Shennong Dao Master
Chapter 67: Delicious Addiction, Mountain Cat Leaves the Nest

Chapter 67: Chapter 67: Delicious Addiction, Mountain Cat Leaves the Nest

Now it was the second morning of climbing Spirit Mountain to gather Spiritual Beauty, and Zhao Xing was in no hurry to go to the Mountain God Temple.

While keeping an eye on the cave, he gathered materials from the surrounding area, preparing for his stratagem of luring the tiger away from its mountain.

If the beast in the cave went out to hunt for food, that would be perfect; he could seize the opportunity to sneak in and make a run for it.

If it didn’t come out, then he would have to lure it out.

Luckily, his Grass and Trees are Soldiers Skill had already reached the fourth level, and while there might not be many other materials on the mountain, there were plenty of vines and willow branches, no shortage of materials for creating a Grassman.

Zhao Xing had decided not to use the Vigorous Vajra; Vajra Bamboo was difficult to replenish in a short time.

Facing a strange beast, he was unable to overpower it with force, so what Zhao Xing needed to replenish now was the "Divine Movement Grassman."

"Go get some stones for me."

Zhao Xing ordered the Entwining Grassman.

"Go catch some wild rabbits, mountain mice, and wild boars for me."

Zhao Xing then gave an order to the Vigorous Vajra.

Swish swish swish~

The Grassmen began to carry out their orders.

Following that, Zhao Xing retreated further away from the cave entrance.

He found a spot with suitable soil.

From the bamboo box, he took out two types of seedlings.

The bamboo box was given to him by Xue Wenzhong and Chen Shijie two days before entering the mountain, and Zhao Xing had spent some time cultivating some of the seeds into seedlings.

Now that there was a need, he could immediately take them out for use.

"If this strange beast eats meat, then I’ll bring some meat over."

"If it’s a herbivore, these Vine Fragrance Berries and passion flowers should be able to attract its attention."

Both types of plants were of the Second Order Lower Grade.

The main effect of Vine Fragrance Berries and passion flowers was simple: they were deliciously addictive!

For herbivorous strange beasts, they had considerable attraction.

Looking at the animal bones inside the cave, Zhao Xing felt it was more likely that the creature was carnivorous; however, Vine Fragrance Berries and passion flowers also had some effect on carnivorous beasts, just to a lesser extent.

"Bring rain!"

Zhao Xing’s spell had reached the ninth turn, and after breaking through to the Sixth Rank of Gathering Essence, his control had greatly increased.

Now his cloud formation was as large as a bed, and he could control its height to stay relatively low. The condensed Mana didn’t scatter, so it wouldn’t make any noise.

"Bring rain!"

Pitter-patter~

The rain began to water the seedlings.

"Grow strong and healthy!"

With his maxed-out spell’s encouragement, the seedlings began to change.

Since Spirit Mountain had abundant Earth Power, Zhao Xing did not use the Earth Vein Comprehensive Element. Both plants had short growth cycles, so once they entered the growth phase, he could simply use the spell for rapid growth without wasting Mana on the Earth Vein Comprehensive Element.

An hour later, the Vine Fragrance Berries and passion flowers had entered their growth phase.

Zhao Xing opened his eyes and began to cast his spell.

"Barbaric growth!"

The two plants began to grow at a rate visible to the naked eye. Soon, the Vine Fragrance Berries blossomed and bore fruit, releasing a faint fragrance.

"Wind rise!"

Zhao Xing gathered a ring of wind around him to control the fragrance and prevent it from spreading, lest it attract other wild animals.

After completing all this, he quietly waited for the two plants to mature.

He also kept a close watch on any movement at the cave entrance.

"I hope this strange beast is hungry and goes out on its own to find something to eat," Zhao Xing prayed quietly.

If so, that would be best; he wouldn’t need to waste Grassmen or time.

Time slowly passed.

Approaching noon, the passion flowers had already matured, and the berries had produced a second batch; still, there was no movement inside the cave.

