Versatile Mage c1-2021, page 570
Food was extremely important due to the limited space of human territories in the safe zone. The space available for crops-planting was limited. Tongxiang was a huge source of food. If the water stopped flowing, it would greatly hinder the production of food.
"That's right! I want them all to starve to death!" Yu Shishi said.
"You are seriously an incisive monster, unlike the ones that pretend to be kind and pure-hearted in the TV dramas," Mo Fan said.
Chapter 1240 - The Truth Behind the Waterway
Translated by XephiZ
Edited by Aelryinth
Mo Fan had no idea what to do with Yu Shishi. He did not have any other clues to follow, either. It was extremely annoying to roam about like a headless fly without any clue what he was looking for.
Luckily, Mo Fan was still able to remain calm considering the things he had gone through in the past. However, his students were extremely worried about the children that had fallen ill and the possibility that they were going to fail their mission.
"Just go back and rest. Waiting here isn't going to help much," Mo Fan told the students.
It was already late at night. The students went to get some rest. The City Hunters were obviously going to keep an eye on Yu Shishi, so it was unnecessary to worry too much about her.
Cao Qinqin quickly ran over to Mo Fan when he was about to leave the hospital. She pulled his arm and said, "Sir, sir, Bai Hongfei is awake!"
"Really?" Mo Fan was overjoyed.
He quickly went to the ward and discovered that Bai Hongfei was indeed awake. He seemed perfectly normal apart from the slightly pale expression.
"Sir, I'm sorry for making you worried," Bai Hongfei said with an apologetic look.
"It's fine as long as you're well. By the way, what did you see at Qinyi Lake?" Mo Fan asked.
"Lots of moths! They were scattered across the surface of the lake. It's the reason why the water has stopped flowing," Bai Hongfei said immediately.
"I see!" Mo Fan's eyes glittered.
The moths were stopping the water from flowing by staying on the surface. However, the moths would fly away when the students went to investigate the watercourse, thus everything looked perfectly normal to them.
"So it turns out that Yu Shishi is still responsible for it. We'll take turns to guard the water; that way, the Water Circulation Magic Formation should be able to operate as intended!" Mo Fan said.
"Yeah! We can finally report back after we're done with the job!"
"Mm, Bai Hongfei, well done!"
Bai Hongfei smiled, but his smile stiffened when he heard that Yu Shishi had been arrested.
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Mo Fan went to the mountain with the rest of the students to keep the water flowing so Dean Xiao's Water Circulation Magic Formation could operate normally.
Cao Qinqin did not go with them. She stayed at the hospital to take care of Bai Hongfei.
Bai Hongfei was unwilling to let Cao Qinqin stay up late just to look after him. He said, "You should go back and rest, I'm perfectly fine here."
"Sir asked me to keep an eye on you," Cao Qinqin said.
"I just fell asleep. There's nothing to worry about, really. To be honest, I don't think the moth woman is trying to harm me. Otherwise, she could have just left me in the wild to be eaten by the demon creatures, right?" Bai Hongfei said.
"Yeah, but everyone said that she's a man-eating monster," Cao Qinqin said.
"You should really go back and rest. I'm just going to meditate here. I know you haven't gotten any rest since last night, as you and sir were looking for me. Look at the dark circles under your eyes," Bai Hongfei said.
"Ah? Really? But...but sir asked me to keep an eye on you," Cao Qinqin said.
"It's going to be fine, go ahead. You can sleep in the next room too. You shouldn't be staying up all night," Bai Hongfei said.
"Alright."
---
After Cao Qinqin left, Bai Hongfei was preoccupied with thoughts of Yu Shishi.
Bai Hongfei made sure that Cao Qinqin had fallen asleep. He quickly changed and made his way to the town hall late at night.
The town hall was heavily guarded. Bai Hongfei revealed who he was. The City Hunters did not try and stop him.
The City Hunters had not made any progress even though they had caught the moth woman that was responsible for it. They were hoping that Bai Hongfei could get some information from Yu Shishi.
Bai Hongfei arrived in front of Yu Shishi. He felt sorry for her when he saw the worn-out look on her face.
