"Yes. Among that herd of human tribute I encountered, there was one of real skill. He killed the Crimson-Scaled Serpent in a single stroke, then used that same move to wound me grievously. Luckily I had Shadow-Slip to save my hide—otherwise I'd have followed the Crimson-Scaled Serpent down that same road. And that human seemed able to fly. In short, unfathomable." The Ancient Goumang King's voice was grave.

"Is that so? What was that human called?" the little white worm asked casually.

"Wei Zhao, I believe," the Ancient Goumang King said hastily. Wei Zhao had never introduced himself; but Ying Ziyu and the others had mentioned him several times, and it was no wonder it remembered.

"Wei Zhao?" The little white worm filed the name away, then said with lively interest, "A human who can kill the Crimson-Scaled Serpent in one stroke is a rare thing indeed—and he can fly, too. If a few more tribute of that caliber could be brought in, I think His Excellency would be most pleased."

"Yes, yes, however formidable this Wei Zhao may be, he cannot escape the palm of His Excellency or of you, Envoy. Tribute is tribute; his fate was sealed the moment he set foot in this place," the Ancient Goumang King fawned.

"Enough. Let us speak of your own affairs. Having let so many human tribute slip through your fingers when they were delivered right to your door, what do you propose to do about it?" The little white worm looked at it—though it was looking up, it gave the impression of gazing down from a great height, an overwhelming pressure that set the heart quailing.

"That..." The Ancient Goumang King broke into a cold sweat on the spot. It knew perfectly well what became of those who failed to catch their human tribute; the mere thought of such a scene was more than it dared entertain. It said hurriedly, "Rest assured, Envoy, I will redeem my fault by merit and deliver a full tally of human tribute without delay."

"Redeem your fault by merit? Do tell—how do you intend to redeem it?" The little white worm suddenly smiled, neither approving nor disapproving. "So far as I know, those human tribute have long since left your territory. Once they enter another's territory, they are that one's tribute. Should you go and snatch them, you would be breaking the rules—and that carries severe punishment."

Were it otherwise, the Ancient Goumang King and the Crimson-Scaled Serpent would not have been so cautious before. Only within one's own territory could one act at will. This was the most basic of rules, laid down by His Excellency himself, and none dared defy it.

"This... that..." For a moment the Ancient Goumang King did not know what to do. The thought had in fact occurred to it on the road back—to sneak into another's territory and poach—its advantage in the air would have made it possible to do so without a whisper. But who could have guessed that before it had even reached its own nest, the Envoy would already be waiting here.

"Very well. Let me point out a way for you to survive," the little white worm said lightly.

"Pray tell, Lord Envoy. On behalf of every member of the Ancient Goumang clan, great and small, I am endlessly grateful," the Ancient Goumang King said at once.

"Scatter every Goumang of your clan. Never mind whose territory it is—send them to search out every human tribute who has become separated from the rest. Those they can take alive, take alive; those they cannot, drive toward His Excellency's direction," the little white worm instructed.

"Yes. I shall obey the Lord Envoy's instructions to the letter." The Ancient Goumang King was overjoyed at the words. The task was not difficult, yet across the whole of the Ancient Trial Grounds, only its own Ancient Goumang clan could accomplish it—for they were the only aerial force of any scale.

"Naturally, you yourself need not go. A target that large invites unnecessary trouble," the little white worm added. An ordinary Goumang or two venturing into other spirit beasts' territory would come to no harm; such small fry were generally not worth notice. But the Ancient Goumang King was another matter. For a creature like that to flit across another's airspace at will would be no different from a declaration of war.

"Then what should I do?" the Ancient Goumang King asked.

"You?" The little white worm paused, sizing the Ancient Goumang King up and down, and said with pregnant meaning, "Give the order first, and we shall speak of the rest."

"Yes." The Ancient Goumang King complied at once. At a single command, every Goumang of the clan, great and small, set out in full force; only then did it turn back to report to the little white worm.

"Whatever further requirements the Lord Envoy has, pray command them. Through fire and flood, I will not utter a word of protest," the Ancient Goumang King was still busy professing its loyalty. Homely as this Envoy might appear, it was the plenipotentiary mouthpiece of His Excellency—its power in hand was no small thing, and even a local overlord like itself was compelled to bow and scrape.

"I'm hungry," the little white worm said.

"Wh-what?" For a moment the Ancient Goumang King could not react; it thought it had misheard.

"I slept for several hundred years. I'm hungry," the little white worm repeated.

This time the Ancient Goumang King finally understood. It could not help clicking its tongue in dismay, and had no choice but to steel itself and ask, "Then what would you like to eat, sir? I will find a way."

The Envoy, after all, was white and tender and delicate; its fare must surely differ from that of the Ancient Goumang clan. But since the other had made such a request, it must find a way to satisfy it no matter what.

The little white worm only smiled, its pair of small eyes fixed unblinkingly on the Ancient Goumang King. "No need for such trouble. You will do."

"Ah?" The Ancient Goumang King froze. Before it could react, the little white worm had already sprung from the table like a cannonball, in an instant plastered to its face. Struggle as it might, it could not shake it off.

"Be good and stop struggling. It will hurt less that way." The little white worm's whole body glowed with an eerie red light that grew brighter and more sinister as the moments passed, filling the heart with dread.

Brain-Eating Worm! Only then did a flash of insight strike the Ancient Goumang King, and it finally recalled the origins of this Lord Envoy. This was the renowned Brain-Eating Worm!

Before His Excellency appeared, the Brain-Eating Worm had been nothing short of a nightmare across the whole of the Ancient Trial Grounds. Wherever it passed, blood and gore were left in its wake; the mighty spirit beasts that died at its hands were beyond counting. Not until the day it met His Excellency did it quiet down—and afterward it became His Excellency's Envoy.

The Ancient Goumang King knew this history perfectly well and by rights should not have been so careless. It was only that Wei Zhao had just rattled it, and this Envoy had slept for several hundred years entire, so that its former ferocity had faded from memory by sheer habit, until this very moment, when it finally came back to its senses.

Alas, by then it was too late. The Brain-Eating Worm was already rooted fast to its face. It had not even time to struggle before a slender proboscis pierced its skull and drove straight into the brain, and in the blink of an eye the brains were sucked clean. Thus did the Ancient Goumang King become a brainless corpse, toppling straight to the ground.

A short while later, the Brain-Eating Worm crawled down from its face, replete and content. At first glance it still looked the same white, tender little worm—save that on its back there was now a trace of five colors, identical to the plumage that had clothed the Ancient Goumang King. (To be continued.)