After Lyu's death, using Fang Xing as toad bait had ceased to have meaning.
Even with the perfect lure, Hou Qing was not reckless enough to face the Python Toad by himself; it was, after all, a fourth-tier beast equivalent to cultivators in the fourth tier of Spirit Stage. In his original plan, they would use Fang Xing as bait to lure the Python Toad into their pre-arranged trap, and even then there would still be quite some risk in killing the toad with the third-tier Lyu and Qian and the second-tier Zhao working together.
Yet both Lyu and Zhao were now dead, while Qian was poisoned and had no more than a third of his strength length on top of a new hatred towards Hou Qing. There was no choice but to forfeit this talisman mission; thus to Hou Qing, Fang Xing was as good as dead.
But with a single phrase, Fang Xing had once again managed to trigger Hou Qing's wrath, and so Hou Qing decided he would first torture the boy before sending him to his demise. Although Hou Qing was wildly furious, he never once let down his guard, and he held on to his [Qin'fen Sword] as he moved closer to Fang Xing with every footstep.
Fang Xing still maintained his smile, his right hand held onto his storage ring behind his head. Whether or not he'd be able to live would now depend upon this single blow!
Impending steps, murderous intent, frosty cold air...
RIBBIT
As both were about to deliver their final strike, an earthshaking sound abruptly came from the forest. As the sound faded, a dark silhouette the size of a small hill leapt up into the chilled air from the northwest. A terrifying shadow was cast over the entire Mount Miasma as it covered what little light there was from the moon.
Within a few breaths, the dark silhouette fell like a falling star towards the exact location Fang Xing and Hou Qing were standing.
Following a loud 'bang', winds whirled about in all directions while trees and branches broke off. Both Fang Xing and Hou Qing had to activate their Qi shields for protection before looking almost in unison towards where it had landed.
A toad one hundred feet tall squat itself upon the ground. Two blood-red eyes looked at them grimly.
'Python Toad. Tier four beast. Mixed blood with Giant Serpent and Mutated Asiatic Toad. Can release toxic smog, has python-like armor that can only be damaged using spiritual weapons…' Lines of information began to pour into Fang Xing's brain as he opened his mouth, startled.
It was the sole tier four beast of the outer Mount Miasma and the target of Hou Qing's current mission. Who would have thought that they didn't even need to search for it, that it would choose to appear in front of them voluntarily?
"Must be Lyu…." Hou Qing immediately knew the reason for its visit. The night was the Python Toad's hunting period, and Fang Xing had just so happened to kill Lyu by stabbing him several times around this exact time. To the toad, large quantities of fresh blood mixed with Qi was like a ready-made braised pork waiting to be gorged down.
The only thing he didn't consider was how fast the toad had arrived, and that it would be at the exact moment he had been about to kill Fang Xing.
Both were stunned by the sheer size and fierceness of the Python Toad. Even at the peak of tier three, Hou Qing did not dare to move recklessly, and Fang Xing even more so as he sat stiffly on his tree branch.
No one dared to move in the face of such a powerful beast.
"Hrm?" At this moment, Fang Xing thought of something. Without any delay, he looked terrified and—as if he was about to sob—he gathered his courage and let out a cry, "Shixiong H— Hou! I beg you, pl— please take me away with you…."
The sound was as soft as a bee's buzzing and he indeed looked as though he was extremely scared. The toad was not alarmed at the small sound at all.
Surprised, Hou Qing took notice Fang Xing's expression: it was indeed that of an extremely terrified child, and he soon smiled. 'The kid is still just a kid after all. He might be daring and cruel, but just the thought of becoming toad dinner has sent him shivering like that…. But then again, it's normal that kids get scared by monsters.'
As Hou Qing was thinking to himself, he suddenly noticed that Fang Xing was frantically rubbing traces of blood off his body and clothes despite the danger of being seen by the toad. Fang Xing rubbed as he looked at the toad in terror, as if praying not to be seen.
'Bloodstains….' Hou Qing cursed at his own stupidity after realizing he had not reacted as quickly as the boy. Although the toad must have been attracted by Lyu's blood, now that it was between him and Fang Xing, whoever had the least amount of blood on them was less likely to become the next target. With this, Hou Qing also began to rub the stains off from his face.
Hou Qing's bloodstains were far greater than those on Fang Xing since he had killed the serpent not so long ago. Furthermore, all of that blood had already soaked into his robe; it was impossible to get rid of it all.
Smirking, Hou Qing gave a quiet exclamation, "Kid, I'll teach you how to spell 'misery' today!" Then, he could be seen taking a small glazed vase from his waist sack before throwing it right at Fang Xing with a flick of his finger.
