a bit of light.

This was also the main reason why ferns in the deep mountains grew so well.

In addition to ferns, some parasitic plants and vines also thrived.

Just like humans, what exists is justified by its existence.

Some people don’t seem to work very hard, yet their annual income is extremely impressive. Others appear to be working very hard, but they can’t save even a small amount of money by the end of the year.

They simply grasp different societal rules.

Qin Niu really had the patience to endure—he remained hidden there, motionless.

Time was flying by.

It was summer at that point, and the mountains were swarming with mosquitoes and insects.

Qin Niu was hiding just beneath the soil surface, where insects were even more abundant.

Luckily, he was an Insect Master himself, with nearly thirty thousand Termite ants for protection; no insect could harm him.

Being undercover for such a long time without eating or drinking was a real test of one’s endurance.

Just last night, Qin Niu sent hundreds of Termite ants to sting the old man’s ‘corpse’. If the latter was feigning death, he would definitely know that Qin Niu was nearby.

When it came to a war of attrition, Qin Niu was certain he could win out.

After all, the old man had lost an arm and was grievously injured; staying in this place for too long would be more than his body could withstand.

The effects of the Healing Elixir were good, but it couldn’t stave off hunger.

Nor could it replenish the essential nutrients the body needed.

Wang Wanyan had not returned the previous night.

Before heading out, Qin Niu had explained the basic situation to his wife, Wang Wanyan, but if he took too long to return, she might come looking for him in the mountains.

Fortunately, he was located in the true depths of the mountains, so it was unlikely that his wife would find her way there.

However, the longer the time dragged on, the more possible it became that his two wives and Xiao Qing, deeply concerned, might search for him everywhere in the mountains.

Just as Qin Niu was debating whether to take the risk and quietly leave the area, the old man’s body imperceptibly cracked open an eye.

Although it was a very slight movement, the Termite ants Qin Niu had placed nearby captured it clearly.

“Damn, he really was playing dead,” Qin Niu muttered. He had been suspecting whether the old man was truly dead.

Now, with the surveillance of the Termite ants, it was confirmed the old man was indeed alive.

Unnoticed, the sun started to tilt westward.

There were no seasons in the mountain wilderness.

Within the deep mountains, the passage of time was hard to perceive.

Now that Qin Niu knew the old man wasn’t dead, he naturally had to outlast him.

As he braced himself for a tough fight and settled in to wear the old man down, the ‘corpse’ suddenly turned over and sat up.

The old man’s body had initially been sprawled on the ground.

In a semi-prone position.

The wound on his back was clearly visible.

“Come out, come out to me!” the old man shouted as he sat up, holding his precious sword and hacking around like a madman.

His frenzied slashing didn’t find Qin Niu, but it did reveal his current true strength.

The sword in his hand was a good one, capable of unleashing Sword Qi.

It was only slightly weaker than Elder Jiu Yin’s sword, but it was already considered a very rare high-quality weapon.

Qin Niu noticed that the places the old man cut were essentially where the Dark Poison Ants had stung people, then quickly scurried away to hide.

Luckily, he had been cautious.

After letting the Termite ants sting the old man, he had them quickly flee, but he did not call them back to his side.

If he had recalled those Poisonous Ants then and there, his hiding place would have been exposed long ago.

In a struggle against a top-level Insect Master like the old man, every step was perilous; one misstep could lead to complete and utter ruin.