Clang. Horns knocked together with teeth like a clash of metal.
A huge boom rocked the cave.
The mouse monster pushed Li Qingshan back and crashed him on the stony wall. Li Qingshan’s two feet plowed two deep trails on the ground. The strength he was most proud of was unexpectedly not a match at all for the mouse monster. Monsters with an inner core and monsters without were two entirely different things. His heart abruptly banged in ominous warning. He saw a cunning light shine inside the mouse monster’s eyes, then another earth spike pierced from the rocky wall behind his back while he was unable able to move an iota.
Little An held his sword in both hands and slashed it down instantly at the mouse monster’s neck. A long mouse tail swept him like a steel whip and sent him flying away.
Halfmoon acted once again, releasing four sharp rays from the tips of her claws. Fear floated inside the mouse monster’s eyes. The sharp rays easily ripped open that layer of monster qi protecting the mouse monster. The previously irresistible mouse monster was cut open in many chunks and died on the spot.
No matter how powerful and intrepid it’d seemed to be, it was unable to stop even one hit all the same when meeting a monster level general monster like Halfmoon who’d gone through one heavenly tribulation.
Li Qingshan kicked off the mouse monster’s corpse. The monster core inside his hand wasn’t vibrating anymore. He groped behind him. There was already a bulge on the stone wall. He’d have been heavily injured just a fraction later, if not dead.
“Too dumb!” evaluated Halfmoon.
“Would I have come to this place to begin with if not because of you?” Li Qingshan hadn’t even cultivated half a year even adding it all together, while that mouse monster’s life had exceeded a hundred years at the lowest. How could it be so easy for the weak to defeat the strong when there was an absolute disparity in strength.
Halfmoon was about to speak but she suddenly seemed to feel something and her expression changed at once. “Hurry up, we have to leave this place!”
Li Qingshan hadn’t sensed anything, but he immediately carried Little An then turned around and walked away when he saw her with such a grave face.
A burst of tremors rocked through the cave. The originally several dozen feet wide cave mouth seemed to come alive as it bit down and closed off, thoroughly sealing the cave. Not even a thread of light could shine inside.
Halfmoon said in a quiet voice, “Restrict your monster qi.” Then she once again concealed her body.
Li Qingshan suppressed his monster qi down then bent his ears and listened. Noises once again came from the depths of the cave.
A big mouse drilled out, actually standing on its two feet. It didn’t even look at Li Qingshan but yelled at the top of its lungs in a strange tone, “The Great Mouse King has arrived!”
Li Qingshan opened his eyes and mouth wide as he stood dumbstruck. He wasn’t only surprised that a mouse could speak, he was even more surprised a group of monsters would actually put on such ostentatious airs.
Sixteen mice standing like men walked out from the depths of the cave shortly after, carrying a throne on a great sedan chair.
A big fatty sat on the sedan chair; it even wore a glittering royal crown on its head, just the same as a king. It had shifty brows and ratty eyes on its face, exposing long mouse teeth, and even dragged a mouse tail behind it.
Two female mice, possibly maids, lifted two great fans behind him.
Halfmoon grinned from ear to ear when she saw, but Li Qingshan couldn’t squeeze a smile out. Those who’d already changed into a humanoid shape were at least monster general level monsters. As to the mice monsters carrying the sedan chair, the monster qi radiating from them was even above that of the big mouse from earlier.
The Great Mouse King lazily said, “Who broke into my Black Rat Mountain and killed my Great White Teeth general!” It completely ignored the more than ten feet tall Li Qingshan standing in front of him. It not for a voice too shrill, it would truly have some of a king’s manners.
That mouse who was probably an eunuch yelled, “Great King, it’s this guy!” The crowd of mice spoke in one voice, “The Great King is wise.”
The Great Mouse King sized Li Qingshan from head to toes as if it’d only noticed Li Qingshan just now. “What kind of monster are you?” He felt fear inside when he saw Li Qingshan had transformed into a humanoid appearance. Only monster generals having gone through one heavenly tribulation would be able to do so usually.
But he couldn’t feel the slightest bit of monster qi from Li Qingshan, so he couldn’t help but become increasingly prudent. The mouse monster’s body cut into several parts on the ground also seemed to bear witness.