SWOOSH
The glazed vase that was aimed at Fang Xing's head had caught the Python Toad's attention. With a quick movement of his head, Fang Xing narrowly escaped the vase's path. The vase hit the branch behind Fang Xing with a loud explosion and a thick layer of blood covered the branch and dyed the nearby leaves red. Fang Xing was also not spared by the splash.
It was a Valor Pill, used to feed and revitalize their Dragon Horses when they were tired during rushed journeys. These pills were made from the flesh and blood of low-tiered beasts mixed together with some scented panaceas, and it was considered a favorite item for many beasts. The shape of the pill was just like that of a meatball.
The Python Toad appeared to grow attracted by the smell, as the lantern-sized eyeballs locked on to Fang Xing.
At that exact moment, Hou Qing smiled as he shaped his mouth, as though to say 'So long, kid!' With two quiet steps, Hou Qing turned around before dashing off in the opposite direction at an incredible speed.
It was in situations like these that running away had a higher priority. In Hou Qing's plans, the Valor Pill would have attracted the attention of the Python Toad towards Fang Xing and he would use the opportunity to run. Even if the toad was not fully satisfied after its first meal and came after him, Hou Qing still had five Dragon Horses inside his pockets; he could simply kill them and leave them for the toad to feast upon in order to earn him extra time for an escape.
Hou Qing had thought through his entire plan in a split second. He was confident that nothing could go wrong now.
However, something unexpected happened.
Just as he turned for the dash of his life, the Python Toad—which had appeared to be completely attracted to Fang Xing—immediately rolled its eyes in a different direction. With another 'ribbit', its mouth opened wide before it fired its silky red tongue towards a new target: Hou Qing.
Surprised, Hou Qing curled his body mid-air into a beautiful arc, dodging the attack by only a narrow margin; even Fang Xing could not help but praise Hou Qing's evasive abilities. Fang Xing was certain that even if Hou Qing did not have any cultivation in him, he would still be a martial arts master. Regardless of whether it was his swordplay or his acrobatics, there was no doubt that he could make a name for himself in the mortal world.
However, no matter how great Hou Qing's contortions were, it could not be as fast as the toad's tongue. Although the fourth-tier beast appeared to be as large and round as a small hill, its tongue was conversely extremely nimble like that of a snake. Immediately after it failed the first attempt, a second attack was sent out before Hou Qing had even landed on the ground. Unfortunately, Hou Qing had yet to learn levitation and was unable to make a turn mid-air; without any other options, he waved his sword.
Tchhhh
The sword was intended to cut the toad tongue, but even a chop filled with his full strength only managed to indent its tongue with a very light wound. Even then, the toad became furious, and with the sound of another low-pitched roar, it kicked its hind legs and leapt right towards Hou Qing. At the same time, its wheel-barrel sized forelegs swept across the air in front of it, also slamming towards Hou Qing.
'What did the brat do? Why is the toad attacking me?' Hou Qing was completely terrified, as he could not understand what had gone wrong. How was it that he had ended up walking right into Fang Xing's trick? Fang Xing clearly didn't even do anything.
No matter how hard Hou Qing thought, he did not understand what Fang Xing had done to force him into such dire straits.
Fang Xing, on the other hand, was so pleased that even his eyebrows seemed to be smiling. He endured the sharp pains from trying to adjust his shattered left arm all while feeling a rush of excitement watching Hou Qing fighting for his life with the Python Toad. The feeling of the contrasting sensations of pain and joy: such was pleasure!
Perhaps Hou Qing would never have guessed that the only thing Fang Xing did was to hint for him to run away.
The first time Fang Xing had seen the Python Toad, his [Book of Revelation] had already told him the habits and characteristics of the beast, and one that had caught Fang Xing's attention was that—unless its cultivation levels had reached high enough for it to transform itself into human form—there was a large flaw in its eyesight.
Python Toads were unable to see still objects whereas anything moving could be seen clearly and precisely even from afar. Thus, when it had been attracted to the location by Lyu's corpse, he was able to see both Fang Xing and Hou Qing while leaping into the air, but as soon as it had landed the pair had frozen up in panic and temporarily left the toad's view.
If it weren't for this, how would Fang Xing find time to play out the chain of events to pretend to be terrified, wipe off the bloodstains, all followed by Hou Qing and his Valor Pill?
Originally, Hou Qing flicking the vase towards Fang Xing had indeed captured the toad's attention and the strong scent of reeking blood then gave it a sense of direction. It was only when Hou Qing made the next move—the move Fang Xing had been waiting for—that he had made a huge mistake, and it had been to dash away with extreme speed.
As soon as Hou Qing had made that motion, the toad changed its target to him without delay.