Chapter 51: Greedy Scorpion Demon, Red-Eyed Flayer

The clay pot was by no means small, easily the size of a millstone. It was a vessel Mo Fan had fired in the past for boiling wild beast meat. If replaced with a wine gourd, this clay pot could hold at least six or seven gourds' worth of liquor.

Therefore, when he presented this single pot of spirit wine, let alone the three close attendants such as Old Eight, even Blackie the scorpion demon himself was immensely startled.

Seeing this, the corners of Mo Fan’s mouth curved slightly upward. This was precisely the effect he wanted!

To temporarily avoid a direct conflict with the scorpion demon, he had indeed staked a huge amount. This single pot of spirit wine accounted for almost half of his gains from this trip!

"Master, this wine is called Monkey Wine. I stole it from the lair of a group of monkey demons when I went down the mountain this time. I now present it to you, Master!" Mo Fan said with a forced, ingratiating smile.

"Monkey Wine?"

Hearing this, the scorpion demon's expression shifted slightly, and he immediately opened his mouth to inhale. In an instant, a stream of golden liquor flew out from the clay pot and vanished into his mouth.

"How is this wine, Master?" Mo Fan asked, looking at the scorpion demon with a flattering expression.

"Aromatic with a lingering aftertaste, potent yet not burning—truly a fine wine!"

The scorpion demon nodded in satisfaction, then looked back at Mo Fan and asked, "This spirit wine has formidable medicinal potency and already belongs to the unranked tier. If you had consumed it yourself, you might have transformed a few times. Did you really bear to present it to your old master?"

"What is Master saying? If you hadn't saved me in the past, I would have died long ago. Now that I’ve encountered some fortune, naturally I must repay Master! As for my own transformation, there is no rush. There is no great danger on Black Wind Mountain, and consuming such spirit wine myself would be a complete waste. It is far better to present it to Master for your enjoyment, as a token of my loyalty!" Mo Fan chuckled.

His remarks prompted a burst of internal disdain from the three close attendants and Red-eye. Saying so much, wasn't it just out of fear of death? It seemed this Laibao was even more servile than Laifu; he would definitely need to be guarded against in the future.

"Hahahaha! Good, you truly are a demon worthy of this old master's approval!"

Pleased by Mo Fan’s flattery, the scorpion demon burst into hearty laughter. Then, his tone abruptly shifted as he asked, "Since that's the case, tell me, how much Monkey Wine did you steal on this trip?"

Hearing this, Mo Fan felt a jolt in his heart, silently cursing: *You skin-flaying scoundrel of a scorpion, you're far too greedy! With so much spirit wine, you're still not satisfied?!*

Outwardly, however, he replied, "Reporting to Master, I only stole this much spirit wine in total. If Master does not believe me, you may search my body."

"Very well."

Mo Fan had originally intended it as mere polite rhetoric, but who would have thought the scorpion demon would take it seriously? He immediately raised a hand and pressed it onto Mo Fan's head.

Seeing this, every hair on Mo Fan’s body stood on end. He wanted to turn around and run away immediately, but he ultimately suppressed the impulse to bolt.

The large hand descended, and a wisp of demonic Qi radiated from it, heading straight for the pouch-like space in Mo Fan's cheeks.

The so-called cheek pouch was a minor technique known to demons, allowing them to refine a small space on either side of their jaws, which served as a convenient place for storing items—hence the name "pouch."

Mo Fan had stayed on Black Wind Mountain for quite some days, so he naturally knew about this. However, because he possessed an internal space within his body, he had never bothered to refine a cheek pouch.

Right now, his entire body was tense, and he was extremely nervous. It wasn't that he was worried the scorpion demon would find anything, but rather that the exposure of his true cultivation level would inevitably provoke the scorpion demon into questioning and attacking him.

Through several previous encounters, Mo Fan had already figured out the scorpion demon's personality: vicious, ruthless, and deeply suspicious.

Returning to the mountain this time, he had restrained his cultivation, and even his spiritual avatar only revealed a single head, perfectly masquerading as a minor demon at the first stage of transformation.

Yet once the scorpion demon's demonic Qi entered his body, his true cultivation level would be instantly sensed.

