Demon Hunter: I have a red gourd

Chapter 32 Tracking
"Is this the place where the scissor-tailed dragon was last seen?" Ivan frowned slightly and swept his gaze across the surrounding fields, his sharp eyes seeming to be looking for something.

"That's right." Philip nodded. "My brothers have been observing the beast's movements. Just yesterday, it grabbed a sheep that a shepherd was grazing here and flew away."

Ivan squatted down and carefully examined the ground. There was a clear trace of dragging in the weeds, with a few tufts of wool scattered around. Near the edge of the field, he could see several deep claw marks. They were irregularly arranged, and the marks were extremely clear, obviously left by the scissor-tailed dragon when it landed.

Ivan lowered his head, his gaze sweeping across the ground. Soon, he spotted a few scattered bloodstains on one side of the drag mark. The blood had already solidified, turning a dark red, blending into the soil, but still clearly visible. Ivan touched the bloodstain with his fingertips, rubbing it gently, then raised his hand to the tip of his nose.

"Fresh sheep's blood, no more than a day old." Ivan analyzed in a low voice, "Did your brothers observe the direction it flew away?"

Philip nodded and pointed to a forest in the distance. "Over there, it seemed to fly southeast. But it was already late at night, so my brothers didn't dare to chase it too far."

Ivan stood up slowly, his nose twitching slightly as he carefully distinguished the complex smells in the air.

The air in the fields was filled with the fragrance of green grass, intertwined with the scent of damp earth. An occasional breeze rustled the wildflowers, bringing with it a delicate fragrance. From further afield, the scent of several small animals drifted on the wind, mingled with a hint of animal feces.

However, these peaceful natural atmospheres did not distract Ivan, he was looking for something else.

A faint smell of blood mingled with the wind, appearing and disappearing. Ivan's keen sense of smell caught this scent, this fishy-sweet smell was like a lurking undercurrent, looming in the wind.

He concentrated, closed his eyes, and focused all his attention on the smell.

The smell of blood gradually became clearer, as if an invisible road was extending in the air, guiding his direction.

"It's indeed in the southeast direction." Ivan opened his eyes and locked his gaze on the source of the smell.

He turned to Philip and said, "We have enough clues. You can leave now."

"Ivan, don't you need our help?" Philip hesitated before speaking. "Although we're not as professional as you witchers in dealing with monsters, we're all pretty good. That beast was a dragon after all, and you, a witcher apprentice, might not be able to handle it."

"No need. It's just a dragon-like creature." Ivan shook his head slightly, his tone carrying a hint of calm confidence. "I appreciate your kindness, but as a demon hunter, I received my payment in advance. I cannot put my employer in danger. This goes against my professional ethics."

Philip was silent for a moment, then finally nodded. A hint of worry flashed in his eyes, but he didn't continue to persuade.

"Well, if you insist," he sighed, "Ivan, be careful and stay safe."

Philip waved his hand behind him and said, "Brothers, pack up! Everyone go back and wait for orders. No one is allowed to approach this area at will, lest you anger that beast."

Soon, Philip and his team drifted away, and the fields returned to silence, with only the rustling of grass and wind as the only sound. Ivan watched them depart, then turned and mounted the gray horse Philip had lent him. He gave the reins a gentle shake and headed southeast, following the faint scent of blood in the air.

Along the way, the landscape gradually changed. Initially, it was open grassland with scattered shrubs, but as he advanced, the terrain became increasingly rugged. The weeds grew taller, and occasionally, low trees and half-dead stumps could be seen. The smell of blood on the wind grew stronger, as if foreshadowing the approach of danger.

Ivan sat on his horse, legs clamped to the horse's belly, his eyes scanning the surroundings with alertness. From time to time, he pulled the reins, dismounted, and, drawing his dagger from his belt, carefully cut a tuft of grass or dug up a root. He identified the herbs from memory: allspice root, ergot seeds, balsa berries, and honeysuckle. These herbs, though common and ordinary, were all ingredients for refining sword oil.

After picking each time, Ivan would put the herbs into a leather bag on his horse's back. At first, his technique was a little clumsy, but with repeated operations, he quickly became proficient, and his speed and efficiency gradually improved.

Gradually, the terrain ahead became increasingly complex. Distinct footprints of varying depths began to appear on the ground, accompanied by several chaotic dragging marks.

Ivan dismounted and crouched beside a mark, examining it carefully. A massive claw mark dug deep into the earth, its edges sharp and rugged, revealing a sense of power. Undoubtedly, it had been left by a large creature.

The surrounding drag marks were relatively shallow, looking like the marks left by some heavy stick-like object casually scraping across the ground. Based on Ivan's tracking target, this stick-like object was obviously the tail of the Scissortail Dragon.

"That Scissortail Dragon once landed here," Ivan whispered to himself, his fingertips lightly touching the edge of the claw marks. "It didn't fly, but walked on the ground. These marks...it was patrolling its territory, staking its claim."

He slowly stood up and moved his eyes in the direction of the traces. In the distance, the footprints and tail dragging marks there were more dense, which was obviously the center of the Scissortail Dragon's activities.

"It's probably nearby." After realizing this, Ivan didn't go any deeper. Instead, he chose a large tree with dense branches and tied the gray horse to the trunk. The gray horse might have smelled the scent of the fork-tailed dragon, snorting slightly and looking a little uneasy.

Ivan patted its neck gently to calm the gray horse's agitation. Then, he took out the tools and materials he had brought with him from the leather bag on the horse's back: a small copper pot, a few freshly picked herbs, and a pottery jar filled with animal fat.

He placed the copper pot on a flat rock on the ground and then began to pick up nearby dead leaves and branches and pile them together.

Ivan stretched out his right hand, curled his fingers slightly, and whispered, "Igni."

Flames instantly burst out from his fingertips, quickly igniting the dead leaves and branches. The firelight reflected on his face, outlining a cold outline.

Ivan placed a copper pot over the fire and scooped out a piece of animal fat and dropped it in. The fat began to melt on contact with the hot pot, gradually becoming clear and shimmering. Once the fat had completely dissolved, he picked up the herbs and placed them into the pot one by one, in the order they were placed.

　Thank you for the reward from Sanwanxipi, and thank you for your monthly votes, muah

　　
　
(End of this chapter)