278 Tiger Demon_1
Kong Sheng wasn’t in a hurry, knowing he couldn’t escape anyway.
The plump cultivator kept an eye on the refectory, and now with heightened vigilance, it became somewhat inconvenient for Mo Hua to come here to eat.
Moreover, Kong Sheng wanted that jade pendant he had.
However, his methods had to be covert, and his actions meticulous, so as not to give himself away.
Mo Hua began to watch the plump cultivator, observed for a day, and quickly came up with an idea.
The plump cultivator would deliver food to the Evil Cultivators as well as to a Monster Beast.
This Monster Beast was a Tiger Demon at its first-tier late stage, kept in a separate room and shackled with chains.
The chains were also inscribed with Formation Patterns, immobilizing the Tiger Demon completely.
Tigers were among the most powerful Monster Beasts on Big Black Mountain; without being constrained by Formations, they were incredibly dangerous.
This particular Tiger Demon seemed special with its mixed black and white patterns and a “king” character on its forehead.
Kong Sheng guessed that because of its extraordinary bloodline, the Evil Cultivators had captured it and locked it in Black Mountain Stronghold.
As to the specific purpose of this Tiger Demon, Mo Hua was unclear.
Every day at noon, the plump cultivator would feed the Tiger Demon.
But each time, he fed it very little, probably for fear that the Tiger Demon might regain its strength, break free from the chains, and cause trouble.
Seeing this, Mo Hua smiled to himself and thought, “if you won’t feed it, then I will.”
He picked select pieces of Monster Beast jerky from the refectory and stashed them in his Storage Bag, then quietly sneaked into the prison cell where the Tiger Demon was confined.
With a rumbling stomach, the Tiger Demon lay languid on the ground, only to suddenly see a few rough and hard pieces of food appear before it—it was indeed meat.
The Tiger Demon blinked, a bit puzzled, but driven by hunger, it couldn’t resist tearing into and eating the jerky.
Soon it had devoured all the meat and licked its sharp teeth, still not fully satiated.
Mo Hua tossed a few more pieces of meat in front of it.
The Tiger Demon fixed its gaze ahead; there was no shadow of a person, but it could sense the presence of a cultivator.
It did not know why the cultivator was feeding it, but driven by hunger, it consumed all the meat.
Then it discovered that the cultivator’s presence had vanished.
The Tiger Demon opened its mouth and let out a low growl.
Having eaten its fill to about seventy to eighty percent, its strength also recovered by the same margin, yet it was still restrained by the chains and Formation Patterns, unable to move.
A glint of intelligence flashed through the Tiger Demon’s eyes, and then it slowly lay down again, head drooping, eyes closed, pretending it was still hungry.
From a distance, Mo Hua caught a glimpse and couldn’t help but feel impressed:
“This Tiger Demon is quite clever.”
The plump cultivator came to feed it the next day with the same disgruntled expression.
He had been scolded by the old man again.
Before it was just pastries, now even meat had started going missing.
The plump cultivator didn’t understand, who dared to steal from the refectory in the Black Mountain Stronghold?
Moreover, he had checked for half a day and hadn’t found a single clue.
Aside from him and the old man, there were no other people in the refectory.
If no one was stealing, could it be that a ghost was doing it?
The plump cultivator gave a snort of derision, then frowned thoughtfully.
“Could it be a Concealment Technique?”
That would be the only thing capable of escaping a cultivator’s sight.
However, the plump cultivator shook his head again.
Concealment Techniques weren’t so easy to learn, and within the entire Black Mountain Stronghold, there probably wasn’t a single cultivator who could learn it, much less master it.
And even those who were adept in Concealment Techniques weren’t flawless.
A Hidden cultivator may deceive the eyes, but not the Divine Sense.
He had encountered Hidden cultivators before; although they were invisible to the eye, their traces could be detected by Divine Sense, and with his rich experience in fighting, it only took a few exchanges before he caught the Hidden cultivator and cleaved him with his blade.
The plump cultivator was confident that even a cultivator skilled in Concealment Techniques couldn’t elude his Divine Sense, especially not right under his watch.
So what exactly was going on? Who stole from the refectory?
As he fed the Tiger Demon, his mind kept pondering the dilemma.
“`
He, however, did not notice that at this moment, in an unseen corner, a delicate little hand was holding a pen, stroke by stroke unlocking the Formation Patterns on the Beast-binding Chain.
The plump Cultivator was unaware, but the Tiger Demon’s spirits were instantly lifted.