"It's you," Yu Shishi was the first to speak when she saw Bai Hongfei.
Yu Shishi had a good impression of Bai Hongfei. The man was not cunning and full of lies like Mo Fan. She had only put Bai Hongfei to sleep, as she was hoping that Bai Hongfei would not tell anyone about his discovery.
"Those kids that have fallen ill have nothing to do with you, right? Otherwise, I wouldn't be awake now either," Bai Hongfei asked sincerely.
Yu Shishi lowered her head and bit her lips.
Bai Hongfei knew something was wrong seeing her reaction.
"Tell me the truth if you believe me. You wouldn't want the poor kids to die too, right?" Bai Hongfei said.
"I don't want to hurt anyone," Yu Shishi said.
"Then tell me why they have fallen ill, and why are you stopping the water from flowing? Is it because the water is putting Tongxiang and the people of the town in danger?" Bai Hongfei asked.
Yu Shishi glanced at the young man. The look in her eyes shifted.
"Thank you, everyone is suspecting me and accusing me to be a monster, yet you are willing to trust me even though I put you to sleep," Yu Shishi said.
"Tell me the truth then. Don't you worry, I'll try my best to help," Bai Hongfei smiled.
"The kids have fallen ill because of the water. There's a Carnelian-Head Spider at the source of the water. Its poison has a paralyzing effect. I saw it injecting the poison into the water. The poison is extremely strong. Even though it was diluted after flowing through the watercourse, it's still harmful to humans. The people in the town have been drinking the water, and their bodies would be severely exhausted after some time. The children have fallen ill first because their bodies are weaker," Yu Shishi said.
"You're telling me that everyone in the town is poisoned, and the a.d.u.l.ts aren't showing any symptom yet because they are stronger?" Bai Hongfei exclaimed.
"Exactly. That Carnelian-Head Spider is my nemesis. I've been trying to come up with a plan to take it out, but it has laid down lots of spider webs in the woods. My moths couldn't fly any deeper. Otherwise, I would have gotten rid of it ages ago..." Yu Shishi said.
"Which means, since Dean Xiao is circulating the water flowing into Tongxiang, it actually makes the situation worse by poisoning the kids and the people further. I have to let the mentor know as soon as possible!" Bai Hongfei said.
Bai Hongfei did not think the situation would be so serious. Luckily, he had decided to come and ask Yu Shishi the truth since he was feeling uneasy about the whole situation. Otherwise, he would never learn the secret.
"By the way, why didn't you tell the secret to my mentor?" Bai Hongfei asked as he remembered something.
"He doesn't seem to be reliable. Besides, everyone is treating me like a monster because I'm the moth woman. Who's willing to trust me? The women in this town have long wanted a chance to set me up. They could not wait to drive me out of town. If I tell them there's something wrong about the water, they are going to put the blame on me again," Yu Shishi sighed.
"You're right, I should tell Dean Xiao instead..." Bai Hongfei said.
Yu Shishi shook her head and said, "I'm happy that you're willing to trust me, but I believe they are still going to put the blame on me before I have any evidence to prove that I'm innocent. Besides, I'm worried about the kids. It might be too late by then."
"What should I do then?" Bai Hongfei asked.
"Head to the mountain and continue north. You will find a huge dark red forest that is covered in spider webs. You just need to get rid of the spider webs and my moths will take care of the Carnelian-Head Spider," Yu Shishi said.
"But isn't the Carnelian-Head Spider your nemesis? Many of your moths are going to die," Bai Hongfei said.
"There's no other choice. We have to take the Carnelian-Head Spider out first," Yu Shishi said.
Bai Hongfei's heart shuddered when he saw the determination on Yu Shishi's face, "You are still willing to help the town when the people are treating you so harshly. Those moths are obviously very important to you."
Yu Shishi lowered her head in silence.
Bai Hongfei was infuriated after seeing her reaction. Why did the town folks and the City Hunters falsely accuse her before learning the truth? Yu Shishi was seriously a lot more merciful compared to the ins.e.n.s.i.t.i.v.e and ridiculous town folks.
However, there was nothing he could do about it. The lack of understanding had always been a huge problem for many people!
