I Build a Shelter in the Eternal Night

Chapter 130: Chapter 107: This Unremarkable Woman Is the Night Watcher

The main reason was that he had just postured in front of Chen Fan a month ago. Now that the tables had turned, he felt as if he were sitting on pins and needles, utterly embarrassed. He just wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible.

"That’s good."

Chen Fan let out a soft breath. He still had chickens he’d reserved in Jiangbei City waiting to be butchered; he couldn’t just die here. He immediately asked again, "Elder Qi, is there anything else you need to attend to on this trip?"

The words had barely left his mouth.

Before Qi Yue could answer,

Chen Fan shook his head with a helpless laugh. "I seem to recall Nameless Mountain being at the northernmost edge of the Jiangbei Wilderness. Why is it so lively today? There are more people at the valley entrance, holding a banner with an Alchemy Furnace on it. I wonder which faction that is."

"That’s Medicine King Valley," Qi Yue blurted out, surprised that they had come as well.

"Would you all care to join me in welcoming them?"

"An excellent idea."

...

...

At the entrance to the Nameless Mountain canyon, the party from Medicine King Valley slowly came to a halt. They did not advance further. The Mortal Sect Banner planted at the canyon mouth clearly indicated that this was the Mortal Sect’s territory.

To barge in without permission would be a declaration of war.

But the problem was...

"Where is everyone?"

A man with delicate, feminine features jumped down from a carriage. He scratched his head and looked around the canyon entrance, puzzled. "Don’t they even have a gatekeeper to announce visitors?"

"They’re a faction capable of slaying a Ghost King, for crying out loud. They can’t be this shabby, can they?"

Just then—

The sound of hooves echoed from within the canyon. Soon, a young man riding a Skeleton Horse appeared, leading a group of people to a stop before them. He announced in a loud voice, "I am Chen Fan, Sect Leader of the Mortal Sect. I heard that honored guests from Medicine King Valley have arrived. Forgive my tardy welcome."

The Sect Leader was welcoming them personally.

An old man following behind the young man grew serious and discreetly jabbed him in the waist.

The young man reacted quickly.

He clasped his fists and hurriedly said in a deep, respectful tone.

"This junior is named Qi Feng, a Direct Disciple of Medicine King Valley. My father is the Valley Master."

Although Chen Fan looked about the same age as him, his status was a cut above. He was on the same level as Qi Feng’s father, so it was only natural for Qi Feng to call himself a junior.

"Please."

Chen Fan said with a smile, "Let’s talk inside."

...

"You really shouldn’t have. Just coming is enough of a gift."

「In the Celestial Pit.」

Chen Fan looked at the party from Medicine King Valley and said with a smile, "Come, please, this way."

...

Standing to the side, the corner of Qi Feng’s mouth twitched. He could only be thankful for his father’s foresight in sending a batch of gifts for him to bring before he left.

Nearby, Wang Kui

had already piled the boxes from Medicine King Valley and the Sheep Race in an open area, leaving them all wide open. A sign bearing each faction’s name was planted in front of its respective pile.

A quick glance at the Sheep Race’s boxes revealed about 5,000 Ghost Stones.

As for their Medicine King Valley boxes.

They contained...

a full 10,000 Ghost Stones, five unidentified white-grade Exotic Treasures, one unidentified green-grade Exotic Treasure, 50 bottles of Elixirs, and two Heavenly and Earthly Treasures.

Their gift clearly dwarfed that of the Sheep Race.

"Come, have some tea."

At the tea table, Chen Fan had never smiled so sincerely as he poured tea for his guests. From time to time, he would glance deep into his soul at the Eternal Night Lord Panel, checking the Shadow Array placed at the valley entrance to see if any new visitors had arrived.

He suddenly realized that fame had its perks.

He could receive congratulatory gifts.

He naturally knew that these factions must have learned of his slaying of the Ghost King through the resulting phenomenon. They had come to visit and get on his good side. After all, even if you couldn’t establish an especially good relationship with a newly risen power, you certainly couldn’t afford to offend it.

But...

He was more than happy to see it happen.

He had already received 15,000 Ghost Stones. That was equivalent to several of Hey Hey’s dung pits, and it was all a windfall. How could he not be happy?

...

Although Qi Yue was still a bit uncomfortable, he was much better than before and could now force himself to converse with Chen Fan.