Fortunately, the scorpion demon had no interest in thoroughly probing Mo Fan’s body. He merely made a rough sweep to locate the cheek pouch in his mouth, and finding no other spiritual items there, he dropped the matter.

When the demonic Qi withdrew from his mouth, Mo Fan finally let out a sigh of relief. Feigning composure, he smiled and said, "Master, how is it? I wasn't lying to you, was I?"

"Hump, very good!"

"If all of them had your level of awareness, this old master wouldn't have to worry so much!" The scorpion demon nodded in satisfaction.

"Then Master, if there's nothing else, can we take our leave?" Mo Fan chuckled.

"Nothing else?"

Hearing this, the smile on the scorpion demon's face instantly vanished. He then frowned as he looked at Mo Fan and Red-eye, and sneered, "Neglecting one's duty while on patrol is a capital offense! If the Great King Grandpa finds out, it will be hard for me to shirk the blame either! However, considering that Red-eye this time was tricked and lured away by that rascal One-eye's subordinate Rattlesnake, thus committing a grave error, this old master can deal with him leniently!"

At these words, both Mo Fan and Red-eye let out inward sighs of relief.

"Good thing that pot of spirit wine wasn't given in vain!"

Mo Fan murmured to himself. Well-versed in the intricate human dynamics of his past life, he naturally hadn't offered the wine for nothing—it was all for this very moment!

"However, capital punishment can be avoided, but living punishment is inescapable. Since Red-eye is the primary culprit, if he is not punished, I'm afraid the other demons will find it hard to submit in the future!"

The scorpion demon sneered and said in a deep voice, "The rabbit demon Red-eye neglected his duty during patrol and left the mountain without permission. By this old master's judgment, he shall suffer the punishment of skinning!"

Skinning?

Hearing this, Mo Fan's scalp went numb.

Red-eye was so terrified that his whole body trembled, and he immediately wailed, "Spare my life, Master! I'll never dare do it again! Master, spare my life...!!"

"Drag him down! Flay his skin, and then hang him upside down under that large banyan tree for three days!"

"During this time, if any demon dares to let him down, they shall suffer the exact same punishment!!"

Without paying heed to Red-eye's pleas for mercy, the scorpion demon ordered the three close attendants to drag him away in just a few words.

"As for you, Laibao... your contribution in presenting wine spares you the agony of being skinned. Now get back, reflect on yourself properly, and remain grounded for a month. If you dare to disobey, you shall suffer the punishment of skinning and tendon-pulling!!"

Hearing the scorpion demon's final verdict, Mo Fan felt an inexplicable wave of relief—at least he didn't have to suffer being skinned. "Thank you for the punishment, Master!!"

After exiting the scorpion cave, Mo Fan finally relaxed completely. A cold glint flashed in his eyes as he briskly walked toward his own dwelling.

As he passed beneath the large banyan tree, he happened to hear a succession of miserable screams and furious curses echoing out.

"Ah... Laifu, I'll fuck your grandmother! I'll screw your ancestors for eighteen generations!!"

"Ah... go easy, three big brothers, go easy... Laibao, you bastard, you're truly heartless! To think this daddy saved your life, and when you presented the wine you didn't even mention a word of my contribution. Fuck... hiss... go easy... go easy..."

"..."

Speechless at these sounds, Mo Fan looked up and saw that the wretch Red-eye was indeed hanging upside down beneath the pine tree, most of the skin on his body already stripped away, exposing bloody muscles and tendons.

Just a single glance made Mo Fan's scalp tingle, and he thought to himself: *How agonizing must that be?*

Aside from the three close attendants who did the skinning, Mighty, Chatter, and Laifu had all gathered around, watching the spectacle of Red-eye's flaying punishment.

"Brother Red-eye, don't hold a grudge against me. If I hadn't presented that spirit wine to put Master in a good mood, who knows, by now you might have already been served on a platter, and I might even have gotten to taste genuine rabbit meat!"

Mo Fan strolled over and casually dropped this suffocating remark, infuriating the fellow to the point of cursing hysterically.

Seeing this, Mo Fan could only shake his head and leave, thinking that his hard-earned good intentions were truly beyond the comprehension of this damned rabbit.

Unable to bear the bloody scene before him any longer, Mo Fan excused himself and departed.

Returning to his cave dwelling, he took a deep breath and murmured softly, "The ears are finally a lot quieter!"