Chapter 60: True Identity

This dung ball was extraordinary. It was not the feces of a single animal, but rather numerous excrements rolled together into a colossal sphere. After long fermentation, though it had lost its most nauseating stench, it still left a profound olfactory impact.

Shi Yongfang kicked out his large dung ball. Unfortunately, he had bad foot odor and was terrible at kicking, allowing Ma Zengsan to dodge it with ease. Unexpectedly, there was a trick to that dung ball; it exploded right behind Ma Zengsan. Ma Zengsan was instantly engulfed in a cloud of fecal debris and smoke. When the dust finally settled, Ma Zengsan had been transformed into a pitch-black, filthy, disheveled, and ragged stinky old man.

Shi Yongfang lifted a straw mat, revealing even more dung balls hidden beneath it. He threatened, "If you want to live, get lost right now. If all these dung balls explode, even if they don't blow you to pieces, they'll stink you to death!"

Having had his cow stolen and his body defiled, Ma Zengsan was boiling with rage. He cursed furiously, "You unrepentant cow thief! It seems I must show you what I'm truly capable of!"

Shi Yongfang sneered dismissively, "You've already been blasted into a coal briquette by me, yet you still refuse to accept defeat."

Ma Zengsan tilted his head back, opened his mouth, and slowly spat out a sword hilt. He reached out and pulled the precious sword out, and astonishingly, the blade was a full meter long.

Even Shi Yongfang was shocked. This old man actually kept a sword hidden in his mouth—he was truly a ruthless character! Although he lived deep in the uninhabited mountains, he had read the Jianghu Heroes Rankings to keep abreast of current events in the martial arts world. Looking at the old man who had just spat out a sword, he immediately recognized him: "You are the 'Gut-Wrenching Sword,' ranked twentieth on the Jianghu Heroes Rankings!"

By now, Ma Zengsan had drawn his sword, and both man and weapon charged fiercely at Shi Yongfang. Moving with lightning speed, Shi Yongfang used both hands and feet, throwing and kicking continuously, launching over a dozen dung balls in rapid succession at point-blank range. However, all of them were cleanly sliced in half by Ma Zengsan's razor-sharp blade.

With the sword's blade gleaming fiercely, Shi Yongfang had exhausted all his dung balls, and every single one had been rendered useless. Realizing that any further desperate resistance would only result in him being hacked to pieces as well, he immediately begged for mercy: "So you are the renowned Gut-Wrenching Swordsman, Senior Ma! It is all my fault for being blind and failing to recognize Mount Tai. Take the cow as you please, please spare my life!"

"It's good that you know my power. This time, I'll spare you, filthy creature." Ma Zengsan swallowed the Gut-Wrenching Sword back into his mouth, took the cow by the halter, and walked away.

Shi Yongfang followed him out of the house and said with utmost admiration, "To swallow a sword stained with all kinds of feces right back into your belly—Senior Ma is truly a master of eating shit!"

Hearing Shi Yongfang's praise, Ma Zengsan could not help but retch. Having witnessed his bizarre swordsmanship just moments before, Xiao Bugui also praised, "So Senior Ma has been concealing his true abilities all along, actually hiding a precious sword inside his stomach."

No matter how formidable he was, the sword had been tainted with shit after all. Ma Zengsan burped and said, "I feel a bit sick to my stomach. Please don't speak of this anymore."

Ma Zengsan turned to ask Shi Yongfang, "Strange, I had never been to this place before I arrived here. Does this location have a name? In which direction of the Demon Mountain is it?"

Shi Yongfang replied, "This place is already the territory of the Demon Realm. Ten miles further ahead is the Di Family's Sword Manor."

Hearing that they were in the Demon Realm, Ma Zengsan broke out in a cold sweat. After all, he had accepted Boss Hao's commission to escort the eldest young miss home. Now that they were lost, he asked, "Since we've stumbled into the Demon Realm, is there a shortcut to get out?"

Shi Yongfang said, "Ahead lies the Di Family's Sword Manor. There is a secret passage leading to the outside world inside the manor. You can go there and bribe the master of the manor, Di Jie, with some silver."