As for Gongyang Yiyue...

...he had become even more fidgety. He would unconsciously turn his head from time to time to look at the two piles of gifts outside. They hadn’t planned on visiting the Mortal Sect at all; it was a last-minute decision made after they arrived in Jiangnan Shuicheng.

As a result, they hadn’t brought any real gifts. The 5,000 Ghost Stones had been scraped together from the reserve funds their caravan carried.

Originally, this gift would have been quite decent.

But compared to Medicine King Valley’s, it seemed rather paltry. Qi Yue might not care, but Gongyang Yiyue was the true representative of the Sheep Race... He was the one losing face.

"Oh, right—"

After some pleasant conversation, Chen Fan suddenly thought of something. He frowned and looked at Qi Feng. "Is everyone in your Medicine King Valley an Alchemy Master?"

"Not all of us, but we do have a larger number of Alchemy Masters, and their skills are stronger than those of other factions."

"You people from Jiangnan are worldly and knowledgeable. Do you know of a type of beast that isn’t a Ghost Object, but is much larger and stronger than a common beast, and also quite intelligent?"

"Sect Leader, are you referring to... an Exotic Beast?" Qi Feng asked tentatively.

"Exotic Beast..."

Chen Fan repeated the two words to himself before nodding. "Yes, an Exotic Beast. Do you know if the Holy Water from an altar can heal an Exotic Beast’s wounds?"

"It can."

Qi Feng cleared his throat. He was finally in his area of expertise. He said seriously, "Of course it can. The Holy Water from an altar isn’t very effective for complex situations like detoxification, but it works exceptionally well on external wounds."

"It leaves no lasting damage, and the healing time is extremely short."

"However, the consumption rate is high. That’s why most factions use a combination of the altar and Elixirs for healing, for both Exotic Beasts and humans. This way, you don’t use too many Ghost Stones, and the healing speed is still very fast."

"Sect Leader... have you tamed an Exotic Beast?"

He wasn’t surprised by this.

People in Jiangbei don’t know much about Exotic Beasts, mainly because the beasts also choose favorable habitats. Jiangbei is all desert without a single decent city. The beasts are afraid of being swallowed by a Ghost Tide. In contrast, there are quite a few Exotic Beasts in Jiangnan.

Medicine King Valley has an Exotic Beast of its own.

A Gold-devouring Toad guards the entrance to Medicine King Valley.

"Indeed."

Chen Fan nodded, not hiding the fact. "During the battle with the Ghost King the night before last, it was injured. I placed it in the altar to soak for a full day and night, but its wounds show no signs of recovery. I was wondering... if you might be willing to come take a look with me?"

"It would be my honor."

...

Chen Fan led Qi Feng from Medicine King Valley to the entrance of Cave No. 1. Hey Hey was lying at the base of the rock wall. Holy Water from the altar flowed through a Copper Pipe embedded in the wall, falling endlessly onto Hey Hey’s body.

Hey Hey was looking at him with pleading eyes. Next to it was a brand-new porcelain vat. A massive, bloody hole gaped on top of its head. Though it was no longer bleeding, one could clearly see the flesh and bone within. The Holy Water poured continuously over Hey Hey, but there was no sign of healing.

The moment it saw Qi Feng, it instinctively scrambled back and let out a low growl, trying to look fierce despite its fear.

"It’s okay, Hey Hey."

Chen Fan gently patted Hey Hey’s head. "This is a physician I found for you. Let him take a look and see what’s wrong."

Hey Hey whimpered once before obediently lying back down on the ground.

"Phew..."

Qi Feng took a deep breath before stepping forward seriously to inspect the wound. But... his brow furrowed deeper, and deeper, and deeper...

"Stop frowning and just tell me what’s going on."

Chen Fan let out a soft sigh. ’In both of his lifetimes, he had always feared a doctor’s frown the most. It always felt like a prelude to some incurable disease.’

"The situation is very strange."

Qi Feng was silent for a long time before speaking hoarsely. "I don’t recognize this type of Exotic Beast, and I don’t understand its injury. Logically, with such a large supply of Holy Water, a wound this size should have healed long ago."

"My knowledge is still shallow. I may have to consult my father and have him take a look personally to understand the situation."

"I have a way to let my father see the Exotic Beast’s condition remotely through my eyes, but it might reveal the surrounding structures..."

He trailed off, hesitating.