The shouts of warning were ineffective, and Yin Tie stubbornly pursued.
Da Ju and Baze Li could only charge forward together.
*Splat!* His foot slipped on the frothy mucus, and Yin Tie stumbled, nearly falling, yet he showed no intention of slowing down.
The Mizutsune arrived at the soft sand near the shallow shore and watched Yin Tie approach.
In a flash, it sensed the weakness of this formidable hunter.
After a brief charge-up, a straight beam of water was spat out, sweeping across the area before it.
Where the water passed, trees were cut in half, and rocks crumbled, leaving a deep gully.
Yin Tie raised his blade, adopting a stance, intending to block and defend with his "Kenpo Slash," but then his reason prevailed.
He chose to do as Baze Li and Da Ju did, spreading his arms and falling flat on the ground.
The Mizutsune finished its attack, forming a circle with its body and rapidly sliding, releasing giant bubbles.
"Not good, they've gotten too much frothy mucus on them."
Li Fan noticed a highly disadvantageous situation.
Previously, one could only get covered in frothy mucus by touching giant bubbles, causing the mucus to splash, or by riding the Mizutsune.
Just now, to cover Yin Tie, everyone had stepped on the frothy mucus while pursuing.
They dodged the sweeping water beam and all fell to the ground.
Upon getting up, they could clearly see the frothy mucus attached.
"It's okay, meow, they have dispersant."
As Di Lu reminded them, Yin Tie took a bottle wrapped in iron mesh and secured, containing a blue solution, from his waist.
He opened the stopper and began pouring it onto himself.
The foam on his armor immediately dissipated upon contact with the solution.
However, the continuously overflowing giant bubbles were already drifting towards them, filling the surrounding space.
This Mizutsune is not simple.
Li Fan felt that if his judgment was correct.
This Mizutsune had been setting a trap since it fled to the shallows.
Yin Tie, already struggling on the slippery mucus, now found his movements even more difficult facing the scattering giant bubbles.
The red energy blade attached to the surface of his Blazing Inferno Great Sword had faded to a yellow energy blade due to the lack of continuous Qi infusion.
*Thump!*
Yin Tie lost his balance and fell onto the sand.
He pushed himself up with his hands, then poured the remaining dispersant in the bottle all over himself.
Perhaps having suffered greatly in close combat earlier, the Mizutsune did not attack this time but instead crawled cautiously on the wet shallows.
It used the purple fur beneath its body and tail to quickly absorb moisture.
Another water beam!
Seeing this, Li Fan quickly made a judgment.
Yin Tie still had no intention of retreating. He gripped his great sword horizontally with both arms, and his lower body dragged along the ground to maintain balance.
The drifting giant bubbles shattered upon contact with his body, splashing frothy mucus onto him as if he were oblivious.
"Uh... I feel like Instructor Yin Tie has become a different person, meow..."
Di Lu looked surprised.
"Perhaps this is the origin of the 'lone demon hunter'."
Li Fan speculated.
As it stood, Yin Tie's combat style basically paid little attention to his teammates.
His will to slay monsters was also extraordinarily firm.
"Yin Tie! Don't be reckless! That Kenpo Slash won't block it!"
Baze Li shouted urgently.
Unfortunately, limited by the bubbles and the slippery mucus underfoot, he was powerless to stop him.
"He really can't let go of it... Hurry and call the Felyne rescue team!"
Da Ju looked at Yin Tie's solitary back and sighed, then turned to call towards the bushes, clearly preparing for the worst.
*Whoosh! Boom!*
A signal flare shot up into the sky.
It exploded into a pink fireworks display shaped like a cat's paw.
The Mizutsune, seeing Yin Tie still charging forward, flashed a hint of ferocity in its eyes and dug its four claws deep into the sand.
*Splat!* Another water beam swept across!
This is not good. Although the sweeping water passed in an instant, it was a solid, continuous attack.
And the mist-like Qi protection emitted by the Kenpo Slash could only last for a very short time, and should only be effective against a single concentrated attack.
Even if the first impact were precisely blocked, the subsequent impact of the water would hit Instructor Yin Tie after the mist-like Qi protection was retracted into the great sword.
Based on his theoretical understanding of Kenpo Slash and Baze Li's reminder,
Li Fan quickly realized that using Kenpo Slash to block the water beam was fundamentally impossible.
However, at this moment, Yin Tie suddenly increased his forward speed.
The Mizutsune, turning its head to sweep, saw the water beam about to cross Yin Tie and naturally did not stop.
