The Phantom Realm

Tu Ran had no idea what was happening with Fatty.

There was no signal in the Threshold, so she couldn't have planted a listening device on it either.

The longer she waited, the more her worry grew.

Would Fatty betray her?

Just as she was debating whether to switch hiding spots, she heard footsteps in the distance.

And the murmur of conversation.

The sound drew closer—not just two sets of footsteps, but more.

Tu Ran held her breath and peered toward the noise.

Then she saw a flock of pheasants waddling toward her, with Fatty conspicuously at the front.

Beside it walked a Danghu bird with red feathers on its head, strutting with an air of authority—clearly the leader of the Danghu tribe.

Why had it brought so many? They had agreed it would come alone. Was this leader too cautious to meet her by himself?

"Where's that two-legged beast you said had special abilities?" the red-feathered leader demanded.

Fatty pretended to look around.

In truth, it already knew Tu Ran was hiding in the tree.

"Hey, I left her right around here. Could she have been taken by another race?" Fatty looked anxious and restless.

It then grabbed the red-feathered leader's wing. "Leader, why don't we send our men out to search for her? She really does have special abilities!"

Fatty was trying her best to get the other Danghu birds to leave.

The red-feathered leader was cautious. "We'll go together. Everyone stays together."

Fatty: It had tried its best.

Tu Ran wasn't counting on it either.

She might as well test whether she could summon the hallucinogenic mushroom.

Tu Ran dragged her finger across a sharp blade, and a few drops of bright red blood welled up.

She dripped the blood onto a branch.

The blood was absorbed instantly. Then, a purple-pink mushroom sprouted from the brownish-gray branch, growing at an astonishing speed, taking shape in three seconds.

It actually worked. Tu Ran felt a flicker of joy.

She crouched behind the layered branches, staring at the leader with the tuft of red feathers through the gaps.

In her mind, she chanted: Follow what I say.

The red-feathered leader below suddenly seemed to lose its soul, completely under Tu Ran's control.

"Except for Fatty, everyone scatter and search for the two-legged human. No one is allowed to return without my command."

"Chirp chirp chirp chirp chirp chirp chirp chirp chirp chirp chirp chirp chirp."

The red-feathered leader issued the command.

All the Danghu birds scattered without hesitation, leaving only it and Fatty in place.

Fatty stared with its big round eyes, looking foolishly up at the Danghu leader who stood half a head taller.

"Leader, is there something you wanted to tell me by keeping me here?"

It had no idea the leader was already under Tu Ran's control.

Tu Ran sat on the branch, mentally commanding: Take out the inner core from your body and hand it to the fatty beside you.

The red-feathered leader immediately stuck the tip of its wing into its mouth, hooked its throat, and dry-heaved.

Tu Ran couldn't believe the method of extracting the inner core this time was so crude again.

It retched for a long time but nothing came up.

Fatty looked up at Tu Ran from under the tree. "Boss, boss, why does it keep sticking its wing down its throat?"

"It's trying to take out its inner core," Tu Ran said flatly.

Fatty rolled its eyes, puzzled. "But the leader's inner core is at the back of its neck. What's the use of hooking its throat? It's not in its stomach."

Tu Ran raised an eyebrow. "How do you know where it is? Isn't the location of the inner core different for every creature?"

"The leader told me. It said its inner core is at the back of its neck."

"Then why is it hooking its throat?"

"Maybe... the leader thinks that hooking its throat will pull the inner core out from the back of its neck," Fatty guessed.

"There's not a single smart one in your Danghu tribe."

Fatty: "..." How was it not smart? It was obviously very smart.

Tu Ran tossed a dagger down from above.

In her mind, she commanded: Dig the inner core out from the back of the neck.

The red-feathered leader bent down to pick up the dagger and did as it was told.

The dagger pierced into the thick fur at the back of its neck, and blood instantly dyed its entire coat red.

It felt no pain.

Numbly and blankly, it stirred the dagger around until it finally found the inner core.

The glittering bead was lifted out on the tip of the blade. It stood there motionless, waiting for the next command.

Fatty beside it was already scared stiff.

Watching the blood constantly flowing from the leader, it trembled, its mind blank.

Tu Ran commanded its next move: Hand the inner core and the dagger to the fatty beside you.

The red-feathered leader obeyed, looking at Fatty and walking toward it step by step.

Fatty was unnerved by its lifeless stare and instinctively wanted to back away.

"Don't run. Take the inner core and the dagger," Tu Ran called from above.

Fatty braced itself and did as told.

Though it didn't know why the leader was doing this, it vaguely realized that the appearance of the hallucinogenic mushroom yesterday was no accident.

Tu Ran took a recovery agent from her bag and tossed it at Fatty's feet.

"Inject this into it," Tu Ran directed.

She was worried that too far from the hallucinogenic mushroom, the hypnotic ability would fade. To be safe, she had to handle everything before coming down.

Fatty followed her instructions and injected the liquid into the leader's body.

"What's this for?" Fatty asked casually.

"It helps the wound heal quickly."

Fatty: "Boss, you plan to let it live?"

Tu Ran raised an eyebrow. "What, you want me to finish it off?"

Fatty quickly shook its head. "No, no. Fatty just thought you'd take its inner core and not care whether it lived or died. I didn't expect the boss to be so kind-hearted."

Tu Ran: "..."

"Hah, don't flatter me. I just don't want to wake up in the middle of the night with a guilty conscience."

Fatty: "... But without its inner core, the leader will die sooner or later anyway."

Tu Ran was taken aback. "That Henggong fish was fine, wasn't it? It gave me its inner core so readily."

"That's because where the inner core is kept is different, and the damage when it's taken out is different too," Fatty said. "The Henggong fish's inner core is in its belly—pulling it out or spitting it out does no harm. But the leader's inner core is in the bone at the back of its neck. Once it's taken out, it won't live much longer."

Tu Ran thought of the hook snake.

"Then how much longer can it live?" Tu Ran asked.

"Depends. A day or two at most," Fatty said.

There was still time, then.

Tu Ran immediately chanted in her mind: Forget everything that just happened. All you need to remember is that a Paoxiao attacked you, dug out your inner core, and ate the fatty who stayed behind to protect you.

"Got it?" Tu Ran spoke aloud.

Fatty looked confused. "Got what?"

The red-feathered leader nodded. "Got it."

"Huh?" Fatty was so shocked its jaw nearly dropped.

What was going on? Was it deaf?

"Say it again. What just happened?" Tu Ran checked the result.

"I encountered a Paoxiao. It ambushed me, dug out my inner core, and ate the fatty who protected me."

Perfect!