abcnovels
Chapter 167 - 162: Counterkill_1
Chapter 167 - 162: Counterkill_1
Chapter 167: Chapter 162: Counterkill_1
Translator: 549690339 I
“It’s in your hair.”
As the words were spoken, Fourth leapt onto Qin Niu’s body.
“What kind of insect is it?”
Qin Niu patted his hair, but to no avail.
“I don’t know, but it feels like it harbors ill will towards you, I’ll go bite it to death.”
Fourth quickly crawled towards Qin Niu’s head.
Qin Niu realized something was amiss.
“Hold on, I want it alive.”
Being an Insect Master himself, once Fourth reminded him that there was an insect lurking on his body, and one with malice no less, Qin Niu could almost be certain that this was no simple matter.
It was very likely someone had sabotaged him.
Having come into contact with quite a few people in the city, the ones most likely to have tampered with him were the Fang Family and that unfathomable Old Master Huang.
He had to find out who wanted to hurt him.
If it was the Fang Family, he would not go there next time they invited him to treat their medicinal herbs.
Even if he did go, he would be more cautious and prepare for extra contingencies.
Hearing that Qin Niu wanted to catch it alive, Fourth jumped back onto the camphor tree.
Its antennae were pointed at Qin Niu.
This was it using its puppet control ability.
“This insect is very strong!”
Fourth’s antennae vibrated rapidly, clearly struggling.
Seeing this, Qin Niu was about to call out the Termite Army to help when Fourth suddenly underwent demonization.
Its body instantly became much thicker, and faint black qi enshrouded it.
A daunting and ferocious aura emanated from its tiny body.
At that moment, Fourth was the very incarnation of a battle-crazed demon.
It gave off an exceptionally vicious vibe.
Moreover, it moved so fast that it was hard for the naked eye to capture, leaving only afterimages.
Too fast.
So this was Fourth’s true strength after demonization.
Qin Niu carefully observed it.
If only he could have a few more white ants as powerful as this.
At this time, Qin Niu felt a sharp pain in his head, as if someone had yanked out a hair.
Fourth wouldn’t attack him.
Could it be that Fourth, having undergone demonization, no longer recognized its kin?
It was indeed a possibility.
Soon, he realized he had misunderstood Fourth.
Although it had entered a state of demonization, it did not fail to recognize its kin.
“Master, the insect has come down.”
Following the message from Fourth, a lock of hair about three to four inches long, moving eerily, arrived in Qin Niu’s hand.
One could see that it had a sucker on its head, still bearing traces of blood.
The sharp pain in his head just now, as if a strand of hair had been plucked out, was most likely caused by this insect.
It might have been clinging to Qin Niu’s scalp, sucking his blood voraciously.
In such a situation, locating it would have been almost impossible.
Luckily, Fourth was formidable and had detected it immediately.
” Who exactly wants to harm me in secret?”
Qin Niu looked at the odd insect indistinguishable from a strand of hair and felt a chill.
It was truly impossible to guard against.
He had no clear idea when someone had sabotaged him.
“Let’s identify this insect first to see what kind it is.”
After trying, he failed to identify it.
Currently, he was only a two-star Insect Identification Master, limited in skill and experience, utterly unable to identify the insect.
There was another approach, which was to subdue it.
But there was one prerequisite: he must ensure that this strange insect had no master.
Someone had gone through great trouble to plant such an insect in his body; they certainly wouldn’t leave one without an owner.
The path of subduing it seemed closed as well.
Qin Niu stared at the insect, pondering strategies to resolve the situation.
He had to find the person working against him in the shadows, or there would be a next time.
The only person proficient in insect control who had dealt with Qin Niu was apparently that Mr. Huang with the surname Huang.
The Fang Family was powerful, and if they wanted to move against Qin Niu, they seemingly had no need for such despicable tactics.
If it really was Old Master Huang who had struck against him, then it meant Qin Niu was marked.
His current predicament was very dangerous.
Selling that Green Giant Corpse Bee for one hundred and fifty pieces of Silver Money, he didn’t expect the money to burn so hot in his hands.
In the future, when selling insects, he must be exceedingly cautious.
“Since Fourth can control this insect, why not turn their scheme against them?”
Qin Niu’s eyes twinkled as he slowly formulated a plan to eliminate the enemy.
His life principle was to not cause trouble and to keep as low a profile as possible.
But if someone targeted him, then there was no need for courtesy; kill when necessary.
“Fourth, how long can you control this insect?”
Qin Niu inquired of Fourth.
“At least three days or more. If Master needs it, I can command the ant colony to control it for as long as you want.”
“Excellent!”
Knowing that Fourth could control it for at least three days gave Qin Niu quite a bit of reassurance.
“I’ll go back and make some preparations first, you keep it under control. If anything unexpected happens, and you truly can’t control it anymore, then kill it.”
With the powerful Termite Army on standby, there should be no accidents.
After returning to the village, Qin Niu bought a rooster, then tied it up and prepared some other items before going up the mountain.
“Fourth, let’s try having it latch onto this rooster.”
Following Qin Niu’s command, Fourth manipulated the insect to attach itself to the rooster.
The creature’s sucker burrowed into the feathers of the rooster and then began to gorge on its fresh blood like a leech.
