After the Immortal Disappeared

'That's a common beast-taming tool. What's it doing here?'

Then, Hee Lingchuan saw a strange creature appear on the courtyard wall.

It looked like a badger, a flying squirrel, and even a bit like a sea otter. It was the size of a house cat but had no fur. Its skin was gray with black spots, blending in well with its surroundings, and covered in thick folds.

Its tiny eyes glinted with red light, and it suddenly locked gazes with Hee Lingchuan.

The cold malice in those small eyes made his heart clench, and his right hand instinctively went to his blade.

The little monster tilted its head, turning to face Hee Lingchuan directly.

Just then, a dark brown figure plummeted from the sky, taking advantage of the distraction to pounce on the squirrel-like monster with lightning speed.

It was faster than an arrow shot from a bow.

The two creatures tangled together, tumbling off the wall.

They landed in Sunx Fuling's courtyard.

Hee Lingchuan simply jumped out his window and onto the wall to get a better look.

It turned out the figure that had swooped down was the Sparrowhawk. Hee Lingchuan had encountered it several times and had even worked with it in the Earth Cave Spider Nest. They were old acquaintances; he even knew how many spots were on its tail feathers.

The Sparrowhawk shrieked as it fought, tearing with its talons and pecking with its beak. To a less sharp eye, it was just two blurs colliding in a flurry of feathers.

But Hee Lingchuan could see clearly that the Sparrowhawk was losing!

The force of its aerial pounce would have been enough to kill a full-fledged Weasel Demon, yet this little monster seemed unfazed, its skin not even broken. It immediately snapped back to bite the Sparrowhawk.

Its movements were more agile than a Weasel Demon's as it specifically targeted the Sparrowhawk's legs and neck. The bird dodged twice, but the monster still managed to take a large bite out of its leg. Hee Lingchuan saw blood spurt from the wound.

The little monster went for its throat again. The Sparrowhawk blocked with a wing, only for the creature to furiously tear and bite at it, sending feathers flying everywhere.

In the blink of an eye, the Sparrowhawk's life was in danger.

The Sparrowhawk was also a soldier of the Panlong City Army; Hee Lingchuan wouldn't just stand by and watch. He grabbed a handful of ice and snow from the top of the wall, packed it into a ball, and hurled it.

The little monster jumped in surprise, turning its head just in time to see a flash of white.

Its small size was a disadvantage; each snowball completely obscured its vision.

Hee Lingchuan leaped to the ground, knocked the Sparrowhawk aside with the flat of his blade, drew a dagger with his left hand, and lunged at the little monster.

But the creature was outrageously agile. It darted away like a gust of wind, treating Hee Lingchuan's body like a parkour course. From its perspective, this large human must have seemed laughably clumsy.

CLANG! CLANG! Hee Lingchuan managed to block its attacks on his vital spots. His diligent practice of the "Swallow Returning" Body Technique was paying off, but more importantly, he had experience. Little Demons like this, who had maxed out their agility, often had low attack power, so they would always target an opponent's vitals—the throat, eyes, and heart.

At the same time, he took the opportunity to stuff something into his mouth and began to chew vigorously.

After missing a few times, the little monster made a clicking sound. Hee Lingchuan realized it was the sound of the creature gnashing its teeth in frustration.

Then it changed tactics and went for his stomach.

Hee Lingchuan wore Light Armor, but the creature's incisors were sharper than a rat's. With a few quick snaps, it bit through the leather. Then, its body abruptly shrank to the size of a rat, and it curled up to squeeze through the hole!

Hee Lingchuan was utterly horrified as a sharp pain immediately erupted from his abdomen—

This thing was trying to burrow a hole right into his stomach to get inside and devour his organs!

Judging by how quickly it had chewed through his leather armor, it would only take a few moments to tear through his guts.

Hee Lingchuan wasn't afraid of dying in the dreamscape, but not like this. It was too humiliating a way to go.

In an instant, only the bare tip of the monster's tail was left sticking out. With no time to think, Hee Lingchuan grabbed it and yanked.

SNAP! The monster's tail broke off.

Like a lizard, the creature could detach its tail to escape danger.

But he had managed to pull it out a short distance. With quick reflexes, Hee Lingchuan spat out the substance he'd been chewing, sticking it directly onto the little monster before slapping it away with his palm.

'Getting it off my body was the right move. I can't let it start drilling a hole somewhere else.'

He had used considerable force, but the little monster simply landed, rolled twice, and got back up, completely unharmed and ready to attack again.

But after taking a few steps, it realized something was wrong:

Its limbs and belly were stuck together, making movement clumsy and difficult.

It looked down to see its body covered in a large, milky-white, gelatinous glob. It tried to push it off with a paw, but its paw just got stuck, too, unable to pull free.

The little monster went into a frenzy, gnawing wildly at the sticky white mass.

But it was no use. It only succeeded in getting its mouth stuck shut.

Within moments, it collapsed, completely immobilized and covered in the milky-white adhesive.

The more it struggled, the more hopeless its situation became.

The Sparrowhawk, resting off to the side, asked, "What is that thing?"

"Some kind of Demon?" Hee Lingchuan wasn't sure. The thing was just too hideous.

"What did you use on it?"

"Bird-Catching Glue," Hee Lingchuan said with a grin.

"..." Being a bird, the Sparrowhawk instinctively recoiled.