"And make sure to stop the water from flowing into Tongxiang!" Yu Shishi reminded him.
"Got it...by the way, I'll set you free first," Bai Hongfei said.
Yu Shishi shook her head, "If you set me free now, everyone is going to think that I'm the main culprit. You just need to tear down the spider webs in the forest. I won't run away from here even if the people hate me or are afraid of me. This is my home, I just want to protect it."
Bai Hongfei took pity on the woman. He was the only person that could help Yu Shishi now. "I promise that I'll help you."
"Thank you."
---
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Bai Hongfei immediately made his way to the mountain. He ventured deeper by following the instructions from Yu Shishi.
He soon discovered the sinister-looking dark red forest that Yu Shishi mentioned. As soon as he walked into it, he quickly felt something sticky on his face.
He wiped his face and realized that it was some sticky spider webs!
Bai Hongfei was overjoyed. It seemed like Yu Shishi did not lie to him!
He took another few steps forward and soon discovered lots of blue moths stuck on the spider webs. As he went deeper, he saw lots of moths stuck together on the spider webs. Most of them had almost dried up, like specimens.
Bai Hongfei grieved upon seeing them.
It was very likely that Yu Shishi was trying to break through the spider webs f.o.r.c.i.b.l.y with the moths, but she ended up sacrificing a huge number of them.
"You son of a b**ch, I swear I'm going to kill you today!" Bai Hongfei brushed away the spider webs with a murderous look in his eyes!
It was like the moths were diving into a fire when they were trying to break through the spider webs. Lots of moths were going to die for sure. Bai Hongfei did not want Yu Shishi to sacrifice too much for the town. He decided to kill the Carnelian-Head Spider himself.
That being said, he did not forget to get rid of the spider webs as he was told. That way, the moths could intercept the water to prevent it from flowing into Tongxiang.
---
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Meanwhile, Mo Fan was leaning against a tree while he was keeping an eye on Qinyi Lake. He was currently in deep thoughts. He kept feeling that something was odd about the whole situation.
"Sir, sir, Bai Hongfei is missing again!" Cao Qinqin yelled in the call.
"F**k me, why can't he just behave himself!?" Mo Fan cursed.
"I was worried that he's going to run away again, so I put a locator in his bag. Sir, I think he's deep inside the woods. You should go and take a look," Cao Qinqin said.
"That was very smart of you. I'll head over right now," Mo Fan said.
Chapter 1241 - Carnelian-Head Spider
Translated by XephiZ
Edited by Aelryinth
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Mo Fan soon found the dark red woods after following Cao Qinqin's instructions. The forest was covered in sticky spider webs. It would be extremely difficult to break free from them if he was caught in them.
Mo Fan could not help but wonder what Bai Hongfei was doing here.
The dark red woods had a strange scent, too. Mo Fan soon saw some spider webs that had been destroyed. The further he went, the more cleared up the area was. He was able to proceed forward smoothly.
"Moths on the spider webs?" Mo Fan noticed lots of dead moths on the spider webs. Some of the moths were quite huge, the size of bats. They were mostly blue in color. When Mo Fan saw some moths diving at the spider webs, he immediately recalled the appearance of Qinyi Lake, which seemed like it was covered by a blue veil.
Bai Hongfei was right. The moths had stopped the water from flowing, but what were they trying to achieve?
A strange voice came from the woods. Mo Fan gathered his focus and saw a huge tree suddenly falling to the ground. The huge trunk and the branches immediately fell on top of the dark red shrubs nearby!
Mo Fan picked up his pace. He turned into a shadow bird and flew in the direction of the falling tree.
---
As soon as he arrived, he saw some blood spraying across the air and dyed the leaves of the shrubs red. It was particularly eye-catching.
"Ahhhh… my arm!" Bai Hongfei screamed in pain.
His severed arm fell to the ground. Bai Hongfei grabbed the stump and desperately backed away. He did not even dare retrieve his arm.
"Bai Hongfei!" Mo Fan was startled.
How reckless could the kid be? Why could not he understand how capable he was, going so deep into the woods and provoking such a deadly spider!?