Qin Niu took Fourth and some of the Puppet Ants and headed straight for the Ancient Banyan Tree.
He planned to lure the enemy into the maze of the Ancient Banyan Tree and eliminate them effortlessly.
To bait the enemy, he specifically tied up the rooster, dug a hole in the ground, and then placed the rooster in it.
Next to the Ancient Banyan Tree, insects and wild beasts in the mountains would automatically avoid the area.
There was no need to worry about any wild animals coming to eat the rooster.
After preparations were made, Qin Niu, concerned the enemy might be too powerful, had the bee swarm and ant colony ready to fight at any moment.
He was certain the enemy would definitely come looking.
As for when they would come, that was hard to say.
The likelihood was highest at night.
Even though he had taken down that strange insect, the thought of being targeted by the enemy still left Qin Niu uneasy.
He feared the enemy might harm Xiao Qing at home.
He had to take precautions against this possibility.
Xiao Qing couldn’t sleep at home tonight.
Qin Niu decided to go back to the village and make some arrangements at home.
Upon arriving outside Wang Furen’s home, he looked up at the window of Wang Wanyan’s boudoir.
“Miss Wang, are you home?”
“I am home! I’ve been wanting to ask you about animal taming for some time now, come have tea at my place!”
Upon hearing Qin Niu’s call, Wang Wanyan immediately opened her window and leaned out.
She was dressed in a white training suit, which was quite thin.
She looked exceptionally beautiful and pure, and her appearance was particularly innocent.
This showed that upon hearing Qin Niu’s call, she hadn’t hesitated, rushing to the window to respond immediately.
This brought a hidden smile to Qin Niu’s heart.
Miss Wang cared so much about him, it seemed likely that she would agree if he were to propose to her.
Now that her father was no longer opposed and she cared so much for Qin Niu, all he needed was to find an appropriate opportunity to send a matchmaker to propose marriage.
But he was in no rush for now.
He planned to grow stronger before considering the matter of marriage.
“Could you come over to my place for a bit, I need your help with something.”
Qin Niu was worried about too many prying eyes and the potential leakage of information.
“Okay, I’ll change my clothes and be right over. Wait for me, okay?”
She agreed readily.
This also indicated that she had deep affection for Qin Niu and trusted him immensely.
Otherwise, how could an unmarried girl casually visit a man’s home?
Qin Niu saw Xiao Qing arranging furniture and cleaning up.
“Xiao Qing, those old pieces of furniture can just be thrown in the backyard to be used as firewood! There’s no need to keep them anymore.”
They were all old pieces of furniture, roughly made, and wobbly.
Some of the chair armrests had long been broken.
Now that he had risen in status and had money, he naturally wanted to dispose of the old.
“Later tonight, you’ll stay at Miss Wang’s place. Remember, it’s best if people don’t find out when you go over.”
Qin Niu told her.
Although puzzled, she nodded in agreement.
She trusted that Qin Niu had his reasons for such arrangements.
“All Niu! I’m here!”
Wang Wanyan appeared wearing a beautiful dress, clearly wanting to present her best self to Qin Niu.
“Wan Yan, I need a favor. I’d like Xiao Qing to stay at your place for the next few nights, if that’s okay?”
Wang Wanyan was taken aback.
“What’s this about?”
She looked at Qin Niu, a shy expression on her face.
She thought this might be a prelude to Qin Niu proposing marriage, sending his maid over to get familiar with her, so that when he married her, the two could get along harmoniously.
“There might be danger at my house tonight. Remember, no matter what noises you hear, do not come out to check. I won’t be staying at home either tonight.”
Qin Niu feared she might hear something, come out of concern, and end up falling victim to the culprit.
It was crucial to give her a heads up well in advance.
“Okay! Just leave Xiao Qing to me, you just focus on staying safe.”
She didn’t know why Qin Niu said there would be danger at home, but she had a feeling that he might be hiding from someone.
After arranging everything for Xiao Qing and briefing Wang Wanyan, Qin Niu could rest assured about his household.
The little calf wouldn’t be in any danger.
It was in the midst of evolving, simply lying in the shed and sleeping soundly.
He also visited the Yan Family to tell them that he might not be able to make it due to some urgent matters.
A man’s worth is in his credibility.
Since he had promised to help the Yan Family with their infestation today, he had to give notice now that a change of plans had occurred.
With everything settled, Qin Niu now had no more worries and could concentrate on dealing with this unknown enemy.
Back in the mountains, he made a few more arrangements.
He found several hidden spots for concealment and rest.
As dusk fell, the strange insect that had been sucking blood from the rooster began to react.
It extended its tail and started to wave it in the air.
A faint stench wafted through the air, barely noticeable.
Yet, to Qin Niu, the smell was oddly familiar, very similar to the odor of the Corpse Bees in Old Master Huang’s home.
This suggested that the person targeting him was very likely Old Master Huang.
The human heart is deceitful.
Who would have thought that Old Master Huang, who appeared so amiable, could be so malevolent?
If he had wanted to kill Qin Niu, there was a chance to do so during their transaction at the house, but Old Master Huang had not made such a move.
Instead, he was biding his time for a bigger catch.