"Don't let its name fool you. It's great for catching wild boars, deer, and even Little Demons, as long as it doesn't get wet." This was a trick Willow had taught him, exceptionally useful for foraging in the wild. "Hunters supposedly use a certain tree sap as a base to create a powerful Bird-Catching Glue. It's solid at room temperature, making it easy to carry, and it only melts and becomes active with heat. That's why you have to chew it first."

"But you don't have to worry about it sticking to your mouth, since it loses its adhesiveness in water."

But the little monster on the ground seemed to understand human speech. Hearing the word "water," it began to drag itself through the snow.

'The glue is neutralized by water, and melted snow is just water, isn't it?'

Hee Lingchuan was startled. He quickly ran into the kitchen, grabbed a straw basket, and scooped the creature up.

The monster snarled at him, but it was completely immobilized.

As he got closer, Hee Lingchuan caught a salty, damp, and fishy odor coming from it. It was a bit like a sea breeze, and a bit like...

'Some kind of secretion?'

He took out his dagger and casually slashed at the monster.

Its skin looked thin, but to his surprise, the blade didn't even break it. The dagger skidded off as if sliding across tough, pliable leather.

'This feels familiar,' Hee Lingchuan thought with a frown. He gripped the dagger and stabbed again, putting more force into it.

Still no luck.

The monster's skin indented under the point of the blade, but it refused to break.

"Interesting." This time, he drew the Floating Life Blade.

"SQUEAK! SQUEAK! SQUEAK!" The little monster shrieked in pain. A bloody gash had been opened on its back, and pale green blood trickled out.

"Just as I thought. You're one of the wanted ones." The Floating Life Blade had not disappointed him.

'Who knows how many more of these monsters are lurking throughout Panlong City?' he thought. 'They possess either incredible strength or superhuman speed, and they're all highly destructive. They're even resistant to blades. How are ordinary soldiers and citizens supposed to fight them?'

And he knew they ate people.

As he was examining the monster, he heard hurried footsteps approaching from outside.

Hee Lingchuan opened the courtyard gate just as a Patrol Guard rushed up, looking around anxiously.

"Looking for something?" Hee Lingchuan asked, flashing his own Patrol Guard token.

"We just received a distress signal," the man said, his face etched with worry. "It seems there are monsters active in this area."

Hee Lingchuan brought the straw basket out from behind him. "It was this thing."

The Patrol Guard peered into the basket, saw the monster, and jumped. "Right, it must be these damn things! I heard a fight. Is anyone hurt?"

"Yes." Hee Lingchuan glanced back. The Sparrowhawk was perched on the back of a chair in Sunx Fuling's yard, resting with its eyes closed.

The Patrol Guard saw it too. "I can take it back for medical treatment."

Hearing this, the Sparrowhawk flapped its wings and flew unsteadily up to the roof.

"..."

"Never mind, I'll take care of it." Hee Lingchuan stepped out and closed the gate. The Patrol Guard stared, confused. "Where are you going?"

"To turn this thing in for military merit," Hee Lingchuan said, shaking the basket. "The higher-ups seem to be tearing their hair out trying to catch these things." 'So the reward should be generous, right?'

The Patrol Guard said, "I'm heading back to report now. I can take it for you."

"Oh, I couldn't ask you to do that." Hee Lingchuan hesitated. "You'd turn it in for my merit?"

"No problem." The Patrol Guard showed his own token, which was clearly marked with his name. "Just give me your name and serial number."

The military register was organized by a numbering system, so each person had a serial number to make them easy to find.

After giving his information, Hee Lingchuan handed over the basket. "Thank you for the trouble."

"You're welcome." The Patrol Guard nodded, took the basket, and left.

Hee Lingchuan watched his back disappear around the corner, feeling as though he'd forgotten something important, but he couldn't quite place it.

Just then, he heard the flapping of wings behind him. He turned to see the Sparrowhawk try to fly down from the roof, only to crash halfway.

Luckily, the snow on the ground was thick.

He went back, picked it up, and in two leaps was back at his own home, heading inside to treat its wounds.

Despite the monster's small size and mouth, it had done serious damage. A large chunk of flesh was torn from the Sparrowhawk's leg. The wing it had used to protect its throat was shredded, with several flight feathers missing, and the bone was severely fractured. The little monster's attack had clearly packed a powerful punch.

"With injuries like these, you won't be flying for at least two months," Hee Lingchuan said, scratching his head. "First, let's set the wing. Once it's in place, don't move. I'll have to find Aluo to get you some medicine."

A few months ago, he'd been a novice who would just stare blankly at a roll of gauze. Now, he was practically a master at treating sprains and fractures.

The old saying 'a long illness makes a good doctor' was certainly true.

As he treated the bird, Hee Lingchuan asked, "Why were you chasing that thing?"

"These monsters have been running rampant lately, claiming over a dozen lives and stirring up unrest in Panlong City. In addition to the Patrol Guards, the city also issued a Wanted Command," the Sparrowhawk explained sullenly. "I can fly high and see far, so I was assigned to patrol from the sky."

Hee Lingchuan understood the citizens' mindset. Panlong City had always prided itself on being "safe" and "efficient," a model of urban governance. For so many civilians to die suddenly, with the killer still at large, would naturally lead to public dissatisfaction and immense pressure on the officials.

"So how many of these monsters have been caught in total?"

"Including the one today, that makes five."