Mo Fan had seen the hairy spider. It had the legs and lower body of a spider, but its upper body was densely covered in red skulls. From afar, the red skulls set off the carnelian head on its back. It was oddly spooky!
"Sir, run away...this thing is too strong!" Bai Hongfei yelled at Mo Fan while gritting his teeth against the tremendous pain.
Bai Hongfei had decided to take out the Carnelian-Head Spider, as he did not want Yu Shishi to sacrifice herself any further. He was an Advanced Mage. He assumed the creature was not too strong, since it was close to the safe zone. He would be able to take care of it by himself.
However, Bai Hongfei had thought wrong. The Carnelian-Head Spider was crazily strong. Each of the skulls was able to spit out poisonous silk, making it extremely difficult for Bai Hongfei to do anything.
He was already regretting it; he should not have been so full of himself!
As soon as Bai Hongfei warned Mo Fan, the creature quickly spat out poisonous silk in all directions as if it understood what they were saying.
The poisonous silk spread throughout the woods, covering the trunks, the canopy, and the shrubs, forming a huge spiderweb that would prevent the two humans from escaping. It even covered the space above their heads. They could no longer see the stars!
"We're done for!" Bai Hongfei yelled.
"No, we're not, get behind me!" Mo Fan snapped.
"Sir, you don't stand a chance against it..."
Bai Hongfei was already an Advanced Mage himself. Even though he was clear that the young mentor was stronger than him, there was no way he could take the Carnelian-Head Spider on alone. They would need a group of Advanced Mages against this Commander-level creature!
The Carnelian-Head Spider charged forward after setting up its spider web. The creature's legs were remarkably strong. They kept fl.i.c.k.i.n.g the soil into the air as it charged forward. It thrust its sharp and strong front limbs in Mo Fan's direction!
"Piss off!" Mo Fan yelled furiously. A fiery dragon coiled around his arm.
The fiery dragon surged around Mo Fan's wrist as he threw a punch. Facing this demon creature that was over twenty meters tall, the flames bursting out of Mo Fan's fist soared fifty meters high into the air and filled up the space between Mo Fan's fist and the Carnelian-Head Spider!
The flames lit up the woods. An even greater fiery dragon sprang forward and chased after the Carnelian-Head Spider that had been knocked flying. It knocked the Carnelian-Head Spider further into the distance...
The woods were densely covered in spider webs, but they soon had a huge clearing that was burning fiercely. The trees along the path of the flames were burned into ashes. The Carnelian-Head Spider was at the end of the trail. Its sturdy dark red armor was severely damaged. It was still burning!
"This...this..." Bai Hongfei was dumbfounded!
Did his mentor just knock the powerful Commander-level Carnelian-Head Spider flying with a single punch?
How powerful would the punch have to be? Judging from the Carnelian-Head Spider's condition, it was not as simple as knocking it into the distance. Mo Fan had actually managed to penetrate its defenses!
He had only used a single ability, an ordinary-looking Fiery Fist, but its aura and strength were a lot stronger than the Advanced Spell of the Fire Mages he normally saw!
"Who would expect to find such a strong Commander-level creature less than fifty kilometers from the safe zone! Give me a few minutes, I'll take it out first, so it won't do any harm to the town!" Mo Fan turned around and said to Bai Hongfei.
The areas within fifty kilometers of the safe zone were usually patrolled by the army. They were normally referred to as the sub-safe zones. Some important cities requested that not a single demon creature was allowed to exist within their sub-safe zones, not even a Servant-class creature!
However, they had ended up stumbling into a Commander-level creature in the sub-safe zone here in Tongxiang. If the Commander-level creature was trying to harm the people in the town, it would be a devastating blow to the town and the villages, which were not heavily guarded.
In the past, Bo City was almost wiped out by a single Darkwing Wolf and its tribe!
"A...a few minutes?" Bai Hongfei had a complicated face after hearing those words.
Bai Hongfei saw the young mentor charging at the Carnelian-Head Spider. He felt like his understanding of the world had toppled all of a sudden. Wasn't a Mage supposed to stay as far away from a demon creature as possible, to ensure they were safe enough to cast their spells? Why was his mentor taking the initiative to get close to the demon creature instead?
