Chapter 13: Sweeping Through the Cave of Ten Thousand Insects

One day later!

Inside the shadowy Cave of Myriad Insects.

A man and a chicken huddled together, engaged in some unknown activity.

“Chicken Tyrant, when they come down later, you find a chance to slip out,” Xiao Yang said, estimating that nearly a day had passed. The two stewards guarding the entrance would soon descend to check on his life or death. He planned to send Chicken Tyrant out with a message—just a word to his master and junior apprentice sister to let them know he was safe.

Over the past day, Xiao Yang had fought his way through the dreaded Cave of Myriad Insects. Yet, as if his luck had run dry, he hadn’t found a single valuable item. The only surprise was the gourd once belonging to King Chiyang—it turned out to be a low-grade spatial artifact, now used to store provisions for Chicken Tyrant.

In just one day, man and chicken had swept through thousands of poisonous creatures, dominating the entire cavern. What once served as the cave’s master now had become their food. Even those poisonous insects lucky enough to escape capture dared not linger, fleeing in a frenzy and vowing never to return. Thus, the Cave of Myriad Insects had become a misnomer; far from being infested, the poison bugs were now nearly endangered.

“If you do this well, there’ll be a grand reward,” Xiao Yang said, patting Chicken Tyrant’s head with a flourish. With a thought, a giant centipede appeared. Chicken Tyrant caught it with his beak and swallowed it down in a few quick gulps. Afterward, he eyed the ethereal gourd, clearly hoping for more, but Xiao Yang refused.

“Finish your task, and I’ll give you another,” he said, tapping the gourd.

Chicken Tyrant still craved more, but Xiao Yang’s orders could not be disobeyed. He nodded, half understanding.

“Work hard—I won’t treat you unfairly,” Xiao Yang encouraged him again. After a moment’s thought, he tossed another poisonous insect out. Watching Chicken Tyrant’s excitement, Xiao Yang mused that perhaps this was the last value these bugs could offer.

Crunch! Crunch!

The heavy iron door swung open.

A fat steward and a thin steward entered. Seeing the state of the cavern, both were stunned.

“Did we come to the wrong place?” the fat steward asked in confusion.

The thin steward was equally dumbfounded. Normally, opening the iron door would attract a swarm of poisonous insects eager to hunt, but today, not a single one could be seen. Such a bizarre sight—they’d never witnessed nor even heard of it.

Gulp.

The thin steward swallowed nervously, struggling to maintain composure.

“Let’s check on that useless one first, then report what’s happened here,” he said.

The fat steward nodded; it was the only thing they could do.

Soon, they spotted Xiao Yang not far away. Seeing him unmoving, they approached cautiously. Even standing before him, Xiao Yang made no response.

“Is he dead?” the fat steward wondered, reaching out to test his breath.

At last, Xiao Yang could not resist.

“Take your pig’s trotter away!” he snapped.

The abrupt voice startled both stewards, but they quickly recovered—it was clear Xiao Yang was alive.

“You useless—” The fat steward began to curse, but was silenced by Xiao Yang’s glare, stammering at a loss for words.

Witnessing this, the thin steward realized if things continued, a fight might break out. He decided to lead the fat steward away. As he turned, Xiao Yang’s voice rang out behind him.

“Wait! Who said you could leave?”

Both stewards’ expressions changed. This was clearly a provocation.

“Xiao Yang, mind your words. We represent the sect,” the thin steward barked.

Xiao Yang grinned, feigning innocence.

“Come now, didn't you bring me any food?” he asked. “I’ve been starving for a whole day. Don’t you know the saying—man is iron, rice is steel, skip a meal and you’re famished?”

Hearing this, both stewards relaxed. They had thought he was picking a fight, but it was merely about food.

To avoid unnecessary trouble, the thin steward nodded and promised, “We understand. We’ll bring you something shortly.”

Those thrown into the Cave of Myriad Insects before had all been tormented to tears, with no appetite at all. Only Xiao Yang could still think of food.

“Thank you, steward brothers,” Xiao Yang said with a smile, his lips curling into a faint grin. Just then, Chicken Tyrant had successfully escaped the cave and was now heading toward Zhou Jingpeng’s residence.

“Take care, you two. I won’t see you out,” Xiao Yang said, now that Chicken Tyrant was safely gone, unwilling to waste more time. The stewards hurriedly left, unaware that through their negligence, a chicken had escaped.

At this moment, Chicken Tyrant had slipped into the surrounding woods.

“Cluck-cluck!” he cried occasionally.

It was his first time venturing out alone, and everything seemed novel. He stopped to look at every oddity, but remembered Xiao Yang’s instructions.

Whenever he encountered something rare, he merely glanced before hurrying on. Before leaving, Xiao Yang had stressed the importance of hiding and not being seen, so Chicken Tyrant always took paths seldom traveled.

“Cluck-cluck!” Yet, Xiao Yang had overestimated the chicken’s intelligence. Chicken Tyrant got himself lost, wandering in circles.

“Cluck-cluck!” Frustrated by the identical trees, Chicken Tyrant abandoned any sense of direction, charging wherever the path led. Fortunately, he remembered Xiao Yang’s instructions—not to take the main road, only walk through the forest.

No one knew how far he had gone. As a Monster Master, Chicken Tyrant was beginning to feel tired, so he planned to rest before continuing.

Just then, strange sounds echoed nearby, putting Chicken Tyrant instantly on alert.

“Cluck-cluck!” he called softly twice, pinpointed the source of the noise, and crept toward it. According to Xiao Yang, he should be getting close, so Chicken Tyrant wanted to see if he had found the right person.

After pushing through several thickets, he discovered the origin of the strange sounds—two exposed bodies.

Chicken Tyrant felt uncomfortable and sensed that one of them resembled the person he was seeking. He edged closer.

Snap!

Inadvertently, Chicken Tyrant stepped on a twig. Zhang Long, who was engaged in some illicit activity, was startled, breaking out in a cold sweat and shouting, “Who’s there!”

Chicken Tyrant was frightened, but mustered his courage and walked out.

Seeing that it was only a chicken, Zhang Long breathed a sigh of relief. The scare had, however, ruined his mood for any further mischief.

Chicken Tyrant drew nearer, staring intently at Gongsun Meijiao. When he was still a dozen yards away, he clucked.

He realized the woman was not the person he was looking for and turned back into the thicket.

By the time Zhang Long regained his composure, Chicken Tyrant was nowhere to be found.