Chapter 81 Life Hangs by a Thread: Hearing Voices, Run Away!

Before the voices could react, the Earth God had already been kicked away by He Mu, tumbling twice in the air before crashing into the wall of the Earth God Temple.

His nose was broken, blood splattered all over his face along with his white beard, and one of his eyes was visibly swollen.

Hearing a voice startled him so much that he trembled.

Looking up, He Mu's face was terrifyingly dark, and his golden eyes flashed with a chilling killing intent, as if he could crush the Earth God's skull with his bare hands at any moment.

Hearing the voice, she quickly grabbed him: "Brother, don't be angry, we still need him to draw the talisman."

He Mu scoffed, stepped over the threshold of the earth god temple, and glared at the earth god with a knife-like gaze.

“There are plenty of next-generation land gods out there. If we lose him, we can find someone else,” he said coldly. “But if we don’t vent our anger today, we’ll never have another chance.”

"Brother!" Wen Rensheng grabbed He Mu with both hands and feet, shouting with difficulty, "There's no time! We have to go find Master quickly!"

He Mu ignored him, exhaled a breath of cold air, and raised his hand to summon the lecherous killer.

The Earth God had just struggled to pull himself out of the wall when he looked up and saw a person shrouded in black mist raising a sword, about to strike him without warning.

The Earth God's eyes were bloodshot, blurring his features so much that he couldn't make out Mu's appearance, but the fear of that sword was etched into his very bones.

Upon sensing the oppressive, suffocating flow of spiritual energy, he immediately realized who this person was.

"Wait, wait, wait!"

The Earth God was terrified and reached out to stop He Mu.

"I'll draw it now, please don't kill me!!"

In the blink of an eye, He Mu infused Se Sha with powerful spiritual energy, leaving no room for negotiation.

The Earth God was so frightened that he trembled like a leaf and frantically tried to retreat, but there was only a thick wall behind him, and he had nowhere to go.

Seeing this, Wenrensheng simply stepped in front of He Mu and jumped directly into He Mu's arms.

There's nothing we can do!

Anyway, Mu will definitely hold me, at least that way he won't have time to grab the sword!

As expected, He Mu caught Wenren Sheng, who suddenly jumped up.

The person whose voice could be heard was too light; Mu could easily hold them firmly in his arms with one hand, without putting down his sword.

Hearing the voices, he became anxious, grabbed Mu's hand holding the sword, and tried to dissuade him, saying, "I know you're angry, brother, but please don't kill anyone. Let's talk about it using the Dao Divine Incantation first, okay?"

The tail of the creature that heard the human voice swished anxiously behind him, clearly not wanting him to kill the Earth God.

The fierce look in He Mu's eyes faded somewhat.

He sighed and asked, "Aren't you angry?"

“I’m angry,” Wenrensheng said, “but I know he’s lying, so I’m not angry anymore.”

Humans all share the same logic in hating monsters: they feel that monsters are of lowly status and shouldn't be so beautiful, kind, or innocent. They believe that monsters must be all fake and that their true forms must be hideous, terrifying, and extremely ugly.

But Wenrensheng knew that his original form was not ugly at all. He and Mu would often praise him for being cute, and they loved to suck his belly, kiss his little paws, and gently groom his fur.

This genuine affection is far more powerful than a casual remark from someone else.

He Mu frowned and said, "That's why I'm angry. I heard someone say that about you, and it made me furious. I want to kill him."

"But there's no need to be angry, brother."

Hearing someone's voice, he straightened Mu's hair, went up to hug him, and patted his back to comfort him.

“I used to get angry a lot when I was a child, but I’ve changed now, and you can too.”

Hearing human voices always had a good temper, but when he lived in the rabbit hole, he found that the chieftain's rabbits all had bad tempers, and even the smallest one would often get angry.

At that time, Wenrensheng was still young. In order to fit in, he would secretly imitate the way a rabbit stomps its feet in anger and deliberately disobey the clan leader.

But after learning it a few times, I felt my feet hurt when I heard people's voices, I was tired from stomping my feet all day, I often felt hungry, and getting angry was not fun at all.

Over time, he stopped liking to get angry, and now he only gets a little angry with the mountain god.

Hearing Wen Rensheng's words, He Mu's anger gradually subsided. He withdrew his murderous intent, grabbed Wen Rensheng's waist with both hands, and put him on the ground.

The coldness on his face gradually melted away, and he turned his eyes into a smile: "Then I'll listen to you, Sheng Sheng."

Hearing voices, he loosened his embrace and turned to look in the direction of the Earth God.

The man was so frightened that it seemed as if half of his soul had left his body, and his legs were trembling uncontrollably.

Moreover, Wen Rensheng also noticed that his appearance had changed.

His beard and wrinkles visibly faded, and his appearance gradually became younger. He looked quite young, probably not even twenty. His features were ordinary, with some freckles, making him an unattractive face.