"This is... Spirit Blade Slash!!!"
Just by seeing the motion of raising his sword, Li Fan could identify the move Yin Tie was using in advance.
However, he had never expected him to use this move at this time and place.
*Splat! Splat!*
Two tearing sounds rang out simultaneously.
The first strike of the Spirit Blade Slash cut across the Mizutsune's open mouth.
Blood, fire, bubbles, smoke.
Several substances intertwined within its mouth, overflowing from its needle-like teeth.
The water beam abruptly stopped.
The Mizutsune lowered its head and coughed painfully.
Yin Tie, sent flying, landed on his side on the ground.
On the waist of his Fire Dragon armor, crimson blood was dripping outwards, and a crack pierced by the water beam was particularly conspicuous.
Da Ju stumbled over and shielded Yin Tie with his iron rod.
However, the Mizutsune's body was pale white, its scales devoid of any color, as if it were so weak it had lost the will to fight, and it crawled tremblingly towards the water.
"Village Chief, what do we do?"
Da Ju asked.
"First, protect Yin Tie."
Baze Li gave the instruction.
At this moment, six Palicos with black fur, pushing a flatbed cart, sped out from the woods.
The cart slid and skidded on the frothy mucus, crashing towards Yin Tie.
"Oh-ho, it's Yin Tie who never pays his debts, meow! Everyone, retreat quickly!"
The leading Palico, upon seeing the injured person on the ground, prepared to leave.
The cart was held down by an orange paw, and no matter how hard they pushed, it could only spin in place.
"This is for the village defense force, the cost will be borne by Kula Village."
Da Ju stated coldly.
"That's right, Black Thorn. Hurry and take Yin Tie for treatment!"
Baze Li confirmed this statement.
"Oh-ho, Yin Tie can actually be helpful? Everyone, help him up, meow!"
Black Thorn no longer hesitated. He and the other five Palicos heaved, roughly throwing Yin Tie onto the flatbed cart and quickly pushing him away.
"Is Instructor Yin Tie okay? Can those Palicos really be trusted?"
Li Fan ran over and asked.
He was certainly aware of the existence of Palico carts.
But seeing such a primitive rescue procedure, he couldn't help but worry for Yin Tie.
"Although it doesn't look very reliable, as long as someone pays, the Felyne rescue team will bring the injured back to the village safely, even if it costs them their lives, meow."
Da Ju gave his assurance, and Li Fan was slightly relieved.
"Village Chief, are we still going to pursue?"
Li Fan saw Baze Li take off his Fire Dragon bracers and sit down to rest, knowing that further pursuit was unlikely.
"No, this Mizutsune is much more cunning than we imagined. Although it's heavily injured, it's not something we can easily deal with. Besides, we don't know the situation with the Guild."
Baze Li shook his head.
Clearly, the safety of Kula Village was his top priority, more so than hunting the Mizutsune.
"Can I try to pursue it... Of course, not to hunt it, just to track its movements."
Li Fan asked.
"If you have that Pukei-Pukei, it should be fine, but be sure to be safe."
Baze Li did not refuse.
As long as the Mizutsune was not dead, its movements were still worth tracking.
Even if it left the vicinity of Kula Village, its migration direction could be used to provide early warning information to other villages and hunter branches.
Li Fan mounted Kulu and immediately galloped along the riverbank.
After running a distance, Kulu was released from its Poké Ball and flew into the sky to monitor the Mizutsune's movements in the water.
Li Fan counted the total number of Great Poké Balls in his pouch and backpack.
He had accumulated 28 during this period.
If a Great Poké Ball corresponded to capturing a three-star monster,
then an Ultra Ball would be for four stars, and a Poké Ball of a higher grade would be needed to capture a five-star monster.
Is this situation absolute?
Thinking this, Li Fan fell into thought.
In the information he currently possessed, the capture by Poké Ball had never been absolute.
The monster's injuries, the quality of the Poké Ball, and verbal communication seemed to all affect the capture.
The most valuable reference was the monster's reaction when being put into a Poké Ball.
Exploding instantly meant it was a no-go.
The more stable the Poké Ball's reaction during the subsequent three resistances, the higher the probability of successful capture.
"Li Fan, you're not thinking of capturing the Mizutsune, are you, meow?"
While speeding and bouncing, Di Lu tentatively asked as Li Fan fiddled with the Poké Balls.
"I have so many Poké Balls in my hand, why shouldn't I try?"
Li Fan did not deny it.
"But if you succeed, where are you going to put the Mizutsune, meow? You said before that Bear and Kulu don't like staying in Poké Balls."
