Chapter Ninety-Five: Hoofprints
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This subterranean world was exceedingly strange.
At times, it twisted into a long corridor; at others, it opened into something resembling an underground valley with sheer cliffs, or descended into unfathomable chasms, pitch black and utterly silent. From above, massive root-like tendrils extended downward, bristling and fuzzy.
The air was thick with the scent of blood, growing ever more intense. Occasionally, a chill wind swept through the underground.
Fang Junmei spread his spiritual sense, a gleam flickering furtively in his eyes.
He could not tell how much time had passed before his steps suddenly halted.
At that moment, he stood at the entrance to a broad corridor. The mud walls on either side were peculiarly smooth, and a long black streak appeared on the left wall.
Though it was jet-black, Fang Junmei—hardened by the carnage of the mortal world—instantly recognized it as dried blood, its hue darkened with age.
His gaze dipped lower; two sets of footprints, one ahead of the other, were stamped clearly into the soft earth.
Hoof prints!
A bright light flashed in Fang Junmei’s eyes.
“These are the prints of an adult horse. Senior Brother was right—there truly is such a creature. It seems it has grown up... But why is the air so saturated with the smell of blood? Could it be a bloodthirsty beast?”
Fang Junmei pondered.
Judging by the remnants of blood, it could not have been more than a few years; otherwise, it would have weathered away—perhaps it was even more recent.
He listened intently, but not a sound reached his ears.
After examining the area closely and finding no further clues, Fang Junmei, ever vigilant, pressed onward.
...
This segment of corridor spanned three or four hundred yards. At its end, a vast open space unfolded before Fang Junmei’s eyes.
Though darkness veiled the way ahead, his vision—now far keener than in his mortal days—could still discern the blurred outlines in the distance.
This underground space was irregular, neither square nor round, as if forcibly carved out as a temporary haven. Protruding from the ground were branch-like objects.
With his spiritual sense, Fang Junmei saw that these were no branches, but heaps of bones in various shapes and sizes. Some as large as several oxen, others at least the size of sheep or dogs. The flesh had long since vanished from the bones; some had even yellowed or blackened with age.
A chill gripped Fang Junmei’s heart. He knew he had reached his destination, yet it was difficult to imagine—a horse that forsook grass to gorge itself on flesh and blood. What a macabre and bizarre spectacle that must be.
His caution heightened, Fang Junmei searched the vast space ahead.
Though the chamber was large, it had to be thoroughly searched. After a circuit, he found not a single living creature.
Fang Junmei was perplexed.
“Could it be that this creature has gone out hunting and has not yet returned?”
It was the only reasonable explanation.
After pondering for a while and searching other directions to no avail, several hours passed with no further discoveries.
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At this point, the only thing Fang Junmei could do was wait for the horse, gone in search of food, to return.
He hollowed out a cave not far from the vast chamber and concealed himself within, settling in to wait.
...
Days slipped by, and this wait stretched into more than half a year.
By rights, even if the horse went out to hunt, it should not have ventured far. Though the Bloodstone Forest was devoid of monsters, the nearby areas still harbored them—not to mention the horse’s ability to leap through space. Half a year should have been more than enough time to return.
That left only one possibility: the horse must have encountered trouble during its hunt.
“This creature... could it have provoked something it shouldn’t have?”
One day, Fang Junmei frowned and murmured to himself.
His journey to the Bloodstone Forest had been uneventful—he had thought himself fortunate. Little did he expect that true misfortune was only beginning.
Aside from praying that the horse had not perished, what clues could he now pursue?
His head began to ache.
After brooding for a while, Fang Junmei called upon his Cloud Riding Technique and set out for the surface, finally deciding not to wait any longer.
Upon emerging, the Bloodstone Forest was unchanged—no monsters, no sign of life.
Fang Junmei chose a direction at random and began his search. According to the horse’s habits, it would eat monsters from near to far; as long as he searched the perimeter of the Bloodstone Forest, he should soon discover some clues.
...
Heading away from the Bloodstone Forest, he soon encountered scattered monsters, though all of them were weak.
Two months passed before Fang Junmei finally discovered traces of several formidable beasts—creatures known as Golden Mink, most of them at the Dust Stage.
“There may be even greater beasts deeper within the caves, but I must get closer for my spiritual sense to determine whether the horse’s traces are there.”
From thousands of yards away, Fang Junmei watched the Golden Mink frolicking at the cave entrance and mused inwardly. After a moment’s thought, he smiled faintly and took out the Burrowing Shuttle gifted to him by Daoist Cuotuo.
“Go!”
Fang Junmei gripped the Burrowing Shuttle and intoned softly, channeling his magic into the artifact.
Buzz!
The Burrowing Shuttle emitted a resonant hum, its light flaring and expanding instantly to envelop Fang Junmei.
With a shift of his mind, he directed the shuttle downward. A powerful force surged forth, carrying Fang Junmei deep underground.
Light and shadow whirled outside.
Fang Junmei’s body tunneled through the subterranean world, the earth before him swept aside by the shuttle’s power, carving a passage.
Though he had practiced with the Burrowing Shuttle several times before, the sensation of unhindered movement beneath the earth was as exhilarating as flying through the clouds.
Remembering his task, Fang Junmei turned toward the Golden Mink’s cavern.
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...
Above ground, the Golden Mink were quick to react. In moments, they sensed Fang Junmei’s presence. The beasts stared blankly toward the earth below, then erupted in furious roars, retreating deeper into their den.
Deep within the cavern, there were indeed larger creatures—not one, but two.
Judging by their massive forms—each two or three yards long—their power was formidable. The pair lay side by side, sleeping in apparent affection.
First disturbed by the younger minks’ angry cries, they soon detected the rapid approach of an underground presence.
Roar! Roar!
Awakened, the two giants moved toward the source of the disturbance. Even at a distance, they opened their jaws and spat streams of golden light into the depths.
Underground, Fang Junmei sped closer, sweeping his spiritual sense across every presence in the cave.
Sensing the incoming beams, he deftly maneuvered the Burrowing Shuttle, dodging nimbly—none of the attacks touched him.
And though the cave held many bones, none were equine.
Realizing he was not in the right place, Fang Junmei turned away from the Golden Mink’s lair.
Whoosh!
Soon enough, a gust of wind carried him out of the earth.
Once back above ground, Fang Junmei swiftly stowed the Burrowing Shuttle, switching to the Rainbow Transformation technique and soared into the sky.
Roar, roar—
Below, the two giants and their offspring bellowed in rage, spraying golden light wildly, but lacking the power to take flight—they could only watch helplessly as Fang Junmei escaped.
He laughed heartily.
...
With this experience, Fang Junmei searched with greater ease. Whether it was the nest of the Shadow Hawk or the lair of the Azure Python, with the Burrowing Shuttle’s aid, every time Fang Junmei managed to slip away unharmed.
In the wilderness, the frustrated roars of beasts echoed frequently.
To track the horse’s trail, Fang Junmei became a veritable troublemaker, stirring up chaos wherever he went.
Yet his goal remained unfulfilled; he found not a single clue about the horse, though he did gather some spiritual herbs along the way—whether the elder Chunyu Qian would value them was another matter.
As his search expanded further and further, one day Fang Junmei arrived at a mortal village.
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