Li Qingshan keenly discovered the changes in the expression on the Great Mouse King’s face. He suddenly understood why Halfmoon had made him restrain his monster qi and couldn’t help but admire the sharpness of her mind. He said unafraid, “I be the Black Mountain Old Monster. This Great White Teeth general of yours was really too reckless and actually dared to sneak on me. I’ve already killed him. Now you’re blocking the way, do you also want to decide life and death in a battle with me?” So said he even went a step forward.
One couldn’t but admit this monster body of Li Qingshan’s was exceedingly formidable, with bull horns as spears and sharp claws as blades.
The Great Mouse King shrank back a little, worthy of the famous shyness of a mouse. It would definitely have pounced on Li Qingshan and gnawed him clean it he had been an ordinary monster, but it suspected Li Qingshan of being a monster general and had immediately shrunk back. It didn’t even have any thought about taking revenge for his subordinate. “Misunderstanding, misunderstanding! May I know which monster marshal are your honorable self under?”
Li Qingshan hadn’t known that the hierarchy was also so strict in the world of monsters and he still had to mix with a “big brother.” Halfmoon quietly p.r.o.nounced a name against Li Qingshan’s ear.
Li Qingshan immediately said, “I am a subordinate of Lord Ink Feather 1. He personally sent me to the Boundless Mountains to handle something.”
The Great Mouse King fell into great awe. It even jumped down from its throne. “So it turns out you came from the Ink Sea and are lord Ink Feather’s messenger. Could it be about that cat demon still?”
Li Qingshan stiffened for a second inside, but he nodded outwardly. “Precisely!”
The Great Mouse King said, “Haven’t things been made clear already? We’ll certainly catch that cat monster as long as we see her, we’ll definitely not disappoint lord Ink Feather.” It thought, no wonder he sent out this person. Being able to conceal his monster qi was indeed suitable for tracking and pursuit.
The corners of Li Qingshan’s eyes twitched. No wonder Halfmoon had been so cautious even in the depths of the mountains and had maintained her Moon Concealment at all times. It turned out that not only humans but even monsters and demons were investigating the traces of her presence. She indeed had no foothold inside this Verdant province. The degree of this present task’s dangers far exceeded what he’d originally imagined.
There would be a messy battle if she were to appear at this moment, and it would alert every monster in these Boundless Mountains even if she were to win. They would come together to seize her and make this whole flight end in utter failure.
Li Qingshan became increasingly careful inside. He said some casual perfunctory words: “This turns out to be a conflict between people on the same side. However you’re a mouse and she’s a cat, aren’t you afraid you’ll be eaten.”
Halfmoon’s hand severely pinched Li Qingshan’s back. Am I going to eat these dirty things!
The Great Mouse King faced that eunuch mouse in charge of heralding duties, “You say, what’s this great king’s t.i.tle?”
The eunuch mouse said, “Cat-Eating Mouse!” The crowd of mice said, “The Great King is wise!”
Halfmoon gnashed her teeth in rancor. Her fingers circled a full turn as they pinched Li Qingshan’s skin on his back.
The Great Demon King proudly laughed out loud. He said when he saw Li Qingshan’s face twitch, “Is something wrong?”
Li Qingshan gnashed his teeth and said, “There’s nothing wrong! You stay on your guard. I still have things waiting for me, I’ll leave first.”
The Great Mouse King waved its hand. The cave restored its original state and daylight came back inside.
Li Qingshan turned around and walked away. The Great Mouse King twirled its mouse whiskers under its nose. “I feel there’s something fishy. This here is my Black Mouse Mountain, normally I should be the one called Black Mountain Old Monster.”
The crowd of mice said, “The Great King is wise!”
Li Qingshan left Black Mouse Mountain and traveled for several dozen miles.
Halfmoon said, “Sooner or later I’ll put all these wretched mice to the pan and deep-fry them.”
Li Qingshan said, “You get down from me!”
1. nk Feather is Mo Yu, the one mentioned by Gu Yanying in chapter 92. I changed my mind and decided to translate his name.