Di Lu voiced her concern.
Firstly, the logging area was not very suitable for Mizutsune to inhabit.
Secondly, if it were spotted by hunters, the Guild would definitely organize a team to hunt it down.
"You have quite a lot of confidence in me... How should I put it, I think this capture is more of an experiment."
Li Fan stated his thoughts.
"An experiment, meow?"
Di Lu could not understand at all.
"Yes, it's about constantly changing conditions and comparing them to test which situation makes it easier to capture a monster."
"It sounds so profound, meow."
"Actually, it's like the principle of roasting meat. By observing the color, aroma, and changes in the meat, you accumulate experience and summarize key points, and the roasted meat will become more and more delicious."
Di Lu understood and couldn't help but swallow.
The Mizutsune fled for about twenty minutes and hid in a cave in the waters at the foot of the mountain.
Li Fan checked the water depth, which was only about knee-deep, and then rode Kulu into it.
He wanted to tell Kulu to move quietly after entering the cave, because even the slightest sound would cause echoes inside.
But before he could say it, Kulu moved slowly in a crouched posture.
Apart from the water splashed by its paws, it made no other sound.
Right, Kulu is a professional egg thief, I don't need to teach it this.
Li Fan suddenly realized.
They moved stealthily along the cave wall for a distance, the terrain gradually rising, and the water depth becoming shallower.
The shimmering green water reflected the entire cave in a cyan hue.
*Woooo... Woooo...*
As the cave's terrain gradually opened up, Li Fan heard a low moan.
Seeing rock pillars blocking the way ahead, Kulu slowly approached.
Peeking out from the side of a rock pillar, three heads emerged to observe.
The lowest was Kulu, in the middle was Li Fan, and at the top was Di Lu.
"It's so beautiful, meow..."
Di Lu whispered in admiration.
In the cave pool shimmering with green light, the Mizutsune, dragging its wounded body, slid slowly in a circle.
Countless small bubbles dispersed and floated within the cave.
These bubbles were not for attack but for warning.
If any creature approached and touched a bubble, causing it to burst, the Mizutsune would immediately awaken and enter an alert state.
Li Fan made a deduction.
The most advantageous factor was that the Mizutsune was truly at its limit.
But the reason was not its severe injuries, but extreme fatigue.
Li Fan knew this from his own experience.
Sleep in the Monster Hunter world did indeed have the ability to alleviate injuries.
However, Li Fan had never once felt unable to endure and wanted to sleep quickly due to injuries during his arduous training.
Instead, during wrestling with Bear and strength training, he had several times been so exhausted that he nearly fainted, only to wake up the next day.
More and more, and stronger, uncontrolled use meant faster consumption.
When consumption reached its limit, a state of near-mandatory hibernation would occur.
Li Fan had speculated then that excessive food intake, excessive physical exertion, and energy release were not without consequences.
Therefore, the Mizutsune's desire to sleep and rest was not to heal its serious injuries, but because its stamina was completely depleted, making it unable to maintain normal bodily functions.
Li Fan speculated that the reason hunters rarely compromised on their base camps and meals in the wild, no matter how harsh the environment, might be because of this.
"Exhausted stamina, severe injuries, no food replenishment..."
Li Fan muttered about the Mizutsune's current unfavorable situation, inexplicably feeling a bit pathetic.
*Thump! Thump! Thump!*...
A rhythmic stomping sound echoed within the cave.
Kulu swaggered in.
Wow!
Hearing the familiar cry echo in the cave, Li Fan's face darkened.
He thought, if you can't even stealth, why roar so loudly.
However, letting Kulu enter the cave was also Li Fan's instruction.
After all, no matter how poor the Mizutsune's current condition, safety must be guaranteed first when attempting to capture it.
Kulu was, after all, a three-star monster he had specially trained.
It should be able to hold off a severely weakened five-star monster and retreat safely.
A moment later, Kulu's head also peeked out from the side of the rock pillar to observe.
Who should go to negotiate?
Li Fan felt that first, he must not provoke too much hostility from the Mizutsune, otherwise, whether it went berserk to fight or fled, it would not be conducive to his attempt to capture it.
Secondly, he must not let the Mizutsune sleep peacefully. He must try to drag out time and exhaust its remaining bit of stamina.
"You go, Di Lu."
"Okay, meow... Ah!"
Di Lu's ears shot up in fright.
"Don't worry, you're going with a gift, and we'll be your strong backing."
Li Fan assured her.