Chapter 148: Golden Armor
The "dead" Kui Wood Wolf suddenly opened its eyes.
The blood energy on its body thickened once more, and its demonic power began to surge.
The demon-hunting warrior, who had his back turned to it, suddenly felt a chill crawl up his spine and quickly darted to the side.
He managed to dodge, but not completely.
Kui Wood Wolf's sharp claws swiped past his left side, tearing a bloody gash into his arm. Pale green demonic energy seeped into his meridians through the wound, making his arm go numb and the blood gush uncontrollably.
Cold sweat poured down the man's forehead.
The Kui Wood Wolf's eyes gleamed with ferocity as its second claw slashed down toward his head.
Can't dodge it!
His movements were slowed by the wound and the demonic poison; despair filled his eyes.
At that instant, Mo Shan appeared and kicked him hard, sending him flying out of danger.
Kui Wood Wolf's claw missed again.
The big man crashed to the ground, the spot where Mo Shan's foot had hit him burning with pain as his blood and qi churned violently.
He knew Mo Shan had used full force to kick him away and save his life.
That kick truly saved him... but damn, it still hurt like hell.
The man gritted his teeth. "Mo Shan, you son of—"
Before he could finish, his expression changed drastically. Kui Wood Wolf's raised claws were coming straight down, aimed at Mo Shan.
Mo Shan, having not yet recovered from his kick, was wide open and couldn't dodge.
"Mo Shan!" the man shouted.
Mo Shan frowned but didn't panic; this had all been within his calculations.
He knew saving the man would expose him to an attack from Kui Wood Wolf.
But he had already gauged the wolf's strike, coming from above, it would only hit his back and wouldn't be fatal.
A small injury in exchange for a brother's life was worth it.
The other demon hunters saw what was happening, but none were as fast as Mo Shan. Even rushing over, they were still a step too late.
They could only watch helplessly as Kui Wood Wolf's claw—laden with a foul wind—slashed across Mo Shan's back.
Then, they all froze.
The claw didn't tear flesh. It didn't even pierce skin, or the vine armor.
A faint golden glow rippled across the armor's surface, blocking the wolf's strike completely.
Mo Shan was sent flying, spat out a mouthful of blood, but his body bore no wound, no demonic energy invaded him. The hit was purely from physical impact, nothing serious.
But that was a late-stage first-grade demonic beast!
How could it fail to even leave a mark?
Everyone was stunned. Then they realized this wasn't the time to ponder mysteries.
Thinking of how close death had come for Mo Shan and the big man, their rage surged.
The demon hunters raised their blades and hacked Kui Wood Wolf into bloody pieces.
Mo Shan wanted to stop them, but it was already too late. He sighed inwardly.
Great. There goes the pelt.
Sure enough, when they stripped the wolf, the hide was torn to shreds, resembling tattered cloth. Not a single intact piece remained.
Mo Shan sighed again.
They couldn't stay in the inner mountain for long, so they packed up the carcass and withdrew toward an outer mountain camp to rest.
Along the way, the big man's wound throbbed painfully. He cursed:
"Damn these beasts! Their fake-death tricks all look different, fooled me good this time. Got careless."
One hunter snorted, "Quit whining. You're lucky, if not for Old Mo, you'd be dead."
The big man nodded to Mo Shan. "Thanks, brother."
Mo Shan waved it off. "We fight side by side. No need for thanks."
Once you're in the same demon-hunting team, you're brothers who live and die together. You save me today, I save you tomorrow, just how it should be.
The big man stopped being polite.
But as they walked, he couldn't help glancing at Mo Shan's vine armor. "Hey, what's that made of? How's it so tough?"
A late-stage first-grade beast's claws couldn't even scratch it!
The others turned their heads, equally curious.
They'd never seen vine armor this resilient.
Mo Shan frowned slightly. "Should just be mixed with refined iron, I think…"
"No way," the big man said. "If that's true, I'll eat my own armor!"
Another hunter leaned in, inspected the armor carefully, rubbed the material, and said:
"You can start chewing now, it really is vine armor mixed with refined iron."
The big man barked, "Bullshit! Mine's mixed with refined iron too, and one swipe from a beast turns it into shredded weeds!"
The others burst out laughing. "Yours must be counterfeit."
"Probably mixed with sand instead."
"Bullshit!" the man's face turned crimson.
Even Mo Shan couldn't help but chuckle.
Still, he was curious, why was this armor so tough?
Could it be that Hua'er drew some kind of formation inside it?
He pondered.
Half an hour later, they reached the camp.
Everyone relaxed. The big man collapsed to the ground, took a healing pill, crushed a few more to sprinkle over his wound, and wrapped it with cloth.
He sighed. "Looks like I'll have to bother Elder Feng again."
"Be grateful," another laughed. "If not for Mo Shan's kick, you wouldn't be bothering anyone, you'd be dead."
The big man shuddered, remembering Kui Wood Wolf's claw gleaming with eerie green light.
Yeah, if that claw had hit his head, he'd be a corpse now.
He grew even more thankful, took out a storage pouch, and tossed it to Mo Shan.
"Old Mo, I'm buying you a drink!"
"Yeah right," another hunter teased, "You're not buying him a drink, you're hoping he'll share his beef!"
The big man kicked him. "Shut your damn mouth! Don't eat, then!"
"Whether I eat or not's none of your damn business!"
The two started bickering again.
Mo Shan could only shake his head.
Every time he went hunting, Liu Ruhua would pack him dry rations and beef jerky. He ate well himself and shared with the others.
He pulled out some beef and handed it around, along with the big man's wine.
The others also opened their pouches, fruit, snacks, more wine.
Before long, the camp was lively with laughter, meat, and drink.
After eating a few slices of beef and taking a sip of wine, Mo Shan removed his armor, remembering something. He carefully took it apart for a closer look.
The other hunters immediately crowded around.
"It is a formation!"
"What kind of formation?"
"How the hell would I know?"
Someone looked to Mo Shan. "Well? What formation is it?"
Mo Shan shook his head.
"Your son drew it, and you don't know?"
"My son drew it, not me. How would I know?"
The big man said enviously, "Old Mo, before your boy was born, did you worship any immortals? Tell me where, I'll go worship too. Maybe my kid'll be that smart."
"Forget it," someone scoffed. "You're not smart yourself; what hope's your kid got?"
"You never know until you try!"
"Could it be the Iron Armor Array?" one asked.
"No way, that one's way simpler. This looks far more complex."
By the campfire's light, they could all see the intricate formation patterns drawn inside the armor, dense, mysterious, glowing faintly with gold. Definitely not simple work.
And the craftsmanship of the armor itself, clearly made with great care.
Thinking that Mo Shan's son had made it for him, everyone felt a twinge of emotion.
Just then, Mo Shan suddenly exclaimed, "No good!"
The others tensed. "What's wrong?"
Mo Shan ran his fingers along the armor, looking pained. "There's a scratch."
The camp fell silent. The hunters stared at him wordlessly.
...For a long time.
(End of Chapter)