Fearing that Shi Yongfang might play some trick, Ma Zengsan said, "Then you will lead the way for us."

"Please wait a moment, Hero Ma, let me roll a ball first." Shi Yongfang began collecting the scattered pieces of dung, intending to travel by stepping on the excrement.

Seeing that Shi Yongfang was about to play with shit again, Ma Zengsan stopped him and said, "Can you stop playing with dung for a moment? Lead us to the Di Family's Sword Manor first."

Shi Yongfang explained, "If I am to pay a visit to Manor Lord Di, I naturally must prepare a generous gift first. This dung ball is what I intend to present to him."

Knowing that the monsters bearing the surname Di were all transformed from dog demons, Ma Zengsan understood the saying that old habits die hard, and remarked, "No wonder you two are good friends; you truly share the same stinky taste."

No one cared to watch a demon play with shit. Hu Jia bid farewell to everyone: "My friends, I must return to Demon Mountain now. Xiao Bugui, if you encounter any trouble, transform into a little bird and return to Demon Mountain to find me."

Seeing Hu Jia leave, Xiao Bugui felt a pang of reluctance in his heart, but he could not let her betray the Demonic Cult and become homeless just for his sake. He forced himself to say insincerely, "Hurry back. With Senior Ma and Hao Meili here, you can rest assured."

After bidding farewell to Hu Jia, Xiao Bugui and Hao Meili returned to the carriage to catch up on their sleep, leaving Ma Zengsan alone to keep an eye on Shi Yongfang.

Stepping on the morning dew, breathing in the crisp air of the mountain wilderness, and leaping across cliffs and scaling walls, Hu Jia returned to the cavern first. Unlike Shi Yuhuan, Cult Master Ji preferred holding morning meetings every day to say a few words and assign work tasks. At that moment, the Five Fierce Ones and the Four Protectors of the Demonic Cult had all gathered inside the cavern hall, awaiting the commands of Cult Master Ji Qingcheng. Hu Jia was late.

Ji Qingcheng's mind was filled with the image of Xiao Bugui. Looking around the gathering and failing to find the person she wanted to see, she asked, "Where is Xiao Bugui?"

Hu Jia concealed her exhaustion and panic, but she could not hide her dew-soaked shoes and skirt hem. Unwilling to lie, she turned the question back on the Cult Master: "Why are you looking for him, Cult Master?"

Ji Qingcheng replied, "I have Shi Yuhuan's memories in my mind. Shi Yuhuan and I were originally one and the same entity."

Hua Lan chimed in, "What the Cult Master says is entirely correct. In my view, the Cult Master has simply suffered a mental split due to the influence of the Demon Box's energy."

Ji Qingcheng stated, "Therefore, I must tell you a secret: Xiao Bugui is Shi Yuhuan's son, and he is also my son. Where is he now? Quick, have him come see me so that mother and son can be reunited."

Hearing this news, Crow's jaw practically dropped to the floor: "Cult Master, why didn't you mention this earlier yesterday? When I went to see him this morning, he was already gone!"

Yin Wuxiang's heart pounded wildly as well. It turned out Xiao Bugui's identity was extraordinary—he had come looking for his mother. Gao Dazhuang wondered to himself: if Xiao Bugui's mother was the Cult Master, then who was Xiao Bugui's father? Hu Jia, on the other hand, was overjoyed; it turned out Xiao Bugui was the future Cult Master, making him a fellow demon just like her. Crow was filled with annoyance, silently scolding himself for shouldn't have locked Xiao Bugui in a cage... Everyone harbored their own unspoken thoughts.

Stepping out of the cavern, Hua Lan said to Hu Jia, "Hu Jia, you must know where Xiao Bugui is. Quick, take us to him!"

Hu Jia no longer concealed the truth: "Last year, the tree demons under your command stirred up trouble, and Xiao Bugui and the others lost their way and strayed into the Demon Realm. Follow me quickly; I'm afraid Xiao Bugui might cause even greater trouble if he reaches the Di Family's Sword Manor."

Hua Lan muttered, "How was I supposed to know Xiao Bugui was the Cult Master's son? If I had known, how could I have ever dared let those tree demons tease him?"