"You..." Wenren hesitated before speaking, "Why are you dressing up as an old person?"

The Earth God looked up at the human voice and stammered, "I...I am not the Earth God."

"My name is Yi Fang, and I am a mortal."

*

The barbarian, his face bruised and swollen, knelt on the ground, burying his head in drawing the Shrinking Earth Incantation on yellow paper.

He Mu paced back and forth, summarizing the Yi people's plea: "So, in other words, the original local earth god has been imprisoned by the God of Fate, and you've been the one impersonating him all these years?"

Hearing the voice, he sat cross-legged opposite the barbarian and asked, "But you don't have a divine status, so is the Shrinking Earth Incantation you drew really effective?"

“It was useful,” Mu answered for him. “When we went back to Fangze Mountain, we were looking for the divine spell he drew.”

I just made it in time then, but I didn't have time to examine it closely.

For He Mu, the Earth God's divine status was too weak, to the point that he was no different from a mortal, and it was normal that he wasn't very perceptive.

"The Lord of Fate has shared a bit of my divine power with me, so I can draw divine spells, but that's all."

After finishing the drawing, Yi Fang answered tremblingly.

“In recent years, fewer and fewer demons have ascended to heaven, and there is a shortage of manpower. He asked me to temporarily fill the position of the Earth God.”

He Mu casually picked up a silver candlestick from the table and played with it in his hand for a moment.

"You're living quite comfortably," he sneered.

Yi Fang shuddered and quickly buried himself in drawing the second talisman.

But this time my hands were shaking so badly that I couldn't draw the first stroke properly. As soon as the pen tip touched the paper, it would leave a smudge of ink.

After looking around for a while, he finally couldn't help but say, "Fine, come with us."

"ah?"

Yi Fang immediately shook the brush out of his hand.

"...Go? Where to?"

He Mu immediately understood Wen Rensheng's words and added, "You can draw talismans, so of course you can use the Shrinking Earth Technique. From now on, you will follow us and tell everyone that the Earth God Temple will be closed to visitors for a period of time. This will also reduce the number of people from Zhongzhou who go out."

"W-what? Where are you taking me??"

Hearing the voice, he nodded in agreement, saying, "Brother is right. This way, we'll face less pressure when we go to war with Si Ming in the future."

"Without further ado, let's do it now—"

"etc!"

Yi Fang scrambled to his feet, clutching the half-drawn Shrinking Earth talisman in his hand, and cried out in a trembling voice:

"I...I...I'm not going anywhere!"

"I want to stay at the local temple. I eat and drink well here, and people come to offer sacrifices every day. I don't want to go to my death with you!"

Upon hearing this, He Mu and Wen Rensheng both glanced at Yi Fang.

"…………"

After a moment, He Mu said in a slow voice, "No one is asking for your opinion."

He paused, squatted down, and picked up the talisman he had drawn on the ground. He said, "Regardless of how much money you've squeezed from the people of Zhongzhou over the years by relying on the divine status bestowed by the God of Destiny, you've been living a life of luxury for many years just by drawing talismans and receiving offerings, haven't you?"

"You are still alive because you heard someone's voice and disregarded past grievances, repaying evil with kindness and showing great compassion by stopping me."

The sword, laced with a faint light, had been hovering over Yi Fang's head for some time now. With just a flick of the wrist, it could skewer him like a roasted sweet potato in the next second.

Hearing the voice, he imitated He Mu, putting on a bully-like demeanor, and fiercely threatened Yi Fang: "From now on, your life belongs to both of us. No objections allowed. Do you understand?"

Yi Fang's teeth chattered as he mumbled something and crawled back two steps.

"I...I'm not leaving..."

Before he could finish speaking, a cool breeze blew past his ear, and before he could react, the earth temple had completely changed its appearance.

*

Cangzhou City, Huagong Palace.

To avoid attracting attention, Wen Rensheng deliberately chose Huagong Palace as the landing point. He blew on the talisman, and the three of them were instantly transferred to the main hall of Huagong Palace.

As soon as he landed, he heard voices and hurriedly ran towards Yi Jinxiang's palace, before even He Mu could catch up with him.

He was really worried about his master.

From the moment he saw that letter, he felt a vague sense of unease, as if his master was hiding something from them.

Hua Palace was too quiet, the entire city of Cangzhou was too quiet. Every corner here was filled with a deathly stillness that seemed to precede a storm, making one's blood run cold.

It wasn't until he pushed open the palace door and saw Yi Jinxiang lying on the balustrade that the weight in his heart finally lifted.

Yi Jinxiang looked up and saw a voice, a hint of hesitation flashing in her eyes.

She quickly composed herself, brandished her fan, and said, "What are you doing back here?"

"Master..."

Hearing the voice, he was so anxious that he almost cried. He rushed over and hugged Yi Jinxiang, his voice trembling with sobs.