"What kind of exotic beast is so lazy that it sleeps till noon?" Zhao Xing grumbled, "Could it be that it hunts at night and sleeps during the day?"

Nevertheless, Zhao Xing still waited patiently.

"As long as I get to the Mountain God Temple before midnight, it’s fine."

"If I get a harvest today, I can compete for the first tribute."

"If the harvest isn’t great, I’ll aim for the top ten tributes."

Every Spirit Mountain has a Mountain God Temple, and when you ascend the mountain to collect Spiritual Beauty, everything is uncertain.

Where is the Spiritual Beauty? How do you collect it? Everything is unknown.

Just searching blindly, relying on luck, I’m afraid there are very few who could find anything.

Even if you find the place, you might not be able to collect it.

Take, for instance, the expert riding the bamboo horse - Zhao Xing had seen him hopping around the mountain stream for most of the day.

And like now, the Spiritual Beauty in the cave is guarded by an exotic beast.

To ensure a harvest, the first thing climbers need to do is to offer tributes at the Mountain God Temple.

Every day, after midnight, the True Monarch in the temple will reveal himself and inform the climbers where to find the Spiritual Beauty and how to collect it.

The first tribute has the best result, with the greatest possibility of obtaining Spiritual Beauty.

The effects reduce with each subsequent tribute, and you will also face the True Monarch’s trials.

On the first night, Zhao Xing did not compete for the tributes.

On the second night, he had planned to participate.

But now, with a long time till midnight, and only just after noon, he wasn’t in a hurry.

.....

"How long does this senior intend to keep us here? Don’t tell me we have to stay here as long as he doesn’t leave?" Fang Jie muttered quietly.

"Are you scared?" Zhou Gang asked.

"Scared!" Fang Jie answered honestly. "That senior is very powerful, able to escape from the jaws of an exotic beast. You and I might not be so lucky. If we continue to stay here..."

Zhou Gang thought about it and agreed, nodding, "I’ll go ask."

But no sooner had he stood up than he heard the Grassman beside him turn and walk away. At the same time, a voice carried on the wind: "There’s going to be quite a commotion next, you both can leave on your own. If fate allows it, we’ll meet in front of the temple tonight."

"Thank you, Senior!" Zhou Gang and Fang Jie were overjoyed and left quickly.

....

As the time approached the Shen hour, the very patient Zhao Xing could no longer hold back.

He seriously suspected that the exotic beast hunted at night and slept during the day.

Continuing to wait would be a waste of time, so he started his plan to distract and lure the beast away.

First, he arranged two Divine Movement Grassmen into one group, and groups of two approached the cave. They took turns throwing stones, kidnapped small animals, and Vine Fragrance Berries into the cave.

There was no response when throwing stones, no response with small animals, either.

But when he threw the Vine Fragrance Berries, there was finally a reaction from within the cave.

A black shadow swiftly darted out, heading straight for the Grassman that threw the items.

It was still almost a blur, but Zhao Xing, from a distance, finally caught a glimpse of the exotic beast’s form.

"It’s actually... a Mountain Cat cub?"

The Mountain Cat was very small, totally inconsistent with the implied owner of the cave.

However, the plan was still underway.

The Divine Movement Grassmen didn’t get far before they were destroyed by the Mountain Cat.

After confirming that the berry affected it, Zhao Xing decisively ordered the second group of Grassmen, 100 meters away, to stand up and throw berries in the direction of the Mountain Cat.

"Whoosh~" As expected, the Mountain Cat charged at the second group of Grassmen. It wasn’t attacking people; it only touched the Grassmen to snatch the berries, and upon the slightest touch the Grassmen would crumble.

But that was okay, as soon enough, a third group of Grassmen stood up not far away to continue the distraction.

In a flash, the Mountain Cat had appeared three miles away.

Three miles was the limit of control for the Grassmen.

But Zhao Xing was not in a hurry. Along that path, he had transplanted passion flowers to form a line, leading it further away, with the ultimate goal of luring the Mountain Cat to the area where Vine Fragrance Berries were planted.

"About time, let’s do this!"