The Rat Cultivator

Chapter 153: Bamboozling the Red Refined Fire Snake

The Winged Tiger rubbed his paws together, a sycophantic grin plastered across his face as he addressed the Red Refined Fire Snake.

“You only need to feign an attack on the Beaver Water Fortress. Apply pressure. Force him into a corner,” the tiger wheedled. “That old beaver needs to be terrified before he’ll consider negotiation! When he sees you bearing down on him with such ferocity, he’ll be desperate to sue for peace. That’s when he’ll agree to come out!”

The Red Refined Fire Snake suddenly recoiled, his slit pupils narrowing with suspicion. He hissed loudly, “Why must I be the vanguard?! Why don’t you go? The Black Water Flood Dragon Snake is still hunting me!”

“If I go, he’ll be too terrified to even show his face!” The Winged Tiger countered smoothly. “I must remain neutral. I have to play the fool who knows nothing. The River Beaver will only consider negotiating if he sees you… well… in your current state.”

The Tiger gestured vaguely at the snake’s injuries. “He needs to think you are weak enough to be reasoned with, yet dangerous enough to fear. As for the Black Water Flood Dragon Snake? You lure him away, we strike quickly here, and the deed is done before he even notices!”

Unseen by the snake, the Ancient Xun concealed on the Winged Tiger’s person began to hum with greater intensity. The soundless vibration drilled directly into the serpent’s psyche.

In truth, the Red Refined Fire Snake didn’t trust the Winged Tiger at all. Who was to say this winged cripple wouldn’t ally with the beaver to stab him in the back?

But as the Xun’s influence deepened, a wave of inexplicable arrogance washed over him. He looked at the Winged Tiger—a beast who couldn’t even protect the wings that defined his lineage—and then thought of the beaver, an old rodent on the verge of death.

What do I have to fear? The thought bloomed in his mind, artificial yet convincing. I’ve led the Black Water Flood Dragon Snake by the nose for weeks. What can two crippled demons possibly do to me?

His thoughts drifted to his precious treasure. The Sinking Gold Carp are crying out for food. They are insatiable pits…

Anxiety flickered, but was quickly replaced by a surge of chemically-induced confidence.

I will plunder the Beaver Water Fortress. Those wealthy rats have hoarded enough resources to push my Sinking Gold Carp through their next evolution!

The timid starve; the gluttonous feast!

The Red Refined Fire Snake gritted his teeth, his eyes burning with greed. “Fine! We do it!”

The Winged Tiger blinked, momentarily thrown off by the sudden shift in the snake’s demeanor, but he quickly recovered his fawning smile. “Then I shall quietly await your heroic display, Brother Red Refined! I await your great success!”

As soon as the Winged Tiger returned to the safety of the Beaver Water Fortress, Bibo approached hurriedly.

“What is the situation with the Red Refined Fire Snake?”

The Winged Tiger recounted the interaction, then chuckled darkly, pulling out the Ancient Xun with a look of reverence.

“The Great King’s Magical Artifact is truly terrifying,” the tiger said, stroking the instrument. “It turned the Red Refined Fire Snake into a complete moron. He actually believed the nonsense I spouted! His brain is barely functioning.”

“He was already desperate,” the Tiger added. “This just gave him the push he needed to jump off the cliff.”

Bibo nodded, a flash of cold ruthlessness in his eyes. “It matters not whether his brain works, only that he delivers himself to us. He’s been hiding like a ghost; we’ve been too focused on establishing the market to track him down. But now… the market is stable. It is time to harvest the Red Refined Fire Snake and begin the operation against the Black Water Flood Dragon Snake.”

Bibo looked out over the water, his expression hardening. “Without a peaceful environment, the market cannot expand. If the market stagnates, the Great King’s cultivation slows. That is unacceptable. I will send word to the Great King immediately. He needs to be here to oversee the slaughter.”

Although Wu Yuan had physically been away from Polong Lake, his omniscient gaze had never left. Through the Karma Pearl, he monitored the status of the Black Water Flood Dragon Snake, the Red Refined Fire Snake, and the Sinking Gold Carp daily.

He knew their movements, their health, and their desperation. He fed this intelligence to Bibo, allowing his subordinates to improvise within the grand strategy.

“Great King,” Bibo asked during their communication, excitement coloring his tone. “Can we not take this opportunity to kill both the Black Water Flood Dragon Snake and the Red Refined Fire Snake in one stroke?”

Wu Yuan shook his head, his voice calm and pragmatic. “If I had the power to crush them both effortlessly, would I waste time with schemes? I would have simply netted them all.”

Wu Yuan was realistic. He had not yet fought a Demon Beast of his exact cultivation realm. To him, the Red Refined Fire Snake was merely a snack—a loose end to be tied. But the Black Water Flood Dragon Snake was different. The Azure Radiance Grotto-Heaven assessment placed that serpent on the same tier as Wu Yuan.

Wu Yuan did not know what trump cards the Flood Dragon possessed. Caution was paramount.

“However,” Wu Yuan mused, “once the Black Water Flood Dragon Snake falls, my days of low-profile cultivation are over.”

The Azure Spirit Mountain Range had a limited number of apex predators. Killing the Flood Dragon would inevitably draw the gaze—and perhaps the hostility—of the remaining lords. They might even form a coalition against him.

“But… if I occupy Polong Lake, gather its Providence, and monopolize its resources, I will be unassailable.”

“The Black Water Flood Dragon Snake must die.”

Wu Yuan had made his decision.

He had avoided attacking Polong Lake previously for two reasons: he was stretched for time, and he feared becoming a public enemy before his defenses were ready. The existing lords—the Golden Armor Lion and others—respected the territorial status quo. But Wu Yuan, a ‘crossing-the-river rat,’ would be seen as an invader.

Now, the timing was perfect. The civil war between the snakes had weakened the lake’s defenses. He could eliminate the Red Refined Fire Snake to weaken the opposition and establish dominance simultaneously.

“Bibo is a master of aquatic warfare,” Wu Yuan analyzed. “And Little Wolf’s spells are a hard counter to the Red Refined Fire Snake. With them assisting me, victory is mathematically certain.”

Wu Yuan never engaged in fair duels. Unless he had a hundred percent certainty of victory, he would not strike. Why engage in a bloody, dramatic battle when a coordinated gang-beating could solve the problem efficiently?

Wu Yuan’s obsession with capturing Polong Lake was not born of simple greed; it was a necessity of geopolitical strategy.

To the east of Little Green Mountain lay the Geng Gold Mine Mountain. The mine where the Green Roc had perished was merely the tip of the spear; behind it stretched a vast, jagged mountain range rich in Geng Gold ore.

The concentration of metal qi there was so intense that it formed a natural phenomenon: a Geng Gold Killing Formation.

The sky above those mountains was a meat grinder. The Geng Gold Qi howled like a perpetual storm. Any Demon Beast foolish enough to enter would find their flesh and blood dissolving instantly—flayed by millions of invisible, microscopic blades. It was a torture method naturally occurring in the cultivation world.

This natural barrier meant Wu Yuan never had to worry about an invasion from the east.

To the south lay Wolf Mountain, his forward operating base against the Golden Armor Lion’s territory. Even if an army invaded, Little Wolf could use the terrain to buy precious time.

To the west and back lay the desolate lands, devoid of spiritual qi and threats.

That left only the north: Polong Lake.

It was the final gap in his defense.

“Once I occupy Polong Lake,” Wu Yuan thought, looking at the map in his mind, “Little Green Mountain will be immune to sneak attacks. My territory will be a unified fortress, and my development potential will be limitless.”