“I’m sorry, Master… We left in such a hurry that we didn’t tell you and left you here alone.”

"What nonsense are you talking about?" Yi Jinxiang propped herself up, gently pushed Wen Rensheng away, and barely managed to keep her voice calm. "I am the city lord of Cangzhou City. When did I fall to the point where I can't live without my juniors?"

“The Mountain God said you were injured,” Wenrensheng said, wiping away her tears. “Is the city in chaos right now? Has Master been poisoned? Protector Ye is working with Physician Shanyue from Zhongzhou to develop an antidote. Once the antidote is brought back, you'll be fine. Where are you injured, Master? I'll transfer my spiritual power to you right now!”

He rambled on and on, and Ichiko patiently waited for him to finish. She didn't answer the last question, but simply covered her face with her fan and coughed lightly twice.

"Cang Yu came back with you too, right?" she asked.

Hearing someone's voice, he lowered his ears and nodded.

"That's good," Yi Jinxiang sat up straight, her face a little pale. She patted the seat next to her and said, "Wenrensheng, come sit here, I have something to tell you."

Hearing the voices, he obediently sat down next to Yi Jinxiang.

"What does Master want to say?"

After Yi Jinxiang gestured for the maid to close the door, she asked, "Did the divine physician from Zhongzhou tell you about the origin of 'Huojin'?"

Hearing the voice, she nodded and said, "She mentioned it to me. She said this poison came from Japan and is not difficult to cure."

"That's right. 'Calamity' contains toxins that target monsters. The longer it's entrenched, the stronger the damage becomes, and the less effective the antidote will be."

Yi Jinxiang lowered her eyes and glanced at the snake scales scattered all over the ground.

"If you are poisoned, the 'Calamity Essence' will stimulate your spiritual root, giving you power beyond your body's capacity for a short period of time."

"In contrast, your consciousness will be slowly devoured by the 'Calamity,' returning you to the most primitive state of a monster, where you only know how to hunt and survive."

Upon hearing this, Wen Rensheng looked somewhat anxious.

He quickly interrupted Yi Jinxiang: "I know, but the divine doctor said that as long as those monsters use the antidote, they will return to normal. Master, don't panic. Si Ming and I agreed that he would not invade Cangzhou City for five years. We still have time."

"She certainly won't attack."

Yi Jinxiang sighed silently and looked up at Wen Rensheng.

“Those red lotuses were planted deep in Cangzhou City as early as forty or fifty years ago.”

"I wasn't careful enough and didn't notice it."

Si Ming is no fool. If she dares to make such an arrogant promise, she must have left herself enough room to maneuver.

This unruly and eccentric person had planned out the method to exterminate the demon race from the very beginning. She would not invade Cangzhou City because she wanted to watch the place perish on its own.

“Since you left with that wind medium, more and more monsters in the city have started to fall ill.”

Yi Jinxiang raised her hand to touch the cheek of the person who had spoken, and whispered,

"If this continues, let alone five years, we might not even survive this winter."

"…………"

This winter...

Hearing someone's voice, he stiffly repeated the sentence in his mind.

What happened?

Before returning, Wenrensheng always felt that there was still plenty of time left.

He can continue his cultivation. As long as he ascends to immortality within these five years, there is still a chance to salvage the situation. He can help his master protect Cangzhou.

Why did Cangzhou City fall to the brink of destruction in just a few days?

Hearing the voice, his mind went blank. He opened his mouth, but didn't know what to say to comfort Yi Jinxiang.

Yi Jinxiang was much calmer in comparison; her emotions were not fluctuating much, as usual, and even somewhat indifferent.

She took Wen Rensheng's hand and suddenly placed a precious jade in his palm.

She said, "This is my secret weapon for protecting your heart. If you wear it on your body, it can hide all traces of you."

...A magic weapon to protect the heart?

Hearing the voice, he looked surprised.

It is the magical artifact that has been protecting the people of Cangzhou from being found by the God of Fate.

Why give him something so important all of a sudden?

Yi Jinxiang seemed to have guessed what he wanted to ask. A faint smile appeared on her lips as she said, "Yokai have existed for far longer than humans. All yokai are born from the choice of Heaven, not from reproduction."

"This tribe has been destroyed today, but it will be reborn again in a hundred years. You don't need to worry about being alone for too long."

Hearing the voice, he took several deep breaths before managing to utter a sound: "Master... what do you mean by this?"

"If you hear voices, run away."

Yi Jinxiang held Wen Rensheng's hand, looking at him with an incomparably calm gaze that sent chills down one's spine.

"Stop thinking about ascending to immortality. Leave this place with Cang Yu, find a secluded place, and live out the rest of your life peacefully, okay?"

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Author's Note: I thought it would be finished at 300,000 words [please][please][please] but it still went over the limit for various reasons!